On Moles, Trojan Horses, and Sleeper Cells

Sometimes we are put in a situation for one purpose. We are planted like a “mole” for a specific task. We go along through life uneventfully, doing our routine, being faithful to our task, and then, like a Trojan horse virus on a computer, God activates us for the task. This is not to say that what we do everyday is not significant. It is. Everything we do for God is potentially significant, impacting things beyond what we can see. But, sometimes, we find ourselves in places where we have the opportunity to save the day. This happened once to Paul’s nephew in Acts 23. We don’t even know his name. We don’t know what he was doing there. But, somehow, he became aware that 40 men who wanted Paul dead were planning to manipulate the system to get Paul on a path where they could overpower his guards and assassinate him. We don’t know how old Paul’s nephew was, but he was old enough to know that his uncle was in serious trouble. So, he went to the prison and told Paul. Paul sent him to the Centurion in command, who, aware of the danger, whisked Paul away to safety in Caesarea under heavy military guard.

This is the only mention of Paul’s nephew in the Bible. He was strategically placed and had one significant thing to do…and he did it faithfully. Like a “mole”, or a “sleeper cell”, when the time was right, when the opportunity came, he acted. It is not difficult to conclude that God has placed us as “moles” in the lives of those around us. We never know when our opportunity will come, we seldom know our strategic importance in someone’s life, but our word, our sentence, our hug, our action might just be significant for them. What we say or do might just make a difference for them.

This is why Carol always leaves a note to the maid along with the good news in written form in every motel room we use…along with a tip. You never know when it will make a difference in someone’s life. This is why some people smile at every clerk or waitress who serves them. You never know when your smile will encourage. This is why I like to carry my family story, THE FOUR STORMS in written form. You never know when it will be significant for someone you meet. While landing in Kansas City a few years ago on a ministry trip, I leaned across the empty seat beside me and re-engaged the man I had met earlier. He was just awakening from his nap. I offered him something I had written about a difficult experience in our family. Taking it, he put it in his briefcase. Then I asked him how I could pray for him (he knew I was a pastor, so it wasn’t too weird to follow God’s Spirit and ask this question). His answer made me realize why I was traveling to Chicago that day. His family was experiencing the same pain our family had experienced. I don’t know what significance my story had for him. But, when God pulled back the curtain and let me peak into his life, I realized that, even though we had self-selected our seating on that Southwest flight, Someone else had strategically planted me.

Be aware. You just might be a “mole” for Jesus!

The Person in Our Picture

We have this Mary Englebreit tear off calendar on our kitchen table. It has Mary Englebreit’s pictures and quotes for each weekday and weekend. It was a particularly difficult and gloomy day in my house. We were sitting at the table pretty much dealing with sickness and despair. I was looking at the picture you see here, of a little girl planting a garden, and suddenly saw something that wasn’t in the picture. Can you see someone in the picture that isn’t in the picture?

No, the little girl is not alone in her garden. The fruitfulness of her plantings and cultivations are not just from her efforts alone. There is someone you can’t see in the picture who is in the picture. Someone else is involved in helping her flowers bloom.

You can’t see the person, but you do see just the nozzle on the watering can, watering the plants behind her.

There is someone in the picture you can’t see; the child is not alone. And, neither are we. There is Someone just outside our sight who is holding the watering can of our lives and making fruitful our efforts.

“You are near, Oh Lord, and all your commands are true.” Psalm 119:151

And, that is faith—believing in the Person you can’t see, but Whose work (water) you can see! And, sometimes, you aren’t even aware of the water…you just see the results!

Never Enough

It was the beginning of the Civil War. President Lincoln was just cutting his teeth on directing the effort to maintain the union. An army of rebellion had taken up residence near Washington DC and soundly defeated the Union’s first foray into battle at a stream named Bull Run. Lincoln needed a general that would lead the growing army and thought he had found the general in George McClellan. McClellan was qualified. He was a leader. He was popular with his troops. He had experience. He had studied the art of war, even observing the siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War. The troops had the best equipment. They were practiced. But, the one important thing that was needed to restore peace to the union was missing: They didn’t move on Richmond or the Confederate armies.

Lincoln suggested. McClellan ignored. Lincoln asked. McClellan deferred. “We’re outnumbered. We can’t do it. I need more troops. I need more equipment. I need more.” McClellan’s excuses and recalcitrance frustrated Lincoln. Finally Lincoln ordered McClellan to move, to do something. Landing on the James Peninsula, McClellan’s army advanced toward Richmond until they contacted the Rebel trenches, only to stop and wait until the Rebels had recovered and transferred troops to meet the threat. Overall, during the time McClellan commanded the army, he had a bad case of what would be called “Sitskreig” in World War II…immobility.

In many ways, I sense a parallel to efforts to free our neighbors, family, and fellow workers from slavery to find freedom in life in Jesus. Church leaders often find themselves asking for more budgets, more staff, more disciples before they can move outside our walls and impact our community and free some of the slaves. We sit in our services, sit in our meetings, and complain (explain?) that we don’t have enough. If we just had more…more money, more staff, more people, more time, we could reach out. Meanwhile, we are no closer to Richmond. Meanwhile, our friends, neighbors, and fellow employees and students are no closer to freedom.

It is easy to identify others who complain about not having enough. But, then, am I any closer to Richmond myself? Guess I better look at my own need to step out and free the slaves. I am that general! Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." I guess I have enough! Let’s march!

Bulbs or Beauties

What are these? Right…flower bulbs! What kind of flowers?
Daffodils
Tulips
Iris?
If you are a master gardener, you might be able to tell from the bulb, but mostly we have to plant them to find out what kind of flower will grow and bloom. I’m not sure which will bloom, but I do know it will look beautiful.

The bulbs contain a lesson about our future body, as explained in I Corinthians 15. One version paraphrases it… 35-38Some skeptic is sure to ask, "Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this 'resurrection body' look like?" If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a "dead" seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don't look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.
39-41You will notice that the variety of bodies is stunning. Just as there are different kinds of seeds, there are different kinds of bodies—humans, animals, birds, fish—each unprecedented in its form. You get a hint at the diversity of resurrection glory by looking at the diversity of bodies not only on earth but in the skies—sun, moon, stars—all these varieties of beauty and brightness. And we're only looking at pre-resurrection "seeds"—who can imagine what the resurrection "plants" will be like!
42-44This image of planting a dead seed and raising a live plant is a mere sketch at best, but perhaps it will help in approaching the mystery of the resurrection body—but only if you keep in mind that when we're raised, we're raised for good, alive forever! The corpse that's planted is no beauty, but when it's raised, it's glorious. Put in the ground weak, it comes up powerful. The seed sown is natural; the seed grown is supernatural—same seed, same body, but what a difference from when it goes down in physical mortality to when it is raised up in spiritual immortality! (MB)

We don’t actually know now what our body will look like in heaven when God raises us. However, we do know it will be something like the tulip. Like the Tulips in Skagit Valley, there is something that has grown inside the Tulip bulb that will produce a beautiful bloom. The earthly body is like the bulb. What we are doing in this body, before we die, determines what kind of flower we will be forever…for what goes on inside of us will come out in our heavenly body…developing in kindness, patience, goodness, peace, joy, thankful spirit…it will show up forever. Most of the time now we can’t tell character by our physical appearance. But we will in eternity because our heavenly body will be a perfect container for the character we are developing this side of eternity. That’s the whole idea of resurrection…what we do now, what kind of “seed” we are becoming, will determine what kind of bloom we will be forever.
So, are you a bulb or a beauty? Only eternity will tell!

Night Songs

Dad!

The cry came in the middle of the night from the next room. Stumbling into the dark, I made my way into the hall and into her room. I find her eyes wide open in fear. Some anxiety had wrestled her awake. She needed comfort, soothing. I needed sleep.

So, what’s a dad to do? This one tried singing! “In God’s green pastures feeding, by His cool waters lie, soft in the evening walked my Lord and I. All the sheep of His pastures fair so wonderfully fine…His sheep am I. Waters cool, in the valley, rough the way, on the mountain…” I warbled on. OK…warble is a gross exaggeration. Maybe croaked is a bit closer to the truth. Let’s just say my tune bucket had a hole in it. I am part of a musical family…the part that appreciates!

So, I’m croaking away, trying to comfort my frightened child when in mid verse a little voice says, “That’s OK, Dad. You can go back to bed now!" Evidently the anxiety was preferable to my tuneful torture…or else I was just waking her up rather than soothing her back to sleep.

I’m often awake in the middle of the night—processing yesterday’s problems or planning tomorrow’s adventures—when I really need to sleep. That’s when the Heavenly Father sings the words to me from Psalm 23. I don’t tell Him to stop. I just drift off in the confidence that He will perfect that which concerns me (Ps. 138:8 KJV). After all, like with our daughter, it’s His presence, not the song that comforts me in my night.

PS 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Dadeee

I’m working away. In the background are sounds: “Dadeeee,” sirens, freeway flowing in the distance, train whistles, birds singing, even the buzz of a bee (or is it a mosquito?) on a spring day, or is it a summer evening.

I’m not even thinking about the sounds, but then I hear one again, “Dadeeeee” echoing down the ravine. I still don’t think about the sound, but I do think about another place and another time and another little voice calling “Dadeeeee.”

I’m not sure if it is a call that says, “Dadeeee, help!” or, “Dadeeee, wait up!” or “Dadeeee, I want you to come to me and look at this!” or “Dadeee, I want you here right now!” I just remember the little voice echoing through the trees that surrounded our house.

That “Dadeee” fills me with warm memories of a little girl who wanted her Dad for something, a little girl full of affection and life. That “Dadeeee” carried me back to a time I’ll never have again, a time when the children were dependent on me, needed me, and were close to me. Times have changed. Our children are no longer dependent on me. They are not as close geographically. And, they need me in a different way. And, they no longer call “Dadeeee”. Now it is Dad.

“Dadeee” music to some dad’s ear. “Dadeee” still music to my ears, if only in my memories.

How it must make God feel good for His children to call on Him from the midst of their lives…to help, to look at what they’ve done, to just be close.

12 Then you will call upon me…and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13-13)

Staying Positive About Those On The Other Side of the Aisle

My friend turned and made a sour face at the very mention of a Christian leader with whom he disagreed. I was saddened. While I understand some of the weaknesses of the leader in attitude and action, I still sensed that God was using that leader powerfully in many lives. It seemed like my friend was “putting down” the leader, diminishing him in the eyes of those around by his non-verbal communication.

As I thought of how sad it made me, I heard a whisper in my heart, “Don’t you do the same thing toward those with whom you don’t agree?”

Flashing across my mind were my comments and thoughts about political figures, religious leaders, and others who don’t do things my way. It’s easy in this world of political satire and cartoons to classify a person by their actions or beliefs, characterize them by the parts with which we disagree, and then caricature them in that partial view. By highlighting the parts we disagree with, we negate any good that God has placed within them. We actually stop seeing them as a whole person, one of God’s instruments, and see them only by their faults.

The truth is: none of us are without fault. None of us have it all together. By caricaturing other leaders by their negatives, we actually join them in negativity. We slip close to slander…for, while what we criticize might be true, it is not the whole story. And by leaving out the positives in the person, we paint them differently than God is painting them.

Responding to this tendency to speak evil of others, Jude says, even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" 10 Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand;

And, Paul, in Galatians 5 highlights that this kind of attitude drifts from the love the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us… GAL 5:13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
So, I am asking for God’s grace to see the positives in presidents, senators, televangelists, and those who don’t walk on my side of the street. And, I’m asking for God’s grace to speak about the positives and refuse the temptation to camp out on the negatives. After all, while Jesus could speak directly to people about their failures in a very graphic way (see Matthew 23), about the most inflammatory thing Jesus said about others was calling Herod a fox.