Speaking Of Life 3001 | To Photograph the Unseeable
Greg Williams

In April of 2019, a strange picture hit the newsfeed and went viral. After ten straight years of work by a team of 200 scientists, they were able to photograph the unseeable. Most of us remember this picture of Sagittarius A, the first black hole to ever be photographed.

This blurry image shows the silhouette of the black hole against the radioactive gas around its event horizon. The black hole can’t be seen because it swallows and destroys light itself.

Sagittarius A is 26,000 light-years away, 156 quadrillion miles. Looking at it is like trying to read a newspaper in LA while sitting in New York. The picture of it is the work of lasers, telescopes, satellites, and acres of equations we can’t even imagine. This image is an approximation of a reflection of an idea of what it might be like.

Prophecy in its biblical form is similar, a reflection of a refraction of a reality. It’s usually rendered in the language of the apocalyptic like Mark 13:

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.”
Mark 13:24-26 (ESV)

This genre of writing is wild, highly symbolic, and more interested in conveying feelings than events. Jesus is talking about the apocalyptic events of the destruction of the temple, which would happen in the next generation. This is also a brief glimmer of the great apocalypse at his second coming.

Again, the writing is meant to explain feelings, not catalog events, or map out timelines. As we enter the advent season, we reflect on the miraculous events of God entering our world in human form and the hope of a Messiah!

Whether we become mesmerized by the puzzle pieces of scripture coming together, a child from the line of David, born in Bethlehem. Or cosmic events, a new star appearing in the east and angels in the sky. The real event is Immanuel himself.

God with Mary and Joseph in the animal stall. God with us today in our place and space. And God with us in his pending return.

In spite of all of the trappings, attractions, and details of the season that can vie for our attention it is the presence and person of Jesus who is the star!

I’m Greg Williams, speaking of life.

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Speaking Of Life 2052 | No Room for Bullies
Jeff Broadnax

Let me set up a dilemma for you and then I’m going to ask you to solve it. Ready?

You are a farmer who raises cattle and you get up one morning to check on your herd in the pasture.

As you approach, you realize something is terribly wrong. Cows are running everywhere out of control. Each cow seems to be gripped in fear and running in a crazed panic. The pasture is getting destroyed, and the cows are injuring themselves by running into one another.

That’s when you see it.

In the middle of the chaos is one large bull with horns. For some reason, this bull is charging every cow in the pasture.

Now, what do you do?

You are probably throwing your hands up right now thinking, “really Jeff, you need help figuring this one out?” It’s obvious, right?

You get rid of the bull. Problem solved!

But wait, not so fast.

Before you get to the gate you hear one of your neighbors shout: “Hey, before you remove that bull. Can you really judge a bull for being a bully?”

Now, what do you do?

Well, that’s an easy one too. You give the bull into the “loving” care of your neighbor. Get it??

Thanks for playing along.

With all pastoral puns aside, you probably have heard Jesus referred to as our Good Shepherd. Ezekiel was a prophet in a time when the nation of Israel was longing for a good shepherd to lead them. The political leaders of the time were doing what some of our leaders still do today; taking good care of the rich and ignoring how the poor and marginal were being treated. They refused to judge and intervene when the powerful “bullied” and took advantage of those with less power.

In Ezekiel 34, the prophet points to a Savior, a Shepherd who would come from the line of David who would do the opposite of what the world does. He would make extra room for the weak, tenderly care for the disenfranchised. He’d ensure that his flock is not scattered, bringing unity.

Here’s a verse that proclaims the good news of Jesus as our Shepard:

Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. Ezekiel 34:20-22

Thankfully, we have a Sovereign Lord who judges righteously. And notice that his judgment is for the good of the whole flock leaving no sheep behind. God’s judgment is in and the same as the Good Shepherd, aiming for the safety and provision for all the flock in his care.  

May the good news that God has judged you worthy of his grace, mercy, and love enable you to feel safe in his care. Let us not be like the neighbor allowing bulls to create chaos and injure those with less power. Empowered by the Spirit, let us join Jesus in bringing peace.

I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking Of Life 2051 | Skin Your Knees
Greg Williams

One of Jesus’ most famous parables is about the wise and foolish servants, told in Matthew 25. A wealthy man goes on a journey and leaves a certain amount of money with each servant. Upon his return, the first two servants gave good reports. The first servant, given ten talents (which would be more than 10 million dollars today), made ten more. The second servant, given five talents, made five more. Then the rich landowner congratulates them both on their shrewd investing and hard work. The last servant, given one talent, hides it away and does nothing. His master curses him when he returns.

Typical of Jesus’ parables, this story can be applied in many ways through our lives. It can tell us about the use of our gifts, the multiplication of the kingdom, our personal spiritual growth. Throughout all these interpretations of the metaphor, the theme is trust. The wise servants had to step out in trust—trust that God (the main character of the story) had given them these gifts for a reason. Trust that God would take care of them and that he’d be pleased with their engagement, even more so than results. Notice that the ten talent and five talent servants both received the same amount of praise.

God calls us up like that—to engage in life, use the talents he gave us, get out on the field, skin your knees, love others no matter the results. When we do this, we step out in the confidence that he is taking care of us and that the world he made is worth engaging in. To keep our gifts and our hearts to ourselves is to have them spoil.

To engage in life is to give ourselves a chance to live in trust, to need him and not just ourselves. The loser of this parable is not someone who lost or didn’t come out with only okay results. The loser is the one who hid his investment away, who disengaged, who refused for fear of skinning his knees.

Let us be servants who confidently, invest the gifts we have been given. Trusting that our master not only has equipped us but is going out with us. Longing to hear these tremendous words of affirmation.

‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ Matthew 25:23 (ESV) 

God invites us into relationship and participation. Go out and skin your knees!

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life

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Speaking Of Life 2050 | Pinky Promise
Cara Garrity

When I was a kid, my friends and I would often make promises to each other. If we really wanted to emphasize our commitment, we’d say things like “Cross my heart and hope to die” or we might extend our little finger and hook our friend’s little finger in a “pinky promise.” While we might change our minds about keeping regular promises, a pinky promise was not to be broken. This gesture showed we meant to keep our word.

The Bible is filled with promises, though sometimes in the Old Testament, they’re called covenants. There are several examples of God’s faithfulness in keeping the covenants made with ancient Israel. There are also several examples of people who broke their covenant with God. What is fascinating is to note that the unfaithfulness of the Israelites did not affect God’s faithfulness to them. The Old Testament prophets express God’s grief over the broken promises made, but they always reassure God’s people that God will never break his promises to them. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises. His resurrection, for example, gives us the promise that we will also be resurrected. Many wondered about this promise.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica when they were wondering if God meant to keep his promise of resurrection:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NRSV)

The Thessalonians were grieving and asking big questions: What happens to our loved ones after death? What happens to us? These big questions were a way of asking God, “Are you going to keep your promise of resurrection?”
And as we see in this passage, Paul affirms God’s willingness to raise us by giving us evidence: the very resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus spoke about his certainty in God’s promise of resurrection before he died in John chapter 11:

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” John 11:25

Jesus believed in God’s ability to raise him from the dead, and Paul reminds us that the God who kept his promise of resurrection to Jesus will also keep that same promise to us. Pinky promise.

May you live today in the security of God’s pinky promises, knowing that he is faithful, and Jesus is proof.

I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking Of Life 2049 | Religious Sinners
Greg Williams

Matthew 23 records one of Jesus’ characteristic critiques of the Pharisees. It is as fiery as ever, taking aim at their religious pride in being seen in sacred clothing and given prominent places in society.

He Begins his critique:

“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.” Matthew 23:2-4 (NRSV)

He continues to rebuke for eight more verses. It’s tame compared to some other diatribes where Jesus calls them a brood of vipers or white-washed tombs—clean on the outside, deadness, and waste within.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus’ strongest words were for those who claimed to be religious leaders. He hangs out with prostitutes, touches lepers, and heals the servants of the occupying Roman soldiers—all while providing words of encouragement. But then, we see his other side, where he is direct and blunt with religious leaders. Why is this?

Perhaps a case of familiarity breeds contempt? These religious leaders were so familiar with theology and sacred practice that they ignored Jesus’ message. You can almost hear them: “We’re the masters of theology; we’re the arbiters of truth, who is this kid?” Jesus, in some sense, turns up the volume to get their attention.

Let’s keep in mind that the Pharisees, by any measure we could come up with, were devout people. Really disciplined people. They were morally pure, ethically flawless, they tithed meticulously and helped the poor. They knew their scripture (the Old Testament) better than any of us ever will.

Jesus’ message for them—and for all of us—is that we all need the re-creating Spirit in us. The Law can’t do it, even when followed to the letter, the heart needs to be replaced and reborn. Even these “good guys” had their sins – hypocrisy, pride, judgementalism. They needed healing just as bad as the non-religious that they looked down on.

When we look at Jesus, we find him comforting and weeping with the obvious sinners such as tax collectors, prostitutes, and drunks. It was the refined, educated, religious sinners that made him scream.

Have you ever asked, what it is that might make him scream today? I would suggest it is when we put religion over relationship. When we start to think that what we know is more important than who we know—and who knows us. When we believe we have it right and others have it wrong. When we stop thinking we need healing. When we stop being transformed.

Jesus transforms lives—the stories of Nicodemus and Paul fill us with the hope that as he healed and transformed them so HE heals and transforms us!

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking Of Life 2048 | Ministry With Jesus
Jeff Broadnax

Samuel Logan Brengle was an influential spiritual leader for the Salvation Army early in the 19th century. He was once asked, “What are the greatest temptations you face in ministry?”

After a moment of reflection, Brengle responded with this insight: “There is really only one temptation in ministry. If we succumb to it then it opens the door to all the others.” That one temptation, Brengle described, was the temptation to do something for God before spending time with God.

Whether you serve in a formal ministry capacity within the church, or if your ministry is carried out in the context of your daily routine; this is a temptation we all face. Especially in our busy, fast-pace society where task or doing can edge out relationship.

Maybe we should go one step further with Brengle’s insight. Not only should we place priority on spending time with God before doing ministry for God, but we should see ministry itself as another way of spending time with God.

This is how Jesus talked about ministry when he said,

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. John 5:19-20

Jesus and his Father are still doing ministry today by the Spirit, and Jesus invites us to participate. He doesn’t need us to get some task done for the Father. Rather, he wants us to come to know the Father’s love as he knows it as we participate in his ministry. Like a friendship, we come to know the other best as we share life together. Ministry should not be a task that interferes with our relationship with the Father. Rather, it is another way of participating in that relationship where we come to know the Father’s love for us and the whole world.

What a difference it makes to move from doing ministry for Jesus to participating in ministry with Jesus.

I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking Of Life 2047 | Whose Likeness
Greg Williams

This is the coin in use around the time of Christ. Look closely at it and you see a major problem for the Jews of the day. The inscription reads: “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus.” This puts Caesar in a divine place, which—in the Jewish and Christian mind—could only be occupied by God. According to the scribes, to own and handle this coin was a violation of the first commandment.

The moneychangers in the famous temple cleansing were changing blasphemous Roman coins for those which would have been acceptable for use in the temple. When Jesus asked to see the coin in Matthew 22:19, he exposed the fact that they all carried the Roman coins on them because they had to.

He then asks his famous question as they look on the coin in verse 20: “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”. They answer that its Caesar’s and he diffuses the tense conversation: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Matthew writes this with a wink toward Genesis 1:26, “Let us make humans in our likeness.” That Greek word for “likeness” is the same in both places.

The question behind the question is this: whose likeness is stamped on you? Whose image and likeness do you bear? So yes, we do “render to Caesar” our taxes; property tax, federal tax, state tax, sales tax, etc. but we are to give—or render—ourselves unto God, whose likeness we bear. What does that mean?

Part of that rendering or not rendering hinges on where we place our trust. Do we place our trust in Caesar—government—realizing there is no perfect, complete form of government—or anything or anyone—on earth? No, we know we cannot trust in a government to bring in “heaven on earth.”

Only God can forgive us, save us, redeem us, and shape us. His is the likeness we bear, and through the power of the Spirit, we are continuing to be transformed into his image.

I’m Greg Williams Speaking of Life.

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Speaking Of Life 2046 | Dissolving Disagreements
Cara Garrity

I have a friend with two small preschool boys, and because they’re so close in age, they have a tendency to fight over toys. To keep her sanity, she told them that if they can’t resolve their disagreement without fighting, they have to work on a 100-piece puzzle until they finish it. For two preschool boys, a 100-piece puzzle takes an eternity to finish. They have to work together, and by the time they’re done, they’ve forgotten what they were angry about.

This story reminds me of a reference in the Bible to two adults who were at odds. It appears in the letter to the Philippians where Paul writes,

I urge Euodia and Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Philippians 4:2-3 (NRSV)

The Bible is silent about what caused division between these two women, but it’s clear from the text that they had worked together well, even against difficulties, to promote the good news about Jesus and his love and acceptance. Their disagreement can make us pause when we think about holding grudges or having a negative attitude against others, particularly those who are believers.

While many things can cause disagreements in relationships, this passage presents a challenge to be “of the same mind in the Lord.” This shifts our perspective. It’s like the story I told about my friend’s little boys who were fighting over toys. When the little boys had the same goal in mind—finishing that puzzle—they remembered that they really loved each other, and their fight over the toys didn’t really seem that important anymore.

As believers, much of what we disagree about might be important to us, but probably isn’t a dealbreaker when it comes to whether or not we believe in Jesus’s acceptance and love for everybody. It’s our human tendency to focus on smaller issues. These might seem easier to control or judge in ourselves and others rather than holding on to the reality of Christ’s mind being in each of us through the Holy Spirit.

Paul’s correction to Euodia and Syntyche is to lift their eyes from their disagreement and see the goodness of God’s Spirit at work in them and through them. This is having “the same mind in the Lord.”

If we’re spectators to a disagreement, our role is like the “loyal companion” Paul addresses and encourages us to help those at odds to see each other in a different light. Rather than listening to complaints, we point to Christ and call one another up to be of one mind in him.

So, the next time you feel irritated at a brother or sister in Christ, you don’t need to do a 100-piece puzzle. Instead, look to Jesus and focus on the goodness of the Holy Spirit. Notice the same Spirit that is working in you is also working in them and through them. He is there; you just need the right mindset to see.  

Praying for you “to be of the same mind in the Lord,”

I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking Of Life 2045 | The Cornerstone Question
Greg Williams

I am no carpenter by the stretch of anyone’s imagination. Even though I did contract my own house in Fayetteville, North Carolina, I was there from the day we dug the footings until the locks were set on the front door.

In my construction experience, I crossed paths with many people in the building trade – framers, cabinet makers, brick masons, and others. A universal lesson I learned is that it is extremely difficult to get square corners and straight lines. And throw out the idea of ever building a perfect house.

In God’s self-revelation in the person of Jesus, the answer to square corners and straight lines is addressed.

Notice the metaphor Jesus uses in Matthew:

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?  Matthew 21:42 (ESV)

When the stonemasons looked through the quarries, they looked for the cornerstone which had the exact lines, weight, and shape to hold a whole structure together. They might use rejected or misshapen stones somewhere else in a building, but the cornerstone had to be flawless and fit the gap exactly or the whole structure falls.

This is how we might frame the question of Christ in our own minds and in our conversations with those who don’t know Jesus. Come at it from one direction, and it might seem absurd: an itinerant peasant preacher from nowhere is actually God? But if you see the gospel as the cornerstone—as that foundational starting piece that makes all the other pieces hold together, then the cornerstone—originally rejected because he didn’t seem to fit—holds up the whole structure.

The gospel doesn’t always make life easier, or even happier, or even more exciting, but it does enable life to make sense. That’s why Jesus is the answer to the cornerstone question.

And it is in him that you and I are fitly framed together and made strong. And it is him the perfect house is being constructed.

I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.

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Speaking Of Life 2044 | Open Hands Close Eyes
Jeff Broadnax

If someone told you to “hold out your hands and close your eyes” what would you do?

I know what you might be thinking. “Well, it depends on who told me to hold out my hands and close my eyes.’” Right?

In fact, you may remember an experience of this in your past. Maybe you were that schoolgirl on the playground who was tricked into having a slimy toad placed in your hands by the schoolyard jokester. You probably didn’t find it very funny.

Or maybe after complying to this request someone took advantage of you by taking your wallet, or jumping in front of you in line. Again, not very funny!

Such jokes are hard to pull off twice. If they tried it again you probably responded with folded arms and eyes wide-opened.

Trust and obedience go hand-in-hand.

Fortunately, there are people in our lives that have proven over time that they love us, are for us and would never do anything to trick or harm us. If one of these persons told you to “Hold out your hands and close your eyes” you would jump to compliance—maybe with anticipation—knowing you are likely about to receive something wonderful.

Again, trust and obedience go hand-in-hand.

Now, ask yourself this question. What if God the Father told you to “hold out your hands and close your eyes?”

He’s asked it before. In fact, this is what the Father asked his own Son to do. On the cross, Jesus held out his hands to share his father’s love with the whole world.

Jesus had an eternal history with the Father. In that history, Jesus knew the Father to be good, trustworthy, and full of grace. Even in stretching his hands out on the cross and closing his eyes in death he knew his father would not trick him or leave him hanging. In the end, he knew he would receive something wonderful.

And he did. He received the Father’s own hand lifting him up in glory. And now in Jesus, the Father extends that same open hand to you, promising to lift you up in his Son to a wonderful glory beyond anything we could possibly imagine.

Here’s how one Psalm speaks of the faithfulness of the Father:

“You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them.”

If you are searching for one to be faithfully near to you, might I suggest you simply open your hands and close your eyes and ask Jesus to show you his Father. He’ll hear your cry and save you.

I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.

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