As you read this, some Clemson University students will be gathering to celebrate 50 years of Navigator ministry on campus, dating from the arrival of Chuck Steen in August 1969.  I wish I could be with them, and here’s the rest of the story.

I met The Navigators at ROTC summer camp at Charleston AFB in July 1967, before my senior year at Clemson. I spent two additional years at Clemson, including one year of graduate school. There was no Navigator ministry at Clemson then, but I had a mentor, Mel Leader, in Charleston, about three hours away, and twice/year, the military Navigators had week-long conferences only 30 miles from Clemson. 

I attended as many nights of those conferences as I could, met Navigators who served in the southeastern U.S. from Washington, D.C., to Florida, and tried to put into practice at Clemson what I was learning, both personally and in ministry. I don’t remember exactly what I did, but I do remember connecting with Mike Murphree, a junior at Clemson, right before I left in May 1969. Here’s the way he tells it:

My roommate and I went to Mount Tabor [church] to tell about a youth crusade we were having in Easley, S.C. Bob Ewell was there, and after the service, he came to me and asked if we would be interested in a Bible Study. I said yes. It was at the end of my Junior year at Clemson. Bob came to our dorm room, and we did about 2 lessons. He told my roommate and I that he was leaving and there was going to be Nav Staff there next year. He wanted to know if he could give them our names. I said yes (although I didn’t much want to). I figured he would lose our names over the summer. That was April of 1969. The first day of my senior year, Chuck Steen showed up at my door and said he was with The Navigators. The rest is history! I sure am glad Bob met us. You never know what God is going to do. It’s great to see what God has done at Clemson over the years.

The history he mentions is that Mike went on to become Navigator staff and served as The Navigator representative at Clemson for decades. 

So many lessons. I’m thankful Dave Koetje in Charleston, living with Mel Leader, went to the chapel at Charleston AFB that night in 1967 and connected with me. I’m glad Mike Murphree responded to my invitation to do Bible study and to Chuck Steen’s follow-up the next fall. And I’m thankful for Mike’s faithfulness over the years and for the thousands of students he influenced.

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (1 Corinthians 3.5 – 7, NIV)

Someone who’s opinion I usually respect has just written an article bemoaning the fact that a popular song became so without the “mediating institution” of the Nashville music industry. He was really talking about direct versus indirect democracy (ours is supposed to be indirect) and cautioning of the dangers of direct democracy.

Without getting into all the nuance, I must respectfully disagree that it’s a problem when a song becomes popular without the approval of some authority. I asked a question, the answer to which I’m still waiting for:

How would you describe the Jesus movement in its first 250 years? If it had had to depend on “mediating institutions” it wouldn’t have survived.

Few, if any, great ideas or movements have come within the boundaries of existing “mediating institutions.”

The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. (Acts 4.13, NLT)

And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) (Galatians 2.6, NLT)

My new friend in Cameroon that expressed concern about a seeming lack of transformation in churches (please see my September 5 blog) just wrote that he thinks radio is the way to go:

Since some months our God put in my heart to start a small Christian radio so that wherever they are they should hear our discipleship teaching and messages. Transmitter is what we need to start please can you an idea of how we can get it?

Here’s how I responded.

I said I couldn’t help him with a radio transmitter (I know nothing about that sort of thing), and I encouraged him to think about what he had told me originally: that he wanted to disciple his leaders. I continued:

I remind you that Jesus spent most of his time with the 12 men he chose. He trained them so that they could carry on after he left, and they did the same. The early church reached the world, and they had no radio, no television, no Internet, no printed materials, not even a copy of the New Testament. They told people about the resurrection, and they loved people in sacrificial ways, including taking in abandoned babies and tending to the sick during the plagues.

I closed with these verses:

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.1, 2, NIV)

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. (Acts 8.4, NIV)

By the way, I’m not against radio, television and all the other media. I’m just pointing out that we may not need them as much as we think, and we can all make a contribution starting from where we are!

I’m sometimes asked about why I quote from particular translations, and the answer is, it depends. Sometimes it was a particular translation that evoked what I’m writing about. Often, nearly any translation will do, and I copy the one I happen to be looking at.

You may have noticed that The Passion Translation appears from time to time. It’s new for me, and I’m enjoying reading it, and sometimes I’m picking up new insights from either the phrasing or the textual notes. Here’s the translator’s objective:

The Passion Translation (TPT) is a new, heart-level translation, using Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts, that expresses God’s fiery heart of love to this generation, merging the emotion and life-changing truth of God’s Word.

I get a little disappointed when people we have recommended it to won’t even try it if they discover something they don’t like about the (reported) theology of the translator, Bruce Simmons.

I’ve already written about the dangers of rejecting people because of differences in theology. The truth is, my theology is not the standard, and it’s a problem when I act like it is.

Another possible problem with rejecting a translation / ministry / teacher / preacher for the wrong reason popped up while I was listening to a sermon on Psalm 88, a very negative Psalm about life not going right. Other Psalms like that start or end on a positive note. Not this one, it’s complaining all the way through.

What does that have to do with rejecting a translation? I think we would all like things to go well all the time. No illness. No accidents. No relationship issues. We’d also like our translations done by people we agree with 100% on every detail. We might like the same for the books that we read. But life is messier than that.

John spoke up and said, “Teacher, we noticed someone was using your name to cast out demons, so we tried to stop him because he wasn’t one of our group.” “Don’t stop him!” Jesus replied. “For the one who does miracles in the power of my name proves he is not my enemy. And whoever is not against us is for us. (Mark 9:38 – 40, Passion Translation)

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. (2 Corinthians 10.12, NKJV)

Of course, we wouldn’t dare to put ourselves in the same class or compare ourselves with those who rate themselves so highly. They compare themselves to one another and make up their own standards to measure themselves by, and then they judge themselves by their own standards. What self-delusion! (2 Corinthians 10.12, Passion Translation)

Why did you turn all my friends against me? You’ve made me like a cursed man in their eyes. No one wants to be with me now. You’ve caught me in a trap with no way out. Every day I beg for your help. Can’t you see my tears? My eyes are swollen with weeping. My arms are wide, longing for mercy, but you’re nowhere to be found. (Psalm 88.8, 9, Passion Translation)

(By the way, I believe it’s OK to pick a translation and stay with it and choose not to read another for whatever reason, as long as we understand that no translation of the scriptures is perfect and there’s no virtue in NOT reading a particular translation!)

An email directed me to a Facebook post which began, “Just for fun and to procrastinate [an important work-related activity], let’s play [a mindless quiz modeled after a game show].”

But the same day, I had been talking with one of my Navigator mentors Skip Gray. Skip is in his late 80s, has Parkinson’s and is on oxygen. He’s growing weaker. As to Parkinson’s he likes to say, “When people come up to me and say, ‘Skip, I’d like to shake your hand,’ I say, ‘All you have to do is hold it; it shakes all by itself.'”

June and I were at a gathering of some older Navigators, and someone came up to me and said, “Skip would like to see you and June before you leave.”

So we went over to his table in the corner, and Skip said, “Just keep doing what you’re doing.” By which he meant investing time in people to help them follow Jesus and help others do the same. He went on to say, “There are two things you can do with money: spend it or invest it. There are two things you can do with time: spend it foolishly or invest it.” He closed by saying:

I’ve heard people use the phrase “killing time.” That’s a terrible thing to do to time!

So I didn’t participate in the mindless, time-killing Facebook quiz. Rather, I’m writing this blog! People say, “I don’t know how you write a blog every day.” I respond, “It’s a discipline I’m developing, and it keeps me alert to what’s going on around me.” And I could add, “It’s amazing what you can get done if you don’t kill too much time!”

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)

I’ve written a few blogs on unsung heroes, remarkable people in our life, and I have one to add, our long-time Navigator friend and mentor to June, Phyllis Stanley. Phyllis and her husband, Paul, West Point class of 1963, are in their late 70s. They are former missionaries to Germany, Paul was an international vice president of The Navigators and even served as interim president for Greater Europe Mission just a few years ago. As of about January 2018, if not before, Paul began to develop dementia, we think as a result of concussions from playing football while at West Point. The dementia has become very serious, and he has gone down rapidly just in the past few months.

All that is background to this week. Phyllis called June to thank her for some food June had sent, leaving a long message, saying something like, “The arm I broke a few weeks ago is much better. Unfortunately, I’ve fallen and broken the other arm, and I have to have surgery in a couple of days. We’ve had a lot of visitors, people wanting to see Paul one last time: I’ve changed the sheets on the guest bed four times.”

So June went to their house the day before the surgery expecting to find Phyllis resting and maybe doing some last-minute preparations. The door was answered by a lady June didn’t know who explained that Phyllis really couldn’t see her right now–she was leading a Bible study!

Phyllis did come out to talk with June who told Phyllis that she expected her to be down. Phyllis responded, “No, I’m not down. My daughter might have thought I was down but that was due to medication. I’m just fine. The Bible study was scheduled. I’m leading it!”

I think I would have canceled Bible study if I was exhausted from caring for a spouse with dementia and had just broken my arm, especially if I were nearly 80 years old!

[The righteous] will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” (Psalm 92:12-15, NIV)

Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. (Psalm 71.17, 18, NIV)

I’m still haunted by the Cameroon pastor’s observation: Churches don’t want to transform members to disciples. I suggested that maybe churches don’t know how, and one challenge is that pastors may think they’re doing all they can do.

One pastor told me, “I think most of my folks are having daily time with God: I preach on it at least once a year.” A committed member of another church said something like, “There’s no reason people in our church can’t be having daily time with God. The pastor regularly challenges them to do that.”

I’m all for practical preaching, and in my public speaking engagements, I expose people to discipleship concepts and practices. However, and it’s a big however:

You can’t teach kids to play the piano by taking them to concerts!

Huh? Bob, I thought we were talking about transforming church members into disciples. We are, and the same principle applies, does it not? Preaching, even good, practical preaching, isn’t enough without skills training, usually done in a relational setting.

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11.1, ESV)

Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. (Matthew 28.20, MSG, emphasis mine)

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.2, NIV)

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I don’t know if I should point this out or not, but when Hurricane Dorian was forecast to hit Florida, a former Canadian Prime Minister, Kim Campbell, tweeted:

I’m rooting for a direct hit on Mar-a-Lago! [Mar-a-Lago is President Trump’s private resort.]

Ms Campbell apologized for her Wednesday, August 28, tweet on Friday, August 30. While no longer Prime Minister (she served a short time back in 1993), she currently is the chairperson for Canada’s Supreme Court Advisory Board.

I couldn’t help but notice that Hurricane Dorian essentially missed Florida, but it did hit northeastern Canada. World Magazine reported on Monday, September 9:

Hurricane Dorian knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people in Nova Scotia, Canada, on Sunday. The storm hit near the city of Halifax, ripping roofs off apartment buildings, knocking over a construction crane, and uprooting trees before heading into northwestern Newfoundland and southeastern Labrador during the afternoon. The Canadian government is sending troops to the Maritimes to restore electricity, clear roadways, and evacuate residents of flooded areas.

Kim Campbell is not alone. Every day, millions of people, including believers, are posting all kinds of reckless words on social media. As I’ve written before, outrage has become a new pastime in this country.

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak. (Matthew 12.36, ESV)

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I’ve been listening to The Shack on Audible the past couple weeks. I read it when it first came out in 2007. Not everyone likes the book, which is the story of a father’s confrontation with God in the shack in the woods of northwest Oregon where his youngest daughter was murdered three years before. Without giving complete endorsement or condemnation of the book, I will say that it contains many useful insights into the nature of God and our relationship with him, as well as tackling the hard issue of evil.

Today, I just want to highlight one amusing scene. Jesus wants to take the father, Mack, to the other side of the lake. Naturally(!), Jesus intends to walk across the lake to get there. Mack has problems believing he can walk on water, he doesn’t quite know how to get into the water from the dock, etc. Finally, he steps in, and he and Jesus walk across the lake together.

Fast forward several hours, and they are ready to return. Now Mack is filled with confidence, and he walks right into the water, surprised that he finds himself walking on the bottom of the lake! Undaunted, he continues, the water approaching his knees. Finally, he feels himself rising up through the water until he finds himself walking on top again. At that point, he looks back and sees that Jesus had entered the water behind him. Jesus says,

It works better when we do it together!

There it is. Forgetting “together” is the same error the Israelites made in Joshua 7. 

Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, “Go up and spy out the land.” And the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not have all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not make the whole people toil up there, for they are few.” So about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men… (Joshua 7.2 – 5, ESV)

“We can do this! After all, we just defeated Jericho!” Really? Who defeated Jericho? 

I’m not sure the song we learned as children is quite accurate when it says, “Each victory will help you some other to win.” That seems to imply that we won the previous victory in our own strength. 

Peter got it right in the aftermath of the healing of the lame man in Acts 3.

But Peter said, “…In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him…And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?” (Acts 3.6 – 12, ESV, emphasis mine)

I am the vine, you are the branches…without me, you can do nothing. (John 15.5, NKJV)

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I wrote a few days ago that it was a common observation that churches appear not to be interested in transforming members into disciples. Today I want to applaud the leadership of the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO) for at least goal-setting to make disciples. The Rev. Dr. Dana Allin is the Synod Executive for ECO, and he wrote last week:

In ECO, one of our measures of a flourishing church is that it “Expects Disciple Making”.  The components of this measure include that every person who is a part of our churches will be growing in their own discipleship and helping others do the same.  It is expected that the leaders of our churches will be those who have exemplified their own discipleship and are active practitioners. It is expected that the ministries of the church will be making disciples and will be evaluated and changed accordingly.

I love it. I was with them in January when I was able to challenge some of their leaders to do just that and give them some practical suggestions. But Dana adds a point that underscores the original observation:

It is unfortunate that this expectation needs to be articulated when it should just be a given, but the reality is that we are often surprised when we run across a church that is truly a disciple-making church.  

Again, I applaud ECO and wish them every success as they implement their God-given responsibility to make disciples.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4.11, 12)

And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful. (Titus 3.14, ESV, emphasis mine)