Archive for the ‘Risk’ Category

27 Jan

These fearful times

Posted by Zachary P. Hubbard in Adversity, advice, christ, Christian, Christianity, control, depression, end times, Faith, Fear, Holy Week, Hope, Jesus, peace, Politics, Prayer, President of the United States, Religion, rest, Risk, Safe Space, simplicity, spiritual, Tornados, war, Weather. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Jesus calming the storm

On January 20th Donald Trump was sworn in (again) as President of the United States.  For some Americans it was a day of celebration, while for others it was a day of dread and fear. This is not uncommon when the political pendulum makes a big swing to the left or right in this country. The media circus on both left and right during the presidential campaign and since has been enough to depress just about anyone who listens or reads too much news.

Just in case the noise of partisan politics hasn’t depressed you, we’ve been bombarded lately with news of torrential rains, mudslides, hail storms, wildfires in LA, tornados and hurricanes in places they don’t belong, and snow on our Gulf coast beaches. Then there are wars and rumors of war around the globe, like in Israel, Lebanon, Yemen, Somalia, Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, and elsewhere.

These are indeed fear-provoking times. Sometimes it looks like no one is in charge. The good news is that there’s one great master plan in motion for all mankind, and neither Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping or any other man is in control. God is still in control of everything in creation and always will be. 

Not long before he died, the Rev. Dr. Charles Stanley, Pastor Emeritus of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, recorded a homily titled, A Comforting Message in Fearful Times. Just as the Apostle Paul encourages believers to “put on the full armor of God” in Ephesians 6, Dr. Stanley’s message encourages us to “soak” our minds and hearts in the word of God, where believers can find peace, comfort, and courage in the midst of the spiritual warfare surrounding our daily lives. Dr. Stanley cites a treasure trove of scripture during the homily, which I have listed below. I encourage you to read through the entire list, then go back and look at each passage in the context of the full chapter it comes from.   

Philippians 4:6-7 — “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus”.

Psalm 16:7-8 — “I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken”.

Psalm 4:8 — “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety”.

Psalm 27:1 — “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread”?

Psalm 139:23 — “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there’s any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way”.

Psalm 138:7 — “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me”.

Psalm 138:8 — “The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting”.

Psalm 138:3 — “On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul”.

Philippians 4:19 — “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”.

Isaiah 41:10 — “Do not fear for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you with my righteous right hand”.

John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life”.

1 John 1:9 — “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

Psalm 121:1-8 — “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He will keep you and He will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever”.

Isaiah 54:17 — “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment, you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me”, declares the Lord.

Psalm 32:7 — “You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble. You surround me with songs of deliverance”.

Psalm 94:19 — “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delights my soul”.

Psalm 23:4 — “Even though I walk through the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff they comfort me”.

Psalm 139:3 — “You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways”.

All in all, the difference between the believers and non-believers is this: in tough situations the believer accepts God’s wisdom and control. His prayer is for patience and to say as Jesus said, “Not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42b). On the other hand, the non-believer challenges God, neglecting to believe in Him unless he has proof. (Based on a sermon by Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus, former Speaker of The Lutheran Hour).

A comforting message in fearful times – by Dr. Charles Stanley. Safe Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2OKUg8NQY8

15 Dec

Walking alongside a friend

Posted by Zachary P. Hubbard in advice, Anglican, Bible, christ, Christian, Christianity, Christmas, discipleship, Faith, family, Jesus, Liturgical Calendar, Messy Christianity, Prayer, Religion, Risk, simplicity, spiritual. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

During this church season of Advent, Christians anxiously await the celebration of Jesus’ birth. We commemorate His arrival in this world on December 25, the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we await the arrival of the Christ child, my wife and I recently said goodbye to a departing friend who moved to another state to be near family. I’ll call him John for the sake of privacy. John was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) about two years ago, but has displayed ASD symptoms most of his life. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 5,437,988 (2.21%) adults in the United States have ASD.

For the past three and a half years my wife and I walked alongside John, providing him companionship, counsel, and a small lifeboat to climb into during frequent storms he encountered. John first came into our lives by means of our church. One day our priest asked us if we would be willing to help a single man who had recently arrived in our community. We said yes without really knowing what to expect. I share the details below not to glorify my wife and me; give all the glory to God! I share this to make a point which I’ve discussed before—being a follower of Jesus Christ can be messy.

We answered 2 a.m. phone calls so John could rant about whatever was bothering him at the time. We shared meals with him and checked periodically on his welfare and the state of his small apartment. We tried to help smooth the situation when John irritated his neighbors. We helped him move to a new apartment.

We drove him to appointments and to help him tend to his local business affairs when something needed fixing. We provided in-person support when John’ family could not contact him because his phone was (frequently) broken or lost, or when he was simply not answering calls or emails. 

We invested many conversations with some of his family members who are active stakeholders in John’s life–over lunch, dinner, coffee, phone calls, and Zoom meetings. We supported John and these same family members during the complex endeavor to have him evaluated for ASD. We coordinated the dedication of funds from our church’s rummage sale to help defer the costs of the evaluation; printed forms and obtained John’s signatures; and prayed for the process.  We coordinated with our church members to provide overnight accommodations for John’s family members when they periodically visited the area to check on his welfare.

Walking with John was not easy, but it was very spiritually rewarding and has made us three new friends, including John and two very special members of his family—they know who I mean. As we anxiously await the Feast of the Nativity and the celebration of the Christ child’s birth, Christians should recall that following Christ can get messy—Just read the book of Acts and see. 

In June, 2019 I published a blog piece titled “Messy Christianity.”  I invite the readers to read it again or discover it for the first time. https://divine-simplicity.com/2019/06/08/messy-christianity/

I wish you all a very blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year. –Zack

8 Jun

Messy Christianity

Posted by Zachary P. Hubbard in Adversity, advice, Bible, Christian, Christianity, discipleship, Faith, Messy Christianity, Poor, Poverty, Religion, Risk, Safe Space, Salvation, Simple Living, simplicity, Uncategorized, Works. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Soup Kitchen

Many Christians love their big, opulent church buildings. They can be quite impressive, especially older ones that are massive relics of past centuries. Standing inside a pristine, beautifully ornamented Gothic cathedral can certainly give one a sense of awe. They’re a wonderful place in which to worship God.

The entire world was recently shaken by images of the beloved Notre Dame Cathedral on fire in Paris. Notre Dame is now closed for who knows how long, as the French government and people begin the long process of rebuilding. The church building is a mess.

Christianity is a messy business—in many ways messier than the scorched interior of Notre Dame.  In John 14:12, Jesus tells us, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing.”  Acts 10:38 tells us Jesus “went around going good.” As Christ’s disciples, we are to follow his example of doing good. Good works are not a condition for salvation. Salvation is a free gift for those who put their faith in Christ. But as the Book of James tells us, works are a manifestation of Christ’s love that is in those who put their faith in Him. 

We are to follow Christ’s example.  Matthew 9:35-38 says:

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Jesus is the Lord of the harvest. The harvest he is speaking about has many faces including the sick and suffering, people in trouble, those who don’t know Christ and many others. They all need caring, compassionate Christ-believers who care about the wandering sheep.

Unfortunately, many Christians are too comfortable in the places where they currently are in their faith journey; perhaps they attend church regularly, give money to the church; and participate in church social events. They enjoy this and aren’t eager for change. People in this condition can find it difficult to reach out to the sheep of Jesus’ flock. In his video series on the Good Samaritan, Christian author Rev. John Ortberg likens this to someone sitting on a comfortable bench in a beautiful park—a place one doesn’t want to move from.

Christians who find themselves in such a comfortable condition today but recognize the need for change can rise from their bench in small steps.  It might mean spending a weekend working on a church project with a group of volunteers, inviting a new family on the block over for dinner, visiting a church member in a hospital or nursing home, or leading a Bible study. Taking such baby steps isn’t very messy, but it helps prepare one for Christ’s messy work.

Messy Christianity requires getting one’s hands dirty in both the figurative and literal sense. It’s found in places like soup kitchens and homeless shelters, getting involved in helping someone  who is being physically or mentally abused, inviting someone on the down and out into your home for awhile, giving someone in need a loan with no expectation of being repaid, or traveling to distant places to perform mission work such as flood or hurricane relief. It often requires taking personal risks and/or experiencing considerable discomfort.

Early Christians in Rome were noted for fearlessly caring for the sick and diseased. Many non-Christian Romans admired the Christians’ selfless acts. The Western Emperor Constantine the Great decriminalized Christianity in 313 AD by issuing the Edict of Milan.  Ten years later Christianity became the official religion of Rome. This occurred through a different kind of revolution marked not by violence and warfare, but by countless acts of Christian love, charity and sacrifice.

The Rev. Ken R. Klaus, Pastor Emeritus of the Lutheran Hour said, “All too often the job of reaching others is left to others. That can be unfortunate. After all, there are times when you may be the best person to reach someone who is lost or wandering.” You don’t have to be an evangelist or great orator to succeed either.  All you need do is open the door for the Holy Spirit to begin His work in another person’s life. Share your joy!”

If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself. –Oswald Chambers

*Note: all Bible references are NIV.