Monthly Archives: June 2012

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ." Philippians 1:27

She knew precisely how to begin the conversation. "Daddy, I have something to tell you. I hope you're not mad, but I want you to know." The call was from my 15 year-old daughter, about 9 years ago, just finishing a week at a youth camp during which she was challenged mightily to live for God, embrace what is good, and eat the cafeteria food. She was on the bus about to leave for the day-long trip home when she made THE CALL.

"I have something to tell you." At this point I, like any parent, am riffling through all the possibilities of what the "something" may be. 99.999% of them are bad. Grateful that I got the call instead of her mother, I calmly said. "All right. What is it?"

"I got my ears pierced." Now, at this point when you have begun with "I've got something to tell you that might upset you" and you end with an ear piercing, you oddly feel a measure of relief. I still had enough wits about me to ask, "what do you mean? Your ears are already pierced."

Ear-piercing is one of those parental tests you go through with a daughter, hopefully only with your daughter. Fathers generally feel that 30 is a good year for a daughter to do anything she feels she wants to do at 10. I had been through this test. Her ears were pierced. The sun rose the next day, and no mob of hyper-hormonal boys were beating on the front door. I passed that test.

"Double piercing" she explained. All right. I get the picture. Two holes. "Where's the second one?" She answered with that tone that makes me feel like a Neanderthal, as if I should know the nuances of double-piercing etiquette. "Right next to the first one." I didn't know. Accepted double-piercing form precludes the second piercing anywhere but the lobe. How very droll of me not to know better.

She went on to explain that at a wee morning hour she and a handful of her cohorts became impressed that they needed to be more dedicated Christian girls, and that as a sign of their devotion they would pierce their ears, excuse me, double pierce, their ears. The second stud or ring or whatever you call the subsequent ornament would serve as a visible reminder to them of their collective commitment. She told me they even had a worship service afterward, read scripture, sang worship hymns. I am not making any of this up.

All right. Deep breath. At this point, amazement was equaled by amusement. Optimist that I am, my thoughts in rapid succession were something like: "it was only her ear lobe, not some other body part," "no chains are involved," "it won't look like bread mold by the time she's thirty (i.e. no tattoo)," "how the devil did you do this?", "do the words 'sterile conditions mean anything to you?", and "it's not any of the other thousand things that could have been much worse."

Also, the practice is somewhat Biblical. Stay with me, I had to bring Leslie along slowly on this point. Some type of physical sign as a symbol of devotion is not unusual in the Bible. Paul shaved his head as a vow to God during one of his missionary journeys (Acts 18). Four brethren did the same in Jerusalem (Acts 21). The Nazirite vow, of which the previous two are examples, is described in Numbers 6, but can also involve letting one's hair grow. And who can forget Abraham and his "sign of the covenant?" I'm pretty sure Abraham had been through something like a sleep-deprived youth camp prior to that commitment.

To Lauren's credit she told me that she "racked her brain" trying to remember if I had ever explicitly told her that she couldn't get a double piercing. I have to admit, I had never explicitly said "do not ever skewer any body part after midnight on a church trip." The law was on her side. And trust me, I began compiling that list immediately.

Another deep breath. She was not the first girl to do something like this. Some of my present readership can hearken back to days of pins and corks and conditions less antiseptic than present day boutiques. So it could have been worse. And really, much of the intent was quite good, even if the expression was a bit questionable.

So, I was glad she and her friends, newly pierced and all, had a good camp. I was not angry or disappointed. In fact, I loved their passion. I recall days when, in a new-found fervor, I was willing to do anything for God, and I pray for that zeal today. We all need conviction combined with courage. And some type of sign is good, though let me suggest a new Bible or perhaps a bracelet.

Our prayer should always include the commitment to meet God's ever-fresh offer of grace with a gentle zeal to honor Him in all we do. Yes, that will be our prayer.

I also prayed her lobes wouldn't fall off. That was nine years ago. The lobe is fine.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

June 26, 2012

"Make love your aim." 1 Corinthians 14:1

Bernard of Clairvaux was a 12^th century monk, a gifted writer, and a charismatic leader. He wrote a book entitled On Loving God. In it he described four degrees of love, each one successively better and purer than the one before.

The first degree of love is love of self for the sake of self. In other words, we solely are concerned about self. A baby comes with this programming, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that in the early years. The problems come when we don't grow out of it. I have known people of every age who have not outgrown this self-absorbed love.

The second degree of love is a considerable improvement. It is the love of God for the sake of self. I say this is an improvement because at least the idea of God has been introduced to the selfish person. He's on the radar screen. The person loves God and professes faith. Good!

But there is a real danger. For what reason does this person love God? For the sake of self. In other words, this individual has figured out that faith in God, love for God, can be beneficial, to the extent that you can get something out of God. Love Him and He will bless you. This is true, of course, but it is still rather infantile. It's like being nice to daddy so he'll give you money whenever you ask. This love is concerned to get something back from God. That's love of God for the sake of self.

The third degree of love is much higher. It is the love of God for God's sake. In other words you love God simply because of who He is. You delight in Him. You have the deepest affection for God because of His excellence and beauty. At this point you are no longer concerned about circumstances, and you do not stand in judgment of God's faithfulness. You love God no matter what comes.

Now you might think that is as good as it gets. How can we improve on loving God for God's sake alone? The brilliance of Bernard is that he envisioned a fourth and highest kind of love, the apex of spiritual development. It is the love of self for God's sake.

I have known many people who have a great difficulty in loving themselves. They are filled with regrets and recriminations over some previous behavior or neglected commitment. They cannot forgive themselves. This self-loathing comes in a variety of forms and causes tremendous damage.

The real way forward is to love yourself as God loves you. This means that you love yourself for the sake of God. You recognize that you are indeed uniquely formed in His image. You consistently remember that you are so valuable to Him that He would send His Son for you. You acknowledge and revel in the fact that the great God of the universe takes delight in you. You take satisfaction in the talents and gifts God has bestowed upon you. You stop trying to be someone else, but decide to be precisely who God created you to be. In this acceptance you love "self." That is the love of self for God's sake.

I believe a great deal of personal misery is alleviated when we relax and begin to accept the fact that God really does love us deeply and we are the objects of His deepest grace. Bernard showed us that this is the way forward to a love of self that is healthy and reflects God's desire for each one of us.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

June 18, 2012

"We have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not us." 2 Corinthians 4:7

I want you to drift back in time with me. Let's visit a jail in Rome about nineteen hundred and fifty years ago. We walk into a cell and see two men. One of them is a Roman guard. A broad sword hangs at his side. His uniform bears the crests of the greatest empire the world has known to that point. He is a focused and dedicated soldier.

The other man in the cell is much older, perhaps 60 or 70. He looks quite haggard. He has a stoop in his appearance as if back problems have plagued him. His clothes are simple, a few levels above rags. The only noticeable feature of the clothing is that it does not appear heavy enough for the coming winter. He is hunched over a desk and is writing on a piece of papyrus. By watching him you can tell he has written quite a few letters. In a matter of days he will be executed on a Roman chopping block.

One of these two men will alter history. Which do you suppose it will be? From an objective point of view you would have to say the guard. Perhaps he will rise through the ranks, become a great general, lead the empire to victory over her foes, and eventually become emperor. That would be a good, educated guess. But it would be wrong.

The other man, as weak and unimposing as he appears, will be remembered throughout history. People will call his name. His letters will become scripture and be read and quoted by literally billions of people down through the centuries. His name, of course, is Paul. That is the humble way he ended his life, but what a life it was!

He based his entire outlook on a single principle that is so important that to try to live the Christian life without it, much less to try to grow as a Christian, will result in ineffectiveness and frustration. The principle is simply this: he viewed himself as a broken vessel for the transcendent power of God. He viewed himself humbly, but trusted in a glorious God. His life was not easy, but his circumstances did not define him.

In one list of hardships Paul wrote that he had worked harder, been imprisoned often, beaten countless times, left for dead more than once, been lashed and beaten by both his own people and by Gentiles (Paul was an equal opportunity martyr), been stoned once, shipwrecked three times, been in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger in the cities, danger in the wilderness, danger from false brothers, he had been hungry, thirsty, cold, sleepless, and worried about the churches (2 Cor. 11:23-28). Other than that his life had been one glorious Christian experience! Now the pay wasn't all that good, so what exactly was the attraction for Paul?

The great irony of the gospel is that God's power is perfected in weakness. Struggles, therefore, shape us to be filled by God's grace. The troubles you face are not a verdict on your life, they are simply a part of life in this broken world. The treasure we cherish is that God continues to work through us no matter how plain, unimposing, or even broken we are.

Paul wrote that we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Earthen vessels were the cheap clay pots you could pick up at a first century Wal-Mart or flea market. They're the kind you use every day, especially when you have small children. They break easily, but they're inexpensive, just a shade above tupperware. Paul was certainly not one to set himself up too high. He felt that, in all honesty, "I am nothing more than a piece of cheap pottery, fulfilling its purpose. I'm a broken vessel, but I am God's broken vessel."

The oddest item I have on my shelves in my office is a 6" tall vase with one side broken and lost. If anyone asks I tell them it's my 2 Corinthians 4:7 pot. It's a cracked pot to remind me of my own brokenness, but also of God's amazing grace to use me still.

So this column is for all the cracked pots out there. You may feel cheap and useless, hopelessly broken. You are not. To quote again from the man in that jail cell: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. "

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

June 11, 2012

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings of eagles." Isaiah 40:31

For those of you reading this meager column in other parts of the country, the following observations may sound very strange, but I assure you they are true. Sea Gulls love to congregate on parking lots. The parking lots need not be particularly close to the beach. In west Mobile, I regularly saw flocks of dozens of birds in the Wal-Mart parking lot, and we were ten miles from the bay.

I can only guess that these opportunistic feeders found plenty of french fries, Subway bread, and other fast food detritus in the parking lot to be easier pickings than whatever the bay offered. Our litter became their larder.

Most noticeable about these birds, and you'll find the same thing at the beach, is that as they stand still they all face the same way. Precisely. As if at attention. Beaks parallel, pointing the same direction.

As bright as I am, it only took a few moments of observation to discern they were all facing into the wind. The simple reason, of course, is that in an oncoming wind the bird needs only open its wings for lift. It uses what is coming against it to lift it up.

One of the most beloved verses in the Bible is Isaiah 40:31, especially the part about mounting up with wings of eagles. Something I just realized this past week is that is the eagle is mounting up with the wind against it. All birds do that. Actually when airplanes take off they do the same thing. In this lovely verse God used a basic principle of aerodynamics to slip in a vitally important spiritual truth: He will use what is coming against you to raise you up.

How can you cooperate with God in this process? What can you learn and recommit to in order to keep gaining height?

First, try not to over-manage the situation. Many times your efforts to solve your problems become very practical. That sounds appealing until you remember the fundamental foolishness of the gospel. It doesn't make sense. It is not practical. Your cleverness may be getting in your way. You need faith and trust more than a simple accumulation and analysis of facts. Pride can be a subtle stumbling block to your rising up.

Second, and even more difficult, is to trust that His grace is sufficient. It took Paul three times before the lesson was clear. The thorn remained, but the grace multiplied. In spite of that infernal thorn, God still lifts you up. Will you endure the thorn to gain the rose? God seems to love patient and trusting faith. Keep believing and clinging to what you know is right. God's grace is sufficient.

I've thought about the following statement carefully, and whether my embracing it makes any real difference in what I face, I'm simply not sure. But here is my commitment: I'll endure anything if I know that in the end I learn more about grace and become more like Christ. That is the basic message of the Bible. I am trying, to the best of my ability to live by that truth.

So let the wind blow. Let it try to do its worst. Your commitment as a Christian is to neither hide nor turn your back. Instead, and quite inexplicably, you turn into the wind. And like an eagle God will lift you up.

Grace,

Dr. Terry Ellis

June 3, 2012