The Epistles of St. Chad

Hello, Again

2006-09-04T17:55:00.000-07:00

It's been well over a year since I put up an epistle. In that time I've married, moved to a new farm which I share with my bride, seven dogs, twenty-three chickens, and soon, two Angora goats. An idyllic, if sometimes messy, existence!

God is so good. Also in the last year He has seen fit to restore me to mental and emotional health that I have not enjoyed since I was a child. It's not necessary to go into detail; suffice it to say that He has healed an old wound of many years' duration and taken away the pain it engendered.

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. " I Thessalonians 5:18.

What a challenge! The call, as I see it, is twofold. First, in every situation, whether pleasant or unpleasant, easy or hard, joyful or sorrowful, give thanks. Well, this requires quite enough discipline; in difficult or painful circumstances, to identify the good things God is nonetheless doing, and to thank Him for them? To find the energy for such an endeavor does not come naturally to us, so it must come to us supernaturally, that is, by the good assistance of the Holy Spirit. When we bend our will to obeying this dictate of God's, however, I believe He blesses our obedience in it and gives more grace.

The further step is even harder, but this is the challenge I have been feeling lately. Hold it before yourself and the Lord in prayer and see if you don't feel the challenge, too: "For everything give thanks." We might be able to manage that on a rainy day. After all, though we may not enjoy it, rain is good and necessary. Or when we stub our toe; it hurts but there's no real harm done and maybe it's a good reminder to watch where we're going! But what about a flood that destroys my home? What about a newborn baby who does not survive? What about lost jobs and mounting bills that destroy my financial security through no fault of my own?

Giving thanks for such things is always the farthest thing from our minds at those moments. Usually our prayer is "Why?" "Why did you let this happen, God? What I did do to deserve this? Haven't I tried to follow You, to keep Your commandments? Why am I being punished this way?"

Such complaining ill befits the saint of God. If we believe that "all things work together for good to them that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose"; if we believe He "knows the end from the beginning"; that "no weapon formed against us will prevail"; then we have no business questioning Him and and second-guessing Him, concluding in a difficult moment that He does not know or care what is best for us. And "best for us" does not necessarily mean new cars, nice houses, plenty of money, or even perfect health. "Best for us" is whatever brings us to the point of seeing that our strength, intelligence and talents are insufficient to the task, that all our righteousness is filthy rags, and that we don't have a clue what's best for us. What's best for us is whatever crucifies our flesh so that the life of Christ may be resurrected in us, learning to cast all our cares on Him and knowing - knowing - that He does all things well. When we begin to learn this, then we can start to give thanks for all things. Let's at least start with rainy days and stubbed toes.

There is at least one more good reason why we should give thanks for all things, and maybe this is easier. In John 16:33 Jesus made us two promises. Number one - "In the world you will have trouble". Yes, no problem grasping that one. We know about the trouble part, that all around and easy to see. "But", Jesus continued, "be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Notice He didn't say "I will". He said "I have". It's all taken care of, child of God. Whatever you may be going through, the end will be victorious and glorious, because Jesus has overcome. The next time we find ourselves in trouble, painful and hard, let's try thanking God for the overcoming in Jesus. The blessings will follow.

God bless,

- Chad

How Could You?

2005-06-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

Today's epistle is a bit different. In my daily life I'm an animal control officer for the town I live in. I saw the following on-line and thought it was a powerful piece, so I want to pass it along. I believe, as did St. Francis of Assissi, that animals are our "little brothers and sisters", and to treat then gently and humanely is no more than what God requires of us as stewards of this earth.

God bless,

- Chad

HOW COULD YOU?
By Jim Willis, 2001

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask, "How could you?" -- but then you'd relent and roll me over for a bellyrub. My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs" you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love." As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your touch was now so infrequent -- and I would've defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf. Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said, "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers." You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar, as he screamed "No, Daddy, please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked, "How could you?"

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind -- that this was all a bad dream... or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me.When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.

I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden that she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?" Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said, "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself -- a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her. It was directed at you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of you. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

A Note from the Author: If "How Could You?" brought tears to your eyes as you read it, as it did to mine as I wrote it, it is because it is the composite story of the millions of formerly "owned" pets who die each year in American & Canadian animal shelters. Anyone is welcome to distribute the essay for a noncommercial purpose, as long as it is properly attributed with the copyright notice. Please use it to help educate, on your websites, in newsletters, on animal shelter and vet office bulletin boards. Tell the public that the decision to add a pet to the family is an important one for life, that animals deserve our love and sensible care, that finding another appropriate home for your animal is your responsibility and any local humane society or animal welfare league can offer you good advice, and that all life is precious. Please do your part to stop the killing, and encourage all spay & neuter campaigns in order to prevent unwanted animals. Jim Willis

Kingdoms

2005-04-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

[Jesus said,] “My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36.

Ever since September 11, 2001, we have been a fearful nation. In the wake of the first attack on American soil in living memory we Americans realize, perhaps for the first time, how vulnerable we are and how fragile this life is. That has frightened us. And we Christians have not been immune to that fear. If 9/11 accomplished anything, perhaps it convinced us that we cannot put our trust in men, in governments, in the force of arms. No matter how well-intentioned, how pure of purpose, how Godly our government might be it cannot, in the final analysis, protect us from injury or death.

The United States of America were founded on, if not Christian, certainly Scriptural principles of justice, fairness, compassion, humility. This is well. For those reasons, and because it’s my home, I love my country. I am proud to be an American. But I am bound to recognize that the United States is not God’s chosen people, that God’s fortune is not bestowed upon us simply because we are the United States and enjoy some sort of privileged access.

I am convinced that all attempts to institute a theocracy, a God-centered government, are doomed to failure. Why? Because none of the kingdoms of this earth are Christ’s Kingdom. Instead of lobbying on Capitol Hill, trying to inculcate our government with Godly principles, I believe we Christians ought to be doing the work we are commanded to do, namely preaching the Gospel. Godliness cannot be legislated, it can only be born.

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?" So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Joshua 5:13-14.

In the affairs of humans God works His will and purpose without reference to the identity or politics of the nations involved. His only concern, His only goal on earth, is to draw people back to Himself through the redeeming work of Christ. Let us, as Christians, not waste our time and energy urging more and stronger laws to prohibit sinful behavior; let us rather pray that God gives us the opportunity and the courage to lead others to Him through Jesus. The only true way to change behavior is to change the heart, and only God by the Holy Spirit can do that. When a person is reborn in Christ by the Spirit of God, God will work within the heart to change not only behaviors, but attitudes and feelings as well, to come into obedience with His will.

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Matthew 5:44.

To return briefly, in closing, to the topic we started with, the 9/11 terrorist attacks: how many of us have prayed that Osama Bin Laden would be saved? Or Saddam Hussein? Or any of the people who hate the U.S. and plot to do it harm? I have personally never heard anybody make that prayer request. Instead we send our sons and daughters into battle, hoping to extirpate all such people from the face of the earth. But this is not God’s way; God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to everlasting life. It has often been remarked what an unlikely candidate for apostlehood was Saul, also called St. Paul. He persecuted the early church and pursued Christians, “breathing out threats and slaughter”. God chose him anyway, for reasons of His own.

So let us be obedient to God – let us pray, preach, love everybody, and look forward confidently and hopefully to the day when Christ establishes His Kingdom, and “God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4)."

God bless,

- Chad

Footwashing

2005-04-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. John 13:3-5.

We have heard this story a number of times and been taught it as an example of humility that Jesus left us. We ought to be willing to debase ourselves, as the Master did, even unto washing another’s feet. We hear the point made that washing another’s feet in that day was not like it would be today; those people wore sandals and walked everywhere so their feet were very dirty at the end of the day. Consequently anyone washing another’s feet would be doing a dirty, nasty job, almost literally groveling in the dirt. Christians throughout the ages have engaged in foot-washing ceremonies, wanting to emulate Jesus’ willingness to humble Himself before another person as a form of ritual self-mortification.

In reading this passage recently, however, it struck me that to view this incident from Jesus’ life in that way might be missing the point. Why, does the Scripture say, did Jesus wash His disciples’ feet? Because He knew “that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God”. Jesus knew what He had; He knew where He had come from; and He knew where He was going. I submit that because this is so, Jesus’ humility or lack thereof was a non-issue. For Jesus, washing another’s feet neither exalted Him nor debased Him, because He was secure in the knowledge of where He stood in relationship to God the Father, and in His place in the universe. Performing some task that needed to done meant nothing to either His glory or humility. It was merely a task that needed to be done.

So, I believe, it should be for us who know and endeavor to follow the Lord. Do we truly know what the Father has put in our hands? Do we truly know that we come from God, and some day we will go to God? If so then the performance of any task in love and service to another, no matter how simple, or dirty, or “humble”, should be able to affect our “self-esteem”, our “sense of self-worth”, one way or the other. “…[A]s He is, so shall we be in this world”(1 John 4:17). This is God’s promise and command to us.

God bless,

- Chad

Secret Sins

2005-03-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

[Jesus said,] "You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28-29)

Throughout His ministry Jesus used the Law of Moses in the way I believe God intended it to be used, to demonstrate to us how incapable we are of fulfilling its demands. We humans want rules when it comes to a relationship with God; if we can obey all of them we can feel sure of earning our salvation by our own merits. If we can comply with every jot and tittle of the Law we can stand and pray with ourselves, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men” (Luke 18:10). But God’s ways are not our ways.

We humans spend a lot of time thinking about sex. After the need for food and sleep it is our most powerful biological need. To exacerbate the situation for us we are bombarded with sex information and sexually arousing images from television, film, print media, the Internet. So how do we avoid “lusting after” someone and committing adultery in our hearts?

There are two answers to this. The first is that I believe, when Jesus said this, he was speaking about something more than that instantaneous sexual attraction, that little physical “zing” we sometimes experience toward another person. If it was this that Jesus was speaking about we are truly all without hope. But I don’t believe this is what Jesus meant. When He says “lusting after” I believe He means thinking about that other person in a sexual way, fantasizing – even pursuing. This sort of “lusting after” requires an act of the will, which the other does not.

The other answer is, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” God, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, the Christ-life within us, can transform our hearts and bar our way into this kind of self-destructive and disobedient behavior. When we are “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind[s],” (Romans 12:2) we will fulfill the “good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (ibid.).

Preachers down through the ages have used Matthew 5:28-29 to try and keep a rein on their congregations’ impulses toward sexual dalliance. In much the same way as my father, when he saw I was considering some act of obedience, would warn me “Don’t even think about it!” pastors have urged their parishioners to steer clear of the whole topic of sexual immorality altogether. But surely this laudable and good effort was doomed to failure, and the history of the Church is replete with examples that it did fail, among communicants and clergy alike. Why? Because we, in our own strength, cannot fulfill the Law.

So far, so good. We now understand that “unless God builds the house, they labor in vain that build it”, that God alone is capable of creating holiness within us. “But so what?” we might answer. “I don’t lust in my heart after anybody, and I certainly don’t commit adultery.” But as I read this passage this morning it seemed to me that Jesus was talking about more than just sexual sin. We focus on sexual sin because, well, it’s what we do. Some of us have gotten the idea that sexual sin is the worst type of sin. Others like to go on about sexual sin because they’re not vulnerable to it, so they can enjoy feeling superior to those of us who are.

Jesus’ point in Matthew 5 is twofold. First, it’s not enough to appear to be holy. Doing things that God approves, and not doing things that He condemns, will not justify you in His eyes. We must have holy hearts. Second, we don’t have the ability, absent the Holy Spirit, to conform our hearts to God’s law. Look again at what Jesus says in Matthew 5. He equates what we would characterize as a harmless sexual fantasy with adultery. Earlier, He equated calling your brother a fool with murder.

If such common little human impulses are on a par with murder and adultery, what hope do any of us have? Only one. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which 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). We must die to all those little human, i.e. anti-God, impulses, and be resurrected in the life of Christ.

God bless,

- Chad

Lobsters and Babies

2005-03-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

A while ago my son e-mailed me an article about some research done by Norwegian scientists. The study indicates that lobsters don’t have sufficiently complex nervous systems to feel pain while they’re being cooked. I forwarded the article to a vegetarian friend of mine, just to rag her a bit. (We have that kind of relationship around this topic.) She responded, quite correctly, by pointing out that the study was funded by the Maine lobstering industry, which might cast a doubt on its impartiality. Nevertheless, I do not believe lobsters have very well developed pain receptors.

Anybody who knows me knows that I believe we have a God-imposed responsibility to treat animals, whom St. Francis of Assisi called "our little brothers and sisters", humanely. Even when we kill them for food it should be done with as little suffering as possible. It's axiomatic that those who would inflict needless suffering on animals are as likely to do so to humans. The time-honored practice of killing a lobster quickly before boiling was developed by good-hearted people to minimize potential suffering, “just in case”. Those who oppose boiling lobsters do so because they hate the idea of imposing suffering on a defenseless creature. It’s a laudable sentiment and I respect it.

As I thought about this it occurred to me to wonder why some people concern themselves with whatever suffering a lobster might experience when it's boiled, but give much less thought to the suffering a human fetus experiences as it's aborted from its mother's uterus. Many of the same people who loudly declaim "Fur is murder!" are comfortable with the term "partial birth abortion" (which I see as an intellectually dishonest term; I prefer “infanticide”. Please click here, http://www.abortioninfo.net/facts/pba.shtml, for a description of the procedure. While the site is anti-abortion, the information is nonetheless accurate.)

[I should also note that by “abortion” I mean elective abortion, to end an unplanned or inconvenient pregnancy. There are abortions performed when necessary to save the life of the mother. I have a friend who was recently faced with this painful choice; there is no easy way to resolve it.]

Plenty of scientific data exist to show that human fetuses' nervous systems develop early in the first trimester (http://www.wprc.org/trimester1.phtml), yet “pro-choice” advocates don’t seem to spend a lot of time discussing that. Why would they? They are people, too, and the idea of subjecting a human fetus to an agonizing death is too horrific to think about. I think many “pro-choice” people prefer to think of a fetus as a mass of inchoate tissue, especially in the first trimester; that denial of the facts makes the choice to abort easier.

I don't have any anti-abortion stickers on my car; I'm not going to try to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. If their hearts were hard enough to render that decision in the first place, they're not going to be dissuaded by me now. If the sea-change in our attitude toward abortion is to come, it must come from us, not the government. So I guess I'm just asking us to offer at least as much consideration to human fetuses as we do to lobsters.

God bless,

- Chad

More Info

2005-03-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I promised an epistle on abortion. That can wait, actually; it occurred to me that some might ask, "Who is this Chad guy, and what kind of megalomaniac is he to think that anything he says is of interest to anybody?" So, a little more background:

I was raised in an evangelical Protestant church. Though I went to Sunday School, learned Bible verses, etc., I date my actual "conversion" or spiritual rebirth in Christ to when I was 15. That's when it started to be real to me. I went to a divinity school after high school, but didn't really fit in and was asked to leave after my first year. In retrospect that looks like a blessing, though it was a big disappointment at the time.

I married at age 20, and my wife and I had two beautiful sons. The marriage had problems, however, and I, being immature and naive, didn't handle them well. In 1981 we separated, eventually to divorce. In the wake of that divorce I got some pretty rough handling from some Christian brethren which precipitated a "crisis of faith" in me; I wondered how followers of Christ could behave that way, and if they could, was Christianity really valid?

For the next 12 or 14 years I “went prodigal”, staying away from church and pretty much anything to do with Christ. The fruits of that dark time of doubt were two more failed marriages, drug and alcohol abuse – the same old sad story. Eventually I understood that there would be no adequate substitute for the “God-shaped hole” within me, and re-surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, this time for good.

Though I turned again to Christ in 1993, it was four more years before I ventured back to church, fearing more of the same kind of abuse that had driven me away to begin with. Gradually though, I realized that I couldn’t expect anybody in church to be any holier than I, and I knew how holy I wasn’t. I went back to church expecting occasional friction or conflict, and haven’t been disappointed!

Which brings me to my point: If there were no difference between Christ and us, we wouldn’t need Christ! “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” [Ephesians 2:7-9]. This is how God does things, in a way that we humans would least expect. Most of the world’s other “major religions” stress good works as the path to salvation. God has “leveled the playing field” by requiring that we all come to Him the same way, by the Blood of Christ.

As far as this blog is concerned, God gives us gifts and mine is apparently one of gab. Down through the years I’ve often felt led/inspired/impressed to share with others what I’ve learned from Scripture. This is a perfect way to do it, while sparing the reader the sometimes troubling aspects of my personal history! I pray that it blesses you.

You’ll notice that I don’t offer the opportunity to respond on the blog. We’re all aware of what kinds of unpleasant content the World Wide Web can facilitate! and I’d like this place to be a haven from that kind of stuff. I do welcome your comments at cftIII@gmail.com. Until next time.

God bless,

- Chad

Introduction

2005-03-09T02:00:00.000-08:00

Hello, everybody! My name is Chad and this is my brand new blog. I'm a Protestant Christian, and since Protestants hold that all believers are saints, rather than a select few, I'm St. Chad! (I mention this for the sake of those [Catholics, some Anglicans, and Eastern Orthodox] who view saints as a discrete few; I, as a Protestant, consider all believers to be saints, rather than holding myself out as one of the select few.)
There was an actual St. Chad in the 600s in England - see more about him here, http://www.saintchads.org.uk/stchad.htm . I just learned about him last week and since Anglicans, who are Protestant, revere him as an example of Christ-like life, I feel o.k. about thinking of him the same way.

A note about all this Protestant/Roman Catholic thing: I was raised in Protestantism, so it's my heritage. However, I've rejected an early conditioning to an anti-Catholic bias; the Bible says "if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved"[Romans 10:9 ]. So I hold that all who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior are Christians, even though on other ancillary doctrinal points I, or anybody else, can be mistaken. Thank God for His grace, His mercy, and His love! His requirements for salvation are few and simply comprehended. If it were up to us the requirements would be long, complicated and only include the people who agree with us in every particular. A short list, to be sure.

Next, some thoughts on abortion. Hint: I'm against it. See you next time.

God bless,

- Chad