"There is always hope."

I love a good story. I always have. I love stories in every form; books, poems, comic books and movies. I've even written a story or two of my own. One of the things I always look for when reading a book or watching a movie is something beyond the entertainment factor. I look for a lesson or statement or even a good quote that impacts me and helps me remember an essential truth. I usually find them too. Most story-tellers have a point to make or a message to get across and if you look for them, you will find them, even if you don't always agree with them. In the movie "The Two Towers" Aragorn is looking at the men and boys preparing for battle. Legolas is telling him how hopeless it is, 300 against 10,000. Aragorn refuses to despair and says, "There is always hope." That's something I have been forgetting of late.

If you are a conservative and especially if you are a Christian, things have been looking rather bleak lately. The liberals sneer at our opinions and immediately discount them just because they don't agree with theirs. We're viewed as stupid and uneducated just because we have a conservative world view. Christians, particularly evangelicals, are increasingly mocked or viewed as ignorant. Every week we see attacks against our basic religious freedoms and civil rights. Christians are fired for sharing their faith or exercising their freedom of speech, while Muslims with their prayer rugs are accommodated and praised for their courage. Pastors are increasingly coming under pressure for preaching the truth in their churches, even to the point of incarceration. Children are suspended from school for inviting a friend to church or offering a bible and words of comfort to a hurting friend. The list goes on and on and it's increasing nearly daily. And it's not just the special interest groups either. Our own government is getting in on the action. Jesus warned that this day would come.

In Matthew 24:4-14, Jesus tells us, 4"Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. 9Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

That sounds just like Jesus is watching our evening news or reading one of our newspapers. Anyone who doesn't believe we're living in the last days is being deliberately obtuse. With a landscape like that, it's easy to despair, to give up, to lose hope. And that's exactly where I found myself recently, spiraling into depression and feeling like we'd been abandoned. Until I had an encounter that made me realize that all is not lost. There is still a light shining in the darkness. We have not yet reached the point where God cannot find even 10 righteous men.

This past weekend, I attended the 2013 Youth Fine Arts Festival with several talented young people from my church. And while they are all talented, it wasn't their talent that gave me hope. At the awards ceremony, they showcase several winners of various categories. This year, the winners of the Short Sermon, the Spoken Word and the Large Group Human Video had the opportunity to present. What I heard amazed me. These young High School students brought me to tears when I realized that while they were the ones growing up in this bleak landscape and had the least reason to hope, they were far from despair. Here they were using their talents and abilities to proclaim God's greatness; to stand up for truth; to declare the value of living a holy life; and to testify that Jesus was, is and always will be the only means of salvation and our only hope. It shames me to admit that I had begun to forget that for a believer, there is always hope. And it took a bunch of High School kids to remind me.

What's All The Fuss About Easter?

Tomorrow, on Easter Sunday, Western Christianity will celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus. It is typically the most well-attended service of the year. So, why all the fuss?

Non-Christians are quick to point out the pagan origins of the Easter holiday and its true that the name "Easter" does have its roots in ancient polytheistic religions or paganism. I doubt any educated Christian would dispute this. The name "Easter" is never mentioned in the original scriptures, nor is it ever associated Biblically with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For this reason many Christians and churches prefer to use the term "Resurrection Sunday" rather than Easter to refer to the day we celebrate the resurrection of Christ.

Many reference books claim that the name “Easter” derives from Eastre, the Teutonic goddess of Spring. While there is some connection, the actual origins of the name "Easter" lie much further back in history. All the way back to shortly after the Biblical Flood and the Tower of Babel to a King named Nimrod. (No, I'm not making this up!) Nimrod was the powerful, talented (and evil) great-grandson of Noah. I won't go into detail (you can Google or Bing for more information if you want), but basically, almost every vile, profane and idolatrous practice you can think of originated at Babel with Queen Semiramis, the Mother Goddess and Nimrod. As the people scattered from Babel with their different languages, they, of course, used different names for Nimrod (Tammuz) and Semiramis. Some called the Mother Goddess “ISHTAR” (originally pronounced “Easter”). In other lands, she was called Eostre, Astarte, Ostera, and Eastre. The Mother goddess was frequently worshipped as the goddess of fertility - and as a sort of Mother Nature and goddess of Spring and sexual love and birth. 

Also, just so you know where the Easter Bunny comes into the picture, the rabbit is well known as a sexual symbol of fertility. In various parts of the world, religions which developed from Babel also associate the rabbit with periodicity, both human and lunar (Egypt, China, etc.), so the bunny basically symbolizes the Mother Goddess. The egg figures into the picture as well and is also associated with the Babel origins of Easter, but as this is already getting to be longer than I intended, I'll let you look that one up on your own as well.

If you're still reading at this point, you may be wondering just exactly where I'm going with all this. Is my intent to bash the Christian celebration of Easter? Absolutely not! While one might wonder (in hind sight) if there might have been a better way for the Church to witness to the World and to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus than to "Christianize" a pagan celebration (like we have also done with Christmas), I still believe that the celebration of these events is essential to our faith and to the spread of the Gospel as long as we are emphasizing the Biblical reasons for doing so. Easter has been celebrated by the Church without interruption since New Testament times. However, given the World's commercialization of both Easter and Christmas, it is even more crucial that we as Christians assert the basis for our celebrations. Most of us know that Easter isn't simply a ­commercial festival about dyeing and hiding eggs or wearing new spring attire. Easter is the Christian observance of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his resurrection days later. His death and resurrection are the central basis for our faith.

Think about this; every time you write a date, you are making reference to the death of Jesus as a focal point. And His resurrection proves Him to be what He claimed to be, the Son of God. Why exactly was Jesus sent to the cross? From a legal perspective, even after going through six trials, He was ultimately crucified for claiming to be the Son of God. Most people who have heard of Jesus have already formed some kind of opinion about Him. They believe: 1) that He was a liar; 2) that He was a lunatic; or 3) that He is Lord. You can't say you think He was just a good man, or a good teacher, or even a prophet. None of those are compatible with being a liar or a lunatic. Jesus Himself said a couple of things, "I am God" and "I am the only way to heaven", that force you to make a decision about Him. A good man or a good teacher wouldn't say those things unless they were true. Jesus also said that He would be killed and that God would raise Him from the dead. That's exactly what happened on Resurrection Sunday and that's why Easter is so important. “... by being raised from the dead he was proved to be the mighty Son of God, with the holy nature of God himself.” (Romans 1:4, LB)

In some sense, Jesus is still on trial today. When we as Christians celebrate Easter and emphasize His death and resurrection, with all the significance it demands, we remind others that there is still a decision to be made about Jesus and His claims. Easter is more than a celebration of nature, Springtime, and fertility. It's also more than just the memory of a good man or religious teacher who lived more than two centuries ago. Because of His sinless life, His death, and His resurrection; we no longer have to pay the penalty for our sin. Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves and it's His resurrection that gives us hope that we too will one day be physically resurrected with Him in addition to the spiritual resurrection we've already received. In spite of the burden of competing with the pagan roots and commercialization of Easter, the significance of what we as Christians celebrate during this holiday cannot be denied. 

The Melancholy Personality

Most people wouldn't immediately think of me and melancholy in the same sentence. I'm pretty much choleric, as most of you would suspect. I do, however, have a fair amount of both sanguine and melancholy as well. This blog will be my outlet for those deep (and not so deep) thoughts, opines, and pithy observations. To get things started, I thought I'd begin with a discussion of the melancholy personality type, since it's the driving force behind me starting this blog.

The melancholic temperament is fundamentally introverted and is given to thought. Melancholic people often are perceived as very (or overly) pondering and are both considerate and very cautious. They are organized and schedule oriented, often planning extensively. Melancholics can be highly creative in activities such as poetry, art, and invention - and are sensitive to others. Because of this sensitivity and their thoughtfulness they can become preoccupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world and are susceptible to depression and moodiness. Often they are perfectionists. Their desire for perfection often results in a high degree of personal excellence but also causes them to be highly conscientious and difficult to relate to because others often cannot please them. They are self-reliant and independent, preferring to do things themselves in order to meet their standards. One negative part of being a melancholic is that they can get so involved in what they are doing they forget to think of other issues. Their caution enables them to prevent problems that the more impulsive sanguine runs into, but can also cause them to procrastinate and remain in the planning stage of a project for very long periods. Melancholics prefer to avoid much attention and prefer to remain in the background; they do, however, desire recognition for their many works of creativity.

Moses (borrowed from Carol Wilkins)

Gifted is one word that describes a melancholy like Moses. The Bible has many famous names of the same temperament: Jacob, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Obadiah, Jonah, John the Baptist, the Apostles John and Thomas, and many others. Potential is another word to describe Moses. Melancholies have great potential if they do not give in to a negative thinking pattern.

Remember that the melancholy is prone to be pessimistic, very sensitive, moody, critical, and a perfectionist. Another thing to remember is that Moses lived during the time when the Holy Spirit did not indwell people as He does today. No one needs reminding about the intellect of Moses. Stephen, in Acts 7, says that Moses "was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds." Acts 7:22.

Self-sacrificing.
Melancholies are prone to give themselves to some sacrificial cause. This may even be directed by a sense of pride. Self-sacrifice must be God-directed. No one should be motivated by a sense of guilt. Why did Moses make the decision he made to leave the comforts and ease of the palace? The Bible reveals the answer in the book of Hebrews. Moses chose to live by faith, and to trust God. Hebrews 11:24-27.

Self-depreciating.
Melancholies may feel inferior when in reality it isn't true. They may also have a hard time accepting praise or commendation. They may tend to remember their mistakes instead of their accomplishments. Criticism to a small child with this thinking may discourage them for the future. This may also result in making excuses for not doing things. Melancholies tend to hate criticism. All this may lead a melancholy to live far below their ability level. A melancholy personality should never trust their feelings alone to guide them. How did Moses react:

I don't have any talent.
Exodus 3:11. "Who am I?"- What was God's response? Exodus 3:12. How does a melancholy get help? A study in the Bible of God's provision.

I don't know theology.
Exodus 3:13. "What shall I say?"- Many people offer the same excuse today. Moses didn't need ability, but availability.

No one will believe me!
Exodus 4:1. Fear of rejection even though God had promised they would listen. Exodus 3:18. All Moses could think about was his rejection 40 years earlier. Instead of focusing on failures, we need to see needs and possibilities. The service and the cause of Christ are more important than our pride. His fear was selfish. We are not responsible for the failure or success of our witness, but we are responsible to witness.

I can't speak in public.
Exodus 4:10. The question isn't what you can do, but what God can do. Moses ended up being saddled with Aaron. God doesn't ask for eloquence, but He does ask for obedience.

I don't want to go.
Exodus 4:13. Sometimes when a melancholy makes up their mind they can't, even good reasoning won't change them. God had answered every question and even demonstrated His power to Moses. Moses was suffering from deep resentment. He had had forty years in the wilderness to brood over his rejection and isolation. His thinking had been poisoned and it was hard to change. All of Moses' excuses seemed reasonable to him.

Anger.
Exodus 16:2; 32:19. Moses not only suffered from fear, but anger as well. Failure to control his anger cost him. Anger usually causes problems. James 1:20. Some anger may be right, Exodus 32:19, but some is wrong. See Numbers 20:3-5, 9-12. Anger and unconfessed sin can bring about early death. 1 Corinthians 11:30-32.

Perfectionism.
In writing the first five books of the Bible, Moses shows his ability to carefully give all the details as laid out by God for the Tabernacle, the priest, for sacrifice and worship. Moses also demonstrated a problem melancholies have with delegating authority and responsibility. Exodus 18:17-18. D. L. Moody said, "Instead of doing the work of ten men, get ten men to work." We need to learn to trust God to use other people.

Depression.
Numbers 11:10-15. Moses was one of three in the Bible who became depressed enough to want to die. God never asked Moses to carry all the burden and load. Read Moses' words carefully, "If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now." It's a good thing God doesn't grant all our requests. In everything, give thanks.

Loyalty.
Because Moses remained loyal, the people of Israel remained loyal. His devotion grew over the years. Moses is a good example of what God can do with a fearful, insecure, doubtful, pessimistic, compulsive, and depressed man. He became a great leader. He was a great instrument in the hands of God. He is a perfect illustration of the fact God doesn't use perfect men & women, but men & women of faith who trust Him.

In conclusion, while I'm primarily a choleric, having a bit of Moses personality can't be a bad thing, can it?