In our new-age of “on demand” television, I’m becoming more and more of a binge watcher for programs that strike a chord with me.  Such is the case with a new series I’ve been watching called “The Cleaner”.  This show aired on the A&E network for two seasons (2008-2009) and now can be viewed on Amazon Prime.  My wife and I finished up season 1 last week, and we’re already four episodes into season 2.  It’s becoming our routine before heading to bed for the night.

The star of the show is Benjamin Bratt who portrays the character, William Banks.  Banks’ character is based on real-life person, Warren Boyd.  Both Boyd, and “Banks” are recovering addicts, mainly drugs and alcohol.  Banks makes a deal with God as his daughter in born and his life is a rapid, downward spiral of heroin and other drugs.  He tells God that he will commit his life to getting others “clean” if God would help him beat his drug addiction.  God does….and now Banks is working through his side of the deal.

Now whether or not you believe this type of conversation can or does happen between God and us is another question.  As for me, I’m absolutely convinced conversations like this occur….and more often than we understand.  Part of God taking us “as we are” means he also connects with us in a myriad of different ways too.

Banks, himself, admits that he has an interesting way of communicating with God.  “I don’t pray, all right?  I talk….”.  His elder son early in season 1 accuses Banks of being a little crazy as he appears to be talking to himself.  One of the other story lines is the relationship between Banks and his son….very rocky at first, but evolves in season 1 and carries over into season 2.

With each episode, Banks and his team of ex-junkies are faced with the addictions of many.  There’s the cop who stays high so he won’t feel the pain of shooting an innocent victim, a dad who’s so enslaved to alcohol that he asks his daughter to pour his drinks for him, and the prodigal daughter who sells her body to pay for her drug habits all the while her twin sister, also a junkie, masks as “at least I’m not as bad as her…”.

The monologues that represent Banks’ conversations with God are most poignant to me.  Sometimes, they’re accusatory.  Other times, very questioning.  Often times, retrospective.  Upon the death of Banks’ dad’s best friend, the interventionist says to God:

“You make birth.  You make death.  And you ask us to hang out in between and figure out the rest.”

Very telling, right?  I mean, is Banks suggesting that God leaves us alone during the long stretch between life and death?  Probably not…but I think what he’s revealing is that God expects us to take some responsibilities of how we’re living our lives, and the consequences there-in.  I think that’s what’s called “free will….”.

At best, I believe a review of The Cleaner series in Christianity Today magazine sums it up quite well:

“Of course, the messy work of addiction recovery is smoothed over for TV audiences; each junkie-of-the-week story-line is wrapped up in an hour.  But all along, we see the complicated nature of Banks’ journey, living with the consequences of his past while slogging through the full, complex cycle of rebirth.  All of us have hit a point where we have recognized our sin, cried out to God, repented, been made new, and shared what we’ve found with others.  And, in that sense, we are all cleaners….”

Here’s to the messiness in our lives….and our efforts to clean them all up.

Amen.

Read more "JAN 24, 2019 Devotional: “Life, Death, and Getting Clean In-between”"

Yesterday morning’s run was a chilly one!  29 degress at the start, but a “dry” cold so (I’m told) it didn’t actually feel as cold as the temperature might convey.  Still it was brisk and our pace was equally revved up to account for the weather.  Great run to start off the new WAWA season.

As we gathered after the run, I shared with the group two thoughts:  Resolutions and Guardrails.

First, when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions, studies have revealed that 80% of those who make resolutions in the new calendar year, break them before January 15th.  So it was no secret that I wanted to talk about our fitness commitments yesterday morning.  I congratulated the runners, since it was January 16th!  They were already part of a select group of “twenty-percent-ers”!

Why is it that people break their resolutions?  They are certainly good intentions, right?  So why do they go awry?   I reached for some answers and came across one site that gave ten reasons why.  I won’t list all ten, but a few are worth mentioning.

Reason 1:  Going at it alone.  

I translate this to mean there’s no accountability.  When left alone, we tend to choose the easier path.  Not being critical.  I’ve been there and am still there many days now!

Reason 2:  Giving up too easily. 

Raise your hand if you have many other things going on in your life?  Family, work, community, church….?  We’ve all got conflicting priorities.  So when we allow a restructuring of our priorities, those resolutions fall deeper down the line, until they’re non-existent altogether.

Reason 3:  Wrong perspective.

This same study refers to this as focusing on things that aren’t going right when we should be focusing on what’s going well.

Reason 4:  Not believing in ourselves.

Like many other aspects of our lives, goals are a journey…not a quick solution.  We have to recognize that the end may not always be immediately in sight…but trust that it is down the road.

Now while these are all great points as to why many break their fitness resolutions, one can argue that they are also aligned to why we break our Christian resolutions.  Go back to those four reasons above and align them against similar reasons why we fall off spiritual paths.  Maybe, like me, you’ll see that the reasons are nearly identical.

But while all four are reminders, to me the most important is Reason #1:  Going at it along.  And that leads me to the second word for this week’s devotional:  Guardrails.  What do I mean by that?

A few years ago, I was asked to give a testimony about my spiritual walk of faith to a men’s group in Atlanta.  The audience was about 100 men….and while I readily accepted, I had butterflies on the morning of the speech.  I shared stories of ups and downs.  And I focused the other men by saying, “my life is not a story of someone who was away from Christ, found Christ, and now lives a model Christian life.”  I emphasized that I am constantly riding the roller-coaster that perhaps many of you can say the same.

By “guardrails” I am referring to the people and things in my life that help me try to stay on the path of my own Christian resolutions.  These resolutions are not something to be renewed every year but kept in place each and every day.  I surround myself and involve myself in people and groups to serve as constant reminders of those resolutions.  I call them my “guardrails”.  And without them, I am more likely to weave off the road and down the cliff.

It’s not easy.  And it can often times be exhausting.  And maybe some of you don’t need those types of guardrails in your lives.  For those in that category, I say “congratulations”.  But for the rest of us….perhaps more than just the fitness “twenty percent-ers”, I invite you to join me.

It’s a new year and a new chance to focus on a loving, Heavenly Father.  My prayer today is that we find the necessary guardrails for ourselves and those around up.  Keep marching towards our Christian resolutions.  Don’t go at it alone.

Peace!

 

Read more "JAN 17, 2019 Devotional: “Resolutions and Guardrails”"