Pastors' Blog

Who could be comfortable connecting the National Security Agency (NSA) with God in the same sentence? But read on. The New York Times this week broke a new story with further astounding details concerning the NSA’s global surveillance program. Turns out the agency “has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world that allows the United States to conduct surveillance on those machines and can also create a digital highway for launching cyberattacks” (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/15/us/nsa-effort-pries-open-computers-not-connected-to-internet.html?_r=0). According to the report, through on-site agents the NSA has been able to secretly insert tiny circuit boards or USB cards that transmit radio waves. Through those radio waves NSA monitors are not only able to “spy” on the content of those computers, but can also utilize those same waves to launch a crippling attack on the computer system(s) of that nation. The Times observes: “The N.S.A. calls its efforts more an act of ‘active defense’ against foreign cyberattacks than a tool to go on the offensive. But when Chinese attackers place similar software on the computer systems of American companies or government agencies, American officials have protested, often at the presidential level.” And so the revelations of the shadowy world of our government’s surveillance programs continue to unfold. Candidly, who of us would be surprised to discover that a video record of all our waking and sleeping is being kept in some hideaway subterranean fortress! And God? OK, let’s be honest—the Bible is clear that a 24/7 record is being kept somewhere of every inhabitant of this earth. Jesus Himself taught: “‘But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken’” (Matthew 12:36). Somebody’s keeping a rather exhaustive record, wouldn’t you say? “For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). (Which, incidentally, means that the NSA’s covert activities are themselves being recorded on Somebody’s Supercomputer—call it poetic justice!) But what shall we call God? How about our “dearest friend”(Mss 80, 1903). But what kind of a Friend would order 24/7 surveillance? Switch the focus for a moment. What if we had (and we do, you can be sure) an enemy who rants and rails against us 24/7—our phony hypocritical lives, our ad nauseum repeat failures and sins, our utter unChristlikeness? How could you ever silence such an adversary without a 24/7 record? “What do you mean they are fakes and failures? Look at their records! Note how often they have cried out to Me to save them, to forgive them, to empower and strengthen them for living above your deceptive attacks? Look at the record, and let it be shown that in answer to their prayers I have covered them with the spotless robe of My own perfect life!” Trust me—having a 24/7 record when the evil prosecutor is throwing the book at you isn’t bad news—it is very good news! So let the NSA spy on and on. The very dearest Friend you and I have sits on the throne of the universe. And there will be justice meted out one day. But in the meantime, let Mercy’s record show that we have chosen as our Defender (1 John 2:1), our Judge (John 5:22) and our Friend (John 15:14) the Jesus Savior of Calvary. Which makes His 24/7 surveillance the best news of all.

Scientists think they’ve found the secret to our good and bad habits. It has to do with the pleasure-sensing chemical dopamine, coursing up and down our body’s internal highways. Dopamine “conditions the brain to want that reward again and again—reinforcing the connection each time—especially when it gets the right cue from your environment” (South Bend Tribune 1-4-11). For example, you enjoy munching on chips (no doubt a healthful kind). You usually do it before supper, while you’re watching the evening news. (I know the routine well!) Dopamine links your desire for those chips to the environmental stimulus of watching the evening news, and pretty soon your brain’s dopamine-rich striatum region links both activities to a desired reward—pleasurable taste and relaxation. Turn on the news, get hungry for chips—munch some chips, turn on the television. The more repetitions, the stronger the dopamine tie that binds. “‘Why are bad habits stronger? You’re fighting against the power of an immediate reward,’ says Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and an authority on the brain’s pleasure pathway. It’s the fudge vs. broccoli choice: Chocolate’s yum factor tends to beat out the knowledge that sticking with veggies brings an eventual reward of lost pounds. ‘We all as creatures are hard-wired that way, to give greater value to an immediate reward as opposed to something that’s delayed,’ Volkow says” (ibid). And the problem is that we tend to overestimate our ability to resist temptations around us, “thus undermining attempts to shed bad habits, says experimental psychologist Loran Nordgren, an assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. ‘People have this self-control hubris, this belief they can handle more than they can,’ says Nordgren, who studies the tug-of-war between willpower and temptation” (ibid). All of which means that establishing good habits and ridding bad habits requires more than simply composing another list of New Year’s resolutions. “Been there—done that.” Based on this AP report of their studies, here are five new routines researchers recommend adding to your good-habits strategy: “Repeat, repeat, repeat the new behavior—the same routine at the same time of day.” Pick a time of day, select an activity, and stick to it. Personal prayer and Bible study first thing the morning. Walking, jogging, working out at the same time each day. The striatum will eventually recognize the new habit and will “reward” you for faithfulness to the new routine, or “disturb” you when you neglect it. “Exercise itself raises dopamine levels,” which means adding this good habit to your routine will raise your feel-good sense of vitality. “Reward yourself with something you really desire.” A new book or a CD or an outfit you’ve been needing reinforces your own intentions to stick to good habit routine. “Stress can reactivate the bad-habit circuitry.” So “chilling out” isn’t such a bad idea when your circuits are on overload. “Cut out the rituals linked to your bad habits.” As the report puts it, “No eating in front of the TV, ever.” But there’s one more strategy science can never measure. It’s your faith-factor. Repeat this dynamite promise from God daily and your striatum will quickly get the message: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Too simple? Hardly! Begin each day in quiet conversation with Him through a story-a-day reading through the Gospels, and you will unite yourself with Christ himself, as you discover for yourself his omnipotent friendship—a power even stronger than dopamine.

Twin holiday tragedies this past weekend have preoccupied both the news media and the nation. We’ve all seen the pictures. The Metro-North Railroad train, its locomotive and seven cars upended, splayed and flung beyond the tracks and nearly into the Harlem River. Four dead, 60 injured.  Just as tragic was the fiery crash of  actor Paul Walker, star of the “Fast and Furious” movie franchise. A security camera captured the Porsche Carrera GT’s explosion after slamming into a tree and concrete pole, killing both the actor and his friend and driver Roger Rodas. Investigations are ongoing, but preliminary evidence suggests that excessive speed was the cause of both accidents. The Metro-North train was traveling 82 mph in a 30 mph zone around that sharp bend in the Bronx. Whether either accident was the result of human error or mechanical trouble is yet to be determined. Definition of speeding—the accelerating velocity of an object. Even a society, a culture, a civilization can speed with acceleration toward an unintended end, can’t it? The speed with which poverty is overtaking the human race is breath-taking. The speed that natural disasters now spread carnage across communities and countries is stunning. (BTW, Paul Walker, a practicing Mormon, formed the Reach Out Worldwide relief organization with his friend Roger Rodas to provide aid to global catastrophes—they were returning from a fund-raising event for the Philippines typhoon recovery when both were killed on Sunday.) Speed. Given the velocity of national and global change—economic and social, technological and ecological—not to mention personal change, consider these two admonitions. First, slow down. Real life is both fast and furious. Which means it takes will power to intentionally slow down your pace. Slow it down at times even to a crawl—locking the door to your room or your office—and crawling into the corner of your chair, your bed, your private space and closing your eyes, catching a nap, or simply savoring the quiet. Fifteen to 20 minutes—that’s all it takes, as research shows, to revive your spirit, energize your mind and boost your productivity. During this frenetic but joyful holiday season, slowing down can be a life-saving strategy. Second, stay alert. Reports indicate that the train engineer may have fallen asleep at the controls early Sunday morning. Spiritually speaking, falling asleep at the wheel is a disaster. “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping” (1 Peter 5:8 Message). Naps work in the physical realm, but in the spiritual realm, Peter is clear—you snooze, you lose. The stakes are exponentially higher. So stay alert. Especially in this season of good food, great friends and lots of fun—it’s easy to drop your guard and lose your spiritual edge. That’s why I recommend for the holidays adding some time to your daily conversation with Christ. Another fifteen minutes beyond your usual—just you and Jesus alone in the Gospels—one story a day to relive with Him (click onto the “New Way to Prayer” banner here at this website). So go ahead—slow your pace, catch your breath, calm your heart. “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest” (Matthew 11:28 Message). What better Gift this Christmas than Him?

Can you believe it? Earth may boast (according to wiki.answers.com) 23,259,475,120 dialects, but researchers have discovered in a new study that when it comes to confusion, we all speak the same language! No kidding. It turns out that our English word, “Huh?”, is about as universal as it gets. The so-called “Huh-hunters” (linguistic anthropologists) headed to remote villages on five continents and examined ten very different languages. After weeks of trust-building and observation, these scientists discovered the startlingly similar sounding “Huh?” in all the languages and dialects. In English when we interject the word “Huh?” into our conversations we are inserting a word that “plays a crucial role in conversations, according to Herbert Clark, a Stanford University psychologist who studies languages. When one person misses a bit of information and the line of communication breaks, there needs to be a quick and effective way to fix it, he said” (South Bend Tribune 11-11-13). And so we interrupt with a “Huh?” to ask for clarification or to offer our incredulity, our disbelief. Guess what—we’re not alone. These researchers found a tonally equivalent and remarkably similar word in all ten languages. “All the words had a single syllable, and they were typically limited to a low-front vowel, something akin to ‘ah’ or ‘eh.’” And “every version of ‘Huh?’ was clearly a word because it passed two key tests . . . : Each ‘Huh?’ had to be learned by speakers and [had to] follow the rules of its language” (ibid.). For example, when we English speakers ask a question, our voices rise at the end of a sentence—and that’s exactly how we speak the word “Huh?” But when Icelanders ask a question, their voices drop at the end—which is precisely how they treat “Ha?” (their equivalent of “Huh?). Confused yet? As Amina Khan put it in the Los Angeles Times, “Humans speak many languages but we may be united in our confusion” (ibid.). Indeed! So does Heaven have a “Huh?” Does God ever listen to you or me praying and find Himself having to interject a “Huh?” into our monologue? In this season of thanksgiving and gratitude, I suppose it could be a head-scratcher to be the Creator and Sustainer of the universe—who provides for our deepest needs 24/7—but who listens in on prayers that are utterly unmindful of all His blessings and are totally preoccupied with all my wants. “Huh?” “The soul may ascend nearer heaven on the wings of praise.” “We should keep in our thoughts every blessing we receive from God, and when we realize His great love, we should be willing to trust everything to the hand that was nailed to the cross for us” (Steps to Christ 104). This Thanksgiving why not take that hand in gratitude and turn our “Huh?” into “Amen.”