Receiving the Hand of the LORD

A year ago today, I thought my world had ended.

When I went in for my four-month check up, we discovered that the child we had prayed for for two years had died. What’s more, my husband was in Afghanistan in the fourth month of his eight-month tour. Not only were we losing the child whose birth we had been joyfully anticipating when he returned, but he would never get to experience the growth of our baby firsthand, as I had not even learned of the pregnancy until two days after he shipped out.

I remember sitting on the sofa that evening after the devastating news, waiting for my mother’s plane to arrive, grateful that I had family that could fly out to be with me. And as shock gradually gave way to overwhelming grief, one verse kept scrolling through my head: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21b).

In the coming weeks and months, I can’t tell you how many times I read and re-read the book of Job. I know it is cliché to turn to the book in times of suffering, but I was reading it again with new eyes. And in the many additional challenges that the next 12 months brought, I found myself always returning to Job 38 and onward, where God finally speaks in response to all of the pseudo-philosophers/theologians surrounding His servant Job. The poetry in this section, where the LORD explains how He is the God of the unknowable, and the sarcasm He employs even as he challenges those who would question His actions – they have provided me with more humility, chastisement, and assurance than anything else.

Most scholars believe that Job is the oldest book of our Old Testament, that it was written down at least a century before a scribe or prophet penned even the book of Genesis. And I can’t help but take comfort in knowing that the book that in many ways speaks the most clearly and relevantly to the universal experience of human suffering is the first one of our holy scriptures to have been composed. To pull from another book, Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 states: “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has already been in the ages before us.”

I will never fully comprehend the “Why?” of human suffering, but over the past 365 days – some days when I really felt so weighed down with grief that I didn’t know how I would make it to the next – I have come to at least understand that the question is not why, but how. How will we react when tragedy befalls us? How will we carry on when it feels like our world has ended, our prayers are going unanswered, and the universe just feels, well, mean? Through it all, we are to remain the trusting, hoping, and often desperate children of God who look to Him in all things. As Job says to his wife, “‘Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?’” (2:10b).

We may not want it, we may have to struggle even to look up and see it some days, and we may just be too tired to imagine enduring even one more thing, but as long as we are receiving from the hand of God, we know that we are close to His side. And there is nowhere else I would rather be.

On Work

"There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in --that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible."
- Mother Teresa

What? and Why?-- The 728b Foundation

A close group of friends had an idea a few years ago: Start a non-profit that meets the fundamental needs of orphans and children wherever they may be.

When you're doing something that is a calling, even the mundane and tedious details become a source of excitement and joy. Coming up with a name that suited us was not difficult, as it had been established long ago, but finding the right words to explain the meaning of the name has taken a little time.

We are the 728b Foundation. We send doctors, engineers, farmers, teachers, and supplies to areas in the world where children, who do not have their basic needs met, can finally have the resources to help them build a future of their own making.

But, the question must be asked: Why 728b?

Because in any old hymnal, found on the backs of solid wood church pues all over America, there is a song titled "There is A God", and every member of our Foundation grew up in such a church. The common numerical reference to this song is 728b.


There is, beyond the azure blue
A God, concealed from human sight
He tinted skies with heav'nly hue
And framed the worlds with His great might

The words are simple, but at the heart of the song, awareness of our own existence is demanded; an authentic recognition that this physical world possesses powers unseen that rule fundamental human truths (regardless of religion or culture) that unite us in a common human spirit; and endowed by a creator.

A resolute duty permeates the praiseful hymn through the chorus:

There is a God (There is a God), He is alive (He is alive)
In Him we live (In Him we live) and we survive (and we survive)
From dust our God (From dust our God) created man (created man)
He is our God (He is our God), the great I Am (the great I Am)

It's one of the great marches of the Christian Church, but is so often mistaken for just another song we sing on Sundays when the song/praise leader is in a particularly chipper mood.

Should we take the charge of the song seriously, and recite our beloved hymn more as a mantra than a melody, a powerful call to action is found in the words.

We are His creation. He defines the world. He designed us and called us for the purpose of service. We are His hands and His feet during our time here. We are to serve Him through serving others.

If we approach life with that attitude, the denominational tradition from which the hymn came is irrelevant. Its words hearken to us all who profess ourselves followers and disciples of Christ.

This organization is striving to be a model for an active faith of genuine discipleship. In our minds and hearts, as they are united in common service, there is no doubt that we will begin to affect positive, sustainable, and lasting progress in this world, one small part at a time.

Although your connection with the 728b Foundation may be through a facebook group or visiting our blog, it provides the very first of abundant opportunities to serve those who need it most; the care for the most basic of human necessity of love and compassion being delivered through medicine, food, clothing, and education.

Come make a difference in the world with us.

Start with our small group of dedicated people-- and never doubt that a small group of dedicated people can change the world....because it's the only thing that ever has.

We hope you'll join us in the journey.

Taking stock

Audit. Simply the word sends chills down the spines of most Americans. If you know that your finances and paperwork are all in order and everything is on the up-and-up, it can be a scary process to have to submit it all to the IRS for review, but at least you know that you did everything asked of you.

But how often do we consider the prospect of being audited by God? How would you feel standing before the Lord as He reviews the assets of your life: your time, your talents, your financial resources, your thoughts, your motives, your energies, your attitude…

Would you have cause for concern? What discrepancies might He find? What inconsistencies might exist between what you say and what you do, what you teach and how you live?

If you had the opportunity to look at a log book that showed all the money you had wasted on clothes you never wear, flashy toys purchased for your own amusement, or dollars carelessly dropped for a few laughs – would you want to see the total? To be honest, I’m not sure I would. I’m afraid the number would make me too sick and too depressed to know what to do with myself.

Now consider if the same thing was true for your time. If you could see what percentage of your life has been spent being lazy or selfish or engaging in activities or talk that are negative – would you want to look? Or would you be too afraid to admit how much of your life you have wasted that you will never get back?

I would challenge all of us to conduct an audit of our own lives – an on-going review of how we are really utilizing the blessings entrusted to us. We all must give account someday; does the thought of yours give you concern or confidence?

On Love

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."- Martin Luther King

Bridging The Divide (part 1)

Bridges are one of the great architectural achievements in human history. Where a road would once end in air, or sea, or horizon, it could now continue to far off places. It allowed for the trade of goods, the sharing of cultures, and it was the first of many technological feats that has lead to the increasingly globalized world we have today.

The construction of a physical bridge is usually the precursor to metaphorical bridges of greater understanding between nations, cultures, and ideas. But all too often in our unhealthy modernity, ideas that ought not be reconciled have strong ties linked by a bridge. Sometimes they are a bridge to the reconciliation of thought and action that leads to peace-- but sometimes to tyranny. It can also be a bridge to nowhere. 

America has one particular bridge that dominates the landscape of its history, present, and future. It is a grand, ornate, 16-lane super bridge with the philosophy that links Christianity to a ideology that seeks to codify Christian principles into governmental law.

This particular bridge is built on multi-million dollar churches, lobbies, and businesses; the sum total of which reaches well into the billions of dollars in assets and influence.

It is purportedly built on the idea and tradition that America is a  "Christian Nation"; paved by the blood of patriots who died for this country; and held up by those willing to serve its cause today through giving money and votes out of "devotion to Christ."

No matter how well the construct may function, we should take some time to examine the divide the bridge conquers. So, we have to ask ourselves several questions:

First, what is the divide?

Second, should it be bridged?

I submit this thought for scrutiny-- is the divide human nature and the bridge Christ? or is the divide Christ himself, and the bridge human nature, attempting to bridge what should be unbridgeable?

Even in the first establishment of a Hebrew Kingdom in I Samuel, God has shown that an earthly kingdom and the desire for a "King" is a rejection of Him; it directs attention away from serving God and abiding in His promises for something greater.

In the New Testament, we see Christ's attitude toward government is best displayed in Mark 12, Matthew 22, and Luke 20. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."

This seems to be a clear delineation between God's law and gentile law. Taxes and monies are distributed by the government, therefore, can be collected by the government.

God, through Christ, demands that our hearts and actions are to reflect our voluntary obedience to His laws. This is the fundamental and intrinsic freedom given to us by our creator in free will. Do we, as Christians, need government to protect more than our freedom to worship?

Christ himself shows we do not even need that protection in the pages of secular law to be Christians, as He died by the hand of government.

The only laws we seem to hold fundamentally true throughout Christian history and denominations is this-- to be true in our submission to Christ-- wherever we may find those in need, we are to give freely of what we have-- our bank account is their bank account, our roof is their roof, our food is their food.

There are more scriptures (Matthew 26, Romans 2, Romans 13) to examine from the Christian perspective, and we'll save them for next week. In the mean time, it's not a subject that is deserving of a lecture, but of thoughtful and careful consideration to the consequence of the answers. Therefore, it begs the question...what do you think?

Sacrificial love

Of all of the heartwarming stories in American mythology (i.e.: George Washington and the cherry tree) there are some that are not only true, but remarkable in the lessons that they offer for our own lives. Consider, for example, the story of Wyoming’s bid for statehood which, from all accounts I have read, did indeed happen as recounted below.

Since 1869, women in the Wyoming Territory had been able to vote, even though it was not yet a right granted to women in the rest of the country. When the territory came up for statehood in 1890, there was concern that the suffrage issue might hold up the proceedings and prevent Wyoming from gaining full state status.

While the delegation of men were in Washington to present the case for statehood before Congress, some of the most prominent women in Wyoming politics sent a cable to their delegation telling them that they would be willing to give up their right to vote in order for the territory to join the union as a state. The men of Wyoming cabled back this short message: “Wyoming joins with her women, or not at all.” They held firm on their position before Congress and Wyoming was successful in its bid for statehood, female voters and all.

What a wonderful example of what marriage should be like. The sacrificial love of both parties is enormous: the women were willing to give up their rights so the men would be successful in their goal, and the men were willing to give up their ambitions for statehood so that their women would not have to give up their rights.

It kind of sounds like O. Henry’s classic short story, “The Gift of the Magi,” except that instead of being left with short hair and a watch-less watch chain, in the end of Wyoming’s story, both parties benefitted from the willingness of the other party to subvert their own needs for the betterment of the other.

If you are married, consider how you relate to your spouse. It can be so difficult in the age of individualism, where iPods, iPhones, and i-culture abounds, to truly put the needs of someone else above your own. But think about the kind of sacrificial love Christ offered for his bride, the Church, and then think about the kind of love and support that you can offer each other in your marriage. You may find that the benefits are far greater than the “losses.”