As Iron Sharpens Iron

As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Last Sunday I was talking to a brother in the faith and co-laborer in my churches men’s ministry leadership. We were discussing our vision and in particular the verse from Proverbs that most men know by heart, as iron sharpens iron…

This verse makes me want to meet other Rons ;-) (as I ron sharpens I ron…) so much for my sense of humor.

Ya, okay…

I am sure that none of you know what I do for a living and fewer (if that were possible) would know what I went to college for a couple of decades back. Well let me tell you, I am a metallurgist. Metallurgical engineering is somewhat of a lost science. There are few of us who go into this noble field of study. It is in many ways the modern form of the blacksmith. Of course it is engineering as well. Blacksmith, calculus chemistry and heat transfer, a strange stew indeed.

What the heck does all this have to do with faith you might ask? Well let me tell you. I learned long ago that if your eyes are open the Lord can show you connections in the most unlikely places. As Jesus taught in parables, there are wonderful metaphors out there just waiting to create meaning for us.

“As Iron”

Have you ever stopped to consider how iron or steel are made into something useful?

I have worked in modern blast furnaces, steelmaking shops, hot mills, cold mills, literally the whole process. I have studied ancient metallurgy, how dirt is transformed into a metal. I was led through the whole process both literally and figuratively in thought and in action.

Iron is a very interesting metal. On its own it is fairly ordinary, dull, soft and prone to rust. You would not want to build much with it, it would not hold up. Funny thing though contaminate it with minute amounts of other metals or other “dirt” and you can make it extremely strong, hard as well nails, tougher than pretty much any other metal.

Ancient iron (biblically) would have been like this, impure. The processes used today to make steel and iron so remarkably versatile had not yet been imagined. So we start with iron mixed with impurities of carbon, manganese, silicon, sulphur etcetera.

If you think about butter or cheese what happens to it just before it turns to liquid? It gets remarkably soft, same with iron. The easiest way to shape iron into something useful is to heat it in a hot fire, the hotter the better. In fact somewhere above 750 degrees Celsius (1350 F) is where you would want to be. If you go to a blacksmith you would find him working the metal to a bright red / orange color which is as much as 1900 F. As I said at this temperature steel / iron is soft and pliable.

If you were to want to make a sword you would take the metal up to this temperature then beat it with a hammer on an anvil into the approximate shape you wanted. Since it would cool and harden quickly you would alternate between heating and beating the metal into shape.

“Sharpens Iron’

The next step is to begin to get the metal to the toughness you want with the ability to hold a sharp edge. How do you do this? Well the process is quite fascinating.

First you must quench the metal from its high temperature. The metal must start from above 1350 and be brought as quickly as possible down to a low temperature. In this form the metal is brittle, so brittle in fact that it is like glass. If you gave it a sharp blow it would shatter into many pieces.

From here we reheat the steel (not too hot) just enough to relieve the internal stresses caused by the quench. This process known as tempering provides the toughness required to enable the metal to be used without breaking. Depending on application there might even be a follow up process of hardening an edge of the metal like a sword where the quench and temper process is repeated or the metal is treated with a chemical and heated to enable the edge to stay sharp and hard during use.

The process can be summed up by a favorite phrase of metallurgists:

“Heating, beating and treating”

“So One Man”

Alright enough with the metallurgy class! What does this have to do with faith?

I believe the verse in proverbs 27 is talking directly to men about the transformation they will undergo as they mature into true believers in Christ.

Our transformation begins when we invite accept Christ as our Lord and savior. It continues as we invite the Holy Spirit to come into our heart and lead us in the faith. It goes deeper as we realize we are called to community with other believers. When men come alongside other men there is something powerful that happens and this is where the verse in proverbs comes to life.

You see as a man you are not much different than the lump of metal dull and lifeless prone to tarnish and full of impurity. As we invite Christ into our life we begin the process of refinement and strengthening.

We are put in situations that test us, that put us in the fire. We are beat upon and hammered by the circumstances of life. We are criticized, admonished, overlooked. We are tempted, we are corrupted we are discouraged. Yet through all these circumstance one thing remains true we belong to Christ Jesus. Through these tests we have the ability to grow wise, to learn from our trials. So we learn from the trials and our character (structure) is forever changed, strengthened.

Like the quench we too experience the temptation after testing and we may fail, shatter at the impact. Yet like the metal this is not our destiny for even the metal can be re-forged into a new creation so can we. But to exist in this fragile state has no life we must continue on and be tempered. We must through our experiences be softened just enough to be toughened, conditioned to handle future trials.

"Sharpens Another"

When we emerge from the forge hardened on the exterior yet soft for the love of Christ we can be further refined. We can be sharpened to a razors edge to do the work of the body of Christ. Through the words of our trusted brothers we sharpen out character our behaviors, we become more Christ like. We cycle through the fires, the beating down, restoration and refinement coming ever closer to our goal of surrender to Christ and an iron tool of his perfect will.

Metaphors indeed!

Father I praise you for the curiosity you planted so deep in me

The desire to learn to grow, to discover how things are made

I praise you for the glory of your creation human kind

I pray that I might do your will and serve your people

I pray for your perfect will to be complete

Both in heaven and on earth

Amen

Tent City: "State and Grove"

Do you love me Peter? Feed my sheep

I looked into the eyes of Alice as I smiled and shook her hand. Alice had seen life the hard way; living out of a run down tent in the bad part of Ontario California, Alice has seen life. She had bad decaying teeth, leathered pock marked skin and tattered dirty cloths. She was searching for a blanket, maybe a newer pair of shoes.

Do you love me Peter? Tend my lambs

There was Ianna. She had been on the street for a couple of months. Her boyfriend had left her. She had nowhere to go no one to reach out to. Her tent had burned to the ground. She showed us scars on her forearm where the nylon material had scared her permanently. She was searching for a jacket and baby cloths. She shared how she was bipolar.

Do you love me Peter? Feed my sheep John 21:15-18

I said hello to Bobby. He blessed us and shared how he had been on the streets now for three years. He lived out of his truck with his old dog, his companion. Bobby could have been Jesus himself. He had deep blue eyes that seemed out of place in this land of despair.

I watched as Alice received a burger, water and some snacks from other volunteers. The gratitude was sincere. This was a lady who depended on the generosity of others. Other came through the food line, so many others.

There were those who had given up on life resignation written all over their face, others who had a glimmer of hope that seemed to be ground out of them moment by moment. A jet screams overhead clawing its way into the sky. I had been in one just days earlier taking off from the Ontario CA airport bound for Portland over this very spot. All the while I was praising God for his blessing on my life. If only that praise and blessing could have rained down on these brothers and sisters as the jet thundered over head.

There were those whose minds were not right, who struggled just to exist. Those who had fear and pain etched into their face. You wanted to wash it off to care for them to help them up. So much pain so much fear, so much despair. It hurt to watch, it hurt to be there.

In the dry dust of an empty field over 200 hopeless, homeless carved out a life, no a survival. No heat, no plumbing, no air conditioning, no sound insulation, this was a hell on earth. Yet in the midst of all the misery there was hope. Several Christian churches were there handing out food, handing out cloths, handing out love.

I was there for a few hours and it changed me, wrecked me actually. My son and I left there in a somber mood. We both thought of these people all day, we resolved to return to the tent city in Ontario. To hand out love and to share the hope of the gospel of our savior Jesus Christ.

Will you join me?

Father

today I felt your pain, your heartbreak over your children

Your people suffering, living in despair

People who have no one nothing, people who need you

Father, it was such as these you sought to save, to heal

I pray that you use me, you teach me how to care for these

to care for your people

Father I pray that this blog touches those who can make a difference

A difference with their hands and their hearts

I pray that many of your people will wake up and feel the suffering around them

and finally do something about it Father

Do not let me lose this heart ache I feel

Use me to help your people

amen

Ron

Dollar Store Jesus

Yesterday I sat to write a post to this blog and found my mind as dry as a desert. It was clear that the subject I wanted to write and finish, the third installment in "What's your Story?" just wasn't the one I had to write. So this afternoon I prayed that the Holy Spirit would guide my thoughts and fingers across the keyboard. Here is what came forth...

Dollar Store Jesus

I went out for drinks with my wife, a dear friend and her spouse on night last week. We were celebrating a promotion that God had engineered in my life. My friend did not know it as she is far from God but my true celebration was in worship the day of the offer two weeks prior.

So here we were two college friends and spouses toasting a new chapter, a new season literally drinking in the possibility. She and I had graduated from a masters program in leadership and management not 18 months prior. Both of us have been forever changed through the degree. It gave us the opportunity to deepen our wisdom, challenge our assumptions and find our leadership voice. I have watched my friend grow in confidence and capability as sure as an oak tree growing along the shore of a river. I too was changed by the program. It was the first time I started to incorporate my vocation (leadership) with my faith. In the early courses I spoke tentatively of how important my faith was in my life and leadership. Toward the end I was bold, a lion waiting to roar for my God. The transformation was discernible to all who knew me but especially my dear friend.

My friend and I shared a deep sense of loyalty to the concept of authenticity. We sought transparency and absolute integrity. What you see is exactly what you get. Make a promise, deliver period. This kindred sense came though from seemingly different places. My friend has wandered from her catholic roots, some deep scar clouding her ability to see that God is real. I believe the Holy Spirit is working in her much like he did with me when I was far from him. He kept chipping away at the edges, honing my character, pointing me in Godly directions, protecting me from myself. I believe he does so with my friend as well she has not seen it yet.

My friend comes from a Hispanic background, she is volcanic with passion, she has a joy for life that is unmatched and a tireless spirit. If you are in trouble this is the friend you would want at your side, you just know you can count on her. She has an infectious laugh; often I make ridiculous comments or take on peculiar accent just to hear it. When she laughs the room brightens immediately. Her own sense of humor is well developed. When the four of us get together it is not uncommon for all of us to laugh so hard that our faces hurt for hours afterward. Each time we all seem to be surprised by the amount of laughter that comes forth. God loves to laugh I am sure. I cannot help but think he is at the center of this time.

So this particular evening was no different. It seems that my friend had family come to visit from out of state. She proceeded to tell us the stories of how her relatives took over the house like the Tasmanian devil cartoon character takes over a forest: high speed action, a dust cloud and mayhem in the wake. We laughed hysterically as she related story after story that would have been implausible had this been a sitcom. When she got to the Jesus statue and the candles I perked up. I do this when I sense that my Lord is about to be grieved. But not so this day, she related how her relative had setup their own personal shrine complete with burning candles, Jesus and a saint statue complete with the flame of the Holy Spirit. My friend was reasonably concerned that the house might actually catch fire, after all the flood, the fight and the fridge stories were already in the books.

When she finished sharing how her catholic relative setup a shrine to pray to Jesus my wife remarked how it seemed as if her relative might have bought a dollar store Jesus; hence the name of this post.

I grew up a Catholic Christian. The traditions of my church have always been a great comfort to me. I love the warmth of a group confessional prayer, the sense of chanting that spans the millennia by billions of Christians. Yet something troubled me. I have reached a point in my walk where from reading and studying the bible where I realize that Christ is every where. The veil was torn at his crucifixion. We no longer need an intercessor to approach our Heavenly Father. I am no preacher, no theologian, just a Christian; but the father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are real. They influence my life in profound ways. They intercede for me, answer my prayers, they comfort me and protect me. I don’t need a dollar store Jesus statue to pray to.

I am beginning to understand why so many Christians look at the catholic traditions and see what looks like idol worship. I know it isn’t, they just don’t understand, I reason. But yet, why a statue? Is it a reminder, a symbol of what God represents…I do not know. Blind faith is in my life not faith at all. I must seek relationship with my heavenly father. I must know him and have an intimate relationship with him. I must love him with all my heart, soul and mind. Here in lies the journey to be taken, the life to be lived, a life of total surrender. In surrendering to Christ paradoxically lies a life of freedom and love. This is what I seek.

Father

I am yours

Fully

I want nothing more than to do your will

I want to know your love and have it channel through me to the lost of this world

I want to be yours hands, feet, whatever you need of me.

Father I lift up my dear friend to you

I beg of you to heal the brokenness in her

Help that part of her that keeps her from knowing your love.

Save her father

This daughter of yours is a gift of joy

Heaven would not be the same without her

Father

I love you

Amen

Larry the Biker

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Alright! The music just ended, we haven’t missed anything yet….

Our pastor spoke this oft heard quote that echoes the halls of our church as the praise music ends and the announcements and message are about to begin. Busted I was. My wife and I regularly show up during the first half hour of our service during the praise portion, reasoning, its just music we have not missed the message. How infinitely wrong we have been in this behavior.

Our pastor continued to teach us this Tuesday evening about the meaning of the greatest commandment

Love the Lord thy God with all your heart mind and soul Mark 12:30

When Jesus uttered these prophetic words to the Pharisees all those years ago, what he was saying that we need to worship at the feet of our heavenly father. Praise him, worship him, love him.

These words were a revolution inside my heart. In my stoic world of maintaining appearances I often consider my surroundings before I ever lift my hands in worship. Why is it so hard for a man of God to praise his heavenly father? Our pastor continued. As he wrapped up this message he shared a stance he had personally taken. He said he would rather be judged a fool by men then a fool by God. With that as a backdrop I considered my own behaviors. Truly I needed to be bolder in my own faith, to worship like David not caring what man said or thought. What a place to be left, resolute in finding my own voice of authentic worship.

The next day I found myself looking clearly toward my afternoon bike ride into the mountains. I knew what was coming. I was not just going to pray this day I would WORSHIP my Lord and Savior. At the peak of my ride I prayed earnestly for revelation, for courage, for peace. I interceded on behalf of some many people I love who are broken and hurting. Today my prayers were from my knees, where I belong. (The Lord had conveniently blown a piece of cardboard into the location where I pray each day, almost as if to welcome me and say I know what you need today). At the end of my prayer in abject humility I tried to cry out in song my worship of the Lord. Did I mention that I suck at singing. Not only that but no words came to mind from any of the worship songs I love.

Well the Lord will provide! (Remember a few posts back where the Lord told me to listen to my Ipod? He did so again. After all there are only about 300 Christian songs on the thing!)

I choose deliberately. Mercy Me came immediately to mind. Their music so soulful, the lyrics pull on my heart. I started “I can only imagine”. Yes imagine a grown man standing on the side of a mountain belting out, way out of tune, the lyrics of a song. No one else can hear the music; no one else knows what this crazy guy is singing about, just God and me. It was awesome, tears streamed down my face as I soaked in the lyrics (and yelled them out) of this beautiful song and for a brief moment could conceive of what it meant to really love God.

The ride down the mountain and back to my house was even more powerful for me. My poor bike strained under the continuous blows of rocks sticking above the trail. The chain rattled off the frame as I sped onward, downward fully engulfed in my own powerful, private worship session. I hit the bottom of the trail at full speed and attempted to make a gravelly high speed turn as Mercy Me pounded into my ears. The tires bit then slipped bit then slipped, over the top of the bike I went landing standing up. With a triumphant yell of praise I hooted and hollered to my savior. This wipe out is for you, you are my rock, my savior PRAISE YOUR NAME!!!

The ride continued onto city streets, the music even louder to drown out the sound of the wind whipping past my ears. 20 miles per hour 25, I was on fire. I could not go fast enough, sing loud enough. As I made the turn west to head home the wind was fully against me slowing me to a crawl. I labored to catch my breath, the fire of worship was now in my thighs. (I was tired, my muscles were burning). Each time I caught my breath I would rejoin the chorus of the latest song. I would run out of breath and stop singing long enough to start again. By the time I was within a mile of my house, everyone must of wondered who the crazy bikin singin guy was. What a powerful experience. I am left to ponder what my next worship experience will be and whether I will scare the kids in the neighborhood…

"I Can Only Imagine"

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine

[Chorus]

I can only imagine [x2]

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever, forever worship you

Father I praise your Holy name

amen

A glimpse into my private worship time

My afternoon rides up into the San Gabriel mountains are holy to me. They are the time when I pray, I intercede on behalf of others, I beg forgiveness for my transgressions, I praise our Heavenly Father, I marvel at the wonder of his creation. Most of my prayer time takes place at the peak of the ride 1.5 miles straight up toward the heavens. My prayers start either as Samuel did so many millenia ago

Speak Lord for your servant is listening
1Samuel 3:9

or in praise through the psalms of David

I look onto the Hills
From where does my help come?
It comes from the Lord
Psalm 121

The ride itself is filled with the sounds of my Ipod. Most days I listen to the Daily Audio Bible. A wonderful podcast that tracks the one year bible. There is no more important activity in my life than to spend quality time in the word. I am extremely blessed to have found this podcast in April and have faithfully listened to the word every day since. In fact my thirst for the word is so strong that I have also listened to Jan through April so that at the end of the year I will have covered the whole bible.

The man behind the DAB, as it is affectionately known, is a music producer and artist from Tennessee, Brian Hardin. This ministry took hold of him and is now central to his life. I have listened through his sickness, exhaustion, and wacked out travel schedules as he faithfully reads each day. In his August summary Brian shared some insight that really hit me as to our duty to be engaged in the realm of the spirit. We must recognize the stakes of our faith and what the enemy is trying to steal from us. I asked Brian if I could share some of his summary and he kindly agreed. I think you will find it as profound as I did.

Brian Hardin

The Daily Audio bible

I am really starting to not just look at life randomly. This is the second time through the bible here. I am starting to get a sense that we must be aware of our situation and aware that the realm of the spirit is real. Its one way or the other, I have said this before, it’s either real or its not. It cannot be sort of real whenever I am feeling partway cosmic and mystical and then most of the rest of the time I don’t believe any of it. I am attached to the physical realm and just too busy to care.

I am personally getter better about this and I have chosen to believe that the spiritual battle over my heart that is spoken of in the bible is real. I try to take into context everything that is going on around me and sense what God is saying or what might be opposed to what we are doing. I have noticed even more than ever because the Daily Audio Bible exists that part of the opposition is because of what it is. I guess me sitting behind this mike makes me a bit of a target. For the most part you cover me with your prayers those around me do and God does because this is his word.

I have become even more aware of the profound effect that the scriptures have on my life is and it is a powerful thing. It has radically changed the way I look at the world. I know I am not alone because I get emails from many of you I know I am not alone and that we are doing this as a community.

Thanks Brian for letting me post this.

Father
We come before you as simple beings
we are not always aware of the battle
that rages all around us
Our souls hang in the balance
But through your son by accepting his gift of profound grace
we are saved from eternal damnation
Father we thank you we praise you
I ask that you provide my brother Brian with a hedge of spiritual protection
Father continue to bless and grow his ministry
Let this ministry reach the whole world for Christ your son

Amen

Ron Hurst

The Trip IV: Duty and Self

Most of us in North America are accustomed to having a fairly generous zone of personal space. Our personal space is reserved for a select group ourselves of course and those with whom we are most intimate. In fact one of the ways we can determine how close someone is with another is by how close they get to one another and how comfortable they are when they do so. The closer and more comfortable, the more intimate the relationship in general pretty simple right?

Well, in late August I spent 6 days with my parents and eldest sister helping my mother to prepare for cancer surgery. Because of constrained time lines, further constrained budgets I ended up having precious few moments to myself alone. Sharing a hotel room with my father and all waking moments with my mom dad and sister. This is treasured time as I consider the gravity of why I am visiting. Life is short and relationships matter. I wanted to be fully present and serve with a heart like Jesus while there.

Conflicting with this was my need to be alone. Alone time is my opportunity to pray and praise God, to intercede on behalf of others in need, to seek wisdom and understanding, to seek forgiveness and healing. Other than washroom time I had zero time alone for six days. Praying in the washroom is okay but not ideal to say the least. I can't pray with my parents their catholic roots and mindset just doesn't get my relationship with Jesus. My sister is too hurt to believe right now. But she did ask about my faith praise God...

So I struggled mightily to hold this dichotomy in check and get through this time in such a way that my parents and sister knew without doubt my love for each of them. It was a challenging time, it taxed my patience to the limit, it sapped my energy down way too low, it drew heavily upon my spiritual batteries.

You know the moment before I left after the operation was over and my mom appeared to be on the mend, my father gave me a priceless gift. As he thanked me for being there and said goodbye, his voice cracked just a bit. Just enough.

No words but I knew what he was saying "I love you son, thanks for being here for your mother and I"

If you read my previous posts you will know that this is the secret way my family communicates. No outward shows of affection, just stoic acts sometimes with the cracks of emotion that say the words that cannot be spoken.

So my mom was on the mend that day and I hoped a jet for home a few thousand miles away. Secured in my heart was the knowledge that I had honored my mother and father.

I only pray that it will go well for them.

Father

I praise you
Your healing hand
Your gentle son Jesus
Your grace
Your omnipotence
Your plans for us
Your glory revealed
Your majesty and creation
Your unbounded love

I thank you for the healing hand you placed on my family
I thank you for your deliverance

Blessed be your name in all the nations on all the earth

In your sons victorious name I pray

Amen

Cancer in the Hills

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore. Ps 121

My family and I live in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountain range in southern California. I am blessed to have awesome trails to ride my mountain bike on just a few hundred yards from my house. This is a joyous time for me as I can spend time in prayer and in the word. It is my alone time with God.

For the past several weeks I have been coming to terms with the recent diagnosis of my mother. She was told she has cancer, again. Four and a half years ago she went toe to toe with this horrible disease. She emerged tired and bruised but victorious, Praise God. Now however the stakes are higher. A tumor was found and will be removed in two weeks.

My mother and I are not close in the traditional sense. Her generation was not one to let you know how they feel. I learned to fill in the blank spaces. Acts of kindness and sacrifice can easily be understood as I love you. A smile or friendly lilt in a voice can mean I love you.

But now, does “are you coming to visit?” mean I am scared, I can’t do this alone. Does clinging to details about accommodations belay a loss of control? What of her fear of death? How does that play out, in prayer, devotion?

I am not on solid ground here. Much like the rocks and gravel on my mountain playground the ground seems unstable, shifting and full of peril. Each of my rides has taken on a new significance. Most days I cannot wait to get there. At the summit of my ride I stop and take in the vista. As I catch my breath I pray earnestly. Most days the prayer starts with Psalm 121. Here this psalm comes to life. I can feel his presence consoling me, encouraging me, strengthening me. Like the beat of my heart pounding in my ears, Jesus is there with me. Jesus is my rock and solid ground.

He reminds me of his sacrifice, his commitment to me. On my knees I ask for a miracle that my mother would know his power, his healing. I see this tremendous mountain range and know that it would melt before him if he wished, it would be thrown down into the ocean at his command. His power is there for each of us who earnestly seek it. Those who would do his will, build his kingdom, love him and their neighbor with all their heart.

Today I am torn up by the suffering and fear of my mother. But my trust is in him and his power. Today and all days he is the one that I seek, that I love, that I will follow with all my heart. Today I pray for a miracle, I intercede on behalf of my mother. Today I call upon the name of Christ and ask that he give my mother the chance to complete her life in his peace, in his grace, carried away with gentleness and warmth. The woman who brought me into this world I pray will go out of it another day fully in his comforting hand.

May all the praise and glory be yours

My heavenly father I pray these things in the name of your victorious son

Amen