GO WITH THE FLOW

Springs and streams of pure, mountain water are most refreshing when we are most thirsty.  That was my experience years ago when my ten year old daughter and eight year old son went camping in the White mountains of New Hampshire.  There’s nothing like a cold draught of water on a hot summer day of hiking.

Jesus had something to say about springs and streams.  To the woman at the well from whom he asked for a drink of water (John 4:4-26) he said, “He who drinks the water I give will never thirst.  In deed the water I give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  Later, in a very public setting in Jerusalem on the last and greatest day of the feast Jesus said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By streams of living water, he meant the Holy Spirit given to those who believed
in him. (John 7:37)

I don’t know about you, but I want the continual stream of God’s living waters to flow in me and from me.  I want to sing not just “fill my cup, Lord. I lift it up, Lord,” but    instead, “Let it go, Lord.  Let it flow, Lord!”  I will go with the flow!

I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me’

Makes the lame to walk and the blind to see.

Opens prison doors, sets the captive free.

I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me. . .

. . . Spring up, O well, and give to me

That life abundantly.

THE TOUCH OF JESUS

Our sense of touch is a remarkable gift.  Even the most mundane activity can remind us of how wonderfully our Creator made us.  This morning I was at the sink scrubbing a stainless steal Dutch-oven pot.  It looked perfectly clean.  Then I rubbed the inside with the tip of my finger feeling the inside of the pot only to discover areas that the eyes had missed.  The fine sensitivity of the touch gave me new eyes to know where more work needed to be done until the pot was truly clean.

Isn’t that the same with our spiritual lives?  From our perspective, we look clean, but we need the touch that reveals more work needs to be done.  Often it is only the touch of Jesus that can give us new eyes and awaken us to feel that spot where our heart is not yet truly clean. Then his touch cleanses and heals at the point of our need. The songwriter* captures this truth when he writes,

Lord, here today my great need I am feeling,

Whilt thou not visit my soul once again?

I long to feel thy sweet touch and its healing

Wonderful Healer, touch me again.

Only in thee can I find liberation,

Cleansing and freedom from sin’s hidden stain;

Only in thee can I find full salvation,

Wonderful Healer, touch me again.

At times, God touches our hearts about someone else's need. He moves our hearts with compassion and calls us to intercede in prayer, advocacy, or action. This is especially true in our lives lately as we pray for God's touch upon members of our family, especially the children.  In prayer we bring them to Jesus for his wonderful, grace filled touch.

“People were bringing babies to Jesus 

to have him touch them.” 

Luke 18:15

*William Henry Woulds (1874-1940) SASB 610

TO KNOW LOVE THAT SURPASSES KNOWLEDGE

     The Salvation Army Songbook (SASB) is a treasure trove of inspirational poetry.  You may turn to the pages of the songbook and find inspiration for reflection.  Many of my personal favorite songs are written by one of the songbook’s most eloquent poets, Albert Orsborn (1886-1967), the  6th General of The Salvation Army.  Recently the heart of Albert Orsborn’s poetry has been captured in Rob Birks’ reflective book entitled Orsborn Again (Frontier Press, 2013).   Two lines in one of General Osborn’s songs (SASB 527) has me thinking more about the importance of knowing and acting deeply with one’s heart.

. . . the mind cannot show what the heart longs to know 

nor comfort a people distressed . . .

. . . Except I am moved with compassion, 

how dwelleth thy spirit in me . . .

    I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul to the Church at Ephesus (Eph. 3:19).  Speaking of the magnitude of Christ’s love and praying that they would “grasp” an understanding of that love, he writes “to know that love that surpasses knowledge.”

    Here’s the question then:  What kind of knowing surpasses knowledge?  It is not enough to know about Jesus. It is not enough to only embrace propositions about him and have a faith that is only cognitive.  Both the Apostle Paul and Albert Orsborn point us to an understanding of the heart,  to know at a deeper level, a level of heart felt intimacy with God.  This is a knowledge of the heart that truly grasps a deeply profound understanding of the enormous magnitude of God’s love in its fullness.  This gift of understanding is occasioned by the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence bringing illumination (head), compassion (heart), and life (service) together.

      Of course, Orsborn is speaking in the context of Salvation Army ministry and mission.  But more broadly, he addresses our faithfulness to the Great Commandment to love the Lord with all we have and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  This is a directive that cannot be obeyed by means of the intellect only.  Faith propositions won’t suffice.  The life of wisdom blended with compassion is only possible by God’s indwelling Holy Spirit.

Unless the Holy Spirit dwells, how could we have the fullness of love in our hearts and the power to compassionately love and “comfort a people distressed.”

Holy Spirit, 
promised presence 
fall on me 


Holy Spirit, make me all 
I long to be 


Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit 


Give Your pow'r to me, O Holy Spirit

WORDS TO LIVE BY ON VALENTINE'S DAY

John Wesley's favorite Bible verse is a good one for Valentine's Day . . . "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love." (Galatians 5:6)  We can appreciate Wesley’s take on faith and love in the words of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians (3:18), “And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how long, and wide, and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.”  To know love that surpasses knowledge is to know with one’s heart.  When faith in Christ knows in one’s heart the magnitude (how high, wide, long, and deep) of God's love, our only response must be obedience to love the Lord with everything we have and in his likeness express his pure and holy love to others that he passes on to us. To do this is to fill Valentine's day with God's grace.

FIFTY SHADES OF POISON

I write this as an appeal about a most serious topic that is urgently in need of your action.  To be absolutely clear about the reason for this appeal, I quote a letter from the Religious Alliance Against Pornography regarding the highly toxic movie, Fifty Shades of Grey.  The letter is signed by twenty-nine significant  leaders from Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and Catholic national faith communities whose signatures represent great concern over the movie’s toxic impact, especially on young people.

“The movie, Fifty Shades of Grey is scheduled to launch in movie theaters across the world, 10 million in the United States alone and has been translated into 52 languages.

It is considered a literary phenomenon and the books were all at or near the top of the New York Times best selling works in 2011 and 2012.  The book was written by E. L. James, a female British author.

   The focus of the books is the relationship between Christian Grey, a wealthy and successful Seattle based entrepreneur and Anastasia Steele, a recent college graduate.  The story is present as a romance novel but it is far beyond that in its content.  The theme is that bondage, dominance and sadomasochism are normal and pleasurable.  In the story the young Miss Steele is urged to sign a contract becoming a sex slave and agreeing to an abusive and degrading relationship.

    The contrast between the message of Fifty Shades of Grey and God’s design for self-giving and self-sacrificing love, marriage and sexual intimacy could not be greater.   The books and the movie undermine everything that we believe as members of the faith community.

Action:    Because of its popularity the message of Fifty Shades of Grey has become acceptable and popular in the main stream culture.  As members of the faith community we need to inform our constituencies about the destructive message of this movie and to highlight the beauty of God’s design for loving relationships between a husband and wife in the covenant of marriage.  We urge you to do the following:

1.      Inform your leadership

2.      Inform your pastors, priests, rabbis, and imams

3.      Encourage your leaders to spread the word at the grassroots level

4.      Use e-mails, newsletters, newspapers, and any other communication vehicles available to you.  Note:  It is critically important not simply to condemn the message of Fifty Shades of Grey.  It is equally important to celebrate our message about love and the blessing of sexual intimacy within the bonds of marriage.  We have a better story – lets proclaim it.

    A good friend, a member of the Religious Alliance Against Pornography, just yesterday wrote to me with concern:

     You may know that the movie, "50 Shades of Grey" will be shown in theatres across America the day before Valentine's Day.  It is based on a book trilogy by the same name which has sold 100 million copies and has been translated into a number of languages. The movie glamorizes and legitimizes violence against women through sexual violence, abuse of power, female inequality and coercion. The most disturbing thing about the movie is that although it should have been rated N17 (not legal for teens, etc.), the Motion Picture Association of America announced last week that it would be rated R.  This makes it legal for teenagers and its previews to be shown before other movies, allowing even children to be exposed to its filth.
Our Religious Alliance group has met several times to discuss this issue and do whatever we can to get the word out, especially to Christians. They should boycott this film and definitely not read the books.  I know that you often post this kind of information on Facebook so I am including some of the links that we have become aware of via Morality in Media and Charisma magazine, etc.  There are also Facebook groups.

If you feel so inclined to post information on this issue, it will be most appreciated.  The links are as follows:

http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/fire-in-my-bones/22398-let-s-call-fifty-shades-of-grey-what-it-is-perverted

http://endsexualexploitation.org/fiftyshadesgrey/

https:/www.facebook.com/groups/840849005981126/

On a positive note, there is a movie that will be shown Valentine's Day called Old Fashioned.  The link to the preview of this is:  http://www.oldfashionedmovie.com/#sthash.XVcCRSim

    My hope in this appeal is that you will think of those you long to help protect from this direct assault on Christian marriage and on the moral and spiritual strength of God's people, especially young people.  We trust that this gives you enough knowledge to move forward now, but if you have any questions be encouraged to contact key leaders at the Religious Alliance Against Pornography, Rick Schatz at 513.237.0088 or Jerry Kirk at 513.515.7700.