Common Sense, if you’ve got, use it, and if you need some, God’s got it.

On February 18, 2003, I remember hearing the disturbing news that Robert Hanssen, a 25-year veteran of the FBI and expert in counterintelligence, had been arrested on espionage charges. He was accused of passing top-secret information to the Soviet Union, starting in 1985. Federal agents apprehended him at a Virginia park just minutes after he left a package under a wooden footbridge, which investigators say was a drop site for delivering secret documents to his Russian handlers.

As the information on Hanssen poured out, we learned he was a faithful church member who attended services every week. In addition, he was a member of Opus Dei, a conservative religious order that was strongly anti-communist and stressed moral righteousness.  Sunday after Sunday, I have to wonder if Robert Hanssen really heard what was being said at his church. Hello? Are we listening? The writer of Proverbs, said in chapter 8, vs 5, to get some common sense, and don’t be so foolish, and part of getting common sense is having wisdom and understanding. And on a side note, it seems to me that most all of us get common sense by probably having had no sense at all. When we tripped and stumbled for lack of common sense, then we learned from it. i heard a fellow say once, “Wisdom is knowing what to do; discretion is knowing when and where to do it.” i think one of today’s major enemies against common sense is the instant gratification world we live in, gimme, gimme, gimme. We’ve gladly become the “have it your way” people, getting what we want, when we want, willing to live in the illusion we can pay for it later … somehow. Common sense is having sound judgment in practical matters. i learned the hard way, that if it hurts to hit your fingers with a hammer, then move your fingers. That would be common sense. A lack of common sense would be to just stop hammering because the hammer hurt me. Well now there’s some twisted thinking. It was the hammer’s fault. Victim thinking is very disturbing.

Common sense says if you want to eat, then you’ve got to work, and if we want to know God, then common sense says pray, read your Bible, look for Him and He will find you. Some people just seem to be born level headed, but folks like me seem to only learn by getting knocked around. i don’t know much, but what i do know is solidly fixed in my head and heart. The Lord helped me gain some common sense, thank you Jesus! i figure, no one can have as little common sense and live as i did when i was a young man.

In Matthew 13:14-15, Jesus talks about people who are like Hanssen. He says, “… some crowds that gathered around Him will be ever hearing but never understanding; ever seeing but never perceiving.”  There will always be people who won’t get what Jesus is saying which is why he said what he did in verse 15.

“For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”

In my lifetime, it seems there’s been a moral disconnect between faith and action in much of the Christian culture in this country. Or, what we believe, our orthodoxy, and what we actually do, our orthopraxy, most sharply doesn’t add up.

People can hardly hear with their ears, because they have determinedly closed their eyes.

James 1:22 says, “Don’t merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Jesus talked about the heart or soul of a person becoming calloused by only being a hearer of the word.

Proverbs 2:7 says, “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”

I think minding the gap between hearing and understanding or seeing but not perceiving is being compromised by the sin against having common sense. James wants every believer to have common sense and there’s nothing like the Bible and walking with Jesus for developing that. i’ve got this idea in my head that says that we can’t live out the scriptures unless we are confident that it means what it says, so when the Lord says He’ll give common sense and wisdom to those who asks, He’s not just kidding around. He will do what He said. In Jeremiah 49, a question aimed at Edom was asked, “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?” When we read on though, the Edomites are prophesied to lose, not just their wealth, but also their less tangible riches, even their common sense! The worst part may be that they will fail to even recognize that it has left them all together. Clueless as to the vastness of their cluelessness. i don’t want to be like them. Help us Lord to have common sense, and put it to work.

All to often though, mankind has a bent to live in a destructive self-delusion. How sad if believers do that too. Isn’t this a lack of common sense in the believer who lives like that?

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries.

Let’s step off the dock here and jump right in: What will it take for you to be OK with yourself? We say, “If they’d just …”, “If i could only …”, “If everyone would …”. Shoulda’, woulda’, might’ve … and there’s that slippery little “if”, “if” this “then” that. “If” is the foundation of imaginary things, “if” is the bricks which build air castles.

At church a good while back, a young woman with smoky venom in her eyes, said to me, “I hate that woman! I mean i really really do!” All while staring (maybe glaring) at another woman across the room.  It was just the two of us, she and i for a moment in a room full of people. We had a little history from a few conversations in the past, so i felt comfortable to ask, “Why?” Her reply was that the other woman was a purposeful and conscious bad influence on the young men, like dresses too short, leaning over to reveal her chest at the right time then looking up to see who was looking, always in a pose of some sort … you know the drill. i checked to see if we were both speaking of the same person, and yep, she was still staring at the woman across the room with the same smoky venom in her eyes. i asked her “Why do you think she does that?” Suddenly, she turned and glared at me, saying, “Why do you think?!” and then she added, “You ask too many questions!” and huffed away taking her storm with her. i thought to myself the idea of “why” was a great place to begin a discussion. i thought “why” was a wonderful word which God had given to us to use and explore with. Hmmmm … i guess it irritates others occasionally to investigate “why”. It seems to be a very uncomfortable word for some when referring to themselves and their behavior. Tonight, we’re talking about “Why – why why why”. We are uncomfortable with the word as it applies to ourselves, Why is that? Ooops! Asked another question there. A few folks have called me the interrogator or the “question asker” when they think i don’t hear their comments. When i was a kid i almost failed the 7^th grade because i was tired of asking questions and being made fun of. My mother, who was also a teacher, when she saw my grades and found out why (oops, there’s that word again), why they were so poor, she told me, to be brave and ask as many questions as necessary in order to understand. She told me to ignore people who laughed at me and ask until i was satisfied with the answer. Don’t let public opinion make you stupid.

Here at Outposts, we’re a group of individuals called to be in close relationship with God Almighty, living His Life out loud in wisdom, conduct, and character, in evidence of the presence of Jesus Christ in a world of declining values.

Why do i take the time each week to write, produce and publish? Because i am passionate and compassionate about Jesus and people; i have a heart to inspire the world around me to live restored, reconciled, and redeemed lives which will bring honor and glory to the name of Jesus. As to where i’m connected, we are a conversational fellowship living to fulfill Gods Word, not forsaking fellowship, encouraging one another in prayer, bringing home the lost, and building disciples. Our path is Jesus Christ Himself, the Singing Light, the Brilliant Sky Who rains upon us, the Radiant Gift who lives in us in Splendor; He is the Living Poem who lifts the corners of our mouth, and the Light who poured Himself in a cup to refresh thirsty hearts. Taste and see the Lord is Good! Take an “O” out of good and you get God, but He is more than good, He is God and there’s never a time He isn’t!

Some would say “Why” is a word used too often, as in “You ask too many questions”, but it’s also a word people totally avoid when it is in reference to themselves. Why, meaning “for what purpose, reason, or cause; with what intention, justification, or motive?” Asking “why” is intrinsic to being honest, in fact, the Hebrew word for knowledge has six adverbs which are derived from it, who, what, where, when, how, and why. So, i figure, if we want to have knowledge as God sees it, we’ve got to be brave and venture off into the word “why” and all which comes with it.

In referring to ourselves, the word seems to get right down there under the surface of where we live. Do i avoid the inquisition of “why” because i am uncomfortable to see my real motivations, or is it more that i don’t want to be responsible and accountable if i did realize my real intentions? Maybe i’m not sure of my real motivations and i fear someone will find me out?

According to Simon Sinek, there is a golden circle made of an outer circle and two inner circles. Each is labeled, starting from the outside in, “What, How, and Why”. Mr. Sinek says almost everyone knows what they do, only some know how they do it, but very very few actually know why. Why is the fuzzy center which many never quite get to. They figure if they know what and how, then why isn’t all that necessary. Really? God thinks why is every bit as important, maybe even more important, than what and how many times.

i have come to a question within myself that i find quite ponderous, and that is – WHY is it that asking the question “why”, when it comes to our intentions and motivations, why is it so difficult to face for so many? What is it about ourselves which we fear so much that we hide our heart away, then we cover up our hiding, and then we cover up our covering up and maybe even manipulate the facts of ourselves, all in an effort to avoid the discussion of “why”?  How is it that asking “why” is, often, seemingly a much easier conversation with unbelievers and even criminals than it is within the walls of a church? Honesty is such a difficult commodity to possess for many. Sometimes, it appears the inquiry into behavior and motivations is far more honest with the world and far more dishonest with believers. i believe that ought not to be so.

What is this very disturbing word, “Why”?

It is a word used as an interrogative pronoun, or, so to say, a word used to set the stage of interrogation, like the words “which, when, what, how, and where”. We use them in an interrogative styled question, as an example, to glean information, like “What is this place?” or “Where are you going?” Do you get my meaning? In fact, “why” is one of the six adverb derivatives of the Hebrew word for “knowledge”, meaning, to actually possess knowledge as God gives it, not only as the gift of knowledge He gives, but He also empowers us to be inquisitive to use the words “who, what, where, when, how, and why” in order to glean information for righteous decisions.

Why is used, approximately 600 times throughout scripture. From Matthew 1:1 to John 21:25, the word is used 72 times, and 102 times by the end of the N.T.. The four gospels have 3779 verses, and in those 3779 verses there are 630 questions. That means that a little more than 16% of those 3779 verses are questions.

“Why” is a key word to getting understanding, as the writer of Proverbs suggests in Proverbs 2:2 “turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding...” i believe we are clueless as to just how clueless we really are, which is probably the reason the Lord calls to us to get wisdom. i figure, God is not calling to us to get understanding and knowledge just to hear Himself talk. Truly, i just don’t think we can get understanding without asking “why”, it’s almost like saying, if you’re not willing to ask “why” then you must not be willing for understanding, OR, maybe only willing for enough understanding to make your agenda to work, but not quite enough to actually be accountable and responsible. God want’s me to be better than i am, and in order to get there i must ask “why” and actually answer “why”, and that can feel pretty intimidating, especially when i don’t want to hear the answer.

Take note of God’s teaching methods. Throughout the Bible there is the obviousness of sentences which ask a question, they reflect the clarity of God’s methods of teaching. The idea of asking a question was used in order that people would think for themselves, and we can trace this pattern by the way Jesus asked questions. By using the word “why”, the Lord was saying, search your heart; He was saying I want you to see your motives and understand your intents. It was a word He used to prompt us to think, to ask Him for wisdom and understanding.

As we’ve said before, Jesus didn’t ask questions because He was ignorant as if needing an answer, He was bringing issues to light, it was meant to prompt people to “think about it”.  Jesus asked “why” and used interrogative or inter-rogating-type words to lead us to an understanding of our circumstances, to cause people to draw their own conclusions from His parables, or to inspire someone to consider what they were doing … as seen in John 1:38 when Jesus turned and asked, “Why are you following me? What do you want?”

To reiterate, do we really think He was asking that because He was scared or lost, or was He asking in order to inspire the two disciples to cross-examine themselves that they would understand more clearly their own motivations? John 10:32, He asking them “Why are you going to stone me?”, do you think He asked that because He was confused and didn’t understand? Not hardly.

Jesus fully understood and knew the people who wanted Him stoned and dead totally didn’t understand the why’s and wherefore’s of their intents and motives. The “stoners” had clarity about what they wanted to do, and they understood the “how” of it all, but they were highly likely completely fuzzy as to “why”, and in this case, “WHY” was the all encompassing, important question.

Is our problem with the word “why” a fear of scrutiny, at our own hand or worse, others? For some leaders, maybe they are weary of constantly being questioned about their motives and intentions, over and over, to the point where they are simply not willing to engage in a discussion of “why” anymore. In game theory there is always the payoff to consider, so, what is their payoff by not engaging with others about “why” they do what they do? The church, most especially leadership, seems to avoid the word “why” as it relates to themselves, as if the word itself were the plague. What is it that we’re afraid of?

Why do you get up in the morning? That may not seem like a nice question, but i do think it’s worth coming to a conclusion about. Is it because you have to? Feed the kids, need to work, or get the house moving for another day in a work-a-day world? Maybe most of us get up in the morning for a myriad of subtle reasons that we don’t even notice anymore. Because you need to? Maybe your body aches if you keep laying there? Possibly motivated by hunger? But if we only get up for the multitude of subtle things that occur in a bland go-along-to-get-along life, after a while it seems, we’re just living a gray-scale life with gray-scale reasons and eventually the wind, rain, and heat of the sun of everyday life feels like the color has been beaten out of our lives, and maybe even stolen the twinkle from our eyes. There is something better. Personally, i want a better reason to open my eyes and see the world i live in. It’s a world none of us designed, yet here we are, every day. For me, i get up to meet with the Lord because i want to, actually, i need to because i need Jesus, and that’s the best reason to get up in the morning. Jesus is my motivation.

Why do many people post on Facebook what they ate or where they’re going when no one has inquired as far as we can see? Maybe people feel generally unseen, unheard, unknown, and no one seems to even be asking after them concerning their well being. i know some folks who, when i asked them that question, said they just felt they needed to keep others posted and updated. i thought to myself, “Who are “others” and why do we assume anyone is interested if we’ve been outside watering the lawn or not?” Do we assume someone would like to know, or maybe we imagine people are interested even though no one has asked a question? It’s possible a pretty honest answer would be that … i would certainly want to know about me, and i like to imagine others are interested too. Maybe the truth is, we as a nation generally feel abandoned, rejected, isolated, and alone, and we really wish someone would inquire, and if no one has, we imagine what we would say if they had.

We often move from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing, often getting lost in the clearest and never quite make it to defining why, the fuzzy part.

“Why” as in what’s your purpose, what is your motivation? How far apart is our presentation face, our work face and our real face, and why is there seemingly an unbridgable gulf for many between who we present ourselves to be and who we really are?

A few years ago i went down town and took a survey, asking a question which actually referred to the chasm between our presentation face and our real face. The question was, “If your character met your conscience on the street would they know each other?” Most all the answers in reply to my question were answers to questions i was not asking. Even more amazing, no one replied “Yes, my conscience and character get along quite well”. One fellow said that his character would throw rocks at his conscience, and a young woman said her conscience would refuse to walk on the same side of the street with her character. One fellow said with a laugh, “My conscience left the building a long time ago.” You know, that’s not funny. i realized most everyone knew what they did in life, some knew how they lived their life, but almost none, almost none knew why. It seemed people were somehow a little afraid of knowing why and didn’t even want to talk about it.

What were the things Jesus asked others to consider more deeply by asking them “why”?

In Matthew 6:28 “So why do you worry about clothing?” God considered it important for us to know why we are so worried about our stuff. We, in this nation are obsessively concerned about our stuff, all our stuff. Jesus asks in Matthew 7:3, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” And again, think, was He asking this because He was mystified at our behavior, or was His intent more that we would consider our intentions concerning our judgments that are aimed at other people? It appears we have a lot to say about what others do or don’t do, but how rarely we challenge ourselves about our own motivations. Honesty is a key issue with God, but when is honesty just unnecessary bluntness? How about Matthew 8:26 “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” That wasn’t just a question to believers. The grammar there is more universal, as applicable to the “every man” everywhere. How about Matthew 14:31 “…why did you doubt?” In that use of the word “why”, Jesus was asking more accurately, “for what”, or “for what reason did you veer off your faith and re-decide to question God’s intent toward you?” Jesus wasn’t asking Peter because He didn’t know, it was to inspire Peter to look more closely at his own heart and motivations. The Lord’s heart is for us to be transformed, not just change but transformation, and, He wants it to be our idea that we need to stop being like we are and become like He is. For the reason that we desire it, not because He mandated. Yes, people can change their behavior without being transformed in their heart. We can mandate addicts stop their addictive, relationship destroying behavior, but really, the need to stop their addiction needs to come from them because they choose it, not because we require it. We can NOT condemn anyone into being more moral or possess higher ethics. If we pound higher morals and ethics out of people, they may present a face which says they are complying, but their heart is the same.

Jesus is asking us to think about why we have a hard time trusting God, and He’s never “trying to get it across to us”, as if He might fail in His efforts and promises, as if He EVER failed in anything. Why do we have such a hard time letting God be good to us? He was calling us to re-imagine what a nation who does not trust God would look like. Why don’t we trust Him? Romans 3:4, “God is true and every man a liar.” We are all betrayers by nature, God is the ultimate truth teller, the very personification of truth, but yet we often listen more to the liars than God. Why?

In Matthew 20:6 Jesus asked them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day?” What do you think that was about? Matthew 26:50 when they came to take Jesus away to be crucified, He asked them, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.” Was He feeling like a victim and was playing His victim card, or did He want them to consider their motives and intents, being honest about why they were doing what they were doing? Jesus said, “Forgive them Father for they don’t know what they’re doing”, and maybe He could have added, “… and they don’t even want to consider what their motivations are.”

Let’s get to the bottom of our reasons and be brutally honest. i believe, simply, that we fear and have a hard time trusting God; simple unbelief. We fear someone will know what’s truly at the foundation of where we really live. What will it take for us to face the long dark of our unbelief and resolve the conflict? Are we willing to investigate, or should we just procrastinate and ride the wave of “mindless good times”, meandering along in a fog? What will we do, O, what will we do? If we don’t like what we reap, then let me suggest we change what we sow. Think about it.

This has been another late evening conversation just full of difficult questions. For most, i’d venture that the answers are very uncomfortable in the short run, but totally profitable in the long run. How far are we willing to travel in order to resolve our issues, or are we satisfied to sit, muddled and clueless as to the magnitude of our cluelessness? Are we a nation which only has eyes to see the short-term profit of things? The answers for these questions bring us strength to pivot and gives momentum to our lives for the tipping point towards our destination.

i’m Social Porter and thank you for joining me for a late evening radio-styled broadcast from the deck of a rural cafe over looking the cascading banks of the Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.

This evening was supported by Living In His Name Ministries, Area 22 Guitars, the home of brilliant creativity and dynamic forward thinking, McDowell Electric, International Tile, the Jump Off Rock Gift Shop and Constabulary, and of course, Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

Tonight, i’m bidding us all to take the challenge of digging into the why of our what. Every successful leader and company starts with “why”, not what. Please, be honest with yourself about it all. Open your ears, muster your courage, the phone is ringing, God is calling you. It would be good if we would take His call and answer the phone. Amen.

This evening is another beautiful evening on the banks of the beautiful Ockluhwahhah River, which flows south from here until it joins the French Broad many miles from the end of Old Field Road. For the sake of trivia, i thought this was interesting: The name, Ockluhwahhah River, is a corruption of ak-low-wah-‘hey, Creek Indian for “muddy creek”. And yes, it’s a real creek.

I’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, a semi-live broadcast of cool jazz and contemplative conversation. Peace is available from God for all who would ask Him, even those who are awake in the late night hours, some sitting in their big armchairs pondering the events of the week, looking for a little closure on some of life’s open-ended items, others tossing and turning, trying to sleep, looking for rest in a world which offers very little closure or peace.

i was at the jail doing Thursday church a few weeks ago with a friend and he was explaining to the inmates about the extraordinary events which brought him out of his criminal thinking nose dive. It occurred to me that the things which brought my friend to an awakening relationship with God were events spread across many years, it wasn’t simply an overnight thing. While listening to his testimony, a question came to me, “After you believed, in between the times of refreshing from the Lord, what did you do with yourself? While you were waiting, what did you do with your time?” When there was a lull in the room from all the talking, i asked that very question which the Lord had put to me. The room of chatter came to a sudden standstill. i suppose we don’t think about the in-between times much. i realized people, typically, are really bad at waiting. We often speak of events in our lives, but rarely discuss what we do in between those events. If we were to plot a graph showing noteworthy occurrences in our lives, i believe we’d see a lot of flat line, way more flat line than upward blips where relatable events occurred.

The word “wait” is used approximately 148 times in the Bible, so i’m going to assume it’s an important thing to do from God’s perspective, but, considering how much waiting we have to do in life, you would think we would be much better at it than we are. If you need a visual, the Hebrew word comes with the idea of “swirling in a circular pattern”, sort of like the picture of an airplane circling the airport waiting to land. Yes, waiting to land. The word waiting is occasionally used in conjunction with hope, but is more often a certain amount of laborious effort and agonizing patience is buried in the belly of the word for “wait”. It seems life is all about biding time most of the time … just waiting … so we wait, knowing patience is seldom easy, it is always rewarding, it’s a reward i gladly receive but i am tested to my last nerve in the tedium of waiting. i don’t think anyone ever said , “Wow! i’m really looking forward to waiting,” although i’m always glad at the results of my waiting saying, “Gosh, i’m so glad i waited,” but it was all still very unpleasant … all that waiting.

Life often just goes on around me and i simply don’t participate. i’ve wondered why is that? Even though i’m present, inside i feel like i’m going through all the motions of being present, but the truth is, i’ve realized i’m actually waiting but for what? Some days, in the middle of all my waiting, it feels like i’ve been holding my breath for months or even years in some sort of anticipation. That’s a pretty good picture of what it means to “wait”. Sometimes it’s breathlessly waiting, other times i’m nervous for some reason as if something amazing is about to happen, i have no idea what, but here i sit, waiting. Always waiting. i’d bet we can all relate to that.

What do you do with your time while you wait? How do you occupy your time when you are in a holding pattern? It seems life is all about biding our time. For many, they’ve been waiting, but they’ve been waiting so long i think they may have lost sight of what they’re waiting for and now they are lost in the holding pattern of waiting, the circling agony of prolonged waiting, having lost the vision of why. Those who wait without a “why” look, to me, like lines of pointless, lifeless carcasses, living in greyscale, and don’t know why they wait. Waiting without having a “why” and there’s no vision for an end point just seems like dying to me. What are we waiting for?

Acts 1:13-14, “And they had entered the city, they went up the stairs to the upper room where they were staying. Peter and John and James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. All of these with their minds in full agreement devoted themselves steadfastly to prayer, waiting together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”

According to “The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament”, there is the implication of “indefinitely” in the sentence where it says, “…where they were staying”. The disciples went into the Upper Room with a mind-set that said, “We are not coming out of here until God shows up.”  They did not go in there to wait ten minutes. They didn’t go in there to wait two days. They did not go in there to wait three months. Their objective was to connect with the Lord, waiting as long as it took in order to accomplish that goal. They weren’t pointlessly biding their time, oh no, they had an objective, they had a “why”, they had a reason to wait. They weren’t looking for an experience or to have an “event”, nor did they sell tickets as if they anticipated some spectacle.  No. They went in there saying, “We cannot do all that God wants us to do without His full power in our lives.”  Like those who entered the Upper Room to wait for the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we should approach God with a similar attitude that says, “I’m waiting on You, Lord, indefinitely, until I receive your authorization to continue and your power to go forward in your name” and then with all purpose, long-suffering, and determination, we wait on God.

Waiting for God, or anything else for that matter isn’t easy. i have difficulty waiting for a sandwich at a fast food place, much less having to wait on the move of God. Hey, it’s not easy. We have so much energy and such heated passion for the Lord and His cause, or even our own ideas, that if waiting is ever gotten around to, there’s a pause, only for short periods, before we’re off and running, the energy of all that thinking and wanting just takes over again.  Round and round and round.

        Often, if God does not do something as quickly as we want, then our own bright ideas overtake us again and we’re right back in our own momentum.  It is unbelievable how often the same ground is constantly covered and re-covered, thinking we are really getting somewhere, when really much of it all is just going in circles. i believe we really do make some progress in our waiting, but then we become impatient and lose our place, we gain a little ground then get lost due to our impatience. We have to “capture and hold”, or “Hold the line!”  We must stand fast in the freedom we are given and not allow ourselves to become slaves all over again to the yoke of bondage we have previously been relieved of. Even when we do not “see” something or if we don’t “feel” that God is working … friends, “capture and hold” the moment, believe and stand fast on His promise that He is working mightily on our behalf, not allowing ourselves to become impatient, missing God’s opportunity. Think! We inherit the promises of God through faith and patience according to Hebrews 10:36.

The mind-set we need to have is … “Lord, i have come to the end of myself. I don’t have what it takes. It is obvious I cannot do what needs to be done by myself. I need you, for only You can do it.  I’m waiting on You.”

Waiting! Oh gosh sometimes that is so difficult. To “wait on God” means “to stay in place with the expectation of His further direction.” If there is one thing i know, it is this: The Lord hears me, and He WILL answer, but i do have to wait, which is a good thing yet such a difficult thing.

Psalms 62:5 “My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.”

Be encouraged to be willing to wait on God, as long as it takes. Are you willing to wait on God? i am included in my own question, Am i willing to wait on God? i say to myself, “Yes”, but i challenge my enthusiastic answer in realizing that saying “yes” and doing “yes” are often very different the same way “having wisdom and doing wisdom are often two different things”. For me, i have learned to be careful what i say “yes” to, and, once i say “yes” i must be prepared to change my agenda, objectives, or priorities in order to accomplish what it is God has asked of me to do. And then wait. On a side note, i’ll add, if you’re too busy, remember, you’re the one who said yes. Don’t miss that, here it is again, if you’re too busy, remember, you’re the one who said yes. We must also face the fact that sometimes when we tell others, “i’m too busy”, more often than we care to admit, i think what we’re really saying is “it’s not that important” and saying, “i’m too busy” is an excuse.

i read a story of Mother Teresa who wanted to go to a distant town to see if God wanted to do something there. She and another sister went, taking their staff and one change of clothes. They slept where they could and ate as God provided, waiting and praying for God to show them what He wanted them to do. As they waited for God under the big tree in the middle of town, they began to encounter the town children who lived on the street, and while they were waiting to find out what God wanted to do, they decided that in the mean time, they would teach the children to read. They put out the word if any children wanted to learn to read and write, for them to come to the big tree. Before long there were many children coming. In the end, while they were waiting to find out what God wanted to do, they raised a school, a mission, and a small medical center. God’s two exemplary servants waited on God, they did what was in front of them in the mean time and the Lord greatly blessed them.

The phrase “killing time” is an idiom, meaning we are engaging in some self-generated busy activity, usually an aimless one, with the goal of making time pass more quickly while we wait. Instead of “killing time” being busy so as to not notice we are waiting on something to happen, maybe we could be more committed to the Lord’s preferences and standards, doing what God has put in front of us, while we are waiting on God,

i went to the doctor’s office a while back, checked in, then was directed to have a seat in a place called “The Waiting Room”, oh yes, the dreaded Waiting Room. As i sat there i began to notice the overall idea of this place specifically designed for waiting. There were well thumbed through, tired looking magazines, restrooms which were nice yet sterile, very impersonal. A clean water fountain but still with finger prints on the button which the custodian failed to wipe off last night, a stack here and there of informational pamphlets which no one wanted to look at, and a string of somewhat comfortable non-descript generic chairs, wide and narrow, with plastic upholstery. The room itself is bored and tired. Then, of course, there are people, quite a few people, sitting, all waiting, after all, what would a waiting room be if there were no people to wait there. Some staring, others reading, dozing, softly talking, all waiting. The room wasn’t designed for extended stays but obviously someone realized that people, in general, don’t wait well, and went to work to provide an environment that made waiting less difficult and a little less painful in all that waiting.

We spend time in life waiting far more than anything else we do. Think about it, we wait at traffic lights, wait for food, wait to meet someone, wait for meetings, wait for the weather to change, wait for help, wait for the doctor, wait for justice, wait at the grocery store, wait at restaurants, and wait to get well, all that only to name a few. Sometimes we wait for people to make up their mind which seems to take extra patience, or so it seems. i’ll say it again, as much as we spend our lives in the process of waiting you’d think we would be much better at it than we are, and without a firm understanding of “Why” we are waiting, then what are we waiting for? Waiting without having a “why” and there’s no vision for an end point just seems like dying to me.

An infographic is a quick, clear visual representation of information; we don’t have to read much to get the data we’re looking for. Noah Davis wrote, “One infographic reported that our attention spans have dropped from 12 minutes to five. The rise of infographics in themselves is yet another example of humanity’s inability to read anything for more than a few words at a time without becoming incomprehensibly bored.” Mr. Davis continues, “Another site goes even further, claiming that attention spans have dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight seconds in 2013 — or one second shorter than the attention span of a goldfish.” Honestly i don’t even know how to wrap my head around the idea that goldfish may have a longer attention span than many of us.

One of the important exhortations of the Bible is the call to “wait on the Lord.” Even though God promises special blessing for waiting, again, waiting is one of the most difficult exhortations of Scripture. Why is it so hard? Is it that somehow we’re sure we’ve got better things to do? Is it that we resent not getting what we want right NOW? Why do we need to entertained in order to wait? Phone in had, scroll, scroll, scroll. And when we’re bored, we tend to take matters into our own hands, to follow our own schemes when we have decided we’ve waited enough, saying under our breath, “i’ll just do it myself because God simply isn’t going to do anything.” Yet, over and over again we are told in Scripture “wait on the Lord.” Adam and Eve took matters into their own hands and did not wait on God to open their eyes, they decided to open their own eyes. That was not a very good day for them or any of the rest of us.

Israel had to wait to enter the promised land in Numbers 14, but then they, yes “they” decided to take matters into their own hands and tried to enter in anyway. Who decided to take matters into their own hands? They did, not God. Moses told them “Don’t do that”, but they just couldn’t wait and went anyway. Sadly, they were met by their enemies who drove them all the way back to Hormah. Opposingly, Abraham waited on God, and his waiting paid off, bigtime, in that a nation was raised up which covered the earth from east to west who were blessed of God.

Waiting creates time during which we learn to trust God. Lamentations 3:24-26 calls us to hope in and wait on the Lord because God often uses waiting to refresh, renew, and teach us. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

Waiting on God prepares us to have our real needs met. In Psalm 40:1-4 David received four benefits from waiting: God lifted him out of his despair; set his feet on a hard, firm path; steadied him as he walked; and put a new song of praise in his mouth.  I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!”

Waiting gives us the opportunity to work out our faith. Learning to wait builds endurance, and the ability to withstand hardship or adversity. In waiting we learn to believe God, to stand firm on His word and it also builds persistence ­­– persistence and endurance are not a means to gain salvation; they are a profitable by-product of a devoted life. i believe it’s necessary to point out the secret to enduring is trust and obedience. Trust God to give you patience to endure even the small trials you face every day; do what God says, even when deferring to God’s process is unattractive. That is not “do what He says” in the sense of keeping rules but in the sense of “yield and let His words persuade you”. Remember, not rules to keep but someone to be. Character!

Patience is developed through waiting. i can’t say i know of anyone who can’t wait to learn patience, although i do consider waiting in line at the grocery store an opportunity to practice my patience while waiting on an elderly lady to dig through her special little change purse to find exact change. While we are developing patience through waiting, even though God promises to reward our learning to wait, we sometimes feel the “payoff” is too far away. Practice one of your fruits of the Spirit, Be patient. God will answer, guaranteed. Let Him expand your attention span to be longer than aquarium gold fish. Wait on the Lord my friend, we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Think about it

Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”

Psalm 37:9, “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.”

Psalm 37:34, “Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall lift you up high to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.”          Friends, waiting isn’t fun nor easy but learning to wait is a building block of our faith.

i’m Social Porter, and this production was brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Area 22 Guitars the home of excellent service and sales at a righteous price, Quality Tire’s very own Jimmy Payton, Kenny Maxwell at Farm Equipment Company on Chimney Rock Rd., the Mill End Store and Silk Shop out in Clear Creek,  and Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

Be patient this week, be kind to yourself, tomorrow is another day. The hurt of getting something wrong, And the lesson it often brings, all of that is there to make you strong, all in good time. Life can be tough, there’s no doubt, but hope is the thing we can’t do without. Right things with joy will come about, all in good time. And that isn’t just “good time” but more God-time, the right time, right on time. You’ll see.

Practice your endurance while on the path to where you’re going. Wait on the Lord, be strong and courageous until we meet again.

We hide, we are hiding, and often remain hidden. Hide, hiding, and hidden.

i think, these days, many of us are hiding from God, but, you know, it’s not a childs game, and there’s no laughing and giggling to it all anymore. i do believe what was cute when we were two years old will get our hide tanned when we are 10. We may smear the food through our hair when we’re 12 months old and everyone thinks it’s cute, but if we do that when we’re 10 years old, i’d guess it would not go well for us.

Genesis 3:8-10, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

When we’re hiding, we’ll do almost anything to keep from being honest. i’ve often thought fear and dread were the close friends of hiding, especially when we’re on the outs with God. Honestly, most of the things we hide about, really are small, but for whatever our reasons, rightly so or not, we are ashamed. We are sure that if we were God we’d be furious with us also, but that’s not the heart of God.

Adam and Eve were the first to be afraid and also the first to hide from God, and we the people, have been being afraid and hiding ever since. They heard God, were afraid, recognized their condition, and took action on it by hiding. i wonder how things would have been different for us all and God if Adam and Eve had simply confessed their wrong to God, on the spot?

Can you imagine the shame and regret Adam and Eve lived with after all that? They lived in a perfect creation which God had made, they had perfect minds and bodies, and lived in perfect fellowship with God. The lived the life of having a continuous every day walk around conversation with God and all that was in the Garden. And not only did they spoil it all for themselves but also for everyone else too. Their wrong choices paved the way for disease, decay, death, and separation from God. My guess is they had never seen disease, decay, and could not even imagine separation from God, but there it was, in their faces. The shame and regret must have been huge. They must have lived the rest of their lives in regret—after all, i’m fairly certain they remembered paradise.

Many are afraid of being seen for who they are, quite probably we recognize our condition to some degree or another, and we hide, swearing to everyone nothing is as it appears, all the while we absolutely loathe the word “why”. We assure others, “it’s all just a misunderstanding”, “Nothing is like you think”, “It’s not really that way”, or playing our victim card and putting it all back on everyone else, “Oh, your so mean and judgmental, besides who are you to tell me anything?”  i believe we hide for any number of fears and shames, like when we know we are swallowed up in the cares and riches of this world, or we are painfully aware of the scandal of our bad example to others. Maybe the Lord makes us highly aware of the eddys and currents of our thoughts which are hostile to life in Christ and hostile to God’s holiness.

Probably, the most common reason for hiding is our lack of faith expressed as our unwillingness to believe. Sometimes i feel like doubt is hiding in my closet somewhere in the back. When i’m honest before the Lord, i must admit that the reason i’m having a hard time is because of simple unbelief, and i’m ashamed of that, thus i pretend i’m hiding from His sight. Note that i’m only pretending, because nothing hides from the sight of the Lord.

We say we’re being honest and transparent, maybe even swearing an oath that what we say is the truth. i’ve thought to myself, “An oath is only as good as the person behind it.” On the other hand, sometimes i just don’t believe mankind could live with one another if there was no mutual confidence on some level that they were being truthful with one another.

Most of us love to tell others we live in a culture of honor, i’ve said it myself. But between myself and God, i’ve realized my lack of honesty doesn’t really support a culture of honor. Proverbs 15:33 says “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.” Is it possible our lack of humility prevents us from the honesty we so desperately need in order to truly live in a culture of honor?

i’d like to stop my hiding ways. God is not hidden, we are the ones who are hidden. i think sometimes, we’ve hidden ourselves so well we can’t even find ourselves.

Isaiah 49:9 has a phrase which really jumps out at me, he says “show yourselves”. i say “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name.

Where are you on the “at rest” scale, with ten being at total rest, and zero, of course, being completely unnerved, twitchy, can’t settle your thoughts in one place, and restless? How about the “peace scale”? Are you feeling a little untied to a stable place? Peace, not just every now and then, that’s just people, but as in everyday, most of the time being at peace.

In today’s society, considering the vacuum of truth in our midst, i would imagine peace and rest are a “hard to come by” commodity for many.

Let me encourage you: do something good for yourself and embrace them both, peace AND rest, don’t let them get away! In fact, don’t just get rest and peace, live in it so they are a constant, not just a momentary thing that fades until next time.

Isaiah 57:2, “he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.” That is “peace” as in shalom peace, a quieted soul even though the storm rages outside, and “rest” as in “laid to rest our inner turmoil” or absence of outward or inward busy activity which prevents one from being present and in the room.

Listen and believe this – God keeps an eye on his friends, His ears pick up every moan and groan, He even hears you when you sweat. The Hebrew word for rest literally means to live untroubled, to live in a sense of calm that is not dependent on outside sources, breathing in His uninterrupted passion and love for us who are the object of His affection, standing in the never ending eye of the flaming love of God. That is extravagant, i know, but from God’s perspective, that is a visual of His heart for us.

Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

If you are a friend of Christ then you are at rest in Christ. It seems it would be a good question to ask: who specifically are God’s friends? Are you a friend of God? How can you tell? Do you think that being a friend of God would be something you might be interested in? Do you think the Lord will let those who do NOT love Him, come and stay at His house and be part of the number He considers His family? Would you be glad to share your family name with someone who doesn’t like you, only wants what you’ve got, and wishes you were anyone other than who you are? Neither does He. But if you’re willing to change bloodlines, and change your name, then the Lord has more than you need, forever.

He’s got peace, shalom peace, full in all His pockets. Really, really. i fully believe Jesus has e-x-a-c-t-l-y what you need. Peace and rest. Let me add, in order to get the rest and peace we so desperately need, we’ll have to let go of some old things. Our shadows follow us around where ever we go, waiting to be unfolded. If we’re not willing to deal with shadows from our past, we may just end up shadow boxing with ourselves.

God can make right character bloom like fragrant flowers with rest and peace abounding far beyond the moon that fades from view every day. He can give you peace that will rule in your heart from sea to sea, from the River to the Rim. My friend, that’s worth having, don’t you think?

There was a man God raised up. He was a friend of God and God loved him so much. For a period of time though, the man did almost everything wrong: he loved his money too much, he greedily took another man’s wife, he dreamed wrongful things, acted so foolishly with no thought of tomorrow, and when he spoke, out of his mouth came poison water, at least that’s what he heard. All that plus he talked too much, his mouth had very little reservation about anything.

But above and through it all, he never let go of hope that God would have mercy on him. In the end, the Lord did exactly that, and God’s peace and rest ruled supreme in the man’s heart, mind, and body. Eventually he died, and he died at rest, in peace. Can you relate to any of that? Maybe you can or not. Either way, the need for rest and peace in the hearts of people is overwhelming, whether you’ve always been brother Big believer, sister super Christian, or a minimal believer, only calling on God in times of desperation. i’d say these are desperate times for everyone, and becoming more-so every day. Now is the time to call on Jesus. i’d like to be well practiced at being at peace and living in a state of rest, so i’m not overwhelmed in the day of trouble. Wouldn’t you?

John 14:26 “The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.”

Jesus gives us His rest and peace, and if anyone, anywhere, has them, it’s totally Gods domain. And i don’t mean peace as in a lack of violence, with everyone thinking we’re wonderful with hundreds of likes on FaceBook. i mean when the world swirls around us in chaos and dysfunction, in our hearts we are at peace like still waters and at rest because we have ceased from strife. We easily have rest because we trust God more than we fear what our eyes see and ears hear. Rest and peace. God designed it, God owns it, it is His to do with as He does.

Rest my friend and be at peace, in the name of Jesus. Considering the times, it’s a very valuable commodity. Do the right thing, let rest and peace bloom in your life like a field of wild flowers.

i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name.

Ever been in a relationship with someone where you felt if a new model came along, they’d gladly trade you in for a new one? I often hear from married couples how one partner or the other thinks and feels their spouse doesn’t have their backs. If they haven’t accomplished the task of leaving their father and mother and holding fast to each other, that especially stands out to me.

This whole thought about obligation to someone verses being obligated by someone is central to the My Gain–Your Pain game. The person playing this game makes sure the rule of obligating others to them instead of being obligated to others stays on course to get the win. They must be the “main man,” they n-e-e-e-d to win at all costs.

i met a man at jail who had been incarcerated on 40, or more, counts of burglary, pick-pocketing, breaking and entering, along with selling stolen goods. He was a nice guy, or at least he seemed so, yet was so over-confident it was just in-your-face arrogance. He was grotesquely swollen with hubris. He told me, with a smile, how he’d gotten into people’s houses, jimmied locks, lifted wallets right out of people’s pockets, all without the anyone knowing he had been there and stolen their stuff, or knowing their wallets had just be stolen. He seemed proud of his achievements. i asked him what he thought was at the core of his infamous career of thievery. He said he thought it was the feeling of being smart, what he meant was “not just smart but smarter than you because you are so stupid”. Yea, he left off that part. Then he asked me what i thought it was. Ok, he asked. i said “arrogance”. He asked how so? i said, “i bet you think you’re soooo slick, you could steal the glasses off my face and i wouldn’t even know they’re gone.” He laughed and said “You’re right. i do.” i said, “There you go, case in point.”, and his face fell at the realization he’d been caught. He loved having leverage over others, obligating them to himself, in a way which made them think they “owed him, big time.” He had no concern for the pain of loss he caused other people. He found the thrill untameably exhilarating, and thrilled at his being able to lie so well nobody could catch him being intoxicated at his ability to manipulate others. He was willing to do whatever it took in order to get the con over on others. It was a classic case of “run, run, fast as you can, you can’t catch me i’m the gingerbread man. My gain, your pain.”

Whatever this game player does is reckless. They’ll do dangerous things even if they know others could be hurt. They know how not to do things and pull on people who will do what they won’t do. i have read that the best con job is when someone presents a problem, then waits for the other person to offer to resolve their problem. That way the con man can say “I never asked for your help. You offered and i took you up on it. It’s not my fault things didn’t go well for you.”

Here’s how children play the game with their parents. “Dad, is it alright if I stay overnight with my best friend?” Dad says “No.” Then the child starts acting like they’ve been victimized by the parent, maybe even traumatized at being denied their request. “You just don’t want me to have a life!” Come to find out, that overnight deal was already established by the child and their best friend as a sure thing, but dad got in the way of their goal. The result? The parent gets the pain. If permission isn’t granted the kid is out of there with an egotistical bitterness that says if I can’t go, then you can’t be happy either. Pretty exciting stuff huh?

Jesus never played that game. When it came to being responsible even if it was unexciting and unsatisfying, He was committed to the relationship for the long haul.

Out of love, he actually obligated himself to us. It was His pain-our gain; a risk on His part, because He couldn’t guarantee He’d be loved back. No one controlled or victimized Him. He was in control of his choice.

In minding the gap for a My Gain-Your Pain game, what thoughts would you share about obligating ourselves to people instead of obligating them to us?

This was written by Jerry Price

Thank you for listening, i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries.

I won’t accept when things go wrong and to someone else, the blame belongs. That’s the blame game by choosing to be a victim for reasons of an agenda.

When conflict comes our way, for those who play the “blame game”, before things even get difficult, we’re already thinking about blaming someone or something else so we can stay out of trouble. Recently, i lost some files from my computer. At first i was thinking, “stupid computer, yet once again, you’ve lost my files.” Shortly, i had to laugh at myself and said out loud, “No, it wasn’t the computer’s fault, you simply didn’t save your work.” The responsibility for saving my work was on me, not the computer, and i was so ready to curse and be angry with the computer, when really, it was me all along.

I know there are genuine victims – those are the people who had no choice when unavoidable harm came their way. It’s hard to admit because we tend to think surely something could have been done to avoid the injury. The thought of being out of control is unacceptable so we fight the use of the very word – victim.

Sad to say, some people actually like the idea of being a victim, and even when they are or aren’t, somewhere in their thinking they are choosing to live as one. Their victim-mechanism is always running in the background somewhere, just humming along, ready to get geared up and put into play. As preposterous as that sounds …. I mean that really happens, more often than we think! Those who seem to like the idea of being a victim see it as an opportunity to spring into something irresponsible but wouldn’t unless they can believe they are victims. Then, the game is played to get the win. For abusers, often it’s a mechanism to divert attention away from their abusive actions or trying to gain sympathy and support. Manipulators often play the “poor me” roll too, lobbying sympathy from someone to get something from them. They play on those who have a conscious and are compassionate. One time, a felon told me with a self-congratulating grin, “i played that old lady like a fiddle string.” i’ve seen alcoholics who are well schooled at playing the victim ask for constructive criticism, allow themselves to be rescued, and even go through some small regimen of recovery, all the while feeling very enabled as attention getters, keeping well meaning people coming back to help, over and over. At the end of the day whether abuser or manipulator, it’s all about control. Most who play their victim card know very well what has happened, but often, there they sit, like a crumpled piece of paper, asking with downcast eyes, “Would someone please tell me what i did wrong?”

Is it premeditated? Yes. Does it feel like it’s premeditated? No. This game seems to be all about feeling but it’s really about how they think and power. Everything is done by the game player to keep their victims from discovering that fact, and you can believe, if their twisted thinking and power manipulation is uncovered, big dramas result. A true victim, someone who was in an unfortunate situation at no fault of their own, differs from the manipulator playing a victim by not ignoring their ability to improve their situation. The victim role-player makes no quick move to change their situation, using it for all it’s worth to get attention, just loving the high drama of it all.

When does the blame game stop? Let me confirm what you probably already know. It stops when the person playing the game decides to be responsible for themselves and their choices, when they understand how this game hurts others plus themselves and start to care about people.

Jesus was firm about this throughout the New Testament and demonstrated how important it was to take responsibility for our actions. He was not a Blame Game Player. We can see an example of this in John 18 even when false charges were trumped up against him. He never hedged about who he was and what he came to do. He was a victor and though treated badly, he loved.

The blame game needs to be exposed early in life or else it will be a tough habit to break. Let me leave you with a question: What do you feel when this game is played on you and does it help you to know the game is premeditated?

TThis was written by Jerry Price

Thank you for listening, i’m Social Porter for Living In His Name Ministries.