The goldfish pond

Today, another parable to balance the story told yesterday.

A father and his young son built a garden in their backyard; not a vegetable garden, but a miniature paradise with periwinkles, zinnias, and gladiolus. They laid flagstones from the back door to a bench under the shade of an old and beautiful tree. The rocks they dug up were used to build a waterfall so that the sound of water could be heard trickling down into a cool pool of rippling glass near the bench. To complete the effect, the son persuaded his father to get some fish to put into the pond. After some discussion about what kind of fish, goldfish were bought and the pond was stocked.

All was well for several weeks until one day the boy noticed that one of the larger fish was nipping at the tail of the one fish that was his favorite. This worried him so much that he talked his mother out of a large glass bowl into which to put the fish. When his father came home, he told his son that he didn’t think that this was wise and explained why he thought so. The boy was troubled by this, but still thought that the fish had much better chances of surviving in his room than in the pond.

Before very long, winter came, and although the boy worried very little about the fish in the pond, he took very good care of his favorite in the bowl. From time to time, when the son wasn’t looking, the father would come in, take a look at the fish, and leave the room gently shaking his head. On cold days, the boy would go look at the ice on top of the pool and leave slowly shaking his head. But the boy was happy with his pet fish, and winter quickly passed.

One spring morning, the boy went out into the yard to see how the other fish were doing. What he saw amazed him. The fish in the pond were 10 times the size of his pet fish! The boy ran to get his father, who came with him to look at the fish. The father wasn’t surprised at all, and explained to his son what had happened.

“It’s impossible to love too much son, but it is possible to love in the wrong way. Whenever you do something that makes you feel better, but isn’t for the best of the one that you love, that thing isn’t done out of love for the other, but out of love for self. To grow, creatures need room - room to explore, room to be with their equals, room to make mistakes and suffer the consequences of those mistakes. It is a hard thing to stand back and watch someone that you love paying the price for the things that they have done, but sometimes you just have to do it. It’s especially hard, too, when the bad things that happen aren’t necessarily fair, but a part of things that happen in life. That’s why I asked you not to take your favorite fish out of the pool - so he’d have a chance and some space to grow.”

“But why didn’t you make me leave the fish in the pool, Dad?” the boy asked.

“Because I loved you more than the fish,” said Dad.

Grace and peace,

Ron

Charley and the Bee

Today, a parable for your consideration.

Charley and the Bee

One sunny spring morning, Charley hunted for bugs in his front yard while his mother worked in the flower beds. His search for wildlife had been quite successful, as he had already secured several interesting specimens in his blue bug bottle.

As he stalked through the clover, Charley noticed a particularly bright yellow and black bug buzzing from blossom to blossom. “Great!” thought Charley; “I don’t have one of those . . . .” As he swung his net down onto the bug, he suddenly remembered exactly what kind of bug this was. “A BEE,” said he.

Unfortunately, in his excitement, Charley more slapped than trapped the bee. The bee was not happy. With all of the resilience that God built into His creatures, the bee popped up from under the net and made a line straight for Charley’s face. “So that’s what ‘bee line’ means,” he thought as he turned to run.

Moved by the instinct common to any child, Charley ran straight for his mother. “Mom, a bee!” he shouted. As he ran up to her, she swept her long skirt over his head and held him still for a moment.

“Okay, Charley, you can come out now,” his mom said in a quiet voice.

“Mom, I’m not comin’ out ‘till that bee is gone.”

“You don’t have to worry about the bee anymore,” she answered. “He can’t sting you now.”

As Charley came back out, he searched high and low for signs of the bee. “What do you mean he can’t sting me now, Mom?”

“Look,” answered his mother as she moved her arm close enough for him to see. “See the stinger there,” said Mom. “A bee only has one, and his is now in me.”

If ever a child could feel guilty and glad at the same time, Charley did. “Does it hurt much, Mom?” he asked.

“Yes, Charley, it hurts. But it would hurt me even more to see you stung.”

“You’re the greatest, Mom,” said Charley proudly.

“No, Charley, but I do my best to be like the One who is.”

Tomorrow, the other side of the coin.

Grace and peace,

Ron

Creating opportunities for virtue

Patience. Kindness. Compassion. Gentleness.

These are words that I heard quite a lot when I was in the 8th grade.
Well, maybe not.
But at least that's how all of my friends at school treated me.
Well, maybe not.
But at least that's how all of my brothers and sisters in the youth group treated me.
Well, maybe not.

None of these things happened. My experience with patience, kindness, compassion, and gentleness came mainly from the presence of some special adults in my life: Phyllis Morgan, Barbara Ellis, Janna Smith, Lucille O’Dell, and Gusta Hoffman, may they glorify God forever.

I believe that we ought to be particularly careful to model these virtues for our boys as school starts this year. That does not mean that we do not need to set boundaries and maintain them, but that there are certain ways to do that which are consistent with these virtues, and others that are not.

I believe that we need to teach these virtues,
but that teaching them is not enough.
I believe that we, as good mentors, ought to illustrate these virtues,
but that is not enough.
I believe that we, as God's children, ought to demonstrate these virtues,
but that is not enough.
I believe that we ought to try to catch them demonstrating these virtues and praise them for the doing of them,
but that is not enough.
I believe that ultimately, we have to create the opportunity for them to do something good
and then encourage the thunder out of the behavior.

To a great extent, life at Westview presents, by design, the potential for those opportunities. Let's put a lot of energy into highlighting the virtues that our kids display after they encounter the opportunities that God and we create for them this fall. I think that we'll find that, not only will it change our perceptions of their progress, but it will also change the behavior of the kids in our care for that period of time.

Grace and peace,

Ron

We will not keep silent . . .

Nearly 20 years ago, Ann and I drove up from our home in Richardson, Texas, to visit my folks. On Sunday morning, we went to visit the church at which I had grown up. It was good to see those whom we had known for so long, and those with whom we had shared so much.

All was well until we started to sing. From behind me to my left, I could hear the voice of one with whom I had grown up; the kind of friend who always has been, and always will be, a sister to both of us. From behind me to my right, I could hear the voice of a woman who is like my second mother, and who is like another mother to Ann. The words and the music and the singers marched us in step right back Home. Ann and I had not ever been so “at home” and “homesick” at the same time in our entire lives.

Our hearts were overflowing;
We were compelled by joy to sing;
We could not keep silent.

We Will Not Keep Silent

We are people who must sing you,
for the sake of our very lives.
You are a God who must be sung by us,
for the sake of your majesty and honor.
And so we thank you,
for lyrics that push us past our reasons,
for melodies that break open our givens,
for cadences that locate us home,
beyond all our safe places,
for tones and tunes that open our lives beyond control,
and our futures beyond despair.

We thank you for long parade of mothers and fathers
who have sung you deep and true;
We thank you for the good company
of artists, poets, musicians, [and] cantors . . .
that sing for us and with us, toward you.
We are witnesses to your mercy and splendor;
We will not keep silent . . . ever again.
Amen
- Walter Brueggemann

Who are the mothers and fathers, the parade of people who have sung God deep and true? Who are those with whom we sing when we sing God’s praises, when we will not keep silent?

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
"I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my might,
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.”

And Miriam sang to them:
"Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea."
- Ex 15

Then Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying:
"When locks are long in Israel,
when the people offer themselves willingly — bless the Lord!
Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the Lord I will sing,
I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.
- Jdg 5

David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
He is a tower of salvation for his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.
- 2 Sa 22

Then on that day David first appointed the singing of praises to the Lord by Asaph and his kindred . . .
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, "The Lord is king!"
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord,
for he comes to judge the earth.
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
- 1 Ch 16

May you find the joy,
May you feel the peace,
May you know the love,
That helps you feel at Home.
That makes your heart overflow with song.

Grace and peace,

Ron

Fear, courage, and leadership

At the beginning of the book of Joshua, the Lord signals his choice of Joshua as the man to step into the shoes of Moses. As Joshua accepts this role, God gives him counsel to guide him in his service as leader of Israel:

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Josh 1:7-9 (NIV)

Contained in the list of "do's" and "do not's" is a statement that finds echoes throughout the book of Joshua. "Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged." And at the beginning of Joshua's span of leadership, fearlessness is a hallmark of his service. As a matter of fact, from Josh 1 through Josh 6, all of the fear and terror is on the side of Joshua's enemies. Their hearts were melting with fear. But then Ai happens.

After the disaster at Ai, Joshua trusts less in his own judgment. Now he has lost soldiers in combat. Now a loss tarnishes his record. After Ai, before every major battle, the Lord personally encourages Joshua with these words, "Do not be afraid."

Before the return to Ai (Josh 8.1)
Before the battle of the five kings (Josh 10.8).
Before the battle with Jabin (Josh 11.6).

Those words are followed with different instructions or predictions, but the most important part of the message is personal and to the point, "Don't be afraid, don't worry; this is what I want, and I will help you accomplish it."

Why this encouragement? Why the counsel up front to avoid fear? I believe that God well understands the burdens and dangers of leadership and he knows that fear is prominent among them. Some of you might answer that the leaders you know are among the most fearless people that you know. Some of them are; but some of them only appear to be.

Because of their experiences, some leaders struggle with fear. Fear of failure. Fear of falling short of God's plan or desires. Fear of winning the wrong battles. Fear of parts of the job for which we're not suited. Fear of a follower being lost or hurt or worse. Fear of having personal weaknesses exposed. Fear of a personal failure tainting a lifetime of public service. Fear of losing those closest to us because time is given to others who seem to demand it. God simply says, "Do not fear."

But what about discouragement? Sometimes discouragement is nothing but fear gone to seed. After we've avoided the things that make us fearful long enough, things just don't get done like they're supposed to be done. The inertia and the growing list of things to accomplish become the burden of discouragement. Or sometimes, a constant diet of listening to the fears and complaints of those who follow takes on a similar unbearable weight.

There is only one solution. Fear of the event is always worse than the reality. Do not fear, but go and do what God calls you to do.

How did things turn out? This advice becomes so engrained in Joshua's being that he, in turn, counsels his generals with the same advice, "Do not be afraid,"(Josh 10.25). And, in the end, Joshua urges his people to nurture only one fear: "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness" (Josh 24:14, NIV).

Grace and peace,

Ron

The horseless head man

The instructions God gives to Joshua for the prosecution of war in Canaan make sense for the most part, even if some instructions seem harsh. But then, in the midst of a series of battles, a new order comes from the Lord:

"Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots." Josh 11.6

The significance of this might elude us. This rule appears to produce one more heap of destruction in the wake of the Israelite army. But see what might have been! Look at the opportunity! Horse-drawn chariots, the high-tech weapon delivery system of choice in the Bronze Age. A line of these was equal to your Cobra copter, your Aegis destroyer, your Virginia-class submarine. It would be roughly another 1000 years before Alexander the Great developed a strategy that obsolesced the chariot. So why not teach your army how to use them and turn them on the enemy so as to expedite this war and get down to eating huge clusters of grapes?

This rule is more about God than war. God did not want his people dependent on human or worldly power, but his. He is the mighty warrior. "Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel" (Josh 10.42). To rely upon horses or chariots shows a lack of faith in the power of the Mighty One of Israel.

This also could be a warning about alliances with other nations. For centuries to come, the primary source of good horseflesh would be Egypt. It doesn't take a very in-depth examination of scripture to see what God thinks about alliances with Egypt. Such alliances would be one more failure to rely upon God's strength.

But there is more to it than this. This rule has to do with justice. God did not want his leaders to oppress his people in order to maintain their leadership or their armies. When horses are not engaged in battle, they do three things (but in this case Coach Royal, none of them are necessarily good). They eat, they dispose of that which they have eaten, and they make baby horses. This is a problem, because: (1) somebody has to feed them (which means that someone is probably doing without food in order to have food to feed the horses), (2) somebody has to clean up after them (see Hercules, the Labor of the Aegean stables), and (3) more horses mean more of problems (1) and (2).

Perhaps a quote from a great warrior will explain my claim in point one above: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." - Dwight D Eisenhower

So, when God anticipates that Israel will eventually want kings, he establishes rules for them (Deut 17.14ff) which specifically prohibit keeping many horses. And it is one of the reasons that Samuel rebukes Israel for wanting a king because maintenance of a standing army to protect a king and his court requires resources which will become oppressive to a people (1 Sam 8). A modern example of this is Saddam Hussein. (Has anybody noticed what has happened to every king named in the book of Joshua?)

It takes a bold and faithful courage to fight spiritual battles on God's terms. We will be tempted to use means and resources he has prohibited, but we must trust in God's wisdom. And we must teach our children to become leaders who are not oppressive with their leadership, but who lead with a light but faithful hand.

God grant that we can be like Joshua, who was unafraid to be the leader, the head man, and courageous enough to do it without horses.

Grace and peace,

Ron

Explanatory notes (to make sense of Ron’s sense of humor):

Washington Irving was the author of the "Tales of Sleepy Hollow", which contains the story of the headless horseman.

Coach Royal (University of Texas) said, "Three things can happen when you pass and two of 'em are bad." He was referring to incompletion and interception; reception being the only good thing.

Hercules (a Greek mythical figure) was assigned twelve labors (each of which was immense). The fifth labor was cleaning out, in one day, the Aegean stables of King Augeas, who owned more cattle and horses than any other man in Greece. Evidently this had not been done for quite some time. Hercules diverted the courses of the Alpheus and Peneus rivers (in itself a Herculean labor). The labor was done, and Hercules claimed 1/10 of the livestock of Augeas as his reward.

Alexander developed the phalanx (a square of soldiers carrying 4 meter long spears moving as one) into a weapons system itself, and one that defeated chariots. When attacked by a chariot, the phalanx would open a corridor to allow the chariot in, then soldiers in the opposing interior line would lower their spears, stopping the horses, and then dispose of the charioteers.

More arcane information for those who need to know.