I think we hear this concept all the time, and we say "Yes, that's true." We hear the sermons in our church every weekend and tend to agree with what the preacher says. But then we get into our workday midweek lives and wonder why life is so hard. We have a bad day at work, or we struggle at home, and we can tend to wonder when God will move on our behalf.
It is true: hope and hurt are not mutually exclusive. Hope often rises in the midst of hurt. Take a look at the book of Isaiah. I have been reading this in recent weeks, and there are two common themes:
1-There is judgment in store for those who have disobeyed God and His commandments.
2- Even with this judgment there is hope coming with which the world will never be the same.
Isaiah 36-37 features the invasion of Judah by Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Sennacherib is extremely bold, mocking God left and right. He believes the God of Israel is nothing more than one of the wooden idols that had been torn down in one of his many conquests. For Hezekiah, the news is troubling, if I may understate. He had been following God like his ancestor David, trying to obey the laws of God and follow His word, and this comes? Imagine the stress! The great conqueror of the land, calling Egypt a bunch of nobodies, is basically telling you to prepare, no one can save you.
In the midst of this, hope comes. He takes Sennacherib's words to the temple, lays them out before God, and declares his hope. What happened? God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, and declared to him his hope was not unfounded. He told him He knows everything about that guy: when he sits, when he stands up, and he will take care of him. The next day, 185,000 men are dead, without a single blow. Sennacherib returns home and is murdered by his sons. The mighty conqueror is now just an afterthought of history.
Sometimes to get to the place you want to be you have to go through the rough part of town.
Sometimes to get a job you want, you might have to work a job you don't want.
Sometimes you are detoured to a different place you than where you thought you were going.
But God hasn't left you. The voices telling you that He doesn't care will soon be silenced as His glory will be revealed in you.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Addressing a common misconception
This may be considered a break from the normal postings you see on the Wide Scope, but there is a serious problem that I have to address. You see, there is a word that is common in the English language that receives constant abuse. It is quite common in its usage, and is a popular thing for people to talk about, especially in the summer. The saddest part of all is, most people that use the word in error have no idea they are doing it, in spite of television shows determined to help people understand the error of their ways.
What is this word that has me so riled up this hot Thursday evening?
Barbecue.
Barbecue is NOT A VERB! Barbecue is a NOUN!
More specifically, barbecue is a noun describing a type of food. Barbecue does NOT EVER refer to a piece of equipment used for preparing meat or vegetable products.
In its truest form, barbecue refers to pork shoulder, beef brisket, ribs, and occasionally chicken smoked for hours at a time. Since I am in western North Carolina, barbecue refers to pork with a lovely ketchup based sauce. Eastern NC, it's vinegar based, and that does have its place. In South Carolina, it's mustard-based, and that does have a special place in my heart - - er, stomach.
Barbecue is not something you do, nor is it a piece of equipment. The word you are looking for in that instance is the word GRILL. You GRILL hamburgers and hot dogs. You place the vegetable skewers on the GRILL. Another word you may be looking for is COOKOUT. In other words, you do not have A barbecue. You have BARBECUE.
Also, barbecue can be considered an adjective, when used to describe certain styles of sauce or meat that has been smoked when describing the animal that was smoked, but that is the only exception I will make to this rule.
The most common offenders to this are yankees, northerners, and people in the west coast. I pray God forgive them for the folly of speaking in this fashion.
I thank you for your indulgence in this blog. I hope you had fun. Now, join me in celebrating the truth by having some wonderful barbecue!
What is this word that has me so riled up this hot Thursday evening?
Barbecue.
Barbecue is NOT A VERB! Barbecue is a NOUN!
More specifically, barbecue is a noun describing a type of food. Barbecue does NOT EVER refer to a piece of equipment used for preparing meat or vegetable products.
In its truest form, barbecue refers to pork shoulder, beef brisket, ribs, and occasionally chicken smoked for hours at a time. Since I am in western North Carolina, barbecue refers to pork with a lovely ketchup based sauce. Eastern NC, it's vinegar based, and that does have its place. In South Carolina, it's mustard-based, and that does have a special place in my heart - - er, stomach.
Barbecue is not something you do, nor is it a piece of equipment. The word you are looking for in that instance is the word GRILL. You GRILL hamburgers and hot dogs. You place the vegetable skewers on the GRILL. Another word you may be looking for is COOKOUT. In other words, you do not have A barbecue. You have BARBECUE.
Also, barbecue can be considered an adjective, when used to describe certain styles of sauce or meat that has been smoked when describing the animal that was smoked, but that is the only exception I will make to this rule.
The most common offenders to this are yankees, northerners, and people in the west coast. I pray God forgive them for the folly of speaking in this fashion.
I thank you for your indulgence in this blog. I hope you had fun. Now, join me in celebrating the truth by having some wonderful barbecue!
Friday, July 8, 2011
A letter to my hometown
(I would have posted this in the local paper, but I believe more people read my blog. Also, you can't view their page online without subscribing.)
Dear Lenoir,
I did not want this day to come, but we need to separate. Please do not take this personally. I have a lot of love and affection for you. It's not like I won't ever see you again, but let's be honest: I have needs that you simply cannot provide for me. For example, I haven't received a paycheck from you since 1998. I've had to go to everyone around you- Blowing Rock, Morganton, Hickory, and now Wilkesboro- because you just haven't given me what I need in that area. The family and I have to get away.
It's going to be good for us. Levi will start going to school in Wilkesboro, where they have a great Christian school. Things are improving for me at work, but we need to step away from you to improve things a little bit more. It's caused a stressful period for us, but it will improve us for the better, and greatly help the rest of the family as well.
As I get out of town, I wanted to pass a little advice for you. Support your businesses. By businesses, I mean more than Walmart. Magic Mart will do you well if you realize it's not Walmart, it has good stuff, and can save you a trip to Hickory. For goodness sakes, enjoy the new Krispy Kreme. Keep that Mayflower seafood restaurant open, if you can. Also- if the rumors of a Chick-fil-a coming are true, by God, make the most of it. You know I will come visit.
Encourage some entrepreneurs that may be lurking in your limits. I realize you have needs, and I would love to be able to help you out, but I just don't have the ability. I do know what I would love to see: That sight that I saw this Monday- the mall parking lot completely full of cars? I remember that sight when I was a boy. It was nice to see it again, but now it only has two stores! I would love to see either those stores get some neighbors or them in another location. I'd also like to see you get another theater. Two cinemas are not enough for a city of your size.
I want you to preserve the great things of the past. I know there are plans for the Harper School to restore the Lenoir High School Band building, and I can't wait to see that restored to its former glory. (But at the same time could you get rid of some of those eyesores? The factories that are run down, the buildings that should be condemned, etc.)
We've had good times, and bad times. I've had some embarrassing times there. We've lost friends within your borders, and said hello and goodbye to a great many people. You are forever a part of my life.
You see, I want good things for you. And it's not like I won't be back- we still have family and friends in town. You know I will have to come to some Hibriten football games, especially for homecoming and band alumni night. But we need to get away from each other. I still love you, and I hope you know that. When I hear Montgomery Gentry's "Our Town," I think of you. Consider it our song. But things can never be like they were, and it's time to say goodbye.
Yours,
Jonathan
Dear Lenoir,
I did not want this day to come, but we need to separate. Please do not take this personally. I have a lot of love and affection for you. It's not like I won't ever see you again, but let's be honest: I have needs that you simply cannot provide for me. For example, I haven't received a paycheck from you since 1998. I've had to go to everyone around you- Blowing Rock, Morganton, Hickory, and now Wilkesboro- because you just haven't given me what I need in that area. The family and I have to get away.
It's going to be good for us. Levi will start going to school in Wilkesboro, where they have a great Christian school. Things are improving for me at work, but we need to step away from you to improve things a little bit more. It's caused a stressful period for us, but it will improve us for the better, and greatly help the rest of the family as well.
As I get out of town, I wanted to pass a little advice for you. Support your businesses. By businesses, I mean more than Walmart. Magic Mart will do you well if you realize it's not Walmart, it has good stuff, and can save you a trip to Hickory. For goodness sakes, enjoy the new Krispy Kreme. Keep that Mayflower seafood restaurant open, if you can. Also- if the rumors of a Chick-fil-a coming are true, by God, make the most of it. You know I will come visit.
Encourage some entrepreneurs that may be lurking in your limits. I realize you have needs, and I would love to be able to help you out, but I just don't have the ability. I do know what I would love to see: That sight that I saw this Monday- the mall parking lot completely full of cars? I remember that sight when I was a boy. It was nice to see it again, but now it only has two stores! I would love to see either those stores get some neighbors or them in another location. I'd also like to see you get another theater. Two cinemas are not enough for a city of your size.
I want you to preserve the great things of the past. I know there are plans for the Harper School to restore the Lenoir High School Band building, and I can't wait to see that restored to its former glory. (But at the same time could you get rid of some of those eyesores? The factories that are run down, the buildings that should be condemned, etc.)
We've had good times, and bad times. I've had some embarrassing times there. We've lost friends within your borders, and said hello and goodbye to a great many people. You are forever a part of my life.
You see, I want good things for you. And it's not like I won't be back- we still have family and friends in town. You know I will have to come to some Hibriten football games, especially for homecoming and band alumni night. But we need to get away from each other. I still love you, and I hope you know that. When I hear Montgomery Gentry's "Our Town," I think of you. Consider it our song. But things can never be like they were, and it's time to say goodbye.
Yours,
Jonathan
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Keeping up appearances: June, 2011
If you are wondering: no, I haven't been on vacation.
I haven't taken a sabbatical.
I haven't abandoned the Wide Scope.
What I am doing is searching for inspiration, energy, and a brief moment of time in my day. I have had some ideas, and there will be some new posts coming soon. I promise.
I haven't taken a sabbatical.
I haven't abandoned the Wide Scope.
What I am doing is searching for inspiration, energy, and a brief moment of time in my day. I have had some ideas, and there will be some new posts coming soon. I promise.
Monday, May 30, 2011
You CAN'T always get what you want...
...but you can get what you need.
In reading Psalm 37 this weekend, this is what swept over me. We really have been taking this verse, and most of scripture for that matter, out of context. It came about in the first few verses:
"Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act." (verses 3-5, ESV)
Too many people look at the Bible and look at verses like these like God's blank check. They look at verses such as this as well as Deuteronomy 8:18, which in the NASB reads "But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day." The KJV says the "power to GET wealth." They misinterpret these so easily: God's gonna make me rich. God's gonna give me my heart's desire. Then they get disappointed when they don't get rich.
Deuteronomy 8:18 says God gives you the ability to do work and produce income for your family. God's not promising you a life of wealth with this verse, it says that through Him is the ability to do work to put food on your table. Through him, you earn a living, and produce wealth.
Back to Psalm 37: Trust in the Lord, be faithful to Him. Delight in Him, and He will give you your heart's desire. In other words, align yourself with His ways of thinking. Seek what God wants for you and through you. If you seek selfish desires, that is not what God wants, that is what you want. If you seek His kingdom and advancing it, His desires become your desires. He will then give you your heart's desire, because at that point your heart is right, and He will give you the means to make that desire become a reality (See Matthew 6).
As it says later on in Psalm 37: "I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing" (v. 25-26, NASB). If you are seeking what God wants, and looking to serve Him by being generous and helping others, He will satisfy you and will not leave you begging. And as I've mentioned recently, He doesn't operate on our timetable. It may seem lean, but He knows what you need, just when you need it. Trust Him, praise Him, and serve Him. You will be pleased with the results.
In reading Psalm 37 this weekend, this is what swept over me. We really have been taking this verse, and most of scripture for that matter, out of context. It came about in the first few verses:
"Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act." (verses 3-5, ESV)
Too many people look at the Bible and look at verses like these like God's blank check. They look at verses such as this as well as Deuteronomy 8:18, which in the NASB reads "But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day." The KJV says the "power to GET wealth." They misinterpret these so easily: God's gonna make me rich. God's gonna give me my heart's desire. Then they get disappointed when they don't get rich.
Deuteronomy 8:18 says God gives you the ability to do work and produce income for your family. God's not promising you a life of wealth with this verse, it says that through Him is the ability to do work to put food on your table. Through him, you earn a living, and produce wealth.
Back to Psalm 37: Trust in the Lord, be faithful to Him. Delight in Him, and He will give you your heart's desire. In other words, align yourself with His ways of thinking. Seek what God wants for you and through you. If you seek selfish desires, that is not what God wants, that is what you want. If you seek His kingdom and advancing it, His desires become your desires. He will then give you your heart's desire, because at that point your heart is right, and He will give you the means to make that desire become a reality (See Matthew 6).
As it says later on in Psalm 37: "I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends, And his descendants are a blessing" (v. 25-26, NASB). If you are seeking what God wants, and looking to serve Him by being generous and helping others, He will satisfy you and will not leave you begging. And as I've mentioned recently, He doesn't operate on our timetable. It may seem lean, but He knows what you need, just when you need it. Trust Him, praise Him, and serve Him. You will be pleased with the results.
Monday, May 23, 2011
It's true: the waiting IS the hardest part
"Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage;wait for the LORD!" Psalm 27:14 (ESV)
If there's anything I have been trying to tell people during the whole "the rapture is coming on May 21" issues of the last few weeks, it is this: God operates out of time. That verse from 2 Peter that says a day to the Lord is a thousand years and vice versa? It's not meant to be taken literally. It simply means to God time is irrelevant.
To us, the human race that works 40 hours a week, need our pizza delivered in 30 minutes, popcorn in 2 minutes, and the preacher to be done by noon so we can hit the buffet and tip poorly? We operate in the world of time. The sun goes up in the east, and down in the west. The moon reflects the sun's light to shine at night. We have 3 shifts to work around the clock. Doctors give a prognosis that a sickness may take a loved one in weeks, months, or hours. We have deadlines that demand our attention.
Days lead to weeks, months, and years. Time leads babies to adulthood, away from their parents, and repeating the cycle.
In other words, WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO WAIT.
But that it was God wants. He wants us to wait. Later in Psalm 130:5, it says "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope." It is hard to wait, and this is true. It is hard to wait when you see the prognosis given to one of your family members. It is hard to wait when you are not sure how the finances will turn out. It is hard to wait when the children that you took from the hospital in a tiny bundle are asking for your car keys. It is hard to wait when the world will not.
Think of John 11. This has been used way too many times to see the perfect example of waiting on God, but it is the best one. Mary and Martha waited on God, and waited until they could not wait no more.
Then He came, and showed His glory.
What am I saying? simply to hold on. It may be very hard. You may never know when you're going to escape the hum-drum existence of your life into what God promised, or when you will see your loved one healed. But he asks for you to wait. Wait and be amazed when He shows up.
If there's anything I have been trying to tell people during the whole "the rapture is coming on May 21" issues of the last few weeks, it is this: God operates out of time. That verse from 2 Peter that says a day to the Lord is a thousand years and vice versa? It's not meant to be taken literally. It simply means to God time is irrelevant.
To us, the human race that works 40 hours a week, need our pizza delivered in 30 minutes, popcorn in 2 minutes, and the preacher to be done by noon so we can hit the buffet and tip poorly? We operate in the world of time. The sun goes up in the east, and down in the west. The moon reflects the sun's light to shine at night. We have 3 shifts to work around the clock. Doctors give a prognosis that a sickness may take a loved one in weeks, months, or hours. We have deadlines that demand our attention.
Days lead to weeks, months, and years. Time leads babies to adulthood, away from their parents, and repeating the cycle.
In other words, WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO WAIT.
But that it was God wants. He wants us to wait. Later in Psalm 130:5, it says "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope." It is hard to wait, and this is true. It is hard to wait when you see the prognosis given to one of your family members. It is hard to wait when you are not sure how the finances will turn out. It is hard to wait when the children that you took from the hospital in a tiny bundle are asking for your car keys. It is hard to wait when the world will not.
Think of John 11. This has been used way too many times to see the perfect example of waiting on God, but it is the best one. Mary and Martha waited on God, and waited until they could not wait no more.
Then He came, and showed His glory.
What am I saying? simply to hold on. It may be very hard. You may never know when you're going to escape the hum-drum existence of your life into what God promised, or when you will see your loved one healed. But he asks for you to wait. Wait and be amazed when He shows up.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
I am not a trusting source.
In the midst of the battle I have had recently with the depression that has had me down, I confessed something to God. What it was was truly scary, and what I honestly felt:
I did not trust God to have my best interests in store for me.
Something happened after I confessed that to God on my way to work last Thursday. The heavens did not open and angels sing a chorus to me. Nor did I get struck by lightning or swallowed up by the earth because of my unbelief.
What happened was I asked Him for help, and he provided it to me. He lifted me out of the depression and showed my that He is God, and he is worthy to be trusted. Saturday at church, He reiterated that point. Through the sermon in Genesis 24, God used Pastor Steven Furtick's message and a verse that isn't in the Bible. Abraham (a lesson on trusting God, going into a land he never had been to or knew because God asked him to) asks his servant to go into his homeland and find a wife for his son Isaac. So the servant loads 40 camels and makes the trip. The next verse shows him at the destination. What isn't listed? The long journey from one land to another. The 500 mile trip. No doubt it was hard, but in the end the trip wasn't even worth mentioning.
God showed me that I am in the middle of the trip, but I will make it to the other side, and He will lead me there. He is worth trusting.
I am mentally out of the pit I had been in the last two weeks, and it feels great. Yeah, the struggles are still there. The job is pretty hard. There are questions that still have to be answered on a daily basis, and we currently don't have those answers, but God is showing Himself faithful to be trusted. He has shown me again in my daily Bible reading.
Take a look at people that learned that God is faithful:
Abraham.
Isaac.
Joseph.
Gideon.
David.
Peter.
My parents.
My mother-in-law.
Me.
Countless millions of others.
Daily He is showing himself faithful. He is not a fan of doubt, but He wants you to confess your fears and faults to him, and He will lift you out and show himself mighty. It is not always easy. But it is worth it.
I did not trust God to have my best interests in store for me.
Something happened after I confessed that to God on my way to work last Thursday. The heavens did not open and angels sing a chorus to me. Nor did I get struck by lightning or swallowed up by the earth because of my unbelief.
What happened was I asked Him for help, and he provided it to me. He lifted me out of the depression and showed my that He is God, and he is worthy to be trusted. Saturday at church, He reiterated that point. Through the sermon in Genesis 24, God used Pastor Steven Furtick's message and a verse that isn't in the Bible. Abraham (a lesson on trusting God, going into a land he never had been to or knew because God asked him to) asks his servant to go into his homeland and find a wife for his son Isaac. So the servant loads 40 camels and makes the trip. The next verse shows him at the destination. What isn't listed? The long journey from one land to another. The 500 mile trip. No doubt it was hard, but in the end the trip wasn't even worth mentioning.
God showed me that I am in the middle of the trip, but I will make it to the other side, and He will lead me there. He is worth trusting.
I am mentally out of the pit I had been in the last two weeks, and it feels great. Yeah, the struggles are still there. The job is pretty hard. There are questions that still have to be answered on a daily basis, and we currently don't have those answers, but God is showing Himself faithful to be trusted. He has shown me again in my daily Bible reading.
Take a look at people that learned that God is faithful:
Abraham.
Isaac.
Joseph.
Gideon.
David.
Peter.
My parents.
My mother-in-law.
Me.
Countless millions of others.
Daily He is showing himself faithful. He is not a fan of doubt, but He wants you to confess your fears and faults to him, and He will lift you out and show himself mighty. It is not always easy. But it is worth it.
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