A Piece of My Mind…A Very Small Piece

How much does the mind affect the body? I bring this up because of a particular condition I possess which is quite difficult to understand. It has taken varying forms over the years, and has been quite the nuisance at times. Now, however, the same pattern affects my job, which of course is ministry. I speak of a health condition; it is not so much a particular ailment (as the specific malady is what has changed as the years have gone by) as it is the timing of the flare-ups of such ailments.

Long ago, in the halcyon days of school, I had a tendency to get sick (or at least, the sickest) during those times when I needed to be somewhere important, usually band/music-related. Allow me to give you some examples:

• I was hospitalized with lung problems during the weekend of all-district band in my eighth grade year, leaving the hospital and directly making the hour-long drive to participate. I missed the auditions, sat last chair, and missed the concert because I was too weak.
  
• I was hospitalized the week before the Kentucky Music Educators Association State Marching Band Competition in my sophomore year of high school, being dismissed at noon on a Friday, and on a bus making a cross-state trip by five that evening.
  
• My junior year of high school marked my first entry into the All-State Symphonic Band, at fourth-chair trumpet. I missed said concert because of illness.
  
• I acquired the flu just prior to leaving for the governor's inaugural parade, the song being performed having an important trumpet solo from yours truly. I missed the parade, and the song had to be changed at the last minute.
  

There were other bouts of illness which I could relate, but there were also those high points in which illness played no part: band clinics, other district band concerts, and my senior year being first chair All-State Orchestra. But the propensity for my body to assimilate bugs of all sorts during those moments of intense importance to me and others has always struck me as odd. It was even joked about by friends and teachers: "Competition is coming up. Book a hospital room for Chris." Chances were very good that if sickness came knocking, it would be at the worst possible time.

It's been a long time since I've had any "serious" bouts of lung problems, but a new issue has crept onto the scene: all things stomach-related. To keep from being too crude, let us just say that the tummy-region has been a source of great pain, embarrassment, annoyance and inconvenience. On a few occasions it has been so bad that I sincerely thought that I would soon be face-to-face with the Creator. Most times, though, it's just enough to stop me from doing what I both want and need to do. Now that I am no longer involved in the school band scene, and now have what I consider the most important and sacred job a person can have, can you guess when these fights with stomach-related problems most frequently occur? Anyone? Anyone?

That's right. Sundays and Wednesdays.

So, knowing what I know (that I have stomach problems dating back two decades, and that I have to preach every Sunday and Wednesday) I am forced to ask myself: are my sick moments caused by the randomness of illness, extremely bizarre timing (which some would call "dumb luck"), or is it partially psychosomatic? Is there something in my subconscious mind that makes me sick at the worst possible times? Those who have known me since those school days would say that the pattern is simply continuing, probably opting for the psychosomatic angle previously mentioned. Others may say that it is merely the forces of evil attempting to halt me from my God-appointed mission of carrying the Gospel message to the congregation each week.

Whatever the case, I don't like it. I don't like it at all. There aren't really words to describe how much I don't like it. However, I have been forced to take the following approach, one which I did not realize earlier in my life but have matured into as I've grown older. If it's just bad timing, then there's nothing I can do about it, so just do the best I can. If it is Satan trying to discourage and destroy me, then I just more fully place my trust in the Lord, for He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world. But what if it's God? What if the Lord Himself is allowing these waves of illness to crash upon my life's shores on the aforementioned days of the week? In that case, there must be some reason. Perhaps it is to teach me understanding for those who themselves suffer and are prevented from doing what they want to do, including coming to church. Perhaps it is to test my faithfulness (will I move forward with my ministry or let it cripple me? Will I let it rule me, or will I rule it? Will I trust in God to see me through, or will I give up?). Maybe it is to show others what God is capable of doing.

Christ promised us that life would be a bed of roses. Now before you go and say otherwise, let me explain. Life is indeed a bed of roses. However, that rose bed comes with stems and thorns and weeds and poison ivy and bees and those little bugs that make you itch even though you can't really see them. No matter what hand is dealt to us, we must play the hand to the best of our ability. I am always apprehensive when Sunday and Wednesday roll around, wondering if I will be sick or not, and if sick, just how bad it will be. Just this past Sunday, a day of baby dedications and adult baptisms and Vacation Bible School Commencement and singing and sermons, I felt much like the result of my stomach ailment (I'll just let you figure that one out). But this time it continued through Monday, with a little bit of debilitating, go-to-bed-and-stay-there headache thrown in for variety. That, at least made me feel a little better, knowing I was sick on a non-church day.

So, I guess my job is to remain positive, trust the Lord, and do the very best I can in my ministry. And if it is all in my mind, I guess what others have said still rings true: I suppose I really do put the "psycho" in "psychosomatic." At any rate, if you have the time, say a little prayer for me on church days.

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Manageable But Unwelcome Uncertainties

It was a few months ago, March to be exact, when I made an entry in which I used the phrase "when it rains, it pours." Although my own little neck of the woods is experiencing drought conditions, in other areas of life the rains are indeed falling. Some things which occupy my mind are positive, others negative, but through it all the Lord's grace is sufficient.

The last couple of weeks have been particularly taxing for our family, with the discovery that my grandfather (who lives with us, who was at one time my pastor, and is still my mentor and friend) has developed cancer in his mouth. Through biopsies and unexpected medicine reactions to hospital stays, these last two weeks have been what I will call "crunch time." There comes a moment in life where faith is put to the test. This is not to say that faith is questioned, but that all the beliefs and all the words you've held to and spoken of for so long are brought before you.

In my case (as a pastor) I advocate trust and grace and peace on a weekly basis. But it's easy to say those things; it's an entirely different thing to live it. Over the years I've watched others confront their faith in courageous fashion; some have had a difficult time remaining at peace through the storms in their life. It had always been one of those defining questions for me: how would I handle rough situations in my own life? Perhaps better stated would be, "Will I be able to practice what I preach?"

As questions and crises have arisen these last couple of weeks, I have been aware of that tangible-yet-unexplainable peace not only in the lives of my grandparents, but also in myself. Is it any less difficult or painful? Not at all. But just underneath all the uncertainties and impulse to give into that paralyzing fear is that small ribbon of grace and peace which calms the tumultuous waters on life's sea. There is no way to know how the situation ends; there is no way to discover what a year, a month or even a day has in store for us. Yet there is no doubt that God will be there to see us through.

At a time like this it is not always easy to find the words. There are too many emotions, and with the Spirit of God there are not really words that exist to convey one's thoughts and feelings. But throughout it all it is possible to know that "it's going to be okay." Those aren't just words anymore. They are a lifeline.

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

No Light Bulbs in Heaven

It always seems that when one light bulb goes out in my house there will soon be several. I guess that's a good thing, kind of takes care of them all at once. It is a bit annoying, though, when you go to flip a switch (especially in the dark) only to find that the room is not as bright as it should be, or there is no light at all. When only one bulb is lit in one of those two- or three-bulb, you can always make do, but eventually you have to get the stool or chair out and start replacing the old with the new.

Over the years, I've been involved in or heard conversations about what heaven will be like, what will and will not be there. I was thinking the other day about that very question, and it just came to me: there will be no light bulbs in heaven. The Bible tells us that the light of Christ's presence will fill the entirety of heaven, so we never have to worry about a bulb blowing out and leaving us in the dark. But until then, we have to wrestle with bulbs of all shapes, sizes and power consumption.

Why do I bring this up? Well, that's a very good question. With everything that goes on within a church congregation, projects and programs and such, there is a natural dependency upon people to fill the positions. Like our dependence on light bulbs, when a job is at hand and a person is needed, we hope to flip the switch (so to speak) and the job will be done. But sometimes the bulb goes out, or there isn't enough bulbs for the job. This happens for a number of reasons: a lack of personnel, an unwillingness or inability on the part of the participants to meet the task, or a break in the wire (otherwise known as a communication problem). No matter the reason, when something goes awry, it is difficult to get the task completed.

I don't know; I guess I'm an odd person when it comes to certain beliefs or perceptions about God's Church, the entire family of God. I've always been one to think of the personal or local aspect of God's Church as secondary, and focus on the work of the whole, the advancement of the work of God's kingdom. What little my own congregation can do is important, to be sure; but that work in concert with all Christians, everywhere, is vital. The amount of cooperation between congregations, as well as the individual members of those congregations, serves not to promote a single church building, but the work of God's one Church, the family of God.

I have been blessed over the years to be able to help others with their Christian work, and have always found that I've been very blessed through the effort. As I have preached many times, my main concern is for the souls of the people I meet, and for the furtherance of the Lord's work. I always get some strange looks when I say something like this: "I want you to get saved, and I'd like for you to attend my congregation. But even if it's not here, as long as you're in church and you're right with God, then I will rejoice." I mean that. I was taught to believe that God's work comes first and everything else is secondary, including personal gain. I don't know how many share that view, how many pastors are more concerned with the overall success of God's kingdom than their own congregation and denomination. And who knows? Maybe I'm naïve to think this way, but that's the way that I am.

There are times when a high-watt floodlight serves better than a 25-watt bulb, but sometimes you only have the 25-watts to work with. In a case like this, it does no good to lament what you don't have, but instead use what you do. And if that particular bulb goes out, then you adjust. What's important is that you get the job done the best you can. Don't be afraid to borrow a light, or get your hands a bit dirty in doing a little rewiring or bulb changing, because ultimately it's the job that's important, not the light bulb itself. The key is using what light God gives you to shine as brightly as you can in this world, in order to do the most good.

A while back I got a new little toy: it's called a 'headlight,' and it's an extremely bright LED flashlight that you wear on your head (hence the clever name). The reason I like this little battery-operated toy so much is that there are times that you need both hands to work with, and so if you're holding a conventional light, you're down to one hand. In those situations, the assistance of someone else to hold the light is invaluable. That's what I've determined to be. I don't know how effective I can be, but I know that if I give it my best, the Lord and His work will be glorified. And whether it's me working for Him, or simply holding what little light I have so that someone else can work, that's okay with me. In the end, it's not about who gets the credit down here, but who receives the ultimate glory. As long as that's Jesus, then I'm okay with that.

So until we get to heaven, when we don't have to worry about light bulbs, my job is to let my light shine and try to inspire and encourage others to let theirs shine as well. And maybe, just maybe, we can work together to reflect the light of the Lord even more in this world. Working together, even the smallest of lights can shine a bright beam into the darkness and make all the difference. And that's what I want to do: make a difference.

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Memorial Day

How did you pass your Memorial Day? If you're like me, then it probably involved friends and food. Before leaving to visit with some of my oldest friends, I took note of the local newscast. Every so often they have a segment which includes responses to viewer emails. One message in particular caught my eye. Apparently on a newscast earlier in the day the anchor wished everyone a "happy" Memorial Day. This viewer wrote in to express her feelings on that particular wish. She said (and I paraphrase), "In this area we decorate graves on Memorial Day. There's nothing happy about it. In fact it's one of the most somber days there are. I'll probably be crying my eyes out. There's nothing happy about this day, so just knock off the 'Happy Memorial Day' business."

Okay, everyone is entitled to their opinions, and everyone has lost someone close to them. This is a day to remember them. Sometimes those memories are sad. But I don't believe Memorial Day must be all "tears and solemnity" to be respectful. In fact, I believe that in some measure a wonderful way to remember the life of someone we've lost is to have some fun on this day. I'm not advocating throwing a parade or a party at the cemetery, but enjoying the day and enjoying life, while recalling the good times we had with our loved ones is a great way to remember them.

If anyone is interested, my sermon delivered yesterday (Sunday, May 27) entitled "In Remembrance" speaks about how we remember, and this memory applies not only to those who fought and died for our country, those of our loved ones who have passed away, but also to Jesus. If interested, it is available at http://feeds.feedburner.com/westwoodonline or at iTunes by searching the store for "Chris Keeton." I believe this message describes how we are to best honor the memory of those no longer with us.

I enjoyed the time at my friends' home, the dinner and conversation. But I also realize that the best way to honor the memory of those I've lost is to live my life to my fullest potential, to use their example and make the lives of my friends just as happy as my life has been made by those who have passed away. Memorial Day is more than just a day off of work, more than just picnics and war movies on television. Just remember to live each day as best you can, being the best Christian you can be, and you will be doing great honor to those who have come before.

Hope you had a nice day, and with that, I'll let you enjoy the rest of this one. Even bloggers need a holiday from time to time. Next on the agenda: tackling that confounded grass again…

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

Staying Sharp (To a Point, pardon the pun)

Tuesday I accompanied my mother to yet another disability hearing, my mother having been disabled for the last 8 years. Unfortunately, the state of Ohio has not necessarily agreed with her and her doctors in that matter, so a very protracted battle has taken place for quite a while. As I sat in the hearing room in Portsmouth, listening to the droning of legal jargon of lawyers, interjecting my own views when called upon, I was struck by the difficulty to keep my mouth shut. Yes, I am a preacher, and trying to keep a preacher's mouth shut is like trying to keep his hands out of a bucket of chicken. Still, I knew it would not be conducive to my mother's case to start incessantly rattling off.

One thing I did notice was the overwhelming desire to do physical harm to the lawyer on the opposition side, the advocate for the state who says that my mother is not disabled in the least (anyone who knows mom knows that is most certainly not the case). "Don't do something to get you in jail," I kept repeating to myself, struggling to keep in check my desire to wipe the expression off of this man's face, or to suddenly and rapidly accelerate my foot into the gentleman's posterior region. I knew this man had never seen my mother, knew nothing about her, and was just doing his job. But when someone's talking about your "mama," it gets a shade more difficult.

The hearing over, I came home and began the finishing touches to the next evening's Bible study. I did not notice it at the time, but a devotional for that day had the following verse: Proverbs 27:17 – Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (NASB) As I sat in the hearing room, I couldn't help but think that the opposition lawyer was, simply by speaking, chipping away at me like a hammer; more specifically, he was like what my grandfather would call a "cleaning hammer," one which has a flat, chisel-like end used to chip the mortar off of old bricks. I could have easily stood up and verbally (and yes, perhaps physically) defended my mother, but something kept me in check. As I read this verse, I realized what that something was.

This verse speaks of how friends are there to keep you sharp, to peck away at those rough places in your life, to give you constructive criticism when you need it and the encouragement to change it when you need to. This is what the Christian friends around me have done simply by being there for me, and it is what the Lord does for me daily. As a pastor I have occasionally had to provide some unwelcome and difficult advice, things which were both hard to hear and hard to say; but the advice was needed and it was right. Now don't think that I'm some perfectly holy specimen sitting on a high horse above my ivory tower. Many times I have been the recipient of the same kind of advice. I didn't like it. It didn't feel good, and there were times I would have liked nothing better than to write down these sage words of wisdom and carefully shove them back down the throat from whence they came. But the advice made me better.

Sometimes God has to do a lot of chipping, and He does that through our study time and prayer with Him, or through sermons or songs, or through our brothers and sisters. Sometimes the advice is Biblically sound and should be heeded. At other times it is merely an uninformed human opinion which should be avoided at all costs. But whenever advice is given, my policy has always been to check the Scriptures. If it conforms to God's Word, then it's sound advice. If it does not, then I thank the individual who gives it and respectfully decline to use it. But even during those times when poor advice is offered (or in some cases followed) there is something to learn. Each situation in life can bring you closer to the Lord if you will approach it that way. Positive and negative, joyous or painful, each moment, each circumstance is designed to enlighten us in this journey of life. What we do with that enlightenment is entirely up to us. We can choose to draw close to the Lord in those times, or we can choose to run away. But take my advice: only one of those choices is the right one, and it's the right one every time.

So the next time someone or something is weighing you down, and you feel that you can't take another step, I encourage you to look up. See the situation as a way that God will bring you closer to Him and as a means of opening your mind and heart to things you never thought possible. The Bible never says you have to like every trial that comes your way, but you can learn from them. And don't be afraid to open yourself up to Christian guidance (through pastors, friends, family, study resources, blogs such as this, and other ways). Not only will you be sharpened, but through the exchange you will be able to help sharpen others, too!

Just try to avoid the temptation to use your new-found sharpness to inflict an injury!

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.

RoundUp, SchmoundUp

When comest the Spring, with its new birth of life and growth and warming temperatures, the familiar battle begins once more. I like to call it "The War of the Roses…and Every Other Kind of Plant." This is the time of year when each day you look out upon your lawn and say, "Hmmm, not too much growth. I can wait another day before cutting grass." Then one morning you wake up and it seems your yard has expanded, gaining an intelligence of its own, working out ways to defeat you. That first step in your destruction is the initial blow to the gut, the depression that says, "This is going to be a long, hard day," as you pull the ripcord of the lawnmower.

At this most special of times, the temptation is always there: RoundUp. Green grass is beautiful in other lawns; brown grass is beautiful when you're the one taking care of it. I recently purchased some RoundUp in order to get rid of some brush and unwanted grass. I was also going to prepare a flower bed for the walkways and such, but I purchased the kind of RoundUp that not only kills all kinds of grass but also prevents new growth for four months. So the flower bed option was out. Still, there were other places to use the product: driveways, gravel lots, out-of-control brush. I put the RoundUp in the sprayer and began to spray, but not before reading the directions.

I was struck by some of the instructions. There will be a momentary pause while I go get the bottle so I can directly quote the appropriate passages.

Thanks for sticking around. With bottle in hand, I quote (or paraphrase as the case may be; I will be skipping around, because there's a deeper point here): kills and prevents all types of weeds and grasses…weeds begin to yellow and wilt within hours with complete kill in 1 to 2 weeks…WHERE NOT TO USE—DO NOT SPRAY plants and grasses you like because they may die too; DO NOT USE in lawns or for lawn renovation as it prevents desirable grasses from growing too; DO NOT USE for vegetable garden prep or in and around fruits and vegetables; DO NOT SPRAY around young plants or in an area that will be planted or seeded within four months…shield desirable plants from drift with a sheet of cardboard or plastic…If desirable plant is accidentally sprayed, rinse off immediately with water…for fastest results apply during warm, sunny weather…rain or watering 30 minutes after application will NOT wash away effectiveness.

So, those were the highlights of the instructions. Pretty self-explanatory, don't you think? Well, as I read these directions, I was struck at a possible spiritual application (pardon the pun). This RoundUp product is a great comparison to the effects of sin. Sin will kill every good and decent thing within us. Almost immediately it begins to take effect, dulling us and robbing us of all that gives life, and before too long complete kill occurs. I particularly liked the WHERE NOT TO USE section of the instructions. When we sin we believe that it's an isolated experience or incident and doesn't affect those areas of our life which we like. But when sin comes into our life, even those good things we want to keep are affected and we will lose them as well. Desirable things cannot grow in this environment; sin kills what we have and stops things we want. We are to produce spiritual fruit, we are to provide spiritual and emotional nourishment to others, but sin keeps this from happening as well, poisoning the fruit of our life. And young Christians can be poisoned as well from the drift of our own experience. They see our example, they hear our words and follow our path, and they too are destroyed.

But there is hope. Once we realize that we have sinned, that we have made a mistake and stepped into the devil's trap, being sprayed with his venom, we can take steps to immediately rinse ourselves with the "water of life" which "is the Word of God," the only thing which will cleanse us. As for the remaining instructions for the RoundUp, we notice when fastest results can be seen. When you are going about your life, thinking all is well, things are going great, if we dive into sin the effects are immediate and devastating, perhaps even worse than at any other time. And if we don't get things taken care of as quickly as possible, the damage could be permanent, at least in this world.

One additional thing I noticed as I put the bottle down a moment ago. There was a money back consumer guarantee, promising a replacement or refund of the price is not completely satisfied. There are two ways to apply that spiritually. Satan is not going to give you a "money back guarantee" if you're not satisfied with sin. You're stuck with it. But it doesn't matter, because the product he's pushing works every time. It will destroy everything it touches. The other way to spiritually apply this by looking at it from God's point of view. Sometimes we make mistakes and by into something we don't fully grasp, and we want out. If we return to Him with our purchase (the sin in which we've engaged), and ask Him to forgive us and restore to us our relationship and joy and peace with Him, He will say to us, "The price was paid on Calvary. I have the Receipt sitting at My Right Hand." The Lord will restore to us all that was taken by our mistake, and that's a guarantee to live by, and even to die by.

So, the battle is on. One comes and goes with the seasons. The other is constant. In either case, we need to look at the instructions, see what can happen and what is possible, and confidently move forward. The battle with Satan has been won. The battle with my lawn is another story…

© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.