The New Doctrine.3

Once there were two men who went into the temple to pray.

One was a proud,

self-righteous man,

while the other was a miserable tax collector well known for his dishonesty.

The proud man prayed:

"Thank God I am not a sinner like other people,

especially that cheating tax collector

I see here today.

I never cheat,

nor do I commit adultery.

I fast twice a week,

and I give the temple a tenth of all that I earn."

The tax collector remained in the

back of the temple,

and dared not lift his eyes toward heaven.

He prayed sorrowfully:

"God, please be merciful to me. I am unworthy

and have fallen short of what you ask."

I tell you now, that the tax collector

who recognized his need

for God's mercy,

returned to his house

lighthearted,

free from anxiety, and

forgiven.

Those who,

in their pride,

exalt themselves

will be humbled,

while those who humble themselves

will rise above the cares of this world

to a place of blessing and honor."

--Jesus

As far back as Cain and Abel mankind has been divided into two camps:

Those who reject God's judgment

-vs-

Those who seek God's approval & blessing

The Self Righteous get humbled.

The humble find freedom.

Or as Jesus put it: justified - the legal and formal acquittal of guilt.

Hubris (excessive pride or self-confidence) is never justified.

The Self Righteous Man can never be justified because he:

• can't properly assess his own actions
• sets himself above the moral assessment of others, including God
• takes the place of God in judging and condemning others
• is not merciful 
• is inured to the conviction of sin by God's Spirit
• can never be truly reconciled to God or man

The first step in properly aligning ourselves with the

True Righteousness is to admit how far we fall short in being like our Creator.

The Tax Collector, as Jesus points out, was well known for cheating others.

Worse yet, he had a governmental position that may even have sanctioned this kind of cheat. He may very well have been insulated from the seething hatred of people, his own countrymen, by the fact that most every tax collector skimmed or inflated the tax owed.

I remember meeting a burly business man who owned a cement company. He told me he worked for the IRS for over twenty five years before starting his own company. He said he never understood why people hated him so much until he left the premier tax collecting agency in the world and started his own company!

It was an "Aha" moment when he could see what he'd been blind to for many years! The tax collector in Jesus' parable had that "aha" moment in coming to a point when he realized the terrible wrong -cheating people, and therefore God, out of what rightfully belonged to them- he'd been committing. So profound was his sense of loathing that he couldn't even lift his eyes upward. 

"When a man acknowledges the right he denied before; when he says to the wrong, 'I abjure, I loathe you; I see now what you are; I could not see it before because I would not; God forgive me; make me clean, or let me die!' then justice, that is God, has conquered--and not till then." George MacDonald, Justice.

By saying the man was "justified" Jesus is pointing out that justice had begun in his heart and would open the door to true atonement -- the righting of the wrongs he'd done to his neighbors. Perhaps Jesus had in mind the tax collector Zacchaeus who upon meeting Jesus while sitting in a tree trying to catch a glimpse of the Man, immediately repented and declared his commitment to making things right with those he'd wronged!

The only vengeance worth having on sin is to make the sinner himself its executioner! A man may be saved from sin by learning to loathe it, to hate it, to shrink from it with an eternal avoidance. Punishment is not the thing required of God, but the absolute destruction of sin. -MacDonald, ibid

Notice the attempt by the Self Righteous man to guilt shame the tax collector. Hubris does that. In fact, the more it is gotten away with the more widespread the disease becomes.

Consider today's "Cancel Culture" lead, primarily, by the "Credentialed", those with self important pedigrees from highly esteemed institutions or wealthy actors, athletes and business owners as well as governmental authorities and academics. Using the insulation of social media they are able to cast slurs on others who do not share their moral superiority and politically correct views. Or worse, destroy lives and careers by their hypocritical hubris.

Their attempts to do the work of God's spirit will never bring people closer together for there is no appeal to the "divinest" in one another, to the eternal brotherhood under one Father; an appeal based on grace, repentance, humility, a common understanding of our own fallen-ness and desire for true friendship and godly Oneness.

So follower of Jesus, remember that the great divide in the USA today is not between races or political parties, CNN and FOX, Trump haters and Trump supporters, men and women or urban and rural America, but the real divide is between humility and hubris. 

The New Doctrine.2

"But whoever hears my life-giving words,

and rejects them,

chooses to build on a foundation of sand.

The rains descend, and the floods rise.

Hurricane winds beat against the house,

and the foundation crumbles.

The house collapses,

and great is its fall."

-Jesus

After leaving the company of my friend and mentor, Paul Maxim, I took my newly developing carpentry skills* as well as a hearty supply of Maxim's Maxims! --"measure twice, cut once!"-- and used them to make money!

However, I found out that even though I wasn't "accountable" to my old boss for my work now, I was accountable to a new boss: building codes! More specifically, the people who enforce those codes! (I once had an over zealous electrical inspector threaten to "write me up" for unlicensed electrical work because he found me holding a wiring box I'd picked up off the floor and a pair of wire strippers in my tool belt!)

Most of the time Codes represent the processes, protocols and procedures for ensuring a safe, secure and enduring structure. But occasionally they are nothing more than attempts to generate revenue for government or the influence of business interests to protect their industry. Most of the time codes represent good science and good sense. Sometimes, not.

I've done enough remodeling work now to really come to appreciate best practices "codes" (and annoyed by questionable regulations.) Believe it or not, people try to do a lot of work on their own homes who really don't know how to properly safeguard their work or understand the potential danger they are "building" into their project.

Building codes recognize that there are always forces at work that have the potential to erode and/or destroy a structure whether instantaneously (like a fire) or over time (like water erosion of soil under a foundation.) They take into account a variety of conditions like geography - (structures in Florida are different than in Michigan to account for the possibility of hurricane force winds!); lifestyles - (the frenzied activity in urban areas vs quiet country living); property issues - (renting vs owning).

Jesus' words are the "best practices" for ensuring a solid, enduring life in a world filled with dangerous forces working to erode or destroy you! If you want a life in harmony with the Created Order, one free of dubious regulations or capricious influences, who better to know and teach these best practices then the One through Whom Life came into existence?!

There are hurricane force winds and flood waters of fear, technology and sexual deviancy that are working to destroy the foundation of our lives as individuals, families and communities today!

The current worldwide panic over the Coronavirus is a perfect example. Without internet technology, government officials would not have the ability to communicate directives for people to "shelter in place" on such a coordinated global scale (as a matter of fact, our governor here in Michigan issued a smartphone emergency alert when she ordered her "stay home, save lives" directive.)

But the truth of the matter is that since the introduction of graphic media in the early 1900's up until the inception of the smartphone at the turn of the century, our senses have been trained to accept emotion based appeal over reason. (Actually you could go back many centuries to document mankind's attempt to disconnect the truth of God revealed in nature from man's attempt to control nature.)

Case in point, most every state (in order to qualify for Federal Disaster money) took strict measures to "flatten the curve" of the spread of Covid19 to ensure hospitals would not be overwhelmed. These measures included shutting down schools and businesses, ordering healthy people to quarantine in their own homes to avoid social contact and possibly spread the virus. Some states, including my own Michigan, took what has come to be considered "draconian" steps by determining what is "essential" to any individual's well being, ordering big box stores to cordon off areas like paint and garden supplies to keep the public safe and save lives, encourage neighbors to turn violators in and issue fines for those who disobeyed. Rather than deal with the naturally occurring development and course of a virus (including the fact that a certain percentage of people will die from a viral outbreak), governments turned to technology: computer models, expert opinions and social science theory to determine public policy. Since it has been difficult to get consistent and reliable information which, historically, enables people to make good decisions for themselves, the general economic and cultural uncertainty enhanced by technology (social media is rife with "experts" contradicting one another) is in many ways more destructive to the social fabric than any virus could ever be.

To Jesus' warning. Rejecting the Nature of God's dealings with mankind; rejecting His attempts to bring all people into a love relationship with Him using whatever resources He can; rejecting His words which bring order to the chaos and destruction people are capable of generating; rejecting obedience as the outworking of our love and trust in Him can have catastrophic consequences! Think of it this way: Have you ever built a sand castle, then channeled water towards it? If you look closely, it is individual grains of sand that move with the current. Eventually, as enough grains are washed away, the entire structure collapses! In the same way, individuals are pulled away from faith, trust and obedience to the Lord of Truth and Life in today's world by addictively looking at smartphones hundreds of times a day and allowing, as Rod Dreher points out in The Benedict Option, "online technology by its very nature to scatter our attention like nothing else, radically compromising our ability to make sense of the world, physiologically rewiring our brains and rendering us increasingly helpless against our impulses." (page 219) Fear is the one great impulse being fostered by this unprecedented use of technology to control people's behavior!

Consider the great irony: as people put more of their trust into technology to provide relief and security from the chaos and uncertainty technology helped create, they will find themselves more isolated and fearful. As more individuals get swept away by fear, the more likely families, communities and nations will crash!

How can putting Jesus' words into practice provide protection and stability during difficult times?

Refuse to let fear dominate your thinking. Try unplugging from technology on a regular basis and just discipline your mind to focus on His commands and words, which are essentially His promises to help you achieve His right action in every situation. Trust in Him with all your heart. Don't lean on your own attempts to understand (believe it or not, you can't Google God's will!) before you put your heart into seeing what He is doing and join Him to be a blessing to a fear fractured world. When evil/fear increases, Jesus warned, the love of many grows cold. What a powerful opportunity to demonstrate the life of Christ by being kind, loving and carefree in world gripped by fear. By staying steadfast and true to the Word of Life you strengthen other's faith and help ensure your family, church, and community stays strong!

That's how you build an enduring life!

*(see previous post at https://8-greatmen.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-new-doctrine1.html)

The New Doctrine.1

"Whoever hears my words,
and acts upon them,
is wise,
and builds on a foundation made of stone.
The rains descend,
and the floods rise.
Hurricane winds beat against the house,
yet it stands strong:
for it is built on solid rock."

--Jesus

Oh how I remember my first building project: I was determined to build a bunk bed for my boys.

Sadly, no one ever actually slept in it! Why you may ask? It seems the concept of "level" (essential if you don't want to, you know, slide off the bed) didn't figure into my work!

Years later I went to work for one of my best friends, Paul Maxim, master carpenter! I quickly learned that there are tools for measuring these concepts: level...and true...and square...

The best thing I learned is if you want

to build something enduring, useful and strong, learn from the best! But the real question is when does learning occur; more specifically, when does understanding take hold? When you grasp it in your head or when you put it into practice?

One of the first jobs Paul gave me when I went to work for him was cutting off "rafter tails" on a house he was building. It was a simple enough task: using an electric saw to trim off excess board lengths...until he pointed out that they were on the second story of the house! I would have to stand on the roof, reach over the edge as far as I could while trying not to look down! It was a windy, damp and cold day and I came very close to handing in my tool belt and walking away from carpentry for good!

But I did it; I did what he told me to do! It changed me. At least it began the change in me. First I conquered a fear. Second I realized, through the experience, that I actually could do it! Third, it made the next task a little easier having that extra confidence in myself, confidence that comes from doing what is required and accomplishing it.

My Master, Paul, sizing up my capabilities (including my lack of experience and skill) gave me a job, challenging enough, he needed done and figured I could do. He did not give me something entirely beyond my abilities. He gave me the basic information and tools I needed to accomplish it. No classes, no detailed explanation of the characteristics of wood, no theories on the variety of ways to cut it. Just simple directions. I got just enough information to do it. The only thing left was will, choice, and action. The only hope of understanding ultimately comes in the doing!

And yet...think about our relationship to our Master, Jesus. Consider how much emphasis is put on understanding things about Him rather than simply putting His words into practice! How many seminaries and seminars, sermons and series, books and opinions on what others think He meant (and what they mean for us to think) are offered rather than the encouragement to just obey. As George McDonald says, "It is the one great heresy of the church that it is always offering anything other than obedience as faith in Christ!"

But what is the faith OF Jesus? The same as He requires of each of his followers: obedience! Obedience to the will of His Father.

Start with one of his commands. You could look them up yourself but I'll use a portion of a list compiled by the Institute In Basic Life Principles to help:

• Repent
• Follow Me
• Rejoice
• Let your light shine
• Honor God's Law
• Be reconciled with others
• Do not lust
• Keep your word
• Go the second mile
• Turn your cheek
• Give to those that ask
• Love God
• Love yourself
• Love your neighbors
• Love your enemies
• Be Perfect
• Fear Not
• Seek first God's Kingdom
• Lay up treasures
• Judge not
• Ask, seek, knock
• Do unto others

Let's say, in light of the world's preoccupation with viruses today, we put into practice this one:

"Fear not."

(its been said that this is the most frequent command in the Bible...interesting)

• Are you afraid of dying from an unknown disease?
• Are you afraid the healthcare system will break down?
• Are you afraid of not having enough toilet paper? (kidding...sort of)
• Are you afraid other people won't take the warnings as seriously as they should?
• Are you afraid for the elderly and vulnerable?
• Are you afraid the government is not doing enough? Doing too much?
• Are you afraid society might not recover from the economic sanctions?
• Are you afraid for your own financial security?
• Are you afraid your neighbors might turn you in for not being afraid?
• Are you afraid nothing will ever be the same?
• Are you afraid for the future?
• Are you not even sure of what you are afraid?

Those fears are associated with just one current life issue. Add to that the myriad of cares, past-present-future, you and I deal with daily! You can see how just a simple command like this can be difficult to put into practice! So can Jesus, our Master!

However, like my friend Paul, Jesus sizes up our experience and skill then gives us what we are able to handle to give us the experience and confidence we need, as we try, to keep on trying...and growing...and getting better! Honestly, it may take a lifetime to learn, really learn to the core of our being to Fear Not; i.e., learn that God is fully capable of shielding, protecting, providing, and proving Himself more than adequate for our trust! But what better way to learn than knowing we have a Master Builder in our life to watch over us, applaud our progress and lead us where we need to be and eventually realize there is no other place we'd want to be!

If you, as an individual, learn to not fear for yourself by trusting in the God of all Goodness to use the current situation to craft your character, it is surely the beginning of salvation for your family, community, country and the world!

The Good Shepherd.8

"I am the door to the sheepfold.

Those who attempt to enter this fold by any other way are thieves and robbers.

Many impostors have come before me, but the sheep did not recognize or follow them.

I am the door.

Enter by this door and you will be safe, free to go in and out, and find food."

--Jesus

There is a recent radio commercial based on the "Let's Make a Deal" door choosing game. However, in this version the contestant only has one door to choose from! When she points out that there is always more than one door to choose from, the announcer flatly states there is only one door and exuberantly proclaims "You've won a year's supply of dog food!" To which the contestant sullenly replies, "But I don't even own a dog!"

Admittedly, especially here in America, we are used to, and even expect, a menu of choices when deciding what we want.

But when it comes to deciding on the best possible outcome for life, maybe many

doors to choose from isn't such a great thing. Maybe limiting our options to simply trusting, obeying and loving Jesus is the greatest gift God gives us in focusing our wayward eyes and hearts back to Him.

Many impostors have come after Jesus and are constantly perpetrating a false Christ on the unsuspecting!

"How have we learned Christ?", asks George MacDonald.

"It ought to be a startling thought, that we may have learned Him wrong!

That must be far worse than not to have learned Him at all: His place is occupied by a false Christ, hard to exorcise!

The point we must contend with is whether we have learned Christ as He taught Himself, or as men have taught Him who thought they understood, but did not understand Him....

True Christ or False Christ, the real issue is this: is only our brain full of things concerning Him, or does He Himself dwell in our hearts, a learnt, and ever being learnt lesson, the power of our life?"

--George MacDonald, The Truth in Jesus, Unspoken Sermons II (emphasis and edits added)

Why is it so seductive to hold onto doctrines, systematic theology, statements of beliefs, or plans of salvation as the measure of faith in Christ and the hope of eternal life, rather than holding onto the Author of Life Himself?

The baptism of Jesus is a great example of that seduction: Matthew sets up the scene by including an impassioned sermon by John the Baptist on how the Messiah, whose shoes John "believes" he isn't even worthy to carry, will come in flaming glory, winnowing the unworthy and burning the unrepentant!

Then Jesus shows up, rather quietly, and requests a baptism by John. "Wait, What?! This isn't how its supposed to work, I'm the lowly one, You're the exalted one. We need to send the right message here Messiah!"

The first words Matthew records Jesus making on this planet (Luke records a moment in His youth that is yet similar in it's focus) is this: "The fitting path to righteousness is obedience to God's way, whether we understand it or it doesn't conform with our pre-determined concepts."

Netflix introduced a new tv series titled "Messiah" produced by Roma (Touched By An Angel) and Mark (Survivor) Barnett. I highly recommend it even though there is frequent uses of the "F-word" and a sex scene. But unlike most "Christian" films that tend to be sanitized, this depicts the gritty struggles of a corrupt world filled with sinful people invaded by a mystery man making challenging invitations to faith in God. The main characters include a country pastor whose family and ministry is falling apart, an American CIA agent and an Israeli intelligent officer bent on uncovering the truth of the "Messiah's" hidden political agenda (but end up having their own problematic pasts uncovered in the process); a variety of religious and political figures attempting to understand this mysterious phenomenon through the lens of their own preconceptions.

As an exercise in wrestling with issues of faith it is an interesting challenge to try to figure out how you and I might respond to a similar person making claims of speaking for God, demonstrating miraculous control over nature and shaking up the sensibilities of people the world over. The producers use a variety of scenes to keep you guessing whether they are trying to depict a false Christ or the real deal. Riots break out, religious fervor is enflamed, people leave homes and family to follow this man. A desperate mother, unbeknownst to her husband, takes her cancer stricken daughter to the "Messiah" seeking healing. The daughter seemingly doesn't get healed and the husband files for divorce!

The point, I suppose, is to realize how difficult it was even for people of Jesus time on earth to come to grips with His amazing claims and measure them against their own "beliefs"! But the real struggle for every human being is choosing whether to do what God says and trust Him for the outcome or choose our own way.

Who of us thinks that we'll get a pop quiz at the Pearly Gates confirming our suitability for Heaven? And if you're relying on a "statement of faith" (would it be an an 'open book' test?) which organization or religious affiliation to you go with? Or which version of your organization's SOF do you depend on for the "right" answers (they often get edited and updated)?

But what if the Mormon's got some theology right? How about the Jehovah Witnesses? Is there any element of truth in Islam, or any other major religion? What if someone from the Westboro Baptist church found out that a gay person actually did make it into heaven...would they decline the invitation?

A guy can spend a lot of his life wrestling with words! It seems to me a better use of one's life to focus on doing what Jesus' said and learning to listen as He corrects misunderstandings and teaches what He means by those words.

It is what is "fitting" to fulfill His righteousness and know with certainty He is the Door!

The Good Shepherd.7

"I am the good shepherd who gives my life for the sheep.

The hired hand is no substitute.

He does not care for the sheep as if they were his own;

and when the wolf comes he runs away,
leaving the sheep unguarded.

The wolf catches them, and they are scattered."

--Jesus

Are the Wolves at the door?

David French, senior editor at the National Review, observes: 

"In my travels around the country, one thing has become crystal clear to me. Christians are not prepared for the social consequences of the profound cultural shifts — especially in more secular parts of the nation. They’re afraid to say what they believe, not because they face the kind of persecution that Christians face overseas but because they’re simply not prepared for any meaningful adverse consequences in their careers or with their peers." (emphasis added)

Author Rod Dreher has dedicated an entire book, The Benedict Option, to describing the challenges facing Christ followers in a post Christian world and offering insights from how the church has responded to similar challenges in times past.

"I have written The Benedict Option to wake up the church and to encourage it to act to strengthen itself, while there is still time. If we want to survive, we have to return to the roots of our faith, both in thought and in practice. We are going to have to learn habits of the heart forgotten by believers in the West. We are going to have change our lives, and our approach to life, in radical ways. In short, we are going to have to be the church, without compromise, no matter what it costs.... 

In the first part of this book, I will define the challenge of post-Christian America as I see it. I will explore the philosophical and theological roots of our society's fragmentation...I will consider the critical importance of believers thinking and acting radically in the face of the two most powerful phenomena directing contemporary life and pulverizing the church's foundations: sex and technology."

As an example of the kind of forces at work that Christ Followers are facing: the company I now work for recently held its annual in service day to address the issues affecting us in the coming school year. One of the presenters was a lawyer discussing changes in the federal statute known as "Title IX", a law implemented in the 1990's attempting to force equal sharing of resources for boy's and girl's sports. This "law" has metastasized to include many identity groups under its legally protected umbrella. Most recently "Trans-genders" are now included as a "protected class" under Title IX!

I was aghast! Now federal law is used to protect an entirely made up idea of social behavior!  

With that experience in the background, we recently took some of our grand-kids camping. For a devotional I read Psalm 19

1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. 

2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 

3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard." 

I explained that the foundational structure of our society and our governance is based on the Laws of Nature and Nature's God. It is good to immerse ourselves in God's Biblical revelation and in His Natural revelation so that we have a firm foundation on which we can depend to know what is real and true. I talked to them about this very dangerous concept emerging in our culture called "transgenderism": the idea that a person can choose whether to be the opposite gender they were born as, and can "transition" into another sex through drugs, surgeries or government mandates. I pointed out that there is nothing in nature that is "transitioning" into another species or gender. It is an entirely made up idea being recklessly advanced in our society and is destructive to the highest possible good for which we are created. We ought to resist it on the basis of God's word and His work in creation. 

Later that night at the campfire, a friend of our three teenage grand-kids brought out her IPhone and started taking pictures of the adults using a feature of the popular app, Snapchat, that can convert a person's image into the opposite gender. We all shared a good laugh about it (some of the guys actually made attractive females!) But it was a chilling reminder of what the next generation has to deal with in combating the powerful impact of "virtual reality", i.e., the fantasy world of one's choosing, verses the Natural Order of God's creation.

Dreher sights numerous examples of companies, under pressure from LGBQT groups, to ally themselves and their employees with the LGBQT political agenda or risk negative social media retaliation. And, shockingly, many are going along to get along!

I can cite examples from my own family and friends who are dealing directly with the impact of a crumbling culture where companies are opening "Inclusivity Departments" to ensure that no "hate crimes", i.e., having contrary and/or biblical opinions to the company line, are committed on the company clock; or a friend's grief that his step daughter abandoned her sixteen year marriage and three children to take up with a "transgender" male purporting to become a female; or the inability for even state governments to protect the religious convictions of business owners against the wolves of moral morass.

Clearly Jesus' warnings are chillingly relevant today: when evil becomes so suffocatingly difficult to avoid then relationships falter, hearts grow cold, and people betray one another.

What will you or your children do when, in order to keep your job, are required to sign a pledge supporting unbiblical and unnatural behaviors? Lose your job or "go along to get along?" What if your spouse or family don't support your biblical/natural views and pressure you to keep the paychecks coming? Cities across the country are criminalizing "offensive" speech; are you willing to go to jail for speaking God's self-evident truth? Lawlessness is becoming the new normal...

The Benedict Option is a reference to St. Benedict, who as a young man, saw the demoralizing of a culture when the Barbarians seized control. For a while he hid himself away living the life of a hermit. But God called him to form communities that adhered to a strict lifestyle aimed at preserving faith in God, practicing His commands and being a light to a dark world.

Forming similar communities to combat the darkness, pass on Godly values to the next generation and supporting each other in these trying times, is what Dreher believes is the proper/historial response to this social upheaval.

Our "hired hands" -politicians who are either running away from the mess they've helped create or are being exposed as wolves themselves- are not the answer for our preservation. It is in forming tightly knit, loving communities that rely on the Chief Shepherd's protection and grace to see us through.

"If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Psalm 11:3








Now you know! 

The Good Shepherd.6

"He calls them each by name, and leads them out to green pastures.

When he leads the sheep out to graze, he goes before them.

They follow him, comforted by the words that he speaks.

They will not follow a stranger; instead, they run from the sound of an unfamiliar voice."

--Jesus

Jesus goes before us.

But where is He leading us? In a very real sense it doesn't matter. To be with Jesus wherever He goes, to be content to munch away on the pasture He gives us at any moment is Life. To Trust Him is the essence of our relationship with Him.

Speaking of trust...

Our friend Kate is an avid trail horse rider and has had many adventures

while on horseback. One of her stories is about a young gelding she took across the state of Michigan on the famed "Shore to Shore" trail ride. During the course of the two week ride there had been considerable rain which made the trail muddy and often nearly impassable. She and her young ride came to a place where the water had formed a pond deep enough to reach his belly. She stopped for a moment to consider a rider in front of her's difficulty in getting up out of the water and looking for a better place to take her steed. Suddenly, a duck and her ducklings came swimming nearby her horse! The four-year old panicked and began flailing to try to run away! After finally getting him settled, he decided that he was NOT GOING TO MOVE! For fifteen minutes she coaxed and coaxed...to no avail. Finally she had to

dismount and lead the wild-eyed, panic-stricken horse through chest deep muck onto dry land! Fortunately, Kate survived this ordeal to be able to tell the story that night at the campfire. She concluded by saying "He just wouldn't trust me! I can take my older horses anywhere at anytime, but he is not there yet!"

The truth is, often times the only way

to build that trust is to go through the swamps together!

If there is a better way of describing our relationship with our Good Shepherd I don't know of one. He goes before us. In fact you could say that in giving up His part in the Godhead and clothing himself in the frailty of humanity he also learned the difficulties we experience in trusting our Master in those fearful places.

Like having your hands and feet nailed to a wooden post after being humiliated and beaten to a bloody pulp. Makes shrinking from a duck seem, well, silly...

Yet, how many ducks swimming nearby in our own swampy, scary places will it take to get us to remain calm and trusting until he can lead us to a better place: our own cross - the place of ultimate trust and devotion to the Father's Perfect Will - wherein we learn to die to our self-will and immerse ourselves in God's Goodness and New Life!

Quack, quack! See you on the other shore!