Inventive Expressions

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Have you heard of the monowheel?

While looking up inventions recently, I came across one that immediately caught my interest. The futuristic-looking “Motoruota” was invented a hundred years ago, patented in France in 1924! David Cislaghi and Giuseppe Govetosa were the named inventors on the patent. Because they were never widely popular, these “monowheels” are shrouded in a bit of mystery, though they were featured in the December 1924 edition of Popular Science Monthly. It is said that the Motoruota could reach speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour.

We have enjoyed rapid technological inventions nearly nonstop for the past 150 years. This can lead us to always look to the next gizmo or updated version of a product we love. Perhaps we are sometimes too quick to disregard the inventions of the past. A few marvels lie buried that are worth some scrutiny, and, if we are honest, not all of today’s inventions are worthy of accolades.

As we live out our faith, we can be guilty of looking for the next innovation to propel us forward, though what lies in the past is often much more fruitful. We seek the next worship song, popular speaker, Christian living book, conference, or catchy verse. These are not bad, but they can leave us continually skimming the surface, looking for the next exciting thing that will boost our faith.

In truth, Christians should embrace both the old and the new, the things that stand the test of time and those new expressions of hope that will propel us forward.

God reveals this in His Word:

Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.

Isaiah 46:9, ESV

But just a few chapters earlier, we read:

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:18-19, ESV

Even at the end of the Bible, God declares He is “making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). In the next verse, He reminds us that He is the beginning and the end. The trustworthy truths of the past will always hold their value, and we can eagerly embrace new expressions of those same principles. That is because our God is the God of every moment in time!

What aspects of God’s past faithfulness do you treasure? How will you live out the hope He has placed in you in a new way in the coming days?

Image attribution: Nationaal Archief, (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)

Made to Shine

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Image from arcpublishing.com*

In Philadelphia there lies an impressive-looking building that once housed St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. Built in 1901, this structure has fallen into disrepair like so many old church buildings. Thankfully, new life exists within, as another congregation – Emmanuel Christian Center – bought the building and set about renovating it. Part of the renovation process involved the removal of two large, grime-covered circular windows that were high up on the wall.

The windows were in such bad condition the church initially planned to demolish them. Instead, they offered a salvager the opportunity to buy the windows and remove them. They sold them for $6,000 apiece to Paul Brown, who extracted and sent the windows to an auction house. Upon appraisal, Brown learned these were original rose windows made in 1904 by the famous Tiffany Studios company. After being cleaned up, the windows fetched $100,000 apiece!

Do you know the original purpose of rose windows? These Gothic features developed around the 12th century allowed more light into the building and represented the light of God illuminating His creation. The image of divinity was often circular – think of the round halos depicted behind Christ’s head – so churchgoers could look up and be reminded of God’s glory or down to see the beautiful colors arrayed by the light passing through beautiful stained glass. The intricate geometrical patterns reflected the order of the universe and of a life submissive to the Lord’s precepts.

We are like rose windows, but we often feel like those filthy ones found in Philadelphia. The dirt and grime of life – past mistakes, failures, and the trials of age – become caked to us, obscuring our beauty and value. We forget that God has made us in His image, that through faith in Christ we have been not only forgiven of our sin but enabled to live holy lives. God has made us to be gorgeous and priceless windows that display the light of God’s glory and goodness for all the world to see!

Peter the apostle made enough mistakes that he likely felt he had ruined any opportunity to be useful again, but consider what he later wrote:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

1 Peter 2:9, NIV

And later:

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

2 Peter 1:3-4, NIV

God made you to display the light of Christ to the world, and He has equipped you with everything you need to do so. If there is a sin struggle in your life, you are able with God’s power to remove that grime and better demonstrate the order of God’s love. Walk confidently then, knowing that God is at work shining through you!

Image source: https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/uwHmcUIR_7ypuaS68isvF1NpZRo=/800×533/smart/filters:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/HFBMGNG2N5BXBETDRTFSEXRWKA.jpg

Staying Fluent

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My family subscribes to a youth news program called World Watch. Recently on this program, Chloe Hendon reported on a language known as Jèrriais. This Norman French dialect has been preserved over a thousand years due to its isolation on the island of Jersey, where it is spoken. Now, however, about 500 mostly elderly Jèrriais speakers remain.

Around the turn of the 20th century, Jersey adopted English and French as the official languages, viewing Jèrriais as the commoner’s tongue, and schools stopped teaching it. From there, Jèrriais continued to steadily decline.

By 2001, Jersey sought to reverse the near-extinction of their language, offering free courses and even reintroducing it into primary schools. Jèrriais was also redesignated an official language of Jersey in 2019. Will these efforts be enough to keep Jèrriais from dying out? Time will tell. Atticus Mawby, a young adult speaker of Jèrriais, explained, “No culture is complete without its language…If Jèrriais does die, then Jersey will just become another part of Britain. It will be really sad.”

Mawby is correct, and his comments extend far beyond Jersey’s language and culture. Our own Christian faith and culture have been preserved by generations who poured themselves into the next generation, faithfully immersing their young people in the truths of our faith. Ironically, the people of Jersey were so immersed in their language that they did not realize the role it had played in keeping their cultural continuity. For a hundred years, fluent speakers watched as their children learned a new language, little realizing it might erase their own cultural heritage. We, too, find ourselves with a choice to either adopt the new cultural norms around us or hold fast to the faith heritage that prior generations have given us.

Do we want our young people to be fluent in our Christian faith? If so, we must immerse them in it. On a church ministry level, this means that programs involving our young people should be the last areas where we struggle to find volunteers. On a family level, it means that parents and grandparents – knowing that they model each day what their priorities are – seek to faithfully immerse their children in a lifestyle oriented toward godliness.

Speaking of passing along Scriptural truth, the Psalmist Asaph writes,

We will not hide them from their children, but will tell a future generation the praiseworthy acts of the LORD, his might, and the wondrous works he has performed.

He established a testimony in Jacob and set up a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children so that a future generation — children yet to be born — might know.

They were to rise and tell their children so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep his commands.

(Psalm 78:4-7 CSB)

What “language” are you passing along to the next generation?

Image attribution: Man vyi, https://www.flickr.com/photos/39904966@N00/3094304063/in/photostream/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)

Tumbleweeds

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Image attribution: ImperfectTommy  / Edmond Meinfelder, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Residents of South Jordan, Utah, part of Salt Lake City, awoke after a recent storm to an unexpected sight: tumbleweeds covered their yards! Local news affiliate KSL reports that one resident only saw the tumbleweeds when he opened the garage door that morning. A ten-foot high wall of the thorny bushes cascaded into his garage!

I cannot read a story about tumbleweeds without thinking of my church’s Vacation Bible School “Tumbleweed” song, circa 2010. Perhaps you, too, have likewise been forever marked by that song from that year’s Saddle Ridge Ranch theme. Some of us also struggle with the tumbleweed lifestyle warned about in the song. Consider some of these lyrics:

Don’t be a tumbleweed, 
Blowing anywhere the wind may lead. 
Plant yourself deep, 
In the B-I-B-L-E. 
God’s Word can set you free, 
From being like that tumbleweed. 

That reminds me of some verses in Ephesians about our need to become mature Christians. Paul writes,

“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Ephesians 4:14-15 NIV

Immaturity can turn us into Christian tumbleweeds that blow us around. Instead of pursuing growth in Christ, we find ourselves blown around by every situation, such as life events, the latest headlines, or concerns about the future.

I did a bit of research into the tumbleweed. The plant’s name is Russian thistle. This plant grows and develops long green leaves, like tender pine needles, and even tiny flowers, which eventually go to seed. After this, the Russian thistle dries out, and its leaves become prickly. It breaks off at the base once the frost comes, at which point it is susceptible to the wind’s whims.

Christians need not mirror the life cycle of the tumbleweed. We dry out when we stop growing, stop connecting with other believers. Earlier in our passage, Paul explains how believers are equipped in the church. This equipping is

“…for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Ephesians 4:12-13 NIV

We serve to build up the body and help each other both to mature and to prevent ourselves from becoming Christian tumbleweeds.

Where are you serving? Where are you growing?

Let’s give the Tumbleweed song the last word:

Then you will never be, 
Blowing round aimlessly, 
You will never be like a tumbleweed.

Music: “Tumbleweed” by Jeff Slaughter/Lifeway Kids Worship

P.S. You can listen to the Tumbleweed song here: https://youtu.be/CDfP4nWdHaU?si=Q-pS35vjH202nYKi

Fish Stories

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Image by Khalid Mehmoodfrom Pixabay.

This time of year, the only amazing “catches” we might hear about relate to football, but fishing aficionados love to talk about their fish stories, too. You may have heard a few whoppers in your day, but I came across a fish story that involves a catch even more amazing than landing some big, elusive fish nicknamed “Bubba.”

An ABC news report describes a fishing trip that 14-year-old Connor Halsa enjoyed with his grandfather in northern Minnesota, when Connor made a startling catch. He reeled in a wallet, which contained $2,000 cash! Eventually, Connor was able to track down the wallet’s owner, Jim Denney of Iowa. Jim came to retrieve the wallet and was impressed that Connor turned down his offer of reward money. Jim gave Connor a custom fishing cooler and took the family to dinner as a thank you. I love what Connor said when asked why he was honest and returned the cash: “We didn’t really work hard for the money. He did, so it was his money.”

As Christians, we are familiar with Christ’s command to be “fishers of men.” Mark 1:17 says, “And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men’” (ESV). That promise can sometimes feel daunting and overwhelming. We strive to follow Jesus, but our fishing skills sometimes seem lacking. When I go fishing – for fish – I know the basics but lack the sense to know where the fish congregate, what time of day is best, or what angle I should cast from relative to the sun’s positioning. Experienced fishermen know these sorts of things, but when I consider them, I figure it’s best that I not cast my line into the water at all.

Have you considered that Jesus simply wants us to cast a line into the water? Following Him is more about fishing than catching. Experienced fishermen have had days with rotten luck, while newbies have enjoyed amazing days without knowing why.

But none of them can catch anything if they don’t cast a line into the water, just as Connor would not have caught that wallet without casting his line. Maybe his line had snagged a few times earlier on a stick or seaweed, or it may have even snapped on an old tire. Maybe that’s how you feel.

We all have had trouble when attempting to fish for people – to share our faith and connect people to Christ and to fellowship with other believers. If that has kept you from “fishing” recently, are you ready to try again? How might you cast a line into the water this week?

Who knows what fish stories you will tell!

Tap into the next generation with one simple trick

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Image by Cambridge_Spark from Pixabay

“I don’t understand why the younger people aren’t helping with ministry needs. We’ve served our time! Now we’re old.”

Those words were spoken by a frustrated senior adult who had faithfully served in ministry for many years, yet, she lamented that no one from the next generation was waiting in the wings to relieve her. Many saints toil for decades and come to the same frustrating conclusion: the next generation isn’t there to carry the ministry torch.

It becomes easy for one generation to cast aspersions at the other. “They’re lazy and self-centered.” “They don’t understand what we go through.” This tension won’t resolve itself and will instead leave both sides frustrated.

So, what is the trick to avoiding this heartache and seeing ministry efforts embraced by subsequent generations?

Involve the next generation early.

That’s it.

God commanded the older Levites to retire early so that the next generation could bear responsibility for the care of the tabernacle.

“In regard to the Levites: From twenty-five years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting. But at fifty years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve. He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties.”

Numbers 8:24-26 CSB

This is a great example of a seasoned generation providing valuable insight and support to the next generation, who must take on the work. The retired Levite would likely be in the prime of his career. At 50, he has many worthwhile years to contribute, and valuable experience has replaced heady enthusiasm of youth. God commands his retirement, yet he may put on the supervisor hat for the next generation who will take his place.

We may find a need for a similar system. In ministry life today, we often find that the younger people aren’t filling the gaps of service to carry on the work of the ministry. In some cases, this happens because there is no system in place to intentionally create space and support for them to serve. 

Here’s an example of how this might play out. A person aged 50 is likely more experienced and capable than the 25-year-old. In a couple of decades, the older person may be less capable, and the younger person is gone. He wasn’t needed, so he left or has made other commitments. His 15-year-old has no model of service to follow. The now 70-year-old wonders why no one is there to carry on the work and begrudgingly continues.

Let’s change the story now. If the 50-year-old invites the 25-year-old to help take on the role, the 25-year-old – who, let’s face it, is more likely to say yes and feel excited to be needed for something important at that age – can gain experience for a few years with an excellent advisor. When that advisor is 70, the work has carried on well for a couple of decades and can nudge the now 45-year-old to consider whom to tap for future leadership.

It is less about the capability of the 50 (or 60 or 70) year-old and more about the continuity of the work that God has called His people to carry out.

What is your church’s strategy for involving the next generation in the work of the ministry and the development of future leaders?

Endzone Dance

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Image source: Instagram/JimKelly1212 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxePIrEM0PR/

“The minute you have fame, and if you’re trying to chase status and money and all this stuff, you’ll lose your life — rather than denying yourself, picking up your cross, keeping your eyes on Jesus and His promises…that’s life, and that’s a life worth living.”

Last September, former National Football League quarterback Jim Kelly celebrated a milestone in his life. Kelly is no stranger to milestone accomplishments. While playing for the Buffalo Bills in the early 1990s, Kelly led his team to a record four consecutive Superbowl appearances. Tragically, for Bills fans, each of these games ended in a loss. In 2002, Kelly was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame. During retirement, he faced two serious bouts with cancer and prevailed. What was Jim Kelly’s milestone in September? He was baptized! Posting a video of his baptism on social media, Kelly shared the following:

“I’m not a man of many words and I don’t speak ‘Christianese.’ All I know is that God changed my life…I’m far from perfect but God helped me humble myself and seek him for help. Becoming a Christian is the best decision I’ve made in my life. I wish I would’ve come to him sooner. But his timing is perfect.”

https://www.christianpost.com/news/nfl-legend-jim-kelly-gets-baptized-god-changed-my-life.html

This Sunday, Brock Purdy will quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in Superbowl LVIII. Purdy, barely 24 years old, is already an outspoken Christian living for God’s glory. His rise to NFL glory has been surprising, but he continues to stay grounded in Christ alone. When interviewed by Sports Spectrum, Purdy shared about the vanity of seeking after the things of this world:

“The minute you have fame, and if you’re trying to chase status and money and all this stuff, you’ll lose your life — rather than denying yourself, picking up your cross, keeping your eyes on Jesus and His promises…that’s life, and that’s a life worth living.”

https://sportsspectrum.com/sport/football/2024/01/29/brock-purdy-49ers-super-bowl-glorify-god/

That perspective for a rising star is refreshing! I’m sure that Jim Kelly, whose career ended more than 20 years ago, would heartily agree. Chasing the things of the world – fame, fortune, comfort, or happiness – cannot compare to the glory that comes from living for Christ. “My identity can’t be in football,” Purdy explained. “It can’t be in the things of this world. It’s got to be in Him.”

Amen!

Where is your identity found?

These NFL players are following the same “playbook” that you and I use. Football players are known for celebrating touchdowns with endzone dances. Those short-term celebrations are nothing compared to what we can celebrate in eternity. This is how Paul described our calling to focus on things of eternal glory rather than the temporary pursuits of life:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Col 3:1-3 NIV

That heavenly perspective reminds us that our endzone dance is not in this life but in the next. Our hearts can easily drift. Ask yourself, how often do I dwell on “things above”? Brock Purdy and Jim Kelly are examples that, whether early or late, any time is a good time to begin focusing on Christ.

Authentic Flavor

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Image by 彦 童 from Pixabay.

Have you ever heard of New Orleans-style wings? As a wing aficionado, I was surprised to hear of this flavor recently. If you have spent time in New Orleans, this wing style may come as news to you, too. That’s because this flavor was invented not in New Orleans but in China! It was simply given its name to boost interest and sales.

Several other foods, notes Weilun Soon of the Wall Street Journal, have been given names that do not match their place of origin. The staple Chinese dish General Tso’s Chicken was invented in New York City. Hawaiian pizza comes from Canada, and Canadian bacon is not so Canadian. We can at least trust Swedish meatballs, right? Nope. They come from Turkey. Now I’m even beginning to suspect the provenance of French fries!

As Superbowl dishes begin to appear on the horizon, we can be sure of two things. First, Buffalo wings really do come from Buffalo, New York. Second, sometimes what we think comes from God really doesn’t.

Just as someone might mistakenly associate a food with a certain region, we can mistakenly associate the Christian faith with practices that do not align with Christ.

Consider these passages that call us to truly follow the Lord:

Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Matthew 7:21 CSB

Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1 John 2:4 ESV

They claim to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.

Titus 1:16 CSB

Thankfully, when our lives marinate in the things of God, we bear that flavor. Jesus even called His followers the “salt of the earth” – the bringers of a distinct godly flavor. When we face the fires of this life, that flavor becomes all the more apparent. We all know the wonderful aroma of good, authentic cooking, and we similarly share the aroma of Christ with others. Paul writes,

For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 2:15 NIV

Christian, does your life reflect the flavor of God’s goodness and Christ’s love? How will you let the Spirit step in, so that the next biting remark, attitude of unforgiveness, or mindset of selfishness is transformed into something that follows Christ?

Challenging Perceptions

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The world of color perception science is undergoing a paradigm shift. According to a press release from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a one hundred-year-old math error related to our understanding of human color perception was recently corrected. Roxana Bujack, one of the researchers at the laboratory and lead author of the team’s paper, shared, “Our research shows that the current mathematical model of how the eye perceives color differences is incorrect.”

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

In a culture that thrives on visuals, this is a big deal. The discovery could make changes that lead to improved screens and better data graphics. Even paints and textiles could be affected.  

The current (and now disputed) model of three-dimensional color perception uses geometric principles known as Riemannian geometry to estimate perceived color changes on such shapes. In other words, 3-D shapes look more realistic on your 2-D screen.

Still confusing?

It’s okay. I don’t quite get it either, but here is what stands out to me: our perceptions are not always accurate. These researchers would even say that our perceptions of our perceptions are not always accurate.

Seeing a screen clearly is nice, but seeing life clearly is far better. You could say that life’s mistakes come from decisions we make based on a distorted sense of reality. We give into a sinful habit because we think it will satisfy us, but it doesn’t. We become absorbed in those screens, forgetting what is more important. We neglect the things that matter most, foolishly elevating something of far lesser significance. Fortunately, God has provided us with some calibration tools – think of those old TV color adjustment knobs – in His Word.

Paul writes to the Ephesian believers his prayer that God would reveal the truth of their reality to them, “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:18-20 ESV).

This reality adjustment changes how we live! If you tend to have a defeatist, pessimistic outlook, you can recalibrate to being a person of hope. When you are tempted to invest in the comfort and wealth of this life, consider that a glorious inheritance awaits those who live for Christ. As you serve the Lord, you need not do so in your own strength, for His resurrection-level power is at work through you!

How will this recalibration – this new perception of reality – adjust the way you live?

What about ministry?

We serve the Lord with a perception of reality that may also not be accurate. In churches, we tend to follow paradigms that we have always followed. We are more likely to keep doing what we have always done rather than consider our approach to ministry.

Do you serve as one who knows the hope to which God calls you? That kind of hope is infectious, and you’ll find others adopting hope-filled attitudes. Be a person of hope.

Does your giving reflect the knowledge of a glorious inheritance that awaits you? Your generosity with your possessions and your time flows from the realization that what you do in this life should be oriented to the blessing God bestows in the next.

Are your ministry energies characterized by the knowledge that God’s limitless power works through you? If not, you may find yourself continually depleting your batteries because you serve in your own strength. Change your expectations about what will come from your efforts. God loves to work through people who are willing conduits for Him.

Challenge and recalibrate your perception in life and in ministry.

Picking up

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I’m picking up where I left off. In 2014, God laid this idea on my heart. I dabbled in it for a bit, but the timing was not right. Now, however, this project aligns with a few others, making a restart look possible.

So, what am I trying to accomplish here? What is it that I believe God has laid on my heart?

It’s a call to faithfulness.

The world pressures followers of Christ away from full-fledged faithfulness to Christ. Distractions and new ideas pull us away from our calling.

I have a few projects underway that I pray will help to remind Christians and churches to stay faithful to their calling. Some of my old posts will be given a little face lift and reposted, too. Their continued timeliness, after 10 years, is a good sign.