John Fischer The Catch

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Psalm 56:3

Chandler and I were talking the other day about doing something that’s hard to do. I forget exactly what it was, now, but I wrote down what he said, because it was one of those priceless things that kids say: “You have to get over your afraid.”

Turning “afraid” into a noun is something an eleven-year-old gets to do, and in some ways it captures the truth better than the word he wanted, which would have been “fear.”

I’ve thought a lot about getting over my fear, but I’ve never thought about getting over my afraid. Come to think of it, getting over my “afraid” makes a lot of sense.

Fear is a human emotion. It is a dark cloud or a freezing hesitation or a claustrophobic entrapment. It may or may not be attached to what’s actually happening.

Fear can get you all by itself, but your “afraid” has to have an antecedent. You’re afraid of something. Your fear can be vague, but your “afraid” is specific, and it helps to identify what it is. You are afraid of what?

Often when we face into what we’re really afraid of we discover
1) it isn’t as overwhelming as we thought,
2) it’s just in our head,
3) we can actually find something to do about it—take manageable steps toward a solution.

Start with what you’re afraid of, compare that to the Lord in your life, and do something about it. I’m going to suggest this for all of us: Take Chandler’s advice and get over your “afraid!”

One good way to get beyond judging other people is to see everyone not as what they are but as what they could be in Christ. Paul says that love believes all things, and that sometimes means believing the impossible for someone else. By doing this, we can often create an environment for people to change.

My mother slowly lost her mind in the years prior to her death. Some called it dementia, others called it Alzheimer’s; I called it being eighty-nine. It was hard to watch. Where she once had been so engaging, with a mind as sharp as a tack, she soon retreated into silence when around others, even members of her family, most of whom she no longer recognized. She lost all confidence in her ability to speak. Her sentences began promisingly enough, but trailed off quickly into a repetitive dead end, like words rattling around in a cage,

For a while, I took to calling her on occasion and talked with her on the phone. For this I developed a fairly effective means of communicating. First, I never corrected her; I followed wherever she wanted to go. When she would veer off track into gibberish, I would say something that would bring her back to where she got off, and in this manner some semblance of conversation was pieced together. While doing this, I would write down every word she said as fast as I could, even the ones that didn’t make sense. Then it would always happen that later, when I went over three or four pages of notes, a message would emerge. It was never the same, and it was always something I needed to hear right then, personally.

My father used to say she brightened when I called. Maybe that’s because I didn’t berate her for not making sense or try and straighten out her sentences. I treated her as if she were making sense. I’m not bragging about this—I probably would not have had this patience if I had to bear the frustration of living with her every day—I merely noticed that believing all things about someone and treating them accordingly is a very powerful force.

When we see others as they could be in Christ, we are creating an environment for it to be so. Not that we make it so by believing it, but our faith may help open the way. Like palm branches before the triumphant Christ, we can pave the road for some new form of “Hosanna” should Christ choose to come this way.

It is a good axiom and well worth considering, to see others as what they could be in Christ, while seeing yourself as what you would be without him. On this basis, we will always see others as better than ourselves.

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you. (Psalm 9:10)

This is a pretty strong statement. It says that if you search for God, you can’t not find him. If you search for God, you can’t come up empty.

Yesterday we talked about the fishbowl theology of the human predicament. We had five fish in a fishbowl swimming around looking everywhere for God when all along, God is the water they swim in. (“…for in him we live and move and have our being.”) (Acts 17:28)

It’s almost comical if it weren’t so tragic. God is all around us but we can’t see him. So we’re searching, reaching, trying to find what is right under our noses.

It can be so confusing, I know. Do we find him or does he find us? Is it our choice or his? Well, the answer is, Yes. It’s both of these at the same time, and anyone who claims to fully understand how this works has got a less than adequate explanation for it.

If God opens the eyes of some and closes the eyes of others, then why bother searching? Because that is the mystery. In spite of all this opening and closing, God has clearly stated that those who seek him will find him. Given a promise like that, wouldn’t you have to conclude that only a fool would not seek him? Wise men still seek him; fools do not.

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:10-13)

I have long been intrigued by the depiction of the human condition Paul delivered in his address to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers of Athens upon their invitation to have him speak in the Aeropagus, a place where Athenians “spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas” (Acts 17:21)—a form of 1st century talk radio, I would say.

Listen to what he said: “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring'”

Here’s how this breaks down, as I see it. God made the world, put us in it, determined the times and the places we would occupy, but left out some valuable pieces of information as to who we are, who he is, and how he is to be known. He did this so that we would have to get answers.

So on and on I go
The seconds tick the time out
There’s so much left to know
And I’m on the road to find out  – Cat Stevens

It’s a God-given, universal human need. God purposely made us so that we would have to seek him, because he wants to be found. And yet—and here’s the irony—he is all around us. So much so that we live, move and have our being in him. That would be a little like being a fish in a fishbowl and not knowing where God is, when, in fact, he is the water in which you swim. Such is the state of humanity.

Marti has a new bug and it’s catching. She’s discovered a new use for audio books: bedtime stories. Now that might sound like Chandler’s involved, but he’s not. No, these are bedtime stories for adults. We actually go to sleep most nights now being read to.

It all started some time ago with The Chronicles of Narnia and an audio CD series we acquired a few Christmases back featuring all seven stories stunningly read by various English actors. One thing led to another and now Marti can hardly go to sleep without a story being read. (It takes quite a while to work your way through a whole book because you only hear a few pages before you fall asleep.) We’ve gone through the Chronicles until we know every nook and cranny of every story. Then there was Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and other stories by Roald Dahl. (We were purveyors of The Fantastic Mr. Fox before George Clooney brought the wily Mr. Fox to the big screen.) Most recently it’s been the book version of the 2010 “Robin Hood” movie starring Russell Crowe that has given us bedtime fodder.

And now we’re starting a new treat, an audio version of my fourth novel, Ashes on the Wind, read by David Case, a seasoned audiobook reader with over 800 titles under his belt. In the process of preparing this version to offer as a download on our website, I ran across the following paragraph:

When he wasn’t worrying, Jack found himself remembering his own childhood and wishing for a favorite kite reel his brother had made in wood shop that had a crank and a platform for the spool so you could set the whole contraption on the ground and reel in your kite like a big fish. The thought of that reel made him revel for a minute in his love for kites – the force of all that weight of string, the pull of the wind, the kite wanting to break free, not knowing that to have its own way would be its demise. It was the tension itself that kept it flying, the trying to pull free against the hands holding it that made it soar. Pulling against someone – even God – wasn’t so bad as long as you stayed connected.

Look for this story soon on our website and maybe you too can fall asleep listening to your own bedtime story.

No one is too anything for God.

Now obviously this needs to be explained, but not too much, because I bet you get the gist. The idea would be to put in any obstacle that you think might disqualify someone for a relationship with God, such as “No one is too bad for God.” Or “No one is too stubborn… ornery… unfaithful… ugly… bad… stupid… too anything for God.”

How about those who think they are too far gone for God? Not the case. Maybe someone thinks that he or she has sinned just one too many times. Or maybe you can’t forgive someone, so how could you be forgiven? Or maybe you have a bone to pick with God, which would make you too mad for God. But that’s just the thing. No one is too anything for God.

There is nothing that can keep you from the love of God—nothing that cannot be overcome by His grace. So if you’ve been thinking that God might be for some people, but not for you, because you are too… well, think again, because no one is too anything for God.

I pulled this out of my own archives and so far, I agree with it, except that I thought of some exceptions that didn’t occur to me before. I remembered the Pharisees. I thought of someone being too proud for God, or someone being too religious for God, or too important, or too busy, or too…

So I suppose in one’s own mind someone could be too good for God, but who would want that? Who would ever want to be too good for God?

Last Sunday night I took Chandler and a friend of his to an interleague baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim) and the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a 5 p.m. game to accommodate being televised as the Sunday night game on ESPN. But the early game time also made possible a special event after the game we knew nothing about until we heard an announcement about it in the final inning.

Following the game there was to be an Angels vs. Dodgers Legends and Celebrity Softball Game and Home Run Derby sponsored by the ALS Association, dedicated to fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease. We decided we should stay and check it out. The special guests in attendance included former Dodgers: Steve Garvey, Bill Russell, and Jose Canseco; former Angels: Tim Salmon, Jay Johnstone, and Rex Hudler; and celebrities: Kate Linder (“The Young and the Restless”), Mike Catherwood, (KROQ co-host and appeared recently on “Dancing with the Stars”), and Elliott Yamin (a fan favorite from the fifth season of American Idol).

We stayed initially for the opportunity to reseat ourselves in the first few rows of the field seats (it was open seating), but we were soon hooked on the home run derby featuring Jose Canseco and Tim Salmon which had Canseco hitting soft balls way back into the stands as far as any hard ball I’ve seen hit. This was followed by a 3-inning softball game that was entertaining if only for all its clowning around, including a controversial “call” at home that had Tommy Davis kicking dirt on home plate and jawing with the umpire.

Not to mention that all the resources of Angel Stadium where put to use in the softball game including the familiar stadium announcer, big screen pictures of each participant, the organ prompt for the “Charge!” yell, and yes, even instant replay. And since it was only a 3-inning game, everyone was asked to stand for the “seventh inning stretch” in the middle of the 3^rd.  As we stood, we were treated to a rousing rendition of “America the Beautiful” sung by the former American Idol finalist, Elliot Yamin.

It was at this point that time seemed to stand still. Elliot Yamin suddenly had the stadium holding its collective breath. Even though the words were printed on the jumbotron, no one dared interrupt the sacred offering. Not that he was perfect, (he wasn’t), but he was good – very good – and for a moment we forgot that this wasn’t the Big Leagues. This wasn’t even on television. In fact, when he finished, most of the 5,000 or so people there would probably forget it ever happened. But for just that moment, we made history. We made the private history of anyone who chose to notice the surprise and remember.

I would call this transcendence. When an experience transcends the setting and transports you somewhere else, even if only for a moment. It’s in these moments when we experience our true worth.

It could happen to you today. Don’t miss it!

Yesterday, as a country, we in America celebrated our independence from England. That seems a little hard to say, since we have lots of friends in England now. And that fact itself is an illustration of how relative these matters of state truly are. Our allegiance is first and foremost to God and to our Lord Jesus Christ. After that, well, it depends on where you live, and what kind of role you play in the government of human beings.

The scriptures place high regard on local rulers and authorities as being set up by God to maintain social order, and this was in a time when the ruling political system resembled a dictatorship much more than a democracy. Local governments maintain control. But our allegiance to country is never to rival or be equated with our allegiance to God.

Abraham Lincoln made the right distinction in his second inaugural address, at a time when the nation was at crisis in a bitter civil war, “Both (North and South) read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other…. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.”

God’s purposes are far above that of any government’s. They have to do with His kingdom, which is not of this world. The greatest privilege established by America is independence, and primarily, an independence, which, in its highest form, consists of the freedom to worship a God that is above all kings and parliaments and presidents and governments, whether they acknowledge Him or not.

For those who celebrated the Fourth of July yesterday, let’s remember what our freedom is really for.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
   for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
   for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
   for they will be filled.  (Matthew 5:3-6)

Kingdom requirements. That’s what these are. Kingdom requirements. It’s what you need to see it. It’s what you need to be in it.

This is not Jesus being extra special nice to people who haven’t gotten a fair shake in life. This is not Jesus giving the poor a break. This is Jesus announcing the arrival of the kingdom of God and describing who is going to be a part of it. This was the first thing he said. This is where it all starts.

Proud people don’t get in. Rich people don’t get in. Successful people don’t get in. Self-righteous people don’t get in. Happy people don’t get in. Competent people don’t get in. And it’s more than just getting in. People like this don’t even see it. They don’t know what it is. They can’t. They are blinded by their own sufficiency.

What are these blessings and how do you get them? You get them by becoming like this. And how do you get like this?

Life does this to you. Your desire to be pleasing to God – your desire to be like Christ – will make you like this. It will break you. It will show you how much you are not mourning over yourself and your selfishness. It will show you how proud you are. It will show you how far you are from being righteous. The people who get into the kingdom of God are the ones who realize they least deserve it. Let me rephrase that because I think it’s stronger than that: The only people who get into the kingdom of God are the ones who realize they don’t deserve to be there.

And here’s the other reason why this works. This is how you come to realize your need for the Holy Spirit in your life. This is how you finally get it that it is the Holy Spirit who does all of this. God breaks us down to bring us up. It’s a requirement of spiritual transformation to be broken. God strips us of everything we thought gave us an advantage because the Holy Spirit only comes to the disadvantaged.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t come alongside strong people to make them stronger; the Holy Spirit comes inside the lives of those who know they can’t make it any other way.

Now go back and read those “blessed”s again and realize Jesus is saying this the start. This is where it all begins.

I used to think that you only repent once, when you get saved. You turn from going your own way to wanting to go God’s way and receiving His forgiveness and eternal life.

But, in fact, repenting is something we need to do all the time. It’s not just “repent and be saved,” it’s “repent and live.” “Repent and get with His program.” “Repent and act.”

In each of us there are two ways present at any given time. There is our way and God’s way. Our way is full of self. It’s what we want to do. It’s soft and comfortable. It’s what we’ve always known. It’s familiar. God’s way is full of Himself, full of others, and full of His laws (another way to say His way of doing things) that become our delight once we embrace them. It’s new and challenging. And the reason we repent all the time is that our way is fully engrained into or being – our thoughts, emotions and will. Our way never goes away. It manifests itself in our habits and addictions – even our compulsive behavior. Going God’s way requires turning from our way to His, all the time. There’s a word for that: repent. Turn from one way and go this other way. It’s a moment-by-moment decision.

But here’s the good news. We can make the right choices because we are not alone. It’s not just you and me trying to whip our selfish selves into being better. We have the Holy Spirit to empower our choices, and a new self that is in line with God’s way – like a receiver tuned into the right frequency.

In Marti’s comments from yesterday’s Catch she wrote: “It is all about an attitude of obedience and stepping into the power, which of course we cannot do without the Holy Spirit doing it. So even the will to repent is not an intention, but always an action. Even the ‘break on through’ can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is nothing about you, but all about the power in you. You cannot fake it until you make it. Either you are in the Spirit or you are not. You cannot just think about it and expect to go anywhere. You have to step into it and the power lifts you to do more than you ever thought you could or would do without Him or even with Him on your own.”

It’s a day full of choices. What will you choose?

“Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15)

You got to serve somebody
You got to serve somebody
It may be the Devil; it may be the Lord
But you’ve got to serve somebody
– Bob Dylan