9-11 Tribute After 13 years: R is for Resiliency

R is for: Resiliency

“The good folks mostly win, courage usually triumphs over fear, the family dog hardly ever contracts rabies; these are the things I knew at twenty-five, and things I still know now, at the age of 25 X 2. But I know something else as well: there’s a place in most of us where the rain is pretty much constant, the shadows are always long, and the woods are full of monsters. It is good to have a voice in which the terrors of such a place can be articulated and its geography partially described, without denying the sunshine and clarity that fill so much of our ordinary lives.” –Stephen King (April 16, 1996)

 

If I’ve learned anything through trials and travails, it’s that even though life seems short, ephemeral, and progress only seen dimly as through a dark opaque window; there is always the power to rise to the moment, and summon the courage to change. This is my voice articulating a vision of the geography of the dark places we face; and after so many years--maybe even some of those affected by 9/11 have navigated out of the dark forest.

Freedom Tower, Manhattan

 

Even when one seems too old, tired, or uncomprehending of how to alter their course; by taking deliberate steps down another path, I’ve seen durable people transform themselves and their situations remarkably. "In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning," said F. Scott Fitzgerald; however, let me assure you, there is always a way out, the morning after.

Sometimes it means realistically dropping one dream, now cumbersome baggage; developing another set of goals. Other than developing a love to read and learn; this might be one of the keys to unlocking life’s complexities, and is certainly something I want to bestow upon my children: resiliency.

Those fortunate to have their wits and health, living in this great land of opportunity, and with God’s sovereign blessing, can get up one morning and resolve to change; indeed, one’s path is never set in granite. Killing inertia is itself an early skirmish in this brutal, continual, wearisome war.

Standing with your feet firmly planted allows one to gaze out and ponder a new course; even though the road looks twisted and crooked through the brambles and brush of rural forest. Sometimes it seems too overgrown and dark to find your way. Don’t give up! Keep looking for the light, and if necessary, hack your own way out till you find the dirt road for which you yearn.

Once the new path is found and begun by faith; the energy to meet the new challenges will appear; although, this river of energy fueling a fresh endeavor is not always apparent. Sometimes you tap into its power like a hydro-electric plant, or otherwise jump in, just riding with the flow. This process isn't instantaneous. It requires patience, strength, and resiliency founded in a higher power, or should I say “outside yourself?”

Others may call the new path: too risky, or pronounce early failure. Valuable are those friends who support and encourage: every single, solitary one is an angel sent from above. Thank them when you get back on your feet. And don’t be too sure who the angels are; some of those closest to you will disappear at the moment you need them most.

All your days have prepared you for the battle now raging; take the step forward in faith and fire the first shot.

“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next, to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish. We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” Ephesians 2 (The Message--Copyright © Eugene H. Peterson)

“There dwells upon this earth a mysterious Being, whose office is to renew the fallen and restore the wandering… His chosen residence is a broken heart and a contrite heart.” –Charles Spurgeon

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©Mark H. Pillsbury (2014)

 

The Scots' Confession of 1560 A.D. -- What They Believed

The Scots Confession -- 500 years old -- What is it that you believe?

John Knox and 5 other church leaders that happened to have also the name John, wrote these words, about what they believed (what they "confessed") of God in 1560 A.D. (Chapter 1):

We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to whom alone we must cleave, whom alone we must serve, whom alone we must worship, and in whom alone we put our trust.

He is eternal, infinite, immeasurable  incomprehensible, omnipotent, invisible, one substance, yet distinct in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (holy spirit).

By him we confess and believe all things in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, to have been created, to be retained in their being, and to be ruled and guided by his inscrutable providence for such end as his eternal wisdom, goodness, and justice have appointed and to the manifestation of his own glory. 

This rich language is immensely illustrative even today, of what it is Christians (especially Calvinist leaning Christians) say they believe. It speaks of a divine sovereignty (control) that is out of step with modernism 500 years later; however, it is recited with the same vigor today as in 1567 A.D. when is was officially codified.

John Knox died in 1572.

photo of painting, by Getty Images

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Do fish complain of the sea for being wet?

Do fish complain of the sea for being wet? C.S. Lewis asks, “How is it that we don’t feel at home here (on earth)?” If fish did, would it not suggest that they had not always been or would not always be purely aquatic creatures? Maybe then, it can be argued that there is something in us that is not temporal? As it is we are perpetually surprised by Time (How time flies, I can’t believe how old Johnny has gotten, you mean Jenny is all grown up and married?).

Divine immanence means that God is here, wherever we are, God is here. There is nowhere, there can be no place, where He is not. However, even as I write this, I cannot be omniscient, only God is everywhere; He is nearer than my own soul, closer than my most secret thoughts. Nothing I could share in writing a blog can approach all that He knows about me. It depends on my spiritual receptivity, not time. The scientific man explains and examines; the spiritual man worships and adores.

Are we not like the fish uncomfortable in the sea? What we see, hear, and feel is the reality of living in this world; however, we intrinsically know and want the eternity of heaven which is our spiritual home. The inner restlessness of a thoughtful man is that nagging truth that there is something more than this!? The dark night of the soul, the doubts, fears, and anxiety when the world closes in on us, is a powerful reality. Although, is there not an eternal world that comes alive when we begin to reckon upon its reality?

God and the spiritual realms are real, just as much a part of the world as the physical; the trouble is that I have established bad habits, sin clouds my lenses, ignoring the spiritual. There must be a shift from the seen to the unseen, from physical to other-worldly. God dwells in the world, but there is a gulf between this and the other side of it which is impassable; and for now while I am stuck here. The essence of being a christian requires I listen, see, and believe God’s redemptive revelation in Scripture, just as much as what I get from the "real" world.

No one should fear the voice of God. Even though modern "church life" seems filled with noise, activity, bluster; when caught in a tempest as I was last night, the best advice seems to me: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Ps 46:10) Doesn’t this mean that our strength and safety lie not in noise but silence?

Last night lying in bed, I carried an inner burden. A.W. Tozer calls it “the burden of pride.” Don’t we all carry the burden, continually, challenging every word spoken against us, cringing under every criticism, smarting under each fancied slight, tossing and turning if someone else is rising above us on the corporate ladder?

The meek man is not a weak mouse afflicted with his own inferiority, instead he knows he is as mortal and helpless as God declared us to be; at the same time, he knows that God’s power is alive in him, content with God’s values in place of the worlds. Emptying myself of prideful anxiety and filling myself with the confidence of God’s work is not an easy task. All I could do last night was pray for help! It is a helpless place to be, wringing out worry like a dish towel. Doubt and fear crept around like late-night ghosts.

Wanting to appear as better than we really are is the pretense upon which so much advertising is based. Many bright people are insecure, fearing they might assessed as “common,” be out of fashion, or say something stupid. Even Christians live artificial lives often as unnatural and sad as anything in popular pagan culture. But Jesus tells us to become like little children, truly worshipping God on our knees. This surrender pleases him, it's a necessary meekness in a narcissistic world.

Because of my restlessness last night I come to him today seeking rest, praying for the blessed relief which comes when we accept ourselves for what we are, and stop the pretense of being what we are not. I look at the beautiful blue sky of this winter day and give praise and thanksgiving, all to God’s glory, in faith. Faith is not a one time act, but a continuous dependence and gaze upon the heart of God. Passing through the darkness, redirecting my vision into God’s focus, this is a purifying faith. I hope you can find it also today.

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Timothy Anderson | Man Knocked to Ground at CTA Station After Giving Panhandler Money

Timothy Anderson | Man Knocked to Ground at CTA Station After Giving Panhandler Money:

'via Blog this'

Acts 3: 1-10

Translated into the modern version of the Message (©NavPress Publishing Group):

Scene: Just a regular day as if we were at a traffic light waiting for it to change:

Vv. 1-5 three o'clock one afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for a prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up to the gate, for this was his regular place to beg (panhandler).

Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Look here." He looked up, expecting to get something from them.”

Vv. 6-8 Peter said, "I don't have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked. Wow.

Vv. 8-10 The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God.

(Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God). They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple's Gate called Beautiful, and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing! This was a miracle, and it was done in the name of Jesus. This miracle occurred naturally as an expression of unmerited love in the name of Jesus, and Jesus received the glory.

Motivation—There is nothing wrong with asking for something from God, because his plan is sovereign; if God wants to bless you with a miracle, he fully has the power make it happen. We are weak vessels, and often the motivation for change is nothing more than “pain.” If we understand the mystical, meta-physical world of God around us, nothing is as it appears to be. Spiritual warfare exists all-around but we are unaware. We are the consistent, cynical, hardened beggar illustrated in Acts 3: 1-5. But we must look to God expectantly, as did the beggar.

Miracles are strictly a blessing from God, totally outside human power. The part we play is to ask in faith and believe in Jesus, allowing him to work through us. We must know as an article of faith that miracles are possible, and this requires that we rationally become a student of history.

Optimism—why should anyone be astonished by what God can do? Is he not powerful enough? Is there any order of difficulty for the God of the universe to ordain a miracle? Is it that we just don’t typically see miracles enough to be comfortable with them? Or is God just too stingy to give us any miracles? Faith is inextricably tied to optimism, because it is the assurance of things hoped for, and sometimes it includes asking in faith for miracles. If you have never experienced or refuse to believe in miracles, it is hard to escape the pessimism or cynicism which creeps in like smoke.

Attitude—Gandhi said that the force of spiritual truth is greater than any army, weapons of destruction, or political authority; and Butterfield wrote that prayer is a “subversive activity.” It involves “more or less an open act of defiance against any claim of ultimacy by the current regime. Concealed egotism is perhaps a greater cause of conflict, a greater source of political problems, than anything else on this globe.” He wrote. Prayer drags egotism out into the open, and begins to do something about it. Our holiness is both the opposite of and the antidote to the ego, according to Marianne Williamson. God rules, not the government. The attitude we have toward power structures and evildoers can be weak, compliant, and submissive; conversely, we can have the attitude that we will not be overcome and resistance is paramount. Prayer is a means by which this attitude of faith can work itself out in practice. Prayer is a force of spiritual truth.

Aptitude—Some organizations with which I have worked either for short or long times over the past 20 years. Living examples, as organizations, of assemblies blessed by God to be “miracle” groups whose growth and impact on the world are significant and unlikely in a short period of time (in no order):

Park Cities Presbyterian Church –large church in Dallas that set a goal to plant 100 churches and over a twenty year history surpassed their goals beyond their biggest plans. Also planted RUF college ministries, overseas missions, and a seminary. www.pcpc.org

Liberty Institute—legal defender for religious liberty fighting in courts all over the US, this small institute has been a part of dozens of landmark first amendment and religious liberty cases since 1997 when its director Kelly Shackelford started filing cases and drawing in volunteer lawyers for the cause of Christ, as Christians came under attack. Often outnumbered and outgunned, Kelly and his volunteers battle to protect freedoms and strengthen families all over the US. They win cases that no legal experts predict them to win!
www.freemarket.org

Houston Christian High School—in just 14 years it has become a preeminent college preparatory high school, a pacesetter in Christian education, and a growing destination for parents in Houston who want rigorous academics, leadership training, and a Christian environment. Growing from 200 students in 2000, to approximately 500 students today, HC was recently accredited by ISAS and invited to join the SPC for athletics. www.houstonchristian.org

HOPE International—HOPE was founded in 1997 with its President Peter Greer taking leadership in 2004 concentrating on its own distinctive poverty alleviation: microfinance provides small loans to poor people, it provides an intentional witness for Christ, a commitment to stewardship, helping alleviate poverty, and has shown a dedication to the hard places around the world. HOPE International believes that church-based programs are most effective when they simultaneously meet both spiritual and physical needs in a culturally appropriate manner. www.hopeinternational.org

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Fictional account for Father's Day (or what Hamp and me talk about)

“Daddy, what’s a world-view?”

“What do you mean, Hamp?” he replied, as the wispy hot breeze blew through the car windows.

They idled at a stoplight on Westheimer, Houston’s version of the Sunset Strip, but with more car alarm/stereo shops than tattoo parlors. The weather was actually gorgeous for the wintertime, the week or two every year where is was just as nice here as in LA. Mark looked around the five-lane stoplight crowd and noticed they were the only Anglos waiting for green, in this multi-ethnic melting pot of opportunity fueled by the energy business and supported by massive immigration; Houston stood as an oasis of economic hope in an ocean of recessional despair--many of these commuters were here for one thing only and it wasn’t the weather.

“What that man just said on the radio, about his world-view?”

Hamp added, “Was he talking about what the astronauts see from space?”

“No, son, a world view is how somebody looks at life, sort of like your perspective from your car seat, or how I can see green through these sunglasses.” “Except a world view is deeper than that, really.”

“It means how somebody makes sense of the things that happen to them in their life, and when life goes on almost a hundred years, like say your mommy’s grandmother, Dean; humans see a lot, Hamp, and some of it makes no sense. Like when bad guys do well and there is no Spidey to take them down.”

“Kind of like whether they believe in the Force or not?!” Hampton questioned.

The light turned, but he went on, “You’re right, son, but the Force is in the movies, and a world view is in somebody’s heart.” “You know how the skeleton holds the body together and the muscles and flesh hold onto that?” he asked. “Well, a world view is deeply held inside, and different people grow up into their worldviews, just like a body grows bigger and taller, a lot of it is affected by how they are raised.”

After a quarter mile of silent driving eastbound toward the bright buildings of the Galleria, Hampton finally adjusted in his car seat and blurted out, “but do I choose the worldview, or does the worldview choose me?”

Mark almost hit the brakes to pull over. His son often made profound statements without prompting and it caused dad to feel almost reverent, even fearful, “Man that is a great question!” “Where do you come up with such great ideas son, I want to read what you’re reading?!”

Remember that Mexican hat I showed you from the big telescope picture of the Virgo galaxy, the one that is something like 55 million light years away from earth? How beautiful and majestic it is, and all we can compare it to is a lousy sombrero? [see photo above credit: Barthel/eso.org]

“I thought that was funny!” Hampton giggled.

“People say there is no use in studying what it is like to exist. Some only see what we have on the earth; they feel that we can make telescopes made out of glass that can see things far away, but all there is is the here and now: what we are walking upon, or this car, or the food we ate for breakfast; and when you die it all ends: the world just goes black.”

“What are those people called?” “You know son, forget about memorizing labels or calling people by –isms, just focus on what they think, who they are, and how they look at things, you will be able to keep it all straight when you get to college.”

“There's a world view where people think the human race is all there is; and some people believe that what we see and hear and are taught is only given to us at a particular time, like you did not choose to go to ROE; those folks think that all the stuff we learn is able to change based on time and place.”

He went on, “and some people hold that what is good for you Hampton, is good for you and just because you say it doesn’t mean a thing. What’s good for you is OK for you and what I think is good for me.” “That is said to be relative: like your relatives are yours and my cousins are mine!” Daddy was getting as tangled up as this traffic jam. “Hampton, I feel like you choose your world view. It doesn’t grab you.” “What do you think?”

"I think that sombrero galaxy is out there in space. We can see it! It wasn’t like a drawing in a book. But I can’t touch it, how do I know it is there 55 gillion light years away?" (This was an important intersection).

“How far is a light year, Hampton?” “I don’t know, a long long long way away!” he said. “How long does daddy usually run, when he gets to?” “4 miles” Hampton quickly replied. Do you see the difference? “Could we ever get to that Mexican hat? Even on a spaceship?” daddy pressed. “Probably not.” Hampton replied. “But I still believe it is there…”

“That is called Faith, Hampy” and that is also a world view. “Faith is being sure of something you hope for, convinced of it even though you don’t see it!” Hampton smiled, like he'd heard that before.

Do you think even if you studied real hard at Rice you would be able to find out how that beautiful galaxy was made, Hampton? “Nope.” He replied. “It’s too big, too old, too amazing!” “I would just have to know it’s there.”

“Hampton, who do you think made the whole universe, including that big hat?” he asked.

“God did.” Hampton answered. “He made me too.” “Son, you are just as amazing as that cluster of stars, you are what God looks like to me.” (daddy was starting to grow salty tears in his eyes).

They were finally making their way onto the street of their home, about to turn into the driveway, when Mark continued: “Son, what makes you think God has been special to you?”

“He gave us Jesus,” Hampton responded with joy. “God sent his son;” daddy interrupted, “but I don’t think I could send you Hampy,” “but I’m not Jesus daddy, so I don’t have to!” "He did it."

“Jesus is the way we believe dad, God was so good to make a way for us to come home. Jesus came here; now we can go out towards the sombrero.”

“That makes all the difference, son, he is the way and the difference.” Daddy warmly agreed, and then threw the car into park. “It makes all the difference, Hampy.”

“So that’s a world view?” Hampton finished, and was jumping out of the car.

“Yessiree it is…” “Let’s get some lunch.” “Well done Einstein, you will make a good teacher someday”

Hampton ran up the drive yelling back: “Quarterback, dad!”

(fictional short story composed June 11, 2011)

copyright: Mark H. Pillsbury

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