Meditation on Swint Lake: Images and Metaphors

As many of you know, I had very little opportunity to rest this summer. Ergo, when the Swint Lake retreat sign-up sheet made its way around the MSN dinner table a few weeks ago, I seized the pen in a combination of excitement and desperation and jotted my name and phone number. Though I had hoped for a chance to simply sit alone and read while the lake eddied by, I received something far greater. Away from civilization, I saw a fragment of the Lord's natural design and His intention for us. The part of which I am able to verbalize, I share with you now.

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The immediate thought that grazed me by the lake was a sentience of Creation around me. In the city, even such a small one as Columbia, we humans are surrounded by our own artifice and edifice. To be out in the wild, though, is to realize how little of the world’s wonders you truly know. Last weekend I spent hours just trying to make sense of the complex patterns within the lake’s wind-driven waves. I marveled at the remarkable variety of butterflies living around its shores. I remembered how dark night actually is. By some strange logic, these observations drew me back to a Bible passage that I had always considered irrelevant to our day and age: Exodus 32, when the Israelites craft themselves a golden calf, worshipping and offering sacrifices to it. I always thought that such blatant idolatry was beyond us now—until I realized how much worse our subtler brand is. They built themselves a calf of gold; we have built ourselves an entire world of steel and silicon.

Later that night, I gathered with my fellow “swinters” for an exercise called a trust walk. During said walk, groups of people form chains and stumble off into the dark; however, only the leader of the chain can see or speak. Upon returning unscathed from the promenade, participants are expected to see their experience as a metaphor for the awesome leadership of Jesus Christ and the imperative to follow, in all our helplessness. While the parallel is a good one, judging from my experience with the Lord, I find it incomplete. With God as our leader, we will often slosh through mud up to our ankles and water up to our waist. The members of the group will constantly change, and may fall apart, walking without any secure link to one another. We will talk to Him, talk and sing, but He may not talk back (or in our love of talk, we might not listen). Then we begin to doubt the very Being we follow. There will be times when He tells us to “wait here” and leaves us, blind in the woods. And while He no doubt has good reason to take leave of us—whether setting someone else aright on the path, or clearing it up ahead—the frightful noises of the black forest will tempt us to flee, blind or not. Much of our lives may be spent lost in the woods after succumbing to our fears in such a moment. Very few will manage to follow the straight and narrow to its end.

The following day was not devoid of revelation either, for it was then that my name appeared on the duty list. At first, walking into the kitchen to help with dinner was like resigning myself to a punishment I did not deserve. Nonetheless, work divided among the many hands of friends made it doubly light, and I was soon smiling wider than I had all day in my solo reading, swimming, and exploring endeavors. I realized then that the early church as depicted in Acts must have functioned something like the kitchen at Swint Lake: a group of believers unified in their faith, sacrificing for each other, serving each other in loving-kindness, and nourishing each other physically and spiritually. To close today, I encourage you to do the same. Care for someone outside your family, and even your friends. Whether you do so with tacos and Brazilian dessert, as I did that night, is up to you.


“Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon the all.” (Acts 4:32-33)

Reflection: A Change in Focus

I've often heard that expression: "Church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints." Nonetheless, something still hangs with me whenever I hear someone mention that they left the Church for the people in it. It resonates with me.

Truth be told, if I focused on Christians instead of Christ, I'd have left the faith a long time ago.

I can tolerate an immoral lost soul sans probleme (and am always impressed by a deeply moral one, of which there are many)—but a bad Christian is downright distasteful. Of course, most of these certainly don’t intend to misrepresent Christ, and we all make mistakes from time to time, but a difference should be drawn between those who know their sins and strive to avoid them, and those who fail to recognize them altogether. Ignorance exists in all of us, but excuses none of us—eternal lives are at stake, and we would do well to study the Word in a manner that extricates and applies the example of Christ. Our mindset should be that of vigilance, on the qui vive against any sign of our own faltering. I am reminded of an illustration I once heard from the pulpit: If you’re cruising, you’re going downhill.

At some point in this series, I lost the motivation to talk about Christian Living, and felt a deeper call instead to discuss Christians Living—that is to say, the sorts of people who make up the church and the things we can all learn from (and teach) each other. In an attempt to refresh my own vigil, as well as all of yours, my next series, entitled Christians Today will deal with the faces of American Christianity. Each of these are present in us to a certain extent, due to their pervasiveness in our culture; however, as we take a look at each, it is my hope that we aspire to lessen the influence of some and increase that of others in our lives. Nonetheless, remember the wisdom of Solomon as you read: to every thing there is a season (KJV). Sometimes, God requires us to drive people from the temple, and other times, say nothing at all.

For that reason, I ask that you pray a blessing over the writer and the readers of this blog as a new day dawns on it:

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.


Some of you should recognize that final blessing as Reinhold Niebuhr's Serenity Prayer—a true gem of Christian thought, and one of few prayers written by others that I frequently lift up to God.

Visions of Baltimore: Abigail

Hey guys! God had really placed it on my heart to include another kind of entry in my blog: Visions. These are snapshots of people I come in contact with, who influence my life in a godly way. As you read these particular posts, I encourage you to ponder the implications of a good God using us and many for his works on this earth. Enjoy!

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Abigail, my youngest airport companion

I was stranded in the Baltimore airport for 5 hours this past Sunday. Because of a rather tedious incident at the security checkpoint, I was barred from my flight and forced to wait for a stand-by seat on another. As plane after plane took off without me on it, I grew quite sour. Once I came to the realization that I would miss both of my church services in Columbia, my disposition turned yet darker.

The dreary weather outside made no improvements upon my mood, either.

I was downright grumpy—that is, until this gregarious little curly-headed, bright-eyed toddler came and sat down beside me in the terminal. The stress began to seep away as young Abigail quite informatively described to me every breed of dog under the sun. As she trotted off with her parents to board, asking dozens of unanswerable questions, I smiled and felt my predicament drift away. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to make it back home on that very flight, too.

Best of all, she chased away the rest of my troubles with a thumbs-up as I passed her on the plane.

Meditation on Christian Living: Curmudgeons

It's amazing how quickly weeks disappear into the past.

To God and to my readers, I ask for forgiveness that I have not posted in so long. I have plenty of excuses—but no good ones. I have plenty of reasons—but none that do not crumble under God's scrutinous gaze. In essence, I allowed other tasks, and other facets of life here, priority. Thankfully, God chose to utilize me in other ways, to deepen my faith in other ways, during my prolonged hiatus from blogging. I'd like to share a part of that with you.

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My Curmudgeons class—which covers the literature of Ambrose Bierce, Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain, and H.L. Mencken—truly challenges me at times. As one might imagine, the majority of these men write of God with a sword for a pen, and bile for ink. They structure their harangues like dunking booths, doing their best to place God on the ledge as they hurl indictments and libels, like baseballs at a high school principal.

I often wonder why they bother railing so loudly against Someone whom they believe does not exist. Who are the fools—those who believe in a Higher Power and attempt to converse with Him, or those  who claim that they do not and yet shout obscenities at Him all the same? If we are God's children, then these are the teenagers: screaming and slamming doors, demanding freedom while shirking responsibility, spouting faulty arguments about fairness and reason—all in all, the reckless, rebellious, rancorous basket-cases that parents dread.

Mark Twain, for one, quite notoriously fell into this category. For example, note the following climactic passage from his posthumously published work, The Mysterious Stranger, a veritable temper tantrum:

"God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who could have made every one of them happy, yet never made a single happy one; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; who gave his angels eternal happiness unearned, yet required his other children to earn it; who gave his angels painless lives, yet cursed his other children with biting miseries and maladies of mind and body; who mouths justice and invented hell—mouths mercy and invented hell—mouths Golden Rules, and forgiveness multiplied by seventy times seven, and invented hell; who mouths morals to other people and has none himself; who frowns upon crimes, yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man's acts upon man, instead of honorably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally, with altogether divine obtuseness, invites this poor abused slave to worship him!..."

In my latest paper for the class, I challenged the theology of this selection, and the work as a whole. The following lines come from my rebuttal:

"Praise be to a God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet prefers to let them form their own character; who could have made every one of them generically happy, yet instead allows them the opportunity to find happiness for themselves; who made them prize their earthly lives, and willingly grants them life eternal; who gave his angels eternal happiness unearned, on the same conditions that we may have it; who gave his angels painless lives; and gave us a beautiful universe; who mouths justice and hopes that none shall perish; who mouths mercy and offers us redemption; mouths Golden Rules, and forgiveness multiplied by seventy times seven, and forgives us for breaking those very Rules many more times than that; who mouths morals to other people and personally withstood temptation; who frowns upon crimes and tolerates those who duck personal responsibility and blame Him; who created man without invitation, and loves him in spite of him; and finally, with altogether divine wisdom, invites all who are weary to find rest in Him."

"The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?" (Jeremiah 8:9)

Connections: Hometowns and Heaven

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received" (Ephesians 4:1)

“They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.”  (John 17:16)

It never ceases to amaze me that some people spent their entire childhood in one house, in one town, in one state. As a military brat, I lived in (of those I can remember) 8 different houses in 5 states and one foreign country. While I loved my transient life, I do envy those sedentary people one thing: the ease with which they answer the question, “Where are you from?” The long, stumbling, multi-part answer that ensues when someone directs that question my way usually tells the listener more about my parents than me.

In fact, if I responded without the luxury of knowing their hometowns, and their childhoods, my answer would shrink to two words:

“Not here.”

Most people guess as much. My accent, my style, or my demeanor usually tips them off in some small way. They instinctively know: I am a foreigner.

As Christians, we’re foreigners to this world. We don’t belong here. And the Bible holds that what we do, what we say, and how we behave should reflect that. With regards to the way I live, an onlooker should say to him/herself, “You know, there’s something different about that guy” as surely as they notice the lack of a Southern drawl in the way I speak.

We've been sanctified by Christ, set aside for His special use. We're here to serve a higher purpose. And if we're indistinguishable from those who don’t, we have failed Him.

Jesus said to us, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

Strive to show this love above all as you celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Meditation on Christian Living: Missionaries and Priests

You may never have been sent abroad to minister, but you have a mission.

You may never have been ordained, but you have a congregation.

Love God. Bring His children to Him. All followers of Christ bear the same commission, whether seminary graduates or high school dropouts. We all have the same commandments to keep, too—and God judges us all with unsettling equality.

We are called to serve Him in our immediate community. Since when did that call apply only if you live in a developing country? And since when, I ask, do the responsibilities of being a Christian only apply to those wearing a robe and speaking before a crowd on Sundays?

Your mission is to bear his gospel through your thoughts, words, and actions.

And your congregation is greater than you think. Your friends, and your enemies. Your classmates, and your coworkers. Your teachers, and your students. Your parents, and your children.

Spread the Word.

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received" (Ephesians 4:1)

Reflection: The Future is Now

As I look back at this first series, I recognize that I wrote quite heavily, not about the future, but our reactions to the future. Ironically, it seems this “Future Series” turned out to be more about the present. Then again, as I’ve rediscovered here at USC, life is constantly changing—and a healthy outlook on the present means a healthy outlook on the future.

I’ve realized something in my short college experience: the warnings of family, of Sunday school teachers, and of Christian mentors weren’t exaggerations. I’ve seen more than enough weekends, heard more than enough stories, and felt more than enough temptation here to know that college is a place of great trial. Never before have I sensed just how wide the path to destruction is. How glad I am to be grounded in Christ, to have been brought up in loving, edifying church families and a God-fearing home.

I have been blessed; others have not been so fortunate. But truthfully, the most difficult and disheartening part comes when someone who was strong… someone who was walking with God… someone you know personally… falls.

A friend of mine put it best:
It breaks your heart.

When it happens, you witness a defeat, a temporary win for the enemy. It’s demoralizing, depressing in the strictest sense of the word. We are part of Christ’s body, the light of the world. With every little light that winks out, Columbia grows a little darker. This world grows a little colder.

And yet, God’s power will not fail this community. Believers here have a task at hand, true, but through Him we will prevail. And through us, He will touch lives.


Aside to the USC students reading this: Those of you who aren’t plugged into a faith community, find one asap! Feel free to email me at gordnerg@email.sc.edu to find out more about the opportunities in the area. If I don’t know one that fits you personally, I promise that I know someone who does. All of us are struggling, but if you don’t find a support network of fellow believers, you’re making it even harder on yourself.

Connections: Worry and Fear

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matt 6:27)

“We want a man hag-ridden by the Future—haunted by visions of an imminent heaven or hell upon earth.” ~ Letter XV, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

“Worry is the warning light that God has been shoved to the sideline.”
~ The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren


I once read a list of life lessons written by a woman 100 years old. She said, “Whenever you worry about something, ask yourself: Is this going to matter in 6 months? 2 years?”

That’s solid advice, and it will save you a good deal of emotional energy if you live by it, but what about those things that will matter in 2 years? Career choices, finding your significant other, settling down, having kids, raising kids… Regardless of where you fall in that line-up, we all have milestones and long-term goals. Big ones. Ones to worry about, right?

Perhaps. Worry in small doses is merely caution—in greater quantities, it becomes fear. And that is a problem. As Christians, God calls us to live in hope, not fear. What do we have to fear? Perfect love casts out all fear. A perfect God casts out all fear.

Jesus said to his disciples, on the Sea of Galilee, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

We all struggle with fear. As humans, we suffer from finite knowledge, finite control, and a finite lifespan—all worrisome qualities in their own right. But God knows this. He understands, and he encourages us again and again. “Fear not!” “Do not fear!” The Bible is filled with these reminders. Ironically, they appear most often when God or his angels show up to help!

As this “Future” series comes to a close, reflect on your goals, your views on the future, and your own fears. Maybe there’s an issue gnawing at your heart that you’ve never given thought, or a worry that keeps you up at night. Let it go! Trust in the Lord to guide you. Remember, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6, KJV).

I leave you with another of my favorite verses:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)