Greasy Chickens & Lessons in Waiting

I have a confession to make.  Sometimes I hope that Chick-Fil-A gets my order out to me really slowly and botch their service.  Why?  Because I know if they do then I’ll get a card that entitles me to free awesomeness in the form of a Chick-fil-a sandwich.  They screw up and I get rewarded.  So, sometimes I secretly hope they jack something up.  I won’t complain.  I won’t even look disappointed.  I’ll just humbly hold out my hand and allow them to appease me with a free sandwich. 

I’m not always that giddy about waiting though.  A few weeks ago I was waiting for about 10 minutes in the McDonalds parking lot.  They had told me to pull up so they could give me my “Chicken” McNuggets.  But when car after car went around me I knew something had went awry.  Perhaps they had ran out of faux-chickens to massacre.  I went inside and waited another 5 minutes and finally got my food.  All I received in return for my trouble was the bag that I paid for and a weak “sorry” from an inconvenienced cashier. 

Of course I handled all of this in a Christ-like manner.  By that of course I mean that I started turning over tables and calling them a brood of vipers.  Actually, outwardly I did nothing except for complain to the guy next to me about how weak McDonalds is compared to Chick-Fil-A.  I felt that I deserved at least a free ice-cream cone, a happy-meal toy, or even a couple fries.  But I received nothing and that really bothered me about having to wait so long with no reward. 

Then today as I shamefully pull up to the McDonalds window the lady tells me pull forward—as is becoming almost customary at this Mickey D’s—but this time she hands me a card for a FREE Big Mac or McMuffin.  Way to move up in the world, McDonalds!  This time I find myself waiting with joy and next time I’m sure I’ll hope they blow their 30 second mark and I get another free sandwich which I can sell on Ebay since I don’t like Big Mac’s. 

Suffering and Joy

As I joyfully waited for my food in the McDonalds lot I began to wonder if this is often why we rail against suffering and persecution and the difficulties we face in life.  We go through heartache and it seems as if the Lord just dropped the ball and then gives us a cold “sorry” but then reminds us that He’s in control and we are not.  McDonalds seemed to communicate to me, “I own you, you’ll be back, I don’t really need to go above and beyond to sell you this mystery meat because you’re already addicted and you knows its cheap and easy”.  And sometimes I wonder if we view God and suffering similarly.  “I’m God.  I own you.  So shut it and keep coming back”. 

Though sometimes it may feel that way, the Scriptures communicate to us that suffering is not pointless and the Lord’s attitude to us is not a cold indifference.  Suffering actually is intended to lead to greater joy and greater hope.  This seems to be Paul’s logic in Romans 5 when he says:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
(Romans 5:1-5 ESV)

Just as I rejoice in my “suffering” because I know that it will lead to a free chicken sandwich (or the lesser joy of a Big Mac) so also we rejoice in suffering because we know that the reward is sweeter than the pain.  I can wait 5 minutes if it means biting into a greasy chicken.  And I can endure a lifetime of pain and difficulty and border-line futility and confusion if it means that it will climax in a hope fulfilled experience of God’s love being poured out. 

So wait with joy.  We have far more than a free chicken sandwich coming our way! 

Today in Blogworld 7.11.12

When God Saves An Ecstasy Dealer

This series by Stephen Altrogge is phenomenal.  He has been interviewing various people about their redemption stories.  These have all been very encouraging and wonderful to hear the work of the Lord in transforming sinners into passionate followers of Jesus.

The Most Common Leadership Problem

Many times we try to make leaders out of people before they are disciples.  Bob Logan believes that “Leadership problems usually aren’t leadership problems at all. They’re discipleship problems. We are trying to make leaders out of people who aren’t disciples. It doesn’t work. Without the foundation of discipleship, we end up with all kinds of problems.”

Self, Doubt, and Writing

Sally Lloyd-Jones writes for DG on the pride of doubt in your writing.  I really need to read and hear this word today.  I hope it blesses you as well. 

Questions to Ask When Studying The Bible

With some help from Alan Harman and the Puritans (that sounds like a bar-band), Aaron Armstrong gives 10 questions to ask when studying the Bible. 

(HT: Jon Acuff)

The Old Man I Want To Be

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.  -Psalm 145:4

“Damn weather’s going to kill us all!”  

I’m guessing the old crank was just trying to find a way to connect with the young lady behind the counter, but as these words filled my ear lobes I couldn’t help but envision what 15 minutes on a porch with this old chap would entail. 

I imagine it’d be filled with a few shots at either Obama or those stubborn republicans, or maybe a steady dose of vitriol aimed at both.  He’d continue to complain about the weather.  He’d tell me about the good ol’ days and we’d both dream of being able to buy 15 cent cheeseburgers or a tank of gas without sacrificing our children’s college fund.  He’d curse the sky and damn the heat into the fiery abyss and we’d bond on our common lot of futility in a fallen world.  Then I’d wallow off his porch, stoop into my humble car, and drive off in sorrow lamenting everything. 

I don’t want to be that guy.

Not that he doesn’t have a partial truth cornered.  He does.  I’m sure that 15 cent cheeseburgers are better than the $1.00 mystery meat we call McDonalds.  It is hot.  There is an element of futility and brokenness to our world.  He’s right, things aren’t as they ought to be. 

But he’s not totally right.  All of life isn’t lived in a valley. 

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable”.  I want to spend 15 minutes (or much longer) on a porch with the guy that says that. 

Partially because he’s the same guy that at one point said, “darkness is my only companion”.  I want to learn how he stares reality in the face, nods his head in agreement with the old moaner, and then opens his lip and infuses every one of those complaints with abounding grace.  This guy gets the whole story.  He goes through the valley but knows that isn’t the whole story. 

The old grumbler only gets the Fall right.  But he has no room for the gospel.  No room for declaring the excellencies of Christ or to commend the works of the Lord to another generation.  I don’t want to be that old man. 

I want to be the old man that can say at one point “darkness is my only companion” but out of the same overflowing heart also say, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable”. 

When I find myself in the position of an old man sitting on a porch with an opportunity to declare wonder I don’t want to botch it and say “damn weather’s gonna kill us all”.  I want be able to say “my goodness it’s hot”, and then tell the next generation about a time when I was 30 and it was really hot and we were in the middle of a drought and we gathered at the church for our usual Sunday morning service.  Then I’ll tell how we started the service by praying for rain only to be interrupted by a thundercloud and a downpour of rain.  And I’ll share how I closed off my sermon a little early and we all without provocation gathered around the window and listened to the Lord preach a sermon on His provision in the form of rain on a parched land.

Yeah.  I want to be that old man.  But I know today that I won’t be that old man unless I have my eyes open in my thirties.  If I’m a curmudgeon now my face is sure to grow into one of those perpetual frowns by the time I’m 70.  I’d rather spend my days meditating on “glorious splendor of the Lord’s majesty” and “on His wondrous works”, then when I’m 70 I’ll have plenty to rejoice in with those young whippersnappers. 

---

Note: Because that old guy in the photo looks a decent amount like one of my grandfather’s I hold out hope that I can sport such an amazing toothless grin when I’m his age. 

Today in Blogworld 7.10.12

A Triperspectival Approach to Blogging

I appreciate Tim Brister’s use of not only a really big word but also the concept behind it.  Here he urges bloggers to balance head, heart, and hands.  Good stuff that every writer/blogger ought to read. 

The Fearful Pastor

“Perhaps this is an infrequently shared secret of pastoral ministry; that is, how much of it is driven not by faith in the truths of the Gospel and in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, but driven by fear.”  I wish that this post by Paul Tripp was ridiculous.  Sadly it’s not. 

When Your Child Isn’t Doing Well In The Lord

Mark Altrogge gives some really encouraging and helpful words here for parents of children that aren’t really following the Lord.  Mark not only gives three suggestions for dealing with the weight of this but he also gives several suggestions for how such a trial can actually produce fruit in the life of the parents. 

50 Shades of Magic Mike (In Which I Am Very UNCOOL). 

I found this article from Josh Harris and was very happy that a female author has spoken what I’ve been wanting to rant on for awhile now.  Magic Mike (an R-rated movie about a male stripper) and  50 Shades of Grey (an erotic novel) are very popular with women right now.  CHRISTIAN women.  I’m one that believes it’s not okay.  I’m glad Melissa Jenna has written this well reasoned piece showing that Mommy Porn is no different than Daddy Porn. 

Haven’t had a chance to watch this yet but I intend to.  9 Marks @9 from the SBC Annual Meeting:

Waiting on the Spirit?

One of the books I’m reading through right now is Robert’s Rules of Writing.  In this book Robert Masello gives 101 unconventional lessons on writing.  Number 9 is “Lose the Muse”.

The Muse in case you are unaware is

“the embodiment of inspiration, usually portrayed as a comely woman loosely draped in a diaphanous gown—is what every writer longs for.  Once she appears, you’re supposed to be able to write effortlessly, at the height of your powers, with an unequaled command and energy and zest.”  (18)

Some writers will sit and wait for inspiration before they begin writing.  To this silly notion Masello encourages writers to “stop worrying about where she [the muse] is, and focus instead on doing the work at hand, she is most likely to put in a surprise appearance.” 

I wonder how many times Christian writers (or even those pursuing evangelistic efforts or anything else which puts us in desperate dependence on the Spirit) sit around wait for the Christian version of “The Muse”; namely, the Holy Spirit. 

One verse that can give credence to this notion of “waiting on the muse to show up” is Acts 1:4-5. 

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5 ESV)

In other words, don’t do anything until you’ve received empowerment from the Spirit.  I have heard--and sadly been guilty of--using this verse to not engage in a ministry endeavor until we have received a thumbs up from the Lord and empowerment from the Spirit.  Which, of course, is true in that “apart from me you can do nothing” and ministry apart from the Spirit doesn’t deserve to be called ministry. 

Yet, it is also true that the promise of the Spirit that the disciples were to wait for has already been given.  We can’t recreate Acts 1:4-5 nor should we.  After the day of Pentecost we aren’t called to sit around and wait on an indwelling of the Spirit.  No, once you become a believer that indwelling happens.

What happens after Pentecost is that the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:19 are fulfilled.  “Do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour”.  How does that happen?  It happens through the Spirit empowering common ordinary men like Peter and John and making them bold before a Sanhedrin.  It happens through a group of believers gathering together, reciting Scripture, praying for boldness and then going out opening their mouths believing that the Lord answered their prayer. 

Pray? Yes, of course.  But don’t pray and then sit there and wait for the muse to show up.  Pray and then get to work doing the obvious.  As a writer, one way that I apply this is that I pray for the Lord’s work in my writing, I also plead for sanity and holy affections, and then I get after it.  I go to work.  I “open my mouth” and trust the Spirit’s work. 

It’s not spiritual to sit in your attic waiting to hear from the Lord when He’s already spoken and He’s already empowered.  That’s not spiritual.  That’s lazy and unbelieving.