Spiritual Leadership

I’ve been thinking about how Christians approach the matter of “Being led of God.” It seems that some Believers put stock in their education, rationalism, and planning. These people are impressed by papers on the wall (diploma’s), big words, and well crafted flow charts. They value ingenuity and creativeness. So, a young man who distinguished himself in seminary with very high grades, is viewed as though he is qualified to be a spiritual leader.

Does seminary produce true spiritual leaders? I mean, a number of gifted teachers can impart information, and a sharp mind may absorb it, but it seems to me that is the road to making another teacher, not a spiritual leader. A teacher approaches information with a set of skills, and applies them over and over again. If the subject is New Testament Greek, mastery of that language means that one can confidently exegete a passage and know that it will be right. A teacher may be like a map. A map confidently shows the route to take to get to the destination. It doesn’t reveal valleys, or the heat of the sun, or humidity. It doesn’t say to speed up for the coming hill, or slow down for the next. A map is limited to the amount of information it gives, and it doesn’t take into account any physical or emotional information. But that isn’t the same as being a spiritual leader.

A spiritual leader, or guide, knows the route to take, and he has walked it. He knows the view of the sunrise from such and such a place, and the cold and fear of such and such valley. He knows the hundred of physical and emotional experiences that visit the traveller along the route. Because the guide knows experientially, when a friend speaks of the road he is on, and how he feels, the guide knows right where he is on the road.

When I watch the movie, “Twister”, I see a good illustration of what I am thinking. In the movie, there are two teams of tornado chasers, trying to solve the mystery of why tornado’s form and how they work. One leader, “Bill” is a scientist, but he has more than that. He has “instincts”. The other leader is “Jonas.” Jonas is also a scientist, but he relies on his high tech instruments to find tornados. Bill listens to the weather data, but also stops along the road, looking at the sky, smelling the air, watching how a handful of road side dust floats away with the air currents. Jonas always has his nose glued to his instruments.

In the movie, Bill always beats Jonas to the tornados. Bill anticipates what the tornado is going to do. Jonas, and his high financed entourage of black Suburbans are always trying to even equal Bill and his rag tag shoe-string financed team. But they always come in “fashionably late.”

Instincts come from experience. For Bill, his awareness of a hundred subtle weather variables gave him the edge in knowing tornados. How about for Christians? I wonder sometimes about those in leadership of churches, mission agencies, and Christian colleges. How many are being led by the Holy Spirit, and how many just think they are, but in truth, they are not even listening to Him?

I sat in a church elder/deacon board meeting when a question about vacation Bible school came up. It seems that a member of the congregation, had asked the leadership board in advance to consider and pray about whether they ought to run a VBS that summer. The chairman of the board and the pastor neglected to share the idea with anyone else on the board. When the church member showed up at the meeting and asked for a decision, the chairman of the leadership board advised the rest of us of the request. Then, without a pause, he asked, “All in favour of the motion to run VBS this summer raise your hand.”

The hands went up in favour of the motion, but that is not why I remember the event. I remember the look on the face of the church member, a look of shock and disbelief. He asked, “Is this how you do things here? You never even asked God what He wanted us to do!”

It seems that there are some “Jonas’s” that worm their way into Church leadership. They have smarts, and a college education. Maybe they have graduate level education. They have learned the ways of the world and brought them into Christian agencies, churches, and institutions. But they have no instincts of the moving of the Holy Spirit.

The Message Bible says this about 1 Corinthians 10:14, “So, my very dear friends, when you see people reducing God to something they can use or control, get out of their company as fast as you can.”

Pharisees in the time of the Lord Jesus had the religious elite status. They had the diplomas. They memorized huge portions of Scripture. But of them, Jesus said,

“You study the Scriptures because in them you think that you will find eternal life, but they speak about Me, yet you won’t come to me that you might have life.” Most of the Pharisees had no instincts for God. For them, religion and salvation was something they thought they controlled.

Remember the reference to the church leadership that voted “God’s will” without praying about it? I remember another board meeting when a church member came to the meeting. The fellow didn’t have a high school education. He worked as a carpet layer. Yet, when this man spoke about a matter before the leadership, I found myself leaning forward in my chair to listen to him. He had a wisdom which spoke right out of the Bible. Instincts?

For some people, they would say that they want the teacher/map model. They really like the Jonas types and look up to them. It makes them feel like they are in control, I guess.

For me, I am drawn to spiritual guides. I want experienced leaders who have years of listening for the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. Not only do they know the way, but they encourage, and model a life rich in an attitude of expectancy. An expectancy that God is active, and leading my life.

Cancer update

Yesterday, Jannie had her 8th chemo treatment. That means there are four more to go.

Today, we had a meeting with the radiologist who will begin the radiation treatments in March.

So far, things are looking okay. Jannie doesn't have any major side effects from the treatments.

We are grateful for how well she is handling it all. We are grateful for safety on the roads considering the many miles we have to travel. We are grateful for our Church Family, the local people and those far away. We are sustained by their prayer and kind deeds .

Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Axe-man at the Siege

For me, life has been like siege warfare. I know it is my imagination, but in my imagination, I find myself looking at the ramparts of a stone castle. The castle has a name and it is Cancer.

In siege warfare, there just isn't a lot to write home about. If I wrote it would go, "Hi Mom, another day watching the wall. I touched up the edges on my arrows...again. I keep looking for the enemy commander to make a mistake and present himself for a shot. So far, no chance."

There is a boring but taxing weariness of this warfare. I try to keep alert. I must not get discouraged. But I don't do siege warfare well. My personality is better suited to battle line formations. Those that know me say they think I am an "axe-man". They may be right. I like it when the command is given. The lines close and a short violent battle ensues. Yep, that is my preference, but it doesn't matter. The Commander has decreed that I would participate in this siege, and that's that.

There is some progress, or so they say. The sappers are working numerous tunnels towards the stone walls. It is a slow work, digging digging digging. They say we are making 20 yards a day. Once they get under the wall, they will dig out a chamber, re-enforce it with timber. Then they will fill it with brush. At the right time, the brush will be lit a fire and the whole chamber consumed with flames. The supporting timbers will burn and weaken and the area above will collapse. The castle wall will fall, or so the plan goes. Until then, I try to stay healthy and keep my weapons clean and sharp.

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Jannie is about 1/3 of the way through her chemo treatments. She lost her hair with the first battery of chemo. I think it is beginning to grow back now. Her new chemo treatments leave her tired, but not much else for side effects.

We have to go to Kelowna, two hours away, every couple of weeks for treatments. In between, other treatments are done locally.

We are still engaged in our work, and see progress. We are grateful. May God be glorified through this trial He has been pleased to visit us with. We rest in Him.

Re-Learning History

I have been reading a book called, 1812, War With America, by Jon Latimer. It is a good scholarly investigation into a war that is conspicuously ignored in American history. To the victors of a war, go the rights to spin the history the way they want it. The American revolution against Britain certainly had it "righteous" spin by historians. But the war of 1812, that one is hard to justify. At its core were values of bitterness against Britain, an unvarnished lust for Canada, and pride.

America provoked the war as a land grab. In its pride, it thought it would be a "promenade to Montreal." The Good Book says that "pride goes before a fall," and it certainly proved true in this case. Instead of an easy walk to Montreal, the war provoked the Indian Wars in the then known Western territories. America had bitten off more than it could chew. For the first year of the war, it basically spelled the loss of a lot of land by America. Detroit and Michilimackinac were in Canadian control. The successful response to aggression by America even found the White House, the seat of American government, in flames.

Andrew Jackson survived the war and used it to successfully propel him into a successful political career. He claimed to have killed the mighty Shawnee Chief, Tecumseh. There never was any proof of the claim, but it made good fuel for his bid to the presidency. The First Nations peoples like the Shawnee and the Creeks were vanquished in the war. The land of Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri were open for expansion for the myth of Manifest Destiny.

The story has naval battles for control of the Great Lakes. The British doctrine for naval battle was volume of fire. They liked a lot of guns, (cannons), and were skilled in rapid firing. The Americans believed that only hits count. Like their love of the accurate flintlock rifle, so they employed naval guns that could out-reach the British guns. They didn't shoot as fast as the British, but they soon dominated the Great Lakes being able to blast anyone out of the way at distance.

Maybe I am beginning to understand how Canadians view their neighbors south of the long undefended border. It isn't exactly like the view from the American side.

"The only really decisive and lasting result of the War of 1812 was the complete British victory in Canada that secured Canadian independence. It would reverberate through history to 1914 and again to 1939, when, in Britain's darkest hours of need, Canada stood proudly by its side." (p.408)

Day by Day

Words to the hymn, Day by Day,

by Carolina Sandell Berg:

Day by day and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trial here;

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,

I've no reason for worry or for fear.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best;

Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me

With a special mercy for each hour;

All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,

He whose name is Counselor and Power.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid;

"As your days, your strength shall be in measure,"

This the pledge to me He has made.

Help me then in ev'ry tribulation,

So to trust Your promises, O Lord;

That I lose not faith's sweet consolation,

Offered me within Your holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E'er to take, as from a father's hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

Till I reach the promised land.

Welfare Mentality

Our society doesn't think highly of lazy moochers. Oh, people may not say it out loud, free speech being suppressed by "political correctness"; but they think it. I am not talking about people who can't work do to real physical or mental handicaps. I am thinking about the physically fit and mentally capable men and women who are just lazy. They are always on the take, and never give. They expect some one to provide for them as though it were a fundamental human right. On top of it, in keeping with the "right" to be egocentric, they don't say "thank you" either.

As offensive as those people are, I wonder how the rest of us would do if we were tested? I know people that work and pay their taxes, but are they any better than the lazy moochers? God says, in Romans 1:21, "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him." When I think about it, it seems really quite incredible that we are given the gift of life. Our heart beats and we take our next breath because God gives it to us. It is God who gives us intellectual abilities, talents, our gender, and do we take it for granted? God gives us food. It might have been oatmeal, that's all we get, all day, every day. But no, God gives us a huge variety of foods with different colors, textures, and flavors. It isn't a "right" to receive the countless benefits we receive daily. If God were playing by the rules of "rightness", our personal rebellions against Him each day would demand judgement, and that wouldn't be fun.

Romans 1:21 point out that thankfulness ought to be the obvious mark of all mankind. Lazy people with a welfare mentality are offensive to those people that work and pay taxes; but God finds the socially acceptable people, those who work, offensive when they do not honor Him, the giver of all life and abilities. Imagine taking for granted your next breath, and not being thankful?!

Taking the idea one step further, imagine being a child of God, one who professes to love God, and then living without thankfulness? Philippians 4:4-7, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

"Oh Lord, help me to live in thankfulness, and please forgive me when I forget."

A Pleasant Read

We are out in a rural area, with mountains to the north, south, and west. The only way we could have TV signals is if we signed up with the local satellite TV service. We had that in the house in Salmon Arm. We were disgusted with the poor programming. Like, every month, they programmed a week of The Green Mile. It wasn't just one channel either, try six. So, when we moved to the new house, we both agreed that satellite TV wasn't going to get our support, and we do without it.

Instead of turning on the "tube" for a relaxing break, we pick up a book. We have a little library of perhaps 500 books. (I know, it is too small, but I am working at building it up.) About 350 books are related to knowing God and Christian living. The others are about architecture, art, gardening, history, hunting, archery, and First Nations studies.

I recently picked up a book on Ebay, about the life of a hero of mine from my childhood. It was about Daniel Boone. The books I read about him in the school libraries painted the romantic adventurer in the lush forests of Kentucky. This new book, 430 pages, was written by John M. Faragher. His historical work stripped away the romantic and revealed the rheumatism, lice, starvation, and gore which was common at the edge of the frontier.

I chose this book as a pleasant read, but it has turned out to vex my soul. I read about naked aggression from my hero, who pursued taking lands which were occupied by Shawnee People. It wasn't that the land was vacant and so Daniel and thousands of other white people simply occupied it. He was met and clearly informed by the Shawnee where their land was and to stay off of it. Heedless of the warning, the land grab was on, and blood flowed on both sides.

When I look at it from the Shawnee view point, I think their response with war against the invaders is reasonable. The Shawnee were a private "keep to themselves" people. They didn't meddle with the neighboring tribes, which in the end contributed to their defeat. If they had joined the Iroquois Confederacy and the British, they would have had enough power to not only save their homes and lands, but the history of the USA would have developed quite differently; but they didn't.

I try to understand the mindset of the white pioneers at the frontier. It was a very different time. A time when "them that had the weapons, made the rules." It was like, "might made right." I don't agree with the utter contempt that the pioneers had for the Indians. Maybe it was the idea of Manifest Destiny which excused the treaty breaking, murder, and conquering of the Shawnee lands.

I sit and read about a tragedy. A tragedy for the Shawnee People. It was a tragedy in Daniel Boone's life, too. His brother and two of his son's perished in the land grab wars. I thought it would be a pleasant read, but it isn't. What makes it worse is that it is a true story.