Face paint and finding the good

I find it so easy to find something to be upset about.  Especially by the end of each day, when the hard stuff is still heavy in my mind.  It would be easy to blame my sour attitude on the constant barrage of negativity coming from our politicians, or social media, or the 24-hour bad-news cycle.  While yesterday it could have been the advertisements that made me feel like I don’t provide well enough for my family, today’s irritation could have easily come from a coworker, and tomorrow’s could be another driver on my way to the grocery store.

Getting upset is easy.  Thinking about why I get upset is hard, for two reasons…first, because I have to be honest with myself, and second (because of the first) I usually realize that whatever it is that made me upset was often just a small part of my day.  Let me give you an example:

Many of you know that my wife runs her own business.  She’s a ridiculously talented face painter, and you’ll find her at festivals, fairs, and birthday parties.  She handles most events on her own, but for the occasional large festival, I will work as her line manager.  My job is to engage the customers, help them choose a design, handle the money, and make sure the line moves in an orderly fashion.  All my work is to make sure my wife can focus on being the artist and not worry about anything other than creating fun and delight for both kids and adults.

As you can imagine, we meet a wide-variety of people during these events.  Some are more friendly than others.  Some are so excited they can hardly contain themselves.  Some are just hot and tired.  Some parents are more excited about having their child painted than their child is about getting painted.  There’s always some parent who doesn’t like the prices and wants to “negotiate”.  All different backgrounds, races, economic status…so you never know how an interaction is going to go. 

Most interactions are positive.  Kids love getting their face painted and parents feed off of the kids’ excitement.  When I was helping my wife a couple weekends ago, we had a great time, a steady line, and many happy customers.  However, at the end of the event, two interactions continued to spin in my mind.  The first was a dad who wanted to negotiate on a take home item that we sell, but when I wouldn’t lower the price to the level he wanted, he resorted to insults and left.  The second person came up after we had closed down.  When I informed him that we had finished for the night…he left in a huff, griping that all he was trying to do was read one of our menu boards. 

I stewed over these two guys for quite a while, even into the next day.  Their selfish attitudes really bothered me, since they acted as if we were trying to take advantage of them.  The longer I churned over their lousy behavior, the more my attitude darkened and my thoughts were of nothing else.  I did nothing wrong, but was insulted.  I was certain that they would complain about their interaction with us.  I became more and more irritated thinking about how their grousing to others would look bad on my wife’s business.

And then, I remembered…that we had served over 150 people at that festival.  Everyone but those two were ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED with how their session turned out.  We even had a little girl who loved her art so much that she brought her dad back to get painted and then later still, she brought her friend to get painted, too.  We had others stop back by just to say “hi” and show us how well the paint was lasting on such a hot day.  We had a quartet of elderly ladies each get a glitter tattoo – they were an absolute hoot to interact with!  To top it all off, the fair was also her most successful event in terms of gross profits. 

When I realized how wrong it was that I was focusing entirely on those two bad interactions, this verse immediately came to mind:

Philippians 4:8
Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things.

The Apostle Paul wanted the believers in Philippi to be careful with what their thoughts were dwelling on.  The truth is…whatever we spend time thinking about will inevitably grow in our life.  If I continued to stew over the behavior of these two dads, then I would have allowed those irritations and frustrations to grow into something much more unhealthy – likely something that would impact those around me (but not the guys who aggravated me). 

When I stepped back and focused on all the good things that came from our efforts, the irritation quickly evaporated.  It was a good event.  There were many lovely and praiseworthy moments.  I’ll choose to dwell on those instead.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The Presidential debate - a Christian's response

After watching the train wreck that was supposed to be a Presidential debate, most of America was asking, “What was that?”  Neither candidate was presidential.  Neither man was cordial or kind.  There was no civility or discussion of issues.  Instead, we were presented with two men badgering and interrupting each other for the own short-sighted gains and stroking of egos.  It was a whirlwind of antics typically reserved for young children who have not practiced their communication skills.  And when the allotted time was finally up, the people of America were united in wondering what has become of our government and political process.

As I sat thinking afterwards, trying to process what we all had witnessed, an old Hebrew phrase came to mind: “Israel, to your tents!”.  But to help you understand why, we’re going to have to look back into ancient Israel to understand the context:

Solomon had died and the kingdom of Israel, all 12 tribes, was to pass to his son, Rehoboam.  Although Solomon had been a wise, rich, and successful king…he had also been harsh and driving to get the most out of the people when building up Jerusalem and the temple.  After the people came to Rehoboam to ask for relief under his kingship, he consulted with his advisors.  The elders who had served his father advised him to ease up on the people, to win their favor and gratitude.  The young men who grew up with Rehoboam told him to not look weak, and declare that he would be even tougher on the people than his father had been.  When you read Rehoboam’s answer to the nation’s request, you’ll understand the people’s response:

1 Kings 12:13-14, 16-17
Then the king answered the people harshly.  He rejected the advice the elders had given him and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice: “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.”

When all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, the people answered him:
              What portion do we have in David?
              We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.
              Israel, return to your tents;
              David, now look after your own house!

So Israel went to their tents, but Rehoboam reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.

When the Israelites realized that their government was no longer for them, their cry of rebellion stated that they were better off spending their energies focusing on their own families and communities.  From then on, the nation was split in two: the northern kingdom, with the 10 tribes collectively called “Israel”, and the southern kingdom, with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin collectively referred to as “Judah”.

You may be tempted to imagine that the northern kingdom quickly set up a wonderful government structure that took care of the people and prospered the nation of Israel…but you would be quite wrong to think that.  Instead, in their anger and uprising, they followed a man named Jeroboam.  His selfish ambition and political scheming led Israel into spiritual darkness and idolatry.  That path led to their eventual conquer and exile.

So what does this have to do with the 2020 Presidential election in the USA?  I think the Israelites’ actions can be both an example and a warning to us. 

When presented with dysfunctional political leadership, the people had the right idea…they should make sure their families and communities were taken care of.  However, they quickly put all their hope in the wrong place – another person who was desiring to lead the nation.  Instead, the people should have turned to God for their next steps and protection.

I’m not going to tell you who to vote for.  That’s between you and God.  But after you cast your vote, and regardless of who sits in the Oval Office for the next four years…you need to intentionally take care of your family and your community.  Not just your “Christian community”, but work within your neighborhood, surrounding areas, and the broader population around you.

Two other parts of Scripture come to mind:

Psalm 118:8-9
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humanity.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in nobles.

Philippians 2:14-16
Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, by holding firm to the word of life.

The person elected as President does not prevent you from loving your neighbor as Jesus has loved you.  If there is going to be good in this country, if issues of race, equality, economic prosperity, and security are going to dealt with and improved in our nation, it will have to come from all of us – being the hands and feet of Jesus.  Our hope is not based on either of the politicians we saw on the debate stage.  The life change we desire to see in ourselves and our nation will not come about by a change in political policy...but only from a change to our heart.  

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Heaven on Earth

Some days I just get tired of people.  Or at least that’s what I say to describe how worn down I feel.  But in all honesty, it’s not so much that individual people that are wearing me down…it’s the clash of their self-tainted agendas with my own self-tainted agenda that leaves me feeling like the ocean has been pounding on the shore of my psyche.

How great would it be if we could just remove everyone’s sin nature from life’s equation?

We get an idea of what it will be like as John moves from describing the exterior of New Jerusalem to what he sees (and does not see) inside the city:

Revelation 21:22-23
I did not see a temple in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

The fact that there was no temple in New Jerusalem is a significant change.  The temple was the central location for the people to meet with and relate to God.  God’s presence resided in the Holy of Holies, the most sacred part of the temple – and it was there that once a year the High Priest would meet with God on behalf of the people.

However, in New Jerusalem God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them (Revelation 21:3).  Access to God is no longer limited to a representative once per year…His presence will be so constant that His glory will negate the need for a sun in the sky!

The Holy of Holies was built in a cube form, both in the tabernacle (Exodus 26) and Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 6:20).  The cube shape of New Jerusalem also affirms that we have permanently entered into the most intimate of relationships with God – so close that a meeting place isn’t necessary because the entire city is the meeting place.

Revelation 21:24-27
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.  Its gates will never close by day because it will never be night there.  They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.  Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those written in the Lamb’s book of life.

And so the ancient practice of honoring the greatest king by bringing him wealth from your nation will continue in New Jerusalem (e.g. – 1 Kings 10:10, Psalm 72:10-11).  These gifts to honor God will be brought by only those [whose names are] written in the Lamb’s book of life, ones who had previously accepted Christ’s offer of eternal life.

How magnificent will this city be?!?!  No corruption, no lies, no selfishness, no greed, no lust… nothing unclean will ever enter it.  How incredibility freeing would life be, if sin could not interfere?  Think about how smoothly New Jerusalem will function.  When today’s frustrations make you wish a change – your feelings are spot-on.  Our desire for sin’s removal will, one day, be fulfilled.

I hope you are as excited about New Jerusalem as I am…our forever home will truly be “Heaven on Earth”.

Keep Pressing,
Ken