OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #187 Pile Drivers and Posts of Wisdom
As I drive to the church each day, I can see two large construction cranes in the downtown, working on a new building. A few days ago, however, as I stopped the car, I could hear the distinct "Thump, thump" of a pile driver in action, and decided to investigate.
As it turned out, those construction cranes are driving piles for a big new building. One crane holds a set of rails with a driver and post. Compressed air powers a giant piston which drives a long steel post into the ground as it cycles back and forth. The other crane stands by to lift another post into place.
The object is to hammer the posts into the ground until they rest on solid rock, and then to build on top of the posts. I watched this for a little while, thinking how much those posts are like the pillars of wisdom we see in James 3:17-18.
"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."*
Last week we saw that wisdom is about action and not advice. We cannot proclaim ourselves to be wise. True wisdom, rather, is seen in the things we do. Thankfully in our passage today James gives us some examples of what wisdom looks like. Each one of these stands as a post grounded on the solid rock of godliness.
Pure - wisdom bears a quality of holiness and of being unspoiled.
Peace-loving - wisdom does not always have to argue and pick fights, and furthermore, it finds ways to smooth things over.
Considerate - wisdom thinks of other people and ways to help them.
Submissive - wisdom does not always need to get its own way. I could use my power and strength to get my own way, but I choose not to.
Merciful - wisdom doesn’t need to remind other people about their faults and foibles when they are down, but shows compassion and finds practical ways to help
Good Fruit - wisdom doesn’t need to proclaim itself because there is already lots of evidence
Impartial - wisdom does what is right and not only what is in one’s interest
Sincere - wisdom is not two-faced or hypocritical
Back at the work site, I noticed that we won’t see the posts when the building is done. However, we will see the evidence of their presence in the way the building remains solid and stable. Its the same for us. People aren’t going to walk around and say, "My, look how pure he is," or "Isn’t she a model of mercy and impartiality." The evidence of wisdom in our lives will be shown, rather, in the quality of our relationships.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published May 6, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
OnFire is an occasional letter on Christian faith and character
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
OnFire #186 Dent and Return Surprises
OnFire #186 Dent and Return Surprises
I used to shop in a "Dent & Return" store. This was a warehouse at a canning factory where - you guessed it - all the dented and returned cans were brought. They could not be sold to a retailer because of their appearance, but they were still safe and a customer could pick and choose among the bins at a discount rate.
The most interesting section was where they sold the cans without labels. There weren’t a lot of these cans, but to save the labour costs of having to identify the contents by the codes, they were sold from a single bin at an extremely discounted rate. It might have been one of a dozen different kinds of vegetables, or pie filling - apple, cherry or pumpkin.
Like the cans in the random bin at Dent & Return, there are a lot of things that have to be experienced to know their true nature. The experience of the product is important. A friend told me lately about his car-shopping adventure. He really loved one particular model until he took it for a test drive. It reminds me of the saying, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."
People are similar. We read about this in James 3:13. "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom."*
Is someone really wise? The only way to know is to observe what they do. I used to think that wisdom was represented by the white-haired guy with a long beard, kind of like Gandolf in "Lord of the Rings," sitting on top of the mountain, with people lined up to listen to his words.
This is not the picture of wisdom in the Bible, however. Wisdom in the Bible is not about a person’s words. Instead, wisdom is demonstrated by action. Those who are wise will show it by how they live.
As I look around me, there are some people who simply live out their faith in Christ in all they do. They don’t make a big deal over it. They don’t trumpet their deeds or proclaim their smarts. In fact, they demonstrate humility by always being willing to learn something new. The don’t presume to be the expert, although some of them are actually leaders in their fields. To me they demonstrate the truth of James’ words. I want to be like them, like the way James tells us.
James reminds us that wisdom is not about whether we think we are wise, but whether our lives actually show that we are wise. Its not the advice we give, but the life we live.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published April 30, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
I used to shop in a "Dent & Return" store. This was a warehouse at a canning factory where - you guessed it - all the dented and returned cans were brought. They could not be sold to a retailer because of their appearance, but they were still safe and a customer could pick and choose among the bins at a discount rate.
The most interesting section was where they sold the cans without labels. There weren’t a lot of these cans, but to save the labour costs of having to identify the contents by the codes, they were sold from a single bin at an extremely discounted rate. It might have been one of a dozen different kinds of vegetables, or pie filling - apple, cherry or pumpkin.
Like the cans in the random bin at Dent & Return, there are a lot of things that have to be experienced to know their true nature. The experience of the product is important. A friend told me lately about his car-shopping adventure. He really loved one particular model until he took it for a test drive. It reminds me of the saying, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."
People are similar. We read about this in James 3:13. "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom."*
Is someone really wise? The only way to know is to observe what they do. I used to think that wisdom was represented by the white-haired guy with a long beard, kind of like Gandolf in "Lord of the Rings," sitting on top of the mountain, with people lined up to listen to his words.
This is not the picture of wisdom in the Bible, however. Wisdom in the Bible is not about a person’s words. Instead, wisdom is demonstrated by action. Those who are wise will show it by how they live.
As I look around me, there are some people who simply live out their faith in Christ in all they do. They don’t make a big deal over it. They don’t trumpet their deeds or proclaim their smarts. In fact, they demonstrate humility by always being willing to learn something new. The don’t presume to be the expert, although some of them are actually leaders in their fields. To me they demonstrate the truth of James’ words. I want to be like them, like the way James tells us.
James reminds us that wisdom is not about whether we think we are wise, but whether our lives actually show that we are wise. Its not the advice we give, but the life we live.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published April 30, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
Thursday, April 16, 2009
OnFire #185 Chia Tongue
OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #185 Chia Tongue
Hi folks:
The big news here is Mark and Jan’s trip to the World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver Colorado. They flew out this morning and will compete Saturday and Sunday, arriving home late Monday. This past week has been a flurry of fundraising, media interviews and packing.
To follow Mark’s progress, check my website www.onfireletter.com and click the Sport Stacking logo for a **daily update.** Mark has had several media outlets cover his trip and they are included on the update.
Thanks for your prayers for them as they travel and compete.
There will be no OnFire next week as I will be away for board meetings. We’ll pick up again the following week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you remember Chia pets? They are the ceramic planters in the shape of something, say a cat, that grows grass like fur. Simply water and spread the seeds, and watch it grow! A few weeks ago Chia introduced Chia-Obama - a ceramic head in the shape of Mr. Obama, with the grass being his hair. I kid you not - I couldn’t make up this kind of stuff!
We’re in James 3. The tongue is a fire, he says in verse 6.
Now, I’ve never been particularly mouthy. Oh, I’ve had my episodes of bragging, swearing, gossiping and lying. But some early experiences were very important in my development. My mother washed my mouth out with soap after I came home from the playground with some new words. That fixed me until I was about 12, about the time when it became cool to reintroduce those same words around my friends. Later that year I became a Christian, however, and it was impressed upon us that such words ought not to come from believers.
Early in our marriage, I used a vile word in a moment of frustration, thinking that Jan would take pity on me because this was so uncharacteristic. She did not react the way I thought she would, however. I will never forget her six, simple words:
"If you ever say that again . . ." She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to - the look in her eyes convinced me that my life would be in danger.
Like I said, some important experiences cemented lessons in my moral development. Like the lessons about lying. My parents told us constantly that it was always better to tell the truth, no matter how bad, because the consequences if they caught us lying would be worse. I thought regular punishment was bad enough! Plus, I was never good with a quick, convincing comeback, so lying was not much of an option for me.
My parents, relatives, pastors, Sunday school teachers, camp counsellors, and youth group leaders can take a lot of credit for influencing me. Not that I’ve been perfect. No no. But their direction was important.
That’s a good thing because I have enough trouble dealing with the other bits of controlling my tongue (check verse 3 for the pun on that one). There are lots of ways to use my tongue which are not proper, and which I must constantly guard myself against.
It would be easy to take credit for someone else’s ideas or work. It is tempting to stretch the truth to protect myself in tight spot. I must always be careful not to betray confidential matters. When I am tired and frustrated, it is easy to cut someone down with angry or defensive words. And it is always hard to apologize. These are just a few areas that come quickly to mind. Give me a little while and the list would grow like a Chia pet in the window.
James reminds us that the tongue is small but powerful, even dangerous. A tiny rudder turns a very large ship. Small sparks char acres of woodland. The human tongue weighs 60-70 grams.
Hmmmm - though it makes up a mere .07% of my body weight, my tongue can change the direction of my life or create smoking ruins all around me.
I can’t help but think of the Proverb which says, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." (Proverbs 10:19)
"Lord, help us all to be wise." Hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published April 16, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
OnFire #185 Chia Tongue
Hi folks:
The big news here is Mark and Jan’s trip to the World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver Colorado. They flew out this morning and will compete Saturday and Sunday, arriving home late Monday. This past week has been a flurry of fundraising, media interviews and packing.
To follow Mark’s progress, check my website www.onfireletter.com and click the Sport Stacking logo for a **daily update.** Mark has had several media outlets cover his trip and they are included on the update.
Thanks for your prayers for them as they travel and compete.
There will be no OnFire next week as I will be away for board meetings. We’ll pick up again the following week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you remember Chia pets? They are the ceramic planters in the shape of something, say a cat, that grows grass like fur. Simply water and spread the seeds, and watch it grow! A few weeks ago Chia introduced Chia-Obama - a ceramic head in the shape of Mr. Obama, with the grass being his hair. I kid you not - I couldn’t make up this kind of stuff!
We’re in James 3. The tongue is a fire, he says in verse 6.
Now, I’ve never been particularly mouthy. Oh, I’ve had my episodes of bragging, swearing, gossiping and lying. But some early experiences were very important in my development. My mother washed my mouth out with soap after I came home from the playground with some new words. That fixed me until I was about 12, about the time when it became cool to reintroduce those same words around my friends. Later that year I became a Christian, however, and it was impressed upon us that such words ought not to come from believers.
Early in our marriage, I used a vile word in a moment of frustration, thinking that Jan would take pity on me because this was so uncharacteristic. She did not react the way I thought she would, however. I will never forget her six, simple words:
"If you ever say that again . . ." She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to - the look in her eyes convinced me that my life would be in danger.
Like I said, some important experiences cemented lessons in my moral development. Like the lessons about lying. My parents told us constantly that it was always better to tell the truth, no matter how bad, because the consequences if they caught us lying would be worse. I thought regular punishment was bad enough! Plus, I was never good with a quick, convincing comeback, so lying was not much of an option for me.
My parents, relatives, pastors, Sunday school teachers, camp counsellors, and youth group leaders can take a lot of credit for influencing me. Not that I’ve been perfect. No no. But their direction was important.
That’s a good thing because I have enough trouble dealing with the other bits of controlling my tongue (check verse 3 for the pun on that one). There are lots of ways to use my tongue which are not proper, and which I must constantly guard myself against.
It would be easy to take credit for someone else’s ideas or work. It is tempting to stretch the truth to protect myself in tight spot. I must always be careful not to betray confidential matters. When I am tired and frustrated, it is easy to cut someone down with angry or defensive words. And it is always hard to apologize. These are just a few areas that come quickly to mind. Give me a little while and the list would grow like a Chia pet in the window.
James reminds us that the tongue is small but powerful, even dangerous. A tiny rudder turns a very large ship. Small sparks char acres of woodland. The human tongue weighs 60-70 grams.
Hmmmm - though it makes up a mere .07% of my body weight, my tongue can change the direction of my life or create smoking ruins all around me.
I can’t help but think of the Proverb which says, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." (Proverbs 10:19)
"Lord, help us all to be wise." Hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published April 16, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
Monday, April 13, 2009
OnFire #184 Mark Prepares for Denver
OnFire Encouragement Letter
Onfire #184 Mark Prepares for Denver
Hi Folks:
We wish you a happy Easter and hope you were able to attend a worship service to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. It really is one of my favorite times of the year, although I find I have to be careful or it hits and I’ve barely been aware of it happening.
This year we did something we’ve never done before. Thursday, I set up a little Lord’s Supper as part of our supper meal. Before we ate, Ian read one of the passages while we celebrated with bread and grape juice. My thought was that as we ate the bread throughout the meal and drank the juice, it would help us remember Jesus’ death for our sins.
Easter also proved to be memorable because of our sunrise service. Sunday morning we woke to a snow storm. Our senior pastor has a great sense of adventure and we almost never cancel services, so off we went into the wet heavy snow at 6:30am. I played trumpet for several of the songs. We’ll never drive by that place again without remembering Easter.
Mark and Jan and her mother leave Thursday for the World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver. They are gone from the 16th to the 20th, and he competes on the 18th and 19th.
While Mark is gone you can follow his progress on the OnFire website. As I get information I will update the page. You can follow the link on my OnFire main page, or use this one: http://www.onfireletter.com/On%20The%20Road%20to%20Denver.htm
We got a neat bit of news today. Bob Fox from the WSSA called to say that a fourth member has been found for Team Canada. Mark is the senior member and will be the flag bearer. Jan will be coach. This will mean that he will be able to compete in the international team challenges in addition to his regular individual events.
Mark is getting some press coverage because of the trip. He was interviewed and photographed by two different newspapers today, the Times-Transcript from Moncton, and Telegraph-Journal from Saint John. Brian Cormier, a columnist from the Times-Transcript, featured Mark in his blog today - http://www.briancormier.blogspot.com/.
If you would like to send Mark greetings and encouragements, send them to my email address, onfireletter@gmail.com and I will pass them along.
Have a good week and keep Mark, Jan, and her mother in your prayers. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published April 13, 2009. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
Onfire #184 Mark Prepares for Denver
Hi Folks:
We wish you a happy Easter and hope you were able to attend a worship service to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. It really is one of my favorite times of the year, although I find I have to be careful or it hits and I’ve barely been aware of it happening.
This year we did something we’ve never done before. Thursday, I set up a little Lord’s Supper as part of our supper meal. Before we ate, Ian read one of the passages while we celebrated with bread and grape juice. My thought was that as we ate the bread throughout the meal and drank the juice, it would help us remember Jesus’ death for our sins.
Easter also proved to be memorable because of our sunrise service. Sunday morning we woke to a snow storm. Our senior pastor has a great sense of adventure and we almost never cancel services, so off we went into the wet heavy snow at 6:30am. I played trumpet for several of the songs. We’ll never drive by that place again without remembering Easter.
Mark and Jan and her mother leave Thursday for the World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver. They are gone from the 16th to the 20th, and he competes on the 18th and 19th.
While Mark is gone you can follow his progress on the OnFire website. As I get information I will update the page. You can follow the link on my OnFire main page, or use this one: http://www.onfireletter.com/On%20The%20Road%20to%20Denver.htm
We got a neat bit of news today. Bob Fox from the WSSA called to say that a fourth member has been found for Team Canada. Mark is the senior member and will be the flag bearer. Jan will be coach. This will mean that he will be able to compete in the international team challenges in addition to his regular individual events.
Mark is getting some press coverage because of the trip. He was interviewed and photographed by two different newspapers today, the Times-Transcript from Moncton, and Telegraph-Journal from Saint John. Brian Cormier, a columnist from the Times-Transcript, featured Mark in his blog today - http://www.briancormier.blogspot.com/.
If you would like to send Mark greetings and encouragements, send them to my email address, onfireletter@gmail.com and I will pass them along.
Have a good week and keep Mark, Jan, and her mother in your prayers. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published April 13, 2009. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
OnFire #183 Broken Lawnmower Faith
OnFire #183 Broken Lawnmower Faith
OnFire Encouragement Letter
Hi folks:
I found my cell phone. It fell into a snow bank outside the church and was picked up by a local man walking his dog. At about the same time as he left a message on my home phone, we were trying the phone and he answered.
Mark is fundraising for Denver this week at the Dieppe Market from 8am - 1pm. Drop by if you live nearby and he’ll give you a demonstration. He and Jan fly out on April 16.
I got taken by an April fool’s joke. My senior pastor left a message for me that Mr Lyon had called. When I dialed the number it turned out to be the local zoo. He got me! We all had a good chuckle over that one.
After last week’s letter, an OnFire reader wrote to tell me about how a pastor she knows handles criticism. "Thank you for pointing this out to me. I don't see it at this moment but I certainly know my potential to be blind to my own problems in my character, so I will go to the Lord with this and ask Him about it. And, by the way, is there anything else you would like to point out to me?" I thought this was well-said, so I pass it along to you.
Finally, I send condolences to my friend Paul who lost his mother this week. We’re praying God’s comfort for you.
Blessings for your week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In one of my summer jobs I broke the blade on a lawn mower. This is not an experience I would recommend to anyone. When it snapped, half of it struck a wheel, tearing it off the machine. Another quarter-turn and the broken piece would have flown out the back toward my legs.
A lawn mower with only half a blade isn’t very useful. We might think that it would still work because half the blade is there, but the engine is not balanced. The machine would shake worse than a shopping cart wheel.
That’s a picture of faith without deeds. It makes a lot of noise, but it is unbalanced and shaky. Practically useless. James says that faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26)
Someone will ask, "What about my salvation? Do I lose it without deeds?" This is really the wrong question. The issue James wants us to address is "What am I doing with my faith?"
Faith for the sake of having faith doesn’t do much. Faith needs to result in action. James illustrates this for us with three examples. In v. 16, he uses the example of blessing the poor. "Keep warm and well fed." As he points out (rather uncomfortably), how can we say this and yet do nothing? If we believe God will provide, why do we not also trust God to provide for us, too, by sharing what we have?
Abraham is the father of our faith. He believed God would provide a proper sacrifice, even if it meant waiting until the last possible moment. And so he prepared his own son for sacrifice (2: 20-24). This always leaves me with the haunting question of what I would be willing to give up to follow Jesus? Faith demands action.
Rahab’s reputation wasn’t as solid as Abraham’s (2:25), but this shows us that faith and action also go hand in hand for people who aren’t like him. This is why I think James chose her as the next example. She believed the spies were from God and so she risked her own life to protect them. Again, that’s faith in action.
James reminds us that faith is not just something we have. It also needs to be something we do. Faith is both attitude and action. Not to prove to the world how holy we are - Jesus had harsh words for people like that. Rather, our actions ought to demonstrate that we have faith, in the same way that breathing indicates that we have life.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published April 1, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
OnFire Encouragement Letter
Hi folks:
I found my cell phone. It fell into a snow bank outside the church and was picked up by a local man walking his dog. At about the same time as he left a message on my home phone, we were trying the phone and he answered.
Mark is fundraising for Denver this week at the Dieppe Market from 8am - 1pm. Drop by if you live nearby and he’ll give you a demonstration. He and Jan fly out on April 16.
I got taken by an April fool’s joke. My senior pastor left a message for me that Mr Lyon had called. When I dialed the number it turned out to be the local zoo. He got me! We all had a good chuckle over that one.
After last week’s letter, an OnFire reader wrote to tell me about how a pastor she knows handles criticism. "Thank you for pointing this out to me. I don't see it at this moment but I certainly know my potential to be blind to my own problems in my character, so I will go to the Lord with this and ask Him about it. And, by the way, is there anything else you would like to point out to me?" I thought this was well-said, so I pass it along to you.
Finally, I send condolences to my friend Paul who lost his mother this week. We’re praying God’s comfort for you.
Blessings for your week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In one of my summer jobs I broke the blade on a lawn mower. This is not an experience I would recommend to anyone. When it snapped, half of it struck a wheel, tearing it off the machine. Another quarter-turn and the broken piece would have flown out the back toward my legs.
A lawn mower with only half a blade isn’t very useful. We might think that it would still work because half the blade is there, but the engine is not balanced. The machine would shake worse than a shopping cart wheel.
That’s a picture of faith without deeds. It makes a lot of noise, but it is unbalanced and shaky. Practically useless. James says that faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26)
Someone will ask, "What about my salvation? Do I lose it without deeds?" This is really the wrong question. The issue James wants us to address is "What am I doing with my faith?"
Faith for the sake of having faith doesn’t do much. Faith needs to result in action. James illustrates this for us with three examples. In v. 16, he uses the example of blessing the poor. "Keep warm and well fed." As he points out (rather uncomfortably), how can we say this and yet do nothing? If we believe God will provide, why do we not also trust God to provide for us, too, by sharing what we have?
Abraham is the father of our faith. He believed God would provide a proper sacrifice, even if it meant waiting until the last possible moment. And so he prepared his own son for sacrifice (2: 20-24). This always leaves me with the haunting question of what I would be willing to give up to follow Jesus? Faith demands action.
Rahab’s reputation wasn’t as solid as Abraham’s (2:25), but this shows us that faith and action also go hand in hand for people who aren’t like him. This is why I think James chose her as the next example. She believed the spies were from God and so she risked her own life to protect them. Again, that’s faith in action.
James reminds us that faith is not just something we have. It also needs to be something we do. Faith is both attitude and action. Not to prove to the world how holy we are - Jesus had harsh words for people like that. Rather, our actions ought to demonstrate that we have faith, in the same way that breathing indicates that we have life.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published April 1, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 26, 2009
OnFire #182 Squinting to See
OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #182 Squinting to See
Hi Folks:
My oh my, what a week. Tuesday was what I call a "low motivation" day. Today wasn’t so bad, but I was definitely draggy again, and to top it all, I’ve misplaced my cell-phone somewhere today. I hope it will show up tomorrow.
Today did have its highlights, however. Mark got his report card and had an average of 91. Both boys had parent teacher interviews tonight, and are doing well. So that was a highlight. And we were given tickets to a local go-kart place, which we’ll use tomorrow because the boys don’t have school.
Mark is counting down the days before they leave for Denver on April 16. The concert went well last week. The group was a men’s quartet called "For the Cross." I really enjoyed them and can get booking info for them if you wish. Easy to work with. Good music and great gospel message.
I hope your week is going well.
Troy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve worn glasses since I was in grade seven and, like all glasses-wearers, I occasionally need an updated prescription. There have been times, however, when I’ve stretched the time between new lenses. After we were married and off our parents’ health plans, I once went a little too long.
As the ophthalmologist adjusted dials and flipped lenses, he said to me, "Have you been having trouble seeing things like road signs?"
"Yeah, I guess so - now that you mention it, I have."
"You’re only barely legal to drive the way you are right now."
I knew my glasses might need a little adjustment, but I had no idea it was that bad. On the way home I tested myself and sure enough, I had to get very close to signs in order to read them. It was a good thing we didn’t have a car then.
Poor vision is like that. Its hard to know what we can’t see because, well, we can’t see it. And because the changes are so slow, we don’t even notice them. For about a year before I first got glasses, people had been saying to me, "Are you having trouble seeing?" They had seen me squinting to see the tv and the blackboard, but I myself couldn’t tell. Finally someone mentioned it to my mother, who took matters into hand and made the appointment to have my eyes tested.
It took someone else to tell me what I couldn’t see. I find this true in other areas of my life. I often don’t see my own shortcomings and failings until someone else points them out to me.
The same was true for the people James wrote to. Beginning in chapter 2, he showed them how their favouritism was hypocritical and went against the "royal law" of loving one’s neighbour as oneself (v. 8). Here’s the scenario he set up for them. It may have been hypothetical, but perhaps not far from reality. Two men entered the worship service, one showing signs of wealth, and the other showing signs of deep poverty. The rich man was shown to a good seat, while the poor man was made to sit, "under my footstool." (v. 3)
James exposed the nearsightedness of their thinking. Not only does God have a special place in his heart for the poor (v.5), but they insulted the poor by exalting the same people who were exploiting them and dragging them into court (v.6). And it was the same people who were also slandering Jesus (v.7).
Evidently, the people James wrote to were themselves poor, perhaps labourers who depended on what little work they could find despite being poorly treated. This was why it was surprising to James that they did not see the issue of favouritism. Of all people, we would think they should see it, but this is the exactly the problem of nearsightedness. There are some things that we can’t see even if they are close to us. When it comes to spotting problems in our character we often have trouble.
And so there are two lessons for us in the opening verses of James 2. The lesson about favouritism is obvious. It is all too easy to judge and treat someone according to outward appearances. There is something about wealth, power and success which draws us, while poverty often repels us. We hope one will rub off while we fear the other is contagious. The "royal law" ought always to be our guide. "How would I want to be treated?"
And then there is the lesson about nearsightedness. How are we going to respond when we discover our shortcomings? Scripture is good at doing this. Sometimes other people point them out to us. We often become defensive because we don’t want it to be true. We looked better in our own eyes when things were out of focus.
Or, we could see it as an opportunity to remove the harmful bits of our character so that they can be replaced with positive traits.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published March 26, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
OnFire #182 Squinting to See
Hi Folks:
My oh my, what a week. Tuesday was what I call a "low motivation" day. Today wasn’t so bad, but I was definitely draggy again, and to top it all, I’ve misplaced my cell-phone somewhere today. I hope it will show up tomorrow.
Today did have its highlights, however. Mark got his report card and had an average of 91. Both boys had parent teacher interviews tonight, and are doing well. So that was a highlight. And we were given tickets to a local go-kart place, which we’ll use tomorrow because the boys don’t have school.
Mark is counting down the days before they leave for Denver on April 16. The concert went well last week. The group was a men’s quartet called "For the Cross." I really enjoyed them and can get booking info for them if you wish. Easy to work with. Good music and great gospel message.
I hope your week is going well.
Troy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve worn glasses since I was in grade seven and, like all glasses-wearers, I occasionally need an updated prescription. There have been times, however, when I’ve stretched the time between new lenses. After we were married and off our parents’ health plans, I once went a little too long.
As the ophthalmologist adjusted dials and flipped lenses, he said to me, "Have you been having trouble seeing things like road signs?"
"Yeah, I guess so - now that you mention it, I have."
"You’re only barely legal to drive the way you are right now."
I knew my glasses might need a little adjustment, but I had no idea it was that bad. On the way home I tested myself and sure enough, I had to get very close to signs in order to read them. It was a good thing we didn’t have a car then.
Poor vision is like that. Its hard to know what we can’t see because, well, we can’t see it. And because the changes are so slow, we don’t even notice them. For about a year before I first got glasses, people had been saying to me, "Are you having trouble seeing?" They had seen me squinting to see the tv and the blackboard, but I myself couldn’t tell. Finally someone mentioned it to my mother, who took matters into hand and made the appointment to have my eyes tested.
It took someone else to tell me what I couldn’t see. I find this true in other areas of my life. I often don’t see my own shortcomings and failings until someone else points them out to me.
The same was true for the people James wrote to. Beginning in chapter 2, he showed them how their favouritism was hypocritical and went against the "royal law" of loving one’s neighbour as oneself (v. 8). Here’s the scenario he set up for them. It may have been hypothetical, but perhaps not far from reality. Two men entered the worship service, one showing signs of wealth, and the other showing signs of deep poverty. The rich man was shown to a good seat, while the poor man was made to sit, "under my footstool." (v. 3)
James exposed the nearsightedness of their thinking. Not only does God have a special place in his heart for the poor (v.5), but they insulted the poor by exalting the same people who were exploiting them and dragging them into court (v.6). And it was the same people who were also slandering Jesus (v.7).
Evidently, the people James wrote to were themselves poor, perhaps labourers who depended on what little work they could find despite being poorly treated. This was why it was surprising to James that they did not see the issue of favouritism. Of all people, we would think they should see it, but this is the exactly the problem of nearsightedness. There are some things that we can’t see even if they are close to us. When it comes to spotting problems in our character we often have trouble.
And so there are two lessons for us in the opening verses of James 2. The lesson about favouritism is obvious. It is all too easy to judge and treat someone according to outward appearances. There is something about wealth, power and success which draws us, while poverty often repels us. We hope one will rub off while we fear the other is contagious. The "royal law" ought always to be our guide. "How would I want to be treated?"
And then there is the lesson about nearsightedness. How are we going to respond when we discover our shortcomings? Scripture is good at doing this. Sometimes other people point them out to us. We often become defensive because we don’t want it to be true. We looked better in our own eyes when things were out of focus.
Or, we could see it as an opportunity to remove the harmful bits of our character so that they can be replaced with positive traits.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published March 26, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
OnFire #181 On the Way to Church One Day
OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #181 On the Way to Church One Day
Hi Folks:
We’re preparing for Mark to go back to the World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver. We’ve bought the tickets for him and Jan and they will head out on April 16. If you’re in the Moncton area, there will be a benefit concert for Mark’s trip at our church this Friday night at 7pm. A lady in our church has graciously offered to help with fundraising and she put the event together.
If you’ve never seen Mark stack, check him out on YouTube and search "stackcritic"
We visited both grandmothers on PEI on Monday. This is one of the nice things about being so much closer to them. My maternal grandmother is back home from being in the hospital and my other grandmother is recovering from pneumonia. Thanks for your prayers for them.
Blessings for your week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While visiting with friends one weekend, I volunteered at a duathalon. Duathalon is a combination of cycling, running, and cycling again. Our job was to supervise the turn-around point of the running portion and to warn traffic of the presence of racers ahead.
We had permission to stop traffic and soon developed a line we used with the few cars that passed on that quiet Sunday morning. "Excuse me. We just want to tell you that there is a bike and running race going on ahead and to be careful as you drive through the race area." Most often the drivers thanked us. An occasional few seemed annoyed, but saw the wisdom in our exercise.
But then there was one car in particular that came through at about 10:45. Even though I was standing 20 or more feet away, I could hear the driver. Bleepity bleepy blank beep. I hadn’t heard that many swear words in a row since I was in junior high.
My friend smiled at me as the car pulled ahead to pass my spot. I guess the driver wasn’t done because he stopped, looked out at me and repeated the performance. Bleepity bleepy blank beep.
And then he added this line which has stuck with me for almost 20 years. "And now you’ve made me late for church!" I had to bite my tongue from saying something like, "Yeah, pal, you really need it!" My better judgement prevailed and I waved the car along.
About an hour and a half later the car returned. I have to admit, his stamina and variety in calling down oaths was impressive, but I had to feel for the three others in the car. They tried to shrink into their seats during the encore performance. When he was done with me, he repeated it all for my friend in case he missed a few words.
It would be easy to point the finger at this guy as an example of what we don’t want to be as Christians. That’s not what I want to do. I’m all too aware of my baser instincts. I’ve pedalled away many hours on the bike by plotting various means of revenge after being cut off.
And I know what I really want to say when telemarketers won’t accept no for an answer. You know what keeps me from doing it? Jan and the boys are usually within hearing range, and somewhere on their computer screen there is probably a blank which says my occupation is clergy.
These are the kinds of things I think about as I read James. "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." (James 1:26*) Something within me tells me this is true when someone else’s mouth is involved. It is harder to accept when it is my mouth we’re talking about.
As James reminds us, religious words don’t mean much if we don’t back them up with action. The words, "I love you" mean nothing if we don’t do loving things. And "I’m a Christian" doesn’t mean much if our words and actions conflict. Our words confuse people if our actions don’t back them up. Its like a road sign pointing the wrong way. It may say something, but the message is all wrong.
So I don’t point the finger at that guy in the car. I hope instead that people - namely Jan and the boys - doesn’t point at me and wonder.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published March 18, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
OnFire #181 On the Way to Church One Day
Hi Folks:
We’re preparing for Mark to go back to the World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver. We’ve bought the tickets for him and Jan and they will head out on April 16. If you’re in the Moncton area, there will be a benefit concert for Mark’s trip at our church this Friday night at 7pm. A lady in our church has graciously offered to help with fundraising and she put the event together.
If you’ve never seen Mark stack, check him out on YouTube and search "stackcritic"
We visited both grandmothers on PEI on Monday. This is one of the nice things about being so much closer to them. My maternal grandmother is back home from being in the hospital and my other grandmother is recovering from pneumonia. Thanks for your prayers for them.
Blessings for your week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While visiting with friends one weekend, I volunteered at a duathalon. Duathalon is a combination of cycling, running, and cycling again. Our job was to supervise the turn-around point of the running portion and to warn traffic of the presence of racers ahead.
We had permission to stop traffic and soon developed a line we used with the few cars that passed on that quiet Sunday morning. "Excuse me. We just want to tell you that there is a bike and running race going on ahead and to be careful as you drive through the race area." Most often the drivers thanked us. An occasional few seemed annoyed, but saw the wisdom in our exercise.
But then there was one car in particular that came through at about 10:45. Even though I was standing 20 or more feet away, I could hear the driver. Bleepity bleepy blank beep. I hadn’t heard that many swear words in a row since I was in junior high.
My friend smiled at me as the car pulled ahead to pass my spot. I guess the driver wasn’t done because he stopped, looked out at me and repeated the performance. Bleepity bleepy blank beep.
And then he added this line which has stuck with me for almost 20 years. "And now you’ve made me late for church!" I had to bite my tongue from saying something like, "Yeah, pal, you really need it!" My better judgement prevailed and I waved the car along.
About an hour and a half later the car returned. I have to admit, his stamina and variety in calling down oaths was impressive, but I had to feel for the three others in the car. They tried to shrink into their seats during the encore performance. When he was done with me, he repeated it all for my friend in case he missed a few words.
It would be easy to point the finger at this guy as an example of what we don’t want to be as Christians. That’s not what I want to do. I’m all too aware of my baser instincts. I’ve pedalled away many hours on the bike by plotting various means of revenge after being cut off.
And I know what I really want to say when telemarketers won’t accept no for an answer. You know what keeps me from doing it? Jan and the boys are usually within hearing range, and somewhere on their computer screen there is probably a blank which says my occupation is clergy.
These are the kinds of things I think about as I read James. "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." (James 1:26*) Something within me tells me this is true when someone else’s mouth is involved. It is harder to accept when it is my mouth we’re talking about.
As James reminds us, religious words don’t mean much if we don’t back them up with action. The words, "I love you" mean nothing if we don’t do loving things. And "I’m a Christian" doesn’t mean much if our words and actions conflict. Our words confuse people if our actions don’t back them up. Its like a road sign pointing the wrong way. It may say something, but the message is all wrong.
So I don’t point the finger at that guy in the car. I hope instead that people - namely Jan and the boys - doesn’t point at me and wonder.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a weekly letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Troy is the Pastor of Family Ministries at Highfield Baptist Church, Moncton NB Canada. This letter published March 18, 2009. *Bible references taken from the New International Version. To subscribe or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Archives are located at www.onfireletter.com Blog located at http://onfireletter.blogspot.com/
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