Subscribe to Podcast
Hello Friends,
Believe it or not, despite the August heat here at SHA, we’re already seeing some leaves turning colors a bit, while others are even falling to the ground. As summer winds down, and school opens up, many other changes continue to occur as well.
Back to School
It seems like yesterday that school let out for the summer. And, while Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas will all be here tomorrow, as evidenced by every Cracker Barrel restaurant, for now the spirit of a new school year is in the air. New enrollments have added to the freshness of a new school year, while some unruly and disrespectful behaviors, common with new students, have tainted that freshness a bit. But, our team has returned those rebellious actions with the love of Christ and the firmness of any good, godly, and loving parent. It’s how we roll here at SHA.
A Demoralizing Inheritance
Few things are more demoralizing and maddening than to dedicate your life to helping those you feel called by God to help/heal, only to be accused, by people who don’t actually know you, of brainwashing “vulnerable” and “naive” teens, and their parents, with the evils of “religion”. For a quarter century, SHA has been attacked and slandered for successfully bringing troubled teens and their families to a place of understanding that sin exists—and that sin has been at the root of virtually every headache and heartache the world has ever known since time began. Though, the reality of sin is actually bad news, the rest of the story is that the good news of Jesus Christ is the remedy for that bad news. But, “woke” anarchists and “new atheists” of the internet world claim that we are evil?! Tell me, how is loving your neighbor as yourself—and doing unto others as you would want them to do unto you—being evil? Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, in the minds of these folks, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a myth. So, we are supposed to be ashamed of ourselves for perpetuating myths. These are the same people who do, however, think boys can become girls and vice-versa—along with myriad other damaging ideas and theories that all of history has shown to destroy—not just individuals—but entire societies! I regret that Allison and Joshua have inherited these attacks, which have only gotten worse as the world has gotten worse. While these folks have always tried to destroy SHA with actual evil, they haven’t succeeded. Of course, nobody knows this kind of inequity and pain better than Jesus Christ, with Whom we are all to identify with in His sufferings. We do so knowing we can never fully identify with His sufferings; because, our sufferings are mere infinitesimal microcosms of His—laughable in comparison. Meanwhile, these folks continue to perpetuate their venom on the internet to a second generation of ministry leaders as they use this powerful platform as a weapon to spew hate, twist reality, and to shield themselves from any accountability. Please pray these folks will come to know what real evil truly is; that they repent of their genuine evil; and, then, be enlightened to the reality of just Who the person of Jesus Christ is, so that they’ll come to a saving relationship with Him.
Going Deeper by Going Higher
Oswald Chambers said, “Never look for justice in this world; but, never cease to give it.” That’s a concept I’ve been honing in on much deeper over the past few years. During this time I’ve been experiencing the evil genius of the devil as never before. There’s not enough space to go into all the details, other than to say I’m convinced, now more than ever, that the devil can work through even the finest saint at any give time or situation—just ask the Apostle Peter! And, we play right into Satan’s hand if we think he can’t! That’s actually when we’re the most vulnerable. Those who make judgements with no, or even partial, information is maddening to me. But, it takes place all the time—especially on the internet. It can make one angry and a bit crazy. Today’s kids deal with these injustices every day—a big reason for depression, anxiety, and suicide, being almost teen pastimes today. Psalms, chapters 35 through 37; the whole book of Job; Psalm 55:12; and, a few books written centuries ago, have all helped me conclude that I’ve allowed my skepticism of people to turn to criticism, then to cynicism—and even bitterness. Extended time with the Lord has lead me to believe the best remedy for keeping disillusionment, frustration, anger, and hurt, from blooming into bitterness, is to die to self at a level I’ve never known before. Though we’ve always taught our kids and parents these things, I’m now concluding that maybe any self-vindication isn’t dying to self enough—even when being right! It’s about a deeper understanding and participation in the unjust sufferings of Christ—the deep end of the Christian pool so-to-speak. Few get this—fewer experience it. But, I’m feeling led to work on it. It’s certainly helping me better identify with the hurt and inequities of our kids and parents at SHA. If older Christians, like me, still struggle to keep bitterness at bay over the warped injustices that have plagued SHA from the beginning, what might a young naive teenager be dealing with in this area—Christian or otherwise? In perfect timing, our pastor did a message on the word, “magnanimity.” Research it. It’s a word that I—and all of us—need to exercise more.
The Older I Get the Greater I Was
Since committing a 100% effort to God’s work, some 35 years ago, Beth and I have burnt the candle at both ends and in the middle. To my shame, “rest” has almost been a foreign concept to me. For a guy who champions faith, not resting is actually exercising a lack of faith. Not adequately resting can easily be justified by the excuse that one is doing it all for God—all while, perhaps unwittingly, competing with God. The result can be as devastating as it is humiliating. That’s when God often sits us down, via an act of His grace, to prove that burning the candle this way is a cocktail for a forced retirement. Working long & hard is not wrong—it’s even commendable when time and circumstance dictate. It’s a problem when it becomes a lifestyle. God always speaks to me through circumstance; and, the circumstances of the past few years have been clear. Beth’s cancer diagnosis was a huge wake-up call. Years of chronic pain that now require a hip replacement next week, will sit me down long enough to glean even more insights into this new chapter that Beth and I are now entering. I’m still not exactly sure what that entails; but, I know the One Who does. As one who’s always been as energized as any SHA teen, until recently, I now realize that all the working and the weathering over the years—on into senior citizenship—has caught up with me. Always a thrill-seeker and risk-taker, with the scars to prove it, pressing on as before now appears to be a rebellion against God. Still, I’ll continue to fight the good fight—by some new rules, of course. Pray I don’t cheat! Amen.