Of Trees and Transformation

I have an evergreen tree in my yard that I mow around every week during the mowing season. We had one at the last place we lived and, if at all possible we will have one wherever we live as long as I am mowing my own yard. Why? So I can mow around an evergreen tree.

It's one of those markers in my life that reminds me of something very important every time I do it.

There was an old mentor in my life some years ago that loved trees. He had planted most of the trees on our conference center grounds. One day I was on the grounds and this old man in his 80s was angry. He motioned me into his car and we drove, literally, all over the grounds looking at the trees. He was angry because the grounds keepers had been damaging the low hanging branches of the evergreens with the mower. Because he was old and a bit eccentric they ignored his vehement protests. He rode me around showing me the damage and then drove me into town to show me a specimen of how a healthy evergreen should look. Our tour concluded with him charging me with the task of protecting the trees after he was gone. I agreed, what else could I do?

Some months later the old mentor was informed of his impending death so he sat me down and shared with me the secret of life as he understood it. He didn't say anything about the evergreen trees but he did mention another "tree". He said to me, "it's all about the cross".

He shared with me how, throughout his life, things happened to break him and decrease him so that Christ could be increased in his life. He taught me about the crucifixion of self (Galatians 2:20) in a way no one else had ever explained it bringing to bear his 80 some years of faithfully following Jesus. It was one of those moments that I knew my life was changing. I experienced transformation in those few short hours.

As the years have passed I could possibly forget the lessons and the transformation I experience that day, except for one thing... Every time I mow around an evergreen I remember his chastisement over the trees and my promise to look out for them. I smile to myself and without fail my mind shifts to his last words to me: "It's the cross... Remember, it's all about the cross."

As long as I have the strength to mow my own lawn I will always make sure I have an evergreen to mow around so I will remember the sage words of my old friend.

"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ who lives in me. For the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." -- Galatians 2:20


- David Delp . AGoodDeposit.com

We Always Want to Do What We Cannot

Human beings are a bit peculiar in that they always want to do what they cannot do. Granted, there is a difference between what we cannot do and what we are not supposed to do, but the two are related in the way they evoke the desire for the forbidden or the seemingly unobtainable.

I watched a little bit of Space Odyssey: 2001 the other night until I couldn't take any more of the music. The 1968 perception of what would be available in 2001 was interesting. For instance, a phone in a "phone booth" presented as a big computer console with a 19 inch color screen. You put your credit card in a slot and make a video call. They could not envision cell phones that will do the same in the palm of your hand or Skype that will make a video call to anywhere in the world without the $1.70 charge to your credit card.

The interesting thing to me is that we have gone more text based than video based. The first long distance communication was the telegraph, now we "telegraph" from the palms of our hands. We want to text because it is clean, quick, not messy, just to the point, and we don't have to answer back if we don't want even in the middle of a conversation.

Why the facination with video capabilities, when all we would eventually want to do is still send typed words... simple, because we couldn't do it. Since we couldn't do it we (they) perceived that it would be the apex of communication achievement.

I'll admit this line of thinking embraces a lot of speculation.

The first thing God said to man was that he could eat anything in the garden except the fruit of one tree, and if they ate of that one tree they would die.

The first thing Satan said to man was that if they ate of the fruit of that same tree, they would not die.

The same interchange is present today. God tells us there are consequences for our actions and Satan tells us there are no consequences. I'd rather believe personified truth than personified deception.

We press to new heights when told we cannot. We push to new lows when we are told we should not. Its something in our nature. That nature needs to be redeemed. The new heights are a good thing, the new lows are not.

We need to focus our curiosity, our entrepreneurial spirits, our reach for the unreachable to noble, God-honoring, and eternally significant tasks. How does our reaching take ourselves and humankind closer to God? How does our reaching demonstrate the compassion of Christ, so others, too, may know him? How does our reaching make us better, and others better? Some questions to ponder as we press into new things and new places.

It was Simply Necessary

Only once did my father ever rebuff me for asking a sincere question, "Dad, did you kill anyone in the war?" To which he sternly replied that killing another human being was never something to be proud of, necessary, perhaps, but not something to be proud of. It seems there were two kinds of WWII vets, those who wore the hats with their insignias and unit numbers, and those that quietly and courageously went about their lives, but never forgetting doing what was necessary, and never forgetting the things they saw and the friends that were lost.

Dad's military medals and a few mementos were always tucked away in his dresser drawer under his clothes. Never displayed, never pulled out to show off, just in the drawer. It was only in his final years that he began to tell me of some of the things he experienced. There was always the memory of the B-17s that didn't make it back to the base, planes that carried friends and men he knew. There was always the wondering of who was in those factories and installations bombed.

Once, on a family trip to Disney World, we sat taking a break from the walking and Dad was lost in thought looking at a family, a German speaking family with their grandfather. I asked Dad what he was thinking, and he replied, "I can't help but wonder where that man was in 1943." It wasn't from the perspective of viewing a possible former enemy, but from the perspective of wondering what hurt and pain that man and his family may have experienced simultaneous to his own.

I must admit, I am a patriot, I am thankful and proud to be an American. I must admit that it goes down hard for me when I hear the world, particularly Europeans (with sincere respect to some of my friends), criticize the United States. Not because we are always right, but because I do believe that through the generations we have tried to do right. Some may question our motives, but I believe the motives of the American people, by and large, have been benevolent and giving. My dad's life, and subsequently my life, and probably to some degree the lives of my children, was affected by the willingness of that generation to stand for what was right.

All of these things color my view of current events. I believe Osama Bin Laden had to be stopped, whatever that took. I am thankful he was stopped. I am grateful for our military and our leaders who finally put an end to his insanity. It was simply necessary. I do, however, recoil a bit when I see images of Americans taking to the streets with alcohol and U.S. flags and dancing gleefully like we just won the World Cup. I am relieved, and even feel some satisfaction, but I think the character of the majority of Americans is to take pause, feel relief, and understand that something necessary was completed in a world that can be savage at times. In the character and nature of Christ, I can't be full of joy that because of evil in the world it was necessary to take a life to stand against evil -- again, it was necessary, but giddy joy is not the emotion I feel.

After almost ten years my eyes still brim with tears when I even think about the tragedy and emotions of 9/11/01. We will not forget and we did the right thing hunting down and stopping the person most responsible for this tragedy. But, I have to say, I don't feel joy over any of this. It is simply the completion of the necessary measures that must be taken to survive in a world that can be savage and evil at times.

Loving God More than the Things of the World

I felt strongly this word be delivered to our Indiana School of Ministry (ISOM) students in our last session. I post it on my blog because many asked for the notes.

Not since the great awakening has there been a time in the history of the Church when the Church embraced and assimilated secular culture, in opposition to biblical teaching, more than it does today.

• Many who claim to follow Christ view the same things the “world” views
• Many who claim to follow Christ listen to the same things the “world” listens
• Many who claim to follow Christ do the same things the “world” does
• The divorce rates among those who claim to be Christ-followers is basically the same as those who do not

Is there transformation?

What do we mean by “world”? John is one of the originators of that term when he explains how our transformation through Christ ought to lead us to loving God more than we love the things of the “world”.

I John 2:15 (NIV) “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

Jesus said I have come that you might have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). The bible says that those who are in Christ are a new creation. The old has passed away and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Yet, the spirit of antichrist is growing stronger in the world.

I John 2: 18 (NIV) “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour…. 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you,see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life. 26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.”

The spirit of antichrist leads us away from those things we have learned and the Christ revealed to us through his Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3 warns us of the last days.

2 Timothy 3 (NIV) (1) "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people."

The church (the organization) has lost its influence in this generation and will only regain its position of transformation if it embraces the power of God, the Presence of God, the Spirit of God.

• It is not enough to have a form of godliness
• It is not enough to put on a good show
• It is not enough to just help people learn how to live good lives
• It is not enough to help people learn how to balance their checkbooks

All of those things are fine, nothing wrong with helping anyone accomplish any one of those things, but these things are not what bring spiritual transformation, It is the Power of God, The Presence of God, the inner working of the Spirit that brings transformation.

At the height of the glory of the Catholic church Pope Innocent IV said to Thomas Aquinas, “You see that the Church is no longer in an age in which she can say, silver and gold have I none.” Thomas Aquinas is said to have replied, “It is true, holy father, nor can she now say to the lame man, Rise up and walk."

Let me tell you, we place much hope in the students of the Indiana School of Ministry (ISOM) for the proclamation of the good news with power and spiritual authority in Indiana. The pace at which churches are closing seems to be in danger of acceleration. The small towns of Indiana that have no Pentecostal witness, the inner cities that need the Word of God preached with signs following, that the devils tremble, people are delivered, and lives are transformed.

May God rise up students from ISOM with more than a form of godliness, but the power that is intended to accompany, facilitate, and reveal true godliness.

2 Tim 3 (NIV) (10) “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Know the Word, proclaim the Word, live the Word, and be transformed by the Word (the work of the Spirit of Christ within you).

Greeters or Gatekeepers

In my role as the "credential guy" I have to constantly remember we are greeters and not just gatekeepers into the Fellowship. Thanks to Don Detrick, NW Ministry Network S/T for his presentation a few years ago bringing this to our attention. In your role, are you a greeter or a gatekeeper?

- Walmart has greeters / the TSA has gatekeepers
- Greeters welcome / Gatekeepers scrutinize
- Greeters open doors / Gatekeepers shut doors
- Greeters let people in / Gatekeepers keep people out
- Greeters focus on relationship / Gatekeepers focus on rules
- Greeters serve people / Gatekeepers maintain systems
- Greeters look for someone to bless / Gatekeepers look for someone to blame

Greeters have a desire to motivate people through encouragement and grace. The heart of a gatekeeper can sometimes sour into manipulating through intimidation and guilt.

Both roles, when approached in a healthy manner, have their place and the gate has to be kept to keep wolves out, but whenever possible, we should strive to be greeters rather than gatekeepers. Some churches and some leaders act as though we have to protect the Kingdom of God (or perhaps the "Fellowship") from all the riff-raff while we should be welcoming those with a dream and a desire for spiritual community even when they are perhaps different in their approach.

We have to keep an eye on the gate, I just hope to look for every reason to act more like a greeter than a gatekeeper.