Rushing Slowly

Saw someone in the gym this morning wearing a T-shirt promoting Caribbean vacations and island time. The words emblazoned across the back of the shirt read “Rushing Slowly”. If you’ve ever vacationed on one of the Caribbean islands you likely would understand the intended meaning. Island time is measured so we are encouraged to slow down our hectic lifestyles and to savor the vacation pace.

A Caribbean vacation is supposed to recharge our lives, prepare us to return to our previous businesses of life. Unfortunately for most of us, a Caribbean vacation is not permanent, nor is the positive aftereffects permanent. Vacations feel good for the moment, but once we leave that vacation spot we must return to our previous reality … dealing with the quick, fast and sometimes slow aspects of our lives … we desire another vacation to recharge.

The Epistle of James speaks of times to be quick and be slow, but for an entirely different end. Most vacations are needed to recharge our “batteries” so we can return to the very lifestyle that got us to that needy place.

James 1:19-20(paraphrased): Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

There is a time to be quick and a time to be slow. James speaks of the need to quickly accept the Word that God has planted in our hearts. As well there is an appropriate time to be slow, allowing time for the Word to settle into our spirit and take over our lives.

Robert Parlante

May 2015

A Measure of Success

I attended my granddaughter’s graduation on Saturday where Jerry Richardson, the owner and founder of the Carolina Panthers football team was granted an honorary degree. He spoke briefly and highlighted some aspects of his life. He was the first person in his family to attend and graduate from college. He was at best a C student. He claimed one of his lowest grades was a D minus minus minus! (Not sure if that grade even exists!)

Despite his educational track record, Richardson claims his success in life was based on several keys … perseverance and a family that taught him to always say please and thank you.

Success in life is different for every person. In Richardson’s case, he gave a multi-million dollar gift to the university to build a new football stadium. That was one outcome of his success. (I expect having the Panthers win a Super Bowl would be defined as success, as well.)

The Book of James speaks of a different measure of success available to all regardless of our up-bringing or our abilities or our finances. Perseverance toward a goal in life overrides many of our perceived limitations.

James 1:12 - God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Verses 17 - 18 remind us: Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

Richardson’s words were inspiring. Education counts! Good manners counts! Perseverance counts! But our greatest measure of success is accepting the promises from God. So reach in the right direction and become a prized possession of God.

Robert Parlante

May 2015

Being a Double-Minded Person

James reminds us of the pitfalls of relying on both worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom at the same time.

Verses 1:5 – 8 (paraphrased) says: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to that person. 6 But when a person asks, they must believe and not doubt, because they who doubt are like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not think they will receive anything from the Lord; 8 they are a double-minded person, unstable in all they do.

When we come up against a trial we have several choices … we can pretend it’s not there or it’s not that serious, we can ask someone for advice on how to face the trial, or we can pray and seek wisdom from God. If we are honest with ourselves we would likely admit that most of us use all three options in the sequence. We tend to seek God’s wisdom last after all else fails.

James reminds us to seek God first and have no doubts the Lord will provide the answer. We may not like the answer. We may believe that there is no answer when God is silent. In reality, no answer is an answer.

I would suggest we reverse the way we face problems. Always seek God first, and at the same time use our God-given brain/intellect to seek out wisdom from people we trust. Frequently God “speaks” through others.

The double-minded person James speaks of is one who doubts Godly wisdom and does not expect an answer from God. That person is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

A Godly double-mined person knows the Lord intervenes directly and indirectly into our lives. Hopefully that will let us sail through life more smoothly!

Robert Parlante

April 2015

When Troubles Come Your Way

The Book of James (Chapter 1, verses 2, 3) reminds us of what to do when we experience trials.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.

If there was ever a time when we need to understand how to deal with a chaotic troubled world, it is now. I don’t know about you, but I lose sleep at night thinking about my family and their future. What kind of world are we turning over to them! Wars and rumors of wars. Anti-spiritual bias. Anything goes. Fractured families. Accepting the new “normal” of lives.

I have decided to blog my way through the Book of James. I don’t know how long it will take, but I encourage readers to stick with me. The outcomes are very promising.

For today, let’s just concentrate on being joyful despite our individual circumstances. I know that is difficult for most of us. Begin with a small step. Look around and focus on one thing that gives you joy in your life. Remember God promises you even more. Like endurance ... and we could all use more endurance!

Robert Parlante

April 2015

A Year Without a Ding!

In June 2014 we purchased a new Prius C car, and I challenged myself to try and get through an entire year without a scratch or ding. I go to the gym almost every day where hundreds of members attend. The parking lot has narrow parking spaces to squeeze in as many parked cars as possible.

My previous car had numerous parking lot mishaps. You had to deal with adjacent car doors slamming against your car and people carrying oversize gym bags that scrape along the side of vehicles. I’ve now owned the new car for 9 months with no dings. Only three more months to go and then I can relax. Well, maybe.

My gym parking strategy is simple. I park next to islands and other barrier on one side that allow only having to deal with a parked car on other side. The logic is to reduce the potential incident rate by 50%. I know this sounds a bit obsessive-compulsive, but I always love a challenge even if I have to drive around the gym parking lot for 30 minutes to find the “perfect” spot.

I recall the movie Julie and Julia which chronicles the challenge of a young blogger named Julie Powell who aspired to cook all 524 recipes in Chef Julia Child's Art of French Cooking cookbook in 365 days. It was a fun movie in which I concluded the blogger had obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

The sad part about my car ding challenge is that I had a similar objective to read through the Bible in one year. I did not succeed. I skipped parts with names that were impossible to pronounce. I found myself wanting to read only the familiar parts or at least those that gave me comfort. I used apps. Reminders were sent to my email. Where was my obsessive-compulsive behavior when I needed it?

Lord, help me to be more obedient to the daily reading of Scripture. Dings are not critical! The Word of God overcomes all things … even a ding!

Robert Parlante
March 26, 2015

P.S. In three months I'll let you know if I got dinged!

The Road Map for the Walk of Faith

One of the most powerful, inspired, life-changing books of the Bible is the epistle of James. It is the road map for the walk of faith.

The author of the book is James "the Lord's brother," not James the Apostle. Like the other brothers of Jesus, James did not believe in Him at first (John 7:2-5). But after the Resurrection this brother became a key leader in Jerusalem and at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15). One tradition nicknames James "camel knees," because of the calluses he was supposed to have developed from long hours spent in prayer.

The theme of the Book of James is "faith" ... but not saving faith, or justifying faith. James' theme is practical in that he looks at the lifestyle which is produced by faith in Jesus. True faith generates obedience, and so James encouraged the early church to live a life that was worthy of their profession of  faith in Jesus as the Christ.

The book of James is the practical application of all the doctrines of Paul sets forth on faith. It’s where the rubber meets the road. It’s where our faith is expressed in tangible ways through our actions. The epistle is indispensable to our understanding of what our faith is all about and how the Christian life is supposed to be lived. But living this out in reality is far from easy!

Here are several questions for you to consider:

What might have occurred to James to move him from a skeptic to a prayer warrior? How can we apply this to our own lives?

Why do we have such a hard time living out our faith today? What could make it easier?

 Why is it so hard to remain steadfast on our spiritual journey, especially during tough times?

We all have good and not-so good experiences with our walk of faith. Why not encourage and share your views?

Robert Parlante

March 2015

Five Things About Writing - Part 5

I believe I met an angel in Red Square on May Day while on route to my final destination in Siberia. A group of believers gathered spontaneously in a small circle in Red Square and decided to pray for the Russian people. Within a short period of time the prayer circle grew to an enormous size. The English-speaking prayer leader asked for a translator, and seemingly out of nowhere came a tall Russian woman who volunteered. She spoke perfect English, and her translation to Russian sounded like it could be heard across Red Square. At the completion of the prayer, she disappeared into the crowd. To me she felt like an angel. When I wrote the book Patch Town: A Letter From Miss Wingate I incorporated instances of random people coming into a person’s life to affirm their walk of faith. Was it coincidence or an angel? Only God knows!

Do you believe you ever encountered an angel? Won’t you share your story with me?

Robert Parlante

March 2015