The Fraternity of One

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  • Friday, November 25, 2011

  • Luke 17

    "In everything give thanks (in EVERYTHING!); for this is God's will for you." 1 Thess 5:18

    If a small child is taught to say "thank you" for a small piece of candy received, should not grown up Christians give thanks for innumerable graces from the Father's hand?

    If we could have been reporters on the scene, we can imagine everyone confessed their gratitude.  Their lives had been transformed in a moment.  They had passed from death to life by the gracious healing of the Master.  None would be so callous as to declare they deserved healing graces.  It is quite unlikely that even one said, "It's about time!" No, being overwhelmed by God's goodness won't typically leave one unappreciative; it's just that feeling a sense of joy is a step or two short of declaring one's gratitude.

    They were members of the fraternity in which no one wanted membership.
    They were helpless, desperate and aware.
    They were respectful.
    They were believing.
    They were healed.
    They were ecstatic.
    But nine of the ten continued dying.

    He was a fraternity of one
    He shared their suffering.
    He shared their desperation.
    He shared their respect.
    He shared their healing.
    He shared their joy.
    He did not share their self-preoccupation.

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  • Friday, November 18, 2011


  •  "The Kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." 1 Cor. 4:20

    "All hat and no cattle." This is a spot-on description of the big-talking troublemakers of First Church of Corinth.

    I love some of the synonym expressions as well:
    • All bark and no bite…
    • All crown and no filling…
    • All ham and no omelet…
    • All hammer and no nail…
    • All icing and no cake…
    • All shot and no powder…
    • All sizzle and no steak…
    • All wick and no candle…
    • All talk and no action…
    • All show and no go…
    Full of promise and short on execution--Paul's accurate appraisal of the troublemakers of Corinth.

     "We are still in the world, yet we are to be called out, distinct and not 'of the world.' We are to live according to the ethics of the kingdom of God, and those ethics are in almost every way a radical departure from the norms and values of the world. The 'Upside-Down Kingdom.' It is the kingdom where the first will be last, where the humble will exalted, and the mighty will be laid low. It is the kingdom where to be the greatest you must become the least, to lead you must serve, to gain your life you must lose it. It is the kingdom where to be filled up we must empty ourselves, where richness is found in poverty and where the meek will inherit the earth. It is a kingdom that calls us to turn the other cheek, to walk the extra mile, to give the cloak as well as the coat. In this kingdom we are called to love our enemies and hate our sin in the midst of a world that loves its sin and hates it enemies. It is a kingdom whose central symbol is a mark of humiliation and defeat, and whose ethics seem to be utter foolishness. It means placing His kingdom at the very center of our lives…" -Stewards in the Kingdom by R. Scott Rodin

    But it was not so in Corinth, so the burdened Apostle challenged them in this way, "The Kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." 1 Cor. 4:20

    Just Wait Till Dad Gets Home…

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  • Friday, November 11, 2011

  • 1 Corinthians 4:1-21

    He always brought us gifts. Money was extremely limited and barely sufficient to cover bare necessities. But after times of travel, Dad always brought each of us a small gift to let us know he thought of us and missed us while he was gone.

    "Therefore do not go on passing judgment (assessing each other) before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts..." 1 Cor. 4:5

    "Just wait till Dad gets home…" Those were dreaded words! My father was an itinerate preacher and Bible conference speaker. In the days of my childhood, communication systems were nowhere near as sophisticated as they have become today. We lived 13 miles south of town on a residential high school campus. The 'compound' had a phone in the administrative office. If, during his travels, Dad desired to connect with Mom, he would call the school, someone would sprint to our house and retrieve Mom who would rush to the office to take the call. But because calls were billed by the minute, the conversations were, at best, very brief. The other form of communication was "snail mail." However, on more occasions than not, the letters would arrive after Dad had departed that area and moved on to another. Many times, Dad's letters would arrive home after he had already returned.

    Mom was, on many occasions for extended periods of time, both mom AND dad in our home. She had three boys and one girl. My Sis was kind of like the Holy Spirit in the family, omnipresent and "perfect." My brothers were mischievous troublemakers. Well, I confess, I contributed more than my share to the chaos. Anyway, it seemed that no matter what trouble we were creating, my Sis would know it before WE knew it and then Mom was informed. (See what I mean by "Holy Spirit?") In the early days Mom was quite well equipped to make necessary behavioral corrections even in Dad's absence. However, as we grew, Mom's sense of influence diminished and she would more regularly resort to these frightening words, "Just wait till Dad gets home!"

    Must be posted where visible from the street...

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  • Friday, November 4, 2011

  • 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

    The foundation we are building upon, if the work is to be approved, is Christ. And the materials we chose to build our lives upon must be prepared for the testing by fire.

    True story. I could not make this up! Doing a most unusual activity in my office this morning…I was sorting the growing pile and making liberal use of "File 13," when I opened a recently-received periodical to scan for any article of relevance or interest. This bold print that stared me in the face:

    U.K.-based Stramit
    StrawBoard is reportedly
    seeking to establish U.S.
    manufacturing for its wall
    systems made of straw,
    such as wheat and rice.

    I could NOT make that up! It comes from an article titled, Building Blocks of a Different Nature by Bailey Webb. In it Webb writes, "Whether you have a small or a large budget, the key is to have the priorities that were established in the master planning phase guide the decisions made regarding the selection of building materials. Church facilities and buildings need to be looked at in their totality, always keeping in mind the overall master plan developed at the beginning of the planning process. Just as the master plan should reflect the vision of the church and its ministries, the materials selected should align with the mission and priorities established." (Emphasis added)

    I love construction. I love watching a blueprint become a skeleton, then an enclosed shell and finally an inhabitable abode. I love the process. I find great pleasure in studying the use of materials. But when it comes to my OWN projects, I tend to be a "what is the least costly, most affordable, reusable piece of scrap available. That will do, lets use that" kind of handyman. In other words, I was well trained by my father to make use of whatever happens to be available!