So Different Yet So Much the Same

Recently I was called to jury duty selection. Perhaps you know the drill: You receive a letter telling you when and where to appear; you show up at the appointed time; you sit and wait and wait and wait until those that called you determine whether you are worthy to serve or not. Some are released while others are selected. Bada bing.

I am always observing and reading every situation/environment I find myself in, especially if other people are involved. I'm weird I know, but I always watch people to see what they do or how they react. Groups of people are always great sources for illustrations. For example:

At one point, during my jury selection encounter, the powers that be called out 40 names (there were over 100 of us stuffed in the room). Each name called was given an assigned seat number. I was among the fabulous forty.

We were told to sit in the required seat in order to receive our instructions. These instructions were given in about 5 minutes. Then we were told to remember our seat number but we could get up and move around the room until the group was called.

I immediately got up so I could roam around. A sitter I am not. This is when I observed this interesting phenomenon. We could move freely OR go get another seat with more arm and leg room. We did NOT have to stay as we were. BUT more that 90% of those numbered seat-sitters remained firmly planted in the assigned seat. Now, this is a government process. I knew full well that no one would come for us for an hour or two. I am sure these people knew this as well, but there they sat, elbow to elbow and shoulder to shoulder, "I shall not be moved." I found this fascinating. So, I snapped the photo with my dumbphone.

Here were people of various ages, races, ethnicities, political views, and so on. They were as different as they could be by appearance and philosophy of life. But when it came to sitting in a government mandated environment, they were like Martin Luther: "Here I stand, I can do no other." But they were more along the lines of, "Here I sit, I could do other but I shall not be moved." They were exacty the same. Yes different, but the same.

I will leave the deep explanations of such phenomena to the sociologists. But I have always found it interesting that as different as we are, we are also remarkably similar as a species. If you attend church you will notice that the worship service will be filled with people who are amazingly different but each week they trod to the same seat they have sat in since the dawning of man.

So, is this a bad thing? I guess not. I suppose that somewhere in God's hard-wiring of humanity He made us this way ... amazingly different but possessing similar traits for given situations. There are some of us, like me I suppose, who have malfunctioned. I am among that rare and small number that "ain't gonna" just sit somewhere that I was told to sit. I am a free bird.

As Christians we are remarkably the same but incredibly different as well. The Bible speaks of the various spiritual gifts God has given. We all have a mandate to serve (we're the same) but we each have different God-given gifts and talents to use in that service. We are all the same, but we are amazingly different. In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul spoke of this:

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the sameGod who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

Paul went on to add that no gift is more important than another. All gifts have their respective place in kingdom service. He also added in Romans 12:

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, beingmany, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry,let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

The point is a simple one. We are all different, but remarkably the same. As Christians we share a common mandate to serve; yet we do so in different capacities. No service is greater than another. Hmmm, so I suppose it's okay to sit like a slug elbow to elbow in a warm room next to someone you don't know for hours when you actually have the freedom to move. :-)

And no ... I wasn't selected. YES!!!

I hope this has been a blessing to you.

Tony Guthrie

When You Are Pushing Too Hard

I can remember when I was working on my Ph.D. Was it ever a life-consuming effort! I had to read hundreds of pages from books each week. I had to attend two seminars each week that were packed with intensive information. I took copious notes as fast as I could. I had to write 2 major and 2 minor papers each semester. The minimum number of pages for a major paper was 70 and for a minor paper, 35. I lived in the seminary library.

At that same time I was serving full-time as a pastor of a great church. I prepared weekly sermons, made hospital visits, attended church functions and events, conducted staff meetings, and sat in on church committee meetings.

I also served as a doctoral fellow for a professor. This meant I had hundreds of exams, projects, and papers to read and grade almost every week. I am not even going to mention that I had a family and a personal life too. Let's just say that I never had a free moment.

It may seem impressive that I carried such a heavy load during that time. I was relatively young (mid 30s) and thought I could do even more. But I was tired all the time. I was trying to show the people of my world that I could meet and exceed their expectations. I felt drained and on edge much of the time. I was not on a good road.

Then the day came when I was literally running across the campus to get a paper to my professor. I never turned in anything late and I was in a mad dash to get this one in. After I turned in the paper I walked out of his office, walked down the stairs, and collapsed in the foyer of the building. I never felt myself fall. An hour later I was laying on a exam table at my doctor's office.

After a thorough exam he told me that nothing was wrong with me physically. He said that what had happened was that my body decided to send me a message since I was mistreating it so badly. He said, "Your body decided it needed to stop. So it did. And if you don't receive the message it is sending you, it may decide to stop permanently." Message delivered, message received. Remember, I was only in my mid 30s.

Sometimes we can feel invencible even if we are well beyond mid-life. The level of energy possession varies from person to person and age to age. Some people are amazingly energetic and strong into their 80s. Some act as though they can barely move in their mid 20s.

My point is that you need to know your body and become familiar with the messages it sends. I have always been hyperactive. I loathe laying around. I have never been a couch potato. If you have ever been around me you know that I move constantly. This does not mean, however, that I am not susceptible to over-doing it. I did. In a big way.

I want to provide a few thoughts for staying healthy when you push too hard. There may be times when you have to have a full plate ... but this does not mean your body has to pay such a heavy price to carry it. Remember, your body may decide to not take it any more. We have all heard stories of people (some quite young) who left this world with a heart attack or stroke because they didn't do the things I am suggesting below:

Keep Things in Perspective

My doctor asked me what my rush was all about. I told him I wanted to get the PhD by a certain time. He chuckled and said, "Enjoy the ride. What difference does it make if you get it this year or next?" He told me to sit down and consider everything I was doing. He advised me to live by the Pareto Principle (learn about it here), slow down, and keep everything in proper perspective. He said that I would enjoy earning the degree much more as a healthy man than I would as a sick one. He was right.

Hit the Gym

Whether it's the gym on the corner or in your spare bedroom ... hit it. Now, I am not necessarily talking about pumping iron and body-building. Really all you need to do is some stretching, cardio exercises to get your heart rate up for 30 minutes, and a few resistence excercises. In 30 to 45 minutes you can be done and on your way to feeling healthier and stronger. You will have more energy and stamina.

It is so interesting that people avoid exercise because it makes them tired and gets them sore at the moment. But it is just for the moment. If getting tired or sore for the moment keeps you from exercising then you are a whimp and deserve to feel the way you do. Just sayin'.

Consider Your Eating Habits

Of course this is obvious. But eating on the run is rarely healthy. All the fat and sugar just sort of find a place to dwell in your body. It welcomes more fat and junk to join it every day and over time it gets stronger. All the fat and junk sit idle for a while but all the while it is planning its attack. Like a fault hundreds of feet below the surface it can remain calm for decades (even centuries). But we all know that one day the earth will quake with devastating results.

This is what WILL happen once your body has stored enough junk. It will one day quake and the results may be so severe that you cannot recover.

Eat healthy 6 days a week. Take one day to eat A meal that would kill you if you ate it every day.

Read the Funnies

What I mean is laugh and laugh a lot. I don't know or understand all the science behind it but I do know that laughter causes the brain to release endorphins. This natural chemical helps to alleviate stress, pain, and even provides a feeling of happiness and good health. (Read about endorphins here).

What makes you laugh? Find it. Do it. If you do, the pressure of pushing will not seem so severe.

Get Medical Advice

If you feel stressed, tense, on-edge, and under the gun you may want to go see the white coat guy or gal. She may give you some simple advice that makes sense OR she may want to test you for something more severe. There's just something about that white coat. If a person is wearing one we just seem to take their advice more readily. I think we should.

The only thing I tend to disagree with when it comes to our white-coated friends is their readiness to prescribe anti-depressants. Drugging ourselves into being able to face life just doesn't seem to make sense to me. I am sure there are some people who actually need these drugs. But I believe most don't. I believe God has placed within us the ability, and even the desire, to possess energy and face the day.

Let me leave you with this from God's word:

Isaiah 40:31New American Standard Bible (NASB)

31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

I hope this has been a blessing to you.

Tony Guthrie

When Your World Seems to Crumble

You may be familiar with the expression, "when it rains, it pours." It has always meant that when a person experiences bad stuff in life, a lot more can easily follow. It is similar to Murphy's Law ... if anything can go wrong, it will. I understand these sad realities very well. I understand EXACTLY how it feels when the world seems to fall apart. In fact, I know how it feels when it actually DOES fall apart. Perhaps you feel as though your world is falling apart.

I have great news for you though: It really isn't. You may have some challenges that are bigger than you expected or needed. You may be asking, "What happened? Everything was so good but now everything is collapsing all around me." It isn't, it just seems that way.

A good friend reminded me the other day that he has been there. I remember talking to him when his world actually was falling apart. So, when we spoke a few days ago he said, "Tony, as you well know, I have been there. But now I am on the other side. You will see this through." I know he is right.

So, I wanted to share a few thoughts I have learned from my friend and from experience. When your world seems to crumble ...

Fight the Anger

For many of us, when things seem out of control, we get angry. This is the emotion I have seen the most in people when things go awry. I have seen other emotions like fear and depression. But anger seems more common. We may see the situation as the fault of some one or something else. We didn't do anything to cause the problem. So, our world seems to be crumbling because of something beyond our control. This can make us angry. Intensely.

Fight it. Fight it hard. Anger tends to do more damage to the one possessing it than the one receiving it. The more intense the anger, the more damaging it can be. Physical and emotional illness can result from it. Fight it. Fight it hard.

My mother taught me decades ago that two things never change a situation: anger and worry. These two things only make you sick. Fight it.

See the Possibilty of the Good

Yeah, I know. It's cliche'. Look for the good in the bad. Blah, blah, blah. I can just hear some of you arguing back at me: "You know Tony, that looking for the silver-lining stuff is meaningless psycho-babble."

Believe me, I get that. But do it anyway. Because as meaningless as it seems, it is actually beyond valuable. Looking for the good gives a sense of hope and allows you to realize that the situation is indeed only temporary. You WILL take something from it that allows you to benefit for years to come AND to help others with as well.

Pour Yourself into Creative Service for Others

As a pastor I have always told my congregants that there is always someone who has it worse than you do. I don't have the gift of mercy even though I can be merciful. But I have to reach down deep to do so. I have very little compassion for people with minor little ailments ... especially if they are always talking about them as if they are the sickest people in the world. This is because I have seen children die. There's nothing more painful. People with the gift of mercy will minister to people with these minor concerns, but I tell them to stop whining. I often say to them; "If you want to see sick, go to the childrens cancer ward at the hospital."

I bring this up to point out that there are always people whose worlds are crumbling so much more so than yours or mine. Find them and serve them. Pour your effort into helping a fellow human being. Find creative ways to bless them. Do what the Bible says: "Consider others more highly than yourself." (Philippians 2:3)

Giving yourself to blessing others takes the focus off of you and your situation. You will likely find that by giving yourself in service to others will lead to others serving and assisting you.

Sing Sing Sing

Music soothes the savage beast. How true. Music is emotional stuff. It can change your mood in an instant. Not focused on God right now? Pop in a praise and worship CD or listen on your dumbphone. Need a lift? Listen to your favorite tunes and sing along ... loudly.

Why? Because it will get your mind off of the burden for the moment and remind you of better days (that will return). I love soft rock of the 70s and 80s. The stuff today doesn't do it for me. I love the Eagles, Paul McCartney, REO Speedwagon, and yes, LOL, even the Bay City Rollers.

Let me leave you with this.

Does it get any better?

I hope this has been a blessing to you.

Tony Guthrie


Ping-o-matic

Obvious Christianity May Hurt

In America, and I think especially in the south, sports fans are almost obsessed with college football (did I say "almost"?). Fans have their favorite teams and they support them in countless ways. Tee shirts, hoodies, cups, mugs, bumper stickers, emblems, dashboard figurines, and so on. So proud are people of their team that they are sometimes willing to argue for hours, ad nauseum, as to why their team is the greatest of them all.

I have actually witnessed fist fights between fans of rival schools. Isn't that insane?

I readily admit, I am a fan too. I love the kids in orange that play in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. Being located in the south I have interaction with fans of the other schools of the Southeastern Conference. Ridiculing each other is commonplace and is mostly done in fun. But I have been literally verbally attacked because a fan of a lesser school :-) saw my Big Orange sweat shirt being worn proudly. I was insulted and called ignorant. People like that just can't see that we are supporting 20 year old kids on a field. They actually allow the actions of those kids to make or break their week depending on the outcome of the game. I decided years ago that I would not allow the actions of kids on a field to determine if I would have a good week or not.

But think with me about this: when we are sporting our fanware we are making an obvious statement: "I am a fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide! Roll Tide Roll!" We don't expect to be ridiculed for being a fan. But I think most of us have felt at least a little heat here are there. What I am saying is that there is a level of risk we assume when we wear our team support on our sleeves and bodies. So, if we want to never partake in an uncomfortable conversation or feel the heat for being a fan; then don't wear the gear and don't talk about it. It's as simple as that.

19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1:19-20)

Many Christian people, maybe even most, go through their entire lives without ever receiving any criticism or rebuke because of their faith. There really is only one reason for it: They don't wear the gear. Now, I am not talking about Christian necklaces or Jesus tee shirts and coffee mugs. I am talking about the fact that they don't make their faith obvious. Oh, they may attend church but really, beyond that, the evidence of their faith is pretty hard to detect. In a country where we have freedom to express our faith, many (maybe most) do not.

But Paul (in the verses sited above) wore the hoodie, had the mug, touted the colors, and spoke boldly of his support for the Lord Jesus. He did so in a land in which it was not popular (and in some cases, not legal) to be a Christian. Now I am not saying that it is a badge of honor to be ridiculed. I don't think one is a "better' Christian because they are criticized from time to time. But those who are ridiculed and persecuted are usually the ones that are so proud of their faith that they let the world know. They are following the mandate of the Lord, "Go and make disciples,"

Paul was arrested and imprisoned because he boldly proclaimed his faith. Even though he knew it could get him arrested or even executed. And he was arrested. And during the ordeal he continued to proclaim his faith. He knew that true Christians would pray for him and that the Lord would provide for him. He was an avid fan. He spoke boldly of his faith like so many college football fans do. He did so in boldness even though he knew it could cost him his life. His goal was to exalt Jesus in his life or even how he died. He expected to be delivered, but he was good with whatever happened because he believed whatever happened would exalt the Lord. Wow! Hmmm?

The point: Being bold about your team can get you ridiculed. Being boldly obvious about your faith in Christ can hurt.

I think the reason that many (perhaps most) Christians aren't obvious about their faith, even in a country where it is legal to do so, is because they know that it may hurt or, at the very least, get them in uncomfortable conversations.

Makes me wonder: Where are the Pauls today?

I hope this has been a blessing to you.

Tony Guthrie
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Bad Situation? Expect a Blessing!

I don't know how many times people have asked me to pray for them over the years. I am sure you have been asked countless times as well. People will find themselves in a difficult or challenging situation and they immediately want it fixed. They want life to return to normal. I suppose this is normal to want to be normal :-\

In recent months I have faced a challenge unlike any I have ever faced. I have faced many obstacles and difficulties in my life and with patience, prayer, and perseverance I have seen them all through. But this season of challenge seems to be as big as it can possibly be (even though I know it could always be bigger and more challenging).

In many ways you could call what I am going through a bad situation.  But in my preaching over the years I always told my congregants to not fret or stress when things seem bad, tough, difficult, painful, or challenging. I told them that "God causes all things to work together for good for those that love Him ..." (Romans 8:28). I reminded them repeatedly that even in the worst of times they could expect a blessing. I insisted that they not ask God to "fix" the problem but rather have people pray that God would help them see the blessing in the burden.

I am striving to do that same thing now. I am truly expecting God to literally explode in my life in the most gracious of ways. In spite of my weaknesses and failures He has assured me that He loves me and has a wonderful plan for the rest of my life. So, in the bad situation I am expecting a blessing.

Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel ... (Phil. 1:12)

The words above from the Apostle Paul are the source of my expectancy. I mean, here was a man in Roman imprisonment and he was actually celebrating the blessings of God. He noted that in the badness of the situation (being in prison) the word of the Lord was still going forward. In fact, his situation was actually motivating other Christians to work even harder to spread the word (vs. 14). To Paul this was such a huge blessing because he viewed his life purpose as the spreading of the gospel. He was actually elated in the bad situation.

This is what I am striving to do. Be elated. Be expectant. Be ready for the blessing to come. In fact, I have already seen some of it come into view.

• I wonder if you can grasp this concept? 
• Can you see the potential for blessing in the midst of the bad situation? 
• Can you actually NOT ask someone to pray that God will "fix" the problem? 
• Can you see that God causes ALL things to work together for God? 
• Can you?

Expect a blessing through the badness of the situation. Remember this is the God that made the greatest sacrifice for you because He loves you. And if He loves you that much, then wouldn't He want to show you His best in even the worst of your situations?

I trust this has been a blessing to you.

Tony Guthrie