Wrong Way
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Thursday, November 22, 2018 | |
Bergen is beautiful. Like all of Norway, Bergen oozes with a rustic charm, storied history, and luscious landscapes impossible to capture on canvas or camera. But because Bergen is so old, its hotels are often cobbled together from adjacent buildings creating different levels and twists. For example, our hotel could be entered through a revolving door—or through an alley you might easily overlook. Once inside the hotel, finding your room can be equally challenging. I kept forgetting that I needed to make a left turn off the elevators and then walk past the “ice machine” (about the size of a Keurig—and rather than cubes, it dispenses tiny pearls of ice you collect in six-ounce plastic cups they supply). To get to our room, you had to continue beyond the electric shoe shine machine, then turn right. Then it was a left turn a few paces later at the window overlooking industrial heating pipes. Next, you would make another turn at the double doors, walk down seven steps—and there you would find it on the right—our room.
But here’s the thing. I kept turning the wrong way. Time after time, the elevator doors would open and I would head off in the wrong direction—or at least feel that I wanted to go in that wrong direction. With so many epic fails at basic geography, I concluded this: my every inclination is to go wrong—at every turn. A light went on for me the vey moment I acknowledged this painful flaw. Isn’t the same thing true—and more so—spiritually? Isn’t it equally true that apart from God, our every inclination—all of us—is to go the wrong way at every turn? Surely Isaiah speaks of us when he writes, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way.” And you’ll notice, it’s always the wrong way! Romans 3:11 bluntly states, “There is no one that seeks for God.” In other words, our every inclination is to go wrong. At every turn. If there is to be any hope for us, we must invite God to be our GPS. Time to humble ourselves and join David in his prayer:
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A Strong Tower
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Thursday, November 15, 2018 | |
I could almost feel the the tension in my arms, stringing an imaginary arrow and yanking back the bow—as we peered out the vertical slit in the wall. It was easy to “hear” in your imagination the clatter of armor and the pounding of horse hoofs ushering in enemy troops.
But archers crouching in the Chindia Tower—as many have done in the last 600 years—would have enjoyed two defining advantages. At 89-feet tall, the tower’s elevation made a sneak attack virtually impossible. And because its walls are so thick and the defensive openings so tiny, protection was virtually guaranteed.
Here is a stop you must not miss when visiting Târgovişte. It’s a Romanian city built on the bank of the Ialomiţa River.
Suggestion: you might wish to snack on a protein bar before climbing the tower, as it features a classic spiral staircase with 122 wooden steps. While most folks will revel in the rooftop view (tough to refuse a selfie), I found myself blown away by the circular walls themselves. They are, perhaps, two feet thick. So thick that for an archer to have room for his bow and his body, the walls feature enormous bevels revealing the true thickness of the tower.
A placard offering a history of Chindia suggests that this was “a place for a refuge” as well as a “guard and defense.” It was also used as a fire spotter and a place to protect the national treasury. What a visceral image of Proverbs 18:10:
Like the Chindia Tower, our God offers us a guard and defense—as well as a place of refuge. A place of unfailing protection. But as massively constructed as a tower may be, we are left entirely defenseless if we refuse to enter it because we are either deceived or otherwise unaware of imposing danger. Such careless living!
Are you “in the Tower”…or are you exposed to the enemy? Best be sure. I think I hear the thud of horse hoofs!
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Wrong Way
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Thursday, November 08, 2018 | |
Bergen is beautiful.
Like all of Norway, Bergen wreaks of a rustic charm, storied history, and luscious landscapes impossible to capture on canvas or camera. But because Bergen is so old, its hotels are often cobbled together from adjacent buildings creating different levels and twists. For example, our hotel could be entered through a revolving door—or through an alley you might easily overlook. Once inside the hotel, finding your room can be equally challenging.
I kept forgetting that I needed to make a left turn off the elevators and then walk past the “ice machine” (about the size of a Keurig—and rather than cubes, it dispenses tiny pearls of ice you collect in six ounce plastic cups they supply).
To get to our room, you had to continue beyond the electric shoe shine machine, then turn right. Then it was a left turn a few paces later at the window overlooking industrial heating pipes. Next, you would make another turn at the double doors, walk down seven steps—and there you would find it on the right—our room.
But here’s the thing. I kept turning the wrong way. Time after time, the elevator doors would open and I would head off in the wrong direction—or at least feel that I wanted to go in that wrong direction. With so many epic fails at basic geography, I concluded this: my every inclination is to go wrong—at every turn. A light went on for me the vey moment I acknowledged this painful flaw.
Isn’t the same thing true—and even more so—spiritually? Isn’t it equally true that apart from God, our every inclination—all of us—is to go the wrong way at every turn?
Surely Isaiah speaks of us when he writes, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way.” And you’ll notice, it’s always the wrong way! Romans 3:11 bluntly states,“There is no one that seeks for God.” In other words, our every inclination is to go wrong. At every turn. If there is to be any hope for us, we must invite God to be our GPS. Time to humble ourselves and join David in his prayer:
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Direct-to-Dumpster
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Thursday, November 01, 2018 | |
The gray dumpster appears to squat toward you menacingly when the elevator doors whoosh open. It's definitely industrial sized. Apparently we’ve needed the capacity, as we have filled it more than once. Up there on the 10th floor, the last of us are getting ready to move out of our offices into a new building. That means stuff has to be sorted, traded and tossed. As someone who struggles with near-clinical dumpster diving tendencies, I sense my pulse spiking every time I saunter past the dumpster So it should come as no surprise that I can offer a fairly detailed account of its current contents. Some of it is obviously dated media junk—stuff that has previously been digitally transferred: reel to reel tapes, cassettes, old DAT media (Digital Audio Tapes). Imagine my surprise upon discovering pieces of an old logo that used to adorn our wall. Then there’s the other stuff, a surprising—if not eclectic—collection. I’ve seen old music CDs, well used Knick knacks, photos, framed posters, food storage containers and more. Now I can hardly condemn those who’ve thrown away these things. Most all of them are fairly worn. And my wife assures me I would do well to learn how to throw out junk with more regularity. She’s right. Still, it’s a bit strange. Process this with me: We give our time to get money. We give our money to get stuff. Then we toss that stuff into a dumpster. Of course, nothing lasts forever. And there’s no moral law against parting with things you no longer need (again, while not a professional hoarder, I have room for growth here!). Yet for some of us—not necessarily my office mates—the relatively small gap between items purchased and items trashed conjures a sense of almost direct-to-dumpster living. We buy and toss, buy and toss—almost literally throwing away our money. Surely a biblical stewardship demands we assess the ledger of our lives to make sure we don’t invest too much in disposables and too little in imperishables. Jesus cautions, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys” (Matt 6:19). But ultimately, He leaves the decision to you and to me. Treasure in heaven—or direct-to-dumpster living. What will it be?
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Awesome and Wonderful
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Thursday, October 25, 2018 | |
Kids and Bible verses. Put them together and you’re rarely at a loss for smiles. There’s just something about hearing young voices quote Scripture. That’s one reason we’re such huge fans of the Awana program. Nothing like hiding God’s word in their hearts at a young age. Truth is, though I still memorize Scripture, it’s a bit harder at my age. And I must confess, the verses that I can recall the most reliably these days are those that I learned in Awana as a kid. Our daughter and her husband are doing a great job of raising their four kids—and Awana is a big part of that. Lucy is four and in the Cubbies program. Recently, she worked on memorizing Psalm 139:14, “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Lucy’s mom did what all good moms do: sat down and helped Lucy commit that verse to memory. They used several creative tools. They looked at Lucy’s baby book and saw picture after picture showing how tiny she once was, and how God had caused her to grow so beautifully. Then they reviewed the verse together. The “Donut Man,” Rob Evans, has recorded a song about this passage, so naturally, they gave it a listen. Again they were reminded, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Finally, Mom asked Lucy, “Can you say your memory verse now, ‘hon?” This is what came out of her little girl’s mouth: “I am awesome and wonderful.” That’s it. You’re smiling, right? Me, too. Call it the “New Lucy Translation.” Actually, it’s not a bad rendering—so long as we keep in mind any of our awesomeness and wonderfulness is really the fingerprint of the Almighty. Say—how’s your Bible memory plan working out? You do have one, don’t you? You say, “Well…I’m just no good at memorizing the Bible.” Nonsense! God gave you a great mind and a great Book for a great purpose. You are, after all, “awesome and wonderful.” Just ask Lucy.
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