Posted by: Don Linnen | 30 June 2015

Whipped

It’s been a week. Meeting deadlines at work after a long weekend visiting precious granddaughters. Sinuses reacting badly to either pollen or a little girl’s runny-nosed hug – though I’ll never pass up one of those hugs.

Vivid reports of terrorism at home and abroad. Supreme court rulings that satisfy some and unsettle others. I’m whipped – mentally, physically, emotionally. There are more questions than answers.

Last Sunday our teaching pastor, Charlie Dunn, asked, “If you can’t figure it out with God, how can you do it without God?”

My wrestling with God continues. That may be why I feel so whipped. That also may be why I’m getting stronger and feel so much more peace.

Wrestle on.

 

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Posted by: Don Linnen | 31 May 2015

Self-Focused Little King

transcendence |tranˈsendəns|

noun: existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level

example: the possibility of spiritual transcendence in the modern world

 

Each morning I drag my lazy butt out of bed and move into my stuporous routine. If I don’t spend a few moments the night before programming my autopilot with non-embarassing clothing choices, semi-healthy breakfast options, and hard-scheduled tasks there’s no telling how my morning will end.

Four years ago during my wife’s battle with cancer, I began reading a daily devotional. Now I begin each year with a new devotional and each morning with a new page and some alone time with God. I pray in my stupor. (That may be better than me thinking too much…more heart than head.)

Last week, Paul Tripp gently reminded me of my drive to meet deadlines, satisfy with accomplishments, and find pleasure in my little kingdom.

“Transcendence is a part of humanity. Adam and Eve weren’t placed in the garden for self-survival and self-satisfaction. They were immediately given a vision and commission that would take them far beyond the borders of their own needs and concerns. They were given amazing capacities to do what no other creature could do.

Think about what this means for all of us who are the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. You and I were created for more than filling up our schedules with the self-satisfying pursuits of personal pleasure. We were meant to do more than make sure that all of our needs are fulfilled and all our desires are satisfied. We were never meant to be self-focused little kings ruling miniscule little kingdoms with a population of one.

God’s grace invites you to be part of something that is far greater than your boldest and most expansive dream. His grace cuts a hole in your self-built prison and invites you to step into something so huge, so significant that only one word in the Bible can adequately capture it. That word is glory.”

Paul David Tripp

This is so good because I am so bad at being a king. 

And His grace is free.

 

For more by Tripp and his buddies, check out Heart of the Matter.

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Posted by: Don Linnen | 30 April 2015

Guilty as Charged

Was last Sunday just another day in the Kingdom? A few hours earlier the nation of Nepal had been brought to it’s knees. A few hours later the city of Baltimore was about to unravel.

In retrospect, how was that Sunday for me? It is all about me, right?

My morning was pretty good. Pecan pancakes. Bacon. Fruit and vege protein smoothie. But by noon I was in trouble. Again. I was convicted on five counts of flagrant transgressions.

Bryan Dunagan, Senior Pastor at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, talked about walking humbly during our 11 o’clock service. Not every sermon sticks with me – not by a long shot. This one did.

He reminded me that pride blinds us to injustice. That thought alone leads me to pause before I judge either side of the simmering conflicts between police and civilians.

On the charge of pridefulness: GUILTY as charged.

Dunagan urged us to walk in community. He said it’s hard to be humble when you walk alone. But I sure do like flying solo sometimes. A lot of times. I strongly relate to the old motto for reconnaissance pilots: “alone, unarmed, and unafraid.” The only problem is that unarmed part. When you’re trying to do it all yourself – do it without the Lord – you are pretty much unarmed.

On the charge of stubborn, willfulness: GUILTY as charged.

Next Dunagan reminded us of the old maxim “may you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.” Written perhaps 200 years before Christ, it encourages us to walk very closely behind a master teacher so that we don’t miss a single thing he says or does.

On the charge of not paying close attention to Jesus: GUILTY as charged.

His next point was that we need to walk towards the messes. There’s a huge, sad mess 12 time zones away in Nepal. But there’s also one in Dallas 10 miles to the west, or 8 miles to the south, or 3 miles to the east. There’s probably one right down our street that I haven’t figured out.

On the charge of avoiding the messes: GUILTY as charged.

Dunagan’s final reminder is what Jesus told anyone who’d follow Him – you need to carry a cross. You need to deny yourself, take up a cross, and follow Him daily. That’s a very unpopular concept in our current culture based on the entitlements of comfort, pleasure, and success.

On the charge of whining when I’m not comfortable: GUILTY as charged.

You can’t solve the problem until you define the problem. The charges against me pretty well define my problem. Solving it is the next big step in my strong walk.

Last night a friend told me of three questions Mother Teresa often asked her visitors:

1. Why were you born?

2. What is your pain?

3. What are you doing about it?

Being a good steward of our life means being a good steward of our pain. The good news is that the pain leads to a life that is fulfilling, freeing, joyful, and exciting.

I wish I could take credit for these thoughts. I cannot. They came from the mouth of Bryan Dunagan. You will be much better served to listen to them from his own mouth than settle for what you read here.

 

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Posted by: Don Linnen | 31 March 2015

Warning Ignored – Grace Needed

At noon Saturday I got the keys to my new car. New to me, the 2013 model was in impeccable condition. It was my first “new” car in over 15 years.

Less than five hours later it had a long scratch along the passenger’s front door. It was my fault. I was sick. The short, sad story follows.

With great expectation and determined intention I pulled my new pride and joy into the two-car garage of our 1949 vintage home. I knew the folding mirrors would allow me to park closer to my side of the garage.

They did. You know the rest.

The proximity warning system chirped without ceasing. I ignored it. I knew what I was doing. Did I mention I was determined (aka hard headed)? 

The small lesson: when outside mirrors do not fold, by necessity you will allow a little more room when rolling into a tight garage. In my garage that little more room allowed my well-seasoned Weber grill to cohabit with my SUV. With folded mirrors, it was too close for comfort – or shiny, new paint.

Saturday night was grim. In the grand scheme of things, it was very minor. It’s just stuff. Granddaddy always said, “don’t cry over something that won’t cry over you.” But I just couldn’t shake the exasperation.

I lack the agility to kick myself, but I sure tried. I was mad at myself for making it a big deal – for being mad at myself. For doing something stupid. For not thinking of consequences. For ignoring the warning. 

Why did it happen? The answer came Sunday morning while reading my daily devotional in Heart of the Matter (edited by Nancy Winter). In that book William Smith wrote about “a God of all grace.”

He noted how often stubborn, willful people have ignored the warnings of God. Smith continued,

“When you first get a warning, you take it seriously: you might even act on it initially. But if you need a warning it means you’re already partially blind, so it doesn’t take much to completely close your eyes.”

With a vivid memory of proximity-warning beeps ringing in my ears, I went on to read:

“You see sorry and pathetic people, but you also see a wonderful God, who does not mock, laugh, or use their failings to inflate his own sense of importance. You see a God of all grace.

God tells stories about wretched people who can neither see nor do what is best for themselves or their families. In the telling, God tells you even more about himself. People make life hard on God. They doubt him, ignore him, disobey him, and are miserable to him. And in his response, God extends his sovereignty, power, and might on their behalf. He is kind to the undeserving.”

So that’s why it happened. At my ripe old age, I still need some lessons. I needed a reminder about what’s important and what’s not. About using good judgement to avoid the need for a warning. About paying attention when there is a warning. And about forgiveness.

The big lesson: God is all about grace. We don’t deserve it, but we get it.

Pretty cool.

Maybe we can extend it to others as well. Maybe even to ourselves.

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted by: Don Linnen | 28 February 2015

Will It Make a Difference?

Will it matter? Did it matter? 

Over the course of six days at the end of January in a beautiful country far, far away a small team of us road over many bumpy miles in cars and vans. The villages epitomize “hard to reach.” It’s no wonder the people there are among the unreached.

It was a rough, gritty trip with sporadic electricity and limited hot water. My interpreter, Sajit*, a recent Bible college graduate, and I climbed rocky, narrow paths, crossed rivers, and walked dusty roads. We sat with the chickens, ignored the flies, and paused our gospel storytelling when the cow decided to moo. 

It was wonderful!

The scenery was majestic. The people welcomed us without hesitation. Sajit and I shared the gospel in fields, along roads, in front of houses, and on steep hillsides. 

We found a four-foot “wide” spot on a trail nearly 200 feet above the rice patties. There we talked with three women who had never heard the name “Jesus.” At the end of our visit, they asked us to tell the story again, but this time in their cell phone so they could share it with others.

—

A 12-year-old girl decided to skip school the day we visited her home on a DISTANT hilltop. It was well past lunch. We were climbing further and further away from our team. It would have been really easy to pass that seemingly deserted house.

For some reason, we kept going, and she was waiting – home alone. For some reason. 

She didn’t know, and we didn’t know, but she was about to sprout from a seed planted long ago when someone gave her a book of Christian songs. She sang for years without understanding.

Now she understands and, more importantly, accepts. We gave her a Bible. She eagerly asked Sajit to mark the verses of the Lord’s Prayer.

—

The little boy on the road asked for candy. We had none, but we followed him up the dirt path to his home. Stumbling through a few words in their language, I introduced myself to the father, Rajiv*, and the rest of the family. They had never heard of Jesus. 

In perfect English, the 14-year-old daughter asked where my home was. Her 15-year-old brother joined in the conversation. Yikes! Now the burden was on me to present the Gospel in English (Texan) without Sajit to correct my theology. I keep forgetting that God is in control.

Sajit did repeat the story to the entire family in their native tongue. They all accepted Christ that morning. The next day they went to another home to attend church for the first time.

That day was the first day for their village to have a church. There are 75,000 villages in their country. There were only 5,000 with churches. Now there are 5,001.

God is at work. The body of believers is growing. Hope is spreading.  What an amazing time to get out of my kingdom of one and be a small part in His Kingdom.

Answers to the questions above: Yes, Yes, and Yes.

 

*A pseudonym.

 

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Posted by: Don Linnen | 23 January 2015

Two Questions

Will I do it? Will it make a difference? Only the first question gets answered for now.

In October I joined the staff of East-West Ministries to write grant proposals and establish a planned giving program. East-West exists to send followers of Jesus to some pretty remote places where people have not heard the good news of the Gospel.

In some of those places Jesus is thought to be an aspiring third basemen for the Dodgers in the Caribbean Winter League. In the more unreached or highly restricted communities there are some who have never heard of Jesus – not even heard the name.

It’s all fine and dandy for me to raise money to support missionaries called to these spiritually dark places. I don’t need to go there. I spent a year in Southeast Asia in the 70’s (not as a missionary). I don’t need to go back. I’m a homeboy. I don’t need to spend 15 hours on a wide body sitting in economy. More significantly, there are people much better equipped than I to talk about Jesus in some place that doesn’t offer a no whip, decaf, mocha frappe.

My whining complete, I soon leave for South Asia with a small team to learn AND to teach for 10 days. With an interpreter and a few others I’ll visit some villages outside the big cities to share the good news. I’ll also help with stories, skits, craft projects, and music in children’s programs in the area. Talk about God calling the unequipped…

This is a big, BIG stretch for me. It’s way out of my comfort zone.

Will it make a difference? God only knows.

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Posted by: Don Linnen | 31 December 2014

How Much Can I Do?

More people on the planet. More bad guys hurting innocent people. No movie heroes available to fight real-world sinners.

How much can I do? I have no superpowers. And I look really dorky in tights and a cape. <image redacted for obvious reasons>

I need to do something different. If much of the root cause of bad behavior is sin, and if I really do follow Jesus, maybe it’s time for me to pay attention to His parting words some 2000 years ago.

The first five books of the New Testament (the Gospels plus Acts) record the final conversations Jesus had with his disciples. Those passages comprise The Great Commission. In essence: go all over the world, spread the good news of the Gospel, and make more disciples. 

Marvin Newell calls this “the missional Magna Carta of the Church from its inception, for today, and into the future.” Hmmm. That’s kind of a big deal.

But that’s a lot of uncomfortable work in a lot of strange places with funny smells, a scarcity of Dr. Pepper and with people who don’t get my sense of humor (okay, that last one occurs often enough at home).

This is a stretch. It’s way out of my comfort zone.

Will I do it? Will it make any difference?

 

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Posted by: Don Linnen | 30 November 2014

Mice in a Box

Some say that things are no worse now than they were in the past. I disagree.

Things have changed. Much has improved. We don’t expect bubonic plague or influenza to kill millions ever again. Science and technology have improved. Human behavior has not.

The percentage of bad actors may not have changed that much. We’ve always had abusive, molesting, persecuting, discriminating despots in our midst. Some acted at a state or national level, others lived just around the corner.

Some good people just shrug their shoulders and say it’s always been that way. They won’t admit it, but ignoring a problem is a good way to get out of working on the problem.

The problem is the numbers. The world population when my parents were young was two billion; before I was in high school it was three billion; shortly after my sons were born it was four billion; when the internet was a new idea, the world population was five billion; today it’s over seven billion. For the left-brained list viewer:

  • 1927 – 2 billion
  • 1960 – 3 billion
  • 1974 – 4 billion
  • 1987 – 5 billion
  • 2014 – 7 billion +

There are more mice in the box than ever before. Our box is still plenty big, but even a small percentage of bad actors equates to many more bad actors (and victims) today than every before.

John B. Calhoun became famous for his studies of mice in a box. Calhoun was an optimist. Will Wiles said of Calhoun in The Behavioral Sink:

Man, he argued, was a positive animal, and creativity and design could solve our problems. It was a source of lasting dismay to Calhoun that his research primarily served as encouragement to pessimists and reactionaries, rather than stimulating the kind of hopeful approach to mankind’s problems that he preferred.

Man is indeed a positive animal. Creativity and design will solve many problems. Can they solve all problems? I doubt it. Dramatically increasing numbers of every ilk make it look like we’re playing whack-a-mole.

We are close to eradicating polio on the planet through work with Rotary International and its partners. That last 1% is proving to be very tough. Some very dark characters are standing in the way.

I’ve coached, mentored, taught, counseled, and advocated for kids. I’ve worked for organizations to reduce homelessness, fight abusive behavior, and feed, clothe, and care for many in need. The needs and the numbers are daunting, and they are growing. 

What will you do? Let a government agency take care of things? Good luck with that.

How much can you help? How many hours can you volunteer? How big a check can you write? How much money can you raise? How much can you do? 

How much can I do?

To be continued.

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Posted by: Don Linnen | 31 October 2014

Recreational Endurance Sports

The words in that title always seemed oxymoronic to me. Recreation is an activity done for enjoyment – something you don’t have to do. Endurance sports are often closer to a masochistic ritual.

Scotty Smith, a pastor in Franklin, TN, wrote Everyday Prayers,  a book of prayers – 365 to be exact. It’s been my go-to daily devotional for 2014 – a year with an unusual number of personal highs and lows.

For me it has been my early-morning book of reflection, inspiration, tough questions, and tender comfort. His entry for October 18 was especially memorable. He stated in a prayer for that day:

“Endurance without encouragement can atrophy into heartless stoicism. Encouragement without endurance can wither into short-lived enthusiasm.”

I love that reminder. I need that reminder!

Whether it’s a long run on a hot day, a festering relationship with an insecure friend, a steep hill on a windy ride, or an aging parent needing more attention, endurance is the key to survival. 

You can train your body for endurance, but life is more than survival. Stoicism leads to slow death. Likewise, enthusiasm without sustaining heart and legs leads to rapid burn out – maybe rapid death.

We’re all on a long run – whether recreationally or in a daily grind. Encouragement is the key to the blessing of a marathon. Sometimes others offer encouragement. Sometimes you have to find it yourself.

What’s your source of encouragement? Can you generate it yourself?

If those questions stump you, check out Scotty for some answers.

 

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Posted by: Don Linnen | 30 September 2014

Happy or Sad?

In the first few verses of the Beatitudes, Jesus spoke of really sad groups of people. The poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek are not the folks you expect to see on American Idol or Sunday Night Football. You don’t expect them to have many followers on Twitter or friends on Facebook.

But the poor in spirit are those who are smart enough to recognize they cannot do it all on their own – maybe nothing on their own.  They need a North Star.

Those who mourn are intellectually honest enough to admit their most significant losses are due to things they’ve done wrong. They need forgiveness and healing.

The meek are the gentle souls who do not push their way around just to meet their own agenda. They trust. 

Very sad. Not very 2014. Very sad.

But beatitudes is from the Latin beatus meaning blessed or happy. So why was Jesus talking sad when He was meaning happy?

The poor in spirit know their limitations. They know they need God’s help. With that help, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Those who mourn actually admit to their sins and ask for forgiveness. That may not be as simple as it sounds, but they shall be comforted.

And the meek trust God to direct the outcome of events. That’s some scary trust, but if you can stand the ride, you can inherit the earth.

Apparently it is a lot more happy than sad.

Read all The Beatitudes for full measures of happiness.

Listen to The Beatitudes by Kronos Quartet for an excellent reading experience.

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