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Don’t Be Afraid

“Don’t be afraid.” That’s what the angel told the women who had come to Jesus’ tomb only to find it empty.

A few moments later, these same women met Jesus. “Don’t be afraid.” Jesus told them.

Don’t be afraid. The first words after the resurrection.

It’s not really surprising for two reasons. First, in the biblical revelation, this always seem to be the first word: Fear not! Second, we are a fearful people, and so we need this reassuring word.

Two of my daughters both recently bought a guinea pig (read a story about this here). They are adorable and fun to watch, but they are also very nervous. With the slightest movement towards them, they will scurry off into their little house. They are filled with anxiety and fear.

The more I’ve watched these guinea pigs, the more I’ve realized: we’re guinea pigs! We’re just like them.

Anytime anything surprises us, we start worrying, withdrawing, or attacking. Why? We have anxiety. We are afraid.

What happens anytime we get an unexpected tax, car, home, or health bill? Like guinea pigs, we start scurrying. This happens to me all the time. When I think over the past decade, I can think of very few times, if any, where I’ve failed to pay a bill. But as soon as I get a bill that I didn’t plan, what happens? I start to worry and think, Oh no! What am I going to do?

“Don’t be afraid.” Jesus says.

And what do we fear? We fear all kinds of things. We fear all sorts of threats from terrorists, world powers, and armies, like people feared the Roman army in Jesus’ day.

If there are any human beings that didn’t seem guinea piggish, it was Roman soldiers. These guys were the toughest of the tough. These soldiers would not stop in face of the most terrible enemies. One time, the great general Hannibal destroyed 80% of a Roman army at the Battle of Cannae. The soldiers at the front escaped because they would just keep moving forward no matter what. The problem was the tactics. They couldn’t turn well during the battle and so got surrounded and destroyed. Once Scipio Africanus developed new tactics for the Roman army, these tough Roman soldiers crushed the Carthaginian Empire. Roman soldiers were disciplined and tough.

However, when the angel of the Lord came down to roll away the tomb appearing like lightning, these tough Roman soldiers fell to the ground like dead men. The most powerful army of the day faded away before the awesome power of the resurrected Christ and His army.

Don’t be afraid, even of the most powerful army on earth!

And what about death? In many ways, this is the anxiety behind all anxiety. But Christ has defeated it! He appeared before the women having conquered this great enemy. So, when we face our great enemy, we don’t have to fear either. The Christ who is with us has already met death, looked it in the face, and crushed it.

Don’t be afraid.

And what about Jesus Himself? Encountering someone so powerful who conquered death can itself be a scary thing. That’s why the women were full of joy at the news of Christ’s resurrection but also terrified (Mt. 28:8). How can you relate to Him? I think that’s the main reason Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid.” He wanted them to know that as powerful as He was, He was the same Jesus who did not break a bruised reed or put out a smoking wick.

When Jesus talked with the women, He said, “Go, tell my brothers” (Mt. 28:10). It’s a touching term. They are part of Jesus’ family, and we can be, too. We don’t have to be afraid. Jesus welcomes all of us into His family as a free gift. We just have to say “yes” to it. Then, we can be baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19) and be assured that Jesus will always be with us.

That’s the message of Easter. Don’t be afraid. Christ has come. Christ has risen. Christ has conquered. Don’t be afraid.

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The Art of Manliness Podcast

I’ve recently entered the world of podcasts. I’ve even started doing a podcast (listen here). The other day, I was looking for a link to one particular podcast, and I was scrolling through the episodes of The Art of Manliness (AOM) Podcast. I realized, “Wow! I’ve really gotten a lot out of these podcasts!”

The AOM Podcast covers a large variety of topics from leadership to penmanship to passion to books to special forces. It’s all there at AOM. The host, Brett McKay, talks to authorities on these subjects, generally people who’ve written books about them.

I was surprised at how many of these podcasts I had started incorporating into my life from new books to sports to poetry to weight loss. AOM’s archives will give you an idea of this podcast’s diversity. Here’s six that I’ve particularly enjoyed, thought about, researched further, and implemented in my life.

  • “How to Lose Weight and Keep it Off Forever” – An interview with Layne Norton, a Ph.D. in nutritional science and a body builder. The key to long-term weight-loss, according to Norton, is calorie reduction in a sustainable way. I’ve tried a lot of things for weight loss, but based on this podcast, I’ve been able to implement and consistently follow a program that has helped me keep my calorie count down.
  • “The Spartan Regime” – This is an interview with Stephen Pressfield who has written several books on the Spartans. The Spartans were fascinating, and Pressfield brings that out well. The takeaway for me was an encouragement that manliness and poetry go together. The Spartans did not pursue much entertainment, but they devoted themselves to poetry and song as well as military affairs. I’ve always loved poetry, and this gave me a new vision for incorporating it into my life.
  • “Myths About Kids and Sports” – Leonard Zaichkowsky has written a book about the best way to get kids involved in sports and help them develop as athletes. I coached basketball this year, and I followed Zaichowsky’s suggestions. He said, focus on actually playing the game in practice. So, we emphasized doing drills less and playing games more in our practices. It was a lot more fun, and the girls progressed just as much, if not more, as in other years.
  • “How Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Will Make You a Better Man” – In this episode, Brett interviews Rener Gracie. This episode convinced me to try BJJ. I used videos at first and then started training at a local gym. I found that it was not only helpful for self-defense but also an intense, challenging, and rewarding way to work out and meet people in the community.
  • “Leadership Lessons from the 3 Greatest Ancient Commanders” – History can be boring, but Barry Strauss has a way of explaining it that really captures one’s imagination. I enjoyed this podcast so much that I started listening to Strauss’ podcast Antiquitas. I also got his book 10 Caesars on Audible and am finding an enjoyable and educational listen.
  • “How to Be a Digital Minimalist” – Cal Newport explains why becoming a digital minimalist is good and how to do it. I got several ideas from this podcast. For example, I now only use Twitter and Faceobok on my computer (not on my phone). This has helped me be more deliberate in my use of these social media platforms. It’s an issue we all probably are or need to wrestle with, and Newport has some good ideas.

Last year, my good friend John McKenzie suggested this podcast to me, and I’m very grateful that he did. So, I’m passing on the resource of the AOM podcast to you. Check it out, listen to some episodes, and let me know what you learn from them.

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Hope for a Way Out

We all have those situations where we feel there is no way out. It may be a dead end job, an addiction, negative emotions, a relationship, a city, or bad habits. These are the sorts of things that can make us bang our head against the wall or cry out to God.

In the Bible, the people of God suffered in just such a situation. One of the most powerful nations on earth oppressed them ruthlessly. They were stuck with their necks in a hard yoke of slavery.

But they escaped. How? “I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment” (Exodus 6:7). The mighty arm of God forced Egypt to give up their slaves. Israel was freed and departed to go to the land God had promised them.

From that time on, whenever Israel was stuck again, they looked to God to come down again, bare His mighty arm, and deliver them. This was their great hope: “Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness” (Ps. 96:13). “For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they” (Jeremiah 31:11).

God is the God who provides a way out. He’s the God of the Exodus, and so there is always hope for a way out.

Sometimes, however, that way out does not appear in the way we might think. In Isaiah 52, the prophet contemplates a new exodus event. He says: “The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God” (52:10). He bares His arm but not how they think, for he says, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (53:1). God’s mighty arm will be revealed, but people won’t see it or believe it. He won’t be smashing Egypt. The crushing blow will fall on the Messiah Himself He will be a suffering servant who will become a sacrifice for sin. This will provide a way out–an exodus for people stuck in sin and guilt!

I recently heard a story about someone who was stuck. He was stuck in a relationship problem. He struggled so much that he cried out to God. Eventually, God did provide a way out, but it was different than what he expected. “God changed me.” He said. That changed the relationship. He found the way out.

There’s always hope for a way out because the God of all hope is always there. The particular way out may surprise us. We may have to look carefully. We may have to change our thinking and actions. But the way out does come.

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Bella

On a Saturday morning, I was in the middle of the longest run of my life: 9+ miles. I was running up Veteran’s Boulevard in Pigeon Forge, TN back to my home in Sevierville. I had completed about half of the run when I realized I had to go to the bathroom. So, I stopped at one of the very few places where I could do that: the Burger King across from Dollywood. As I left Burger King, I started running and saw a man, presumably a tourist, taking a little dog out a minivan. Apparently, the dog thought it was a good place to use the restroom, too. This made me ask myself something I’ve often pondered. Why in the world would people want to have to take care of a little dog on their vacation? It just seems so inconvenient. Then, I had a realization that made me have a change of heart.

That change of heart began about a year ago. A young man gave my 2nd daughter a gift: a beta fish. This was the first pet that our family had ever had. My wife and I have seven children. That’s enough. We’ve always thought. We don’t need to add any pets to to this mix. Feeding seven kids is expensive enough. This decision was not based solely on costs in time and money. My wife is allergic to cats, and my oldest daughter is allergic to dogs. This provided a very effective excuse for not purchasing a pet.

But what about a fish? No one was allergic to a beta fish, as far as we knew. Even if they were, they would probably be OK, as long they didn’t eat him. In fact, it all turned out fine. Draco was a quiet resident of our house, and I don’t think I gave him another thought until December of last year.

Over Christmas break, my wife and kids traveled to Michigan to visit her family. I stayed home to work. For the first time, my daughter asked me if I would take care of her fish. She would put him upstairs, and all I had to do was feed him twice a day. I hesitated to make such a week-long commitment, but I love my daughter and so agreed.

The first couple times I fed Draco, I didn’t linger very long. Then, I started to observe him. He was a beautiful fish. I found it interesting that he seemed to know I was feeding him and came to the top to get the food. I was surprised at how much pleasure I got out of watching this fish.

Unfortunately, a month later, Draco died. I hope it wasn’t the way I fed him. Nobody knows for sure. I was sad to see him go.

This might have concluded the pet chapter in our family’s story, but the passion of my oldest and third daughters for mammalian pets had hatched a scheme to bring them into our home. They made preparations. They purchased a cage. They saved their money. They bought supplies. Then, the day came: two tiny guinea pigs! Ginny and Bella.

Here were two pets that you could hold, interact with, and actually pet. The kids loved them. I had to admit, they were cute.

Five of our kids inhabit the four bedrooms in our basement. They placed the guinea pigs’ cage in a large hallway that connects the rooms. So, when you came down the stairs, you would encounter the guinea pigs. The location of the guinea pigs meant that I would pass by them every time I descended the stairs to talk to one of my children.

At first, Bella and Ginny were startled every time someone came down. They would scurry into their tiny “house” and wait for you to depart or the light to switch off. Eventually, they grew a little bolder. They would carefully watch you, but with the slightest move toward them, they would scamper back into the house or behind it.

Then, we discovered how to make friends with them, which is basically the same way you make friends with humans. Food! I would offer them hay, and they would slowly approach me and eat it out of my hands. It gave me great pleasure to interact with these cute little furballs. I enjoy them both, but Bella is particularly beautiful. It’s OK to have favorites with guinea pigs, right?

Back to my realization. As I saw that little dog at Burger King, I thought of Bella. I thought of how much I enjoyed her, and I understood a little bit of why someone would take that little dog on a long trip and stop to walk them around and let them go potty. You get attached to these creatures. I even thought, one day, hopefully many years from now, Bella will die, and I’m sure I will shed tears.

All that went through my head as I ran past that man and his dog. That man and me, the two of us, fellow pet owners, comrades in the world of pets. But . . . there’s still no way I’m getting a little dog.

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The Exodus of Moses

When I read a novel, I often begin at the very beginning and find myself reading the acknowledgements section. The author thanks people and recounts the late nights she spent writing and editing. Then, there is the preface which gives us some background that is helpful but not always necessary. About halfway through these sections, I often think: I want to get into the story! Enough of this! Then, I move to chapter 1.

It would be easy to read the story of Moses that way. It is a sort of preface to the real story and action of the exodus of the people of God out of Egypt. This week, I’ve been reading Echoes of Exodus: Tracing Themes of Redemption Through Scripture by Alastair J. Roberts and Andrew Wilson. In this book, they explain that the story of Moses is not just introductory material. It is Moses’ own exodus story. Moses’ exodus introduces all the themes that will occur in the exodus of the nation.

Consider. Moses’ name means “Drawn out.” If we read his name that way, then we immediately begin to see the parallels with Israel being “drawn out” of Egypt and later the Red Sea. Here’s a passage from Exodus chosen at random with “Drawn Out” in the place of “Moses”:

Drawn Out saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Drawn Out thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Drawn Out! Drawn Out!”

And Drawn Out said, “Here I am.”

“Drawn Out” will be God’s instrument to draw out the Isrealites from Egypt!

When we consider Moses’ life, the parallels are even more striking. As a baby, he goes down into the water and is brought out to salvation like the Israelites at the Red Sea. 40 years later, Moses seeks to liberate the Israelites. He then has his own exodus where he escapes from Pharaoh and flees into the wilderness.

In the wilderness, God provides Moses with water. Moses then fights off the shepherds to defend the daughters of Jethro. He gets aid from Jethro. All these themes are present in Israel’s experience in the wilderness in Exodus 16–18.

Finally, Moses meets God’s fiery presence in the burning bush. We must remember that this takes place at Sinai. After Israel crosses the wilderness, they meet God’s fiery presence at Sinai just like Moses did.

Why is paying attention to these themes so significant? Roberts and Wilson suggest that we should read Scripture in a musical way. Music repeats various themes and creates tension and then resolutions or more tension in a variety of ways. Reading Scripture this way can help us see what God is drawing our attention to.

In addition, metaphors are powerful. Roberts and Wilson remind us that politicians have often used martial terminology to explain political actions such as a “War on Poverty.” They ask, what if other terms were used?

Say we talked about the frayed edges of society and recovering the stitches we once dropped. Say we lamented the unraveling of communities, addressed the knotty tangles of social problems, and aruged that belonging to close-knit families was a crucial thread in the fabric of society. (23)

The authors note that this would help us think of our problems less in terms of enemies and more “in terms of our interconnectedness and the importance of maintaining the integrity of society’s relationships” (ibid.). All that would have changed was the metaphor, but it would make a significant difference.

So in our reading of Scripture. The metaphor makes a difference. The narrative and its emphases makes a differences. Roberts and Wilson provide some helpful ways to think about how God develops the themes of the Exodus throughout the Bible. The story of Moses is just one part of it. I would certainly recommend this book for anyone who wants to “hear” themes of Exodus in the musical score God wrote in the Bible and is writing in your own life.

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