How about a change of pace? This doe with two fawns was in our backyard last week:

The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” (Psalm 29.9, ESV)

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35.5, 6)

GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. (Habakkuk 3.19, ESV)

Blog reader and long-time friend Henry Brown, now living in Hilton Head, South Carolina, closed a note to me with this benediction. It’s worth passing on to you:

Best wishes for you tonight my friend. My prayer – Listen patiently, contemplate prayerfully, speak clearly and love dearly. – Henry Brown

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak… (James 1.19, NIV)

This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. (1 John 3.11, NIV)

I wrote two blogs near the beginning of the COVID lockdowns about the importance of not obsessing over news, beginning with this on March 21, Turn off the TV! I followed the next day with something from Seth Godin: Curate Your Incoming.

Maybe it’s time for a reminder, and Seth Godin has written another winner: Doom Scrolling. Here it is in its entirety:

Being informed is a virtue. It helps us make better decisions and encourages us to take action.

Getting hooked on an endless scroll of media inputs is not the same as being informed. There’s long been a business model of urgent news (“man bites dog!”), but now it’s been leveraged, amplified and optimized to suck people in for hours at a time. And division is much easier to sell than progress.

If it’s not helping you take action to make things better, what’s it for? –Seth Godin, July 20, 2020.

I still can’t do better than the verses from my two earlier posts:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14.27, NIV)

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4.8, NIV)

Our pastor has been challenging us to consider “what we signed up for” when we became Jesus followers. Recently he made a very practical application from the often misunderstood verse about “hate” in Luke 14. Consider it in The Passion Translation with its footnote:

When you follow me as my disciple, you must put aside your father, your mother, your wife, your sisters, your brothers—yes, you will even seem as though you hate your own life. This is the price you’ll pay to be considered one of my followers.

Or “hate.” This is an Aramaic and Hebraic metaphor for putting Jesus above every other relationship. The Aramaic word sna has several meanings and can mean “hate” or “put aside.” In this case, Jesus, the King of love is not saying to hate but to put aside every other relationship into second place… (Luke 14.26, Passion Translation with footnote)

What was our pastor’s explanation/application? Politics. He cited Dr. Tim Keller, who in turn referred to author Larry Hutardo. I can’t improve on this section of the article How to Reach the West Again, March 12, 2020:

In Destroyer of the gods, Larry Hurtado seeks to explain why an increasing number of people converted to Christianity in the Roman world, even though it was the most persecuted of all religions and carried significant social cost. Hurtado speaks of the unique Christian social project—a unique kind of human community that defied categories then and will still do so today. It has at least five elements that could be broken down and expounded at greater length, but which also need to be seen together, as they constitute a whole. The early church’s social project was:

• Multi-racial and multi-ethnic
• Highly committed to caring for the poor and marginalized
• Non-retaliatory, marked by a commitment to forgiveness
• Strongly and practically against abortion and infanticide
• Revolutionary regarding the ethics of sex

The early Christian community was both offensive and also attractive. Believers did not construct their social project in some strategic way to reach Roman culture. Each of the five elements was there because Christians sought to submit to biblical authority. They are all commanded. They are just as category-defying—both offensive and attractive—today. The first two views (ethnic diversity and caring for the poor) sound “liberal,” and the last two (abortion and sexual ethics) sound “conservative.” But the third element, of course, sounds like no particular party. Churches today are under enormous pressure to jettison the first two or the last two but to not keep them all. Yet to give up any of them would make Christianity the handmaid of a particular political program and undermine a missionary encounter. (Tim Keller, emphasis mine and our pastor’s)

As the article says, all sides seem to have a problem with non-retaliation, while each of us seems to favor the “liberal” or “conservative” approach as defined above. Jesus might ask us, “To whom are you loyal? Your political leaning or me?”

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. (Luke 9.23, 24, NLT)

So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. (1 Peter 4.14, NLT)

I will appreciate your prayer especially over the next few days: I go in early Tuesday morning, July 28, for left knee replacement surgery. Please pray that Dr. Ron Hollis and his team have a good day!

The right knee was replaced September 2018, and except for a rough few days right after, recovery from that went really well. I put the left one off as long as I could, but I had a little scare back in January – 48 hours when walking was very difficult. So I got a cortisone shot and scheduled replacement for May. When the pandemic started, we postponed until now.

Thankfully, I have been able to get around satisfactorily. I don’t have any pain, but I don’t push it either. I’m looking forward to being able to build back up rather than just hang on.

As is my custom, I have scheduled a few blogs ahead to keep the daily blog habit going. I’ll be back live with an update as soon as I can. I expect to come home from the hospital Thursday afternoon.

I am the Lord who heals you. (Exodus 15.26, NIV)

Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony. (Psalm 6.2, NIV – they’re not in agony now, but they might be for a few days after!)

I was talking with my friend, fellow disciple-maker and pastor-coach Ray Bandi, who told me he had been listening to my videos. About the last one, I said, “Be prepared to hear stuff you’ve heard before!” To which he said something very profound:

Just because I’ve heard it before doesn’t mean I’m thinking about it today. That’s why we need reminders. – Ray Bandi, New Hampshire, July 2020

Scriptures are filled with admonitions to remember:

Take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Deuteronomy 6.12, ESV – also, Deuteronomy 4.23 and 8.11)

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. (Deuteronomy 5.15, ESV)

You shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7.18, ESV)

Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. (Psalm 106.6, 7, ESV)

No one has asked me, but I want to share how I usually come up with a scripture to punctuate a blog entry. I don’t often begin with a scripture in mind or, even if the blog was inspired by one verse, I want to close with another one. When I have finish drafting the blog, I wait in silence for God to bring a verse to mind. That’s one advantage of a lifetime of bible study and scripture memory!

When I was closing the blog centered around Marvin Olasky’s article, I thought of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant to mind, and I used Jesus’ closing words:

Then his master summoned him and said to him, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart. Matthew 18.32 – 35, ESV)

I’ve never thought of myself or my white friends as unforgiving servants, but as I thought about the kind of responses Marvin Olasky received and many of the posts I’ve seen with respect to the racial unrest, it’s beginning to feel like some of us are forgetting how much we’ve been forgiven of. It feels like we’ve developed a spirit of unforgiveness toward blacks. “Yes, you were shadowed while shopping, but that’s because of a high black crime rate.” In other words, “You deserve it.”

Yes, God has forgiven all of us a great debt, and we have the privilege of passing that forgiveness on. Much of the time, I’m afraid, some of us live as if no forgiveness for us was necessary. Or, like the unforgiving servant, we forget. Just a thought. I’m still processing this.

For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (Revelation 3.17, ESV)

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3.12 – 16, ESV)

To help us white folks “get it” with respect to some of the racial tension, please see what my long-time friend Clarence Shuler has to say:

Clarence is a nationally known, well-received, Bible-based speaker who does marriage retreats as well as racial reconciliation conferences. Here’s some of what he wrote recently:

Pastor Andy Stanley did an outstanding job of discussing the racial tension in America. I’m so Blessed by Andy and other pastors, who have the courage and wisdom to pause their regular sermon series to discuss in detail the racial tension in America as it really is and what our biblical response should be. Andy challenges Christians to take action. Here’s the link to God’s incredible word through one of His servants. – Clarence Shuler, July 2020

I recommend you listen to Andy’s sermon in its entirety – it’s less than 30 minutes. Here are a few of my takeaways. Again, I recommend you listen to the sermon.

• Facts aren’t fair, facts don’t care. No change has occurred by citing facts. e.g., most white people are afraid of black men. It’s not fair. Most black people are afraid of police. However, the difference is, most white people’s fear of black men is NOT based on personal experience, while black people have personal experience with being stopped by police, often for no reason, as I’ve written about before.
• Facts don’t move us forward; experience does.
• Preaching this subject is easy if you are in an extreme left or an extreme right church. But very little gets done from the extremes. It’s the messy middle where things have to be worked out.
• How do people who don’t look like me perceive me? How SHOULD people who don’t look like me perceive me?
• Jesus calls us to a new standard: love one another as I have loved you. And his followers were very diverse. E.g., Simon the zealot and Matthew the tax collector. Love requires bearing each other’s burdens. Galatians 6:2: Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
• Proximity does not equal friendship. Do I have black friends? 
• It’s not enough to be non-racist; we must be anti-racist.

Here is a bit more of Clarence Shuler’s perspective. Remember, he lives it day in, day out:

Andy Stanley suggests standing in the pain of someone before offering to do anything. 1 Corinthians 12:26 says, “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” If we don’t take the time to try to understand a wounded person or group of people, then, how can we reflect the love of God to an individual or a group? 

Sadly, some pastors are promoting their political views, with no grace, and in the process are demeaning certain cultures and races. Some are blaming everything on the depravity of man, which is an easy way not to deal with the messy, but biblical issue of injustice. These pastors may be impeding Christ-followers from imitating Jesus in regards to responding to injustice (Proverbs 31:8-9 & Luke 4:18). Godly leaders must address injustice. God does in the Old and New Testament. – Clarence Shuler, July 2020

Clarence also sent a link to an 11-minute video of black believers talking about their experiences and making recommendations. I found it to be a good application of Andy Stanley’s suggestion to “stand in the pain of someone…”

After I listened to Andy’s sermon, I was reviewing some scripture and this one seemed to reinforce some of what Andy said:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of … love… (2 Timothy 1.7)

As I was preparing remarks for my friend Colonel Don “Crusher” Craigie’s memorial, it occurred to me that it’s important to remember that God values warriors. Consider:

• God is referred to in scripture as a warrior: But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior… (Jeremiah 20.11, NIV)
• One of the last pictures we have of Jesus is as a warrior.

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. (Revelation 19.11 – 14, ESV)

• Many of God’s key men were warriors:
  • Abraham led his men on an armed mission to rescue Lot. (Genesis 14.11 – 16)
  • Joshua was a general who led a series of campaigns to capture the promised land.
  • Gideon (and most of the judges) led the Israelites to conquer their oppressors.
  • David, of course, was a warrior demonstrated first in his defeat of Goliath. (1 Samuel 17.31 – 49)
  • A significant chunk of scripture is devoted to Davd’s mighty men. (1 Chronicles 11:10 – 12:22)
  • The first recorded Gentile convert was Cornelius, a Roman centurion. (Acts 10)

My friend Colonel Craigie was a warrior, and it was my honor to serve with him.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. (Ephesians 6.10 – 18, ESV)

It’s been a year of losses, maybe because we’re getting older, but my good friend Don (“Crusher”) Craigie, Colonel, USAF, Retired, wasn’t that old. He was in the Air Force Academy class of 1966, just two years ahead of my graduating from Clemson. Don passed away yesterday, July 22, 2020, after a long illness. June and I had tried to visit shortly after Father’s Day, but he was too sick to receive us. He fell shortly thereafter and was in one hospital or another until his earthly end came.

Don came to Space Command in late 1984 as the Air Training Command representative. In 1986, he and I headed up the development of Undergraduate Space Training (which still lives after over 30 years). Here’s a snippet of the official history that I just discovered with Don and me in the same sentence:

The Training Development Office, referred to above, was in Building 845 at Peterson AFB. At the time, there was another unit there, headed by Lt Col Rhip Worrell. People referred to us as “Crusher, Ripper, and Dr. Bob.”

Don was one of the rare senior officers who could both get things done AND was a nice guy. Most are good at one or the other. Don was both mission-oriented and people-oriented. A strong believer, Don was active in his church until the end.

Ours was not only a professional relationship but a personal one. When he was first assigned to Colorado Springs, he came solo and spent many hours with our family. We have fond memories of his lying on the floor playing with our youngest son, David, who was only four at the time. He used to take our oldest son, Mark, hunting. Later, when he was transferred to Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, his son, Todd, who was five months from high school graduation, lived with us from January to May 1988. Todd still feels like one of ours. Don was at my combination 40th birthday and promotion to Lieutenant Colonel party, my 70th birthday party, and, as in the picture above, our 50th-anniversary party.

Our oldest son, Mark, sent this to Don’s son Todd:

He will remembered for the amazing person he was and for all the great times we had with him.

We loved him and have lost a member of our extended family. Rest in peace, my brother.

This is an account of David’s mighty men… (1 Chronicles 11.11, ESV)

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. (Psalm 116.15, ESV)

We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5.6, NKJV)

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4.13, NIV)