Merry Christmas to All

Upside Down from Pace Hartfield on Vimeo.

Responding to Anonymous Letters

Anonymous letters, like the one above, are part of the existence of pastors. In this, we are not unlike other public figures--politicians, leaders, business people, writers, etc. I am sure that some public figures believe that all critics are out of line. But that's not true for pastors. Good pastors (good Christians) recognize their fallen humanity and thus, their fallibity. When their foibles, mistakes, and sin become known with the Lord's conviction, they do what the Lord asks--repent, confess, and make restitution where possible. So my trouble with anonymous letters is not the inherent criticism. There usually is a shred of truth in such letters. My difficulty is with the anonymity. Here's why:

1. The Lord never authorizes anonymous criticism. Matthew 5:23-24 and Matthew 18:15-17 are the prototypical Scripture passages on criticism. Both require going to the person being criticized in a face-to-face meeting.



2. Anonymity is not a God-authorized way to escape possible retribution from people in power over you. Nathan's confrontation with David (2 Samuel 12:1-14) and Esther's confrontation with King Xerxes and Haman are vivid examples of the courage required to criticize in a godly way. Esther's attitude is classic. Esther 4:16 (NIV) I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."



3. Anonymity shortcircuits the Lord's intent in godly criticism--repentance, restoration, and reconciliation. Arguably the anonymous critic is not seeking any of these things which God wants most when brokenness has entered our relationships. Repentance and restoration are possible for a tender-hearted recipient of an anonymous letter, but not nearly as likely as when criticism is delivered by a caring and courageous critic face-to-face. We certainly know that reconciliation is not possible. One can't reconcile with one whose identity is unknown. Any Christian who is tempted to write an anonymous letter needs to remember that God has given the Christian "the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18).



4. Anonymity lacks love. We are to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Real love requires a relationship. Anonymity runs from relationship. Jesus said we are to love others as He loved us (John 13:34-35). He came near us. Can you imagine Jesus delivering an anonymous critical letter to us? The Bible is His letter to us. And we know exactly who wrote it (2 Timothy 3:16-17).



5. Anonymity is an attempt to manipulate and intimidate, which comes from selfishness not service. The Bible is very clear how we should speak to other people. Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. An anonymous letter is written more for the benefit of the writer than it is for the recipient or any third party.

So given those things, how do I respond to an anonymous letter?

1. I take the issue up with God. God uses a multitude of ways to convict me of my sin and mistakes, including anonymous letters. As I said, most issues in such letters have some validity. This one was no different. Since God is the one I answer to and the one who convicts me of sin perfectly, I take the issue to Him. When He convicts me, I repent and seek to change. When He does not, I ignore it.



2. I then throw the letter in the trash and forget it. Anonymous letters are hurtful because they lack integrity and there is no loving relationship. Rather than rehearsing the hurt over and over, I ask God to help me forget it. I do not give nearly as much weight to the issues in an anonymous letter as I would to a person who had the conviction, courage, and love to come to me personally and kindly.



3. I pray for the writer. I may not know who it is, but God knows. I ask God to help the person grow as a Christian so that they will be more Biblical in their approach to criticising others. I pray that they will become better at relationships. I do not condemn because Jesus does not condemn (John 5:17). If there is anything to avenge, I leave that to God (Romans 12:19).



4. I pray for myself so that I will never be tempted to do something similar (Galatians 6:1). And I pray that I will become more open to people, inviting them into my life. I ask God to help me change my body language so that people will know that my heart is open to them, even their criticism.



5. I pray for reconciliation with the writer. The Bible says in Romans 12:18 (NIV) If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Because I do not know who the writer is, I cannot do anything more than pray. I pray that the writer will make himself or herself known to me.
   

I hope this helps those who are close to me to know my heart. I also hope that this helps you should you ever receive an anonymous letter.

P.S. If the writer of the recent letter reads this, please come see me. You will find that if you say things with kindness that I am not defensive. I know that I am but dust and prone to sin. To claim otherwise would make me a liar (1 John 1:7-10). So come see me in order that we can be reconciled. While I may not agree with your assessment of me or my actions, we can agree to disagree agreeably.

A Complaint about Complainers

We are becoming a society of complainers. On Wednesday the Albuquerque Journal revealed that a creative Albuquerque music teacher had rewritten the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" for his school's Christmas program. In his "twelve gifts" he included several controversial items in Albuquerque, such as, underpaid Educational Assistants. The teacher transformed a song celebrating gift-giving into a song of complaint. That's typical for the day in which we lived. Well, as you might guess, a few parents complained about the content of the impending program, carrying their complaint all the way to the administration of the Albuquerque Public School (APS). And, of course, APS caved, pulling the plug on "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

Our whole society runs on complaints. Everyone is complaining about something, even at Christmas. Now, I am complaining about complainers! Not only do we complain, we give power to complainers. Never has the saying been more true than it is today: "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

Will you join me in a campaign to stop complaining? Let's celebrate instead. We have so much to celebrate: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to name three things. And let's begin this celebration campaign in the church. After all, the Bible urges Christ followers to (Philippians 2:14-16 (NIV)) 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life... It is difficult, even impossible to tell someone about the good news of eternal life in Jesus Christ, if you are known as complainers and grumblers.

Let's celebrate this Christmas, instead of complaining. Let's stop complaining ourselves and quit empowering complainers by giving in to their complaints. Oh yes, it is possible that a complaint may be valid. But most of the time, complaints are not worth listening too. There are more reasons to celebrate than to complain. Besides, celebration is just a lot more fun.

I think I will go worship our Lord and celebrate His goodness today. I hope that you will too, or have already done so. Psalm 122:1 (NIV) I rejoiced with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD."

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

It snowed yesterday in Moriarty, not enough to create a school delay or provide sufficient moisture. But for Moriarty, any snow is a major event. Everyone I know wanted more.

Freshly fallen snow makes even a barren landscape like Moriarty into a prettier place. Snow is God's well-applied makeup for the face of any location on earth. Some earthly locations are pretty without snow. Some, like Moriarty, need all the help they can get. But one thing is true--snow makes any place a more beautiful place.

Because human beings are made in God's image, all possess a certain beauty. But let's face it, some human beings are more naturally beautiful--inwardly and outwardly--than others. God in his wise sovereignty decides that. But what can be said is that human beauty fades with the passing of time. Life ravages us in every way. If left to our own devices, we don't get better with time, we get worse. Personal experience and human history reveal that fading beauty is the curse of every human being. We know that's true physically. But we resist admitting that it is true of every part of our being. The truth is, we need a little (or a lot) of snow in our lives to make us more beautiful and more bountiful.

Speaking to women, Apostle Peter encouraged them to seek not outward adornment which fades, but the "unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit... for this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful" (1 Peter 3:4-5). That's not true for just women, but for all. An old friend, Carol Mansfield from Enid, Oklahoma, was the epitome of this kind of beauty. God did not give Carol a physical beauty that drew much attention. While Carol took care of herself, she didn't worry too much about outward adornment. But from a young age, she was a godly follower of Jesus Christ. She taught me much about the growing beauty that God gives through His Son Jesus. I sure needed that lesson at the time. Thanks, Carol. Carol is in heaven now, felled like so many by cancer. But I look forward to seeing her beautiful face and spirit again.

The snow that makes us permamently beautiful is Jesus Christ. Jesus made this promise to us. John 15:5 (NIV) "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. That's quite a claim. Without Him we remain barren--ugly and useless. But with Him we become fruitful--bounteous and beautiful. He is the snow we need.

Let me be clear. I am not talking about religion here--Christian or otherwise. Some of the ugliest people I have ever known have gone to church for years, but done so apart from Christ. Rules and religion ravage beauty. But when you allow Christ to "snow" in your life every day, his beauty and glory in you grows. In the words of Paul, 2 Corinthians 3:13-18 (NIV) We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away... 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

A Grief Observed

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NIV) 13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.



Grief is a human thing, a product of our fallen world. All human beings grieve. Our expressions of grief are different, but it all erupts from the same core--a sense of loss. Christians grieve as all do. They experience loss too in this life. Yet, as the Apostle Paul states above, Christians do grieve differently. I observed Christian grief this past week, while with my sister in Wyoming. Nancy's husband, Tom, died on November 22nd. Here is what I observed as my sister, who is also my sister-in-Christ, grieved:

1. Nancy grieved deeply and continues to do so. In fact, she will grieve the rest of her life. Jesus Himself grieved deeply at the death of his friend, Lazarus. (John 10:35). In fact, it seems to me that the more your heart has been tenderized by Jesus Christ, the more deeply you will grieve. Grief at death is directly proportional to love in life. Tom and Nancy deeply loved each other, expressing it best during the last weeks of Tom's life. When you live in the presence of Jesus, your love will be deep. He teaches us how to love as no one else can do (John 13;34-35). I took heart in Nancy's unrelenting grief because it revealed her unconditional love for Tom, and the presence of Jesus Christ in her.
2. I took heart in Nancy's grief for another reason. Her grief was filled with hope. Christians grieve as anyone does. Yet, as Paul teaches above, Christians grieve differently because their grief is always filled with hope. Death remains an enemy for the Christian. But it is a defeated foe. For the Christian death does not have the last word. Read John 11:25-26 and 1 Corinthians 11:51-57. In Christ death has lost its sting. The Christian even through her tears sings the song of victory. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV) But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Nancy grieves, but she grieves with the hope of victory.
3. The Christian has more than "good memories" to cope with grief. As a pastor, I have served many grieving families. What I have noticed, as our society moves away from its Christian heritage, is that the only balm that many families have for their grief are good memories. They play their favorite songs (usually secular, not religious) and tell their favorite stories. Nothing wrong with that except that good memories are insufficient. What is needed is real hope, not just wishful thinking, but hope with a solid foundation. The Christian finds hope not in memories but in Christ. In light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (a historical fact), the Christian looks to the future with hope. The Christian knows that she shall see her Christian loved one again.. Past memories produce gratitude. But a future reunion produces hope. Nancy has hope!

So what did I observe this past week? I observed the deepest grief, because my sister loved Tom with the deepest love--a love only possible when one's heart has been tenderized by Jesus Christ. But I also observed the noblest grief, because Nancy's grief was not filled with despair, but with hope that stands firmly upon the resurrection of Christ and her faith in Him. She does not grieve as those who have no hope. She grieves with an eye to the future, past the days of loneliness she will experience during her remaining days on earth. She looks to her real home, where Tom now is and she will soon be. John 14:1-3 (NIV) 1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Jesus came back and took Tom home on November 22nd. Some day He will come back for Nancy and for all of us who have trusted Him in life and death. What a reunion that will be!

I am captivated by Christ!