Treasures in Old Boxes

Every once in a while, I like to pull old boxes out in the garage, just to see what’s in them. This week I pulled out a box with some old pictures from when our twins were just about a year old. I can’t believe how much has changed, and how fast it did! In another box next to it, I busted it open and found some old concert programs from people I went to see in college and the first few years I was out of school. Exactly NONE of the hairstyles would fly anymore. Also crammed in the same box were a handful of VHS tapes of movies that I liked in the past. For those that don’t know--a VHS tape is a designation given to a thin plastic rectangular “box” that actually contains a roll of very thin film, which is used for making an analog copy of video. It must be used inside of a Video Cassette Recorder, or VCR. Some people still have them, but they don’t get used very much anymore.

Though none of them are terribly ancient, these would all be considered old items by one standard or another. But, the fun of them is still there, and I definitely traveled along memory lane as I flipped through all the stuff. While I obviously don’t need the things I found, I certainly see the value of each of them, even if it is sentimental.

Old things are not always bad. Depending on the model of it, and antique car almost always has a cool factor that a hybrid Prius can’t match, no matter which celebrity is driving one. Vintage guitars have a tone that only comes from a hand-crafted instrument that won’t be heard in a machine-generated, assembly line guitar.

Last week, while I was working, I heard someone playing the piano in the choir room here at church, which is separated from my office by a mere door. They were playing a hymn that I know because I grew up singing it in church as a child, and then as a teenager. It brought back memories of old hymns that mean a lot to me.

I’m a big fan of new, modern music in churches. I think it is a “language” by which some people are able to focus on God and worship. Only a fool would think that it is the only way to worship God, however, and I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the close-minded option in front of me. Instead, I prefer to recognize the value of all hymns and songs based on the content of the words, not the tune or the style. It just so happens that two modern versions of “old hymns” have been brought to mind lately, and both have words that have clobbered me.

Forbid it, Lord, That I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God.
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
From “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

How many times am I pulled away from my commitment to Christ by things that are insignificant and unimportant? (The way vain would have been used at the time this was written.) Why am I so quick to point out my temporary accomplishments, when it is the death of Jesus that gives me permanent life in Him? These are the things that I need to sacrifice and put to death, as Paul talks about in Colossians 3. They also tie in nicely with another modernized hymn we sang in church recently:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to Leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, Lord, Take and Seal it
Seal it for thy courts above.
From “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”

After what I felt to be a particularly good Bible Study recently, I caught myself silently patting myself on the back about how well I presented the information, as if I really had anything to do with how God used His own Word to move through a Bible Study time that is supposed to be about Him. This passage jumped to mind, as if God were using a language I understand (music) to really get my attention about something that needed fixing.

I am prone to wander from bringing glory to God and pointing to my temporary accomplishments. I tend to boast in things OTHER than the death of Christ that brings me hope for my eternal salvation with Him. Why do I do these things? I know that “...Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:12) and yet I still want to draw attention to me so many times.

Jesus said that to follow Him means to daily die to myself. (Luke 9:23) That means that I must sacrifice all of my pride and accomplishments, and put the glory on Jesus Christ. It also means that I must trust Christ to seal and guard my heart against the things that have the potential to pull me away. I truly do want to serve and honor God with my life, but if I’m not careful, I will be pulled away and become self-serving. But, if I abide in Christ, and He in me, then through Him, I can accomplish all things HE would have me do, and all for His glory, that others may know Him.

I thank God for the hymn writers through all the ages, and in all styles. So often, and for many people, their words can so often be the way the Holy Spirit gets our attention and challenges us to more effectively live our lives for Christ.

A Life-Lesson From "24"

My wife and I have totally gotten into the show “24.” Yes, we know we’re about nine years late, but we never got into it while it was on TV in the first place. We bought the DVD set for season one after several recommendations, and we got hooked right away.

Agent Jack Bauer is a pretty tough guy with a soft spot for his family. Many of you have already seen all of this, but for those that haven’t, here’s a quick summary of what is happening. The series follows a day-in-the-life of Special Agent Jack Bauer who works for the Counter Terrorism Unit of the United States. (CTU, for those in the know.) At midnight, CTU gets a tip that a Presidential Candidate is the target of a terrorist organization, and gets to work. Meanwhile, Jack’s Daughter and eventually wife get kidnapped by the same group, forcing Jack to do some things they want in order to keep them safe. However, while some things Jack does are outside of his orders, and even against the law, He does his very best to maintain His integrity and follow through with his original assignment to keep the Candidate Safe.

Meanwhile, on the Campaign Trail, Senator David Palmer (the aforementioned candidate) is faced with several integrity issues of his own. He discovers his son was involved in an accident seven years ago, and his wife and kids have kept it from him. Several of his high-paying campaign donors are also involved in keeping some damaging information about this accident away from the media because they really want him in office. In order to keep it quiet, they do some things that are illegal as well. As it turns out Senator Palmer goes public himself with all of this, in spite of what it may do to his career as a politician.

We are exactly one episode away from finishing this first season, and so far, I’ve really related to both of these men. Not, because I’m a tough guy, and certainly not because of my love of politics, but because I see two men who love their family, are doing the best they can to do their jobs well, and they are trying very hard to maintain a life of integrity. This is who I want to be. I WANT to be a good husband and father. I WANT to do my job well, and I WANT to maintain a life of integrity.

I will be the first to admit that I do act selfishly. I’m not immune to that. But I would like to believe that once I realize what I’m doing, I take steps to correct the problem, and even apologize to those who have been slighted or hurt by what I’ve done. I’ve had to apologize to my wife and children on more than one occasion. I hope that what I’ve taught my boys is not that living a perfect life is what I expect from them, but rather that they do their best to live according to what is Right, and when they do make mistakes to own up to them and to accept responsibility for their actions.

Unfortunately, in the world today there are many people who don’t really care about integrity. They do what they want to do, and have little or no regard for the possible consequences. They don’t consider how their actions could negatively (or even positively) affect others, it’s all centered around self. Instead of taking responsibility, they look for someone else to blame, or make excuses and dismiss their mistakes. I see too many students adopting this lifestyle, and it scares me. What scares me more is that in some cases, the folks we depend on to hold people accountable for their actions are also those who have a philosophy that excuses and enables this lack of integrity. Eventually, no one will be held accountable for what they’ve done, and all you will need is a good excuse to dismiss your wrong-doing.

Could I be over stating or taking this a bit too dramatically? I actually hope so, because then none of what I fear will come to bear. But why take chances? If more people lived a life of integrity, it would not eradicate conflict. There would still be disagreements, but the way these are settled would certainly be more civil and not so prone to harmful outcomes. If we all took a bit more time to think about how each of our options will affect others, I believe there would be a drastic, noticeable change in our society, and that it would happen quickly.

While all of Jack Bauer’s plans have not been perfect, and he is not without his faults, at least he appears to be trying to do the right thing in the whacked-out circumstances he’s facing. That, I believe, is what seems to keep him going, has earned him quite a few supporters, and is an admirable quality. I can’t say the same for that surprise traitor...