This Little Light of Mine...

Dear Crosswalkers,

I came across a story that touched my heart and got me thinking about Christmas in the Silicon Valley. The article was entitled "An Epidemic of Loneliness." In it, a British medical doctor named Ishani Kar-Purkayastha shared about his interaction with an 82-year-old hospital patient named Doris. According to the doctor, Doris seemed healthy and ready to be discharged from the hospital on December 23. To his surprise, she kept complaining about mysterious health issues. Dr. Kar-Purkayastha wrote: "Yesterday it was her arm that was hurting, before that her hip. Truth is, Doris is an incredibly healthy 82-year-old, and we can't find anything. I have no doubt that it will be the same today."

When the X-rays came back normal, he told Doris that she would be discharged and would have to go home. Looking toward the floor, Doris quietly said, "I don't want to go home …. It's just that I'm all alone and there are so many hours in the day." Then after a long pause, she sighed and asked, "Doctor, can you give me a cure for loneliness?"

Dr. Kar-Purkayastha reflected on this incident:

I wish I could say yes. I wish I could prescribe her some antidepressants and be satisfied that I had done my best, but the truth is she's not clinically depressed. It's just that she has been left behind by a world that no longer revolves around her, not even the littlest bit.

There are thousands like her… for whom time stands empty as they wait in homes full of silence ….They are no longer coveted by a society addicted to youth …. [Doris] is alone, and it brings home the truth of this epidemic that we have on our hands—an epidemic of loneliness …. The most difficult part is that I don't know how to solve this, although I wish I could. For now, I simply retract my diagnoses. Sheepishly, I insist that Doris spends her Christmas this year on the ward, and I can see her mood lift. But as I steel myself for the inevitable influx of unwanted grandparents whom I know will arrive, I cannot help but wonder how it is that things could have gone so badly wrong.

How is it that things have gone so badly wrong? Of course a variety of factors come into play, but surely our independently minded culture, our lack of community, and our national tendency to withdraw from a faith community all contribute to this epidemic of loneliness. Add to that our self centeredness and you have a lot of lonely people. I wonder if Doris was a part of a church family.  Would it make any difference?

We are at the very beginning of the Christmas season. My challenge is for us to make a difference in the life of someone else. Who are we missing in our church family? Who haven't we seen in a while? Who is separated from their family and in danger of falling prey to the epidemic of loneliness? 

James 1:27 - Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
 

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

THREE TREMENDOUS THANKSGIVING TRUTHS

Dear Crosswalkers,

Thanksgiving is one of our great American traditions that focus on God as our Creator and Provider, and seeks to cultivate in us what is a dominant virtue in the Bible: Gratitude.   Here are three wonderful truths about thankfulness.

First, over the history of the Christian church, there have been many great thinkers that have inspired us with teachings about gratitude. Here’s a link to a list of 13 great quotes about having a thankful heart: 

http://takingtheyoke.blogspot.com/2010/11/13-thanksgiving-meditations.html

For example, it starts with quote from G.K. Chesterton, who said this:

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." 

WOW. Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder! It is a great devotion to simply go to this blog and read through these inspiring quotes.

Secondly, speaking of happiness doubled by wonder, recent studies confirm the temporal value of gratitude and Christian commitment. A November 2010 article in The Wall Street Journal summarized the research which showed a number of positive emotional and physical health benefits from having an attitude of gratitude:

Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They're also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy, or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly, and have greater resistance to viral infections.

In a new twist, researchers are discovering that thankfulness brings similar benefits in teenagers and even in children! The research says that “kids who feel and act grateful tend to be less materialistic, get better grades, set higher goals, complain of fewer headaches and stomach aches, and feel more satisfied with their friends, families, and schools than those who don't.” The researchers concluded, "A lot of these findings are things we learned in kindergarten or our grandmothers told us, but now we have scientific evidence to prove them …. The key is not to leave it on the Thanksgiving table."

    Yet another study conducted this year confirms what we’ve    known for a long time: People who attend worship services    regularly are more optimistic and less depressed than      non-religious peers.  You can check out this story in Time

    online by following this link:

http://healthland.time.com/2011/11/11/study-religious-folks-have-a-sunnier-outlook/

Of course, we need to read these studies with godly wisdom and discernment. Our goal as followers of Jesus is not happiness but holiness!  The purpose of the church is not to make us happy through increased social connections but to launch us on a mission for and with Jesus! Joy is a by-product, not a goal.

And this brings us to the third lesson about Thanksgiving, which is from history. It is a widely circulated myth that the Pilgrims first came to America to escape religious persecution.  WRONG! Over a decade before they boarded the Mayflower and came to America, the Pilgrims fled England to Holland to escape persecution. Holland was by far the most tolerant and religiously diverse society in Europe at that time. The Pilgrims found religious freedom there, but they also found a society that was full of immorality and non Christian values. In 1620 they came to America to escape the corruption they found in the “old world!” THEIR MOTIVE WAS NOT TO ESCAPE PERSECUTION BUT TO PURSUE PURITY!

They left the open society of Holland to establish a society that practiced biblical principles. It is good for us to remember their example of braving the high seas and the fierce weather and an uncertain future because they wanted to establish a society that honored God above all! At Crosswalk, may God be so honored in our midst!

We have much to be thankful for this year.  As we gather around the thanksgiving table, let’s be grateful that pursuing holiness leads to happiness. I am grateful for the privilege of being your pastor. May God bless you with a joyous and restful Thanksgiving holiday!

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

"I find your lack of faith - disturbing"

Dear Crosswalkers,

Leanna and I are back from two weeks in Scotland, and we had a wonderful time. Between long hikes in the beautiful Scottish countryside and historical treks to castles, monuments, museums and gravesites, I was able to read three wonderful books.

First, For Kirk and Covenant: The Stalwart Courage of John Knoxby Douglas Wilson. I also read another book on Knox, but this was the best for his place in the history of the church. John Knox was a gifted preacher who brought the Protestant Reformation to Scotland in the mid 1500s. He lived a hard and courageous life. He stood for the truth of God against the church and government of his day. He preached his first sermon privately in the Castle of St. Andrews, and his first public sermon in the Holy Trinity Church of St. Andrews. He was pastor of the historic St. Giles Church on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. To be sure, he had some rough edges. He lived in hard times, and those times called for boldness and bravery. But he was God's man who left a powerful legacy in Scotland and the world. Lord willing, I will share something from his life this Sunday.

The Second book I read was The Destiny of the Republic: A tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candace Millard. This is a fantastic read about the assassination of James A. Garfield, the Civil War hero and the 20th president of the USA. He was a committed follower of Jesus, who never wanted to be president, but was essentially nominated and elected by acclamation against his will. Can you imagine that? He said, "This honor comes to me unsought. I have never had the Presidential fever; not even for a day." A mere 200 days into his presidency, he was struck down by an assassin’s bullet. He lingered for two and half months before breathing his last, an unfortuate victim of medical malpractice due to the limited technology of the time. During his short time as president, he successfully fought corruption and left a legacy of great faith and remarkable courage.  The photo shows Garfield's monument in Washington D.C.   Here are a few of his quotes:

If wrinkles must be written on our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old.

I would rather be beaten in Right than succeed in wrong.

There is nothing in all the earth that you

And I can do for the Dead.

They are past our help and past our praise.

We can add to them no Glory,

we can give to them no immortality.

They do not need us,

But forever and forever more we need them.

The third book is more contemporary (I don't just read history!), it is The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller. For over twenty years Keller has been the pastor of a large church in downtown New York. He has spent most of his ministry reaching modern secular urban dwellers that have a natural disdain for all things religious. The book begins well with a quote from Darth Vader "I find your lack of faith - disturbing!"  Keller then goes on to show we live in a paradoxal world where both faith and secularism are growing. He then responds with a pastor’s heart and a theologian’s sharp mind to the top seven objections he has encountered to the truth about Jesus in his years in New York. Here they are:

    There Can’t Be Just One True Religion

    How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?

    Christianity is a Straitjacket

    The Church is Responsible for so much Injustice

    How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?

    Science Has Disproved Christianity

    You Can’t Take The Bible Literally

He answers each of these objections in an utterly compelling and convincing way.  The second part of this book presents the case for Christianity.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!! In fact, it may develop into a future sermon series!
 

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John