Is Dying On A Cross Funny?

A few weeks ago I was searching for a card at Wal-Mart.  I take my time and like to browse and read a variety of cards.  I always end up in the funny section and if you find me there, you'll usually hear me first, laughing out loud.

 

As I pulled several cards, I noticed one with two nuns on the cover.  The caption read, "The Lord died for your sins."  At this point I'm trying to determine what part of that is something to laugh at, but I decided to see what was on the inside anyway.  The inside read, "So, you may as well enjoy them.  Happy Birthday."

 

To say I was stunned and appalled would be an understatement.  I was both and offended to boot.  The Lord dying for my sins isn't funny and thinking I should live a sinful life and enjoy doing so is doubly unfunny.

 

I flipped the card over to see who produced this jewel.  The company was listed as Comic Relief - Recycled Paper Greetings.  Once home, I did a quick web search and made another startling discovery.  RPG is owned by American Greetings.  I felt such disappointment because I had such high regard for American Greetings.  I never would have expected them to produce such a blasphemous product.  A little more reseach showed AG purchased RPG in 2009, so it's not like they haven't had time to pull trashy cards.  In addition, I found other people didn't appreciate the RPG cards either, though none named any one card in particular.

 

Why is this card not funny?

 

First, it makes fun of someone who died for others.  If I'm wrong in my faith, it still doesn't change the fact that Jesus died for a cause.  A cause that didn't hurt others, just Himself.  Whether you're a Christian or not, is it really funny to ridicule someone who would willing die to save other people?  Do the RPG people bust out in a belly laugh when they read about a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save his comrades?  If someone takes a bullet for someone else, does that cause one to roar with laughter?  I don't find anything funny about anyone dying to save another human being.

 

Second, if I'm right in my beliefs and Jesus is the Son of God, then He and God are being mocked for having made the ultimate sacrifice.  Jesus died to save undeserving people like the knuckleheads who created and published this card.

 

I haven't written AG, but I'm still thinking about it.  However, I have decided I will not purchase any more AG or AG affiliate products ever again.  Some things aren't comedic, and however small my contribution to AG's bottom line has been, I don't want any more of my money going to a company that has so little respect for the God of the Universe.  Dying on a cross isn't funny.

Someone Worth Dying For

Am I someone worth dying for?  Are you?  I recently discovered the Christian group, Mikeschair, and their song Someone Worth Dying For.  I was immediately taken with the song and downloaded it from I-Tunes.  It's caused me to pause and ponder the first question I posed - Am I really someone worth dying for? 

To be blunt, most of the time I think I'm not.  In fact, it's safe for me to say Jesus definitely got the short end of the stick where I'm concerned.  I'm completely unworthy of the kind of love He has for me.  He doesn't get the same kind of love in return from me, and He should.

The gist of the song is people wonder if they are worth dying for, and Jesus is always telling us to see it and believe we are worth it.  He didn't have to do it.  We didn't deserve the grace offered to us, but He loved us so much He thought we deserved all He had to give. 

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd." (John 10:14-16)

As a human, I am weak.  I fail.  I sin.  And because I am a Christian, I beat myself up over and over again for not being able to do the things I should do.  And, if I really search deep within, I know if the situation were reversed I wouldn't die for me.  Sounds depressing and hopeless, but it's not.  I'm not worthy because of what I've done.  I'm worthy because of who Jesus is. 

This past Sunday, our pastor, who is brilliant, yet understandable, preached on how Christians should be the light.  He preached from John 8:12-30 in the morning service and Matthew 5:13-16.  In the morning, we saw how Jesus is the Light of the World.  In the evening, we saw how Jesus tells us to be light.  Wyman said this wonderfully simple, but profound statement, "God said let there be light in the world.  Jesus said let there be light in you!"

In the song, Mikeschair sings, "Your life has purpose."  And according to Wyman, our purpose is to be the light in the darkness.  More correctly, it is to be the conduit for Jesus' light to shine to the world.  Our lives should so affect those around us, our very culture, that things are better for us being in the world.

Is the world better for me being in it?  Can others see the Light of the World reflected through me by my behavior and by how I treat others?  I'm a work in progress.  I take two steps forward and one-and-a-half back most days, but I keep trying to move forward.  I keep striving to be worthy of Jesus having given His life for me.  In some small measure, I am finally doing things I believe show others how much Jesus loves them because of how I love them.  I'm not bragging because I could do so much more, be so much more, love so much more.  But, success for me has changed over the last year.  Yes, I still want to be successful in this world, but it's more important for me to be successful for Christ.  I want to live a life where Jesus would say, "Others saw my love for them through you.  Others knew how much I loved them because of the things you did.  They learned from you they were worth me dying for, and I'm pleased by that." 

In the end, success is hearing Jesus say, "Lisa, even when you messed up big time, even in your ugliest, darkest, most unloving moments, I always believed you were someone worth dying for."

Jesus wants you to see and believe that no matter what you've done or where you are right now, you are the most precious person to Him.  You are someone worth dying for.

Nurturing New Christians

Last night I had something happen that I've not had happen before.  Someone other than a personal friend commented on one of my posts.  This person indicated he/she was a new Christian and had been reading my posts.  My reader had several questions for me, which I did my best to answer, but in reality probably didn't shed a whole lot of light on the situation.  The questions were good ones, and this experience has been humbling.

I read the Bible and attend church regularly, but Bible verses don't seem to pop to mind when I need them.  One of the questions I was asked was about salvation: Once you've accepted Jesus were you saved forever or could you lose your salvation and have to be re-saved?  My answer was there are those who believe in eternal security and those who believe it's possible to lose your salvation.  It depends on the denomination you happen to follow.

I feel secure in my salvation, but I have been a part of a church that didn't believe in eternal security and did believe people could reject Christ after having accepted Him as their Savior.  I must admit I still think God has given us free will and we could say I want no more to do with You or Jesus and if we did this we would reject Christ and be lost.  My conculsion for my reader was I couldn't imagine I would ever reject Jesus knowing what He has done for me, which would suggest I believe in eternal security.

Whatever you personally believe about salvation, there are scriptures to support both arguments and it really is up to the individual to decide what is the right interpretation.  I will say I don't believe you have to be re-saved every time you stumble, but you do have to repent.  The life of David really teaches us that forgiveness is there for us if we truly repent - no matter what we've done. 

I've made a promise to this reader to research the scriptures to find things that can help nuture their walk.  And I would also like to suggest to this person (if you're reading this post) to visit the website of Dr. Charles Stanley. 
His website is http://www.intouch.org/.  He is THE MAN when it comes to understanding the Bible and covering the subjects that strengthen us as Christians.

Dr. Stanley offers many articles, sermons, and Bible studies that are available for anyone to read or listen to  Here's a sampling of some of the articles he's written:

• Covered by Grace...Free to Sin?
• The Price of Walking Away
• The God of Second Chances
• Developing Spiritual Discernment
• To Believe or Not to Believe
• Our Forgiving Father
• When the Bible is Silent
• What is Genuine Repentance
• When Temptation Knocks

All of these look like they could answer questions for a new Christian. 

Over the next few weeks, I will try to post more frequently and look for scripture and other resources that might be helpful for a new Christian.  I believe God is faithful and He has promised if we seek Him, we will find Him.  He's right there waiting.

As If There Is All The Time in The World To Say I Love You

As much as we may not want to admit it, we do have relatives we love more than others.  It's not that we don't love all our relatives, but some just have special places in our hearts.  Two of my favorite cousins (I have three by the way) always lived away.  Growing up they lived in Oregon and could only come back here every couple of years.  I remember as a child, Mom would say, "Randy and Julie are coming," and I would be so excited.  I couldn't wait until they got here.

We would meet at my grandmother's house in the sprawling metropolis of Jerusalem, Arkansas.  They were usually here in Arkansas for two or three weeks and we would have the best time.  Once we decided to explore the back roads of Jerusalem and walked for hours before we finally found a familiar landmark.  The problem was we were still hours from my grandmother's house and exhausted.  Thankfully, another cousin of ours (by marriage) came along and took us home. 

Those were great times, but then we all grew up and started pursuing our adult lives and as it happens, we drifted apart.  I can't remember the last time I saw or even heard from Julie, but I think it's close to 20 years, now.  It was 14 years ago in April since I last saw Randy when he visited me before moving back to California.  He'd been in Oklahoma and we actually communicated some that year, but then he moved away again and we lost touch until last Christmas.

Over the last five or six years, Randy has suffered from kidney failure and has been on dialysis.  At the same time, he has been having heart problems, which steadily worsened over the last two years.  I worried for him, thought of him often, and told myself I needed to write, but it wasn't until the card came that I finally did write.  It took me two months, but I answered his card telling him like he had me that I thought of him often and remembered all the good times we had as kids.  I gave him my email and said I was much better at keeping in touch by email.

Over the last month or so, Randy's health has deteriorated even more and within the last few weeks, I've had that nagging feeling I needed to write him again and tell him how much he means to me.  Of course, I would be somewhere or doing something that didn't lend itself to writing and so I'd tell myself I'd do it soon.  If I hear he's still declining, I'll do it.  I told myself again Sunday, I need to write him...I'll do it.  And Sunday, I had all the time in the world to tell him I loved him.

Randy died this morning.  And suddenly as I heard mom telling me over the phone right after lunch today, I realized even on Sunday, there was no more time left to write Randy and tell him what he had meant to me.  I cried in my office all afternoon because I loved my cousin even if we had barely communicated in the last 14 years, and I cried because of regret for not staying in touch when I knew he was really sick. 

And, I'm writing this post today to remind anyone who reads it to not act as if you have all the time in the world to let the people you love know how you feel about them.  You have right now, so don't put it off.  Time may be up for you or the person you long to tell one last time, "You were so special to me.  I love you, cousin."

Arrogance and the Defeat of Custer

Today, is the anniversary of the Greasy Grass Fight or as you may have heard it called the Battle of Little Bighorn.  On this day in 1876, the 7th Cavalry led by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer was utterly defeated. 

Three forces led by Crook, Gibbon, and Custer were dispatched to bring about the defeat of the Lakota.  The US Army thought it could trap the Indians and end the Indian problem.  However, Custer made a series of errors, which turned the table.

First, he advanced more quickly than he was ordered to do.  Gibbon was leading the infantry brigade and was advancing very slowly.  Crook had been turned back by Crazy Horse and his band at Rosebud Creek.  So, by moving too quickly, Custer had placed himself in an isolated position. 

Second, he had grossly underestimated the number of Indians in the village he was attacking.  The Lakota had been joined by the Cheyenne and Arapaho and there were thousands of Indians gathered there.

Third, he had no respect for the fighting ability of the Indian military.  Once he neared what he thought was just a village, he ordered an immediate attack and split his troops into three groups.  This was to ensure few Indians would be able to escape.  What it ensured was Custer's troops were weakened and at the end of the day Custer and 210 men were dead.

According to Lakota writer Joseph Marshall, III in his book The Day The World Ended at Little Bighorn, the Lakota claimed victory, but "uneasiness settled in the minds of many of the old ones."  They had seen the whites go from annoying interlopers to land-hungry enemies.  Marshall says, "That knowledge was the basis for a nagging question that some asked one another, or simply wrestled with alone.  What would this victory bring?"

This incredible victory would bring terror, sorrow, and death.  Crazy Horse would be killed in 1877 after surrendering.  Sitting Bull would surrender and be killed on a reservation in 1890.  From June 25, 1876 until December 29, 1890, the Lakota would be hunted down, put on reservations, and finally over 200 Lakota would be massacred at Wounded Knee bringing about the end of the "Indian conflicts."

The bright spot in all of this is the Lakota were not utterly destroyed.  Their way of life was forever changed, but the army couldn't destroy their spirit.  Marshall says, "The forces that sent armies to herd our ancestors onto reservations could not destroy the essence of our culture."

The Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho are still among us.  Most are on reservations today, but they have preserved their culture, traditions, and language for the most part.  And, within the last few years, both sides of the story has been told.  What was once called Custer's Last Stand, is now called the Battle of Little Bighorn.  And, thankfully, reasonable people realize the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho were defending their way of life - just as all of us would do if we were suddenly invaded by hostile forces today.

Little Bighorn is now a National Monument where both the 7th Cavalry and the Indian tribes are remembered and honored for both sides fought bravely that day in 1876, and as with any war only one side could be victorious. 

Perhaps the lesson we can learn from this is arrogance can make us think we are invincible when in fact all it really does is cloud our ability to see how vulnerable we are until it's too late.

Whoever Exalts Himself

This post for today has been rolling around in my head for some time now.  It's one of those things that just won't go away, and I don't know if writing about it will make it go away or not, but I've decided to go with it.

I get a lot of praise and, for lack of a better term, adoration because of the work I do with the Lakota kids.  Being human, I feel good about what I'm doing and that people notice; however, I also feel enormous discomfort when receiving the praise and adoration because I don't think I'm doing anything special. 

I love going to Pine Ridge each year, and honestly start anticipating my return the minute we drive away from the reservation.  I can't hardly wait until September rolls around each year.  Many times I question if this ministry is a God thing or a Lisa thing.  I usually begin to question it when I'm trying to get the funds needed to make the mission happen, but we always get just what we need, and I know it's absolutely a God thing.  So, in the end, I conclude if God didn't want this to happen, we wouldn't get what we need.  The struggle while overwhelming at the time is always that much sweeter when I see God come through.

So, I think I'm supposed to go.  I think God was preparing me for this long before I had even the slightest inkling I would be doing this every year.  I have always been fascinated by Indian culture and tradition.  And, as I started to study the history of the American Indians, He placed a burden on my heart for the people that never goes away.  I can't explain how my heart aches for these people across our country, who have faced such injustices so often at the hand of people claiming to be Christians.  I think God and Jesus must have felt such sorrow at how the American Indians have suffered. 

My greatest fear in the work I do is that one of these days, I will start believing I'm something special for going  Therefore, I remain ever vigilant to stay grounded in the one truth, which is the only one who deserves praise is Jesus, the Son, and God, the Father. 

I constantly remind myself what Jesus had to say about the Pharisees, who did everything for show, who wanted the praise of men, who wanted to be noticed for their great works.  "Everything they do is done for men to see.  They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long, they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplace and to have men call them Rabbi...for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."  (Matthew 23: 5,12)

When people thank me for going, I'm at a loss at exactly how to respond because in my eyes I'm doing nothing extraordinary.  God tells us to go, to do, to pray, to give.  He expects me to follow through and while I fall short in so many ways, this one thing I do joyfully and with no desire for praise.  In reality, the greatest thanks anyone could show me is to give to the cause.  Embrace the purpose of the mission, which is to show Jesus' love to kids, many who have no concept of what love is all about from any perspective, human or divine.  If you embrace the mission, you've shown me you appreciate what those of us who go to Pine Ridge are doing.

Completely His - Part 3

Shannon Ehtridge in her book Completely His introduced me to a new perspective on ministry.  It's actually based on a concept given to her by David Ravenhill.  It's the concept of the Ishmael or Isaac ministry.

Using the story of Abraham and Sarah, Ethridge illustrates how we humans can try to accomplish our purpose or we can take the time to pursue God and learn what His purpose is for us.  We can try to do things ourselves or we can trust God to use us to make His purpose happen.

When it appeared Sarah couldn't have children, she decided to take matters into her own hands and convinced Abraham that he should take her handmaid, Hagar, and have a child with her.  Abraham didn't seem to have a problem with this plan, which just shows us that even God's true believers can make poor decisions when they don't check with God first.  Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, but Ishmael wasn't the fulfillment of God's plan.

In God's time, Sarah did have a child and he was named Isaac.  Isaac was God's plan and the tribes of Israel would come from Isaac. 

Ethridge says, "Instead of asking God 'what dreams do You want to bring to life through me?' we often ask, 'Lord will You bless the dreams I have for my life?'"  I know I have at least 99.9% of the time asked the latter and not the former.

According to Ethridge, our dreams will bear human-sized fruits (Ishmael ministries) not God-sized harvests (Isaac ministries).  As Ravenhill shared with Ethridge, "Our dreams are either self-appointed or God-anointed."

How do we find out what our Isaac ministry is?  Know Christ initmately, and be willing to submit to God's dream for our lives.  If we get to know God, we will discover what we are born to do for His kingdom, and He will let us know when it's time to make the dream happen.

There are two questions Ethridge says we have to answer if we want to have Isaac ministries:

1. Are you willing to give God permission to enlarge your dreams if they are too small?
2. Do you trust in His infinitely good and loving nature enough to surrender your own plans and embrace His?

For me, I will say the submission and surrendering are hard.  I want to stay in control.  Stubborn will keeps me in the Ishmael category even though I long to have an Isaac ministry.  And, my soul wrestles within me to say my dreams are not important - forget my dreams, please Lord use me for Your dreams.

© Lisa Kelley 2011