Grace

Scare the hell out of you?

by Larry Hehn on January 8, 2012

“Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation.” – Henry Ward Beecher

While driving through town a few years ago, I was surprised to see the sign in front of All Peoples Church. So surprised that I went home, grabbed my camera and drove back to take a picture.

Not many would be able to drive by the church and miss their sign’s big, bold message:

READ THE BIBLE.
IT WILL SCARE THE HELL
OUT OF YOU

I suppose I could have called the church and asked them why they posted that sign. I could have chosen to be offended. I could have chosen to dismiss it as nothing more than a well-intended play on words.

If nothing else, it certainly got me thinking.

I thought of the fellow “Christians” who told my daughter that some friends of hers who are homosexual are going to burn in hell, and wondered whether that helped her friends get any closer to God. While I don’t endorse their lifestyle, I have no right to judge them or condemn them to hell when I am just as deserving of such a fate.

Sin is sin, and we are all guilty.

I thought of my past failures, some quite big and ugly, and how some “Christians” met me with condemnation, and some with compassion.

I know where I felt the presence of God the most.

I don’t doubt that there is a hell, and that it is a place that we all should avoid. However, I do believe that there is a big difference between “going to heaven” and “avoiding hell”.

And while I can never claim to fully comprehend God and His character, what I’ve read in the Bible has convinced me that, rather than dangle me over hell as a threat, He would prefer to welcome me with love and compassion, and offer heaven as an exciting alternative.

The Lord is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. – Psalm 145:8

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:32

“…And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.” – Luke 15:20-22

No, reading my Bible doesn’t scare the hell out of me. But it does help me to desire heaven more.

What do you think of the message on that sign?

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No Christmas Gifts for Prisoners?

by Larry Hehn on December 19, 2011

To celebrate the close of 2011, we’re counting down the Top 10 posts from the history of Christian in the Rough. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!

Here is post #10:

Some people at my office were fuming on Friday.

When I asked what was bothering them, they referred me to an article in the Toronto Sun about the Salvation Army giving Christmas gifts to prison inmates. I was amazed at how upset they were. Some forwarded emails in protest, some called the Salvation Army to complain, and some swore they wouldn’t donate to the Salvation Army ever again.

All because the Salvation Army is giving small gift bags to prisoners for Christmas, as a way of building bridges between them and the community.

I like what Salvation Army’s Canadian national spokesman Andrew Burditt had to say about their program, which has been running for years: “The Salvation Army has a real focus on restorative justice. We have this belief that no one is beyond redemption. The Salvation Army serves without discrimination in every aspect across the country.”

But judging by the reaction, not everyone feels the same way:

“I am saddened by the story and feel raged to know my contributions have been going to child molesters and murderers.”

“So the SA wants us to feel sorry for a guy who has been in prison for 27 years and never received a gift? Perhaps if he hadn’t killed and eaten everyone he knows…”

“Last of my donations as they were for the less fortunate, not molesters.”

“for f*** sakes. this was the final charity i would give to because they were the ones to put the most money collected to helping the needy.. now i find they are making life easier for criminals. my donations just stopped. shove your bell up your a**.”

Whew. Merry Christmas, everyone. Thankfully, I was relieved to also see some positive comments as well:

“Christmas is a time for reflection, kindness, compassion and for forgiveness and as a Christian based organization they are doing just that showing some kindness and compassion. Some of these inmates have no family or friends and this little bag is the only thing they’ll get this Christmas. Sure, some deserve to be there, others perhaps through no fault of their own, but they are still human beings and worthy of some sort of kindness at this time of the year.”

“Christmas is a time to express good will to all people whether they be a family in need or a prisoner facing another christmas alone. I support the Salvation Army and celebrate their willingness to reach out to all people…even those some people might consider the worst. Keep up the good work knowing that there are those of us in the community who cheer you on.”

“… a lot of these crooks doing time have had a very rough life and come from environments that would make most of us shudder in dismay. I don’t think that a bit of kindness from Sally Ann is going to hurt anybody and even some of these people behind bars could use some compassion from their fellow man. Who knows, it might do them some good and that being said, God bless Sally Ann, they do some awesome work.”

What do you think?

“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. – Hebrews 13:1-3

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” – Matthew 25:34-40

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Unlikely Packages

by Larry Hehn on December 8, 2011

I’ve now been at my new job for three weeks, and I’m loving it!

I love the 12-minute walk to work. I love how well the company treats its people. I love the people I work with. I love the laughter we share. I love the work we do.

It’s the closest I’ve ever come to having a “dream job”.

It makes me wonder how I endured my old job for six years before getting laid off.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

Sometimes we fail to notice how empty, miserable, or at least misguided we are in certain situations until we are drawn into better circumstances and get a different perspective.

Losing my old job was one of the best things that could have happened.

Although it sure didn’t feel like it at the time.

Was it easy to go through the uncertainty of unemployment, the hassle of sifting through hundreds of opportunities to get just one job offer, and the overwhelming silence of mass rejection?

Nope. But…

Sometimes blessings come in unlikely packages.

Getting laid off didn’t seem like a blessing when it happened, but it has become one.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. – Romans 8:28

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no Pollyanna.

Bad things happen to all of us. Life rarely turns out the way we planned or hoped. I fully expect life to be difficult and painful.

I don’t expect God to make life easy, ensure that everything has a good purpose to it, or even allow us to make sense of all the things that we go through.

But I do live with the hope that, when we love Him and submit to His calling for our lives, God can salvage something good out of even the worst circumstances.

When have you experienced a setback that turned out to be a blessing?

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So what if I don’t like Coldplay?

by Larry Hehn on October 25, 2011

Last week I asked in a post what our readers would like to protest. We got some fun answers, but we also had a lot of commenters remark that they were getting agitated as they thought about things that really bothered them.

Kind of like how I used to get whenever I heard Coldplay.

Yes, I realize that I’m probably in the minority here. Everybody and their brother seems to like Coldplay these days. But I’ve never been a fan.

And now that people are oohing and aahing about their latest release, it looks like I’ll be hearing a lot more of Coldplay in the coming weeks.

It would probably be a traffic-boosting source of controversy if I spent the next few paragraphs trashing Coldplay and telling everyone how I don’t like their music very much.

But really, who would that serve in the end?

Frankly, dwelling on things that bother me is downright exhausting. It’s like trying to dig your way out of a hole. The more you gripe, the more you seem to find stuff to gripe about.

Sharing that gripe would be nothing more than an attempt to drag a few more people in and get them as agitated as me.

I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to go there.

So, I won’t!

I’m not going to rant about Coldplay here. Truth be told, I’ve listened to a few of the songs from their new release, and they are starting to grow on me.

Like this one:

So what if I don’t like Coldplay? Well, I suppose I could dwell on it and get upset.

What I would rather do is think about some things that are worth celebrating.

Some may be big and obvious, like the Gospel. Others we may take for granted but really miss when they aren’t there, like comfortable 100% cotton underwear, hot showers, clean drinking water, and bacon.

Either way, there are plenty of things worth celebrating out there.

What are some of yours?

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Dodging F Bombs

by Larry Hehn on October 16, 2011

Every Sunday in August, September and October I’ll be tweaking and sharing some of my favorite blog posts from the early days of Christian in the Rough – when the proverbial trees were falling in the forest but there was no one around to hear them.

It’s my pleasure to share them here again…for the first time.

Last year my oldest son’s band (Aprilis) played at the el Mocambo Tavern in Toronto.

The “el Mo” has a very rich musical history. Over the years it has hosted such big names as The Rolling Stones, U2, The Police, and even Marilyn Monroe. Yes, I said Marilyn Monroe. If you now have “Happy birthday, Mr. President” going through your head, it is completely my fault.

Sorry…

It was my first time visiting the el Mo. I was excited to see my son and his band on stage at such a storied venue. We arrived about an hour before their set. The band that was on stage when we arrived was very talented.

Their singer mentioned something about them being a Canadian Battle of the Bands champion, or something like that. Sadly, I had trouble listening to what he was saying. I was distracted by all of the F-bombs that peppered his speech.

“I want everybody in this **** room to mosh from this side of the **** room to the other **** side of the room, and from the back of the **** room to the **** front!” he yelled.

Yikes!

Am I turning into an old curmudgeon?

I do remember letting a few foul words fly when I was younger and in certain places where that language was often the norm (hockey dressing rooms, baseball dugouts, construction sites, shipping docks, engineering school, driving in rush hour traffic, etc.) But this was downright painful to hear.

Probably because it was so unnecessary.

The singer had enough energy and charisma to influence the room without the added profanity. In fact, he appeared to have much less influence when he swore. Nobody was moshing. I’ve seen the same thing happen with comedians who are extremely gifted, but fall back on coarse language to get a few laughs. Their influence just seems to drop a few notches.

I wish I had taken the time to flag down and chat with the young singer after their set. I don’t know if it would have made a difference or not. But I’d like for him to know that he is better than the language that he was using. That he had what it takes to rise above it.

Strangely, I found myself not wanting to scold him for his foul language, but to encourage him to step beyond it. That’s an unusual reaction for me. Sounds like God might be doing some work on me too. He’s teaching me about grace.

Next time I see that singer, I think I’m going to talk with him about grace.

And maybe when we’re done, he can show this old curmudgeon how to mosh.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. – Ephesians 4:29

When is the last time you were in a mosh pit?

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Forgiveness and Bill Buckner

by Larry Hehn on September 25, 2011

It’s my pleasure to share them here again…for the first time.

Bill Buckner was a Major League baseball player for more than 20 years. He won the National League batting title in 1980. Over his career he amassed 2,715 hits and boasted a solid .289 batting average. Buckner rarely struck out, four times leading the league in most at bats per strikeout, four times finishing second in that category. He earned a very respectable fielding percentage of .991, meaning he committed an average of just one fielding error for every 101 opportunities.

But that’s not what most baseball fans remember about Bill Buckner.

Let’s go back to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series between the New York Mets and Buckner’s Boston Red Sox. Boston was on the verge of winning their first championship in decades. Ahead by two runs in the bottom of the tenth inning, they quickly recorded two outs against the Mets. Boston’s Marty Barrett was announced on television as the player of the game.

And then the wheels fell off.

Boston yielded a single to Gary Carter. Then a single to Kevin Mitchell. Then a single to Ray Knight, scoring Carter. Then a pitch to batter Mookie Wilson scooted past catcher Rich Gedman, allowing Mitchell to score the tying run, and advancing Ray Knight to second base. In the blink of an eye, the score was tied.

A few pitches later, Wilson hit a routine ground ball toward Buckner that should have been the final out of the inning. It should have sent the game into the 11^th inning as a 5-5 tie. Except it rolled under Buckner’s glove and into right field. Ray Knight ran around from second base to score the winning run.

In Game 7, Boston squandered another lead and lost the series, four games to three.

Even though there were many blunders that led to their loss in game six, and despite a blown chance to redeem themselves in game seven, Buckner’s unlikely error became the lasting symbol of Boston’s World Series loss, and of decades of baseball futility in the city.

Bill Buckner became a household name – not for his impressive career statistics or his admirable character, but for one unfortunate World Series gaffe.

Advance to April 2008. More than 20 years after that fateful error, and almost 18 years after retiring from baseball, Bill Buckner returned to Fenway Park in Boston to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the season. Unsure of how the fans would receive him, I can only imagine how relieved he was to receive a five-minute standing ovation from a gracious and forgiving full house of Boston fans.

As Buckner left the field that day, it was announced:

“Ladies and gentlemen, one of the greatest players to wear the Boston uniform, and one of the finest men to be part of our alumni. Thank you again, Bill Buckner.”

There are probably still some Boston fans who blame Buckner for the 1986 loss, and who have not forgiven him. But really, how petty is that? Should the memory of one error nullify an otherwise excellent career?

How much more liberating it is to forgive and be forgiven!

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:31-32

Who do you need to forgive?

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