The More Things Change... (Friday Devotional)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

- Joshua 1:9

I spent the first part of this week in my old stomping grounds of Waco for the Texas Baptists Annual Meeting. As excited as I was for the worship services, workshops, and meetups with ministry friends, one thing I was particularly looking forward to was spending some extended time in the city that I called home for 10 years. And so, on the occasions when I had a gap in my schedule, I did some wandering through Waco, driving with no discernible destination in mind just to see what the city looked like 5 years after I moved.

From the interstate, Waco looks like a completely different place than I remembered. The expansion of I-35, which had just begun when we moved to Garland, has long since been completed. Baylor’s new basketball arena towers over an area where there was once little more than an office building, just as its new welcome center looms large over a patch of land which used to have nothing but grass and an IHOP.

Similarly, when I drove through parts of downtown—the area close to the famed silos of Magnolia Market—it was unrecognizable from what I remembered. Once-dilapidated houses are now shiny new AirBnbs. Boutiques and restaurants litter the streets that once struggled to find tenants for their buildings. The closer I was to Magnolia or Baylor, the clearer it was how much had changed in 5 years’ time.

But then I drove a little further, to the parts of Waco where tourists don’t go. I drove through the neighborhood where Lindsey and I lived when we were young and poor, past the old strip malls with their payday lenders and laundromats. I drove through the industrial area, where tire shops and supply stores were plentiful and hotels were not. I drove to the edge of Waco, where the city starts to give way to the neighboring rural towns, and found the same old shabby HEB, Subway, and Bush’s Chicken that had always been there, overshadowed by their bigger, cleaner counterparts on the other side of town. In these areas, it seems, time had stood still for the last 5 years.

As the old saying goes, the more things change, the more things stay the same. Newness brings the excitement of novelty even as it also creates the anxiety of uncertainty. Sameness brings a feeling of comfort to some, even as it signals stagnation to others. We don’t want to see constant change in our lives—that would be terrifying and unwieldly—but neither do we want nothing tomorrow to always look like yesterday. We accept and even desire good change, but we want the important things to stay the same.

When God’s people entered the Promised Land after spending decades in the wilderness, they knew things were about to change, and largely for the better. They were going to have their own land now. They were going to establish their own nation. They were going to receive their reward. No more manna; it was time for milk and honey!

But their excitement was tempered by fear. The land was occupied by fearsome enemies they would need to overcome. Their leader, Moses, had died and passed the mantle down to Joshua. The future, though exciting, was uncertain.

So as the people prepared to enter the Promised Land, Joshua reminded them what had not changed: God was with them. While their situation had changed, their Lord had not. While they were undergoing a time of transition, God was the same today as he had been yesterday. Their future was necessarily going to be different than their past, but they had a solid rock to build upon.

The same is true for God’s people today. Like the Israelites of old, we need not fear the future or rebel against changes so long as we recognize what has not changed. Methods are modified, but the gospel is not. Circumstances shift, but our salvation never wavers. Kingdoms rise and fall, but the kingdom of God is eternal.

Be strong and courageous, God’s man told his people, for the Lord is with you wherever you go. So wherever you go, and however different things may look from what you once knew, know that God won’t leave your side. Don’t place your hope in days gone by or in the fortunes of the future—place your hope in the steadfast love of God.

Helping Where You Can (Friday Devotional)

 

He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

- Matthew 22:37-39

Tuesday night, my intention was to stay up late watching the election returns like most of the country. I had done my civic duty by voting early that morning, so all that was left to do was watch, wait, and pray.

But my plans were rudely disturbed when I got home from an evening committee meeting and learned that one of my kids had vomited twice since I’d been gone and still wasn’t feeling good. When I went to bed, the election results still uncertain, Lindsey and I were awakened by the news that he’d gotten sick again. Just a couple hours later, our daughter joined the fun, announcing in imitable fashion to us—and our bathroom floor—that she was sick too.

In total, we were awakened four times over the course of that long Tuesday night, and election anxiety (mostly) gave way to the tangible work of cleaning floors and soothing children. By the time the sun rose on Wednesday morning, I had learned two things: Donald Trump had been elected President of the United States and two of my kids were sick.

There’s an old expression that all politics is local, meaning that real change starts at city hall, not in Washington D.C. That proverb has seemed to fall by the wayside over the last decade, as partisanship reached a fever pitch and the culture wars became a fire threatening to consume everything from the school board to the church house. Lately it seems more like all politics is national, like you can’t do any good without first passing a partisan purity test.

But my kids offered me a visceral reminder on Tuesday night—as important as national issues are, your most immediate opportunities to make the country a better place are right in front of you. They’re in your neighborhood, not the capital. They’re in the halls of your local elementary school, not the halls of power. They’re in your house, not the White House.

Voting is important. Campaigns and elections and legislation matter; representative democracy is something we ought to hold dear and take seriously. But even more important is the simple, divine command to love your neighbor as yourself.

So do the small, important things to show people the love of God. Bake the casserole for your new neighbor. Call the elderly widow down the street. Offer free babysitting for the single mom in your church. For when you do these things—the kind, neighborly, Christlike things—you’re making the country a better place.

October Reading Log

 

I had a reading slump this month after a pretty strong August and September, but did my best to finish strong. Lots of shorter books this month...take a look!

HOW NOT TO WASTE A CRISIS by Tod Bolsinger
THE MISSION ALWAYS WINS by Tod Bolsinger
LEADING THROUGH RESISTANCE by Tod Bolsinger
INVEST IN TRANSFORMATION by Tod Bolsinger

How do you lead an organization to change?

That's the perennial question for leaders of all stripes, be they CEOs, educational administrators, or pastors. Especially in times of instability, leaders can usually pinpoint the problems and even imagine potential solutions. But how do they then point their followers—from staff to customers to congregants—toward change without alienating them?

To answer this question, author and consultant Tod Bolsinger has written four slim books (each is about 100 pages), all of which build upon each other but each of which tells its own story. Having worked with a variety of different kinds of leaders, Bolsinger is well equipped as a coach, and offers both practical advice and useful case studies to make his arguments.

For ministry leaders in particular, Bolsinger knows how churches work, something that isn't always true when you try to apply business world principles to a church environment. I first encountered his work at a seminary-sponsored conference, and his familiarity with and love for the church shines through these books.

For fellow pastors, these are useful leadership books, and were helpful to me as I start launching our church's strategic planning process. Simple, readable, and applicable—exactly what you want from a leadership text.

CUJO by Stephen King

The scariest books are the ones where you can imagine yourself in the protagonist's shoes, where the premise is understandable and relatable. By that measure, Cujo is one of horror master Stephen King's most terrifying novels, as he sets aside the supernatural in favor of a frighteningly realistic situation: what if you and your child were trapped in your car by a rabid dog?

King wrote this novel in the throes of alcohol addiction and has admitted he remembers almost nothing about writing it, which is a shame, because it's pretty good. With uncharacteristic restraint—the book is barely 300 pages long—he establishes all the major characters, puts the pieces on the board, and unleashes the monster, the titular St. Bernard. In a manner reminiscent of his later novel Misery, he does a great job capturing the claustrophobia and panicked mindset of someone who's trapped with no way out. His depiction of the rabid Cujo, including some slightly clumsy narrations from the dog's point of view, effectively makes the dog a terrifying force of nature.

While some dislike the book's ending—I won't spoil it for you, but it's not a happy one—I actually thought it was fitting, both for the characters and for the story being told. Equal parts ironic and tragic, it worked for me, even if some would have preferred a tidier conclusion.

This isn't King's finest work by any measure, but it's a good thriller and worthy of your time. He may not remember writing it, but I'll remember reading it.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX by Roald Dahl

As the kids and I slowly but surely make our way through the works of Roald Dahl, I thought this slim story would take just a couple weeks to get through. While it wound up taking longer—book time tends to get sacrificed on busy nights when the kids are already going to bed late—this was a serviceable bedtime story, one that felt more like a dragged out picture book than a novel.

The simple story is about the Foxes and their nemeses, a trio of farmers name Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. The Foxes, who live underground on the farmers’ land, routinely eat their chickens, much to the farmers’ chagrin. After one particular confrontation, Boggis and Bunce and Bean decide to get rid of the Foxes once and for all, attempting to dig up their home. So the family, led by the clever Mr. Fox, must evade the farmers and then, having done so, find some way to get food before they starve. When Mr. Fox stumbles upon a way to get into the storehouses of Boggis and Bunce and Bean without their knowledge, the reader knows a happy ending is assured.

This book is less imaginative than the previous Dahl books we read—no wondrous chocolate factories or magic glass elevators or giant peaches to be found—and much simpler. Even at a mere 80 pages, it felt a little long-winded for the amount of plot within. Nevertheless, it's a fun little story, and one the kids enjoyed.

DUBLINERS by James Joyce

When I travel, I try to pair my trip with a book. So in preparation for a trip to Scotland and Ireland, I turned to my old nemesis James Joyce, who got his literary start with the short stories collection Dubliners.

The good news: these stories precede Joyce's more experimental writing in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses, and Finnegans Wake. The stories are all told in a straight narrative style, with none of the frills that would later make him an icon with the literati and a curse word to rubes like me. Anyone looking for accessible writing from James Joyce should absolutely start with Dubliners.

The bad news: I still don't get James Joyce. While there are isolated moments of brilliant prose—for example, the last line of "The Dead" is a beautiful bit of writing—there is little contained within Dubliners that makes me think Joyce is the greatest writer to ever pick up a pen. When confined to a normal style and structure, Joyce's mundane tales of ordinary Dubliners are mostly just boring. I often found myself in the middle of a story having to turn back a few pages, having realized that my mind had wandered off even as my eyes had continued traveling across the page.

Dubliners is a collection that narrates the pettiness, the loneliness, and the quiet desperation of ordinary people. It is beloved by students of Joyce, who see it as a comprehensible starting point for ordinary readers. I just wish I understood why this author has such a stranglehold on the literary community. Sadly, Dubliners did not give me the answer.

WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT RUNNING by Haruki Murakami

I read most of this book on the Ireland trip in an effort to motivate myself to start running again when we got back. Whether it's successful in that regard remains to be seen, but I did enjoy the book. This was my third time reading it; here's what I had to say about it back in 2018:

Haruki Murakami, though renowned as one of the world's greatest living writers, was a name I knew only by reputation, so I couldn't imagine a better springboard into his writing than a book about his experiences running. As a lover of both writing and running, this memoir instantly appealed to me, and a recommendation from my friend and fellow pastor (and reader and runner) Jeff Gravens was enough to convince me.

The book is less a narrative than a collection of essays/journal entries, all about Murakami's love of running and experiences doing so. Every year for more than two decades, Murakami has run at least one marathon, as well as one ultramarathon and a series of triathlons along the way. The chapters in this book describe how he became a runner, how he trains, and what compels him to spend so much time and energy running.

But, as you might suspect from a novelist, it's about more than that. Using running as a filter, Murakami also talks about his life and the craft of writing. Running, he makes clear, is more than a hobby for him, it is a metaphor for his sense of self, and even a source of meaning. Without ever stretching the metaphor beyond comprehension, Murakami convincingly shows how important the solitary exercise of running has been to him over the years.

For runners, I'd say this a must-read (and a pretty quick one). For non-runners, I'm not so sure. For all the insights into his life and his craft, you've got to read a lot about breathing, muscle soreness, etc. For a runner, this is familiar, comfortable territory; for others it may be a little like listening to someone talk about their fantasy football team—more fun for the speaker than the listener. As for me, I left the book with my first itch to run another marathon since birth of my son—stay tuned to see whether I decide to scratch it anytime soon.

THE GRANDEST STAGE: A HISTORY OF THE WORLD SERIES by Tyler Kepner

One of my favorite weeks of the year comes every October, when the champions of the American and National Leagues face off in the World Series. Since 1903, the Fall Classic has been an annual tradition, and an occasion that has sparked big moments, from Snodgrass' Muff in 1912 to Don Larsen's perfect game in 1956 to Freddie Freeman's walkoff grand slam last week. So this year, even as I tuned in every night to watch Yankees-Dodgers, I also walked through the history of the World Series with Tyler Kepner's delightful chronicle, The Grandest Stage.

Each of the seven chapters tackles a different celebrated element of the series: clutch moments, managerial decisions, goats, unlikely heroes, etc. With that framework, the book is basically a loosely connected collection of anecdotes, tale after tale from baseball's past. In other words, catnip for baseball history buffs like me.

Never overstaying his welcome with any given story, Kepner does a good job of digging deeper into the narratives everyone knows and uncovering those we don't. Yes, you get Bill Mazeroski and Kirk Gibson and Joe Carter, but you also get Bill Wambsganss and Mickey Owen and Tony Womack. The result is exactly what anyone is looking for from an overarching sports history book: you get to revel in the moments you know well and learn about those you don't, basking in nostalgia and soaking up new stories. For any baseball fan, The Grandest Stage is a worthy addition to your bookshelf.

ESSENTIAL X-MEN VOL. 5 by Chris Claremont, Paul Smith, John Romita, Jr., et al.

Chris Claremont is unquestionably the most influential X-Men writer of all time, thanks to his unparalleled run as the writer on Uncanny X-Men from 1977-1991. Nevertheless, he is not necessarily every X-fan's favorite writer, because, for every "Days of Future Past" and "Dark Phoenix Saga," there are also plenty of stinkers. Essential X-Men Vol. 5 is where, after years of gold, things start to dip a little.

Covering Uncanny X-Men #180-198, as well as an annual issue and a crossover limited series with Alpha Flight, this volume is held back by a reliance—common in this period of Marvel Comics—on readers picking up other books adjacent to this one. By 1984, the New Mutants book had kicked off, with Professor X now teaching a new class of young mutants. Wolverine seemed to be starring in a new miniseries every other month. And other characters (especially Cyclops and Storm) would leave the book, with fans wondering what they were up to. The result is that, from issue to issue, you're not sure where the team stands—there were points where I couldn't tell you who was actually on the X-Men.

Furthermore, the stories told in this volume are far muddier than the tales which put Claremont on the map. Some of this may be due to a disconnect between Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr.  (a legend whose work here is not his finest); some of it may just be a slump on Claremont's part. Whatever the case, there were entire issues where I was skimming more than reading, because the conflict wasn't entirely clear anyway.

If you're looking for highlights, you'd have to point to the introduction of characters like Nimrod and Forge, as well as the double-sized "Lifedeath" issues drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith, which focus on Storm's romance with Forge. But for the most part, this is a forgettable, albeit bestselling, period of X-Men lore before everything turned upside down with issue 200. I know it'll get good again, but this stretch was a drag.

Babbled Prayer (Friday Devotional)

 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

- Romans 8:26

My son Isaac, 10 months old, has turned into quite the little chatterbox over the last few weeks. When he’s happy, he squeals. When he’s upset or impatient, he whines. When he’s hurt, he cries.

And lately, he’s started adding new sounds to his arsenal: babbling. With a little encouragement from his big brother, he’ll gladly say “Bubbubbubba!” On more than one occasion I’ve coaxed a “Dada” out of him. To the chagrin of the ladies in the house, no “mama” or “sissy” yet, but give him time.

What he can’t do yet is say, “I’m hungry.” Or “I’d like to go to bed now.” Or “Bubba and Sissy, you’re the coolest.” Can he communicate? Certainly. But he doesn’t yet have the words.

In prayer, there are times when we are no better than babies, unable to put words to our needs. Some pain is too profound—and some joy too transcendent—for language to suffice. But in those times, Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, going to the Father on our behalf with groaning deeper than any prayer we could produce.

What a blessing to know that, when we are too weak even to pray, God does not leave us shorthanded. You may not have the words—but you have a Helper. Praise God for his provision in all things!

Sweater Weather (Friday Devotional)

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

- Hebrews 11:1

As I type these words, I’m wearing a T-shirt, gym shorts, and flip flops, perfectly appropriate attire for the weather. Today’s forecast calls for a high near 90 degrees. When I pick up my kids from school this afternoon, we’ll be sweating by the time we get back to the car. It still feels like summer.

Nevertheless, time marches on. Tonight, Major League Baseball begins its World Series, the so-called “Fall Classic.” Our church will host its fall festival tomorrow. Starbucks has been selling pumpkin spice lattes for weeks. It may still feel like summer, but our habits and traditions persevere—whatever the weather says, we stubbornly insist that autumn has arrived.

In some ways, it feels silly to carry on this way in defiance of our senses. Why should we pretend we need to have a jacket handy when it’s so obviously unnecessary? Saying the seasons have changed when we remain so obviously mired in the same one we’ve been in since May feels like an act of cognitive dissonance, a willful act of mass delusion.

Yet I can’t help but feel there’s something hopeful about it. Cooler weather may be delayed, but our rhythms endure, because we trust that change will be here soon. We refuse to cancel our annual traditions because we don’t need it to feel like fall to know that it is fall.

It’s not hard to believe in something when you can see it. But biblical faith is trusting God when faith is all you have to lean on, going all in on hope instead of hedging your bets. There will always be those who call such faith naïve, even silly—but there is something profoundly brave about persevering in faith when cold, hard rationality says you should just give up.

Our world is a cynical, pessimistic place, and if you listen to it too closely, you’ll be ready to throw in the towel at any moment. But if you listen to God’s Word, you’ll hear a different refrain: hope. The tomb is empty, and Jesus is returning soon. The Holy Spirit is at work. God is making all things new.

It’s hot down here, no doubt about it. But don’t throw away your sweater quite yet. Persevere in hope, looking forward to the day when your faith will become sight.

Getting Where You're Going (Friday Devotional)

 

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 every situation, 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.

- Philippians 4:4-7

As you read this devotional, my family and I are overseas on a trip to Scotland and Ireland, seeing the  sights and enjoying the time together. You may have already seen some of the photos that Lindsey’s uploaded on Facebook or the daily diaries I’ve posted. Travel’s an important thing for our family, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to do so.

But of course, before the fun of overseas travel comes the stress of making the necessary arrangements. How are we going to get around once we’re there? Where are we going to stay? How much money should we change, and where will we change it? Do we have the right kinds of adaptor plugs to charge various electronic devices? When do we call the credit card and phone companies? And for goodness’ sake, what all should we pack?

There are a million little details to attend to before a trip like this one, all of which matter, all of which need to be dealt with before you get on an airplane. It’s enough to make you jittery and anxious when the trip begins, worried you’ve missed something along the way. But then, inevitably, something wonderful happens when you arrive at your destination—the worries largely melt away, overcome by the fun of vacation. The anxiety of the preparation gives way to the joy of the experience.

Life in Christ is a lot like that. The world will pile on burden after burden, a million different things it insists you need to stress over. From the practical—do we have enough saved for retirement?—to the petty—is our car the oldest on the block?—your mind can constantly fixate on different points of anxiety.

But for those who are in Christ, there is freedom from such concerns, or at least a bigger perspective about what ultimately matters. Because we can turn our worries over to the Lord, because we can trust his providence more than our plans, we can rejoice when others fret. What brings fear to an unbeliever is the first step towards joy for a believer. For where there is reason to worry, there is also reason to pray—and in turning our fears over to God, there is peace.

Today, don’t let fear win out over joy. In Christ, you’ve got what you need—so get where you’re going and enjoy the experience!

What Do You Sound Like? (Friday Devotional)

 

Do everything without grumbling or arguing…So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

- Philippians 2:14, 18

Buzz. Click. Clang. Fizz. Groan. Hiccup. Hiss. Rattle. Rip. Sputter.

All these words have something in common: they are onomatopoeias, words whose names sound like the noises they describe. English has more than 100 such words—from argh to ugh, boom to zoom. Some make us smile just to see them in print—think achoo or belch—while others have a more unpleasant feel in our mouths, like blurt or snarl.

To this latter category you can add the word ‘grumble.’ One of its definitions, “to make a low rumbling sound,” the way thunder does when a storm is gathering, fits the word’s sound perfectly. But so too does its primary definition, “to complain about something in a bad-tempered way.” While complaining can sometimes be louder and higher-pitched—think of that other onomatopoeia, ‘whine’—often it’s more like an undercurrent, something soft and in the background, inescapable and unpleasant.

There should always be a place for constructive criticism in our lives—if we don’t want to stagnate, then we need to be seeking ways to do better. But while we ought to welcome helpful suggestions offered in the pursuit of sanctification, the Bible tells us we need not tolerate and should not engage in the kind of complaining that tears down without building back up, that finds nothing but problems and doesn’t bother to seek solutions. That’s just grumbling—and far from helping, it’s just downright unpleasant.

One of the characteristics that set the early Christians apart from the world was the joy they constantly exhibited, even in the face of tremendous difficulty. Their hope was not found in worldly figures—not in financial statements or attendance figures or election results—but in the good news that Christ is risen, the knowledge that by grace and through faith their eternal future was assured. Whatever this world threw at them, their attitude was always the same: Jesus is Lord, so what do I have to complain about?

The world isn’t any simpler today than it was then—some aspects of life are easier, others far harder. So if you’re looking to the world for your hope, you’ll find plenty to worry and stress and complain about. But if Jesus is your Lord, you can rejoice and be glad, for you have a hope that will endure far longer than any of life’s cares and concerns. With every word you speak, whether an expression of joy or a grumble, you are bearing witness to what you believe—so what do you sound like?