Wisdom of The Week

 As Jesus spent His final moments with the apostles in the upper room before His arrest, trial and crucifixion, He encouraged them with these words: “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you (by going to the Cross). And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3). 

 I recently finished reading Killing Jesus by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard who also wrote Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy.  O’Reilly and Dugard did an amazing amount of research for all three of their best-selling books and do a good job of taking you into the actual time period in which each of the accounts takes place. Their description of the time in which Jesus lived was especially interesting with regard to the corruption, immorality, violence and brutality of the Roman Empire. Makes God’s choice of timing of when to send His Son into the world even more amazing, since He knew exactly what would ultimately be involved in the gruesome beating and crucifixion.

 When hiking in our country you have to take precautions to avoid confrontations with the grizzly bears that roam our national forest and wilderness and the Fish, Wildlife and Parks continue to transplant more each year. Should you encounter an angry bear that ends up attacking, and you don’t have bear spray or a firearm, they recommend that you curl up and “play dead.” (Want to come and hike with us this summer?!)  

  We visited at Three Lakes Bible Church yesterday. We miss seeing the folks where we pastored for 37 years so try to drop in occasionally to touch base with them and to worship together. The interim pastor, Dave Simmons,  is part of a group of pastors that provides pulpit supply while churches look for a new pastor. He receives newsletters from the organization with prayer requests and praises from the other interim pastors. He shared an amazing story of a couple who was moving from an apartment into a house. They were quite a bit annoyed when, just as they were moving their belongings out of the high-rise apartment, the elevator quit working. They had to use the stairs which comes out in an alley. As they were carrying a mattress down the alley, they noticed some toys on the ground and looked up to see a child dangling from a cord hung outside a window high above them. They rushed over with their mattress just as the child fell and caught him on their mattress!  Now that was a “wow moment,” revealing to them why their elevator didn’t work, and why they chose that time to move their things.  The sovereignty of God is so amazing. We don’t always recognize His hand at work, but He is always there, carrying out His sovereign purposes, and nothing can thwart Him. God, in speaking to and through Isaiah the prophet, said: “…for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning…saying, “My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish My good pleasure…Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it'” (Isa. 46:9-11).

  In 1996, Robert Allen (“R. A.”) Dickey was the heralded No. 1 draft choice of the Texas Rangers, but after a routine physical, his $810,000 signing bonus—and his lifelong dream—were ripped away when an MRI revealed that his right elbow was missing its ulnar collateral ligament (UCL—the one repaired in “Tommy-John surgery”). After a long fight to make his way back to the big leagues, Dickey got his shot—and set an ignominious record in his start for Texas. He gave up six homeruns in three innings! Consigned to baseball’s scrap heap, he battled back again, and today he has emerged as one of the top pitchers in MLB, having pitched for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, and is currently with the Toronto Blue Jays.   Because of spending so many years in the minor leagues, he lost some of the speed on his fast ball and resorted to learning to pitch a knuckleball which took him several years to master, getting help from such great knuckleball pitchers as Charlie Hough, Phil Niekro, and Tim Wakefield.

     While with the New York Mets, Dickey became the first knuckleball pitcher to win the Cy Young Award (in 2012). He set a franchise record of 44 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. He ended up the year with 20 wins, 5 complete games, 3 shutouts, 233 2/3 innings pitched, 230 strikeouts, and a 2.73 ERA. (Not bad for someone with no UCL to stabilize his elbow!)

     R.A. is married and has two daughters and two sons. He helps operate the Ocala, Florida-based “Honoring the Father Ministries” which provides medical supplies, powdered milk and baseball equipment to the impoverished in Latin America. In 2012 he was not only the Cy Young winner but also, along with two other baseball players, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for “Bombay Teen Challenge” that ministers to victims of human trafficking in India. They raised more than $100,000.

     Dickey grew up in a very dysfunctional family. His mother was an alcoholic and his parents ended up divorced. He was also sexually abused by a 13-year old baby sitter and later by a teenage boy. He kept all this secret for years and really struggled with who he was. Fortunately he was befriended by a Christian family who introduced Him to Christ as Savior. But, he continued to struggle with his deep dark secrets until he finally spilled it all out to his wife who had great difficulty forgiving him and they ended up going through a heart-rending separation. His self-esteem was at an all-time low and he felt he’d turned his life into a hopeless tangle of problems. He started thinking of ways to take his life, but the Holy Spirit kept speaking to his heart reminding him that he is no quitter and had too much to live for, that, though he’d made horrible mistakes and hurt people he had the Lord in His heart and was loved. The more he thought of leaving his children fatherless, the more abhorrent the thoughts of suicide became. In his torment, he chose hope.

     He looked up a Christian counselor, Stephen James, who had been recommended to him by a friend. After many visits with Stephen, R.A. finally opened up and told his story. The healing process began, but there would soon be a major turning point in his life, not only in his walk with the Lord, and in his relationship to his wife and children, but in his baseball career. He was pitching in the minor league and staying in the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Council Bluffs, Iowa. It was June 9, 2007, and he was looking out the window at the Missouri River far below., observing that “It is big and brown, probably 250 yards across, with a swift current and sludgy texture.” The first time he had seen the Missouri from a similar viewpoint was in 2002 from a hotel in Omaha. His first thought when he saw the mighty Missouri was: “Boy, would it be cool to swim across that. One day I’m going to do it.”

     Well, it was now five years later, and he decided it was the day to do it, even though they had a game that evening. His team- mates, who thought he was totally out of his mind, couldn’t dissuade him, so instead wagered as to whether or not he would make it. Though he was a strong swimmer, the Missouri proved to be swifter and wider than he had anticipated and he found himself exhausted and sinking to the bottom. He was sure that was the end. He had quite a conversation with God. His life had finally “bottomed out”—literally! But God wasn’t finished with him yet (after all, he had to pitch that night and had a book to write!). He managed to gain enough strength to push off the bottom back toward shore where a teammate was able to grab onto him and get him up on the river bank. The amazing thing is, he entered the Missouri with a 3-4 record and a 5.87 ERA and came out to establish a 10-2 record and a 2.42 ERA the rest of the season.   The experience became the turning point, not only in his baseball career, but also in his walk with the Lord, and his relationship with his family. He had finally accepted God’s forgiveness and was completely free to be the person God wanted him to be. Of that day in June, 2007, R.A. said: “The Missouri may not be holy water and people may not go there to be baptized and seek absolution of their sins, but nobody can tell me that God didn’t use it to humble me and help me and recharge my faith and reset my focus. I jumped in to prove my worth and failed spectacularly, but wound up with one of the greatest gifts of my life. What a deal. What a day—the day God’s grace showed me how to stop clinging…and start living.”

     I am reminded of similar accounts in the Bible where individuals had their “baptisms in the Missouri.” Jacob (heel catcher; trickster), whose very name reflected his lifestyle of trickery and deceit ended up in a wrestling match (agonizing in prayer) one night with the pre-incarnate Christ. Jacob ended up with a limp as a reminder of that encounter and God changed his name to Israel which means “he wrestles or persists with God—in prevailing prayer”. It was the turning point in Jacob’s life. He was never the same (Gen. 32:22-32).

     Of course, we also have the familiar story of Jonah and his experience in the belly of the great fish that God sent to save him from drowning. Jonah too, agonized in prayer and ended up going where God had initially sent him, to Nineveh to warn of coming judgment if they didn’t repent. Unfortunately, though Jonah obeyed this time, he didn’t change his attitude toward the Ninevites.

     King David, too, had a major turning point in his life when God sent the prophet Nathaniel (just as God put Stephen James in R.A. Dickey’s life) to confront him regarding his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the death of her husband, Uriah. David wrote in Psa. 32:3,4,1,2: “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘ I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’ and Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit is not deceit!” David also recorded his prayer to God for forgiveness in Psa. 51, saying: “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy loving kindness; according to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only I have sinned and done what is evil in Thy sight…Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow…Create in my a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation…” (vv. 1-12).

     I have also heard or read numerous testimonies of believers who had major turning points in their lives, usually through a very difficult time when they came to the end of themselves (bottomed out) and gave the Lord full control. It is a matter of being “broken” in order to start relying on the Lord rather than our own strength. For some it may come at the time of their conversion to Christ, but for many it comes later in their Christian life when some difficult circumstances (often of their own doing) bring them to a place of complete surrender where they stop clinging to self and cast themselves totally in dependence upon their Savior.

     How about you? Have you had such a “Turning Point” in your life? Who or what are you depending on? Jesus came not only to bring eternal life, but to bring abundant life (Jn. 10:10) but we must let go of trying to live the Christian life on our own strength and live moment by moment in dependence upon Him to experience that “abundant life.”

                                                Forever His,

                                                            Pastor Dave

P.S. I highly recommend you get a copy of “Wherever I wind Up” by R.A. Dickey and read the rest of his amazing story.

This date has traditionally been associated with the annual “feast of St. Patrick,” observed especially in Ireland, where the missionary Patrick was largely instrumental in converting that nation from paganism (the Druid religion in particular) to Christianity back in the fifth century A.D. Although his remaining writings indicate that his preaching and the churches he founded were largely evangelical, and although he was never officially canonized as a “saint” by the Roman church, his “day” has been commonly known as “St. Patrick’s Day” for more than a thousand years.

Last fall when we went to Oregon to help our son and family move into another house, we got to meet two young men, professional movers, whom they had hired for a day to help (and boy, were they a great help!).  We suspected within a few minutes that they were both believers and when we had a chance to stop and chat with them, discovered that one was a youth pastor and the other a worship leader. Their faith definitely showed. We had some sweet fellowship with them as we worked.

So, have you stayed up too late lately watching television?  I bet most of you would have to say “yes,” after all the Winter Olympics come only once every four years. (We’re thankful for the DVR so we can only watch what we want and when we want!).  It is always fun to watch the Olympics, especially to root for those from your own country, and to see all the drama that takes place and observe the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” that is inevitable, and the surprise that takes place when someone not expected to win makes it to the podium to receive a medal. 

     The origin of the early games is obscure, but the date of the first festival held at Olympia is traditionally 776 B.C.  Thereafter, the Olympian festival was held quadrennially. The festivities which were closely related with religious rites, included not only athletic contests but competition in oratory, music, poetry, and other art forms. Besides the Olympic games, there were three sports festivals: the Pythian Games, the Nemean Games, and the Isthmian Games (held in Corinth).

     The games were originally only one day long. Competitors reported at daybreak and were administered the Olympic oath, to the effect that they were of pure Hellenic blood, had never committed wrong, had trained faithfully, and would not resort to any underhanded act in competition. Then they were stripped and anointed with oil. Women did not compete and were not even permitted as spectators. The games were increased to a five-day meet at the 77th festival. Prizes awarded to the victors of the events in the Olympic Games were crowns usually made of olive and palm branches. The victors were treated as heroes on their return home; statues were often erected in their behalf and they were given a place of honor at public events.  

     The Apostle Paul drew on the Corinthian’s  knowledge of the Isthmian games (held every two years in Corinth) in his letter to the believers there. As he wrote to challenge them to have self discipline in their Christian walk, he said: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” ( ICor. 9:25-27).  Paul reminds us that Christian service is like the Olympic athlete training and competing for the prize. The Christians at Corinth knew what agonizing pain was required to win the races and Paul used this example to illustrate his single-minded striving for the work of ministry. The Greek word for “competes” (“strives” in KJV) in verse 25 is agonizomai  from which we get our word “agonize.” He also uses the word in Col. 1:28,29: “And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”    The Isthmian games survived until the fourth century of the modern era.

     Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin (1863-1937) is given credit for reviving the Olympic Games, and out of deference to Greece, the land of the ancient Olympic Games, the first modern games were held in Athens in 1896 with nine countries participating. The Winter Olympics began in 1924 at ChamonixFrance, being held every four years and in-between the summer games.

     Here are some of my observations and lessons learned from watching the Olympic Games, especially the just-concluded 22nd Winter Olympics:

        1)  Success depends on amazing discipline and commitment.        

            — In order to have a chance to stand on the podium and receive a medal, one must put in thousands of hours of disciplined practice, often giving up the normal activities of a young person. Our gold medalists in ice dancing, White and Davis, had been dancing together for 17 years, putting in some 29,000 hours of practice.  Wow, that is commitment to a goal!

         —  The majority of the winners had competed many times before finally achieving the success they had at the Olympics. They had to endure lots of failure, but never gave up. They put in the time at great sacrifice, doing all they could to stay healthy and in top physical condition as they honed their skills

(Just as Paul challenged us to do in I Cor. 9:25-27).

        2)  Success isn’t limited to those who make the podium and receive a medal.

            —  While only three are awarded medals at the Olympic Games, everyone who trains hard, keeps the rules, and competes to the best of his/her ability, is a “winner.” One scene that was very moving in the games in Sochi, Russia took place in cross country when a Russian skier fell and broke a ski. He          attempted to continue, but his ski totally fell apart. He tried to limp on in on one ski, until a coach provided him with a new ski to finish the race, though he had no chance of winning.

            — Some who competed undoubtedly knew they had little if any chance of medaling, but still put in the time and training and competed as hard as they were able. They too are “winners.”

            — The Bible doesn’t say “It is required of a servant they he be successful.” It says, ““…it is required of  stewards that one be found trustworthy (faithful)” I Cor. 4:2).

          3)  Some competitors are at the end of their career, some at the peak, others at the beginning.   

            —  Mikaela Shiffrin, age 18,  became the youngest person to win gold in the women’s slalom. She had to recover from a near crash to do so. Her career looks very bright. She hopes to compete in more events in the next Olympics.

            —  Bodie Miller, age 36 and probably in his final Olympics, managed to get a bronze in the Super G.

            —  Yevgeny Plushenko, Russian figure skater with a storied career, after a sterling performance in the team competition to help earn a gold medal for Russia, withdrew from the men’s competition with back problems. 

            — Shaun White (snow boarder) and Shani Davis (speed skater) who were favorites because of their past success, failed to medal.

        4)  Not all judging is fair.

            —  One of the things that has been true at every Olympics–summer and winter–is that not everyone is judged fairly in events such as figure skating where there is subjective evaluation of the competitors. Judges are human and biased and cannot judge totally fairly.

            —  We can be very grateful that when we stand before our “Judge,” Jesus Christ, His judgment will be totally fair. He knows every act and thought and even the motives of our hearts. “Therefore do not  go on passing judgment 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; and then  each man’s praise will come to him from God” (I Cor. 4:5).

        5)  Some nations have specialty areas in which they excel.

            —  It was pretty amazing to watch the domination of several countries in particular events. The Netherlands, for example, had 24 medals, 23 of which were in speed skating (no other nation won more than three!) and the other in short track. The previous record in a single event was 14 by Austria in alpine skiing in 2006. The Netherlands had four podium sweeps.

            —  Norway continued their dominance of cross-country skiing and biathlon, with 17 of their 26 medals coming in those venues.

            —  Twelve of the United States’ 28 medals came from the extreme sports of free style skiing and snowboarding.

            — Canada grabbed all four golds in curling and hockey.

            —  In the Christian life, God has equipped each believer with special abilities (spiritual gifts) to be used to serve the Body of Christ and to glorify Him. We need to find our “niche” and stick with it.

        6)  The Olympics provide a platform of witness for the athletes who are Christians.       

            —  A number of the athletes in the Olympics not only represented their countries, but also represented the Lord Jesus Christ. Their being placed in the view of the world-wide audience gave them a great opportunity to be “salt and light” (Mt. 5:13-16). They were the “city set on a hill” (v. 14).

            —  David Wise won a gold in men’s ski half-pipe for the United States. He used his  “platform” of opportunity to emphasize his values as a Christian. Just before heading down the slope into the half-pipe, he dropped a heart-shaped rock into his pocket–a rock given to him by his daughter Lexi. As he was interviewed he said, “I can go and ski my heart out , but it doesn’t define who I am. Being a good usband and father is more important.” He went on to say that one of his goals is to become a pastor.

   I’m sure God has provided you with some “platform” of influence too. Are you using it to witness for Him?

                                                                  Forever His,

                                                                         Pastor Dave

We are blessed to live in a part of God’s creation where we have a great variety of displays of the beauty of His handiwork, both in the awesome mountains, lakes, streams, trees, and wildflowers, and in the birds and animals that either live in the area or pass through on their amazing migratory routes. We have a bird feeder in the back yard that attracts a great many species throughout the year. I keep track of what time we see the various species each year and it’s often close to the same time each year. A few seem to hang around all year. We currently have lots of black-capped chickadees, flicker woodpeckers, Oregon juncos, fox sparrows and, of course, many crows. We recently had some beautiful, noisy stellers jays. Occasionally we even have some Eastern blue jays stop by. We often see bald and golden eagles soaring overhead as well as ravens and vultures.