June 2023
JUNE 2023
Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom.
Psalm 90: 12
We were at 20,000 feet in a twin-engine Piper Aerostar over Charleston, West Virginia.
I was flying back from a business trip to Cincinnati with my brother-in-law, Bill, in his friend’s airplane. We were heading to High Point, North Carolina where he lived, to join Denise and her sister.
Sitting at the back of the plane, I had been working on my goals as Bill and Steve were upfront; both were pilots. Suddenly the left engine started streaming oil and I head for the front, hearing them say, "We need to shut it down." I watched as the propellor came to a standstill and then, taking deep breaths, I looked to my right to make sure the other engine was still working.
Bill looked back at me and said, "Buckle up, we are going to attempt to land at the Chuck Yeager Airport in Charleston." It is aptly named after the famous test pilot, for it is one the trickiest airports to get into with the up and down drafts.
Obviously, we made it and I tell more of the story in my book, Strategic Cheriths.
That experience changed my goal setting. Because I am so oriented to planning (and yes, being in control), God has used experiences like this at different points in my life.
With my recent announcement that after nine years, I am releasing my role as Pastor of Second Half Ministries, I am at another of these moments. Discipleship is difficult and I have sensed God saying, it is time and you have done, what I asked of you in this role. Followership is not an easy characteristic to accept, let alone master. It means change.
What are you being challenged in your followership as a disciple?
An author recently posed the question in a book I am reading, “If we were brought to trial in a court of law and accused of being a Christian, what characteristics would we have to exhibit for there to be enough evidence to convict us?”
That jumped off the page at me and it is causing me to reflect on what God has for me next.
The author named four constitutive elements to describe Jesus’ formula for essential discipleship. They are worth contemplating in your followership of Jesus.
Cultivating intimacy with Jesus in private through prayer and keeping our private morals intact. Our prayers are honest when our lives back them up.
A focus on charity and justice. Scholars point out that in the Scriptures, one out of every ten lines deals directly with the physically poor and the challenge to respond to them. Jesus asks us to work for this principle.
Involvement with a Christian Community. Jesus calls us to be a follower of Him in community. It means praying together, worshipping together, having fellowship with one another, and serving together; it is summed up in one word: church. You cannot do this alone. Jesus never intended us to say, “I am a Christian and I will pray alone at home.”
Sorry, if you are able to attend church in person, then you need to be there, for online does not cut it. Yes, there are times, when it is warranted. Yet, I am reminded of being with the underground church in China and listening as they talked about risking their very lives to meet together in secret, for that is what Jesus was asking of them.
Forgiveness and having a mellow heart. To be a disciple of Jesus is to have a heart of forgiveness fueled by gratitude.
This is a tough one, for at times I confess, that I am more the older brother of the prodigal. Especially when I feel I have been wronged or my expectations were not met. As a close friend and colleague states, I need to ensure that I am always adding value to those I connect with and that means having a forgiving heart.
A number of you have asked, "will you keep writing your devotionals?" My short answer is yes, though they may not be as regular as in the past; I am keeping my email groupings which have been growing.
To you, who have allowed me to be alongside you in the journey, I say thanks. I am the richer for it and you have spoken into my life in different ways.
Your fellow follower. Let us grow in wisdom together.
~ Bruce
