The Temptation

Earlier this week, I began to make notes in the margin of one of the Bible reading programs that I use. The notes kind of took on a life of their own and morphed into what will eventually be a sermon.

I was reading in the fourth chapter of the Book of Matthew. You can find the text here.

These are my notes:

I really like the progression of the temptation of Jesus. In verse 3 the temptation is not only simple, it is reasonable. After a forty day fast, it is reasonable to assume that Jesus is in need of food.

I have to admit that the first part of Satan's statement confuses me a bit--"If you are the Son of God..."

As we read through the New Testament, the demons always recognize Jesus as the Son of God. They always fear Him. And they always obey his commands. Perhaps, here at the beginning of His ministry, Satan is unsure of the deity of the human Jesus of Nazareth. Is this the same Jesus that was born in a stable 30 years ago?

Maybe Satan is unsure of the humanity of Jesus vs the deity of Jesus. In any case, the temptation is for Jesus to overcome His human weakness by using His divine power. “If you are the son of God...”

It's been said that character is who you are when nobody is looking. That is the position in which Jesus finds himself in the wilderness. Really--as far as the man Jesus is concerned, is it a big deal if he uses a little bit of the divine power to turn a few stones into bread? Who would know? ( As a side note: I think that Satan was foolish to tempt him with bread. I'm thinking that if I'm hungry and planning on making food from rocks, maybe a smoked brisket with a slightly spicy bbq sauce, some baked beans, corn on the cob and maybe a blackberry cobbler. Mere child's play "If you are the son of God".)

Is it cheating if, at the end of his fast, Jesus makes bread from stones? Would the Father receive glory from this use of divine power? Does that really matter? And who would know?

This first temptation is one that we often fall for--the temptation to satisfy our need. It might be something as simple as a need for food or it might be more complex; like our need to belong or be loved. It might appeal to our need to succeed in business. Or maybe to satisfy our sexual desires.

It's an "it's all about me" kind of temptation. It's about putting my needs/desires/addictions above everything else. It's about being selfish.

Don't worry.

Everybody does it.

It's not hurting anybody.

And besides, who's going to know?

These are the excuses that we use to justify doing the things that we know we shouldn't do.

But Jesus sees through the devil's temptation and turns him aside by using that which he has learned from the Scriptures. The quote that he uses is found in Deuteronomy 8:3.

In essence, Jesus says, "This isn't about me and my hunger. It's about preparing for my Earthly ministry. It's about serving God."

It is important that you and I realize that we can't expect the Scriptures to rescue us if we don't know them. It is so important that we are able to recall verses of Scripture if we are to live by the Word and if we are to count on the Word in times of trials as well as in times of temptation.

In round two, Satan steps up his game a bit. He decides that if Jesus is going to quote Scripture, so is he. Again, Satan is looking for some divine proof--"If you are the Son of God..."

In round one, Satan uses the "If you are the Son of God" line to try to convince Jesus to use his divine power to take care of himself. Here, he is saying, "If you are the Son of God, then prove it to me. The Scripture says that angels will guard you and take care of you."

Jesus doesn't disagree with Satan or argue with him. Jesus just tells him what else is written in the Scriptures. Again, Jesus quotes from the Torah, this time Deuteronomy 6:16.

I want to share my observation that this is one thing that I often hear Christians saying--that they are going to do something and trust God to stop them if it's not His will. I don't think that's the way God works. Often times, what we're asking God to do is to make our will His will. It's a lot easier than actually seeking His will.

Professing Christians have used the "it's His will" line to justify torture (during the Inquisition and Crusades) and murder. Even today, there are those that use "God's will" to harass and bomb abortion clinics or to hatefully treat gay and lesbian people. We overlay our will with "God's will" to justify abusing our children or our spouses. We decide that God wants us to be happy and so we fill our life with things that will make us happy. We decide that whatever makes us happy is God's will. We even justify leaving our marriages because we say it's not God's will for me to be unhappy.

Those that have placed their trust in Jesus have been rescued from the judgment; the condemnation that comes after this life. There is no promise that this life will be pain free. There is no assurance that we will not face the struggles of life. In fact, Jesus says that we will face trials because of Him.

Test God? If we are testing God to see if He will conform to our will, He won't. If we are testing Him to see if He's really God, He is--no matter what He does or doesn't do for us.

Finally, Satan brings out the big guns: power, wealth, fame--all the kingdoms of the world and all of their glory. Pretty tempting, indeed! And if Jesus would have had eyes that were focused on this world alone, He may have gone for it.

But His eyes were fixed on heaven and once again He relies on the Scriptures to make his choice.

Perhaps our greatest downfalls, our greatest failures come when we are focused on the things of Earth. Perhaps we too seldom think of God and too seldom serve Him only. We are weighted down with meeting the needs of our bosses, our parents, our kids, our spouses, our society, etc., etc.

We have no time to worship God; no time to serve Him only.

...And so we fall into temptation. We fall into sin. We offend God because He isn't really our God. Our gods have become the idols of self, of lust for power, wealth and fame. The gods we serve may serve us well in this life, but what of the life to come?

Who is your God? Will your God be ther for you in the next life? Will He stand with you at the Judgment? If His name is Jesus, He will.

"It is written..."

John

Quietly Coming Home

I got to see something pretty cool last night. At a little bit after 1 o'clock Thursday morning, an MD80 aircraft, bringing several dozen military troops home, arrived in Springfield MO. The chartered airplane parked at the old terminal building to unload its passengers.

These men and women that had been away from their families serving our country, arrived home in the middle of the night with little fanfare. Except...

The guys that man the Fire and Rescue at the airport heard about the flight and wanted to do something to let the passengers know that they are special and that their sacrifice and service is greatly appreciated. They positioned two of the fire trucks to give a "water salute" as the aircraft taxied to the ramp.

The firetrucks station themselves far enough apart that the aircraft can easily taxi between them. As the aircraft approaches, they expel water from their cannons, forming an arch of water over the taxiing aircraft.

What made this really cool was that it was at 1 am, on a dark ramp...and there was nobody there to see it--only the troops themselves and their families. Having a small part in it (coordinating between the vehicles and the pilots) made me feel like it was a personal salute from me and the guys at the firehouse; a personal thank you to the troops; a welcome home. I found myself standing to watch it--not because standing gave me a better view, but because standing seemed like the right thing to do; the respectful thing to do.

I don't know where these troops had served. It really doesn't matter. What matters to their families is that they are safe and they are home.

John

It's Raining, It's Pouring

It's raining in the Ozarks this morning; the first significant rainfall we've had in sometime. I know many people that have been saying how badly we need rain. And I know that we do need the rain, but...

When I was a kid, I never really understood the old people always saying that we needed rain. As a kid, I had little use for rain. I mean I liked playing in the rain if you could talk mom into letting you go outside while it was raining. And I liked riding my bike through the puddles or floating sticks down the water in the ditches after it stopped raining. But rain usually meant no swimming that day, no baseball that night and you were stuck inside with only your siblings to play (fight) with. You didn't get to go outside for recess during the school year and outdoor activities were cancelled--especially if there was lightning with the rain.

All in all, I never really cared if it didn't rain.

Now it's the people my age that seem to be concerned about how badly we need the rain. Notice that I said "people my age" and not me. I know that we need rain for the crop, grass, flowers, animals, yada, yada, yada. And I know that the river levels and lake levels are important for energy production and general water recreation like boating and skiing. Maybe I should be like everybody else and remind others about how we need to pray for rain. I'm pretty much not...if ya know what I mean.

First of all, I say if you're going to pray for rain, why not ask God to have it rain at night? That way we still have all of the wonderful daytime activities to enjoy at our leisure. If you're going to ask, ask for what you really want.

Second of all, I'm guessing that after a few thousand years of playing around with weather systems, making corrections for greenhouse gases, keep watch over the animals and our food supply, that God pretty much has the rain thing the way He wants it.

So if you don't mind, I'll just take what comes without expecting God to cater to my personal preferences as far as the weather goes. After all, He did give us a number of different climates and conditions to choose from and we are free to move to an area more suited to our likes and dislikes. (For example, if you're one of those people that has to have a "white Christmas", don't pray for it to snow in Southern Missouri--move to Iowa. I don't want to have to shovel your snow!) And if you feel that you just have to pray for rain--pray that it rains at night.

Just sayin'.

John

Giving Away Our Rights

When I was just a low seniority Annealing Operator at the aluminum foil factory, everything there was done based on seniority--job bidding, vacation bidding, overtime assignment--everything. Since I didn't have any(seniority), I had relatively few options.

There were those that wanted to change how overtime was assigned. They were guys that had no seniority and wanted to work the overtime that the more senior workers kept taking away from them. (Overtime was assigned to the junior qualified person but somebody with more seniority could take it.) Even though I was a new guy and had no seniority, I was unwilling to trade away my future seniority rights for something that I wanted now.

I think of those times when I continue to read and hear the ongoing discussion of an Islamic community center/Mosque being built near Ground Zero. I wonder how the future would play out if the opposition to this building won and the Muslims were not allowed to build their facility there.

What would happen when a Baptist Church wanted to rent a store front and start a church two blocks from a casino? Could the casino owners cite the "Ground Zero Case" and block them from putting a church too close because it would offend their patrons? Or maybe in a city's downtown area where there are a number of bars, pubs and micro-breweries? Could the businesses block the building or limit the hours so as not to interfere or offend their clientèle?

Imagine the uproar then! Fox News would have camera crews on hand. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh would fill the airwaves with their self righteous drivel. Jay Sekulow and the ACLJ would descend on that community with lawyers and truckloads of money. Politicians would line up on the side that would fill their campaign coffers with the most money. And the religious right would scream that this is the United States and their Constitutional Rights are being violated!

That's right, the same Constitutional Rights that are being challenged right now for a different organization. You can say that the "Ground Zero Case" is different; that the very land is sacred--but it's not.

I have a very hard time believing that good, well meaning, God fearing Americans are taking a stand to oppose religious freedom. I wonder what the Christian believers that meet in secret in the Middle East would say. I wonder what the believers that risk imprisonment in China would say. Would they be for or against a government deciding where followers of any faith can meet?

By fighting to limit another's religious freedom, we fight to limit our own freedom. When we take away their rights, we also lose our rights. Here, in the United States, we aren't compelled to believe what somebody else believes--but neither are they compelled to believe what we believe. I just don't see why this is so hard to grasp.

If all Muslims are guilty of the 9-11 attack, then try them and put them in prison. But they're not. So why are we putting them on trial and punishing them by limiting their religious freedom? Personally, I cherish my religious freedom...and I'm willing to let somebody else keep theirs so that I can keep mine.

John

Random Thoughts

I'm not sure why I was just thinking about moments of when Hannah was little...but I was. I was remembering that at somewhere between two and three she started talking on the phone. Think back around 15 years ago when most of us still had phones that were tethered to a wall by one of those color coordinated curly cords. Hannah would lift the phone from the cradle and just start jabbering in a one way conversation. I'm sure that it looked exactly like what she saw her mom and dad doing. After we noticed her on the phone, we would tell her to hang up. She always wanted to wait for the man in the phone to tell her...you know, the one that would come on after a while and say, "If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try your call again."

When the man in the phone would tell her to hang up, she would.

When I would call home, Chris would usually answer the phone. On occasion, Aaron would get to it first. Poor Hannah never got to answer the phone. I remember one time when she did and it caught me off guard. I said, "Hey, buddy." And she said, "It's not buddy. It's baby."

I thought it was funny then and it still makes me smile now. Even today when she calls I answer, "Hey, baby!"

******

Every Saturday morning, my blogging friend Bilbo posts Cartoon Saturday. This past Saturday had one that caught my attention.

No, it didn't offend me in any way. It actually made me think of all of the things that we are so very willing to tell our friends, family and co-workers about and yet we fail to tell them about the one thing that should be the most important thing that we have to share with them...the Good News about Jesus.

I'm just as guilty as the next person. I'm quick to tell everybody about a new restaurant, a new dessert or recipe. I'll let you know of a new product I've tried or a blog that I read. I'll tell you about a way around highway construction. I'll tell you about all kinds of things that will have little impact on your daily life and no impact at all on your eternal life. And what makes that so sad and me so pathetic is that I truly believe that Jesus really meant it when He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

So let me ask you this question, "Have you heard the Good News about Jesus?"

The Good News is that God loves you and Jesus died for you!

Jesus paid the price for our sin. That's what the whole crucifixion thing was all about. He took my place, my punishment, my death...and yet HE LIVES!

It's more than Good News...it's GREAT NEWS!

Tell somebody.

John

Btw, my counter tells me that this is post #500!

Cruisin' Along On Autopilot

It's funny what your mind can think of when you're supposed to be engaged in something else.

Relax, this didn't happen at work; it happened at church.

Of course I was supposed to be engaged in the whole worship experience. That is why we go to church, right? I don't remember what songs we sang or what it was that started me on the thought trail that I ended up on, but the thing that I started thinking about was that my spiritual life has sort of been on autopilot.

In some ways, this is not a bad thing. The little things are taken care of and we're able to cruise right along and everything appears to be okay.

In other ways, this can be a very dangerous thing. Without proper monitoring and occasional adjustments, autopilot can take you to places that you don't want to be.

I started thinking about Payne Stewart. Payne Stewart was a Springfield native and his death in 1999 was a big shock to this area. In this chronology of the events that happened on that day, the entry at 10:52am EST says: ''Aircraft jumped to 44,000.'' (Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said the plane was ''porpoising,'' fluctuating between 22,000 and 51,000 feet. This may be because it was on auto pilot.)

If the aircraft was configured to climb, it would keep climbing until somebody or something told it to stop climbing, or until it could no longer generate the lift to keep it climbing. Even though the autopilot should be able to do this, there are adjustments that need to be made. Power for a climb is different than power for cruising. Wing configurations are different. Fuel mix is different. Adjustments are subtle but significant. With nobody conscience to make these adjustments, the Lear jet made it way across most of the country climbing and descending as the forces of nature and engineering battled each other until it ran out of fuel and the Laws of Gravity were no longer offset by the lift being generated as the engines pushed the aircraft through the air.

When the Laws of Gravity take effect on an aircraft ten miles above the Earth's surface and there is little or no resistance to the effect, the inevitable happens very quickly and very forcefully.

Maybe that's how it is with our spiritual lives. We go through the highs and lows and either consciously or sub-consciously fail to make the necessary adjustments to keep on track as life's situations change. We make no course corrections. We make no changes to our attitude. Our altitude fluctuates outside of our control and we will eventually crash and burn in a spiritual heap...

Unless we decide to wake up and begin to make the subtle but necessary changes to our attitude and altitude and to make conscience decisions about our course instead of leaving things to the rigid structure of the autopilot.

I know...it's weird. Even more weird that this whole thought process took place in my head in only a few short moments. It's like waking up from a dream that was a whole day in dream time but only minutes have ticked off the clock in real time.

I guess it's time to be more purposeful about my spiritual life--more purposeful about prayer, more purposeful about study, more purposeful about ... worship.

What about you? Everything okay in your spiritual cockpit? Or is it time to kick the autopilot off and make some adjustments?

John

My, How Time Flies

I'm home alone this weekend.

Aaron and Jenny are back in Chicago getting settled in their apartment with the grand haul of gifts from their wedding and getting ready to start classes on Monday. Hannah is getting acclimated to the campus at Columbia College and meeting new friends. Chris and Kathi are returning from Chicago after returning a vehicle to the kids and bringing the gifts that wouldn't fit in the Jeep Liberty.

I've given up on working outside since the temps are in the upper 90's and pushing the 100 degree mark.

I scanned a couple of pictures to post on Facebook and it really got me thinking about how quickly time passes when you examine it against the background of your kids' lives. I've always told Hannah that she will always be my baby. I've told her that even when she has babies of her own, she will still be her daddy's baby--and she will. But clearly, she is no longer a baby. She is a young woman that is striking out on a new adventure that will include quite a bit less of her mom and dad.

I remember the day I took the training wheels off of her bicycle--we didn't see her for the rest of the afternoon. I told Chris then, "Just wait until she gets her driver's license!"

She has always been a free spirit; incredibly independent. While she enjoys going out with friends, she is equally comfortable at home with the company of a good book. She is as talented as she is humble. Hannah had several poems published that we found out about when she filled out her application for the ACT and answered the question about whether she had ever had something published with a "yes". Although writing is her passion, she is also a talented artist. She only took a semester of art in high school, but was able to submit a portfolio worthy of additional scholarship dollars at Columbia College.

Yeah, I'm a proud dad. It'll be quiet around here and I'll miss my coffee drinking buddy...but I guess it's time for one of us to grow up and move on. Good luck with that, Hannah!

John

I Get It--Sort Of

I ran across this article yesterday and am willing to understand it's meaning--to a point.

I know that technology has seemed to trump relationships in many areas. I know that people are losing the skills and abilities to build relationships--to talk to one another in polite and civil manners. But let's not blame social networks for our lack of social graces.

Through Facebook, I have reconnected with many classmates and been able to share some meaningful conversations through messaging or chatting. I've "talked" with relatives and blogging friends from around the world. We've shared thoughts on faith, politics, family life and a host of other subjects.

Social networking, e-mail, texting, tweets, etc., are supposed to be tools of communication. The six kids in my family live in six different states. We keep in touch through Facebook and e-mails. My own kids (now away at two different colleges) are much more likely to respond to a text message than they are a phone call. Because of poor cell reception at my son's apartment, I often chat with him on Facebook.

I'm a talker--aren't most preachers? I love a good conversation. I love face to face conversation (although some faces are easier to converse with than others!). If technology is getting in the way of you having decent personal relationships with people, then by all means, set it aside and get purposeful about building relationships. As for me, I'm going to pass on the technology fast. I think it's a bogus stunt meant to create publicity for a particular church and the thought crosses my mind to delete this post rather than contribute to the cause--but nah, it's written and just a click away from being posted.

Participate if you like...or send me a Facebook message next Wednesday instead!

John

The Job

This was posted by a fellow air traffic controller. I think that most controllers would agree with most of the expressions found in it. Not all of us work in the pressure cooker environments of a hub facility or busy center sectors. We work in facilities that range from towers that have single engine planes as the primary source of traffic to military bases to the busiest commercial airports. We don't work with a safety net--we are the safety net.

I think that air traffic controllers are the most arrogant group of people that I know...and that's okay. While there may be more than one way to make a sequence or vector an aircraft out of your airspace, each of us believes that our way is the best. If I thought that your way was better, I would do it your way. It's not, that's why I do it my way. We are quick to judge one another and even quicker to help one another. We are the ultimate team. We are responsible for the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic in the busiest and safest air traffic system in the world.

Enjoy. And remember...these people are my friends...

John

The job often sucks

Even for those of us who love it

We are not appreciated by anyone outside of our profession

We hold more lives in our hands in one average shift than a medical doctor does in his whole career

Pilots don't understand us

or even listen sometimes

but they rely on us to save their asses when they need us

and will probably never say thank you

Everything we say is recorded

We have to be prepared to defend every word we say in a court of law should the unthinkable happen

We are responsible for knowing more rules than humanly possible

Those rules are subject to daily change

We can't imagine doing any other job

We carry around in our heads the equivalent amount of data as the average metropolitan phone book

We don't have time to look anything up

We aren't allowed to make mistakes

We don't have a God complex

We are Gods

We receive more training than physicians

We can't make our "clients" wait in a waiting room until we're ready for them

We are always in control

We control everything in our environment

This affects our personal life in ways that a non-controller cannot fathom

Our spouses will never understand us

or what we do

We can't bring the job home

But it is always with us

We all have crash dreams

We will control traffic in our sleep

We never have to worry about a foot-high inbox when we come into work

We can't put an airplane back in the inbox to deal with later

We take extreme pride in the quality of our work, no matter how negatively the FAA, the media and some politicians portray us

No, you can not imagine the stress

We aren't able to tolerate a read-back error at a drive thru restaurant

Indecision is unacceptable in any scenario

We didn't invent the "Mooney spike" but we see the effects of it every day

We don't get bathroom breaks whenever we need them

We learn to hold it until we get a break

There is always something that needs to be done right now

We have a lack of tolerance for miscommunication

We get grumpy when we don't have enough airplanes to keep us busy

We get grumpy when we have too many

We are the only ones who know where we draw this invisible line between the two

We love gallows humor

When we retire, we will seek out, socialize with, and keep close friendships with other controllers

They are still the only people who come close to understanding us or are willing to put up with us

We get to retire "early"

But most of us wont live more than ten years after retirement

We expect people to say what they mean and mean what they say

Everything in life is either black or white

there is no gray

We can drink a hotel bar dry in about two hours.

We use anticipated separation when we drive

We can't understand people who don't know how to calculate speed differences to hit gaps on the highway

There is something "off" about ALL of us

We all want children to have "normal" lives and "normal" jobs

But we are so proud when they choose to become controllers themselves

We are not allowed to treat our depression or anxiety with FDA-approved medicine

Or even admit out loud that we suffer from either

We will lose our jobs if we do

But we can drink our weight in Jim Beam

As long as we are at least 8 hours from our next shift

Most of us look 10 yrs older than our age and act 10 yrs younger

We know all the different variations of the word "stress"

We are drawn to extremely dangerous pastimes

We will eventually be on blood pressure medication

We don't know what normal sleep patterns are

We're not allowed to use sleep aids

We work in the middle of the night

and on Christmas

and weekends

and your birthday

We will never have "normal" days off

We will never have a regular social life

We can't participate in our kids' school activities

We know that our worth isn't reflected by our position in the FAA or our rank in the military

A newly-checked out controller who can move metal will always have more of our respect than a member of management or a highly ranked officer who can't separate two flies with a screen door

Our friends won't understand that we can't just leave work

or get off work

or stop thinking about work

We are not "Disney-friendly"

People think that we are the guys on the ramp with the flashlights

and that we get to fly for free

We make more money than you do

But you have the house

and the cars

and the vacation home

and the time with your family

We have the clothes, the watch, the sunglasses and the attitude

We are fluent in three languages: English, Acronyms and Cursing

We speak all three simultaneously and loudly

Controller candy comes in two flavors: TUMS and Ibuprofen.

When a cold or flu strikes we just suck it up 'cause we can't take otc cold medication without being medically disqualified

We are brutally, ridiculously, ruthlessly hard on each other

We have thick skin

We will be the last person a pilot talks to on this earth

We will hear the terror in his voice

We will calmly use every tool we have to bring him down safely

We will hear his screams when we can't

We will never forget it

We will relive it again and again

We will go right back to work the next day and do it again

We aren't allowed to cry

When one of us fails we will laugh at him

When one of us succeeds we won't acknowledge it

We don't have time to pat ourselves or each other on the back

We have vectoring to do

What if They Are All Wrong?

In the great search for the truth about heaven and hell, right and wrong, good and evil, etc., etc.; there are those that say that all roads lead to heaven.

I suppose that could be true--but what if it isn't?

Obviously, we can't all be right. If Christians say that the only way to heaven is through Jesus and Muslims believe that the only way to heaven is to follow the teachings of Muhammad--well somebody has it wrong. The Jews are God's chosen people. Catholics follow the Papacy along with the Bible. Mormons follow the teachings of Joseph Smith. There are Scientologists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhists, and Zoroastrians. There are monotheists, polytheists, pantheists and atheists.

Isn't it more likely that we have all got it wrong?

What if we were to take a critical look at our own beliefs? What if we were to examine what we believe as if it was on trial? What if we took the stance that what we believed was being challenged as being all wrong and we were in need of proving that it was right? If you were to debate your beliefs against another, how would you do? If the object is to win a debate, would you choose to defend your beliefs or pick another one that you think could win?

The Bible teaches that we should always be prepared to give a defense for what we believe. Whether you are a believer in the teachings of the Bible or not, are you prepared to defend your beliefs?

In the end, nobody wants to be wrong--especially if eternity hangs in the balance.

Are you eternally comfortable with your beliefs?

The other day I posted a quote from Dave Barry on my Facebook status--

"People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them."

That's not the case here. Feel free to share what you believe and why. And feel free to wonder--What if you're wrong?

John