Second Chances

When Lazarus of Bethany died, it was a scene so heartbreaking that even Jesus wept (John 11:35). But Jesus also delivered his friend from the bonds of death, even though Lazarus had been dead for four days (John 11:39). His body healed and reanimated, the resurrected Lazarus was full proof of Jesus' deity (John 11:45).

Lazarus has to be on the shortlist of greatest possible interviews ever. I have often imagined the questions soon asked of him after Jesus raised him from the dead. "What was it like on the other side?" "How does it feel to experience death?" "What do you remember?"

The Bible does reveal some things about death. We know that Lazarus was still conscious after death. We know his soul left his body. We know he went into the Hadean realm. We know that he was unaware of the happenings of the world he left behind. We know he was in one of two places awaiting judgment, paradise or tartarus.

The Bible does not reveal which of the two places Lazarus went. If he went to Abraham's bosom (paradise), he was in a place of rest and peace, where faithful and godly people reside while waiting for the reality of heaven. If he went to torments (tartarus), then he was in a horrible place of punishment and pain, with no relief and no hope of any good thing, only the certainty of hell.

It occurs to me, that wherever Lazarus went - he must have been more motivated to be a disciple of Jesus than ever before. If he was able to get the smallest taste of the comforts only God's people can know, he would have known that being a child of God is worth every sacrifice on earth. And even though the Bible does not tell us, my assumption based on his friendship and support of Christ makes it seem more likely that he was in fact in paradise for this span.

On the other hand, if Lazarus went to tartarus, what a second chance to get his life right with God!

We will never get to experience what Lazarus did. No person has ever been dead for four days and come back to life except for him. But God does give us second chances. And if Lazarus were here, no doubt he could convince you what to do with yours!

"Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" ~ Romans 2:4

You Can't Take it to the Bank

"If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,000 that carried over no balance from day to day...allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening cancelled whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent every day, of course, and use it to your advantage! Well, you have such a bank, and its name is TIME! Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off as lost whatever of this you failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balances, it allows no overdrafts. Each day it opens a new account with you. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against tomorrow." ~ Source Unknown

We probably don't think of time like we do money. We live in a society of consumers and therefore in our minds the importance of money has increased. If we value time, for many of us it is only because we believe that "time is money."

We waste a lot of time! For example, statistics show that each day gamers spend over 200 million minutes playing "Angry Birds." Since the game's beginning a few years ago, the world has wasted over 200,000 years playing this simple little game. This is only one example. We can talk about facebook usage, or television hours, or smoking breaks...and then we can get into some real numbers concerning unproductive time.

It is not wrong to take a break and play games. It is not wrong to entertain oneself or to stop working for a few minutes. But if we are honest, we will admit that there are a few things we spend too much time doing, and a few things we do not spend enough time doing.

There are two things in particular that we all need to do more. These will never be a waste of our time. 1. We need to read God's word. This is how He talks to us. 2. We need to pray. This is how we talk to Him. You cannot build a relationship with God without spending some time with Him!

We have only one life to live. We only have so much time to get to know God before He judges this world. If we know about everything else, but we have no relationship with the One who created us, we have wasted the time we have been given.

Time must be used wisely, and it must be used today. You can't take it to the bank!

"...redeeming the time, because the days are evil." ~ Ephesians 5:16

The Kitchen Table

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms out there! We hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends. I imagine that some moms will go out to dinner with their families. I also know that there are some of those moms out there who will insist on cooking and having everybody at the house. This is the way it usually was in my family. It usually meant going to Grandma’s on Sunday afternoon following worship.

            During my growing up years I remember sitting around the kitchen table. We did this in the morning at breakfast and again when dad got home from work. I can recall the square oak table and where I was positioned most of the time. I remember laughing, crying (when I didn’t want to eat my peas), and discussing life’s events around the kitchen table. These are the old scenes of childhood. The kitchen table was a place of fellowship, communication, nourishment, and love. My mother made sure of it.

            A few years ago I read an article written by a preacher friend of mine from Texas. The article was asking the reader to imagine a well-balanced meal being provided and set before a family at the table. But the children didn’t come to the table. The youngest said he didn’t like what was being served. Two other children missed the meal for a ball game down the street. Whatever the reason, something else took precedence. How do you think that made the provider feel?

            Family relationships have been given to mankind by God in order to help us understand who He is and who we are. Family dynamics speak volumes about the function and growth of the family. We can compare personal family relationships with the relationships that exist within God’s family, the church, to see if we are measuring up to the standard God has set for each family.

            Now imagine again the table being made ready. The children have been told to assemble and “Do this in remembrance of Me.” The table represents God’s greatest provision. Love and fellowship are there. Mercy and grace are there. It would seem that gathering around this table would be a great honor. It would seem that one would never want to miss it. Now hear the comments some use to excuse themselves – “…had a ball game.” “…didn’t like the meal.” “…had other plans.”

            In our home, the children ask permission from the parents to be excused from the table. They do not excuse themselves. This is how it was while we were growing up. This is how it will be for our children. Honor is given to the provider. Appreciation is learned. Love is available to all.

            I am thankful to my mother for always setting the table for me with the love and consideration that only a parent can understand. I am thankful to the Godhead for the table set for me to begin every week of my life. There is nothing quite like this table. There is nothing quite like the communion to be shared with those you love.

“He invites us in to His banquet table and His banner over us is love…”

The Temple of the Holy Spirit

I have always known that it is important to take care of my physical body. There are some things that are just inherently known. But just because we know something, doesn't mean that we take it seriously or that we put into practice the things that we know about that thing every day. Sometimes we need somebody else to push us. So here goes my best shot...

When I developed cancer almost 8 years ago, I begin to look at my physical body differently. From a spiritual standpoint, I saw a great responsibility to take care of the flesh that God had given me. Maybe I had not been taking care of it like I should. Perhaps it was just genetics or perhaps it was just bad behavior. But I realized with great reflection what most people will never look deep enough to see. It was time to do things differently.

I don't really want to preach about alcohol or cigarette smoking. I don't really want to preach about drugs, or bad eating choices, food addictions, and the like. I want to preach about Jesus and the church and God's saving grace. People are willing to listen to the things that will help them spiritually. But people excuse themselves from the reality that they are losing to Satan when it comes to the flesh. I have found that people take it personally when you challenge them to stop making bad choices when it comes to carnal, temporal things. They want to redirect! They simply don't want to take a long look in the mirror and admit they are a mess!

After having cancer, and being forced to deal with the issues I had with the care of my flesh, my perspective changed and I can praise God for humbling me. Now that I realize what a great gift life is and how important good health is, I admit that it is hard for me to respect people who are being destructive or negligent when it comes to taking care of their bodies. I pray that they will see what I have been given the opportunity to see myself.

So rather than attacking one issue so that you can point to those who have problems in another issue, I want to challenge you to take a long look at yourself. Because, "...he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him...or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:17, 19-20).

Therefore, make this resoltuion:
"I am going to take care of the body that God has given me. I know that He dwells in me and that this body is the temple of His Spirit. I am going to treat my body with respect as a vessel of God. I am going to be a good steward with my flesh. I am going to eat differently, I am going to excercise, and I am not going to let substances that will harm my body to enter. My motivation for all of these things will be spiritual. I am not taking care of my body to get praise or attention or to be attractive to others. I am not working on my body to stroke my ego. I am taking care of my body because I love God and I want to serve Him. I am going to live in such a way that God is glorified not only in my spirit, but also in my flesh."

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." ~ Galatians 5:16

Living in Glory

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A Tribute to David Pinckley

My life was profoundly affected from the moment I met David Pinckley. When I was 29, I came to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee to try out for the Pulaski St. church of Christ. On the evening before the tryout, we met some people for dinner at a steakhouse there in town. David and Frances Pinckley were among them. It was day one of our relationship.

After moving to Lawrenceburg, I saw David nearly every day of my life for almost eight years. We spent a lot of time at the Parkes House together (our office at the church). David lived at the Parkes house more than his own at times, and I can say the same. I even saw him and Frances on Saturday afternoons on a regular basis.

Everyone in Lawrenceburg knows David Pinckley. He and Frances were so well connected to the community. David and Frances are Lawrenceburg. David and Frances ARE Pulaski St. They made beautiful music together with their voices. They made beautiful music in their home and in their community. They made beautiful music in the church. They made beauiful music in our lives.

Nobody will ever know how much money David gave away to strangers when they would come asking for help. David used to say whenever we had a good Sunday offering, "Somebody opened their pocketbook and their heart fell out." If that is true, David's heart fell out every day. I bet he gave away 500 twenty dollar bills just in the time I was at Pulaski St. It didn't matter their story. If a needy person came, David was too full of compassion to say no.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" - This booming laugh - it was David's and it was special. An infectious and wonderous laugh that filled the building and it belonged only to David. This laugh will never be duplicated or improved upon. I would hear this laugh from my upstairs office and I would have to stop what I was doing, go downstairs and find out what it was about. Trust me, this laugh changed my life. We laughed for 8 years together, and I needed his joy. David's laugh filled me heart and my mind with the wonder of what it means to be a Christian and live in happiness. I will be able to listen to this laugh in the windows of my mind as long as I live. I can't wait to hear it again in heaven.

David was talented. He was diligent. He cared immensely about the church. We could talk about anything and we agreed on about 99% in every subject. He was my sounding board, my county roadmap, my spiritual father and one of the reasons I wanted to go to work every day. He wrote amazing and powerful articles every week in the church bulletin. It never hurt my feelings when I would be told all the time by people how much they enjoyed David's articles (I had articles in the same bulletin). David's articles were sound, mature, loving, disciplinary, frank, and truthful. They took people back to a generation past and made them feel like they were there again for a moment.

David taught me how to adore my wife. Some men are slow on this but David was truly devoted to his wife and family. Frances Pinckley was loved by David Pinckley. They were true companions in every way. David would not ever let anybody say anything negative about the people he loved. He defended and protected them and made no excuses. He was loyal and no person could fault him for it.

DAVID PINCKLEY KNEW HOW TO FORGIVE PEOPLE...(this sentence deserves its own space)

David loved my wife and kids. He was so good to them all of the time. Many times I told him, before my dad moved to Lawrenceburg, that he was my in-town father. Being so separated from my parents was softened by his presence.

David changed peoples lives over the phone. He called people all the time and was their only link to the outside world sometimes. The shut-ins and older folks who were depressed...he made their days special by being an ear. Hours and hours of selfless phone time with people who needed someone to love them. David will have so many stars in his crown.

You don't share your innermost thoughts with just anybody. But David and I shared. We talked about anything and everything. We talked confidentially to each other. We fought and made up again right away and apologized to each other. We laughed and cried and told each other that we loved each other.

Since moving from Lawrenceburg I have greatly missed David. When I told him I was leaving I broke down and cried in his office about how wonderful he was and how much I was going to miss him. That was a special moment and I still can feel the emotions of that news. The last few times we have talked on the phone, we have expressed our feelings and I will never regret our open communication.

I don't know how to end this short tribute. I could write a book. I could talk about "the house on the hill", his love for animals, his special glow over his nieces or 100 other things that you get to know about somebody you spend every day with. I think I am writing this because I know just how big the void that "Hoss" has made by leaving us for a little while. I know that Pulaski St. will never be the same minus David Pinckley. I know that I lost something very special in my life today.

A few years ago we started "Coming Home Sunday" at P. St. - a tradition they have continued and I have also carried on at Willow Ave. Both churches had their "Coming Home Sunday" today. It is no small coincidence that after David worshiped the Lord this morning, that he laid his burden down and went home to his reward. I am happy for him, but I will miss him more than I can ever express in words.

I feel so blessed. David Pinckley's laugh fills my soul. And nothing can ever take that feeling away.

Crying Out for Daddy

I was eating lunch with my wife and daughter when suddenly a child began to scream. This was no ordinary scream. It was a sound of horror, fear, and concern. It was a desperate cry for help! It is common for children to make noise in public and to even cry out very loudly. On this occasion, every person in the sandwich shop fixed their eyes on this little boy. It was an undeniable call that moved us all. This boy was less than two, and his father had just stepped away for a moment, leaving him at the table alone. He could not see his father. When he realized he was gone his instincts took over. The father was quickly summoned and as soon as he picked up the boy there was silence. I have not seen something like that in a long time.

This event made me reflect on some things that are always true that I would like for you to consider:

1. Children need their parents. They need a mother and a father who will not leave them alone. They need involved parents who care for them, spend time with them, and love them. They need responsible parents who would never allow them to be in danger. They need parents who will always put the best interest of their children first. They need parents who will be obedient to God and teach them about Jesus.

2. We all are instinctively afraid of some things for a reason. God has placed in mankind a natural mode of protection from those things that we perceive as dangerous or threatening. Although our fears may differ somewhat based on our personalities, there are healthy fears that will keep us in a proper view of God's will for us and at times keep us from harm.

3. We need God! Human beings are born completely dependent. Spiritually speaking, God intended for us to stay dependent all of our lives. Each one of us should have the same desire for God that the little boy had for his daddy. How helpless we are with out God! How terrible and lonely and endangered we are without God! How deep our anguish, and how serious our cry without God!

When our Father appears, everything gets calm again. Everything is okay. There is no other solution to our cry than the loving, caring presence of our Father.

"For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'" ~ Romans 8:15