A Tribute to Sister Hazel

“It’s wonderful to wake up and see everything that God has given us to enjoy, but it is more wonderful to know that we are God’s" (children). That is what Sister Hazel told me one afternoon as we sat on her porch/patio watching the sun go down. Sister Hazel is our senior member in our church, her days will number 97 years in a couple of months. Her mind is sharp as is her wit and her demeanor is one of a true granny. I say granny because that was my intimate title for my grandmother and it carries with it the description of a woman whose number one goal was to make us grandkids happy; and she did it with love, just as Sister Hazel does. It is unknown how many preachers she has advised including me. Billy Graham would benefit from a session with her and I am sure he would relish the moment if he knew her. Her and her husband pastored several churches before his passing many years ago. She taught Sunday school at the churches and it is hard to tell how many kids she has influenced. In my travels today I will come across someone who asks which church I pastor. When I tell them they always smile and ask, “Is Sister Hazel still there?” To their delight when I tell them she is, they always have a story of how she has done something for them or taught them. There are many of you reading this now that has a story as well.

We owe a great deal to these elders. There are other Sister Hazels’ out there. The Bible tells us in Hebrews that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses that we have no excuse for not progressing in our faith, as these Saints have proven that we can endure; if we just will. Sister Hazel is not an “old fogy.” She stays on the cutting edge of news and present day issues. She can discuss with you the economy, the politics, and the social unrest in the world. She will share Scripture with you too that tells these things would come to pass. I wonder if we are the generation that Jesus was talking about when He said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” If He were to come before Sister Hazel departs He will most certainly find that kind of faith He expects us to have. She and those of her generation have had to endure hardships that many of us have only heard or read about. We have so many helps at our fingertips today that we do not need faith to a certain extent. “There is an app for that” is what our answer today is to getting help. We put our faith in our technology as these Saints did in God. They had to depend upon God more than we do. Sister Hazel can share stories of faith with you that will raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Prayers that healed the sick when there were no doctors around. Prayers that were answered to put food on the table when there was no money to buy it and no credit cards, no social services or food banks. Prayers that were answered for protection when winter storms brought cold, snow and ice, and there was no emergency shelters, running water, heat pumps, or even electricity. There was no 911 to call. Yeah, they prayed the prayers of faith and God answered them. He was not their last resort, He was their Resort.

Let us learn from these witnesses as God has given them to us for a purpose. Let us put our faith in God as these Saints have done. Can we endure as they have? If we have the faith they do we can. Thank you Sister Hazel.

UPDATE: If you happen to run upon this post know that Sister Hazel went home to be with Jesus in March 2016. She will be dearly missed by those of us who loved and learned from her.

Drill Sergeant Preachers

You never got religion when you got saved; or did you? None of us were “made” Christians when we came to Jesus any more than I was made a soldier when I was sworn in at the U.S. Army processing center. It would take some orientation, some basic training, and further specialized training before my superiors would say that I was a soldier.

The old saying, “He or she got religion” was used to describe someone that had accepted Christ as their Savior. Religion was an honorable thing at one time but it came to be more important to people than salvation did, not intentionally I do not believe, but subconsciously. A person who was saved had to become perfect in the eyes of the unsaved or they were labeled a hypocrite. This type of social stigma motivated the believer to conform to society’s idea of a Christian and thereby caused the person to become religious in their talk, their behavior, their dress, and their social associations. As hard as they tried they found that it was impossible to be happy in their faith as they tried religiously to live a life of perfection. There was no basic training or a learning curve for them, they had to “hit the ground running” and be a good soldier for Jesus Christ or be considered a liar and a failure.

This explains why so many people today are not as enthused to accept Christ. To many Christians today are still living in the religiosity of the past. Today, people who have no discipline yet boast as being Christians are on one end of the spectrum and those who are fanatically religious are at the other end! One guy summed up his opinion with a bumper sticker I saw on the interstate the other day. It read: “God, save me from your followers!”

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT).

If we were made Christians upon coming to Christ, why would He Himself say, “Let Me teach you?” He never intended for us to “hit the ground running” on our own.

Maybe we need some good drill sergeant preachers in the church who will do like the one I had in Basic Training who pushed the brim of his Smokey Bear hat hard into the bridge of my nose and shouted in my face: “YOU WILL LEARN TO BE A SOLIDER (Christian) OR YOU WILL DIE TRYING, HAVE YOU GOT THAT?” Well, maybe not, but we do need to let new converts know they have a lot to learn about being a Christian and we know it will take some training.

Are We Praying Correctly?

I have been bothered for some time now by those who pray with the “name it and claim it” mentality. They give me the impression that they can command God to do what they want Him to, or to give them what they want. I believe it moves God alright; to anger. I believe it infuriates Him when someone will demand something instead of asking for something. Many have said to “pray the Word of God” if we want our prayers answered. Many say to “remind Him of His promises in His Word.” Are you kidding me? Do they really think that we have to remind God of His promises in His Word? They somehow think that His Word is to be used only to obtain what they want. “Well, God, You said You would do this.” God knows what He said.

It is a social trait that has been impressed upon us for so long that we apply it to everything in our life. What trait? Demanding. From the time we come into the world we learn to demand what we want. The little infant cries to demand food or attention. We are constantly having things demanded of us, or we are demanding things of others. We can cross the line when it comes to prayer if we apply this trait to God. We have to remember what even Jesus Himself said to the Father; “Not MY will, but YOURS be done.” Jesus ASKED if there was another way to secure our redemption without having to have our sin put upon Him but knew that it was the Father’s plan and He would carry it out. Asking and demanding are entirely two different things. I am not telling you anything you do not already know but perhaps I am reminding you that you demand more than ask sometimes when you pray.

Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”  We have a tendency to skip over the “You did not choose Me, but I chose you,” part of praying. James and John asked Jesus if one could sit on His right and the other on His left when He came into His kingdom. He said, “No.” It was not His to give He said! That prayer was not answered the way they wanted it to be. How does it make you feel when someone comes to you and says, “You WILL do what I want” as opposed to asking you to do what they want? Most of us rebel and would die before we would do it. It rubs us the wrong way and causes us to feel indignation when someone demands something of us.

Some say we are not praying in faith if we do not “demand” what we have been promised. Let me tell you something about praying in faith, if you think faith is linked with demanding you need to go back to the altar. If you think God owes you something because of His promises, you need to go back to the altar. If you think God is obligated to give you what you want wrapped up in a prayer that is supposed to be prayed in faith; you need to go back to the altar. Praying in faith is asking God what we want and accepting His will to do what He wants. Jesus said to ask the Father in His name, not to tell the Father in His name.

I'm a Hypocrite . . . are you Disappointed?

When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. (Nehemiah 1:4 CSB)

I will have to confess to you in this blog that I have been hypocritical in my attitude toward disappointment. As a Christian first and then a pastor, I have tried to give the impression that I am not set back nor discouraged when things do not turn out as I had prayed they would or hoped they would. I have looked at disappointment as a fiery dart from the adversary and therefore have refused to accept it in my mind. My heart says something else though; Mike, this is disappointing. That is where the hypocrisy comes into play. Trying to convince myself that I am not disappointed but being tested somehow. Trying to refuse feeling something that I have been programmed to feel by my Lord and Creator.

Old Nehemiah never played the hypocrite. He felt disappointment to the extent that he sat down and cried. I cannot tell you how many times I have felt the same way upon being disappointed but yet my spiritual pride kept me from accepting the feeling. I have counseled people through disappointment. I have prayed with people that have been disappointed. I have encouraged people not to give up when disappointed, and all the while knowing in my heart how it really feels yet trying to convince others it is not as bad as they think it is. Can I share what I have learned with you today? It is OKAY to feel disappointment. It is not a sin to experience the disappointed feeling of something we had planned on, or hoped for, or expected to happen, not actually happen the way we wanted it to. See, the old devil laughs when we refuse to accept disappointment because even he knows what we really feel in our heart. He has seen to many people disappointed and how it affected them and has learned that every one of us feels the same way. What he loves about it is that we as Christians sometimes lie to ourselves and try to convince ourselves we are not going to “accept it.” The devil loves to see pride in someone because he knows God hates it.

Now don’t go giving in to it. Just because we have been disappointed does not give us an excuse to give up. Nehemiah never sat down and cried and quit. He felt it, accepted it, dealt with it, and allowed it to motivate him to do something. The devil will use disappointment to stunt your spiritual growth if you allow it. God will use the disappointment to increase your spiritual growth if you will allow it. It is not about being disappointed but rather what we do in the wake of it. Psychologists have a favorite question they like to ask; “how does that make you feel?” The devil has a favorite question he likes to ask; “do you still believe God is who you believe He is?” God has a favorite question He likes to ask; “do you trust Me?”

Worship Styles

Just worship God. I have read a lot of articles recently about worship style, worship music, worship programs, worship leaders, and worship atmospheres. All of them have truths in them in that most are just observations of the writer, coupled with his or her opinion. What ever happened to just “worship?” Well, here is another opinion; mine.

 

We humans are a strange lot. The smarter we get the more complicated we make things. Do you seriously think Jesus would hold a worship conference in our society today? That He would rent Madison Square Garden or some big sports arena and invite every pastor and worship leader to come and hear about how to have “Super Bowl Worship?” I think not. I think not because He never taught how to worship God; just to worship God. God gave detailed instructions to the Israelites on how to worship after commanding them He was the only One they would worship if they wanted His favor! He even told them how to construct the Tabernacle in which to worship Him. They followed His orders; for a while. Then their “worship” became work and they lost the intimate relationship with God it was intended to bring. Jesus came to restore that relationship and He did not dictate how to build the building or how to carry out the rituals; in fact, He said it would be destroyed, but another Temple would be raised up; referring to Himself! His instructions for worship were simple; eat the bread, drink of the cup, and remember Me and what I have done for you that you may have your relationship restored with God. 

Some say that worship services today have become Broadway presentations. Some say that we totally skip worship and just eat doughnuts, drink coffee, talk about the Bible a little, then go home. I find it interesting (not that normal people would) that a lot of emphasis is put on doing church and not as much on being the church. Mankind likes to express him or herself in different ways; just read a few blogs here on the net or read a few bumper stickers on the highways. Now it may just be me, but I do not consider worship just expressing my feelings toward God. To me, worship is my life. God is who I serve every minute I am alive. I do not preach every minute, or sing every minute, or pray every minute, but I am aware of Who has given me that minute. With every breath I take I am reminded of Who puts that breath in me. 

When I express my feelings toward God in public is indicative of how I feel about Him all the time; not just when I am in church. To me worship is what I do and not when or how I do it. The Apostle Paul said that “for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’”  The poets of that day had ways of expressing their feelings in words and Paul said that God is more than just words; He is our life source. We could not even exist without Him.

Here is a pastoral secret of mine, so if any Draper Valley folk are reading this you will know why I am not on stage when the choir is singing our worship songs. I bring my worship into the church with me and my focus is not on the songs, nor the music, nor the singers, nor the congregation even. I do not depend on them to “lead me into worship.” I worship God with them when I am with them and I worship God when I am not with anyone; I guess that’s my “style.”

Gnats and Camels

You would think that a comparison with such contrast would be insulting to our intelligence; and so it is. Jesus never pulled any punches when it came to addressing hypocrisy.

I wonder how many times we have played they hypocrite without even knowing it? The Pharisees believed they were right in most things. They believed that their good outweighed their bad. Do you think it is possible that we have felt the same way at times? I mean, doing so many "good things" that when we "slip up" we somehow justify it by the "good things" we have done?

Hypocrisy comes in many sizes and shapes. The word comes from the theater; it means an actor, one who portrays characters. Barney Fife was nothing in person like he was on the Andy Griffith show. I am sure he was a nice fellow but he was no where near as naïve as he portrayed on the show. Jesus used the word to describe the same type people only they were not acting for a living, they were acting as a cover up. Their actions and behaviors did not reflect what was truly in their hearts; self preservation and pride.

Let us be on guard for the same thing in our lives. If we are hypocritical, let us not know it, but be made aware of it by the soul searching Light of Christ by way of His Holy Spirit. I served under a Belgian plant manager in my former job. He had a favorite saying along the same line. He would say, "People are always looking for the fly poop in the pepper!" Camels are easier to see.

Immigration Reform: My two cents.

 1 Chronicles 29:15 

For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope. (NKJV)

 

Immigrants have always come to this country, in fact, had they not; many of us would not be here either. My ancestors are of Scottish and Irish descent for the most part as far as I know. Coupled with some Native Americans at some point I understand.

People came to this country to find refuge and hope and are still coming to America for the same reasons. The major issue of course for us is what they are bringing with them; their cultures, their religions, their diseases, and so on. What they should understand is what they are coming into. America is not the nation it once was; economically or morally. What they are coming into may be better than what they are leaving; or it may not! Mother Teresa once said in an interview that the poorest of all nations is the one that is spiritually poor, she was referring to America. She was stopped in an airport in New York by a young journalist who asked her what it was like living in such poor and devastating conditions as she did in Calcutta. 

I think the root of the immigration issue comes from pride. Pride in what one has causes them to fear losing it, regardless of how important it is to the next person. Pride replaces trust in God. We think that all we have has been earned by us and we are not about to give it up to someone who did not work for it. I think I remember Jesus saying once, “If you have two coats, give one to the person who does not have one.” I remember He also said, “Feed your enemy if he is hungry.” Why would He say such things? It could be because He taught us to pray saying, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Everything we have was given unto us by Him so how dare us to think we earned what we have by our own accord; but we do.

Let us not forget that we are all, regardless of where we were born or live, created in the image of God. When we begin to think of ourselves as more important than others then we will begin to isolate ourselves from everyone that does not look like us or talk like us. The Bible teaches that Jesus died for everyone, not just certain nationalities. I saw a bumper sticker on a car a while back that read “Mr. Obama, America is still a Christian Nation.” What a lie. A nation that passes laws to allow mothers to kill their unborn children is certainly not a Christian nation. A nation that condones immorality as the norm is certainly not a Christian nation. Perhaps some of the immigrants will bring Christ to America when they come; Lord knows we need Him!