Finding God in the Seasons of Divorce - Volume 2, Spring and Summer SNEAK PEEK!!

Galley Proofs Headed Back

Well, the proofing has ended and galleys are headed back into publisher.  Shouldn’t be long now, but in case you wanted another sneak peak, here is one of I really like:

Day 122     Psalm 27:4  

  Think about the most beautiful views you have ever seen.  Like a sunset.  Remember the details:  the colors, the clouds, the sun as it slowly dipped below the horizon, the birds casting their shadow as they flew across the sky.  Then think about a painting you have seen, that you consider beautiful.  Visualize the brush strokes, the blending of hues, the shadows and shapes upon the canvas or print.  How about scenic vistas, what do you remember in that category?  And what jewels do you consider beautiful:  a glittering diamond, the deep green of an emerald, the silky sheen of a pearl?

   What about the beauty of the night sky, the crescent moon, aurora flares, shooting stars?  Or the pictures you have seen of the distant planets and galaxies, like he red of Mars, the rings of Saturn, the bands of Jupiter, the flaming arches from the sun, the spiral of distant galaxies?  What about the beauty that is found in human beings?   Who was the most beautiful woman or handsome man you have ever seen?  What made that person beautiful in your eyes?  The flowing hair, the strong muscles, the shining eyes?  Or maybe you saw inner beauty that made him or her such a wonderful person. 

  An early morning view across the Grand Canyon or from the campground at the bottom, a rainbow in Niagara Falls, snow capped mountain peaks, shady forest trails with mossy ground, the smiles of my children….those are a few of my images, what are yours?  What would you call the most beautiful scene you have ever observed?  Recall that image to your mind, filling in the details of your memory. 

  I have asked you to recall these to help you solidify your own sense of beauty in the world.  Now I want to take that sense and ask you to amplify it…..amplify it millions of times.  What would something that beautiful be like?  Can you imagine?  If you can, push even further, to an unimaginable beauty.  You have now begun to arrive at the beauty of the Lord.  Everything you have ever seen that you would consider beautiful derives its beauty from the ultimate beauty that is God.  This is part of the notion that the heavens declare the glory of God.  His beauty is reflected dimly in the glorious beauty we see here on earth.  If you could combine the beauty of all the sunsets and sunrises, add the beauty of all the earth’s natural wonders, then include all the rest of the beautiful things that exist, you would get a faint glimpse of just how beautiful our God is.  That is probably why John had such a hard time describing heaven in Revelation that he could only compare it to the most precious gemstones he had ever seen:  golden streets, gates of pearl…..ultimate and indescribable beauty, that is heaven, that is God!!

Do you have Biblical Compassion for the Divorced?

Do We Have to Choose?

Does it ever seem to you that Christians often choose between holding to what are perceived as the biblical principles of the righteous ideals God desires or holding to the virtues of compassion and mercy.  You may recall the Gospel accounts of Jesus reproving some of the Jewish leaders for being more concerned about their rules of righteousness than they were about being concerned for the struggling people around them.  It would seem that the balance between standing for righteous principles and being a person of mercy has been a difficult one for sincere religious individuals to manage for many years. 

Divorce is an area in which this dichotomy manifests itself quite frequently.  How does a God fearing Christian stand up for the sanctity of marriage, and yet deal with the reality that many individuals within the church as well as outside it have foundered in the breakwaters of divorce?   I received a note from a friend the other day that included another article in which the writer came down hard on the high ideal of marriage and the unacceptability of divorce in the church.  And let me quickly add, I agree, that divorce should not exist among Christians, and if every individual who claims the name of Christ were always totally obedient to everything God desires of us, we would see divorce disappear from among us.  And, of course, we would also see church splits come to an end, gossip would find no place in our ranks and we would be so caring for one another that no individual would feel pushed aside or unwelcome in the body of Christ.  It is a good thing to stand up for the highest ideals, to believe in the perfection of God’s design.  

But as long as we live in this world, it is a necessary thing to stand for those ideals with a recognition of the fact that the sin and brokenness in this world has left us all scarred and far short of God’s perfection, apart from the mercy of God and the justification purchased on the cross.  

So while holding firm to the sanctity of marriage, we acknowledge with sorrow those many times those vows have been discarded, ignored and shattered by behaviors and attitudes that end in divorce.  But, as Jesus pointed out in the passage above, our sin broken world must be met with mercy and compassion for those whose lives have been devastated by the ravages of fallen creation. 

I guess the point is, I appreciate that there is a need to stand strong for biblical teachings, yet with recognition that biblical teaching includes not merely a list of high standards and lofty ideals, but also the example of compassion and mercy toward individuals whose lives have been shattered, scarred, even misguided as they navigate their way in this fallen world.  Jesus demonstrated it toward prostitutes, tax collectors, outcasts, those declared unclean…countless individuals who longed for a kind word of hope and promise that could lift them out of the mire and give them the second chance they needed.  Jesus offered it not only to those who had yet to follow him, but also to individuals like Peter himself, who time and again needed to learn, grow and be given one more chance. 

If you have been bound up in despair, feeling cast away from God and unworthy of God’s love because of the shortcomings, sins and mistakes of your life, then know that you are exactly the kind of person to whom Jesus himself offered mercy while walking the earth.  Do your best, by the power of God, to pursue the high ideals God establishes for his people, falling upon his mercy and grace when you have fallen short. 

If you are a person who has lost your balance, and have either compromised away the ideals God would call us to follow, or have kept the ideals but run roughshod over people God loves as you held to them, then perhaps today would be a good day to learn the lesson Jesus tried to teach, that God desires mercy, not sacrifice, and thus become a person of mercy as part of your noble ideals.  Because Jesus demonstrated to those of us who would follow, that the world is filled with people desperate to know that the mercy of God extends even to them in their brokenness and despair. 

Richard on the Radio!!

This marks a first for us!!  

On Tuesday, January 15th - Richard is participating in a panel discussion about "Divorce and the church"  If you live in the Northern California listening area, you can listen to the program on KFAX.  You can also stream the program at www.kfax.com.  Richard will be on the lifeline show with host craig roberts.

WELCOME TO LIFE!LINE WITH CRAIG ROBERTS

TODAY'S SHOW: Weekdays, 5pm - 7pm

Join us weekdays on KFAX from 5-7 P.M. every weekday!

CRAIG'S BIO

For 22 years, Craig Roberts has hosted KFAX’s popular afternoon drive talk show, “Life!Line,” Northern California’s longest running and most widely listened to show of its kind. The program features a multitude of subjects and newsmakers, covering politics, current affairs, family issues and ministry opportunities around the San Francisco Bay Area, across the nation and around the world.

With a communications career spanning 34 years, Craig is a Bay Area native whose background includes broadcast journalism, station management, programming, and engineering. Craig has served as executive producer for a variety of news and big band music specials on both local and network (CBS/NPR/SRN) radio.

In addition to his on-air duties at KFAX, Craig served as a board member and technical advisor for “La Buona Novella” (“The Good News”) – the oldest and most widely distributed Italian-language evangelical radio program on the air today.

He is a member of the Radio & Television News Directors Association, the Society of Broadcast engineers, and the National Association of Radio & Telecommunications Engineers. With a lifelong interest in politics, Craig has moderated public forum political debates, and has reported on both Democratic and Republican conventions. As a journalist, Craig has traveled throughout the United States and overseas, including Europe, the former Soviet Union, Asia, South America, and Africa.

As a public speaker, Craig is frequently invited to share cultural, spiritual and geopolitical insights and is much in demand as keynote speaker for a variety of ministry and community service fund raising banquets.

When Craig is not in pursuit of a news story or traveling overseas, he enjoys cooking, gardening, collecting vintage recordings from radio’s “golden era,” and restoring antique Philco radios and his 1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe vintage automobile.