"skubalon"

(What follows is not original with me. I owe my 'inspiration' to Alan Nelson, a pastor in Arizona. If this TFTD offends you, please know I'm not sending it to be mean or even just to be humorous. There is a point buried in it ... which just might stick, if you'll read all the way to the end!)

Can you say the vulgar word for "manure" if you're a pastor? I didn't think so... OK, so I'll use the Biblical term, "skubalon." (Dung, if you want to look it up.) You might say I have a Ph.D in the stuff-- yeah, piled high and deep-- 'cause I grew up on a farm where I scooped tons of it into the wagon that carried it to fertilize our fields. I just had no idea I'd have to scoop so much of it as a pastor! Here's what I mean. I get a whiff of skubalon during meetings I attend when a personal agenda overtakes God's agenda. The distinct odor drifts out of notes from people who are angry over this or that in their church. During most conversations that include the famous line - "Pastor, God is leading us to another church," I start looking around for a shovel. One of the big problems with church is that we spend way too much time trying deny or sanctify skubalon instead of just shoveling it out the door. In many places the wonderful treasure of the Gospel get buried in it and the sweet fragrance of Christ is obscured by the stench of selfishness and self-righteousness coming out of the church.

We need to call it what it is. When we over-react, let's just call it skubalon instead of making excuses. When we are trying to impress someone with our overblown story or tragic tale, somebody needs to sneeze, -skubalon! and bring us back to our senses and the truth. When pettiness and political pomp are hindering real progress we need to send for the skubalon wagon to haul it away so God's work can continue unhindered by phoniness. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what you call it. If it looks like skubalon, smells like skubalon... more than likely it is skubalon.

Skubalon happens! That's life. But ignoring it, renaming it, or even playing around with it in conversations or gripe sessions, just isn't right! Identify it. Clean it up, and move on. Ever been drawn into a conversation where the ministry of another person is being coated with critical comments that stink like skubalon? Did you stop it or nod in agreement, piling it on? Ever been part of a gripe session where somebody's skubalon was hurled at at undeserving leader, just because of personal reasons or preferences? Of course, this pastor is the first to admit to the need for the golden rule principle in this discussion. I've flung more than my fair share of skubalon from time to time; and I repent for letting myself deal in such base stuff! It's kind of difficult to point out the pile in your front yard when mine is stinking under the sunshine, but.... if we all commit to telling the truth and start to deal with the skubalon in our lives, the world will be a better place.

From the summit of Mt. Midlife, my skubalon detector has become more sharply honed. I am told that the Busters (born between 1965-1980) and the Millennials (born in the 80's and 90's) have particularly keen skubalon detection skills and that if we are not willing to be authentic, they are quite willing to discard our Christian faith as so much skublaon, and they will head for the door of our church without looking back! They quickly see when somebody's position, power, or prestige has become more important than the truth, than Jesus' will, or loving people! They will shake the skubalon off their feet. Tragically, they often turn their backs on the Truth, too. Jesus has a word for those who let the stink of the skubalon in their lives drive others away from Him and His community: "if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck." (Matthew 18:6, NLT)

Lest you think that I've become overly coarse, let me share what Paul, the Apostle, wrote. He apparently had little tolerance for skubalon after his transformational meeting with Jesus Christ on the road to Damacus. He wasn't polite in his description of his B.C. (Before Christ) days. Here's what he wrote-- "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung (skubalon), that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" (Philippians 3:6-9, KJV)

Just in case you're having a little trouble with the old English... here's the heart of that passage from The Message. "Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him."

The glorious Truth is that God, the Spirit, offers a powerful disinfectant to us that can rid us of even the odor of skubalon in our lives! We don't have to live in lies, traffic in deception, or serve self any longer. Because we are powerfully loved, we can face the truth even when it stinks! Once we call the stinky mess what it really is, God can help us deal with it effectively!

Here's a great word to meditate on today: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4, NKJV)

Take the freedom from the stink of sin that is offered by Christ. Let's breathe the fresh clean air that is blown into our lives by the Holy Spirit and the glory of the Gospel, the beauty of Jesus, and the power of the Spirit will become evident to all who see what God has done!