Be Humble or Be Humbled

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 'But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 'I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.' Luke 18:9-14 TNIV

I remember Bishop Hilliard preaching this text to the church many years ago, and I think many of us saw ourselves in the Pharisee, then again, perhaps I am just revealing the conviction I felt in my own heart at the words of his sermon. Religion isn't all about rites and rituals, following patterns cut from a cloth, speaking words without knowledge... or maybe "religion" is about such things, BUT faith is about reliance on a power greater than thine own and humbling oneself beneath that power. Faith doesn't make you better than other people, but hopefully it makes you a better person.

Written by Frederick A. Hanna

Not By Eloquence of Speech, BUT By Power

1 Corinthians 2:4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Paul said that his message and his preaching had nothing to do with his own wisdom, or his own eloquence... nothing to do with his personality, or his own charisma... nothing to do with his looks, or his fashion statement... nothing to do with his cleverness, or his intellect... nothing to do with his educational biography, or his pedigree...

Real effective preaching has to do with one thing, the demonstration of the power of the Spirit. That is, the Holy Spirit demonstrating the power of God through a human being. A human being who serves as little more than the conduit between God and God's people. A good preacher knows that he/she is merely the bearer of the message, not the source.

On one occasion when Bishop John Bryant came to preach at the Cathedral International, he used the Triumphant Entry (Mark 11:1-11) from which we derive our Palm Sunday celebrations to demonstrate this case. Bishop Bryant considered what the "donkey" may have been thinking as Jesus rode his back into the city of Jerusalem (8-10).

8Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
"Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
10"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"

As the crowds were shouting Hosanna and waving palm branches, Bishop Bryant suggests that the donkey was probably thinking, "Look at how these people are praising me." The people were not in fact praising the donkey of course, but the one the donkey was carrying. "What a jackass," Bishop Bryant proclaimed, "to think that he, a donkey, was being praised by all these people." According to Bishop Bryant, "There are a whole lot of jackass preachers" (seriously, I couldn't possibly make this up). Point being, some preachers seem to think that they are the ones who should be recieving praise from people, but a preacher simply carries the message of salvation to the people who need it. The message is in fact riding in on the back of the preacher, as Jesus rode in on the back of the donkey. Paul was saying that the excellency of God would be veiled if all people saw was him as he carried the message. It is God who redeems and saves by the power of the Spirit! It is God's redemption that yields the fruit of salvation.

Written by Frederick A. Hanna

Sessions at Sotomayor of the "Latina Woman" Experience

Sessions doesn't know his history. Minorities have always understood America’s history as predicated upon a value system that was more often expressed in word than deed, but was nevertheless shared by both the oppressed and the oppressors. The history of suffering, that has been the minority experience, often allowed for an infusion of a moral and spiritual character otherwise absent in America’s history. Thus, Mr. Sessions, the voice of the Latina woman, the perspective of the Latina woman, the experience of the Latina woman, is inseparable from the American experience, and necessary in the American judicial system. We need the Latina woman on the Supreme Court. Only when every voice is heard, can the scales of justice begin to be balanced not in favor of any one group, but in favor of justice and truth.

A Great Physician Only Cuts So That You Can Be Healed…

I had minor dental surgery today, and I am intrigued as I sit here reflecting on the surgery and the weekend preceding it. I started experiencing pain in a wisdom tooth at the end of May. Since our Alaskan cruise was quickly approaching, I was torn between seeing a dentist and leaving for Alaska with stitches in my mouth, or risking that it wouldn’t get any worse over the course of the vacation. I opted for a compromise. I went to the local pharmacy and picked up a temporary filling kit. I took the little do-it-yourself dental kit home, followed the instructions, filled the hole in the broken tooth, and… Guess what? No more pain. I tucked the kit into my shaving bag the next day as I packed for vacation in case I needed a second treatment. Turns out the filling held up throughout the entire vacation. Not even a Dungeness crab feast was able to crack that filling. Though I was aware that the packaging on the do-it-yourself kit said “temporary filling” and asserted that this was only a short term fix, I felt confident that it would be a long time before I needed to actually see a dentist. Every time the pain returned, I would treat it with another dose of temporary filling and it worked and worked and worked… until it stopped working last week. One and a half months later, it stopped working. Now the pain was getting worse, and funny thing, when I tried to refill the hole, the filling material actually made the pain more intense. That was last Thursday. I called the dentist and left a message… no one returned my call… tomorrow the weekend starts… the pain is getting worse… what will I do? The next thing you know, its Friday night, and the pain is increasing. I took 2 ibuprofen, and an hour later the pain clicked off like a light switch. Ahh! I’ll make it through the weekend with my new friend ibuprofen. Saturday, and the pain is getting worse again… 2 ibuprofen, and the pain was gone. One difference this time, the pain was back in a few hours. This time it kept me up all night, and bothered me all through church Sunday. After church I got some Orajel. That worked to ease the pain and got me through an afternoon of laughing and joking with my in-laws, but it only worked as long as it was in contact with the tooth. As for the rest of the evening, let’s just say that Sunday night was the worst. The pain was so bad that my wife ended up giving me something a little stronger which eased the pain and knocked me out at about 5 a.m. Monday morning.

OK, let me cut to the chase. I had surgery today, Monday. They pulled the tooth, and I was RELIEVED. Here’s the interesting part. The pain and discomfort of the surgery was a great improvement over the pain and discomfort of the toothache. AND guess what? The pain from the surgery will go away in a few days as my mouth heals.

Funny how we put off things that will truly heal us in favor of temporary fixes that give us only an illusion of healing. We go through life trying this and that, getting temporary relief, but never finding the healing… the peace… the WHOLENESS we desire. So many things in life cut us to the very core. So many things create wounds that we carry with us throughout our lives. Some of us have open wounds that bleed on people we meet and soil relationships because we’ve never been truly healed. The wonder of a GREAT PHYSICIAN is the cutting that heals. A great physician only cuts so that you can be healed… made whole. Stop running today, and get some surgery.

Frederick A. Hanna

Who’s Your Jethro? – You Need Someone Who Can Bless You Forward.

So who was Jethro? Jethro was a Midianite high priest who happened to be Moses’ father-in-law. It was there beyond the wilderness where Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law that he encountered the presence of God. This was an authentic God moment. Its one of those rare Old Testament encounters where a mere mortal gets to behold the glory of God. In this encounter Moses was informed of his destiny, and of the source of his power and purpose…

Exodus 3:14 (New King James Version)

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

In the midst of this encounter, Moses also expressed doubt about his own abilities to accomplish what God had proclaimed...

Exodus 4:1 (NKJV)

1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”

Exodus 4:10 (NKJV)

10 Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

BUT God assured Moses that ample resources would be in place to overcome his shortcomings…

Exodus 4:2 (NKJV)

2 So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”

Exodus 4:11 (NKJV)

11 So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?

Now you would think that after all of this, Moses would have just launched out and done as God had instructed, BUT he didn’t. AND this is where Jethro reenters the narrative! He went into the tent of his father-in-law, and asked “Ummm, Ummm, Ummm, can I go check on my peeps?”

Exodus 4:18 (NKJV)18

So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

Now, I’m making a big exegetical assumption which might preach well but may not be entirely true, BUT what I am seeing here based on Moses idiosyncrasies and character flaws, is a moment of doubt…

…Well, Jethro had the power right there to stop Moses in his tracks and say “No”… “No, Moses, you cannot go.” AND what would Moses have done then? I’m not sure what he would have done, but I can tell you that I have been in situations where the word of God had been declared over my life and I needed someone with some maturity, some experience, some foresight, to get behind me and give me a good push, or a swift kick and say “Go.” Very rarely did they say “go” to me, in fact they often said nothing at all. So I either sat confused and wondering… stayed in a holding pattern unable to advance… OR I was placed in a position of having to chose between severing a meaningful relationship and moving forward, or sitting still and slowly wasting away…

Well for all you would be Jethro’s out there, let’s look at what Jethro says in this situation… Jethro says lech l’shalom, which literally means, “go to peace.” Most of the time this phrase is translated as “go in peace” which is a slightly different Hebrew phrase, lech b’shalom. See the difference? In this case, there is a big difference between “to” and “in.” The phrase “go in peace” is a typical farewell blessing which can indicate “resting in wholeness or perfection” (L. Sweet), whereas “go to peace” symbolizes a forward blessing. Its more like ”go forward and get all that your destiny holds!”

According to Len Sweet: “’Go to Peace!’ has the peacemaking sense of shalom, and the channeling of energy that brings wholeness and wellness to the world.”

Sweet also notes that one of the most powerful acts you can do to another human being is to bless them forward…

Rabbi Jonathan Magonet says, (paraphrasing) You can’t be “at peace” until you go “to peace” so that one day you can rest “in peace.”

We all need Jethro’s, not to cosign our foolishness… not to flatter us and toot our horns… not to patronize and ingratiate us… not to “kiss our butts” and coddle us… BUT

… to encourage us to go forward!
… to not let us cease in well doing!
… to tell us not to lose heart when we go through seasons of doubt!
… to break us, or better yet kick us out of our holding patterns!
… to tell us to “use whatcha’ got!”
… to affirm what God has already confirmed!

TO TELL US, “You can win,” “You can succeed,” “You have purpose,” God has plans for you. Plans of good and not of evil. Plans to give you a future and a hope!

Are you a Jethro? Is there someone you need to call, set up a meeting with, write a letter to? Someone who needed and needs you to bless them forward? I want to encourage you to reach out to that person today. Withholding a blessing can be as detrimental as not receiving one.

We all need people who directly or indirectly give us permission to make progress. Of course your destiny doesn’t ultimately depend on this permission, but it might just be the catalyst you need.

Written by Frederick A. Hanna

Who's Your Jonathan? - Your TRUE FRIEND

There was one person who David could always count on. This person would never let him down, always had his back, always put him in position to win, was always willing to dim his own light that David's light might shine more brightly. That one person was Jonathan.

1 Samuel 18:1-4 (New King James Version)

1 Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. 3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.

Jonathan was a true friend, not a best friend but a true friend, not a BFF but a true friend. The Message version of the Bible translates Proverbs 18:24 as,

"Friends come and friends go,
but a true friend sticks by you like family."

Now I realize that many of us have family members who aren't very close and never will be, but in the biblical sense, this verse can be likened to the old adage, "blood is thicker than water," indicating the closeness of blood kinship. In this case, this true friend is thicker than blood!

1 Samuel 18:1 says that Jonathan loved David as his own soul.-- A soul friend is the epitome of a true friend and sees you as a kind of SECOND SELF.

"The true friend is, so to speak, a second self."
Cicero

According to Leonard Sweet:

A Jonathan believes in you when no one else does.
A Jonathan is loyal even when you make it hard to be loyal.
A Jonathan is the first to call in good times or bad.
A Jonathan gives and gives and wants nothing in return.
A Jonathan walks with you through every season of your life.

I have to say this because I have debated with more than a few folk about the meaning of "friend." I don't call many people "friend." Friend is a deeply intimate term for me. I have a number of acquaintances, many of them very dear. In my youth a had a "crew" that I hung out with... my homeboys. I had guys I played ball with, women I talked on the telephone and went to the movies with, people I partied with, even people I worshiped with at church... people I loved, but how many of them were true friends? To quote the hip hop group Whodini, "The dictionary doesn't know the meaning of friend." I'll just say that for me, a friend is a very special individual, and a true friend is priceless.

A Jonathan has at least 3 characteristics

1) A "What's in it for YOU attitude"

Be careful of people who only want to be close to you because of what you can do for them. Some people can make you feel great about yourself for all the wrong reasons. They put you up on a pedestal and anoint you king or queen. This is when you need your Nathan to come in and straighten you out! (see my previous blog entry)... The point I'm trying to make is that some people will get close to you with a "What's in it for me" attitude. They know that they stand to gain something from their relationship with you and that's the sole reason why they are in the relationship. A Jonathan on the other hand has a "What's in it for YOU attitude." They can put their own ambitions on the back burner and champion you, just because they love you.

2) Establishes a level of intimacy with you.

Relationships exist at many levels. I have heard it said that people come into your life for a "reason, a season, or a lifetime" and different levels of truth and trust are required to sustain different types of relationships. Jonathan's have established intimacy with you. You can share your dark side, your secret sins, your private pains, your old unhealed wounds, and your Jonathan will love you anyway.

3)Pay the cost.

I have heard it said that anything worth having will cost you something. A Jonathan knows that there is a cost associated with true friendship. To be a true friend requires great sacrifice and a Jonathan is willing to "Pay The Cost."

Who's your Jonathan? The person who would give their very last that you might live... the one who is willing to fall back, so that you can move forward... the one who feels your pain as though it were their own and rejoices in your triumph as though it were their own victory?

We all need a Jonathan. Someone who will allow us to be ourselves with no shame or regret. Someone who loves us, not because of, but in spite of who we really are.

Written by Frederick A. Hanna

Who's Your Nathan?

Those of you who are familiar with the narrative of biblical writ in the life of King David may also be acquainted with the ministry of the prophet Nathan. It was Nathan who had the "gonads" to go to King David after he had looked upon, defiled and impregnated the wife (Bathsheba) of Uriah, and then sent Uriah to face certain death on the front lines. Lust, Adultery, and Murder all in one fell swoop. What a trifecta! You go David! When you sin, you do it BIG boy! David would have been content to keep this little triple play of debauchery to himself, if it were not for the prophet's willingness to point out the err of his ways.

2 Samuel 12:7

7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

Nathan said, "David, you da man!" Oh wait a minute, before that line gets caught up in modern day colloquialisms, and you think that Nathan was saying something like, "You go boy"; "Get your swag right player"; "You da OG, original playa playa pimp don dadda."... we should read a few more verses...

Let's try 8-10

8 I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'

This "You're the man" was more like "You're the fool." Is there anyone in your life who is allowed to point their finger in your face and tell you "you are really screwing things up, and if you don't make some changes, you're on a collision course with calamity." We all need editing from time to time, and some of us need editing all the time! But I'm not writing a book here, I'm only blogging!

The name Nathan means gift. Nathan was a gift to David, because he had the wisdom and courage to step to David and EDIT him before it was too late. AND David, despite all of his mistakes, had the wisdom to give Nathan permission to speak to him... to "keep it real" with him.

Your Nathan will "help you get under your own skin," "ask you tough, intrusive questions," "help you to see the truth about who you are." Nathan's can be hard to take sometimes, but Nathan's Edit you because they love you, and they are concerned for your future. They want to see you reach your destiny. Don't shun the "Nathan" in your life, embrace her/him because they only want what's best for you.

Who's your Nathan? Did you hang up on him yesterday and tell him to never call back? Did you tell her that her advice was unsolicited and unwanted? Did you curse the day you ever met?

Your Nathan is a gift! Your future may hinge upon your willingness to hear your Nathan.

(Heavily influenced by the writing of Len Sweet)

Written by Frederick A. Hanna