FHC, Jesus Fish, and the Tennessee Vols by Richard Hickam

I have a problem. It’s one I don’t like to talk about. When I’m on I-4, there is one person in scripture I can really identify with; his name is Jehu. It’s one reason I’m reluctant to put stickers on the back of my vehicle. The passage reads:

“Again the watchman reported, ‘He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.’” 2 Kings 9:20.

I was behind a vehicle near Millenia Mall the other day and snapped this picture:

I find having a Jesus fish and calling the POTUS an idiot on the back of your vehicle incompatible, no matter what type of political leaning you have (not to mention your public display of affection for the movie “Titanic”). It’s one of many reasons why people in the world find Christians to be oxymorons – publicly crying a certain kind of peace, but individually filled with hate messages.

Some time back I came to the realization of a problem with the way I was driving (I’m sure it had nothing to do with my wife’s comments). The first thing I did was pull off all identifying marks on the back of my vehicle: FHC magnet, TN Vols magnet. I then realized I was only masking the problem and not addressing a real solution. I found myself in a precarious position. I decided that this situation was out of my control and to do the only thing left in my power – let it go. That’s right, I decided I couldn’t fix it on my own and to offer it up in prayer.

I’d like to say that I no longer ease into that exit ramp lane at the last second, but what I can say is that I’ve seen a change in my behavior, and that I’m now on the road to a better experience for everyone on the journey.

So when you see my FHC magnet on the back of my vehicle, I hope it’s not a reminder of why people don’t want to associate with Christians, but a positive message of consistency in the Christian life.

Richard Hickam

A Sweet Mistake by Tami Cinquemani

Law enforcement agents recently showed up at the home of Laura Benson in Anna, IL.  Her neighbors suspected the family was running a meth lab, so they contacted local law enforcement and reported the “suspicious” activity.  When they arrived, Ms. Benson explained to the officers that they were running a maple syrup operation, not a meth lab.  The officers were given a tour of the process and left with samples of the homemade maple syrup. 

Ms. Benson reportedly was shocked, but appreciative, that her neighbors were “alert” enough keep an eye out for criminal activity in the community.  Her message to the neighbors who called the police: “I just want to put their minds at ease, and let them know it's maple syrup. And that they're all welcome for pancakes if they want to come on over."

This story makes me think of Matthew 5:39:

“Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.” (The Message)

I don’t know Laura Benson or her family, though I think I might like to if I lived in the area.  I hope the people who called the police will take the time to know their neighbors because they seem well worth knowing.  I hope that, given a similar situation, I would react with this kind of understanding and grace.  Like the Benson family, I want to provide a rich source of sweetness that will brighten my community . . . and I’m not talking about the maple syrup.

Tami Cinquemani

Passing On The Important Things by Chad Hess

When I was a boy, my favorite stuffed animal was a teddy bear I called Huggy Bear.  He has movable arms and legs and a plaid bow-tie   He is one of the few stuffed animals I still have from when I was a kid.  While he isn't nearly as soft as he used to be, we added him to the stuffed animal collection that our boys have.  Friday morning, my 3-year-old son came out of his room clutching Huggy Bear.  I have to say, I was delighted.  I never tried to push Huggy Bear on him since I know you can't really force the attachments a child will make to a stuffed animal.  They have to make the choice, and I was happy that he chose Huggy Bear that morning.

As much as I love my son playing with Huggy Bear, there is something even more important that I want to pass along – a personal relationship with Jesus.  Just like with Huggy Bear, I know that I can't force it.  I can tell him about Jesus, I can show him what my relationship with Jesus looks like, and I can pray that he will develop his own.  But ultimately, it is a decision that he will have to make for himself.  I pray that one day he will walk arm and arm with Jesus the way he did this morning with Huggy Bear.

Chad Hess

Where Is Your Faith Located? by Bill Crofton

“Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way.  For the Scriptures tell us, ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.’”  Romans 4:1-3

Some people think our relationship with God depends simply on believing the right things.  I have met them; for many years I think I was one of them. There are also people who behave as if their relationship with God depends essentially on whether they perform right kind of actions:

•           Churchgoing

•           Baptism

•           Communion

•           Foot washing

•           Tithing, etc.

In Romans 4, Paul emphasizes that God‘s counting Abraham’s trust in Him as faithfulness happened BEFORE he did anything, such as get circumcised (which comes in Genesis 17).  In Galatians 3, Paul makes the broader point that it was centuries after Abraham’s day that Israel received the detailed requirements of the Torah described in Exodus and Leviticus.  That shows clearly that the covenant relationship between God and Abraham DIDN’T depend on Abraham’s obedience to the Torah, but on God’s Grace and God’s Promise.  So it can’t be that our relationship with God is “conditional” on our doing things such as getting circumcised, observing the Sabbath, getting baptized, or going to church.  Those things follow, but they are NOT conditions, in my humble opinion.

Let me quote a source I found interesting.  The Jewish theologian Martin Buber once drew a contrast between what Jews mean by faith and what Christians mean by faith.  “For Christians,” he said, “faith involves believing that certain things are true; for Jews, faith is a matter of trust in a person.”

A Christian may be horrified at that contrast, because many Christians would say a personal relationship of trust is foundational and central to Christian faith.  But one can see how Buber could come to his conclusion.  Believing the right things is important for many Christians, but it is not for many Jews.  However, Buber could not have trusted in God were it not for some knowledge of who God was, right?  Both facts and commitment seem important.  For anyone inclined to trust facts, Abraham’s act of commitment functions as a reminder that FAITH is indeed a matter of trust, not merely of believing the right things.

Let me push on just a little bit.  In my view, there is a related point—in a way, a converse one perhaps.  For Jews and Christians, faith is not merely a matter of trust, but trust in a particular Person, correct?  We sometimes refer to “people of faith” or to someone “coming to faith,” as if it is the faith that matters.  It is not faith that matters, but the PERSON in whom you have faith, correct?  Faith is useless if misplaced, and doubt doesn’t matter so much if you doubt the right person. 

In his account of the development of Christian witness in China and of the demands it placed on his faith, a 19th century missionary pioneer commented how people pray, “Lord increase our faith” despite Jesus’ rebuke of his disciples for that prayer.  In effect, he observes Jesus said it is not great faith you need but faith in a Great God.  Faith as small as a grain of mustard seed is sufficient if correctly located.  Abraham did not merely believe; He believed in YAHWEH.

Bill Crofton