What ever happened to R&R?

Hey y'all (That there’s Texas talk fer hi, me thinks)

This ought to be one of the greatest days for a long-time sports nut like me. It’s the home opener for my newly adopted baseball team the Houston Astros. My baseball team for life, the Kansas City Royals, are out in front in their division here at the onset of the season. (And, if you don’t follow baseball then you won’t grasp the marvel of that feat.) And tonight, the University of Kansas Jayhawks, another of the sports teams I’ve long-suffered with, will be battling for the men’s NCAA Division I basketball championship. And instead of enjoying the excitement of all these events coming into alignment in one fell swoop, I’m going nuts because I don’t think I should be thinking about any of this stuff when the world is going to hell in a hand basket, I’ve got rent, and utility bills, a car in need of tires, and another tank of gas before the end of the week. On top of that I can’t seem, for the life of me, to find a supplemental job that isn’t going to cost more to have than I’ll be getting paid. On the ministry front, at times I feel like John the Baptist, crying in the wilderness…or maybe more like the tree falling in the forest that nobody hears...boo-hoodie-hoo. Yeah, so baseball and basketball seem to have lost some of their recreational diversion. And, drat, I think it’s a crying shame… because tonight I would rather watch basketball, and listen to baseball on the radio, than fretting over, or inadequately praying about, the desperate situation of Christian brothers and sisters fighting for their lives in China, India, North Korea, and Africa. Just what is wrong with me!?!?!

I vaguely remember, in those days before I signed on with Artists in Christian Testimony and subsequently became an agent of gospel outreach over the internet, (having now completed a full three years in such service) that I rarely was challenged in the areas of resting and relaxing. But, things sure seem a whole lot more complex at present...Since I’ve become labeled as a missionary I really can't seem to relax much at all anymore.

Amid my anxiety, I recall this quote of Jesus, (red-lettered in my NLT Bible) “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11: 28-30. Yet, forgive me Jesus, but I’m actually feeling much more weary and most of my present burdens surely aren’t feeling any lighter either. I'm feeling crushed by the yoke. (And this, by the way, is no joke.)

It seems Jesus is implying, to His largely agriculturally adroit audience that just like one of those yokes, that heavy wooden harness that was placed on beasts of burden so they can pull farm implements, is indicative of our dragging about heavy burdens…He’s got a better yoke. That’s all fine and well, I truly believe this is true and encourage others to listen to what Jesus is offering here. But I note further that there are many clear instructions in the Bible regarding the obligations for any who aspire to being a religious teacher…like a missionary.

A few of the heaviest verses might be Ephesians 4:11-13, “He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and to build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.” Add to that then, Titus 2:8, “Let your teaching be so correct that it can’t be criticized. Then those who want to argue will be ashamed because they won’t have anything bad to say about us.” And finally, there’s always James 3:1, “Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness.” If you don’t mind my saying, this doesn’t appear to be to be a particularly light burden to bear…and I can get pretty freaked out about the level of responsibility I’ve been entrusted with. Still, you go Astros, Royals, and especially you Jayhawks - beat Memphis!