"Heartquakes"

“Heartquakes”

(This article stems from the eulogy our dear friend Larry Thompson delivered at his daughter Latricia’s memorial service in October 2017 in which he used “heartquakes” to describe his and his wife Cathy’s emotions.)

The strongest known earthquake in history, measuring Magnitude 9.5, occurred in southern Chile on May 22, 1960. It killed almost 4500 people, left some 2 million homeless and the resulting tsunami caused another 230 deaths in Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines. Damage estimates ran between $400 and $800 million ($3-6 billion in today’s dollars). Five other Magnitude 9 or higher tremors have been recorded since 1700 in Alaska, Sumatra, Russia, northern Chile and the northern Pacific coast of the United States. These seismic events are not only devastating to humans but wreak havoc on the land, often changing the landscape of a region forever.

But there’s another kind of quaking that impacts individuals emotionally and physically: heartquakes. The word comes from mid-16^th century English and is defined in the Oxford Living Dictionary as “a palpitation of the heart, especially as the result of a strong or sudden emotion”. These are life-changing events which can shake us to the very core of our being. It might be the death of a loved one (especially a child or from an unexpected tragedy); financial reversal due to a job termination, mismanagement or other source; betrayal by someone who was considered a friend; or some other calamity. Such upheavals have the potential to cause irreparable harm to families and society at large and keep mental health professionals’ appointment calendars full.

Heartquakes will come—we just don’t know the what and when. Jesus told His disciples (and us), “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33). (The word translated trouble comes from a Greek term meaning to crowd or bring pressure.) So how can we be prepared when they raise their ugly heads? Let me make some suggestions. First, give God your burdens (“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”—Psalm 55:22). Second, trust God for guidance (“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”—Proverbs 3:6, NKJV). Next, recognize that He’ll walk with you through your difficulties (“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”—Hebrews 13:5). Finally, seek prayer and input from God’s family (“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”—Galatians 6:2). As we depend on God and allow His people to minister to us our heartquakes are made more manageable.

Remember—“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Successful Bartering"

“Successful Bartering”

In my previous article “Journaling” I described a method of personal devotions I’ve used for several years which I’ve found beneficial for my daily walk. I choose a Bible book, read a chapter each day, jot down a key idea, then go through the book again. God has used some overlooked portions of His Word to bring His truth to me in unexpected ways (my sore spiritual toes attest to the value of this approach).

Not long ago I was reading of Solomon’s gathering supplies for the construction of the magnificent temple in Jerusalem recorded in 1 Kings 5. Some of the materials and skilled workers required for the task weren’t readily available in Israel so Solomon went to Hiram, the king of Tyre, to provide what was lacking for the project. In turn, Hiram had some needs and made a request to Solomon: “I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and pine logs. My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food for my royal household.” (1 Kings 5:8-9). The bartering worked and each received what was lacking. (So “fair trade” was practiced 3000 years before it was a political football.)

As I read this passage it struck me that the church resembles a bartering system. The Apostle Paul writes, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has a different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.” (Romans 12:4-5, NLT, emphasis added). Just as Solomon and Hiram needed what the other had we as God’s people require others’ strength where we’re lacking. God makes this provision through spiritual gifts (divinely bestowed abilities to serve Him and His church). Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all (people).” (Note the involvement of the three Persons of the Godhead in this process.)

Each of us has been uniquely equipped to be barterers in the fulfillment of God’s purpose. Will I (and you) be available to do my (your) part?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"The Cola War"

“The Cola War”

During the 1980’s Coke and Pepsi became embroiled in what was dubbed “The Cola War”. Each was striving to grab a bigger share of the lucrative soft drink business. Commercials filled the airwaves, promotions flooded supermarkets, tests were held in malls to compare the brands—tens of millions of dollars were spent trying to sell more (in Steve Jobs’ words) “sugar water”. The results became a check list of do’s and don’ts in marketing techniques.

The two industry giants approached “The Cola War” with totally different philosophies. Coke, you might remember, introduced a new formula while Pepsi changed its packaging. The outcome? “New Coke” bombed and the new look Pepsi soared to the top for the first time in its history. Coke soon returned to its original recipe (renamed “Coke Classic”) but it took many years to recover from its unwise decision.

About two years ago I read John Spong’s Why Christianity Must Change or Die at a friend’s request. The title can be taken as changing the fabric of our faith (a la “New Coke”) or its method of presentation (as did Pepsi). Spong advocated the Coke strategy which had already been done in the early 20^th century and some churches and denominations have never recovered their “market share” of adherents. (Maybe a return to “Christianity Classic” is needed.)  But like Pepsi we must package our product (God’s truth) in ways that will cause people to stop, listen and respond.

We as God’s people can learn an important principle from “The Cola War”. We have a which doesn’t change: the Gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:8-9 gives a strong warning to those who would alter it.) But it can and must be presented in ways that will reach today’s world. (This method is as old as Christianity itself—see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, especially “I have become all things to all {people} so that by all possible means I might save some.”—Verse 22.) If we change the message we’ll meet the same fate as “New Coke” but if we fail to adapt our methods to minister to the current generation we run the risk of losing the best God has for us.

So the next time you enjoy one of the participants in “The Cola War” don’t forget how each tried to get your attention. And remember what God intends to teach us about communicating His truth.

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Loopholes"

“Loopholes”

When Karen and I closed on our first house purchase in 1989 we had to sign endless documents to complete the transaction. When we sold this property about seven years later it seemed as though there were more forms to deal with. When I asked our realtor about this he said it was true because people had found loopholes and additional safeguards were needed. Since then we’ve bought and sold three houses and the amount of documentation has grown each time, presumably for the same reason.

Karen and I were talking about this over supper recently and realized that what’s true in real estate matters also happens in sports, business and law. Coaches, attorneys and others have found ways around existing standards making adjustments and additions necessary. This has led to much confusion as seen in the backlog of court and IRS cases.

Wikipedia defines loophole as “An ambiguity or inadequacy in a system…which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system”. Human standards are flawed because they’re established by imperfect people like me and are thus subject to change and/or improvement to deal with shortcomings and oversights. This can be an endless process as it’s unlikely that anything humanly produced will ever reach perfection.

Here’s where God’s Word differs from any other record, written or otherwise. It “…never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21) and it’s “…God-breathed….” (2 Timothy 3:16). Since “The law of the Lord is perfect….” (Psalm 19:7) it can’t be improved upon or changed. In Jesus’ day the legalists had developed all kinds of loopholes to “explain away” their behavior to the point He told them, “…You nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.” (Matthew 15:6). And this trend hasn’t abated in the ensuing 2000 years.

Rather than looking for loopholes (aka excuses or rationalizations) let’s see God’s Word as “…established…to last forever.” (Psalm 119:152) and “…not merely listen to (it…but)…Do what it says.” (James 1:22).

(For more on this theme see the previous articles “No Need for Amendments” and “Coining Words”)

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan