The door with no handle

We have been learning to listen to God. Yesterday we practiced the discipline of meditation by focusing on a scene from his word. This morning we'll seek to hear the Spirit by focusing on a part of his world.

I'm speaking this week at Monteagle Sunday School Assembly outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. Monteagle was established in 1882; most of the 160 or so cottages on the grounds were built in that era. I led worship Sunday morning, and speak each evening during "twilight vespers." I've spent my days working in the screened porch of the minister's cottage. I've found this porch to be a wonderful place for study and reflection, primarily because of the massive tree which stands just beside it. The tree and I have become friends this week. This morning its Maker has something to say to me through it.

I don't know what kind of tree this is. I don't know an elm tree from a maple, a hydrangea from a chrysanthemum. In fact, I had to think hard just now to come up with two names for flowers. My tree has a single trunk which rises six feet or so, then splits in two. Its branches start at the split and spread out 30 or so feet in all directions. Its leaves are broad with pointed tips, reminding me of hands. My screened porch blocks the upper part of the tree, so that I have no idea how tall it is.

I could comment on its root system, making the spiritual point that we cannot serve God publicly unless we know him personally. I could focus on the individual leaves and their remarkable detail, observing the fact that God made you with the same detail and purpose. But as I prayed for a word from the Lord just now, my mind was drawn to the ground around the tree. It is bare of all growth. The tree's thick foliage blocks all sunlight from the earth around it. Nothing can grow below it.

At first that seems a shame. It would be more beautiful to see a carpet of green grass or the vibrant color of beautiful flowers around the tree. But we cannot have both. We must choose either the massive tree with its dense branches and leaves reaching to the sun, or a small tree with spindly branches and tiny leaves allowing the sun's rays to reach the lawn below. The larger the tree, the more bare the ground at its feet.

So it is with following Jesus. I cannot do everything I would like in his Kingdom. Paul said, "This one thing I do" (Philippians 3:13). The more I concentrate on his one call on my life, the less I can do anything else. There is a price to pay in serving my Lord. But the more I pay it, the larger my tree becomes in his will. We can be a tall tree or a grass lawn, but not both. What is his "one thing" for you? We'll conclude tomorrow.

Boats in trees

It's tempting to talk about the Dallas Mavericks' first-game win last night, but I recognize that not everyone reading this essay knows what a Maverick is, or cares. So we'll resist the temptation and move on to a sight we can all wonder at together: boats in trees. This morning's New York Times has the story about Bayou La Batre, Alabama and its ongoing reminder of Katrina. It's a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

How two dozen shrimp vessels wound up suspended amid scrub oak and pine trees is not the question. That's the power of a hurricane. But why the vessels, some more than 80 feet long and weighing more than 100 tons, are still there--that's the mystery. It seems that most shrimp boats were insured, enabling their owners to pay for their return to the bayous, but these were not. A county health official declared the boats a public hazard, prompting the Coast Guard to remove their fuel and batteries. Then FEMA decided it had no reason to spend public money to retrieve private property.

So state and city officials applied to the Clinton-Bush Katrina Fund for help. They received $1.6 million to return the boats to their bayous. But the Army Corp of Engineers did not want to drag tons of steel across protected wetlands, so they are encouraging salvage crews to take the long way around. For some boats, the path to the bayou might mean disturbing an Indian burial ground. While the Gulf Coast worries about future hurricanes, the boats remind us that the past is relevant to the present.

What boats are still in your trees? What past issues are still problems for you this morning? A recurring temptation? A frustrating person? A decision you wish you'd never made? A decision you wish you'd made?

Paul assured the Philippians, "one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). You cannot run forward very well if you're looking backwards.

Helen Mallicot: "I was regretting the past and fearing the future. Suddenly my Lord was speaking. 'My name is, "I Am."' He paused. I waited. He continued. 'When you live in the past, with its mistakes and regrets, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not "I Was." When you live in the future, with its problems and fears, it is hard. I am not there. My name is not, "I will be." When you live in this moment, it is not hard. I am here loving you always. Trust in me and be happy. My name is: "I Am."'" When we give our past problems to his present grace, we can step into his future in hope. Well?

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Al-Zarqawi and the best news there is

As you've no doubt heard from morning news sources, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed last night. The leader of al-Qaida forces in Iraq was killed yesterday at 6:15 p.m. in an air strike against an identified, isolated safe house.

Gen. George W. Casey Jr. explained earlier today: "Tips and intelligence from Iraqi senior leaders from his network led forces to al-Zarqawi and some of his associates who were conducting a meeting approximately eight kilometers north of Baqubah when the air strike was launched… Coalition Forces were able to identify al-Zarqawi by fingerprint verification, facial recognition and known scars."

Al-Zarqawi was known to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqis in his efforts to undermine the Iraqi national government and Coalition forces. Al-Qaida has stated that the death of its leader in Iraq only strengthens its resolve to continue its war. President Bush affirmed this morning that he expects fighting to continue in that country. But military analysts are nonetheless calling this a major victory for Iraq's new government and Coalition forces seeking to support it.

So there is good news in the midst of bad. This morning's New York Times headlines, "Efforts by C.I.A. Fail in Somolia, Officials Charge"; "Iraqi Ties to Iran Creates New Risks For Washington"; "Betting Scandals Have the World Cup on Guard." Dallas Mavericks fans are paying $1,500 for a decent seat at tonight's NBA championship game, while Phoenix Suns fans wish they could. The Rangers scored four runs in the ninth inning last night to beat the Royals; we're excited, and they're infuriated. The rain which helps the farmer frustrates the baseball fan. And so it goes.

The best news is that one day there will be only good news. One day there will be no more wars or rumors of wars, as evil is vanquished forever and God's people rejoice in his paradise. I am conducting two funerals this week; one for an older man and dear friend, the other for a three-year-old girl and her devastated family. One day there will be "no more death or mourning or crying or pain" (Revelation 21:4).

Future hope gives present help. You can endure nearly anything if you know there's an end in sight. This may be a tough week, but if a long-awaited family vacation starts Saturday, you can get through Thursday. Are you living for this world or the next? For success here or reward there? Here's the paradox: the more we live for God's heavenly glory, the more blessed and joyful we are on earth. I can't explain that, but I can experience it. So can you. This is the hope of God.

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Subject to interpretation

In a postscript to yesterday's ominous date, today's Dallas Morning News is reporting that mothers-to-be around the country took steps on Tuesday to ensure that their children were not born on 6-6-6. C-sections were sped up or put off, as were labor inducements. Some mothers saw the issue differently, pointing out that their child's birthdate would always be easy to remember. That much is beyond dispute, wouldn't you say?

Meanwhile, today's CNN is telling the worrisome story of Hakan Yalincak, a former New York University student who pled guilty to bank and wire fraud yesterday. He admitted that he forged documents to pose as heir to a billionaire Turkish family. As a result, he was able to trick investors into pouring millions of dollars into a nonexistent hedge fund. Prosecutors claim that investors lost more than $7 million, a figure Yalincak disputes. Authorities say the money was spent on a Porsche, a Tiffany diamond, and a $1.25 million donation to NYU. Good news for the university quickly wasn't.

So much of life is subject to interpretation. Is it enough to have a memorable birthday, even if it's memorable for ominous reasons? Do you get credit or blame for securing a gift later exposed as fraudulent? USA Today reports that a Wisconsin police officer has sworn off eating donuts for a year, but only after he ate 13 in three minutes and was crowned world champion donut-eating officer. Which is the good news in that?

The recent stir over The DaVinci Code has caused millions of people to consider the evidence for biblical authority and Jesus' divinity. We spent weeks on the subject in this column. But when all the evidence is considered, we are still required to take a step beyond what is provable, whether we choose for Jesus or against him.

Faith in God is a relationship. And all relationships transcend the evidence. You cannot prove to me that your family loves you. I cannot prove to you that mine loves me. You'd have to experience our commitment to each other to know its reality. All relationships are ultimately self-verifying. So it is with a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. If you've asked him to forgive your sins and become your Savior, you have met him for yourself and know that he is the living Lord. The best way you can help persuade your friends and family to trust him is to demonstrate his relevance to your life, morals, and character. Your life is your most persuasive sermon, for good or not.

In 1966, Life magazine printed a cover which asked, "Is God Dead?" Someone asked Billy Graham for a response. He smiled and said, "He's not dead--I spoke with him this morning." Have you?

Hexakosiolhexekontahexaphobia

That's the technical term for fear of the number 666. You didn't need to know that yesterday. But today is the sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year in this century. In numeric terms, this is 6-6-6. It won't be again for another hundred years. I'll be 148 then, and the date won't matter much to me. Or to you.

Imagine life on June 6, 1906. I did a little research this morning, and learned that Theodore Roosevelt was president that year, and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize as well. Life expectancy was 48.7 years (it's 77.6 now). Editorials in the newspapers were reporting on the women's suffrage movement and the likelihood of its success in coming years. (Women finally won the right to vote in 1920.) The earthquake which destroyed much of San Francisco on April 18 was still on everyone's mind. The Ford Model N was America's most popular car, retailing for $500.00.

This essay would have been produced on a manual typewriter (invented 32 years earlier), reproduced at a local print shop, and mailed (at a cost of two cents per letter). Given our current distribution list, the process would have cost around $1,000 per week. Progress is not all bad.

Now imagine life on June 6, 2106. You can't, or at least I can't. Will computers exist as distinct entities? (Probably not.) Will the Internet be so ubiquitous that people won't think of it at all? (Probably.) But human nature won't change. We'll still feel guilt over the past and fear of the unknown future. Today's date is an example.

666 is an ominous number for many, primarily because of its biblical significance. Revelation 13 warns of a "beast" which will accompany the "Antichrist" in wreaking havoc on earth. The "number" of the beast is 666 (Revelation 13:8). Most interpreters see the number as symbolic: seven was seen as the perfect number, so that six signifies imperfection. Anything repeated three times in the ancient world was raised to the highest level (think good, better, best). So the number six repeated three times would be the height of evil.

I don't really know the larger significance of 666, but I don't think today's date has much to do with it. I don't know who or what the Antichrist will be. Nor do you. Nor should we worry much about the question. God has given us this Tuesday. It's all there is. "Tomorrow" is just a word, not a reality. Obedience is success with our Father this morning. So stay faithful to the last word you heard from him, and open to the next. All of God there is, is in this day. No matter what your calendar says this morning.

It's never too late

For the last several weeks we have been conducting an experiment with this GodIssues ministry. Each day I have recorded a radio spot which has aired on three secular stations. This daily essay has then been posted on godissues.com as "the rest of the story" to which we invite the radio listener. Early results are extremely encouraging. We will continue airing radio spots on single stations for the next few weeks, testing the market for each station in preparation for the next stage of the radio ministry strategy in the fall.

Meanwhile, I'm now returning GodIssues Today to its original purpose: a daily email which looks at current news in spiritual perspective. There's much in the news which invites comment today. But being a Dallas resident and fan of our basketball team for 26 years, I am irresistibly compelled to write today about this simple fact: the Mavericks are going to the NBA finals. Even if you don't care, there's a lesson in that fact worth considering this morning.

When the Mavericks fell behind by 18 points early in Saturday night's game, it seemed we were destined to lose. Just as we were sure to lose the previous series to the defending world champion San Antonio Spurs, playing game seven on their home court. But new coach Avery Johnson has taught the Mavericks a fact we do well to affirm today: if you'll keep playing hard, you're never out of the game. Try hard enough for long enough and good things will happen.

It's a fact of Scripture. When the Hebrews were enslaved in Babylon, with no hope and no future, the Lord assured them, "I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). He planned to rebuild their nation and eventually bring the Messiah through them to the world. But there was and is a condition: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (v. 13). If we will seek our Father's purpose and submit to his plans, we will experience all that he intends for us. He will work for his glory and our good.

So we must not give up. The motivational creed is also a simple fact: quitters never win and winners never quit. That's true by definition. If we quit before the game is over, we cannot win it. If we keep shooting, and running, and playing defense, something good will eventually happen. It's always too soon to give up.

Where does that fact find you this morning? Do you have an "insolvable" problem, an "incurable" disease? No, you don't. Stay in the game and trust your Father. It's always too soon to quit. This is the warning, and the promise, of God.

What are demons?

Yesterday we learned about Satan, the ruler of the forces of evil. Today let's discuss his footsoldiers, known as "demons" in the Bible. We need to know about them, because they're after us this morning.

According to the Bible, a "demon" is a created spirit being, a kind of angel. These beings sinned with Satan in heaven, and so are commonly called "fallen angels" or "unclean spirits." Satan is now their ruler (Matthew 12:24), and he has organized them into his army of evil (Ephesians 6:11-12). God created hell for them, where they will be with Satan forever (Matthew 25:41).

The Bible says that demons are real, evil and unclean, stronger than us, always seeking to destroy us. How do we fight back? We don't. When we're tempted, we go straight to Jesus. We seek his help and strength, his victory and power. And we ask him to use us in rescuing others. There is a spiritual war going on for the souls of mankind. You'll be attacked by temptation this morning. For more on finding victory through faith, I invite you to godissues.com today.