No matter your religious tradition, it doesn’t hurt to use a particular season to do what you probably ought to be doing anyway! Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, a time we can set aside to remember the Lord’s death and what that might mean for us. We’ll get to Resurrection Sunday soon enough!

As soon as Peter acknowledged Jesus’ true identity as “you are the Messiah, the son of the living God,” (Mark 8.29) Jesus began the tutorial:

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. (Mark 8.31, 32, ESV)

Then Jesus directly related his life’s plan to ours:

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8.34, ESV)

What might that look like? Taking up our cross and following Jesus? And if, like me, you don’t know exactly what that might look like, can you take one action step for these 7 weeks? Just a small one. I like the tradition that says let’s not merely “give up something,” say, chocolate, for Lent. Rather, let’s add something in.

For example, if Monday’s blog reminding us how much we use our phones (or computers or engage in…[you fill in the blank]) was thought-provoking, maybe we trade some time we spend doing that for time doing something that will enhance our relationship with God, serve our neighbor, or complete important projects.

As the weeks go along, please send your actions to me at bob@ewell.com, and maybe toward the end of Lent, I can blog about how this year’s Lenten season advanced the Kingdom in ourselves and others.

We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1.23, 24, ESV)

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2.2, ESV)

A recent Costco Connection article entitled All Apologies lists six components of a good apology from Roy Lewicki, professor emeritus of management and human resources at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business:

• An expression of regret
• An explanation of what went wrong
• An acknowledgment of responsibility
• A declaration of repentance
• An offer of repair
• A request for forgiveness

It’s a good list, but we see it violated all the time. The funny thing is when it is violated, everyone knows the apology is phony or less than complete whether they could recite the six things or not.

The biggest non-apology apology of late has been the Houston Astros in general and their owner, Jim Crane, in particular. The Astros were stealing opposing pitchers’ signs and relaying pitch information to batters. They won the 2017 World Series doing that. Here are some key observations in an article by Jeff Passan of ESPN:

• In the span of 27 minutes at a news conference, he [Jim Crane] claimed his team’s routine cheating during its 2017 championship season didn’t impact the game, declared he shouldn’t be held accountable for the organization he runs, …
• Amid his attempts at apologizing were clear signals that his contrition went only as far as his ability to absolve himself of wrongdoing.
• Crane — endeavoring to explain away the Astros’ illicit use of a center-field camera to decode catchers’ signs that were then relayed via banging on a trash can to alert hitters as to the pitch type about to be thrown — said with a straight face: “Our opinion is that this didn’t impact the game.” When pressed on what exactly he meant by that, Crane said: “I didn’t say it didn’t impact the game.” He had, of course — 60 seconds earlier, for those curious about the capacity of Crane’s short-term memory. And it did, clearly, as his team’s shortstop, Carlos Correa would later admit.

At a minimum, to go back to our original list, there’s no acknowledgment of responsibility, no repentance, no offer of repair, and no request for forgiveness. Missing at least four out of six!

As I said, it’s a good list, and we rarely see it executed in the public eye. May we as believers do better!

Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7.9, 10, NIV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1.9, NIV)

I’ve written before about the importance of not letting our technology overwhelm us. Seth Godin’s blog for Sunday, February 23, is too good to pass up. Here are the first and last paragraphs:

When you bought your first smartphone, did you know you would spend more than 1,000 hours a year looking at it?… If we wasted money the way we waste time, we’d all be bankrupt.

Well said!

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5.15, 16, ESV)

A recurring theme in the Ewellogy is what my son Mark calls America’s new indoor sport: recreational outrage. Here’s the one I wrote about Uninformed Outrage, and this blog on Piling On is where Mark introduced us to the term recreational outrage in a comment.

Today, Pearls Before Swine captured the phenomenon beautifully and even included a cure. Rat tells the Offendedistas who take offense at everything someone else says and then destroys you for it:

What if we just go on with our lives like we used to, leaving creative people free to create and you free to ignore it?

Rat is advising us all to practice a holy indifference as well as realize that my outrage doesn’t fix anything.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1.19, 20, NIV)

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14.12, NKJV)

I was discussing with a friend about Annie Dillard’s observations about church as I wrote a few days ago. Here are some additional thoughts, as I expressed them to my friend:

I think thoughtful people like Annie Dillard react to our calmly confining the living God to a building where we practice sometimes ridiculous rituals. I’ll never forget a photo I saw accompanying an article about dying churches. There was a sanctuary that would hold maybe 150 people occupied by 6 people scattered around, facing forward singing a hymn, presumably led by someone, accompanied by an organ or something. The article was in World Magazine, and while I can’t find the picture, my letter to the magazine was published:

The photo of the United Methodist Church in Kansas says it all. It’s not just that there are only seven people in the building; it’s that they are using a form designed for large groups. When people expect, even demand, a particular form and refuse to change even when it must appear to be madness to any objective onlookers, it’s no wonder people looking for any sign of life and relevance can’t leave fast enough. – Bob Ewell, 2005

A friend of mine talks about scaffolding. We build a beautiful building, and to build it requires scaffolding. But the scaffolding should be removed after it’s built. But we leave it there. In Christian circles, more people are enamored with their particular scaffolding than they are with the true God.

Having a form of godliness but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3.5, NIV)

To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. (Revelation3.1, NIV)

I always believed that Jesus’ miracles had purpose: sick people needed healing, dead people needed raising, a wedding host had run out of wine, hungry people needed feeding… When the disciples needed help in the middle of a lake, Jesus walked on water to get to them. But what’s the purpose of this miracle?

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. (Matthew 14.28, 29, NIV, emphasis mine)

I’ve written about this before, but I’m still puzzling over it, so it’s worth looking at again. Again, there seems to be no purpose in the miracle. Peter isn’t trying to go anywhere. He’s just seeing if he can walk on water. And he can! Somehow Peter seems to realize something that Jesus hasn’t said yet. Namely, “I am a Jesus-follower. If Jesus can do something, I should be able to do the same thing.” Later, Jesus affirmed:

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14.12, NIV)

Peter, in Jesus’ power, could walk on water. Later, in Jesus’ name (power) he heals a lame man in Acts 3 and raises a dead woman (Acts 9).

So the question is, do we have and use such power? One answer is that any time we take a step of faith, we’re walking on water. I wrote earlier that miracles happen in motion. A friend told me about a fractured relationship he had with someone. He said, “Finally, I ‘walked on water.’ I humbled myself, apologized to him, and the relationship is now whole.”

I think this is the same message as in the John Ortberg title: If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat!

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing... So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. (Joshua 3.14 – 16, NIV, emphasis mine)

We’ve been thinking about compassion, and here is a concrete example.

John and Ginnie are friends of ours, about our age, and live in Virginia. Ginnie has Parkinson’s and can’t get around without a wheelchair. John, until recently, had been involved in diplomatic activities at the very highest level. They frequently spent months in Vienna on assignment. 

Now he mostly takes care of her. They still travel, but, of course, John is completely responsible for all the logistics. When June told John in a recent phone conversation with both of them that we greatly admire his patience with, and love for, Ginnie, John cheerfully replied:

That’s what I signed up for!

That will preach.

Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5.25, NIV)

The disciples don’t learn easily… After yesterday’s adventure with the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus takes them on a 2-day walk north.

Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. (Matthew 15.21, NLT)

There they encounter a woman who begs Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus doesn’t respond right away, but the disciples do!

And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”

The disciples could have begged Jesus to take care of her, but they didn’t. Then follows the curious exchange with the woman about taking the children’s bread and giving it to dogs. She answers wisely, and the Lord grants her request. (See Matthew 15.21 – 28.) Then they return to Galilee.

Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. (Matthew 15.29, ESV)

What’s going on here? The story doesn’t make sense UNLESS you remember that Jesus is always training the disciples. Remember, a 2-day walk north to help one woman, a Gentile, and a 2-day walk back. What do you think they discussed on the way back?

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9.36, ESV)

[Peter said to Cornelius the Centurion, ] “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. (Acts 10.28, ESV)

Jesus’ training program for the disciples included developing a heart for people. Where Jesus has compassion, the disciples want to “send them away.”

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” (Mark 6.34 – 36, ESV, emphasis mine)

The next step in this parade is that Jesus feeds the 5,000, turning the disciples into ushers (“have them sit down in groups of 50 and 100”), servers (he distributed the loaves and fishes to the disciples who distributed them to the crowd), and busboys (remember the 12 baskets of leftovers?). 

And all this occurred after the disciples returned from their ministry trip and wanted some rest!

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. (Mark 6.30 – 32, ESV)

It seems that following Jesus involves giving myself up for others.

We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. (1 Thessalonians 2.8, NLT)

My friend Ray in New Hampshire told me that a friend of his tried to get him to read a book full of complicated concepts such as how the speed of light might shed light on dates in the Bible. The author derives specific dates for everything from the creation of Adam to the birth of Jesus. 

We had been discussing the apparent lack of spiritual maturity as defined in Hebrews 5.12 – 14 among many church members.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5.12 – 14, NKJV) 

Ray and I believe that “skilled” handling of the Word has nothing to do with deep knowledge of esoteric things. Rather, it has to do with letting the Word speak to how we live. “Discerning good and evil” – not “right” versus “wrong” theology.

Ray’s friend kept asking if he had acquired the book (I don’t know the name of it). Ray finally wrote something like this:

I am a simple man. I live by Psalm 131.1 and 2: O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul… (NASB) Since I don’t have the background to understand the arguments this author is making, I will not be reading this book. I don’t think it would serve to “compose and quiet” my soul.

Ray also believes that even if true, the book would do little to help one actually live the Christian life. 

Ray might claim to be simple, but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid! He graduated from the Air Force Academy, flew tankers in the Air Force, and has a master’s from Dallas Theological Seminary. Like me, he gives his life to helping others know and live by the Word and help others do the same.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1.22, NIV)

Knowledge puffs up while love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8.1, NIV)