The Parable of the Pencil
5/12/2008
Someone asked me the other day if I could remember my first sermon. I can. I was fourteen years old and at the Hickory Grove church of Christ in Arkansas, I preached on The Parable of the Pencil. I can even remember most of the points I made.
Pencils come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Just like people. No matter what they look like on the outside, they all have one thing inside them that is the same: the lead core. Just like we all have a soul.
Pencils are made to write. That is their purpose. That purpose is only accomplished when there is a guiding hand around the pencil. We also were made for a purpose that is accomplished with the help of a guiding hand.
Pencils have erasers in case of mistakes. As Christians, God allows us to “erase” our mistakes. Pencils need a sharp point and we need to remain sharp in our spiritual lives.
You may be wondering by now what is the point of this article. Is it about starting to preach when young? Is it to show how we grow up as Christians so that my sermons have more depth now? Is it to make a point about pencils and Jesus?
Actually, it is to help me remember how to view the world. I still see parables and applications about Christian living. I see them in pencils, cars, televisions, pets, and sports. It is a natural process. Try it. Think about what you learn about God from everyday things. I enjoyed remembering that first sermon, and I want to keep that same perspective.
I want to see lessons about God in everything I do in this life. It’s what Jesus did. He saw spiritual application in birds, farming, fishing, and family life. I love being in a relationship with God that is so intense I see him everywhere and in everything. It is a great life.
So what do learn about God from the things you see around you? What do wish you could learn?
steve
Earning a Reward
5/5/2008
My wife just traveled to Argentina and back. That trip would normally have cost more than we could pay, but it turned out to be quite affordable. We were able to pay for that trip with miles we had accrued by taking other trips. In the language of the airline industry, we had earned a reward.
That’s a popular concept these days. Many companies offer incentives based on your purchases with them. Take enough trips and you earn another one. Stay in a hotel and earn another stay. Use your credit card and earn rewards. Buy flowers, shop at the hardware store, rent movies, eat pizza … there are lots of ways you can get free things by earning bonuses.
I have no problem with that system. I like being rewarded. One problem I see, though, is that we often want to look at God as operating in the same way. If we do enough of the right things, we reason, God will be obligated to give us our reward. That's how many people in the world see it. Just make sure that you have done enough right things, and your future is secured.
But that's not how God works. He doesn't expect us to earn the reward that He has to give. And there is nothing that we can do to obligate God to do anything. What He gives, He gives because of His grace, not because we have been able to force Him to do something. What He offers, He offers freely, not with a price that we have to pay. There's not even a rewards plan where we can accrue enough points to go to heaven. It all depends on God. The apostle Paul wrote:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
There's no Frequent Prayers Plan, no Platinum Church Members Plan. There's just Jesus and His sacrifice. By accepting what He did for us with a loving, obedient faith, we get the reward that He earned for us. Now that's a great plan!
I'd love to hear any thoughts or questions about this.
Grace and peace,
Tim Archer
Repair men love me...
4/28/2008
It’s true. Repair men love me, at least the ones who charge by the hour. Any one hour repair job can become a four hour job at my house. The reason is always the same: before I call the repair experts, I fix it myself. So the one hour job is now complicated by the two hours of work to undo my repair.
By now you may think I am an idiot. My wife would sometimes agree. Why waste so much time and effort on what is obviously a doomed attempt to fix something myself. I really have no expertise to apply to most of my do it yourself efforts. The manufacturer obviously has specifications and procedures for their product. You would think my track record would even discourage me from future efforts.
So why do I keep attempting to repair appliances, cars, and house problems myself? Am I too proud, too stubborn, or too ignorant? Maybe I just like the idea of being in control. I know it will not turn out well, but I do it anyway. It will be time consuming, expensive, frustrating, and stressful.
Maybe this is a metaphor for life. Why are so compelled to try to fix things in our life by ourselves? Most of us have a track record that proves we do not do well when we are in charge. So many things are out of our control anyway. Yet we persist in believing we can fix things. We do it as mates, parents, and friends.
There is someone who can repair broken lives. God made us and he knows how we work best. He even gave us a repair manual that explains our relationship with him. He knows what he is doing. I have seen the results in my life and in others. And I have seen the results of our efforts to fix things.
I don’t know everything that is wrong in your life, but I do know who can fix it. What do you think? Does God repair broken lives and broken relationships?
Changing Seasons
4/21/2008
I live in Texas in the northern hemisphere. Here, springtime is just beginning. For fifteen years of my life, I lived in Argentina in the southern hemisphere where at this time of the year they are moving into autumn. It takes time to become used to the differences. For example, when people in the United States want to talk about something that is extremely unlikely, they say, "It'll be a cold day in July before that happens." To which many of our southern hemisphere friends reply, "Most July days are cold."
It's my experience that all of life is this way. While some people are living in the sunshine, others are living in moments of darkness. I have a vivid memory of the night that my son was born. At the hospital, I was in the lobby using a pay phone to tell my in-laws the news that a delivery was imminent. (This was in the dark ages, in the 1990s, when people didn't carry cell phones.) As I shared with them this message of joy, a family burst onto the scene, obviously distraught. One of the young men picked up a large piece of furniture and started to hurl it across the room before someone stopped him. It was a scene of grief that stood in stark contrast with the joyful moments that I was living. That's how life is. Some rejoice while others weep. Some receive while others lose.
Just as the earth moves and the seasons change, so sorrow and joy ebb and flow throughout all of humanity. If we live long enough, we will have moments of great happiness and we will have moments of great hurt. Our circumstances will change from year to year and even from day to day. Some of us will experience more suffering than others, yet we all will pass through those hard times.
I want to invite you to watch some of the videos on our website, HopeForLife.org. These videos tell of people who faced moments of pain and loss, hard times and difficult days, yet who came through it all with hope. They did so not because of their own specialness, but because of the God who saw them through those times with an unending hope. Along with the videos, you can read articles that speak of hope and how to find it.
If you're in a moment of pain, I hope you'll take the time to hear some words of hope. If you are living through a good time, I hope you'll take the time to prepare yourself for the not-so-good times. As always, I'd love to hear from you.
A Dog's Life
4/14/2008
Remington is my Golden Retriever, and we have a good life together. I know it sounds odd to some of you, but we really have a good relationship. I take care of him. I have since he was a puppy. I provide shelter, food, and watch out for him in ways he does not even understand. I really do love him. I look forward to seeing him when I come home and I enjoy being around him.
I also should confess that I like the way he treats me. He adores me. I can see it in his eyes. I can do no wrong. He completely trusts in the fact that I will take care of him and do what is best for him. He is so excited to see me when I get home. His tail wags so hard he shakes all over. Sometimes he even has to bark just to let me know how happy he is.
Remington is completely devoted to me. By extension, he is completely devoted to my wife, to my grandkids, and to anyone I let in the house. He is protective of our house. He even warns the birds and squirrels to stay away. He would do anything I ask him to do. He would die for me.
I know he is not my equal. He cannot even think on my level. I doubt he understands why he has to stay in a backyard. Yet he minds me. He is not a perfect dog. Sometimes he needs a little correction and a little discipline. But he is my dog, and I love him.
It occurs to me that Remington has helped me understand my relationship with God. I am Remington and God is my master. He takes care of me, provides for me, disciplines me for my good, and loves me unconditionally. He is so far superior to me that I do not even recognize it sometimes.
And I can learn from Remington how to treat my Master: with love, adoration, obedience, and trust.
It is a dog’s life, and I would say that Remington and I both have it better than we deserve.
So what lessons about God have you learned from your dog? Or what lesson would you like to learn?
The Healing
4/7/2008
It was Sunday, March 9, 2008. Steve Ridgell and I had traveled with Herald of Truth Ministries to the island of Cuba. We were speaking at a church service in the town of Matanzas. I used the text that I had chosen beforehand, Mark 2:1-12. The first part of the text seemed very appropriate. Verse 2 says, "So many gathered that there was no room left." We were speaking to a group of well over 400 people when there were only seats for about 300. However, I was a bit uncomfortable with other parts of the text. As I read about Jesus healing this paralyzed man, I was acutely aware of the people in wheelchairs at the back of the audience. I couldn't help but wonder how they felt. Like other times when I've spoken on this passage, I talked about how Jesus put more emphasis on forgiving the man's sins than He did on healing his handicap. I explained that our physical needs can't begin to compare with our spiritual needs. As I preached, I couldn't help but wonder how my words were being received by these people whose physical needs were obviously great.
After the sermon, one of the local members invited any who needed to respond to the message to do so. Nine people came forward to be baptized into Christ. One especially caught my eye. She was one of the people in wheelchairs being wheeled forward by one of her friends, much like the paralyzed man in the story had been helped by his friends. This woman was connected to an IV bag. She was in the wheelchair because she only had one leg. It was obvious that she had major physical needs.
She was the first to be baptized. I stood in the water, and someone handed her to me. She professed her faith in Jesus, then I immersed her. When she came out of the water, no one looked at her leg. Instead, all eyes were drawn to her face. Seldom had any of us seen such joy, such pure and unrestrained joy. She was still unable to walk. She was still a sick woman. But her sins had been forgiven. My sermon about the importance of the forgiveness of sins versus physical healing was probably soon forgotten. But her sermon will long be remembered, even though it was preached without words. She knew. She understood. Her physical infirmities remained, but she had been healed in the way that mattered.
We all need spiritual healing, healing of the heart and soul. Let us know in what ways you need God's healing.
Grace and peace,
Tim Archer
Old Houses
3/31/2008
I often see them out in the country. They are often falling down. They have sagging roofs, broken windows, and overgrown yards. Sometimes all that is left is an old chimney, or a cracked foundation. Your may have seen them too. They are old houses; abandoned, useless, good for nothing, unoccupied old houses. But they were not always that way. At one time they were new, freshly painted, and alive with the hopes and dreams of their families.
I sometimes wonder what the plan was for these homes when they were first built. Did they envision generation after generation living in the family house? Was this house the DREAM house? How much did they sacrifice to build it? When did the dream die? When did it cease to be a home and when did it become abandoned? What I see now cannot be what it was made for.
What if this scenario was reversed? What if houses could look at us? What would they see? I believe we were created with a purpose. I believe God made us for a reason. God has dreams and plans for each one of us. We were created to live in relationship with him and help others to see him more clearly. If we do not live in relationship with our Creator, then are we like an old abandoned house? Have we failed to fulfill our purpose in life?
There is a wonderful verse in the Bible that says we are “…created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Jesus came to this earth to put us back into relationship with God. God has a plan and purpose for us here. When I commit myself to him, I find meaning and purpose. I am doing what I was made to do.
You can fulfill the purpose for which you were created. It starts being in a relationship with the one who “built” you. He is the one who has a plan for your life. It will keep you alive…both now and forever.
So what would a house say when it looked at you? Are you fulfilling the purpose for which you were made? How do we know?
Steve
No Honor Among Friends....
3/24/2008
I love first impressions. It's the only chance you get to show off the person you wish you really were. For that one moment in time you can be any type of person you wish. If you want to be a generous person, you've got one chance to prove it. If you want to be intelligent, you've got one chance to show it. Once the first impression has passed, people will begin to form a perspective of you based on what they see of your life. They will factor in every little piece of information that they learn. So while the first impression may imply one thing, your life may imply something entirely different.
The problem with a first impression is that it's hard to erase. This is not a problem if you are lucky enough to have a good first impression. What about when it doesn't go like you want? Or, what happens when the person you were when you made your first impression is no longer who you are today?
As I have grown, I have made many changes in my life. The greatest of which was the decision to become a Christian. I made the decision that every Christian must make; I chose to live my life for God and to turn away from my old lifestyle.
The challenge with changing your life is that too many people already know you as part of your old life. The first impressions of Skye the non-Christian were firmly grounded in the minds of everyone I knew. Even though my actions and words suggested I was a different person, my first impression was too strong to erase.
Jesus faced a similar struggle when he attempted to teach and heal the sick in his hometown. Many of the people in his hometown had already made their first impression of Jesus. They knew him as the "carpenter's son" and the "son of Mary." They knew his wisdom from the time he was a child, but now Jesus had revealed himself as the Son of God. Because they could not understand his new lifestyle, they were confused and took offense at him. Jesus himself said to his disciples:
"Only in his home town, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
Mark 6:4
Jesus understands what it feels like when people will not accept the reality of a changed life. Everyday that we choose to live for God the world will struggle to understand our personal change, but we must make new first impressions and try to change the old ones. Feel free to browse around this website and hear stories of true hope. If you would like to share your story of Hope and Change leave me a comment or send me a message at skye@hopeforlife.org.
Remember
3/19/2008
When they were young, my kids loved videos. They could watch the same movies over and over again. Consequently, I watched the same movies over and over again. Not as many times as my kids, but I certainly would get a good dose of each movie. One favorite in our household was the Disney movie, "Lion King." In the movie, Simba, the young lion who is next in line to be king of his pride is present when his father dies in an accident. Simba is convinced that he is to blame for his father's death and flees into the desert. He is rescued there by two jungle animals who take him to an oasis and nurse him back to health. These are insectivores, eating only grubs, worms and other bugs. They teach the young lion to live as they do. Their key phrase is "Hakuna Matata," a Swahili phrase meaning "There are no worries here." For them, life was about eating, dancing and singing. They felt no responsibilities toward anyone else.
Then comes the time when Simba has a vision of his dead father. The ex-king has one word for his son: "Remember." The young lion was meant to be royalty, king of the beasts, leader of the pride of lions. Instead, he was eating bugs and living a selfish life. His life was far from what it was meant to be.
For many of us, that's the very thing that we need. We need to remember. We need to remember who we are supposed to be. We need to remember who God made us to be. We were not made to live like animals. God has instilled in us a sense of purpose, a dignity, a higher calling. We need to remember.
Just as Simba needed to remember whose son he was, we need to see that God has given us the chance to be His sons. We can be so much more than bug-eating self-centered animals. We can be royalty, sons and daughters of the King, children of God. We can be part of God's family, living our lives with purpose and dignity. We have been called to greatness. We just have to remember who we are. We just have to remember Whose children we can be.
Grace and peace,
Tim Archer
What Good is an Appendix?
3/10/2008
It was a question doubters, agnostics, atheists, seekers, or smart-alecks loved to ask: “If God is so wise, why did he create an appendix?” I thought it was a good question. After all, the appendix served no real purpose. I was never much of a science student, but I remember how it was described. It was an organ for which there was no apparent function. Unless you count needing something to burst so you could have emergency surgery. It was one of the trendy ways to mock the concept of God.
Guess what? Scientists and doctors are now saying the appendix serves a useful function in immune protection. It is a place for gut bacteria to reside and helps prevent diarrhea. So much for my science teachers. It now seems perhaps science does not know everything. Of course, real scientists will tell you that up front. So why would anyone use science to try to disprove the existence of God?
It appears that there is a reason why we humans have an appendix. I am not really surprised. I believe God made us and that He knew what He was doing. Am I simplistic? Maybe, but I think the appendix question is like many of the other things in my life. There are things that I do not understand. But I need to trust that someone does. This world, and my life, makes sense when I trust there is someone who knows me and who understands everything going in my life. For me, that someone is God.
Most of you reading this have made that same decision. This just reinforces your conviction. But perhaps you know someone who wrestles with the concept of God. Maybe this will give you something to talk with them about. Or send them this article. Or send them to www.hopeforlife.org. Or have them write me. I would love to discuss where I have found hope, meaning, and purpose.
It is not that I have all the answers…and not just about my appendix. I do believe I know who does have the answers. After all, he knew what he was doing with the appendix.
So what do you think about God? Does he know what he is doing in your life?
Steve
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