Identifying Truth

     The other day I was conversing with a friend of mine and I brought up a topic for which I had been seeking answers for a while now.  She paused for a moment, considered what she would say, then shared her perspective.  When she did, I kid you not, every fiber of my being began screaming out "THAT'S IT!  THAT'S TRUTH!"  My dear, dear Friend had presented truth to me and I instantly knew it.  This wasn't the first time either... this is a friend whom, because of this and several other instances like it, I now trust implicitly in every way because I know she speaks truth.  That does bring up the question: what is truth and how can we know what truth is when it is spoken?  How did I know so wholly and completely that what I heard was truth? 
     Award winning staff writer for the New Yorker and best selling author Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book on this topic called Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking in an attempt to answer that very question.  I read the book and would highly recommend it due to its interesting subject matter and its readability.  However, It doesn't answer the question.  There is a TV show called "Lie to me" which is a thriller/drama about a team of deception experts who use their expertise in various situations ranging from prisoner interrogation to governmental appointee vetting.  They can look at a person, talk to them for a couple minutes then tell whether or not they are telling the truth.  However, it does not answer the question.  Professors, books, Philosophies, even other religions try to present truth and give reasons as to how you can know or believe that they are speaking truth, but each of them fall short.  So what is truth and how can anyone know?

 I decided I am going to keep this very short and simple. In other words, no long winded narratives this time.  I'm pulling this straight from the Bible because it gives us the straight answer:

• Jesus said that God's word is truth.
• "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is TRUTH."  John 17:7
• Jesus said that HIS word is truth.
• "Jesus said,  “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.Then you will know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH will set you free.” John 8:31-32
• John the Apostle taught that Jesus HIMSELF is truth.
• "For the law was given through Moses; grace and TRUTH came through Jesus Christ." John 1:17

In essence, all truth comes from God.  God is truth and his words are truth.  Anything that comes from God is truth and it is the standard by which everything is compared to truth.  So, how can we know what truth is? How can we know what God is saying in every instance?  How do we know what truth is for that exact circumstance you're seeking answers to?  WELL... that really is a complicated question.  It's one that I, unfortunately, do not have a catch-all answer for.  If anyone knows, by all means share!  Here's what I do know though:

• God gave us His word in the form of Scripture.  
• "...you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," 2 Timothy 3:15-16

• God gave us a Community of believers.
• "The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,  for, 'Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:15-16

But see, in the Bible, God doesn't speak directly to every single situation we might face, nor do other people always know what truth is for your life. So,

• God gave us the Holy Spirit
• "I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit (within me)—" Romans 9:1  (My words added in parentheses)

Listen, I don't claim to have it all figured out.  I don't even believe that it's possible to know the truth in every situation.  Knowing the truth has brought me freedom, yes, but it has also brought me misery, heartache, betrayal, and pain.  Sometimes we just have to move forward in life just trusting that God has it all under control.  It is not very satisfying, I admit. For someone like me, it's more than not satisfying... it's downright maddening.  But I do know that the closer you are to God, the closer you are to Truth.  The closer you are to Truth, the more clearly you can hear the Holy Spirit guiding you.  THAT is the point where incredible things start happening in your life.  

OH and I know that my dear Friend is the GREATEST for being willing to speak truth to me the way she does.  It's not always pretty, nor does she tell me what I want to hear all the time... but it's the straight Truth, it's from God, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Dear Friend, thank you so very much for being a voice of Truth in my life and I truly hope you know how grateful I am for you.

-The Sailing Preacher

Telling Your Story

Lately I have been finding myself being obsessed with the idea of stories.  I realized that I absolutely LOVE stories.  I love hearing them, I love telling them, I love reading them!  Stories are the most basic way we communicate things about ourselves to others, to share our experiences, to share our lives.  Before written language, stories were the only way information got passed along in a culture.  So I started asking the question: "what makes the difference between a good story and a GREAT story?" I have had a lot of people tell me their perspective over the years, I've read a lot of books by a lot of experienced storytellers, AND I have heard a LOT of really good stories from people.  Now, before I get too far into this, I am going to tell you that this is not going to be a typical "Here's how to be a better storyteller" essay nor will it be a "I'm going to tell you how to be a better public speaker" lesson.  That can be attained by reading books or going to seminars.  No, this is going to be something different altogether.  I want to talk about the story you will tell about your life, more specifically the story we tell when faced with tough decisions.

Every day we are faced with decisions that may or may not directly impact our lives.  From where we decide to go to lunch, to whether we come home right away or swing by the gym after work, to whether or not we say hello to the coworker we pass in the parking lot on the way home at the end of the day.  Each decision leads to a different story we tell.  Our story reflects who we are, but keep in mind it's only that: a story.  It does not define us.  BOY do I wish I had learned about this long ago.  I guarantee, had I thought about decisions in terms of the story I would forever tell, I would have most definitely done things differently in quite a few areas of my life.  I wouldn't have taken some things as seriously as I did just as I would have taken other things more seriously.  I would have paid closer attention to the still small voice inside of me when it whispered "bad idea, don't do that" or "don't go there".  You see, when we tell our story we don't want to have to lie about any of it or be ashamed of any of it.  I truly think there is something freeing about being able to tell our entire story.  When life is easy, its easy to tell our whole story but when circumstances get difficult and decisions become harder and harder to make, it takes a lot more discipline to make the right decision... to be able to keep your story whole.  Take, for example, Joseph in the Old Testament of the bible.

The story can be found in Genesis chapters 37 then 39-45.  Joseph was envied by his brothers who, because of their jealousy, sold him into slavery.  God was with Joseph through it all and Joseph was quickly put in charge of the household of a wealthy Egyptian named Potiphar (prounced "Pot-eh-fur").  Joseph was faithful to God and did what was right and before long, Potiphar's wife took notice of him.  The bible describes Joseph, as a young man, as "well built and handsome".  That means he was a young stud and she wanted him.  She approached him time after time trying to get him to go to bed with her.  He kept doing what was right each time.  He even explained to her why he was not going to.  He said in Genesis 39:8:

'"With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care.  No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife." How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?"'

Basically he was saying "Listen, I've got a story to tell and what you're asking me to do isn't consistent with the story I want to tell because I want my story to be honoring to God. Oh, and by the way... you've got a story too ma'am.  What you're about to do is going to be a part of your story forever."  Well, Potiphar's wife was not too happy about that so she managed to frame Joseph and get him thrown in prison.  While down there, he met a couple guys and told them his story... his WHOLE story... the WHOLE TRUTHFUL story.  He tells them he's innocent and asks if there's anything they can do to help him out of there he'd be really grateful.  YEARS go by and Joseph, still faithful to God, is finally released.  He warns Pharaoh of a massive famine on the way and then gets made prime minister of Egypt to help prepare for it.  Fast forward, the famine hits and Egypt is the only nation that has food... in fact, has it in surplus. Other nations have to come to Egypt to buy food from them, including Joseph's brothers.  

See, Joseph's brother's had a story too.  When they sold Joseph into slavery they had to tell their father SOMETHING, so they lied and said he was eaten by a wild animal.  It absolutely broke their father's heart (37:35), and every day after that, they had see their father's broken heart, live with their lie, and the knowledge that their jealousy was the cause of his pain.  That was part of THEIR story.  So, when they came to Egypt, Joseph was faced with another decision... another choice that would affect the story he would tell.  He could choose to use his new position of power and exact his revenge, OR he could write his story in a different way by treating his brothers not like they deserved to be treated.  (Spoiler alert) Joesph decided to be consistent with his story. He forgave his brothers and the whole family reconciled.  They brought their father into Egypt and lived out the rest of their days together happily ever after.  
So why would I share that particular story?  There were a lot of examples of how each decision we make affects our story.  We can either choose to write our story consistent with our faith in God, or we could try and write our story apart from Him.  I've tried both and let me tell you... when I try to write my own story it turns ugly fast.  

Something that I realized (and the real reason that I am so interested in the idea of my story) is that because I am a single guy, every choice I make as a single man will eventually become part of my married story.  I will have to tell my wife my whole story and I really don't want to have to hide anything.  I want to be able to tell her my WHOLE story without changing anything or hiding anything.  Truth be told, (and I am being kinda vulnerable here guys, so please be kind) I am extremely unhappy that I cannot tell her certain things like "honey, I never dated anyone but you" or "you were my only love" or "you were my first kiss" or other things like that.  There's something incredibly special about being able to say it and not have to LIE about it!  I have a couple friends who CAN say those things and Oh how I envy them!  Just because you learn from things in your past and they helped make you who you are doesn't take away from the fact that they happened in the first place and will forever be part of your story.  

In addition to my story as a single affecting my MARRIED story, one day I hope to become a parent  When that happens my KIDS' stories will begin with me too!  The decisions I make will influence THEIR story, much like my parents' choices influenced MY story, and their parents' influenced theirs, and so on.  

Your story is not just made up of decisions in relationships... it can be from what church you choose, the reasons WHY you chose a certain church... what JOB you take... what you do if you LOSE a job... how you face difficulty and hardship, how you lean on God in the tough times AND the good... See not only will your decisions affect your story but others will SEE your story too:  your friends... your family.... your spouse.... your kids... as private a person as you might be, SOMEONE will still know your story.  SOMEONE will still know, even if that someone is God.  Chances are though, He's not the only one.

All I know is I am going to be MUCH more mindful of the fact that the choices I make today will be part of the story I will tell forever.  I know that I want to tell a story that will be honoring to God, that will be honoring to my future wife, and that will give my kids the ability to tell a much better story than I can.

-The Sailing Preacher

Pain and Promises

Isn't it funny how many curve balls life can throw at you?  There’s an old adage that says “the best way to make God laugh is to tell him your plans”.  It isn't the most theologically sound statement to make, but the sentiment is undeniably true.  A year ago I thought I would be enrolled in medical school, married, living in a new area, and enjoying every minute of it.  BOY was I wrong!  I used to feel like I was the only one who felt this way but the more people I talk to, the more I realize that I am unquestionably not alone in this area.  The events of the past two years… and ESPECIALLY the last 3 months have truly caused me to, once again, start from scratch and try figure out this thing called life.  The most significant of these events was the birth of my nephew.

I remember how excited everyone was when my brother's girlfriend announced they were inducing her the day after Christmas.  It had been a long nine months and everyone from my brother to my grandmother was relieved that the end was in sight.  The journey to this point had not been an easy one for any of us.  I am not going to go into a lot of details in order to protect the reputation and honor of a lot of people, but the arrival of a new baby in our family could not have come at a better time, especially for me.  See, God had been working hard in my life in ways that I was not too happy about.  He decided that I needed to lose everything I cared about so that I would re-center my life around Him.  It worked. My eyes went straight to the sky and my heart went straight to Him.

I very quickly began to feel like Job did in the Old Testament and my way of thinking became quite a lot like his:

"If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas" Job 6:2-3
"I despise my life; I would not live forever. If I had sinned, what have I done to you O watcher of men?  Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?" Job 7:16,20
"Even if I summoned (God) and He responded, I do not believe he would give me a hearing.  He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason." Job 9:16-17
"Though I cry 'I've been wronged!' I get no response; though I call for help, there is no justice." Job 19:7

After reading that particular book of the Bible, I realized that during a time of suffering... God is still God and is not obligated to answer my questions nor is He required to explain why I am going through what I am going through (Job 38-41).  As true as that is, its not very satisfying for a man who spends his life seeking knowledge and understanding.  So what did I do?  I tried to find them anyway!

Have you ever thought about promises?  We tend make a lot of promises.

We make promises to ourselves: "I promise to get back into the gym", or "I promise to lose weight", or "I promise to pay more attention in school", or "I promise to respect myself more with my decisions".

We make promises to others: "I promise I'll get the milk on my way home", or "I promise I'll call that client for you when I get into work tomorrow", or "I promise to love and cherish you for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer..."

We make promises to God: "God, I promise if you get me through this test, I'll volunteer to serve the poor." or "If you get rid of this flu bug I'll never miss church again." or "If you just give me (blank) I'll dedicate my entire life to you."

The problem with us making promises is that we tend to fail to follow through all the time.  We might be able to keep MOST of our promises MOST of the time, but no one has a 100% track record.  God makes a lot of promises too.  There are entire books written about the Promises of God.  A few of them (not even CLOSE to the full list) are:

• "So do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10.
• "Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare." Isaiah 55:2
• "Jesus said to her, 'your brother will rise again.'" John 11:23
• "Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43
• "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Genesis 12:2-3

While we might not have a perfect track record, God does!  His faithfulness is 100%.  When God makes a promise, He follows through.  He might not do so in our timing, He might not do so in the WAY we want, but He ALWAYS keeps His promises.  As a wise man once said "Our God is a covenant making, covenant keeping God."  The prophet Isaiah said (in ch 25, vs 1) "O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things planned long ago."  That is a beautiful realization!  

But, like I often do, I tend to over-think things.  For a while now I have questioned whether or not God still makes promises to us in the 21st century. I have searched the scriptures and tried finding proof or some sort of hope that God does still make new promises. The problem I came across is all the "hope giving" verses I found, when taken in context, were promises to sustain the nation of Israel or to bring us the Messiah, or to give us the Holy Spirit... or other promises that have already been fulfilled.  

I began to doubt God.

I later realized that the doubt wasn't really rational but was derived from my personal bitterness and anger that my life felt/feels meaningless and inconsequential.  It was derived from the feeling that God had forgotten about me or perhaps even that He has no intention of giving me the ONE desire of my heart greater than all others in this world (save for the desire for God himself)... The desire to have a wife and a family. The arrival of my nephew reinforced that feeling because it pointed a big spotlight on that particular area of my life. My younger brother has achieved that which I have always wanted.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love and adore both my brother and that baby...he truly is a blessing and miracle, but nonetheless, he's a daily reminder that God has chosen NOT to bless me in that way.  That really made me question one of the promises in the Old Testament that I had used for comfort and reassurance for years, Jeremiah 29:11.  It says:

• "'For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

When I, in my hurt, looked at that particular promise in the context... I saw for the first time what it was REALLY written for.  See, the nation of Israel had been taken into captivity into Babylon and they were beginning to lose heart.  God had promised that they would be established as a nation forever and yet here they were in captivity.  No kingdom. No country. No hope.  I would have lost heart too. God made the promise through the prophet Jeremiah to reassure the people of Israel that He was still in control, that they would not lose their identity through this time of captivity and even to reassure them that it was only a temporary situation. In my studies, I saw why God would have needed to preserve Israel to keep his promises earlier in the O.T.  That, unfortunately, didn't give me a lot of hope that I could even apply this verse to my own life.  When Christ was born, God fulfilled the promise that necessitated Israel to be preserved. So what did that mean for me?  

I felt myself becoming even more bitter, I felt myself losing all hope that the next tomorrow would be better than my today.  I felt like I was reaching the point of absolute despair.  Finally, a turning point came when I was reminded of something I had been taught years ago regarding the Bible.  The things in scripture may have been written contextually, but everything IN scripture can still be used in life in the 21st century.  It was written TO the people of that time but written FOR all people of all times.   How that works exactly, is a different story but the point is that remembering that fact gave me the first shred of hope I'd had in a long time.

I can finally see that those promises were not just made to the nation of Israel but also to me.  My bitterness is gone, my anger is gone, my doubt is gone.  There is still more pain and longing than I have ever experienced before in my life, but the one thing that now exists that makes it bearable: hope.

By the way, if you look to the very next verses in Jeremiah 29 you'll see something quite interesting.

• "'Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,' declares the Lord."  Jeremiah 29:12-14

God elaborates on His promise.  He is saying that He cares.  He wants to be my... He wants to be OUR God.  He is exactly who He claims to be.  God is faithful and God can be trusted!  I realized that God knows how to bless me better than even I know how to bring blessings to myself.  I think it truly is time to give over everything, even my own happiness... my desires.... my everything, to the one know knows the name of every hair on my head.  No matter how well I might know myself, how much I might know what would bring be TRUE happiness... He still knows better.  Really, who could do a better job of being the God of my life, Him or me?  I think you probably know the answer to that one too.

-The Sailing Preacher