Knowing Truth, part 2

This is a follow-up from my last post, and needs to prefaced with a caveat: Unless we’re willing to change our mind, and go where the facts lead, we will never know the truth.  Whether we’re assessing the character of a politician, testing the veracity of the Gospels, or trying to figure out what really happened on 9-11, we MUST follow the evidence wherever it leads.  

In both classical education and historic Christianity there are three universally recognized paths to discovering the truth: Reason, Experimentation, and Revelation.  These three ought to validate each other like three stars in perfect alignment.  If one of them fails to align with the other two, we will lack confidence, and need to continue investigating.  We’ll look at them one at a time in no particular order:

1. Reason: “Come let us reason together…”  – Isaiah 1:18

If a person were hiking through the woods of South Dakota and he came upon the above scene, his reason would tell him immediately that this was the work of a designer and not the product of erosion.  Mount Rushmore is far too detailed and complex to have just “happened” on its own.   Reason is never an enemy of the Christian, but rather our friend and ally.  Therefore we must learn to handle it well,  “…always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you.”  1 Peter 3:15.  

2. Experience and experimentation: “Test all things, hold onto what is true.”  – 1 Thessalonians.5:21

We learn by experience. Infants enter the world as little scientists, testing this and that to discover information about the world.  We learn that touching a hot burner is painful every single time.  I remember biting into a horseradish when I was five and experiencing a pain so profound I thought I would die.  It was a learning experience that has informed me for a lifetime.   To Thomas Jesus said “…reach  here with your hand, and put it into my side.”  (John 20:27)  That’s an invitation to  discover truth by experience.

3. Revelation: “… this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”  – Matthew 16:17

But there are some things which cannot be known by direct experience or reason alone.  These things must be revealed to us by God himself.  Apart from the scriptures there is no way, for instance, we could know that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  – John 1:1-2   The good news is that revelation has been given to us in the sixty-six books of the Bible.  And when acted upon, it will be confirmed by both reason and experience.

In a culture that questions the very existence of Truth itself, we disciples of Jesus must learn to recognize, value, and defend it at every opportunity.   

Knowing Truth

A friend recently asked me for some thoughts about how we can know the truth.  With so many ideas, stories and opinions out there even within the church, it’s no small task to settle with reasonable confidence on what is TRULY true.  And yet I can think of nothing  so important in these turbulent days as having this north star to guide us.  

Obviously Jesus is truth, and every perception of reality must be filtered through his brilliant beauty and awesome character.  When John Keats wrote “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that’s all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know” he captured something of Jesus, who is the perennial fountain of both:  Truth will be forever beautiful, and beauty will be eternally truthful. 

In the interest of not overburdening my friends with words, I’ll divide this post into several shorter entries.  For now, here’s something to consider: The Truth will always set you free:  That’s not my opinion but the promise of the One who  created and sustains all reality.  “If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you WILL know the truth, and the truth WILL make you free.”   (John 8:31-32)

As we wade through ideas and opinions it’s essential to examine them through the lens of Jesus’ character and his words, asking at every turn, “Does this idea impart freedom to my soul?”   I’m not talking about the artificial freedom of doing whatever you want, but rather the inner witness that “This beautiful idea causes my heart to leap  with expectancy of blessings, fulfillment, and freedom.” May you be guided into the ever-expanding truth that makes you free.

In the next post I’ll look at three additional ways of identifying Truth. 

The Trap of Fatalism

One of the towering truths that set Biblical Christianity apart from other religions and worldviews is the double-sided concept of human significance and free will.  While other worldviews embrace fatalism, (“What will be will be.”), and the insignificance of the individual, Christianity boldly asserts that people are designed to make an eternal difference in the world.  In contemplating man, the Psalmist declared,  “You have made him a little lower than the angels,  You have crowned him with glory and majesty!   You have made him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.”  (Psalm 8:5-6)  

But do we live as if it’s true?   Many in today’s church seem to settle for insignificance and practical fatalism:  

“It is what it is.”
“What will be will be.”
“We’re helpless against the system.
“What difference can I make?” 

It shows up in our meager prayer lives and in the way we quickly consign the government, the culture, the educational system, and the creative arts to the ash heap of darkness.  When was the last time any of us were a part of a well-attended prayer meeting for our community, the epidemic drug problem, or the specter of another world war?   It shows in our theology every time we casually accept the idea that the world must become darker and darker until Jesus is forced to intervene and snatch us away to heaven. 

“There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siege works against it.  But there was found in it a poor wise man, and he delivered the city by his wisdom.”  – Ecclesiastes 9:14-15  The scriptures are brimming with stories of mere men and women who changed history.

“… if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”  – Matthew 17;20

We are not helpless slaves to fate, but children of a God who lives among us to impact the world.  May our prayers, our actions and our words reflect that reality.  

Israel-Hamas: A Kingdom View

This week’s unfolding nightmare in Israel and Gaza is the tragic result of missing what we were made for. The Palestinians have missed it, but so have the Israelis, the nations, and many Christians, including some of us.

We humans are designed for a Kingdom, for a territory that is safe, free, beautiful, blessed, and prosperous. God designed us to exist in a “homeland for the human soul”. And so he programmed that dream into our very DNA. But here is the problem: we have the dream without the interpretation, and so we go about looking for it in all the wrong ways:

“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” (James 5:1-2) These two verses describe human nature with shocking precision.

But the answer, unfortunately, can never be found in diplomacy alone, nor in armed conflict, resistance, or endless retaliation. Neither the UN, the Jewish nation, the Western Powers, nor Radical Islam have a lasting solution to the complexities of the Middle East. Yet there IS an answer: We must all return to the Lord, receive a new heart, and embrace the hope of the Kingdom.

His is a Kingdom of forgiveness, enemy-love, and humility, where the nations beat their swords into plowshares, and the art of war is forever forgotten. A pipe dream, you say? Then tell us where and when it has ever been tested and shown to be a failure? The problem with the Kingdom is not that it has failed. It has barely been understood, and certainly never been tried.

It all begins when we embrace the life of Jesus and the beauty of His dream for the world. We move forward by learning the ways of the Kingdom, as we imitate and share the life the King Himself. Our part is simply to pray, love, forgive, serve, and declare the good news of that different world.

There certainly remains the embedded problem of human wickedness. Believers have wrestled for centuries for the proper Christian response to war and violence. Must we stand in the face of wickedness and reject it? Certainly. Should we protect, comfort, and care for the victims of evil? Absolutely! We must remember, however, that evil rests in individual human hearts, and avoid the sweeping condemnation of all Palestinians because some are terrorists. Alas, there are no human tools for turning hardened terrorists into loving, forgiving saints.

And yet there is hope! There is One who can wash evil from the human heart. Jesus does not choose sides like we do. He simply opposes evil and receives all who will come to him. If we long for the beautiful Kingdom to become a reality, then we must each do our part. He is certain to do His.

The “Woke” Deception

A friend recently observed, “If the church doesn’t offer our young people the Kingdom of God, they will look for it in “wokeness.”   That statement landed on me like a load of bricks.  So-called “Woke” Christianity is a deadly counterfeit of the Kingdom that promises a world of tolerance and equity at the expense of the God-man and Savior of the world.  The Christ of the woke church is Jesus the social-reformer, Jesus the revolutionary, the activist, the anti-racist, the Neo-Marxist or the abortion crusader. 

In past centuries there seemed to be enough godly fear and Biblical literacy in Western culture to tamp-down the counterfeits of liberal, progressive and “woke” Christianity.  People had little interest in a church focused on issues yet bereft of life-changing power.  But in today’s Western culture the fear of God is so rare, and the human race is so desperate that every impostor and counterfeit Christ is welcomed like the latest episode of Yellowstone.

How can we identify the counterfeit?   Here are a few red flags to look for:  

1. Woke Christians are often identified by their open disdain towards the historical church.  While Biblical Christians lament the failings of the church, (which are mentioned often in the Epistles), they still embrace the church as the flawed yet  beloved bride of Christ.  
2. “Woke” Christians often display an air of patronizing superiority. “You just wouldn’t understand.”  To become woke is a counterfeit conversion, an initiation into a special priesthood which lectures and judges the unenlightened.   
3. Woke Christians are often overly focused on causes rather than Christ: equity, anti-racism, special rights, over-population, climate change, and  immigration to name only a few.  In the woke world these causes become frontline issues while the saving life of Christ is minimized, if not forgotten altogether. (It’s important to mention here that the Kingdom of God squarely addresses every one of these issues with the utmost tenderness and grace, yet always in context of Jesus first).  
4. Woke Christians are prone to elevate government, environment, feelings, and selfhood, to the place of idolatry. 
5. Woke Christians often embrace abortion almost as a sacrament of the faith.  
6. And finally, woke Christians utilize a distinct language and vocabulary to express their unbiblical theology and worldview.  Examples include “heteronormativity”, “white patriarchy”, “parity”, “implicit bias”, “systemic racism”,  “micro-aggressions”, “hegemony”, “gender binary”, “intersectionality”, “social justice”, and “equity”, to name but a few.    

If you see these things in your friend or brother, pray for him and look for ways to help him see the destructive course he’s on.  It’s no small thing to follow a counterfeit Christ. 

The Hacking God

Hack:  a clever solution to a tricky problem.    

Two weeks ago I was hacked by an unknown person who kidnapped nearly 4,000 Facebook friends.  I thought I was clever enough to avoid the bane of cyber space, but I fell headlong into the trap, and within minutes was locked out of my account.  Permanently.  Or so it seems at this moment.   Panic jumped on me like a street gang on a nerd as I thought of losing access to so many precious friends I’d collected over fifteen years of international travel.  But it was too late for damage control.  What do you do after the house has washed down the river?

And then the Holy Spirit began to speak to me:  “God will have the final word.”  He is the ultimate Hacker who quietly steps in, takes control, and turns hopeless situations into good.  We see it in the story of Joseph and his brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” And we see it in Paul’s triumphant declaration, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him; to those who are called according to His purpose.” * Genesis 50:20 & Romans 8:28

God is a genius when it comes to redemption.  Only He can unscramble an egg, resurrect a man, or remake a nation.  But He can out-hack the hackers since He holds all the power, possesses all the wisdom, and knows ahead of time what is about to happen. “Though the cherry trees don’t blossom and the strawberries don’t ripen, Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I’m singing joyful praise to GOD. I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on GOD’s Rule to prevail.”   (Habakkuk 3:17-19) 

Well… I’m not actually capable of turning cartwheels of joy, but I am interesting in seeing where all this will go. And it’s a sterling opportunity for me to trust Him. 

Stand by…  😀

Thirty Kingdom Virtues:

A disciple of Jesus ought to be a certain kind of person, growing daily into the image of Christ. Jesus mentioned the virtues in the Sermon on the Mount, and the other New Testament writers developed them further in the epistles. Here are thirty Kingdom virtues. But there are many more as well. Perhaps you can mention others in the comment section.

Humility: The place of entire dependence upon God.   “… all of you clothe yourselves in humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  1 Peter 5:5

The opposite of humility is pride, which is independence from, and rebellion towards God.  This, of course, was Satan’s sin, and the sin of Adam and Eve.

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Innocence:  The childlike condition of being blameless and pure. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  Matthew 5:8

“Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”  – Psalm 51:7

Of course none of us are innocent apart from the work of Jesus on our behalf.  But what a beautiful gift to have our childlike innocence restored.

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Honor: Recognizing and treating each person as a beloved image bearer of God. “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” – Romans 12:10

“Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” 1 Peter 2:1

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Excellence: Letting all that you do reflect your very best. “Whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31

“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:1

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Gratitude: We ought to always remember that gratitude is not complete until it is expressed.  When we say “Thank you”, it becomes real.

“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“What do you have that God hasn’t given you?” – 1 Corinthians. 4:7

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Hospitality: The spirit of welcome originally displayed in God when He welcomed us into His life.  In a sense, it is the doorway into the Kingdom. 

“So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it!” – Romans 15:7 (The Message)

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Gentleness / Kindness: The generous extension of thoughtfulness, compassion and empathy towards others. 
“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5

“Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.” – Philippians 4:5

“Gentle” is the word Jesus used to describe his own heart: “I am meek and gentle of heart.” – (Matthew 11:29)

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”

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Patience: The ability to endure difficult circumstances. “Love is patient.”  – 1 Corinthians 13:4

“… be patient, bearing with one another in love.”   – Ephesians 4:2

I suspect many of us struggle with patience because we have neglected the God-given call to plant gardens. Gardening produces patience. And difficult people too!

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Wisdom: Seeing life from God’s perspective and understanding the consequences of our choices. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”    – James 1:5

“Sell everything and buy Wisdom! Forage for Understanding!Don’t forget one word! Don’t deviate an inch!Never walk away from Wisdom—she guards your life; love her—she keeps her eye on you.Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom! Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding! Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won’t regret it; never let her go—she’ll make your life glorious.” Proverbs 4:5-9. (The Message)

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Faith:  “Faith is knowing God well enough to know what He wants to do in a given situation.”  (Heidi Baker) “We live by faith, and not by sight.”  2 Corinthians 5:7

“…If you believe you will see the glory of God.” John 11:40

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Generosity: Everything I have is merely on loan from God to be freely shared with others.  ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  – Jesus 

“And when you give, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing!”   – Also Jesus!

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Mercy: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”   – Matthew 5:7

It is our call to be merciful while leaving all judgment to God. He alone carries that authority.  While Believers ought to rightly condemn sin, we must never condemn the sinner.  So much of our tarnished reputation would be rehabilitated if the church  would return to mercy.

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Self-control.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is… self control.” – Galatians 5:22-23

Self-control will produce an ordered, disciplined life of love and beauty.  Its opposite is debauchery.

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Courage: Not the absence of fear, but the willingness to take action in spite of your fears.  “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  – Joshua 1:9

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Compassion: To share in the sufferings of others. “Carry each other’s burdens”.  Galatians 6:2   

“Weep with those who weep…”  Romans 12:15

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Diligence / Industry:  The opposite of laziness and sloth. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”  Colossians 2:23-24

“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.”  Proverbs 12:24

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Sacrifice  “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”    – John 15:13

The entire structure of the cosmos hangs upon the sacrifice of one Man.

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Truth: An accurate description of reality.  “If you hold to my teaching, you are my disciples indeed. Then you will know the truth, (reality), and the truth, (reality), will set you free.”  – John 8:31

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie… therefore God gave them over… to become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice… God-haters… arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil… they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.”   – Romans 1:25-30

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Peacemaking:  Responding to conflict in the Spirit of Christ rather than offensiveness and judgment.  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”  – Matthew 5:9

“Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord…”   – Hebrews 12:14

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Godliness: Reflecting the character and beauty of Jesus.    “… speaking the truth in love, we will grow in every way to be more and more like Christ…”  – Ephesians 4:15 

Godliness, really, is our purpose and goal.

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Contentment:  The opposite of covetousness. “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ”  – 1 Timothy 6:6-8

Discontentment fuels unhappiness, depression, and stress.  

See Luke 12:15-24 for Jesus’ winsome teaching about sparrows, lilies, and a fool who kept building bigger barns.

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Justice:  Impartially upholding what is just, fair, and right according to honor, morality, and law. “He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  – Micah 6:8

“When justice is deferred it makes the heart sick, but “when justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous and terror to evildoers.”   – Proverbs 21:15

The scriptures teach that God will ultimately judge every evil deed and right the scales of justice.  Oh how we long for that day….

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Forgiveness. Followers of Jesus do not hold onto bitterness.  Full stop.  
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”  Ephesians 4:32

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Grace: Recognizing the extravagant love and favor of God towards oneself, and freely extending it to others.  

Followers of Jesus ought to be famous for this virtue, but too often we are known instead for our judgments.

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Believing the best in people.  “Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  – 1 Corinthians 13:7

Although we will sometimes be disappointed, it’s better to live in generous optimism towards others than to sink into bitter cynicism and judgment.

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Endurance: The ability to stand up under times of suffering, hardship, trauma, and fatigue.  It is closely tied to patience, joy, faith, and proven character.

“Brethren, consider it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect work in you, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  – James 1:2-4

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Slow to anger, or “not being easily offended”.   “A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.”  Proverbs 19:11

In a culture of offense where the slightest word or political opinion can trigger anger, this ought to set Believers apart like stars in the night sky.

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Servanthood “The greatest among you will be your servant.”  – Matthew 23:11 

The mark of true greatness; Many of our greatest heroes are those who have cheerfully and sacrificially served others.  This is such a beautiful rebuke to a world which idolizes looks, money, stardom, and talent.

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Encouragement: to speak strength and courage into others.  “… let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer.”    Hebrews 10:25

As we observe the events around us we need to remind each other that the King is on the move, and will soon be among us!

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Love: To seek the highest good of others.  

Love beats “tolerance” by millions upon millions of miles.      

“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”   – John 13:34-35

The Sound of God’s Heart

Years ago Youth With A Mission in Kona was sending off an outreach team to some far-off nation of the world.  The student-missionaries were surrounded by teachers and seasoned staff praying and waiting to see if perhaps the Holy Spirit had anything He wanted to say on their way to the airport.  And sure enough, His word came forth from one of the older saints:  “Don’t go!  Don’t go unless you love them!  Apart from love your message will be barren!” 

That powerful memory has returned to me recently, especially since a dear friend has challenged me several times about the importance of being “authorized” to represent Jesus. Although the resurrected One gave us the authority to preach, heal, cast out demons and make disciples, it was all predicated on the foundation of His life: The love of the Father.  Anything divorced from that love will remain sterile, barren and meaningless.  “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am only a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”  

“Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and knowledge; and though I have the faith to move mountains, but have not love… I am nothing.”   Eloquence, miracles, prophecy, wisdom and even faith itself are meaningless apart from love. 

Years ago I had a vivid dream that changed me: I was resting my head against Jesus’ chest listening to his heartbeat.  But the sound of his heart surprised me;  instead of the “thump… thump… thump…” I expected, each cadent throb of His heart spoke “people… people… people…” 

God’s Kingdom is a show-and-tell endeavor.  The language that opens the souls of broken men and women is love. 

Certainty or Confidence?

Years ago I read a newspaper interview with a spry 105 year old woman who had just celebrated another birthday.  I forget nearly all the details of the article except for one question the interviewer asked:  “After so many years of life, what do you know for certain that you would like to pass on to others?”  “Oh”, she said, “I don’t know anything for certain!  But I do suspect a few things.”

After spending the bulk of my life doing my level-best to call young people into discipleship, a steady willingness to “rethink” seems to be an important key to transformation.  We must be wary of certainty, and aim at confidence.  I have come to believe that when Jesus opened his ministry with the command to “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand” he was calling the world to something more than a one-time decision to follow Him, but rather to a lifetime of rethinking the ideas, attitudes, and habits that have littered our minds by the spirit of the age.  Discipleship is a lifelong process of being transformed “by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:1-2) 

In the series, The Chosen, Peter reacts to something Jesus has said: “But this is different.”  And Jesus, with a twinkle in his eye, answers, “Get used to different.”  So often we in the modern church have allowed our religious ideas to harden like concrete into certainty, and  in the process have short-circuited the opportunity to grow and change.  

“Get used to different.” (And by the way, this applies to The Chosen, too. As much as I enjoy the beautiful storytelling of the series, it demands discernment between the clear Biblical truth, and the creative license of the writers. Test all things)!

In the classroom I begin nearly every session with the challenge, “Test everything I say.  I too am a disciple, and though I am confident in what I teach, it’s possible I could be wrong.  Look at these scriptures with me, and if they do not support what I teach, then stop me, and help me to see my error.”   I hope you will do the same.  I’m far from an authority on the things I write about, but I present them with a degree of confidence that they seem to be true according to the scriptures, plain reason, and experiential fruit.  

The disciples of Jesus are not hardened scribes, but lifelong learners.

Gratitude, an Army, and a Dance

“What do you have that you did not receive?”  1 Corinthians 4:7

Today I turned seventy, and some have asked what it is like.  I’ll tell you, it’s an experience of profound gratitude.  I came wailing into the world on January 17, 1953, with nothing owed to me.  And before I took my first breath an army was assigned to my care: doctors, nurses, administrators, dietitians and diaper-changers.  

My first day of school, and the first day of my seventies.

The army expanded as farmers and pickers, truck drivers, and toy makers, jumped into the act to keep my little demanding self fed and entertained.  Teachers and preachers, scout masters, school-staffers, den mothers and doctors swirled ‘round my young soul in a tango of training, a ballet of discovery in a  world unexplored. 

The dance grew with craftsmen and makers of pianos and flutes; of guitars and ukes, designers of autos and airplanes, and pilots who shuttled me to far-off places. There’ve been bakers of baguettes and clerks who sold them to me in lonely airports, and strangers who smiled at me when I was alone, or walked me to the bus station in a foreign city. Firemen and soldiers have guarded me while I slept, and symphonies have soothed me in times of distress.

Others joined quietly: unnamed coal miners,  linemen, and gas-field workers who kept me warm and mobile, or kept the lights burning, authors and book-writers, artists and illustrators, balladeers, and inventors, Romantic composers and Renaissance painters who stood me before beauty, while sanitation workers and plumbers quietly kept the toilets flushing and the garbage at bay.  Do you see the staggering complexity that has undergirded my life?   I get lost in the thought of how many have fed me, nurtured me, inspired and sustained me . Keeping a soul alive for a week is Herculean.  Keeping it alive for seventy years is a miracle! 

I read recently that the little metal band that holds the eraser onto the end of a pencil requires no less than thirty processes, from mining and smelting to shaping and coating.  Thirty processes!  And that’s just for the band that holds the eraser!  

My mind strains to think of vanilla-growers and chicken-pluckers, of road-pavers and engineers of bridges and tunnels, of builders and butchers, of packers and produce-managers, of cooks and servers and geniuses who keep the Internet online, shoe-makers, shirt-stitchers, of postal workers and barbers who keep the deliveries coming and my cow-lick at bay.   It’s no exaggeration to imagine an army of millions has served and assisted me in this great dance of life.  How fortunate to be the recipient of all this goodness!

And you, too, are included.  Maybe you’ve danced with me for only an afternoon, or perhaps you’ve held me tight over the years.  For your part, I am fiercely grateful.  You have shaped me by your friendships, laughter, tears, and embrace, all woven together by an unseen Hand, who issues the invitation:

“Your Heavenly Father, His Glorious Son, and the Spirit of Life
request the honor of this dance”.  

Profound gratitude.  That’s what turning seventy feels like.

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*(This post was inspired by The Great Dance, by my friend C. Baxter Kruger).