"The heaven of heavens . . ."

I was reading Solomon's prayer dedicating the temple this morning when he prayed "The heaven of heavens cannot contain You, much less this temple which I have built..." and for sure he had it right-- the galaxies that spin out into light years and beyond - - but then I thought of ladies I remember leading V.B.S. and little kids singing "Into my heart, into my heart, come into my heart, Lord Jesus" . . . and you know what? He did, He does....

Thirty-Four

Millard Porter was a quiet, unassuming man I knew when I lived in Edison, New Jersey, now forty years ago. He was a good man, and exuded kindness. When I knew him he was married to Signe, his second wife, the widow of a friend I woul assumesince the two couples are now buried on either side of the same grav marker, sharing the same stone. Signe Porter, as I knew her, was every bit as gracious as Millard.

The Porters loved to serve. She served me tea and goat's milk cheese on fine china when I visited thier small house. He served by cleaning the church and doing whatever task he could find to help. In earlier times Millard had been a strong leader and founder of the Edison Church of the Nazarene. Long story.

But I rememer Millard Porter for the way he died. Very weak, unable to speakm really, he lay in an eight-bed ward in a hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Life was flickering away and there were no visible supporters surrounding that hospital bed, just his pastor, although I am pretty sure there were angels. I saw his mounth moving. I knew Millard Porter was trying to tell me something. I bent over to listen. Millard Porter was whispering. "Thirty-four. Thirty-four."

To this day it moves me to think of the word Millard Porter left behind as he was dying. I want to live that way, too. I'm certainly not eager to die just yet, but when it comes I want to die that way as well. I'm so vey glad I knew Millard Porter's favorite Psalm, so I know what he was saying that day in the eight-bed ward in the New Brunswick hospital. "I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth!" (Psalm 34:1)

Back to the Future

"Come out from among them and be separate!" was a battle cry of the church I first knew and joined. We were DIFFERENT! It was painful sometimes as a kid growing up in a fellowship that seemed to live by strange and even alien guidelines.

What the second and third generations (mine included) often failed to grasp was that the driving force of the holiness people was the powerful ATTRACTION of a God who dominated all of life- who was Present in every facet of living. Left unattended the FLAME flickered, threatened to go out, and holy separation in many cases deteriorated into what appeared to be legalism-- and what actually in many cases was that ugly disease. Still, there was a core of life that burned, that would not go out.

Now our hope lies in a generation that is kindling that sacred FLAME again- talking about leaving the comfort zone-- about bringing God into every fact of living. We have been set free from legalism-- but maybe we need to rediscover the truth in the call "Come out from among them and be separate!" all over again!! Our zeal for God dare not stop when it begins to demand first place in every single area of our living!

Maybe the way we will end up in our quest for God will LOOK like legalism to others. It is impossible to have as our highest goal to be "cool" or at the leading edge of any human endeavor and at the same time tend the sacred FLAME of the Presence.

In Charles Wesley's words:

"O that in me THE SACRED FLAME
Might now begin to glow;
Burn up the dross of base desire
And make the mountains flow.

"REFINING FIRE go through my heart,
Illuminate my soul;
Scatter thy light to every part
And sanctify the whole."

He wrote it-- I pray it for myself. Amen

Living by Faith in a Touchy-Feely World

A lesson I need to learn again (and again) is the fact that how I may FEEL does not determine what in FACT is happening, or who or what I AM. I am not here to feel good, but to do God's will as He gives me enough understanding to perceive that will.

Pursuing FEELING is counter-productive; at the same time, what I do pursue is a PRESENCE, and that is beyond my control to perceive at will. When in fact I am aware that God Himself is Present it is indescribably good- beyond what I would call "feeling" yet assurance, joy, ecstacy are words that come to mind-- the I AM THAT I AM making Himself known in the way that He chooses- still small voice, inner persuasion, or sheer wonder. Those moments for me are far between, although the in between times are not bereft of assurance.

Still-- what happens in the desert places? How may we become men and women of God? How may I?

Our culture knows so very much! It has given us tools that threaten to be our masters-- diversions that keep our attention-- the wisdom of the ages seems so very much out of date to a generation that knows everything already, and can google in an instant what it doesn't know.
Our goal seems to be feeling good NOW! No empty spaces. No times of quiet. Boring. Answers. Never pondering questions. Pondering?

David wrote (in Psalm 37:34) "Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to possess the land..."

Sometimes it seems waiting is hard to do . . .