The Dream Factory

They Shall See God

Art by Laura James, LauraJamesArt.com

Big questions keep us awake at night. The answers define where we stand in relation to ultimate truth. They either cloud our view or take us to new vistas of awareness.

The psalmist asks a question.

Who can live close to God?

Who does God invite into proximity with the divine presence.

Psalm 15:1 - Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?

The grand question introduces the next set of lessons from the psalms and sparks the imagination of all earnest seekers. As believers in Christ, we have the answer in the gospel, but the very asking of the question is a matter of opening to God for all that He desires to teach us. Do not take truth for granted or treat it as if it were not ever new and renewing. Allow the question to move you to the next level of seeking as you go before the Father in prayer today.

Psalm 15:2 - … He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart…

Here we have an answer to the question posed yesterday, “Who may dwell in your sanctuary and live on your holy hill?” Consider this: not everyone wants that. For some, the price of letting go of blame and embracing righteousness is too much. Truth is too threatening, and the lure of sin is too great. The psalmist however, longs for the presence of God and that is what it means to desire eternal life and heavenly bliss. It is not the beauty of the hill that captures the heart, but the beauty of God Himself.

To desire God is to desire the qualities that God brings to our lives: blamelessness through forgiveness, righteous behavior through the power of grace, and a heart of truth by the transformation of the Holy Spirit within us. Let us pray for that heart change that redirects our focus from sin to God and then, our very longing for heaven will be indicative of our readiness to enter in.

Psalm 15:3 - … and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong, and casts no slur on his fellow man.

The man or woman who can stand with joy and confidence in the presence of God and fully embrace the wonder of His fellowship is in constant touch with his or her fellow human beings. Those relationships matter. They have affect upon and are affected by our vital and honest relationship with God.

It is not possible to claim footing on the holy hill while usurping the place of a brother or sister. Slander, malice, and simple disregard for the feelings of a neighbor are indicative of shaky spiritual grounding and contribute to spiritual tremblers in our fellowship with the Lord. Let the love of Christ enter your heart at the choice level in all of your dealings with those around you and express your deep desire to love God by loving others.

Psalm 15:4 - who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord, who keeps his oath even when it hurts,

As we have so often noted, we must begin with the vile man within each of us and register our disgust with the vileness of our own sin natures. But we must go beyond that point. If we will despise the vileness within us, we must also honor the new man or woman recreated in God’s image that reveres God and loves truth.

That person lives inside of us as well and that person is fashioned by grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. He or she is the Christ-life gifted to us through new birth. There are new values and a new integrity that is constantly going for truth no matter what it will cost because God is truth and nothing else matters more than God.

If we will value and honor that person, it will grow and take over our lives. That is the person God has made you to be.

Psalm 15:5 - who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.  He who does these things will never be shaken.

What some have, in the past, called social gospel, the scriptures call justice and righteousness. It is a very clear matter to the earnest student of the Bible that one must deal fairly, honestly, and uprightly in every horizontal relationship if the vertical relationship with God is to flourish. Allow dishonesty, greed, malice, and bitterness to enter into your heart in any dimension of your being and it will undermine your footing before God upon the holy hill where you presume to stand erect.

The key to unshakable spiritual growth is to despise that which is vile and embrace that which is holy and true and to never compromise our purity of purpose in seeking God – whether our eyes are fixed toward His sanctuary or upon His face in the eyes one of His children.

Sing along with this video

1. Who may a bide in Your dwelling, O Lord?
He who walks rightly and follows Your word.
Who makes his home on Your high, holy hill?
He who speaks truth in his heart by Your will.

2. He shall not slander a neighbor or friend;
Neither does evil nor seeks to offend.
All who are wicked by him are despised;
God's faithful servants find praise in his eyes.

3. He keeps his word without thought to his pain.
Lends to the needy, expecting no gain;
Stands by the innocent man without fail.
He who does these things shall ever prevail.

Words: David P. Regier, Music: Traditional Irish Melody

In Micah’s day, the same questions were being asked.

Micah preached it poetically.

Micah 6:1-8, New International Version

Listen to what the LORD says:
“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
let the hills hear what you have to say.
“Hear, you mountains, the LORD’s accusation;
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the LORD has a case against his people;
he is lodging a charge against Israel.
“My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me.
I brought you up out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.
My people, remember
what Balak king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”
With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

Out of the complex history of God’s dealings with his people up until that point comes a simple message.

In three short points, Micah summarizes the human obligation to God.

1. Act with justice and fairness.
2. Love mercy.
3. Walk humbly with God.

When we walk in justice, we care about right and wrong in our personal lives, in our communities, and in the world.

We care about the poor, the wounded, the broken, and the disenfranchised.

We labor for the wellbeing of all people.

That is just justice. It is fair. It is right. It honors the dignity of humanity which is dignified by God.

But there is more. There is mercy. The people who love God, love mercy. The people who love mercy, feel the pain of others can care about them with great affection and passion.

Not to love mercy is to deny the heart of God and separate ourselves from God’s concerns.

Then, there is even more. The people who are drawn in to the inner circle of God’s presence are those who walk with God in humility. They have an honest view of themselves and a awe inspired view of God.

They cannot be self-focused because they have seen a glimpse of glory and that glory has humbled their hearts with reverence and joy.

Paul said such people who come to God in Jesus for mercy and grace, those who see God’s glory in the cross of Christ, those who have been transformed by the grace of God, are often considered as fools in the world.

How could thinking people accept such a simple and generous gospel?

1 Corinthians 1:18-31, New International Version

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

It is a great turn-round. Those who think they are clever, wise, sophisticated, powerful, and above-it-all will be frustrated and humbled. Those who have humbled themselves and received mercy shall be exalted.

Those who asserted their own importance shall realize how unimportant they are.

Those who knew they were weak and relied on God's strength shall be strong indeed.

God, working in Christ, makes people wise, and strong, and righteous as he redeems them and makes them holy.

It all makes sense in the charter message of the Kingdom of God, delivered on a mountain near the Sea of Galilee by Jesus himself.

Matthew 5:1-12, New International Version

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

He said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

    for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

    for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

    for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,

    for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,

    for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

    for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Let us  zero in on  verses 1 and 2

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:   And he opened his mouth, and taught them …” - Matthew 5:1-2:

The sermon on the Mount is the greatest description of kingdom living ever spoken.  Its ideals are high and unattainable in the flesh.  It lifts values and principles which go for the heart of God’s desire for the behavior of kingdom people.

To examine ourselves in their light is an arduous task.  It would be discouraging and debilitating apart from grace.  However, it can serve as a benchmark for progress is our spiritual growth.  It can also remind us that no matter how far we have come, God can take us farther.

With an Open Mouth

“And he opened his mouth, and taught them …“-Matthew 5:2

When Jesus began to teach, he opened his mouth. The words that came out were words of congratulations. They were words of encouragement. They were spoken to the multitudes. They were spoken to disciples.

They were spoken to men and women who were poor come who were in mourning, who were meek hungry for righteousness merciful sincere and peacemakers. They were these characterized by all of these descriptions, or they aspired to be the people Jesus described and would become them.

They were people who would know persecution and hardship and sorrow.

So, Jesus called them blessed.

Some call this blessedness happiness.

Some call it congratulations.

Whatever it is called the poor are blessed because of their greatest possession the Kingdom of God.

Mourners are blessed because of anticipated comfort from God. The meek are blessed because in their powerlessness they find great power to inherit the earth. It is a world of opposites that we enter when we invited into the Kingdom of God.

We become odd people, people who cannot be put into a box, people who are not easily defined.

We are blessed when we are persecuted. We win by losing. We gain great mercy in showing mercy. Our eyes are cleared to see God when they are purified by our hearts which are sincere before God in their seeking.

Rejoice Jesus says. Rejoice when you are beat up. Rejoice when people speak evil against you falsely. Rejoice when you are reviled. Rejoice and be glad. You have a great reward awaiting you in heaven.

Those who find the way of Jesus, the simple gospel of God's Kingdom, and answer the gracious, welcoming invitation to come, are invited to the Holy Hill. They are drawn into divine proximity. They are ushered into the sanctuary.

The Kingdom of God is made up of common people with a sincere desire to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, all of whom have had multiple failures in that attempt. However, they have risen from the failures, accepted forgiveness, and have started over - sometimes over and over.

They are a rejoicing people that are hard to understand, but they keep rejoicing because they have found a way like no other way.

Theirs is the Kingdom of God and they shall see God and for them, that is the greatest reward of all.

Wear Your Own Armor

Michelangelo, David and Goliath, Sistine Chapel

You remember the Bible story of David and Goliath.

Do you remember that when David approached Saul with the request to be sent to confront Goliath, the king tried to outfit the young shepherd?

David would not and could not wear Saul’s armor to battle Goliath. He was not Saul. He was not Saul’s size. He needed his own garb and his own weapons.

He was armored only with confidence. His only real weapon was a stone. 

When we realize that we are unique, fearfully and wonderfully made people, we will come to be free to be ourselves. We won’t try to fit into someone else’s armor or style. We will celebrate our own personalities and unique voices for sharing the message that has been seared into our hearts. 

We will abandon the need to use boiler plate strategies, jargon, and methodologies. 

We will awaken to the reality that no one else and be who we are nor do what we can do. We are gifted in our own ways and our giftedness becomes part of God’s gift to the world.

Try this on for size today: Be the you that you were made to be.

If you are not you, no one else will be. The world will lose something valuable and, perhaps crucial to its survival
 
Living, itself, is a testimonial to others. That may be what you bring to the battle.

Just living is harder for some folks than any other challenge. They put on the armor that fits them and they go out to face their giants. Those who continue to press forward, live as a source of courage for the rest of us.

God knows who can be trusted to live openly and with joy on the wheel of suffering.

Only God can measure the results.

Be you.

Wear your own armor.

Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid.

Mark 6:47-56
When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by.

But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified.

But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.

When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

The crowds, you will see, had more faith than the disciples.

Of course, theirs were chronic conditions and they had nothing to lose. The disciples were in a storm and their condition was an emergency where they had everything to lose.

For the crowds, Jesus was passing through. For the disciples, he was actually coming to them and about to get in the boat with them and if they went down, he went down.

The common denominator was presence, his presence.

His message was three-fold:

Take heart.
It is I.
Do not be afraid.

Mark does not record a condemnation from Jesus, just an observation:

They did not understand.
Their hearts were hardened.

What had hardened their hearts? Life? Monotony? Disappointment? Fear?

A point that we might miss is that the disciples were more frightened of Jesus coming to them on the water than they were of the raging water itself. They thought he was a ghost.

Being afraid of a ghost seems silly. If it punches you, you will not feel it. It's only power is the power of fear.

Look at the faith of the people on the other side. They asked for no reassurance, nor direct touch from him. They just wanted to touch his garments. They believed that when Jesus passed through, the power of healing would come to their desperate lives.

Their were sick and tired of their burdens and infirmities. They were ready for change.

On the other hand, the hard-hearted disciples were not hardened in every way. They had left all to follow Jesus.

They would continue to grow in the amazement

The presence of Jesus would continue to make a difference for them as it does for all of us.

Consider these things for a few moments today. Who and what do you identify with most in this story?

How will your heart receive these words?

"Take heart.
It is I.
Do not be afraid"

Really Connect with Your Audience

One secret of effective communication is connecting with your audience.

This is true whether you are dealing one-on-one, with small groups, with large groups, or with invisible groups over radio, television, or the internet.

It is true with speaking and with writing.

I was reading my scripture devotions this morning when something slapped me in the face.

You read the same passage, year after year for decades and one day, something pops out at you that you have never stopped to ponder before.

"...After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray." - Mark 6:46

Did I miss, "... he went up on the mountain to pray?"

No. I have preached that part a great deal.

I never stopped and lingered over "...After saying farewell to them ..."

Is it important?

Mark included it in the text. Did he think it was important or just incidental.

Or was it an acknowledgement of a pattern, lifestyle, habit, or practice of Jesus that differentiated him from other teachers?

Or, does the fact that Jesus followed that practice mean that he valued it?

On one hand, it is a people-skill and a simple courtesy.

On another hand, I I realize most of us only have two, it is something you would do with one person or a small group when taking your leave. But over 5000?

Do you really have a personal relationship with a crowd?

As a public speaker and teacher for many years, i would say, that if you do not, you have not connected. Your effectiveness is limited.

When you dismiss a crowd, you are not say, "the end" and turning off the microphone. You are saying farewell to friends.

You are hoping to meet again.

You are acknowledging a valuable relationship that has been forged in a short time and might continue for years to come.

The people will always be part of you and you will always be part of them.

Having made over 10,000 talks in my life, actually having lost count, I can say, that every person in every audience, has left an imprint on me.

Every time I have left them, I have needed to retreat to a mountain for prayer, refection and regrouping.

Some faces and voices stand out more vividly and colorfully; some are faded. But all have changed me.

My prayer is that whatever imprint I have left of the crowds has prompted a change for the better in their lives.

If it worked for Jesus, I cannot improve on that.

Here are some of the lessons I learned about connecting.

Prepare to connect. Prepare your own mind, heart, attitude, and presentation to make new friends, and to care about the individuals to whom you will be speaking. For me, it has always involved prayer. If that is not part of your life, find another way to turn your heart to the people.

Arrive early and meet people. That may not always be possible with large gatherings, but whenever possible, take advantage of the opportunity to mingle and have some conversations.

Make eye contact with some people in the group. That is difficult if the room is dark and the spotlight is on you, but it always works in smaller crowds. If the room does not allow for it, use your imagination and visualize people who are responding.

Likewise, learn to pick up on signals like breathing, crowd sounds, pacing of applause, and other indicators of whether or not the people are with you. You are not just performing, you are building a relationship. Read the room.

Pause and ask for response. Your pacing can be a relationship builder.

Open your heart to the crowd and be vulnerable. Share from more than what you know. Share from who you are.

Linger, if possible, for some one-on-one conversations and questions. I assume you want to come back to this crowd. Make some friends.

Give yourself 100% in the moment of speaking. Give everything you have. Be present, flexible, and real.

Say "farewell" in some way that lets the people know that you are going away but you will always take the moment with you and carry them in your heart, that you appreciate them, and, if you are as corny as me, that you love them.

You can be eloquent, persuasive, interesting, funny, and entertaining, but if you do not connect, something will be missing.

 

Stay in Touch: My LinkTree. Coaching/Mentoring : Schedule time with me For coaching and mentoring, the first consultation is complimentary.

Culminating in Prayer

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

A Composite of Several Journal Entries from Several Years

Do not assume that all your troubles are a spiritual deficit in your life. They may, however, be a profound spiritual opportunity for asking deeper questions, exploring deeper waters, and seeking and knowing God more deeply.

" All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you,
and we have not been false to your covenant.
Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way;
yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
and covered us with the shadow of death.
If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
(Psalm 44:17-22 ESV)

" Rise up; come to our help!
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!"
(Psalm 44:26 ESV)

In such moments, the heart cries for redemption. Even the saved feel lost. The sad song of abandonment is on our lips. The woeful weight of hardship presses us down and we cry out for deliverance.

"Each of us may be sure that if God sends us on stony paths, He will provide us with strong shoes and He will not send us on any journey for which He will not equip us well." - Maclaren

There it is again, the reminder that we are getting stronger, better, and more resilient, even if we did not choose that path.

We would not, though, ever prefer, to be weak and fragile? We know at the end of each journey, what we wish we'd known from the start. We are not alone and the journey is worth the blisters and bumps.

We pray. We pray the same pray, at the core, in hardship and in ease.

"The prayer of the morning will determine the day." - Bonhoeffer

"O God, I need a Master. Chain me back into freedom; darken me back into light; stab me back into wholeness; quiet me back into singing; and erase me back into fullness. In Jesus' Name. Amen." - E. Stanley Jones, (Abundant Living)

As I said, this was "A Composite of Several Journal Entries from Several Years."

It had to be written to be remembered. It had to be rewritten to be shared.

And, it is still not over.

Lest I take pride in my accomplishment, today's scripture lesson sparked some stark reminders.

A Vote of No Confidence

"Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." - Philippians 3:4-7

In some nations, governments can topple in a day through a vote of no-confidence by the majority of the members of that country’s parliament. So ought the reign of our flesh to topple through a no-confidence vote originating in our hearts.

It is with an argument from absurdity that we are convicted here. If anyone could have confidence in the flesh to save, it would be Paul. And Paul throws up his hands and proclaims that he has no such confidence.

Take your very best day, the very best day you could ever have and duplicate it for every day of your life. Reach your highest potential every moment of every hour. Do all that you can do in your own power. Resist every temptation you can resist in your own strength. Rectify every wrong you can correct from the past. Arrest your thoughts and submit them to the rigors of positive thinking. Miss no opportunities for kindness that you can see. Attend church every time the doors open. Pray so often that even your Christian friends question your sanity. Add it all together and more and you will not accumulate enough “points” to win a consolation prize according to God’s standards.

You just can’t impress God in the flesh and all your efforts to do so fall flat. In fact, whatever you do in your own strength is an offense to God and waste of effort to you. You can only please God through Jesus Christ.

First, it is necessary that His blood cover your sins. Then, you must have His righteousness imparted to you by grace through faith. Then, if your life is to count, if anything you do is to matter, it must be accomplished in and through His Spirit at work in you.

Give your flesh a vote of no-confidence and let Jesus Christ on the throne of your life once and for all.

All else is loss.

What pray does this evoke for you today?

Kick Fanny Music

 

Mood matters, but you are not at the mercy of your mood.

 

You can influence it. You can choose your attitude.

 

Surround yourself with an arena of encouragement. Music is one way to do so.

 

Another is to read and listen to the right teaching. It is right when it is true. It is right when it is positive. It is right when it is encouraging. It is also right when it energizes you to do what is right,

 

Turn on the lights in your workspace.

 

Discipline your thoughts.

 

Now, turn on the music.

 

It is not an inauspicious opening line to today's psalm praising a king.

"My heart is stirring with a noble song..." - Psalm 45:1a

We've all long loved pomp, grandeur, heroics, and nobility in the arts. We get "pumped" up by certain music.

 

What noble themes pump you up?

 

I used the search criteria, "Kick Butt Music" in YouTube this morning and some of the results were disappointing.

 

Some were great - Rocky themes, "Go the Distance," "Rise Up" and so forth.

 

Post your favorite links here - Songs of Encouragement - Noble Themes."

 

I could go on all week.

 

Here is the thread on Facebook. Feel free to participate. It is open to all.

 

If I like your song, it will go on my "You Can Do It- Kick Butt Songs" playlist.

 

This thread will grow. Bookmark it and keep coming back to check.

 

Here is one of my favorites to kick it off!

Here is the playlist of 68 motivational, inspirational, encouraging songs.

Check out this recent blog entry:

Content for to Encourage You

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Grin When They Lambast You

Celebrate National Handwriting Day

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Follow. I Will Follow!

The Best

Submit

The Shepherd's Care

Listen to Your Desires

Grin When They Lambast You

 

Sometimes, we are most complimented by those who unfairly criticize, maliciously malign, or insult us. Their opposition is a good sign that we are on the right track.

 

If the right people hate you and misrepresent you, it is a really good sign.

 

If, when they represent you, they tell the truth, as if it were a dirty truth, smile. They probably do not have a clue.

 

The early believers were called "Christians" as an insult and term of derision and they embraced it.

 

They did so because their Master had told them to expect persecution and to meet it with rejoicing and gladness.

 

Why?

 

Because, he said that it put them in the same league with the prophets who had gone before.

 

They were in good company.

 

Grin. Smile. Rejoice!

 

G for Grey

 

The  skies of your haters are grey and you are a bright, colorful light.

 

Darkness does relish light. But keep being light in spite of the slander.

 

R for Right

 

You can't always be right, but you can be on the right track heading in the wrong direction. If you are, all the wrong-way drivers will honk at you as if you were the hazard. 

"I would rather be right than president." - Henry Clay

Whether he was right or wrong is for another discussion, but he was not president.

 

I for Inspire

 

Be energized and inspired with you are maligned. Take strength from the knowledge that your message is clear and you are not being misunderstood.

 

If you were vague, you would blend into the background noise.

 

Let the criticism inspire you to even greater thing,.

 

N for Negate No

 

Say "Yes!"  to all the "No-Sayers."

 

Shout it!

 

You are living fully and unambiguously  in a dull, grey world of negativity!

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Keep GRIINING!

 

 

 

Celebrate National Handwriting Day

Happy National Handwriting Day!

The twenty-third of January is John Hancock’s birthday.

John Hancock is best known as having the first and most prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence, and signatures are often referred to as a “John Hancock” as a result.

Hancock was president of the Continental Congress and his signature served to validate the final version of the document in 1776.

So, take a moment today, walk away from your computer or handheld device, pick up a pen and paper, and write something, by hand.

 

 

 

In Commemoration

This was originally written by hand.

But it is unreadable that way.

--------------------

Today,

With pen in hand,

With lined paper,

With decades of bad habits

And a hybrid style

That defies style,

I celebrate.

What is virtually lost:

Handwriting.

Is it print that I do?

Is it cursive?

Is it readable?

Is it relatable?

Is it, and can it be, anything?

Anything, anything at all.

Thomas B. Sims

 

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Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

 

What Makes Me Content with Content

 The short answer is: Nothing.

 

I cannot digest enough content and I cannot create enough.

 

But here are a few things that leave me with a warm and satisfied feeling until the next content meal.

 

• Content must have context. It must be set somewhere in time and space and be surrounded by an ocean, forest, cityscape, or universe of relevance.
• Content must have integrity. It must be both true and truthful. Somewhere else, I explain the difference.
• Content must be labeled accurately. I know why creator use clickbait, but I still don't like it.
• Content must have some purpose and value. It should inform, inspire, equip, encourage, entertain, or in some other way, add value to the life of the consumer.
• Content should be as professional and quality driven as possible.
• Content should be as attractive and readable as possible.
• It should be clear and understandable.
• It should not go on forever ... So, that is all for now.

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An Experiment

Like most content creators, writers, promoters, and aggregators, I am trying to learn what works and what does not work.

What variations in themes or presentation grab and hold attention?

What is the balance between the message people need and the message they will click and read?

What is the role of fonts, font size, italics, bold print, centering, and placement?

How much self-promotion and self-aggregation is too much and when is it not enough?

Do you know? Then tell me.

If you do not know, let’s learn together.

 

The Classic Hobo

 

Visit the artist, Nico at his gallery:

I never met the man in the picture, but I have met many like him, so many, that he seems familiar to me.

Read More

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There are twelve premises to affirm upfront.

 

 

The Leaning Leadership Ladder

A Newsletter for Leaders and Entrepreneurs

Subscribe on LinkedIn

 

 

What You Must Know in a Job Search

READ

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Our Humanity Demands It

Art from “The Peace of Wild Things” We are incomparable to machines. We are flawed. We are high in capacity for failure. We are prone to error. We are jagged. We are inefficient. We are progressing with the possibility of regression. We are human and we are more connected to…

Read

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Born this day:

Pierre Gassendi (22 January 1592 – 24 October 1655) was a French philosopher, priest, astronomer, and mathematician. While he held a church position in south-east France, he also spent much time in Paris, where he was a leader of a group of free-thinking intellectuals. He was also an active observational scientist, publishing the first data on the transit of Mercury in 1631.

He wrote numerous philosophical works, and some of the positions he worked out are considered significant, finding a way between skepticism and dogmatism. His best known intellectual project attempted to reconcile Epicurean atomism with Christianity.

"Man lives very well upon flesh, you say, but, if he thinks this food to be natural to him, why does he not use it as it is, as furnished to him by Nature? But, in fact, he shrinks in horror from seizing and rending living or even raw flesh with his teeth, and lights a fire to change its natural and proper condition. … What is clearer than that man is not furnished for hunting, much less for eating, other animals? In one word, we seem to be admirably admonished by Cicero that man was destined for other things than for seizing and cutting the throats of other animals. If you answer that ‘that may be said to be an industry ordered by Nature, by which such weapons are invented,’ then, behold! it is by the very same artificial instrument that men make weapons for mutual slaughter. Do they this at the instigation of Nature? Can a use so noxious be called natural? Faculty is given by Nature, but it is our own fault that we make a perverse use of it."

Letter to Van Helmont, quoted in The Ethics of Diet: A Catena of Authorities Deprecatory of the Practice of Flesh-eating by Howard Williams (London: F. Pitman, 1883), pp. 103-104.

Source: en.wikiquote.org

Persist

The word, “persistence” popped into my mind this afternoon as I was engaging in reflection and considering what to write. The verb “to persist” is derived from the Latin, “persistere” which is a compilation of two concepts, “per” (thoroughly) and “sistere” (come or cause to stand still). The one who…

 

 

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Prayer of a Distractible Soul

Visit any church or pastor’s library, or religious book store and ask for the section where the books on spiritual disciplines, discipleship, and devotionals are stored. Peruse the classics online. Read a few samples and, if your brain works like mine, you might start feeling really inadequate spiritually. You want…

 

 

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Getting Used to the New Normal

 

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The Genius in the Mirror

Today, your assignment it to see the spark in someone in whom you do not expect a spark. Find the spark and do or say what you can to keep it going to the next step of intensity. Protect it from the torrential rain of criticism or the inertial force…

 

 

Get great business information and coaching  and network with others at

https://www.facebook.com/workshopstogo

 

 

Follow. I Will Follow!

Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash

Message from Facebook Service

 

Called from darkness where we wandered.
Called to follow brilliant light.
From the lives that we had squandered.
From our blindness, hearts ignite.

We have heard the distant voice
Growing closer by the hour.
We have made the desperate choice.
We are consumed by gentle power.

He has said now, "Follow me."
We have answered, "Yes. We see!"

We were looking for a light to follow, Dear God.

We were searching for hope.

We were looking for a way and you found us.

Thank you.

Amen.

Let Us Pray

Isaiah 9:2-4

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken ...

Psalm 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

1 Corinthians 1:10 and 18

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose ...  the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Matthew 4:12-23

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,  so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

 "Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen.  And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people."

Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.  Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

 

Follow Me
Matthew 4:18
“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

There were two simple things that Jesus said and three things he did.

The first thing he said was, "Change your minds, lives, ways, and attitudes because the rule of God has come."

It was a radical proclamation and declaration.

Because of the news of change that had come to the world, the people of the world were being called to change.

The second thing he said was "Follow me and I will make you like the fishermen of this movement, gathering people under God's reign and capturing them alive for real life.

I am paraphrasing, of course.

The things he did, that Matthew describes were teach, proclaim, and heal.

Today, we shall focus for a moment on the two words, "Follow me."

Jesus showed up. on the shore. He showed up where the fishermen were. He knew that he would find someone he was looking for there. He had already considered the demographic from which he would choose fishers of men.

There they were. The dregs of society were there. The rough and tumble hard driven crusty fowl mouth working men. Among these Jesus would find some disciples.

Why? What could he see in men like that? How could they be qualified to be disciples of this rabbi?

But Jesus saw them and seized them. In them he saw potential and more. He saw all that they could become. He saw all that they would become. He saw what was already in their hearts.

He knew how to motivate them.

Jesus knew the words that would get their attention. He knew their longings. He knew their frustrations. He knew their dreams. He knew their desire for significance. He knew how to call them.

There was never a recruiter like Jesus.

When Jesus spoke several of these men listened, not all of them, but the ones he had chosen, the ones he was calling.

This was part of the miracle. Jesus knew.

Jesus knew who he needed.

Jesus knew who needed him.

The ones who would follow needed no long argument or persuasion. All it took was his look and a simple but compelling invitation. In that invitation was hope and a possibility.

In English it is two words. Follow me. Follow me and I will transform you from men who fish for fish to men who fish for people. I will create from you a great people movement.

That is what the Kingdom of God is. It is a movement characterized by the reign of God. It is a movement that is constantly attracting men and women to join and follow.

Jesus still knows where to go to find the people who will find the people who will find the people who will call the people to follow. He knows and he is still in the business of doing it.

The Best

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Abraham Lincoln:

The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.

Malcolm S. Forbes: 

The best vision is insight.

Theodore Roosevelt: 

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

Lincoln, Forbes, and Roosevelt have contributed to my thinking about best things today. In the early 70s, Jimmy Carter wrote a book inspired by something Admiral Hyman Rickover said to him. The title of the book was, "Why Not the Best?"

Whatever your politics, it is good reading.

Here is my contribution to those who, today, are aiming beyond mediocrity for what is best:

B - Better

The best is better than good. If all you want it good, there are many choices. none of them are the best. They are just OK.  For those whose aim is toward the best, today is opportune and tomorrow is a place of wonder. Progress is expected. Failures are the price of success and are merely temporary assessments on the road to what is incrementally better. People who are focused on being and doing their best are not discouraged by their imperfections, but inspired toward something better which is ever before them.

E - Ever 

Ever improving, ever reaching, ever growing, ever expanding, and ever celebrating small victories are characteristics of people who aim high and keep aiming higher and higher. They are "EVER People." Such people have a sense of eternity in their hearts, knowing that this life is not all there is, but that it is important and that every day counts. The most effective "Ever People" are also "Forever People" who have grounded their lives in something and Someone who can interpret their existence in terms of eternal purpose. In the meantime, we keep going.

S - Satisfied Dissatisfaction

Those who are ever-becoming and never satisfied with mediocrity have a deep sense of satisfaction which is not to be confused with complacency. It comes from enjoying the journey, celebrating progress, and living by grace. Grace not only offers God's forgiveness for shortcomings and His mercy for our failures, but it gives us the ability to receive these and renew our hope that we can become more and do more. This sort of satisfaction is deep and inner and is never circumstantial or subject to our arbitrary score cards. Because it is not circumstantial, it means we can never be circumstantially satisfied while at the same time, we are kept by the power of perfect peace.

T - Trust

People who aim for the best are people who are cultivating an extraordinary capacity for faith in God, in themselves as servants of God, in others as children of God, and in the future as something being fashioned by God for the unfolding of a great and glorious purpose. They are infused with trust that what is better is not merely a fantasy, but a possibility. You cannot aim for the best without believing in it or in the possibility of its attainment.

All the BEST to you!

And More ....

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” - Ann Frank

These kids are learning early that they can become MORE every day:

This video was uploaded to YouTube by their teacher  in honor of them being that teacher's first class ever.

 

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Abraham Lincoln:

The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.

Malcolm S. Forbes: 

The best vision is insight.

Theodore Roosevelt: 

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.

Lincoln, Forbes, and Roosevelt have contributed to my thinking about best things today. In the early 70s, Jimmy Carter wrote a book inspired by something Admiral Hyman Rickover said to him. The title of the book was, "Why Not the Best?"

Whatever your politics, it is good reading.

Here is my contribution to those who, today, are aiming beyond mediocrity for what is best:

B - Better

The best is better than good. If all you want it good, there are many choices. none of them are the best. They are just OK.  For those whose aim is toward the best, today is opportune and tomorrow is a place of wonder. Progress is expected. Failures are the price of success and are merely temporary assessments on the road to what is incrementally better. People who are focused on being and doing their best are not discouraged by their imperfections, but inspired toward something better which is ever before them.

E - Ever 

Ever improving, ever reaching, ever growing, ever expanding, and ever celebrating small victories are characteristics of people who aim high and keep aiming higher and higher. They are "EVER People." Such people have a sense of eternity in their hearts, knowing that this life is not all there is, but that it is important and that every day counts. The most effective "Ever People" are also "Forever People" who have grounded their lives in something and Someone who can interpret their existence in terms of eternal purpose. In the meantime, we keep going.

S - Satisfied Dissatisfaction

Those who are ever-becoming and never satisfied with mediocrity have a deep sense of satisfaction which is not to be confused with complacency. It comes from enjoying the journey, celebrating progress, and living by grace. Grace not only offers God's forgiveness for shortcomings and His mercy for our failures, but it gives us the ability to receive these and renew our hope that we can become more and do more. This sort of satisfaction is deep and inner and is never circumstantial or subject to our arbitrary score cards. Because it is not circumstantial, it means we can never be circumstantially satisfied while at the same time, we are kept by the power of perfect peace.

T - Trust

People who aim for the best are people who are cultivating an extraordinary capacity for faith in God, in themselves as servants of God, in others as children of God, and in the future as something being fashioned by God for the unfolding of a great and glorious purpose. They are infused with trust that what is better is not merely a fantasy, but a possibility. You cannot aim for the best without believing in it or in the possibility of its attainment.

All the BEST to you!

And More ....

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” - Ann Frank

These kids are learning early that they can become MORE every day:

This video was uploaded to YouTube by their teacher  in honor of them being that teacher's first class ever.

 

Submit

THE CALL TO SUBMISSIVENESS

Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash

“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”    -Ephesians 5:21

Submission to God is something we "get."

Submission to others does not always bring a smile to our faces.

Great theological debates have waged over the issue of submissiveness. Generally, they seek to soften the edges of the call to voluntarily take the back seat to another brother or sister. All they ever resolve is that everyone has missed the point.

We are to submit to God.

That is the starting place. After that, submission to others in the fear of God is an easy step. Our attitude towards others as we serve them is not about one person being superior to another; it is about God being our undisputed Master, the One we love to serve.

If one were to equate this sort of submission to humility expressed in service to others, the pill would be easier to swallow.

First, examine your own relationship to God.  Do you revere Him as the Lord of life and King of the universe?  Does that reverence color the way you view other people made in His image?  How does the reverence of God inform how you relate to brothers and sisters who are indwelt by His Holy Spirit? 

When Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives, I Corinthians 5:16 says that we will see everyone differently. We will never relate again to another human being in terms of the flesh. To the extent that He rules our lives, we will have no difficulty in differing to others in His Name. We will be ever ready to submit and never concerned about demanding submission from others. Position and status will become irrelevant to us – even laughable.

“God is no respecter of persons … (Acts 10:34) means to us that God does not respect our arbitrary ranking systems but loves and values all of His people equally. And it is His desire that in His church, His people will mutually submit their preferences, comfort, and desires to one another as they mutually submit to His rulership in their loves and churches.

Once we have a proper view and reverence of God, we will have no problem submitting to one another.

At least that is the plan!

The Shepherd's Care

Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash

God’s Care

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”- Psalm 23:1

Today, we take a fresh look at the most familiar words in the Bible. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is my very own shepherd. He has many sheep, but He is MY shepherd who knows me, cares for me, leads me, and speaks in a voice I recognize. He can differentiate me from all other sheep and always knows whether I am walking with His flock or wandering away. When I do wander, He seeks me because I am His. He is jealous for me and will not tolerate anything that would harm me. I can trust Him.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters” – Psalm 23:2

Sheep are not very good at locating their own grazing lands. They tend to wander aimlessly, following this patch of grass to another until they are lost. The Shepherd knows the places of abundant food and pure, sweet water. Worry and care are redundant exercises if one is a member of Yahweh’s flock; He already has our needs in His heart and plans. His care is complete. His provision is sure. Are you wearing your life and patience thin trying to duplicate His efforts? Stop. It is futile. Trust Him.

“ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” - Psalm 23:3

The care that God gives us restores something that has been lacking in our lives. His desire is not simply to keep us going or maintain our existence, but do a deep work of grace in us that places us back on the path of righteousness – right relationships with Him and others and right living that nourishes our souls. As He works profoundly in us, His purposes are accomplished and His Name is glorified. We cannot divorce the glory and love of God as opposing realities. When we prosper, He is exalted.

“ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4

This valley was a real place of danger in the psalmist’s time and it is any place of danger and despair in our own where we feel alone and vulnerable. But neither the valley nor death itself are the essential and fearful evils that we shun. Evil overtakes us as we grow frightful and discouraged in the valley and it is that evil that the Shepherd confronts with His rod and staff to comfort our souls. Sometimes it is the rod and staff of discipline, but more often, of protection that reminds us that we are not alone.

“ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” – Psalm 23:5

We are guests of God, honored and prized. So far, the psalmist has portrayed God as a shepherd. Then, he has added the role of friend to the Lord’s description. Now, He is also our host. As we see more of who God is in our lives, our self-image is expanded. We have been invited to sit at the head table and partake of a feast of love, joy, and abundance. Looking on with jealous rage are our impotent enemies – forces that endanger our souls. They are powerless to interrupt this celebration for God is in charge.

“ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” – Psalm 23:6

Wherever we go, goodness and love follow. Our journey is a temporal transition leading to an eternal home, but throughout it all, we are accompanied by the presence of God. His Shepherding friendship and hospitality cause us to reinterpret every event of our lives in the light of His purposes and providence. Nothing has meaning apart from Him once we have trusted Him and known His covenant love. Everything prior to our coming to Him was a cruel illusion. But now, we live in a constant state of grace. Amen.

The Shepherd's Care

Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash

God’s Care

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”- Psalm 23:1

Today, we take a fresh look at the most familiar words in the Bible. Yahweh, the God of Israel, is my very own shepherd. He has many sheep, but He is MY shepherd who knows me, cares for me, leads me, and speaks in a voice I recognize. He can differentiate me from all other sheep and always knows whether I am walking with His flock or wandering away. When I do wander, He seeks me because I am His. He is jealous for me and will not tolerate anything that would harm me. I can trust Him.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters” – Psalm 23:2

Sheep are not very good at locating their own grazing lands. They tend to wander aimlessly, following this patch of grass to another until they are lost. The Shepherd knows the places of abundant food and pure, sweet water. Worry and care are redundant exercises if one is a member of Yahweh’s flock; He already has our needs in His heart and plans. His care is complete. His provision is sure. Are you wearing your life and patience thin trying to duplicate His efforts? Stop. It is futile. Trust Him.

“ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” - Psalm 23:3

The care that God gives us restores something that has been lacking in our lives. His desire is not simply to keep us going or maintain our existence, but do a deep work of grace in us that places us back on the path of righteousness – right relationships with Him and others and right living that nourishes our souls. As He works profoundly in us, His purposes are accomplished and His Name is glorified. We cannot divorce the glory and love of God as opposing realities. When we prosper, He is exalted.

“ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4

This valley was a real place of danger in the psalmist’s time and it is any place of danger and despair in our own where we feel alone and vulnerable. But neither the valley nor death itself are the essential and fearful evils that we shun. Evil overtakes us as we grow frightful and discouraged in the valley and it is that evil that the Shepherd confronts with His rod and staff to comfort our souls. Sometimes it is the rod and staff of discipline, but more often, of protection that reminds us that we are not alone.

“ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” – Psalm 23:5

We are guests of God, honored and prized. So far, the psalmist has portrayed God as a shepherd. Then, he has added the role of friend to the Lord’s description. Now, He is also our host. As we see more of who God is in our lives, our self-image is expanded. We have been invited to sit at the head table and partake of a feast of love, joy, and abundance. Looking on with jealous rage are our impotent enemies – forces that endanger our souls. They are powerless to interrupt this celebration for God is in charge.

“ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” – Psalm 23:6

Wherever we go, goodness and love follow. Our journey is a temporal transition leading to an eternal home, but throughout it all, we are accompanied by the presence of God. His Shepherding friendship and hospitality cause us to reinterpret every event of our lives in the light of His purposes and providence. Nothing has meaning apart from Him once we have trusted Him and known His covenant love. Everything prior to our coming to Him was a cruel illusion. But now, we live in a constant state of grace. Amen.

Listen to Your Desires

 

When your heart belongs to God and is, essentially set on the purposes of God, a new shaping begins to take place.

 

None of this is perfected in time and space, but, to the extent that it is dominant reality of our lives, it does effect our desires.

 

Our desires exist at multilevel layers. They are not all-together free of corruption, but neither are they all-together corrupt. We must listen to our emerging desires, inner stirrings, and subliminal awareness because it is often at that layer that our minds, hearts, and spirits are sorting out the scriptures and insights that God is giving us through many sources all at once.

 

It is those desires that we want Him to fulfill because they are His desires and they are our deepest desires. Out of those desires flow the legitimate dreams, visions, and plans for the future He purposes for us.

 

"May he grant you your heart's desire

and fulfill all your plans!"

Psalm 20:4 ESV

 

Listen to your desires and prayerfully examine your plans. Do not dismiss them, but dig deeper into them.

 

Examine them in the light of scripture and prayer, peeling away the layers until you discover what God is saying to you in and through them.

 

Jesus and the Man with the Withered Hand

 

Jesus must have been  agitated and grieved here at the same time, because otherwise good people with sound doctrine are adding burdens to people that stand between them and their healing and redemption.

 

Jesus' heart does not allow him to pass a man with a withered hand and not do all he can to help and restore. He can no less pass an opportunity to make a teaching point in his own indignation - even if it creates hostility against him.

 

"Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand.

 

And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.

 

And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.”

 

And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?”

 

But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

 

He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him."-Mark 3:1-6 (ESV)

There are many lessons here, but one strikes me today. These Pharisees, by all accounts, reformers who sought to bring the faith of Israel back to its authentic roots, had gotten familiar with power and honor and were threatened when something different came along. They had also fallen for the mistaken belief that if everyone just followed the rules as they interpreted them, they would all be "cool" with God.

 

They were so convinced of their calling to control the Sabbath that God had given to man and made the Son of Man in charge of, that they were willing to align with the money-grabbing, religiously antagonistic, power brokers of the day whose Herodian inclinations were secular, unjust, oppressive, and basically evil.

 

They had something in common - common economic and political interests that they were willing to justify with religious language.

So great was there lust for order, power, and social/religious favor and equilibrium that they made plans to destroy the voice that would upset their tentative and fragile apple cart of Roman-Jewish coexistence.

 

Jesus' response was to feel the indignation, grief, and compassion, recognize the risk, and do what he would do anyway.

He was not about to be intimidated.

 

 

Be Kind

Photo by Andrew Thornebrooke on Unsplash

 

"Be Ye Kind"

"... and be kind to one another,
tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
as God in Christ has forgiven you."

Am I kind?

It is more than just being nice.

It is is not being a push-over. It is not being a limp rag. It is not about never having a point of view. It is not a benign presence.

It is about acting in kindness toward people with a tender heart, empathy, and a forgiving spirit.

It is about following the example of Jesus in all of our relationships.

It is about applying what we have learned from Christ.

It requires that put put aside self-serving and self-destructive attitudes and behaviors.

It is heightened sensitivity and renewal of spirit, rejection of lust and management of anger.

It is conscientious, self-disciplined, consistent, measured, and balanced behavior, calculated and committed to promote the well being of individuals and communities.

Kindness is the manner of our lives as we meet and interact with people inside and outside of our congregations.

Oh, God, make me kind.

Ephesians 4:17-32

Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds.

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

That is not the way you learned Christ!

For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.

Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.

Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.

Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.

Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice,

... and be kind to one another,
tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Be Kind

Photo by Andrew Thornebrooke on Unsplash

 

"Be Ye Kind"

"... and be kind to one another,
tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
as God in Christ has forgiven you."

Am I kind?

It is more than just being nice.

It is is not being a push-over. It is not being a limp rag. It is not about never having a point of view. It is not a benign presence.

It is about acting in kindness toward people with a tender heart, empathy, and a forgiving spirit.

It is about following the example of Jesus in all of our relationships.

It is about applying what we have learned from Christ.

It requires that put put aside self-serving and self-destructive attitudes and behaviors.

It is heightened sensitivity and renewal of spirit, rejection of lust and management of anger.

It is conscientious, self-disciplined, consistent, measured, and balanced behavior, calculated and committed to promote the well being of individuals and communities.

Kindness is the manner of our lives as we meet and interact with people inside and outside of our congregations.

Oh, God, make me kind.

Ephesians 4:17-32

Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds.

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

That is not the way you learned Christ!

For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.

Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.

Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.

Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.

Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice,

... and be kind to one another,
tenderhearted,
forgiving one another,
as God in Christ has forgiven you.

"... a god or ... image that can do no good?" - A Theological Reflection on Idolatry

The faith of Israel was centered in the worship of YHWH (also known as El, Adonai, Elohim, El Shaddai), the God Who Is.  Judaism, was not simplistic, but it was simple. 

The worship of One God is the greatest common ground that Christians, like myself, find with Judaism and other monotheistic faiths.

With regard to others, we may have differing understandings of the nature of God, but the common understandings are that God is good, loving, gracious, merciful, just, holy, all powerful, sovereign, and self-defined.

Judaism influenced the nations with its understanding of God in the days of the prophets. While not all were called to be Jews, all were  called to the worship of God.

It had not always been understood among the people of God. They developed in their understanding that their God was not tribal nor exclusive to their people. Isaiah, both pre-exile and post exile, forms for the scripture, a theology of a God of the Nations.

Before his time, the theology was their in hints and glimpses.

The Judaism of Isaiah's time was not simplistic because it demanded deep thought and was adorned with many meaningful rituals which taught truths.

It was simple because it focused on One God who is defined by his very Existence. This God is described with a masculine pronoun, but makes it clear that He defines it and cannot be defined by it. He has no gender or human limitations and yet, is personal and relatable.

God is to be reflected upon, experienced as Job experienced God, and revered as one who cannot be fully comprehended.

No prophet expresses this as clearly as Isiah.

This God is beyond understanding and yet, unifies all being and knowledge.

This God transcends presence, but is present.

This God is unknowable, but can be known through divine initiative and revelation.

This God is unapproachable, yet welcoming.

The contrasts and paradoxes can be explored for hours and a lifetime, but they all bring us to this readding for today with a central, underlying truth with no paradox or contradiction:

God cannot be created, controlled, defined,, nor manipulated by human beings or even by religion. The attempt to do so is idolatry and idolatry is the greatest offense to the sovereignty of the Almighty.

For that reason, images and other representations of God were forbidden in that they suggested worship of a deity that could be made with human hands and  carried around as a personal or community possession. Thus, the ARK was not an god; it was a meeting place with God. The Children of Israel did not carry God with them in the wilderness, God led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

 

Isaiah 44:9-20 (NRSV)

All who make idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit; their witnesses neither see nor know.

And so they will be put to shame. 

Who would fashion a god or cast an image that can do no good? 

Look, all its devotees shall be put to shame; the artisans too are merely human. Let them all assemble, let them stand up; they shall be terrified, they shall all be put to shame. 

The ironsmith fashions it and works it over the coals, shaping it with hammers, and forging it with his strong arm; he becomes hungry and his strength fails, he drinks no water and is faint. 

The carpenter stretches a line, marks it out with a stylus, fashions it with planes, and marks it with a compass; he makes it in human form, with human beauty, to be set up in a shrine. He cuts down cedars or chooses a holm tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it can be used as fuel.

Part of it he takes and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread.

Then he makes a god and worships it, makes it a carved image and bows down before it. Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he roasts meat, eats it and is satisfied.

He also warms himself and says, "Ah, I am warm, I can feel the fire!" The rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, bows down to it and worships it; he prays to it and says, "Save me, for you are my god!" 

They do not know, nor do they comprehend; for their eyes are shut, so that they cannot see, and their minds as well, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals, I roasted meat and have eaten. Now shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?" 

He feeds on ashes; a deluded mind has led him astray, and he cannot save himself or say, "Is not this thing in my right hand a fraud?"

These human-created gods are worthless, powerless, and without free will.

Isaiah asks,

"Who would fashion a god or cast an image that can do no good?"

That is non-simplistic simplicity.

That is the core of monotheism.

Can this God know, act, think, rule, intervene, create and relate out of this same God's own initiative or does this god need a creator in order to exist?

Any God who is God is

As Aristotle articulated, a primary cause, a cause that is not caused, "perfectly beautiful, indivisible, and contemplating only the perfect contemplation: self-contemplation."

St. Thomas Aquinas, used the term "unmoved mover" in the Quinque viae.

If God can be caused, God is not God.

If God can do no good, God is not God.

This is what Isaiah is shouting into the ears of contemporary humans, his and ours, who substitute false deities for the true God. As we elevate the work of our hands, the ingenuity of our minds, the value of our bank balances, the reach of our power, the influence of our prestige, our self-importance, and the profitability of bank balances above the mysteries of God, that is idolatry. To Isaiah, it makes no sense and is self-defeating in the long run.

From the Jewish Virtual Library

"Greek eidōlon originally meant "image" or "fantasy." By the time of the Septuagint the term was used for images of gods. "Idolatry" is literally "image worship." To grasp the character of image worship in biblical literature one must first realize that the Bible describes the worship of all "strange gods" as idolatry, or the worship of "wood and stone." In addition, one must distinguish the biblical polemics against these gods from the opposition to the use of certain images in the service of Yahweh. At times the use of these images is equated with the service of other gods. It should also be borne in mind that there is no necessary connection between aniconism (opposition to images) and monotheism. On the one hand, a monotheistic religion, Roman Catholicism for example, can make use of images. On the other hand, there is evidence of aniconism in polytheistic religions among Israel's neighbors in biblical times (Mettinger)."

Note- I find it interesting that the Wikipedia article on Idolatry in Judaism seems to avoid any images of any sort on its page. Is this a gesture of respect to the religious sensitivities of the Jewish faith.

Additional note - Islam takes this note and prohibition further, as Britannica explains, ""Many (though not all) Muslims reject visual representations (e.g., images and sculpted figures) of religious figures, or even visual representations of living things, seeing it as a form of idolatry (worship of physical objects), which is inconsistent with their monotheism." - www.britannica.com

Final observation - Genesis 1:27 teaches that man was made in the "image of God," Hebrew: צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים

The word used is

 צלם

-derived from the parent root צל (tsal) meaning a shadow. Tselem is the outline or shape of a shadow. This contrasts with Graven Image פצל.

See article at Hebrew Research Center: Hebrew Words for Image.

This is a subject for another day, but, consider this: If humans were made in the representation and reflection, however dim, of God, they are the only such dim reflections God made or authorized to represent divine attributes in the world. What are the possible implications of this?

In Conclusion, According to Isaiah and the the long-term witness of Judaism, Idolatry is as foolish as it is offensive. One would be as well of with no God as one would with a God who humans could create. The God Who Is dwells in mystery and vast unknown eternity at visits humanity out of love and a desire to gather  us into a transcending and transformational relationship.

This is a simple faith, not simplistic.

It is not adorned with a complex hierarchy of deities and not defined by a complex mythology. Mythology is utilized as accounts of living history and personal encounters where God is met and experienced by men and women. But God is greater than the stories and the histories where he reveals himself.

God is the one who defines all existence and creates, sustains, and gives meaning to all things.

That sort of God is worthy of worship and worth knowing - even if it takes forever to begin to begin to begin to do so.

 

The Strength Behind the Movement

As a preacher, I would say that there are two ways to know me. 

Listen to my sermons.

Watch my life.

See where they agree and forget the resume and the introductions. I am who I am at the intersection of my preaching and my living.

That is how it was with Martin Luther King, Jr. 

The Junior is important because, Daddy/Pastor Martin Luther King, Senior was such a vital part of the mix that made MLK Jr. He too, was a powerful preacher who lived what he preached.

"Strength to Love" is a book of ML Jr.'s sermons that provide us with a glimpse into the heart and mind of one of the greatest men of the twentieth century.

Martin Luther King was 39 when he died.

My oldest son is 40 at the time I write this in 2023.

39 years old.

That is all. I am always in awe of how much he did in such a short time.

It is amazing.

By that time, the whole world new his name. He was a Nobel Peace Prize winner. He had set a movement in motion that would change history.

He was already, my hero.

That sentiment has grown as I have grown older. His humanity, his motivation, his depth, his sacrifice, even his flaws have all reinforced his greatness in my mind.

I love Dr. King because of his intellect, faith, imperfections, vulnerability, sensitivity, consistency, and commitment to a cause greater than himself.

I love Dr. King as a follower of Jesus, as a fellow pastor, and as a man who struggled with the meaning of his times in the light of theological realities.

I honor Dr. King as an overcomer who believed that all unmerited suffering was redemptive.

I honor and love him because at the core of his philosophy was a rugged theology of and commitment to love.

I honor and love Dr. King because he demonstrated that peaceful  resistance to evil can be more powerful than violence or force.

He lived out that dimension of Jesus' example meeting external strength with inner strength, accepting the consequences of taking a stand, and offering one's life in the service of God and others.

We live in an era when it is respectable to honor Martin King, but everything he taught and demonstrated is up for grabs. We are drifting into the very old notion that only force can accomplish good and that the only security we can know is that of worldly power.

But that kind of power shifts, waxes, wanes, and changes hands. The strength Dr. King knew and demonstrated was the strength to love.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a human being, flawed like the rest of us, sometimes troubled, but overcoming in every attitude and action. He was playful and fun-loving and found joy in sorrow and in the work to which he had reportedly been reluctantly called.

In the end he said, "I just want to do God's will."  It was as if he saw his own death.

His dream became the dream for a generation to come after him. It was not so important for him to go to the promised land because he saw it. It became a promised land for all people.

It was all wrapped in his theology and his theology was wrapped in love.

It is a good thing that we pause today to reflect upon this great American life, this Christian life, because what he dreamed and lived has significance for all of us.

His legacy has freed many of us in ways we do not even realize.

My ancestors were never slaves to white masters or to racist public policy. But mine were slaves to the institution of slavery and the attitudes of racism, to hatred, bigotry, and perversion of the gospel of Jesus.

Martin Luther King set us free as well.

----------------------------------------------

To to truly grasp King's thinking, I would read, "Strength to Love."

I love Dr. King because of his intellect, faith, imperfections, vulnerability, sensitivity, consistency, and commitment to a cause greater than himself.

I love Dr. King as a follower of Jesus, as a fellow pastor, and as a man who struggled with the meaning of his times in the light of theological realities.

I honor Dr. King as an overcomer who believed that all unmerited suffering was redemptive.

I honor and love him because at the core of his philosophy was a rugged theology of and commitment to love.

I honor and love Dr. King because he demonstrated that peaceful  resistance to evil can be more powerful than violence or force.

He lived out that dimension of Jesus' example meeting external strength with inner strength, accepting the consequences of taking a stand, and offering one's life in the service of God and others.

We live in an era when it is respectable to honor Martin King, but everything he taught and demonstrated is up for grabs. We are drifting into the very old notion that only force can accomplish good and that the only security we can know is that of worldly power.

But that kind of power shifts, waxes, wanes, and changes hands. The strength Dr. King knew and demonstrated was the strength to love.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a human being, flawed like the rest of us, sometimes troubled, but overcoming in every attitude and action. He was playful and fun-loving and found joy in sorrow and in the work to which he had reportedly been reluctantly called.

In the end he said, "I just want to do God's will."  It was as if he saw his own death.

His dream became the dream for a generation to come after him. It was not so important for him to go to the promised land because he saw it. It became a promised land for all people.

It was all wrapped in his theology and his theology was wrapped in love.

It is a good thing that we pause today to reflect upon this great American life, this Christian life, because what he dreamed and lived has significance for all of us.

His legacy has freed many of us in ways we do not even realize.

My ancestors were never slaves to white masters or to racist public policy. But mine were slaves to the institution of slavery and the attitudes of racism, to hatred, bigotry, and perversion of the gospel of Jesus.

Martin Luther King set us free as well.

----------------------------------------------

To to truly grasp King's thinking, I would read, "Strength to Love."

Little Faith

 

What can faith do? Even a little faith?

 

The answer is audacious.

 

The prospects are awe-inspiring

 

Matthew 17:14-23, New International Version

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

This is Belief 101

he text is formidable. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record this excerpt from the ministry of Jesus, each with a slightly different twist. 

All include and conclude with Jesus' reminder of His own death. The one who can do anything must die.

The disciples are bewildered, confused, and afraid to ask more. Matthew says they were filled with grief.

In the meantime, a little boy has been healed and restored and faith has been affirmed.

A father has confessed his weak and feeble belief and asked for help with his unbelief.

The frailty of the disciples' faith has been rebuked, but the man who admitted his frailty and asked for help has been affirmed.

Jesus says it really doesn't take that much faith to do remarkable things. Just the size of a mustard seed will accomplish much, but limited faith will limit possibilities.

Yet, with God, everything is possible.

Here are the bullet points:

• LITTLE FAITH IS LIMITING.
• IT ONLY TAKES A LITTLE TO DO BIG THINGS.
• EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH GOD.
• BELIEVING BEGINS WHERE WE ARE.
• EXTRAORDINARY PRAYER RELEASES BONDAGE.
• EVERYTHING HINGES ON A TRUTH THAT IS HARD TO TAKE.

In a Rest

Music in a Rest

 

In spite of my pronouncement that there is music in a rest to hear, I offer a counter view:

“There is no music in a rest, but there is the making of music in it.” ~ John Ruskin

And further, he says ...

“In our whole life-melody the music is broken off here and there by rests, and we foolishly think we have come to the end of the theme. God sends a time of forced leisure, sickness, disappointed plans, frustrated efforts, and makes a sudden pause in the choral hymn of our lives; and we lament that our voices must be silent, and our part missing in the music which ever goes up to the ear of the Creator."

"How does the musician read the rest? See him beat the time with unvarying count and catch up the next note true and steady, as if no breaking place had come between."

"Not without design does God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the tune, and not to be dismayed at the rests. They are not to be slurred over, not to be omitted, not to destroy the melody, not to change the keynote. If we look up, God himself will beat the time for us.” - John Ruskin

How does this apply to your life today?

Where in the score are you?

Where are the sounds?

Where are the silences?

What is happening in those silences?

Are there multiple measures of rest or is something at a grand crescendo?

Perhaps you do not have the whole score and the conductor is only giving you a page at a time.

 

Sometimes it is simple.

C major scale

Sometimes it is complex.

 

Grace Has Brought Me Safe Thus Far

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. - Psalm 40:2

I tread cautiously on the subject of safety, for safety is an ultimate value, not a temporal one. It is often misunderstood as the absence of danger or trouble or even risk. That is not the characteristic of the Christian life. Rather, Christianity promises ultimate safety and the safety of ultimate things. He has brought us, by His grace, through dangers, toils, and snares. These we have experienced fully and yet, safely, unscathed spiritually by external circumstances and with the confidence that His grace will lead us home to eternal safety.

  And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. -Ezekiel 34:27

There is a time and a place for safety without ‘playing it safe” throughout life. It is grace, God’s grace that brings us to the safe place for He Himself is the rock of safety for our lives. The struggles are present to teach us the source of our strength. The hardships train us to know that He is the LORD. We have come this far to realize that we must trust Him for our deliverance.

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.- Psalm 4:8

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Proverbs 21:31

While we look for false and temporal assurances, we miss the full impact of what peace, sleep, and safety in Him really are. When we trust in what we can control, we falter.

Grace has brought us safe thus far. Nothing else could. We neither earned it nor deserved it. It was simply grace, unmerited favor toward unworthy human beings whom He happens to love passionately and unconditionally.

What a blessing to be counted among them.

The Next Day

We must be prepared, always, to move on, to pass the torch, and to bear testimony, in short, to say "Yes" to God everyday for what He has prepared for us to do and to be!

 

John 1:29-42, New International Version

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

The Next Day

John 1:29-42

We really do not understand time. No one does. Even Einstein did not understand fully what either time or space were. What we experience about time is what we know. Our experience tells us that one thing leads to another.

We experience before, during, and after.

We experience a sequence of events, one built upon another.

John the Baptist understood that and so can we. He was one sent to prepare the world and the way for what was next on the next big day.

Wd all have a place and a role in time, and we must be prepared to fill that role. In that reality, we find hope and purpose

In the Musical, “Annie,” a little orphan girl finds hope as she sings, “Tomorrow”

No matter how dismal and hopeless things may seem, there is a next day. There is a tomorrow.

“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away : a little the sin of the world.” – John 1:29

    Be Prepared to Move On (for What Is Next in Your Life.)

There is always a next day.

It will be a day of opportunity.

It will be a day of hope.

Whatever has gone before has brought us to this day. Whatever happens today will take us to tomorrow. Each day is built upon the day before. Each day lays the foundation for the next day.

John's ministry has progressed to a point where he is ready to point to his successor. On this day, John sees Jesus coming to him. John points to Jesus. John looks to Jesus. John says of Jesus. Behold the Lamb of God.

John had a great ministry, but there are new things in store for him and for his disciples.

Jesus’ ministry would surge.

Some of John’s disciples would hear Jesus call them. Saying “Follow me.”

John faced imprisonment and beheading.

But all would experience ultimate hope and purpose.

They were prepared to fill their roles today and follow Jesus today and tomorrow.

When Jesus comes, it is a new day for the whole world.

    Be Prepared to Pass the Torch.

“Behold the Lamb of God which take us away the sin of the world.”

All leaders, prophets, servants, of God, indeed, all people, must be prepared to pass their torch to the next generation.

When I was about to turn 50, almost a generation ago, I sought God’s direction for a purpose statement for the rest of my life.

What emerged was the conviction that I was to invest in the next generation of leaders.

John’s entire ministry was about preparing to give his ministry away, to pass the torch.

Look at this lamb John says. He is the Lamb of God. He is of God's own making. He is greater than I am. He is my successor. He is the one I came to announce. He is the one for whom I am unworthy to be a shoe tire.

This is Jesus.

Jesus takes away sin. He takes it away. He is like the scapegoat. The sin is placed on him. And he wanders out into the wilderness. Carrying our sin.

Behold him.

Look at him.

Gaze upon him.

Watch him.

John saw him and told us to look at him. Do not miss him. Do not ignore him. Do not take him for granted. Do not reject him. He is here for you.

These are among the grandest and loveliest words ever spoken. They have been set to music. They have been the core material of great poetry. They come from the heart. They speak to the heart.

It was the next day.

What days have brought you to this day of beholding? What moments have led you to this moment? What realizations have laid the building blocks for this grand realization of the Lamb of God?

This is your next day.

What will tomorrow bring?

    Be Prepared to “Bear Witness,” - “to Testify.”

“And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. …  And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God …  And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! “John 1:32, 34, 36

Recently, we have been telling Christmas story. Now we meditate upon John’s testimony to the significance of this Jesus who was born as the Incarnate Word of God. The Spirit descends, the record is borne, and the Lamb of God is revealed.

It is a transitional moment of transformational power. The formative years of Jesus’ life are complete and the babe we left in the manger is now a man who knows who He is and what his mission is on earth is to be. It is the conclusion of the Christmas story and the beginning of a ministry that will culminate in His passion.

Jesus comes to John to be baptized and His baptism is a celebration of new life and new possibilities.

He stands with sinners though He has never sinned. He enters into the symbol of repentance for the sins that we have committed. He identifies intimately with humanity and in that act of identification, God sends forth His own Spirit to visibly and dramatically identify with Him.

It is a new day. In much the same way that we mark a new year with noise and celebration, God marks the ministry of Christ with John’s declaration, “This is the Son of God,” followed by “Look everyone! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World!”

The old is passing away. The new has come. From now on baptism will mean something entirely different and no one will need to be imprisoned in their despair of sin.

The Jewish New Year, for centuries, had been celebrated at the same season as the Day of Atonement John came preaching repentance and atonement.

But this was no ordinary new year that he was testifying about.

With the coming of Jesus, came a whole new world.

This was no mere new year.

This announcement was about a new life!

That is the testimony that we can give.

Be prepared. God will use you today, tomorrow, and the next day to share your testimony about Jesus.

When he calls you to follow, say, “Yes.”

 

This message and the service, Saturday, January 15, at Valley Springs Church

 

Follow

A Sermon from Tom's WayBack Machine

The secret is in the following.

 

"I saw you;

come and see;

follow me."

Seeing is believing and believing is seeing. I feel a sermon coming on out of this passage that might go something like this:

 

"Come and see."

 

"I saw you."

 

"You will see."

 

So ... Follow me!

 

"'The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.'”

(John 1:43-51 ESV)

 

Nonviolent Resistance

No Conflict in Context

Are these conflicting statements?

"He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword?"

"I came not to bring peace, but a sword."

"Blessed are the peacemakers...."

I think not.

MLK, theologically and Ghandi, philosophically, embraced the ethic of non-violence as a lifestyle and means of social change.

Jesus meant it.

King demonstrated what it meant to bring a sword to the party ... but it was not King bringing the sword in hand to use against others.

Nor was it Ghandi.

Nor was it Jesus.

People said, in my day, of King, that whenever he had marches, there was violence, implying that he caused the violence.

He did not cause it; he responded to the daily violence being inflicted on humanity. He confronted and condemned it.

But it followed him and Ghandi and Jesus.

So ... they "brought swords" not of their own nor for their use ... but to be used against them.

One need not shy away from the label of a Christian pacifist and non-violent resister of injustice because of the sword quotes of Jesus.

One must respond as Jesus did - to resist the evil, but not the edge of the sword.

And King did not just stand for the abuse, but, like Jesus, moved toward it ....

And led the way for each of us ...

        to resist evil even at the cost of our own blood.

That is how we become peacemakers in a world of violence and injustice.

No Recess in Recession

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

In "CEOs forecast a 'shallow' recession,"  Jake Perez, Editor at LinkedIn News  observes this: 

Virtually all U.S. CEOs — 98% — expect a recession in the next 12 to 18 months, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing the Conference Board's annual survey of top executives

When we have a recession, thick or thin, there are always those who retreat into excuse mode, plan a vacation, and shorten the term to one we used in grade school, "recess."

But, of all the "re" prefixes, upon which our thoughts might gather, recess is the least helpful or appropriate.

Reassess is a possibility.

Readdress some things that we might have neglected.

Reaffirm some of our core values and reinterpret them for our times.

Reappraise our context, demographics, and markets.

Re-envision and revision our mission and reform our approach.

Strategize our business plan.

Reevaluate our pricing structure and our product/service lines.

Recommit to our core mission and purpose.

Revise our goals, expectations, and systems.

Regroup with our teams.

Renew our personal energy and resources. Recharge our batteries.

Return to the work with fresh resolve to drive our businesses and initiative through the clouds and to the next level.

Join the discussion here.

Contact me for a workshop on this or a variety of topics related to your growth.

 

Another Thought or Two

Now Is the Time! Recession Is No Excuse for Recess!

Contrary to the human tendency toward flight in times of danger, these are days for entrepreneurs to venture forth into the unknown and strut their creative stuff. The time is right for new ideas, for niche thinking, and for bold initiatives by men and women who will not be ruled by fear or passing circumstance.

The very limitations, restrictions, and scarcity of our times that cause some to retreat will prompt others to think more creatively and move aggressively into the arena of invention and innovation.

In the midst of recession when the tides of prosperity appear to be receding, there sounds no recess bell. Class is still in session. The need for vision and visionaries is profound. Life goes on. There is a sea change of thinking, a correction in our collective greed for consumption, and a reevaluation of our definitions of success. But people still require basic services and great ideas still have landing places among receptive minds.

We cannot retreat from entrepreneurship, Rather, we must embrace it at a new level. Our communities need out-of-the-box thinkers and risk takers. Our nation and world need people who are willing to move forward to build great business, social, and spiritual initiatives on a shoestring.

Recession is no excuse for recess.

 

Contrary to the human tendency toward flight in times of danger, these are days for entrepreneurs to venture forth into the unknown and strut their creative stuff. The time is right for new ideas, for niche thinking, and for bold initiatives by men and women who will not be ruled by fear or passing circumstance.

The very limitations, restrictions, and scarcity of our times that cause some to retreat will prompt others to think more creatively and move aggressively into the arena of invention and innovation.

In the midst of recession when the tides of prosperity appear to be receding, there sounds no recess bell. Class is still in session. The need for vision and visionaries is profound. Life goes on. There is a sea change of thinking, a correction in our collective greed for consumption, and a reevaluation of our definitions of success. But people still require basic services and great ideas still have landing places among receptive minds.

We cannot retreat from entrepreneurship, Rather, we must embrace it at a new level. Our communities need out-of-the-box thinkers and risk takers. Our nation and world need people who are willing to move forward to build great business, social, and spiritual initiatives on a shoestring.

Recession is no excuse for recess.

Training Trust

Photo by lauren lulu taylor on Unsplash

Absolute Trust

 “In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?“ – Psalm 11:1

The impulse to flee is one of two that we face in any crisis situation. Fight and flight are the two extremes that confront humans. But there is a third option that occupies the seat of grace – it is to flow and to let God’s grace flow through you as you flow with the circumstances of life. Flowing does not require denial of danger. It acknowledges the truth of the situation, but embraces a greater truth in the mix of reality. It is the truth of God’s presence, His power, and His love. It is the truth that in Him we have a sturdy and steady refuge from danger. In God’s mercy, we neither run to the mountains to avoid potential pain nor stand to fight our battles ourselves alone. The life of faith is a journey of trust and balance. Find your refuge in God today.

 “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.“ - Psalm 11:2

Wickedness lives in the midst of dark shadows. It attacks without warning and without rules of engagement. The snipers of sin and temptation align with the forces of discouragement, bitterness, despondency, and cynicism to derail our growth in grace and righteousness. Satan would have us flee to the hills and abandon our God-given assignments. Or he would be equally pleased if we would take the battle in our own strength and suffer defeat at his hand. God calls us to take refuge in Him. His is the battle; He is our protector, defender, and friend. Do not be discouraged, dismayed, or shocked by the sinister conniving of evil. Satan is an accuser and liar and hides in darkness. Bring every thought, motive, and deed to the light. Allow every memory that pains the heart to come into the brilliance of God’s grace. Then we can speak as forthrightly and with the same matter-of-factness as the psalmist. Then we can bring these matters that once caused us to tremble before a God who already knows and cares. Then we can take refuge in Him.

Foundations: Faulty and Sure

 “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? “ – Psalm 11:3

Who has not expressed such a lament in the recesses of a discouraged heart?  If indeed, the foundations are destroyed, there is not much the righteous can do. The righteous person depends upon foundations to stand under the weight of external conflict and internal stress. There are values and beliefs in which we invest ourselves. We call them ultimate and we hang our lives upon them. There are irreducible standards that we set for our families, our communities, and ourselves. When these are threatened, we are flung into chaos and spasmodic reaction. We cry out to God in utter desperation and confusion. “God,” we cry, “ is there nothing that is sacred, nothing that is permanent, nothing that cannot be destroyed by the forces that afflict with without and within?” And God answers us that what we thought were the foundations were only part of the extended structure of our lives, that He is our true foundation and He will never be shaken. Paul concluded that no other foundation can be laid than that which is laid: Jesus Christ (I Cor. 3:” – Psalm 11). Anything else can be destroyed, but the believer whose life is planted in Jesus Christ cannot be toppled. Trust Him in the midst of the quaking of the earth and the battering of the storm.

 “The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. “ – Psalm 11:4

When the foundations are seemingly being destroyed, God remains securely seated in His holy temple and rules from His throne. There is no interruption in His reign, no pause in His oversight, and no cause for concern by His subjects. He is the true foundation that cannot be shaken. He is our refuge. He is our sure protection in times of trouble. Nothing escapes His constant attention. When, in the bleakest moments, all that is right appears vanquished, He speaks and the frayed strands of time and space come into their proper order. We are not a patient people. We are easily stirred from our strident faith. We become disturbed by the news, by prognosticating commentaries on our times, and by our own emotions. We gaze into our problems with such intensity that we, for a moment, lose sight of God on His throne. But He is there. He has not moved. He will not be displaced, replaced, or ultimately ignored. The greatest relevance in the universe is that God is active and alive in His Holy temple supervising and involved in the affairs of men and women. Tune your hearts to that reality today and live in joyful confidence in God.

God is watching. There is a popular song that announces that truth but distorts it with the words, “from a distance.” That is only half-true. There will always be a distance between God and man because He is God and we are men – but that is a distance of essential nature that Jesus bridged and brought us into intimate fellowship with the Father. Even those who do not know Him are known by Him for He is as imminent as He is transcendent.  Some envision a God so far away that He requires a telescope to observe us, but it is with His eye that He watches and nothing escapes His notice. He examines us with such divine scrutiny that all is known, even that which our hearts cannot acknowledge in awareness. Knowing that God knows frees us in prayer to be absolutely honest. It liberates us from the limitations of language to open ourselves to Him. He knows every circumstance and every deed done in darkness or in light. He has all the information and, in His wisdom, is the only true and reliable interpreter of history and current events. It would behoove us to withhold judgment until He speaks in a matter for we see only within a thin spectrum of all that is. He sees all. Understand that as you meet Him in prayer today.

 “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne.” - Psalm 11:4a

When the foundations are seemingly being destroyed, God remains securely seated in His holy temple and rules from His throne. There is no interruption in His reign, no pause in His oversight, and no cause for concern by His subjects. He is the true foundation that cannot be shaken. He is our refuge. He is our sure protection in times of trouble. Nothing escapes His constant attention. When, in the bleakest moments, all that is right appears vanquished, He speaks and the frayed strands of time and space come into their proper order. We are not a patient people. We are easily stirred from our strident faith. We become disturbed by the news, by prognosticating commentaries on our times, and by our own emotions. We gaze into our problems with such intensity that we, for a moment, lose sight of God on His throne. But He is there. He has not moved. He will not be displaced, replaced, or ultimately ignored. The greatest relevance in the universe is that God is active and alive in His Holy temple supervising and involved in the affairs of men and women. Tune your hearts to that reality today and live in joyful confidence in God.

“He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.” - Psalm 11:4b

God is watching. There is a popular song that announces that truth but distorts it with the words, “from a distance.” That is only half-true. There will always be a distance between God and man because He is God and we are men – but that is a distance of essential nature that Jesus bridged and brought us into intimate fellowship with the Father. Even those who do not know Him are known by Him for He is as imminent as He is transcendent.  Some envision a God so far away that He requires a telescope to observe us, but it is with His eye that He watches and nothing escapes His notice. He examines us with such divine scrutiny that all is known, even that which our hearts cannot acknowledge in awareness. Knowing that God knows frees us in prayer to be absolutely honest. It liberates us from the limitations of language to open ourselves to Him. He knows every circumstance and every deed done in darkness or in light. He has all the information and, in His wisdom, is the only true and reliable interpreter of history and current events. It would behoove us to withhold judgment until He speaks in a matter for we see only within a thin spectrum of all that is. He sees all. Understand that as you meet Him in prayer today.

The God Who Sees

 “The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. “– Psalm 11:5

Does this bother you? Are you disturbed by the psalmist’s assertion that there are people who God’s soul hates? Let me ask you this: at your best, how do you feel about that part of you that loves wickedness and violence? Do you not repudiate that false self within you in order to embrace the Christ-life which is the truth about who you are and who God made you to be? Doesn’t God know that the false self within you wars against the true you that He loves passionately and sacrificially? We must embrace this paradox in our understanding of God if we are to fully appreciate His love. It is love that produces this level of hate because it is wickedness and violence that destroy those made in the Father’s image. He despises that which destroys what He loves. Ask Him for a special grace today to hate within you that which destroys you and your relationship with Him and know that His love for you is so deep and strong that He will fight for you against all wickedness and violence.

 “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. “ – Psalm 11:6

There is another dimension of this hate that God has for the wickedly violent: judgment. When we try to assign human emotion to God it is called “anthropomorphism.” That is a complicated word that means any attempt to understand something other than a human being by human standards. God’s hate is not man’s hate. Man expresses arbitrary hatred based upon emotional considerations (or lack thereof). God’s anger is against anything that goes against Him and it is expressed in wrath and judgment. Even that is paradoxical for He is, at the same time, actively and lovingly reaching out to the individual who is embroiled in sin and rebellion. He judges the sin and the sinner while sending His Son to take the penalty upon Himself and pleading for all to come to repentance. When we would understand the horror of the wrath of God, physical descriptions are required to impress upon us how awful it is to come under His judgment. The reality is more horrible. To go against God is to place ourselves in the concentrated path of all the evil He is flushing out of a sinful world to fashion His Kingdom. Take this truth and embrace it. In Christ, you are not under judgment. Cheer for the triumph of God’s will and invite all that will hear to come into His merciful grace. Pray for the victory of truth, righteousness, and holiness in your own life and in the life of your community.

Reciprocal Sight

 “For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. “ – Psalm 11:7

God is always true to Himself and His character. You can count on that.

God is righteous. That means that everything about Him is fully integrated into His holy character – He is 100% pure truth, love, goodness, and holiness. There are no contradictions in God – except those that we contrive in our own misunderstanding of Him. He loves justice. His heart delights in seeing things set aright. He loves consistency in our lives. He takes joy when His truth is integrated into the loose dimensions of our lives and we come into right relationship with Him.

God sees the upright. He beholds His people and watchfully follows our lives. In love, He gives us His attention and knows us completely. As He sees us clearly, we see ourselves more clearly through a growing vision of who He is.

There is another promise implied by the construction of the Hebrew words in this verse It is that the upright will see His face. What a glorious affirmation! God sees us and that vision is like a mirror. Jesus made it clear in the Beatitudes. The more we seek Him, the more our hearts are changed by His power within us and the clearer our vision of Who He is becomes. We can see God. His grace in Jesus Christ removes the scales from our eyes so that we may have a glimpse in this life and the hope of full disclosure in the life to come. Let that truth sink into the pores of your being today and celebrate it as you walk through the maze of confusing messages and distorted truth. You can see God.

Far Off God

Photo by Andy Holmes on Unsplash

Psalm 10:1-6

Psalm 10:1 – Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

The hour of prayer is no time to become so outwardly spiritual and pious that we withhold honest emotions and fears from God. He invites us to bring Him our brokenness that He might address it and heal it.

Who is there who has never felt abandoned by God later to realize that He was always present and was working behind the scenes of our awareness to accomplish His purposes in and through us.

He is a God of patience and perseverance and is bringing about His solutions to our confusions in His own time.

But He is also a very present help in time of trouble, so He is ready to listen to our complaint and to soothe our troubled souls by His Word of truth and comfort.

Withhold nothing from God – not even that which you deem negative and angry. If you make a practice of bringing your doubts directly to Him, He can deal with them and with you. Rather than regressing, you will progress in grace.

Psalm 10:2-3 - In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord,

There is no reason why any child of God should not be indignant about the way in which the strong wicked man or woman hunts down the weak and oppresses those who are entrapped by evil.  The arrogance of wickedness is a righteous and legitimate cause for anger among those who love God and truth. The boastings of the proud who bless the greedy and revile the Lord are justifiable reasons for praying people to bring their complaints to God with broken hearts and deep revulsion.

We are angry about injustice, racism, addiction, materialism, repression of human rights, persecution of believers, devaluation of human life, discrimination, gossip, child and spousal abuse, corruption, cyclical poverty, and all of the litany of ills that infect our society. And they all boil down to contempt for God that reviles Him and causes us to mourn within.

These sentiments are to be included in our prayer life, else they will be without purpose or legitimacy. They should lead us to God and to deeper seeking of Him and His ways. They call us to prayer.

Psalm 10:4 –In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Perhaps these words give you insight into some area of spiritual coldness within your own heart.

It is easy to point our fingers at others and analyze their own seeming lack of consecration and earnest seeking, but the Word of God speaks to our own hearts and penetrates whatever darkness remains. God is fashioning us as a people for Himself and we have to deal with this darkness if we are going to overcome it by His grace and grow beyond it.

We need God’s light to show us every stronghold of pride within our own lives that stifles the seeking that we must be doing in order to go on with God. Inventory your thoughts. How many have been prideful, lustful, ambitious, and bitter? Was there room in them for God? Is there now room for Him?

We cannot deal with our pride alone.

 Psalm 10:5-6 - His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty and your laws are far from him; he sneers at all his enemies. He says to himself, “Nothing will shake me; I’ll always be happy and never have trouble.”

This is still the wicked man’s profile. It alerts us to dangerous attitudes which divert our attention from God and what He desires to accomplish in and through our lives. Prosperity can be our enemy if it causes us to be haughty, self-confident, and delusional   about our lives. If we adopt a “nothing-will-shake-me” stance in our thinking toward everything that comes against us, we may fail to tap into the power we need to overcome.

As for me, I need His power, grace, and love to extinguish the false fire of pride within me for it is burning out of control. And I need Him to ignite a passion within me for seeking Him with every thought. Will you join me today in praying to that end?

Bits and Pieces

Recycling Material Too Good to let it Die

“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty

recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:

but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on

their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.”- Lawrence of Arabia

On this day in 1964 – Martyrs' Day: Several Panamanian youths try to raise the Panamanian flag in the U.S.-controlled Panama Canal Zone, leading to fighting between U.S. military and Panamanian civilians. On that day about 22 Panamanians and four U.S. soldiers were killed. The incident is considered to be a significant factor in the U.S. decision to transfer control of the Canal Zone to Panama through the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties.

Deliberating that decision, Sen. S.I. Hayakawa. said,

"We should keep the Panama Canal. After all, we stole it fair and square."

Born this day in 1913 – Richard Nixon, American commander, lawyer, and politician, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994).

His most memorable quotes (to me):

"I'm going to China."
"I am not a crook."
"Let me make one thing perfectly clear."

And more ....
----------------

"When the President does it, that means it's not illegal." —in a 1977 interview with David Frost

"You don't know how to lie. If you can't lie, you'll never go anywhere." — giving advice to a political associate

"I was under medication when I made the decision to burn the tapes."

"I urge the Congress to join me in mounting a major new effort to replace the discredited president." —in his 1974 State of the Union address at the height of the Watergate scandal, fumbling a line in which he meant to say "replace the discredited present system"

"This is a great day for France!" —while attending the funeral of French President Charles de Gaulle in 1970

"I'm not for women in any job. I don't want any of them around. Thank God we don't have any in the cabinet.'' — in a taped 1971 conversation with his chief of staff, in which he discussed the political advantages of nominating a woman to the Supreme Court, despite the fact that he personally regarded women as too "erratic" and "emotional"

"Sure, there are dishonest men in local government. But there are dishonest men in national government too."

"When I grow up, I want to be an honest lawyer so things like that (the Teapot Dome scandal) can't happen."

"It is the responsibility of the media to look at the President with a microscope, but they go too far when they use a proctoscope."

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I wouldn't want to wake up next to a lady pipefitter."

"As I leave you I want you to know—just think how much you're going to be losing--you won't have Nixon to kick around anymore, because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference." —Richard Nixon to the press in 1962 after losing the California election for governor

"I'm not going to be the first American president to lose a war."

"Solutions are not the answer."

"Politics would be a helluva good business if it weren't for the g-damned people."

"I have often thought that if there had been a good rap group around in those days, I might have chosen a career in music instead of politics." — reminiscing about his life in an audio tape narration at the Nixon Library

"Voters quickly forget what a man says."

 

The Fellowship of the Table

“The fellowship of the table has a festive quality. It is a constantly recurring reminder in the midst of our everyday work of God's resting after His work, of the Sabbath as the meaning and goal of the week and its toil. Our life is not only travail and labor, it is also refreshment and joy in the goodness of God ... God cannot endure that unfestive, mirthless attitude of ours in which we eat bread in sorrow, with pretentious, busy haste, or even with shame. Through our daily meals He is calling us to rejoice, to keep holiday in the midst of our working day…” (Bonhoeffer, Life Together).

 

I wanted to share the following public domain entry since it resonated with me this morning. So often, those of us with compassionate and ministry-oriented hearts try to rescue people from struggle prematurely. That is, through spiritual "enabling," our comfort is superficial and thwarts the growth of the person who has to go through the wrestling matches of faith.

Rather than entering into the depths of a person's pain with them and struggling through the ambiguities, we give easy answers and quick solutions. We do not let people develop. We do not let struggle have its redemptive, loving outcome. Mrs. Cowman collected this thought from an anonymous tract prior to 1925 when she published her collection.

Made Perfect Through Sufferings
From "Streams in the Desert" - Mrs. Charles G. Cowman

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" -Romans 8:18

I kept for nearly a year the flask-shaped cocoon of an emperor moth. It is very peculiar in its construction. A narrow opening is left in the neck of the flask, through which the perfect insect forces its way, so that a forsaken cocoon is as entire as one still tenanted, no rupture of the interlacing fibers having taken place. The great disproportion between the means of egress and the size of the imprisoned insect makes one wonder how the exit is ever accomplished at all -- and it never is without great labor and difficulty. It is supposed that the pressure to which the moth's body is subjected in passing through such a narrow opening is a provision of nature for forcing the juices into the vessels of the wings, these being less developed at the period of emerging from the chrysalis than they are in other insects.

I happened to witness the first efforts of my prisoned moth to escape from its long confinement. During a whole forenoon, from time to time, I watched it patiently striving and struggling to get out. It never seemed able to get beyond a certain point, and at last my patience was exhausted. Very probably the confining fibers were drier and less elastic than if the cocoon had been left all winter on its native heather, as nature meant it to be. At all events I thought I was wiser and more compassionate than its Maker, and I resolved to give it a helping hand. With the point of my scissors I snipped the confining threads to make the exit just a very little easier, and lo! immediately, and with perfect case, out crawled my moth dragging a huge swollen body and little shrivelled wings. In vain I watched to see that marvelous process of expansion in which these silently and swiftly develop before one's eyes; and as I traced the exquisite spots and markings of divers colors which were all there in miniature, I longed to see these assume their due proportions and the creature to appear in all its perfect beauty, as it is, in truth, one of the loveliest of its kind. But I looked in vain. My false tenderness had proved its ruin. It never was anything but a stunted abortion, crawling painfully through that brief life which it should have spent flying through the air on rainbow wings. I have thought of it often, often, when watching with pitiful eyes those who were struggling with sorrow, suffering, and distress; and I would fain cut short the discipline and give deliverance. Short-sighted man! How know I that one of these pangs or groans could be spared? The far-sighted, perfect love that seeks the perfection of its object does not weakly shrink from present, transient suffering. Our Father's love is too true to be weak. Because He loves His children, He chastises them that they may be partakers of His holiness. With this glorious end in view, He spares not for their crying. Made perfect through sufferings, as the Elder Brother was, the sons of God are trained up to obedience and brought to glory through much tribulation. --Tract.

 

Shane Claiborne  : We are growing food in the middle of winter!!! As you can tell, my wife is pretty excited. How cool is it that these veggies are growing without any soil, in 20 degree weather, smack in the concrete jungle? If you haven't seen this little video on our aquaponics and urban gardens, you gotta see it: http://vimeo.com/42713166 Thanks to all of you who helped us build it this past year!

George Bailey and the Homeless Jesus

A Challenge to the Church in 2023

This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1928 and 1963, and although there may or may not have been a copyright notice, the copyright was not renewed.

I am not saying that George Bailey was a new incarnation of Jesus, but I see a lot of Jesus in him and he makes me want to see more Jesus in me.

God is present in our world in Jesus and calls us to a heightened commitment to be present for others. In that, there will be more of Jesus in the world through us.

Like Jesus, we cannot stand back and gaze upon suffering and injustice with nods and sneers and detached prayers. Our prayers must to attached to our lives and the lives of others. The awareness is lived out as the homeless Jesus becomes a refugee in a foreign land, an alien among a strange people.

It is personal involvement. What will you touch in the coming year?

One of the issues that consistently grabs my attention is the plight of those who are unsheltered or do not have secure housing.

In the early days of this country, if a person needed a home and had none, he or she could just move to the wilderness, hunt, fish, forage, or grow something, build a cabin, and live in peace.

Then, we had homesteading and that is where many Americans started owning land. It is in relatively recent years that people who could not "buy into" the economy had absolutely no options except to be invisible or enter a program -- whether they were program material or not.

One of my relatives even owned a "poor house" in Virginia where people could go, live, and work with dignity, take their families, and build community.

Just wondering  - just wondering if, in this day of strict building codes, high land and housing prices, high unemployment, disparity between living wages and costs of living, and other obstacles to stable housing ...

Just wondering mind you!

With incomplete sentences dangling

And incomplete plans!

I was just wondering  if we could all get a bit creative together, develop a new homesteading plan or do something that does not judge people or render them wards of the state in order to help people become stable home owners or renters again.

"I just viewed 'It's a Wonderful Life' for the 3 millionth time, and also saw America becoming Pottersville. 1.3 million jobless are two days away from losing their extended unemployment benefits, Congress is readying another cut in food stamps, and 1 in 5 of our children is in poverty -- at the same time the rip-roaring stock market has made the nation's wealthiest some 15 percent richer than they were this time last year. Who's your candidate for Mr. Potter of 2013? (The Koch brothers? Ted Cruz? Paul Ryan?) Your nominee for this year's George Bailey?" - Robert Reich

To Robert Reich, not meant to be cynical, but sincere, I say:

"If I could find a George Bailey in the group, I'd support him or his sister, Georgia. No one is entirely Mr. Potter. No one is 100% George (not even George was). Remember that George was reluctant and had no ambition to do what he was called to do --- so we might have to draft someone. I'd actually like to see that."

What if we could find a leader who was truly compassionate, wise, fair, just, conservative about what needs to be conserved, liberal about what needs to be shared, progressive about innovation and progress, regressive about decline, libertarian about personal liberties, utilitarian about necessities, pragmatic and idealistic, optimistic and realistic, firm on non-negotiable things and flexible enough to negotiate wherever possible, friendly and dignified, human but above reproach, honest, but diplomatic, strong yet vulnerable, self abasing yet confident, cheerful yet solemn, appreciative of counterpoints, yet able to make a decision...

... and lots more? 

Well?

That person might be the Son of God and Son of man.

He/She would probably not want the job, but would consider what he/she was already doing to be more important.

Other Deficits

• Would not look good on camera.
• Would be torn up by the left media or the right media or the centrist media or all combined.
• Could not be nominated or elected.
• Would appeal to virtually no one ... and would do nothing to change that image ... and

"I knew George Bailey, Senator and you're no George Bailey ..."

Not even George was all of that, but I'd vote for him!

So, given that scenario, let's just do the best we can, find a human being who can do the best he/she can, give him/her as much support as we can, pray for that person as much as we can ... and realize that's the way it has always been with leadership:

There has never been a perfect leader of any nation ... and that includes the best of them.

That leaves the rest of us!

We may not be running for anything, but we could stop running from everything and do something and just be the presence of Jesus in the world.

 

 

 

It Is Proper

Art Credit:

Valente, Liz. Baptism of Jesus, Original source: Liz Valente, https://www.instagram.com/donalizvalente/.

Preparing the Way

“For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” – Matthew 3:3

Every prophetic function with its fulfillment has its counterpart in our lives and it is up to us to seek it. What does it mean for us, as the people of God, to prepare the way for the Lord? How have those who have gone before us prepared a straight path for Him in our lives? How have events and people shaped us so that we could be ready to receive His Word?

God’s ways always involve preparation. He does nothing haphazardly or without thought and planning. When He desires to speak, He prepares the message, the messenger, and the hearer. When He is about to act, He informs His servants the prophets. He is a God of precision and perfect order. He does all things well.

John the Baptist was God’s man in God’s timing. His life was his ministry and he learned to look beyond the obvious and to seek God deeply. He patiently awaited the coming of the messiah and faithfully proclaimed the message God had given him through the days of waiting.

God never wastes time or calls us to bide our time. Everything, all time, all preparation is meaningful and purposeful.

God is working His purpose out

As year succeeds to year;
God is working His purpose out,
And the time is drawing near.
Nearer and nearer draws the time,
The time that shall surely be,
When the earth is filled with the glory of God
As the waters cover the sea.
(Arthur C. Ainger, 1894)

Fired Up

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: - Matthew 3:11

Are you fired up? Water reminds us of Spirit and of fire. It is a strange paradox, for water often quenches fire. However, firefighters will tell us that there are some fires that not only cannot be quenched by fire but grow with the introduction of water. So it is with repentance. God observes the intention of our hearts and we long for new life and yearn for change. Jesus is who we need because He has the power to do what water cannot do. The symbolic water of outward repentance signifies the inner fire of new life.

The Son of God is the worthy one. Brother John knew that he was His messenger and that all he did and said was to point the way to Jesus. Though he was as great as any man born of woman, he keenly sensed his comparable unworthiness. Jesus himself would explain that the very least in God’s Kingdom would be greater than the greatest specimen of human nobility.

All of that was because of the introduction of a new factor in the human experience: the possibility of men and women being completely immersed in the Holy Spirit and fire. Water could demonstrate repentance, but fire would burn away all the remnants of sin through a deep cleansing process within and the Spirit would empower us to face temptations, trials and challenges with unprecedented energy.

Fire grows under the proper conditions, and it heats everything up. So, it is with those who have been immersed in God’s Spirit. His fire rages within them and brings heat and light to a cold, dark world. It is more than enthusiasm, though it often manifests itself as such. It is more than passion, though it ignites a passion so deep that nothing can douse it. It is more than energy; it is a result of divine energy. It is God’s very presence in our lives.

Like John, we are unworthy, but we are destined for greatness – not of our own making, but of His. His Spirit within fires us up.

It Is Proper

 

Jesus showed up at the river, the river Jordan, to be baptized by John the Baptist. And what happened when he got there was that John protested. John didn't want to baptize Jesus. He, it offended him. It offended his sense of prior propriety. John did not feel worthy to baptize Jesus because he saw Jesus as the promised one. He knew that Jesus was the one that God had sent as the Messiah. And whatever he understood about that, it caused John to protest.

He said to Jesus, I can't baptize you. In fact, Matthew says in chapter three that John tried to prevent him. And Jesus insisted, John said, I should be coming to you to be baptized. And Jesus said, let it be so do it. Please do this. It's proper, or it's fitting, or the word can be translated becoming. It is fitting to do this because it is a fulfillment. That's another word that I want to emphasize today.

It is a fulfillment of righteousness. So, let's break it down a little bit. It's fitting. We use fitting for, it's the right, the proper, the becoming, the good thing to do. It's the right thing at the right moment. Now, a lot of times when people say it's the right thing to do, they don't really explain why it's right to do something. And we go away not fully understanding the rightness of what they're doing.

We just know that it's done well. That's the way we do it. You know, that's the way we do it. Where I come from, or that's the way my generation did it. But Jesus is talking about something far more significant. He is always in the right place at the right time, and he is the most intentional human being that has ever lived. And so please understand that when Jesus comes to be baptized, it's not because it's a nice thing to do.

It's not because it's a meaningful thing to do. It's not because, uh, it will please, or everyone will understand. Jesus says it's the proper thing to do, and that's verified. When the heavens are open, the spirit descends like a dove. And God affirms and confirms it by saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. For Jesus, the proper thing is the thing that pleases the Father. And when you please the Father, it brings everything together.

it means that everything is aligned. People sometimes substitute the word universe for God. It's not adequate because God may the universe, but I want to bend in their direction just a little bit. It's like all the stars are aligned. Everything comes into its proper alignment when that which is proper is done. And this can be as mundane as going into the water and having your head pushed under the water while someone says a formula.

Because it is in the mundane acts of alignment with what we sense to be the will of God in every given moment that a spiritual reality is touched and our lives are touched in a spiritual realm proper, then he uses the word fulfillment. He uses the word fulfillment to mean this fleshes things out. This makes things complete. This is the completeness of the moment. You know, the word perfection is at its root in the biblical languages.

Another word for complete is whole. That which is unadulterated, that which is not left dangling. It's complete, it's fulfilled. And Jesus very much desired to fulfill the law, the Torah he desired to fulfill the prophetic tradition. He desired to fulfill all things related to his understanding of the role that his father had sent him to fill. And he had a deep understanding of what fulfillment would mean. We all want purpose in life.

We want significance in life. We want to know that what we're doing makes a difference. That we're not wasting time, that we're not spinning our wheels, that we're not dragging our feet in life. And Jesus wanted the very same thing, but in his case, it had eternal significance for all humankind. And what he did was extremely consequential. He identified with us, he identified with our humanity, including our human, frail peace and failures and sins all the way to the cross where he invites us to identify with him in his vicariousness of going to the cross on our behalf.

But more so in his resurrection into the life that he intends for us. What would be fulfilling is to align ourselves with Jesus and his way, who is aligning himself with God and with man in that moment. And the third word Jesus uses is righteousness. And righteousness is very much about being right and being on the right track and moving in the right direction and being rightly, and I'm using the word aligned a lot today, aligned with God and God's purpose.

And God's will, may be mysterious as to us. That's the river that runs through everything, the righteousness of God, which comes by faith. From faith to faith where the just live by faith and by faith, Jesus enters into the water identifying with humankind because it's the proper thing to do and it's the fulfilling thing to do, and it's the righteous thing to do. He's the only one who was baptized by John who went into the water, righteous, as righteous as he came out.

But you see, Jesus was not just aiming for his own personal righteousness, his function and his intention was to make us all righteous before God and to lead us all in the right direction. It would stand a reason that if he is leading us in that direction, the direction of fulfillment, the direction of propriety and, and delight, and that which is beatific and becoming and the path of justice and truth where we follow him.

Follow him. It's all he really asks of us. Follow him in his love and his grace and his mercy, and his righteousness and his truth. Follow him all the way home. That's our intention today.

The Lord bless you, keep you, make a space to shine upon you. Lift up his countenance upon you and be gracious under you and give you peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Amen.

Like a Dove

“… and lo, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him.” – Matthew 3:16b

A family of doves built a nest in a flower basket on our patio. They became my teachers as I observed them conveying more life lessons than I will recount here.

With great interest, we watched as that family, and later, others, came and nested there, hatched their young, and sent them on their way. The site of doves descending is a wonder of nature.

The vision of the Spirit descending is a wonder of super nature.

There was little reason for Jesus to be baptized except to fulfill all righteousness and to identify with sinful humanity in preparation for His sacrificial death on the cross. However, as he stepped into the nest of human experience and began to bear the burden of our frail weakness and disobedience, he was affirmed by the Father and knew the pleasure of his purposes.

As little birds stumble out of the nest and first began to fly, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to face temptation as we face it. He committed in His baptism to be as vulnerable as those he came to save.

By the power of the same Spirit and Word available to us, he stood in the face of Satan’s lures.

The baptism of Jesus speaks of his credibility and ties to us as our elder brother, the first born of a new creation. Where he leads, we can follow, because he has avoided none of the steps we must take. As he identified with us in his baptism, so we identify with him and his redemption in ours. As his Spirit descends upon us in the new birth, we can ascend. Because he has been in the valley of temptation, we can be victorious. Because he has born our sins, we can be free.

The Announcement

“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:17

When Jesus came to John to be baptized, no one was more perplexed then John himself.

John was accustomed to baptizing sinners who came to repent of their sins. That is why it made no sense to him the Jesus had come.

But Jesus had a point to make. His intention was to identify with the sinners that John was baptizing. He intended to go to the cross for them, on their behalf, representing them, and loving them.

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.

That meant that he would be immersed in the same water as they were. That meant he would be immersed in similar life experiences. He would bear their griefs. He would carry their sorrows. He would feel the pain of their guilt. He would stand in their place.

Jesus announced his esteem for people. It was about his regard for people. It was about his affection for people. He was identifying with people. Specifically, he was identifying with sinners.

That was Jesus’ announcement.

The father also had an announcement to make. Whereas Jesus announced something about humanity, God's announcement was about Jesus. It was visual. It was verbal. A voice from heaven called out.

A voice from heaven was heard by all. It was unmistakable. It was dramatic.

This is my son the voice declared. He is my beloved. I am pleased with him.

God chose the moment when Jesus identified with sinful humanity to declare his identification with Jesus. God was pleased with his son and God was pleased with what his son was doing.

Here is a glimpse into the very mission and heart of God . God declares in Jesus here I am. This is who I am. This is what I am doing in the world. If you want to see me, look at my son.

Left Thy First Love

Portrait by O. Vang

Leaving Love Behind

... and Returning

"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." -Revelation 2:5

There is but one remedy for those who have lost the zeal of their love relationship with God. It is found in the process of remembering, repenting, and resuming.

An entire body of believers had to be corrected by the Master – not for overt sin or immoral activity.

Their departure was far greater and more dramatic.

While going through the meticulous motions of religious living, they had forgotten why they were doing so.

They had left their first love behind.

Love was, is, and always will be, the standard, the goal, the aim, and the full meaning of our moments.

God's Flowers - Three from Psalm 103

Blessing God

“Bless the Lord, O my soul … and all that is within me …” Psalms 103:1

Audacity and capacity are issues that are triggered by this prayer as it is suggested to us.  It is audacious to think that we could somehow bless God. Yet, He has given us the capacity to be a blessing to His heart.

We bless God when we worship Him. He delights in our praises. He enjoys our singing and our words of adoration. He looks beyond the superficial and relishes our heart devotion as we come to Him.

He is blessed by our love response as we receive His love and return it to Him in obedience, faith, and love for our fellow human beings.

We can bless God with our words, deeds, and emotions, but God is most blessed when our lives are completely engaged in love for Him – loving Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. He is blessed when we remind ourselves to bless Him and when we follow through with everything that is within us.

What is within you today? Not all of it is positive, but when you offer it to God, He is blessed because He can take it and transform it for His own purposes. Nor is everything within you negative. You cannot be the judge of that. All you can do is commit everything within you to His glory and allow Him to sort I out. It is His holy Name that must be honored, and His holiness is all that can make our lives holy and acceptable as offerings of worship.

In the process, He is blessed. And that is what counts.

Tender Love

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. - Psalm 103:13

The love of God is a tender love.

It is a father’s love.

It is a patient love, understanding, compassionate, forgiving, and gracious.

The love of God for His children moves Him to desire what is best for us, what brings us closer to Him, and what develops in us the character that is in Him.

God’s love for us as His children is consistent, persistent, and generous.

He never fails us. He is always present and always true.

Like any father, He wants His children to grow and mature. He wants us to make good and wise choices and honor our family name. He offers us His support, guidance, and correction to that end.

God’s love is real. For that reason, it is sometimes a tough love, a love that can say “no” and mean it, but a love that delights in every opportunity to say, “YES!”

God, our Father, rejoices with us, weeps with us, and loves us even when we are unlovable.

That is because we are never unlovable to Him.

Mostly, God, our tender, loving Father carries us on His shoulders and lifts us so that we might become more, through Him, than we could ever imagine on our own.

Days as Grass

“As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.” – Psalm 103:15

For our season, whatever it may be, we flourish. Then comes the wind and we are gone. Soon, the very memory of our lives fades from the consciousness of our successors and we are thought of no more.

Such a thought might be deemed depressing were it the whole story.

The rest of the story teaches us that from everlasting to everlasting, God’s love is a constant toward us. His covenant people are never forgotten.

It goes on to tell us that God’s throne is never abandoned and that He rules over all.

He it is, according to Psalm 103, who forgives all our sin.

It is He who heals our diseases. Not one of them disappears apart from His wise intervention or creative genius.

He redeems our lives, crowns us love and compassion, satisfies, renews, and administers justice.

How comfortable it would be for us to remain as a grassy flowering meadow, but that is not the way of life. We come and go. Soon we will fade.

Our privilege and responsibility is to bloom in every place we are planted for as long as it is springtime in our lives. It is to be as inwardly beautiful for God as we can be for as many days as we can and to move through the seasons of life with grace and trust.

We may not always be green, but we shall always be loved.

An Epiphany Blessing

May your night sky be filled with stars.
May your north star always lead to Bethlehem,
The House of Bread, and there,
May you find the Bread of life
To satisfy and nourish your soul.
May your hope lead you forward.
May your seeking be rewarded.
May your heart be set ablaze with wonder.
May your mind be settled with peace.
May your spirit be be enlived with glory.
May your eyes be open to truth.
God grant you guidance from above
And surround you with protection.
And when you need a mid-course correction,
May the way be clear and
May you follow with confience and faith.
Be blessed.
Bring your gifts to the House of Bread.
Behold the child and hear him giggle with glee.
You have found that for which you sought.
You have come.
You are wise indeed.

- Tom Sims

I Have Met God in the Temple of the Arts

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

 

 

So often, music cuts through me like a knife, but, it does so in a way that heals my soul wherever my soul may be languishing.

 

If I were to make a list of the reasons I keep believing in God, music, art, dance, and drama, along with poetry would be on the list for I have often met God in those spaces at the intersections of life.

 

Theaters, galleries, and concert halls have been temples for me.

 

Humanity and the humanities alert me to the presence of God in our world.

 

Perhaps there is a glimmer here to help me understand that God made humanity in his own image.

 

I Have Called You Friends

My Friends

 "... I have called you friends ..."  - John 15:15

Photo by Kimson Doan on Unsplash

Barely have we comprehended what it means to be servants, much less children of God, when Jesus rocks our understanding at its very foundations and calls us His friends. Friends of Jesus we are, for whom He showed the greatest love by laying down His life.

With that is the implication that we are willing to lay down our lives, obey His commands, and share in His purposes.

Chief among these is that we love one another.

It has been the sad duty of some to go through the motions of worship in a loveless church, even a church filled with animosity and vengefulness. Such is not the case in this place, but as loving as we are to one another, are we truly being made complete in that love and selflessness to which Christ called us?

On a typical Sunday, we gather to worship and sing God’s praise. When we sing, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” we remember that our love relationship with God is based upon His rock-solid truthfulness and unrelenting grace.

When we sing about what it means to gather in the Name of Jesus and experience the Spirit's power within us, we will, in love, declare the majesty of God and be reminded that we are one body in the Spirit, in praise, and in service.

When we ask God to open our eyes in a new way to see Jesus, our friend, savior, and Lord, we also confess that people need the Lord and remember that a love relationship with God that brings about a love relationship with each other, teaches us to love a lost world that Jesus loved and died for - friends who have never met Him.

Finally, we will be dismissed with the affirmation that we are one in the bond of love.

Jesus is our friend who has called us to befriend one another. We are a circle of friends.

A Roll Call of the Faithful and Courageous

Real Heroes are Overcomers!

Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash

^"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. – (Hebrews 11:32-34, The Message, Copyright 2002, Eugene Peterson)

People who overcome great obstacles make great heroes.

We stand back observing their lives and find hope that we can also overcome.

People who seemingly live without problems offer us little encouragement. In our ignorance of their true struggles, we chalk up their successes to luck, privilege, or fate.

The heroes of faith were people who faced tragedy, distress, doubts, and even disaster. Staring death in the face, the heroes of Hebrew scripture harbored a hope that God’s anointed would some day rise on the scene of human history as the champion of all who would follow Him to victory.

That hope spurred them on. It gave them consolation in dark days. it infused them with courage in the presence of danger. It energized their lives.

Scriptures often use the language of battle to describe life's struggles.

For one thing, battles are common knowledge in the culture. Stories abound. The imagery is everywhere.

For another, as honorable as battles may seem in literature, most people understand the horrors of war. They know that most participants do not emerge unscathed.

Then, there is the test of battle. The culture understands that battle test everything in a person's strength, skill, character, and ability to withstand. therefore, life and faith are the greatest battles of all. Weaknesses are, in battle, turned to strengths and great obstacles are overcome.

What is your battle today?

Who are your heroes and how do their stories give you more faith and courage?

What did they have to overcome? What must you overcome?

What might be accomplished if you face your battle with faith?

Hebrews 11:32-12:2, NRSVU

And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets-- who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection.

Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 

They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented-- of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 

Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

There is One Hero greater than all!

Grace Will Lead

Photo by Gunnar Bengtsson on Unsplash

Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. - John 14:5-6

How can we know?

How can we know the way?

Is it left, right, back, or straight down the middle? Up or down?

It seems very complicated, nuanced, and deep. We are looking for some direction here.

Picture the upper room and the somber mood of twelve friends hearing the ominous words from their Master that He will soon die and that they will soon fail Him.

“Not I,” protests Peter.

Not that way!

“You will,” declares Jesus, "You will pass the way of failure, humiliation, fear, and disgrace. You will."

But ..."let not your heart be troubled …”

But!

However!

In spite of it all.

Through it all!

He offers hope.

He is going to prepare a place for them, that He will come again to receive them to Himself, that He will ever be with them and they with Him, and that they really do know where He is going.”

At that point, Thomas interrupts, “No we really don’t know where you are going. How can we know? Show us the way.”

Thomas felt that in order to follow Jesus, he must become more of an expert in navigational theology to traverse the diverse paths leading to God. It was a frightening prospect.

“How can we know the way?”

Indeed, how can we?

Jesus simplified the answer. He would be their compass. He would be their guide. It was not necessary for them to know anything more that Him. If they would follow Him, He would provide the way, the truth, and the life within His own person.

The message of Jesus to us as we stumble in the darkness of uncertain ambiguity is, “Follow me.”

He will lead us through the darkness.

He will lead us to our eternal home.

We can trust Him and follow Him.

Grace will lead us home.

Believing in a Child

Photo by Muhammad-taha Ibrahim on Unsplash

Seeing Your Children Through God’s Eyes

 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's edict -Hebrews 11:23, NASB

Children need people to believe in them.

Here is the greatest challenge any parent can face. It is to exercise the gift of faith with his or her child.

That little boy or girl is no ordinary child and it takes a mother or father to know it and act upon it. It takes courage to follow through with the commitment necessary to protect, nurture, guide, and admire a child from infancy to adulthood..

Spiritual parents can have the same calling: to come alongside a young person or a new believer and be the first person in that kid’s life to really believe in her, the first older friend to say to him, “You can do it and I will be right here beside you as you make the first efforts.”

Honor your father and mother because of the vision that they have had for your life.

Honor them by believing in another child.

Be a mentor. More specifically, be a disciple-maker. Step up to the plate with courage and faith and become vulnerable enough to invest your time, energy, and wisdom in  an extraordinary child.

It may just be your faith and courage that helps to lift him or her from ordinariness to greatness.

Training Your Nonprofit Board

 

PowerPoint Presentation

This seminar from Workshops to Go addresses the basic roles of board members in nonprofit corporations and can be used for recruiting and for training. The video and audio are available from us and we are available to train your organization or to train you to do so.

This is one part of a larger board development curriculum.

Contact Workshops to Go for more information or Tom Sims, the uploader.

www.workshopstogo.vip
tomsims@workshopstogo.com
www.linktr.ee/tomsims

The workshop can take 2 hours, a half day, or a full day.

It is ideal for a board, in-town, retreat and planning day.

Workshops to Go partners with  social and business entrepreneurs  and leaders who want to increase their effectiveness.

This workshop covers 20 responsibilities of nonprofit board members.

Tom Sims has been a member of boards and an executive director for over 40 years.

In addition, he has developed expertise in marketing, communications, the effective use of social media, and coaching.

He currently divides his time between coaching leaders, speakers, and entrepreneurs, creating content, and volunteering as a certified business mentor with SCORE.

Tom knows that serving on a nonprofit board is an honor and is a personally fulfilling endeavor. It is also a great responsibility to the community and to the organization.

The board is the legal entity that is responsible for oversight and seeing that the organization maintains integrity and stays on course.

Many organizations find that board management is a weakness and this is unfortunate. Most boards are made up of qualified and committed members of the community.

However, most boards have not been adequately trained for their roles and do not have the tools to do their jobs as well as they can.

Tom believes that there is always room for improvement and growth and has advocated ongoing training for all boards as well as for new members. His curriculum addresses that need.

He is available to consult with CEOs and Board Chairs over Zoom.

Contact him for a free initial consultation.

One package involves an initial training event, followed by monthly courses and ongoing coaching for leaders. Materials come with that package.

Training can be synchronous, asynchronous, or live and in person.

Other combinations are  negotiable.

Workshops include:

• • • Creating a Binder

    • Bylaws

    • Giving or Getting

    • Job Descriptions

    • Minutes

    • Policies

    • Recruitment

    • Relationship with the CEO

    • Rotation

    • Skin in the Game

    • Succession Planning

    • Training Systems

    • The Board's Role in Fund Raising

    • Ambassadorship

    • Advocacy as a Board Member

    • Networking  for Nonprofits

    • Marketing for Nonprofits

    • Planning an Effective Meeting

    • Communicating as a Board

    • Conflict Management and Resolution

    • Getting Your Phone Calls Answered

    • Finding an Effective CEO

    • Training from Within the Organization

    • Balance in the Balance

    • H.R. for Boards

    • The Basics of Nonprofit Law

    • Government Contracts 101

    • Foundations 101

    • Where to Cry for Help

    • Workshops on Demand

    •              Accountability Systems

We'd love to connect.

Board Presentation.pptx from Tom Sims

Jot It Down

I have boxes of notes. Some are disorganized, mis-categorized, and undated, but they have had and may continue to have a function in my life.

You see, somewhere in the maze of thinking that occupies the landscape of my muddled mind is some machinery that operates only in response to what I commit to paper.

If I don't write down a goal, objective, intention, thought, or strategy, it almost doesn't count. Is that just me, or do you have such a mechanism?

I think most of us do and that for many it is in mothballs waiting to be reactivated into the service of our dreams.

You may ask what good are notes that cannot be found?

Good question. When you "make a note of it," something happens in your brain and a corresponding note is made and filed and that machinery goes into operation to bring other mental, physical, and spiritual resources to the aid of your stated intention.

When you make the note, you are sending out a memo to your entire internal "staff" to get busy on today's project. Consciously, you are reminding yourself. Subconsciously, you are activating an army of support and guidance.

If it is the intent of your heart and the direction of your thinking, you are also praying and rallying the forces of Heaven.

Of course, it is always best to have a good filing system, but until that comes into play, keep writing down your thoughts. Keep making "to-do" lists. Write down your dreams, goals, objectives, action plans, deadlines, and strategies. Use symbols, shorthand, words, and misspelled words. Write all over the paper or napkin. Stuff it in your shirt pocket. Look at it if you have a chance. Lose it if you must, but start by writing things down.

I have said it before and will say it many times again: Goals that have not been written are not worth the paper they are written (or not written) on.

It is an exercise with verified results. Practice the discipline of making notes to yourself and see what a difference it makes in what you accomplish.

Here is to your success.

 

 

I have boxes of notes. Some are disorganized, mis-categorized, and undated, but they have had and may continue to have a function in my life.

You see, somewhere in the maze of thinking that occupies the landscape of my muddled mind is some machinery that operates only in response to what I commit to paper.

If I don't write down a goal, objective, intention, thought, or strategy, it almost doesn't count. Is that just me, or do you have such a mechanism?

I think most of us do and that for many it is in mothballs waiting to be reactivated into the service of our dreams.

You may ask what good are notes that cannot be found?

Good question. When you "make a note of it," something happens in your brain and a corresponding note is made and filed and that machinery goes into operation to bring other mental, physical, and spiritual resources to the aid of your stated intention.

When you make the note, you are sending out a memo to your entire internal "staff" to get busy on today's project. Consciously, you are reminding yourself. Subconsciously, you are activating an army of support and guidance.

If it is the intent of your heart and the direction of your thinking, you are also praying and rallying the forces of Heaven.

Of course, it is always best to have a good filing system, but until that comes into play, keep writing down your thoughts. Keep making "to-do" lists. Write down your dreams, goals, objectives, action plans, deadlines, and strategies. Use symbols, shorthand, words, and misspelled words. Write all over the paper or napkin. Stuff it in your shirt pocket. Look at it if you have a chance. Lose it if you must, but start by writing things down.

I have said it before and will say it many times again: Goals that have not been written are not worth the paper they are written (or not written) on.

It is an exercise with verified results. Practice the discipline of making notes to yourself and see what a difference it makes in what you accomplish.

Here is to your success.

Birthday Reflections

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

I am latching on to 4 verses that I will take as promises, themes, and mission statements into my beginning of the new year (aka - birthday).

Each of these passages has one thing in common: a shepherd. 

David is the traditional, original psalmist, and a shepherd.

Jacob was a shepherd with lots of shepherds working for him.

Many of the characters in Hebrews 11 were shepherds.

Jesus calls himself, "the Good Shepherd."

This is the year I officially retired as a salaried shepherd and enter into that era that I often longed for, pastoring without pay. I know that whatever I do for a living, at the heart of it, will be the pastoral call.

To care for and gather the flock will continue to be the mission and motive of all.

The verses come from today's Common Lectionary readings and I will meditate upon them and see new treasures and applications in them as time goes by.

I will probably do a blog before the end of the day.

"Surely the Lord is in this place-- and I did not know it!" - from Genesis 28

Prayer Response: God, may I be continually aware of your presence.

"Father of orphans, defender of widows,
God in his holy habitation!
God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners into freedom ..." - from Psalm 68

Prayer Response: God, may I share your heart for those who need you.

"All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland."
-from Hebrews 11

Prayer Response: God, may I live by faith until I die in faith, always focused on home.

"So there will be one flock, one shepherd." -from John 10

Prayer Response: May I join you in gathering and never scattering.

---------------------

No wonder his presence was announced to shepherds:

Here the scriptures are in context:

Genesis 28:10-22
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

And the Lord stood beside him and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place-- and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.

He called that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one tenth to you."

Hebrews 11:13-22
All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.

If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, of whom he had been told, "It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you."

He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead-- and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau.

By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, "bowing in worship over the top of his staff."

By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.

John 10:7-17
So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away-- and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.

And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.

So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.

"Father of orphans, defender of widows,
God in his holy habitation!
God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners into freedom ..." - from Psalm 68

I invite you to join my birthday offering today: City Without Orphans

 

A Flair for the Dramatic

Photo by Austrian National Library on Unsplash

A Flair for the Dramatic

God stepped out on stage

And every member

of the orchestra

knew it was He.

He took the baton in hand

And breathed forth

UPBEAT.

Down came the baton

DOWNBEAT.

And the pattern was given

With every eye upon Him.

The strings

The horns

The percussionists

The LIGHTS

Yes, the lights!

The dancers,

The actors,

The children,

The artists !

Suddenly, the stage was filled

With performers.

And He conducted them.

And every art

And every part

Conformed to the rhythm of His baton.

And someone in the audience remarked,

“He certainly has a flair for the dramatic.”

And all creation applauded.

- Tom Sims

Live Out Loud!

Photo by Emmy Shingiro on Unsplash

From a post in 2010:

Live loose; live light; live large!

I have been reflecting on an issue that often troubles me. When a crisis occurs in the world, there is an urge to pack up and go, or to at least to write a very big check. Many share that urge. But we are constrained by time commitments, lack of preparation, and enormous personal debt.

As part of the changes in my own life, I am thinking I need to make an effort to live loose, live light, and live large.

Living loose means to take life as it comes and to be able to join Isaiah in his declaration, "Here I am; send me."

If we live loose, we plan and implement our plans, but we do not become so attached to our plans that they take precedence over our purpose for living. Strategies are vital to our goals, but they change. They must not rule us. Calendars represent commitments to be honored, but there must be some flexibility built into our rigid lives.

Living loose means living in a state of readiness to respond to God's call through the suffering of the world.

Living loose may mean having a passport ready at all times. I don't have that. It may mean having contingencies plans and back up prepared for our routine commitments.

Mostly it is an attitude.

I need to live light. Too often we are guided by our limitations. We have created many of those limitations through compulsive spending, mismanagement of credit, consumer greed, and appetites out of control. I have wasted thousands of dollars for which I have little to show.

What do we really need? What is interfering with our ability to give when a need arises?

How can we lighten our loads and live simpler, more rewarding and satisfying lives?

Not only debt, but possessions and expectations of comfort and pleasure can tie us down.

So can mismanaged health and wellness. We are often just too out of shape to be ready to respond. I, for one, have abused my body through years of eating too much of the wrong food and failure to push myself beyond my comfort level in exercise.

These are seemingly innocent sins, but they have effected my availability.

I am just being honest here - I have not lived light. Yet, in recent weeks, I have been experiencing an emptying of myself before God. It has been obvious on the physical level, but it has informed my soul and my spirit.

The sad consequence of the past, however, is that barring a miracle, I could not financially, physically, or professionally get on a plane tomorrow and fly to Haiti.

Neither do I have the money in the bank to write a big check. I will write a check, but it will not be what I could have written if I had lived more wisely and lightly.

There are skills I ought to require, but there is the ever-present excuse: When can I find the time?

Where does anyone find time? We make time.

Living large means we take the world into our hearts and let it expand us beyond ourselves. It means growing toward a God-sized concern for the pain of humanity. It means weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. It means thinking globally and eternally.

Living large means loving our neighbors as ourselves.

We love ourselves. We pamper ourselves, indulge ourselves, and fatten ourselves. In the process, we destroy ourselves for usefulness. We need to find a new way of loving ourselves that embraces the whole world. We need to transform our love of self into something that feeds a new self, a servant self, a more fulfilled and joyful self that is available to God and others.

As we change ourselves and love ourselves that way, we can love and change the world.

Live loose; live light; live large!

Tiptoes

Standing on tiptoe in expectancy.

Living breathless in the wind.

Waiting with expectation among the voices of boredom.

Living above the storm ...

Hopeful ...

Hope.

 

Miep Gies and Ordinary People

I posted this some years ago when Miep Gies died  at the age of 100. I have added the graphic and the video interview to remember an extraordinary woman, her legacy, and the life lesson her life communicates. - 1/19/2018

An office secretary in Amsterdam during the Nazi reign of terror, she was impressed to do her part to save the family of her boss and friend, a Jewish man named Otto.

For 25 months, she, her husband, and other employees assisted them with food and necessities. She could have been sent to a concentration camp for this effort.

Eventually, the family was discovered and arrested. Only Otto survived.

Gies went to the apartment where they had hidden to rescue the family's scattered notebooks and papers. Then she locked them in a drawer for her return after the war. Include among the papers were those of Otto's daughter.

Gies never read them. She felt that they were sacred and private. If she had, she said she would have had to destroy them because they would have implicated "helpers" whose lives would have been in danger.

After the war, Otto returned alone and stayed with the Gies family until 1952.

Her efforts later won her many accolades which she considered unfair. She felt others had done and risked far more. She said that if we believed that only extraordinary people responded courageously to their neighbor's needs in times of danger, no one would respond. To her, it was the natural thing to do.

She said that not a day went by in her life when she did not regret not being able to save Otto's family, especially their young daughter who died in the concentration camp at the age of 15.

Her name was Anne - Anne Frank.

Miep presented Otto his daughter's diary after his return.

It has been a treasure to the world of hope and goodwill. Without Miep Gies' courage and compassion, it would have been lost to the generations.

Gies was honored with the "Righteous Gentile" title by the Israeli Holocaust museum Yad Vashem.

She fell shortly before Christmas and sustained a neck injury which took her life last week.

I had never heard of Miep Gie, but without her, I would have never heard of Anne Frank or read "The Diary of Ann Frank."

God grant us more ordinary people who are willing to extend a hand to their neighbors in ways that may seem extraordinary but become so commonplace as to be considered ordinary.

Gies died in 2010

And another version of Live Out Loud

Standing on tiptoe in expectancy.

Living breathless in the wind.

Waiting with expectation among the voices of boredom.

Living above the storm ...

Hopeful ...

Hope.

 

Miep Gies and Ordinary People

I posted this some years ago when Miep Gies died  at the age of 100. I have added the graphic and the video interview to remember an extraordinary woman, her legacy, and the life lesson her life communicates. - 1/19/2018

An office secretary in Amsterdam during the Nazi reign of terror, she was impressed to do her part to save the family of her boss and friend, a Jewish man named Otto.

For 25 months, she, her husband, and other employees assisted them with food and necessities. She could have been sent to a concentration camp for this effort.

Eventually, the family was discovered and arrested. Only Otto survived.

Gies went to the apartment where they had hidden to rescue the family's scattered notebooks and papers. Then she locked them in a drawer for her return after the war. Include among the papers were those of Otto's daughter.

Gies never read them. She felt that they were sacred and private. If she had, she said she would have had to destroy them because they would have implicated "helpers" whose lives would have been in danger.

After the war, Otto returned alone and stayed with the Gies family until 1952.

Her efforts later won her many accolades which she considered unfair. She felt others had done and risked far more. She said that if we believed that only extraordinary people responded courageously to their neighbor's needs in times of danger, no one would respond. To her, it was the natural thing to do.

She said that not a day went by in her life when she did not regret not being able to save Otto's family, especially their young daughter who died in the concentration camp at the age of 15.

Her name was Anne - Anne Frank.

Miep presented Otto his daughter's diary after his return.

It has been a treasure to the world of hope and goodwill. Without Miep Gies' courage and compassion, it would have been lost to the generations.

Gies was honored with the "Righteous Gentile" title by the Israeli Holocaust museum Yad Vashem.

She fell shortly before Christmas and sustained a neck injury which took her life last week.

I had never heard of Miep Gie, but without her, I would have never heard of Anne Frank or read "The Diary of Ann Frank."

God grant us more ordinary people who are willing to extend a hand to their neighbors in ways that may seem extraordinary but become so commonplace as to be considered ordinary.

Gies died in 2010

And another version of Live Out Loud

I posted this some years ago when Miep Gies died  at the age of 100. I have added the graphic and the video interview to remember an extraordinary woman, her legacy, and the life lesson her life communicates. - 1/19/2018

An office secretary in Amsterdam during the Nazi reign of terror, she was impressed to do her part to save the family of her boss and friend, a Jewish man named Otto.

For 25 months, she, her husband, and other employees assisted them with food and necessities. She could have been sent to a concentration camp for this effort.

Eventually, the family was discovered and arrested. Only Otto survived.

Gies went to the apartment where they had hidden to rescue the family's scattered notebooks and papers. Then she locked them in a drawer for her return after the war. Include among the papers were those of Otto's daughter.

Gies never read them. She felt that they were sacred and private. If she had, she said she would have had to destroy them because they would have implicated "helpers" whose lives would have been in danger.

After the war, Otto returned alone and stayed with the Gies family until 1952.

Her efforts later won her many accolades which she considered unfair. She felt others had done and risked far more. She said that if we believed that only extraordinary people responded courageously to their neighbor's needs in times of danger, no one would respond. To her, it was the natural thing to do.

She said that not a day went by in her life when she did not regret not being able to save Otto's family, especially their young daughter who died in the concentration camp at the age of 15.

Her name was Anne - Anne Frank.

Miep presented Otto his daughter's diary after his return.

It has been a treasure to the world of hope and goodwill. Without Miep Gies' courage and compassion, it would have been lost to the generations.

Gies was honored with the "Righteous Gentile" title by the Israeli Holocaust museum Yad Vashem.

She fell shortly before Christmas and sustained a neck injury which took her life last week.

I had never heard of Miep Gie, but without her, I would have never heard of Anne Frank or read "The Diary of Ann Frank."

God grant us more ordinary people who are willing to extend a hand to their neighbors in ways that may seem extraordinary but become so commonplace as to be considered ordinary.

Gies died in 2010

And another version of Live Out Loud

Birthday Fundraiser for City without Orphans

 

Share freely.

Learn more at Guidestar.org

and

http://www.citywithoutorphans.com/

 

A Case for Growth

 

Photo by Bruce Hong on Unsplash

Repost from 2010

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. – Luke 2:40

Jesus grew.

He was not born strong, wise, and full of grace.

He was born who He was: the Son of God, but the Son of God, God the Son had emptied Himself and taken on Himself the form of a servant.

Therefore, it was required that He submit to the process of maturation physically, emotionally, relationally, intellectually, and spiritually.

We, when we were children, often wanted the privileges of adults. When we became adults, we longed for the care free life we enjoyed as children.

Seldom have we relished the gut-wrenching, humiliating, submissive, and painful experiences that are sometimes associated with growing up. In the quest to avoid some of these, there are among us those who have never grown up or have failed to do so in some selected areas of life.

Jesus grew. He became strong, wiser, and more gracious. He did it in stages and through steady progression. He did through challenges and changes, and choices.

He embraced the opportunities to grow and cherished the wisdom that was available through the synagogue and temple and the teaching of His parents.

Jesus grew.

Are you growing? You cannot stay where you are. You will either be spiraling up or spiraling down in the strength, wisdom, and grace.

You can become weaker by not growing stronger. You can indeed become less wise by refusing to grow wiser.

You can become colder and more indifferent by not becoming a channel for God’s grace to flow through you.

The choice, as always, is yours. What will it be – growth or decline?

Keep growing, not old, but freely and deeply!

The Bread of Life

Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

“I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst…“ - John 6:25

What child is this? During the season, it is a legitimate question.

Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the temple for dedication where they met Anna and Simeon who look upon him adoringly and blessed him.

However, neither Christmas nor any Sunday, nor Epiphany is “International Babies Day” where we affirm the essential goodness and hope that gathers around each new birth. That would be fine, but we are dealing with something far more significant than that.

Our lives are at stake.

We celebrate the advent of life itself. Jesus is the Bread of Life without whom we slowly whither into lifeless shells of animated emptiness. He is the food that sustains. He is the source of our energy, the giver of nurture, and the fount of health. He feeds us and we grow.

He has always been the bread of life. Through him, the Father created all things and through him, all things have come into existence and continue to exist.

And He is the bread that is broken for us. Not only does he impart life to us, but he lays down his very life for us.

What child is this?

“This, this is Christ the King,” the essence of “beingness,” and the glue that holds the universe together. He is no mere cute, cuddly baby. As wonderful as that may be.

He is the Bread of Life.

As you celebrate today and consider your own quest for satisfaction, consider Jesus Christ, the source of fulfillment.

A Nazarene

Jesus in Context

Either Way 

But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. - Matthew 2: 19-21

 Here is a principle that Herod did not understand at all:

Don’t entertain evil for a minute. It doesn’t want to visit. It wants to move in and take over.

So, the only cure for the evil in Herod’s life was the death of Herod. No one was safe until Herod was dead. It is a sad commentary, but true. For as long as Herod lived and carried out his rain of pain and reign of terror, the true King of Israel remained in Egypt. Good news was stifled by sound of hoof beats as soldiers scoured the land to snuff out the life of any baby that just might be the Messiah.

Something had to give; something had to die. Only when Herod was dead was it safe for Joseph to bring his family out of Egypt and into the land of Israel.

It was not time for Jesus to die. He still had to grow up and live a redemptive life before He died a redemptive death It was time for evil to die and Herod had so immersed himself in evil that he had begun to personify it within himself.

Yet, there remained a window of opportunity for Herod as there remains such an opportunity for each of us. We also must die. Evil knows no limits. It will not restrain itself. Therefore, we must die to evil thoughts, evil deeds, and evil intentions. Furthermore, we must deem every action that restricts the reign of Jesus, every thought that keeps Him in Egypt, and every intention that wars against Him as evil that must die inside of us.

Because of the cross, we can choose to die that we might live. We can reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ. We will die to sin or we will die in sin. Either way, The Son of God will not remain in Egypt. He shall reign.

A Nazarene 

“And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. “ - Matthew 2:23

Some would be happier with a Jesus with no context, culture, or humanity. But that would not be the true Jesus. Incarnation means that He came at a specific time, place, and crossroads of historical events. He lived as a man and faced the time-space limitations of any person on this earth. He had gender, nationality, a native language, talents, physical strengths and weaknesses, most likely sickness, certainly the capacity to grow weary, and a family.

He was the descendant of David with all the nobility that was due to such a line, but He was fully identified culturally with the least noble region for any Jew in the minds of other Jews. Born in Bethlehem, He was raised in Nazareth. Jews spoke of Nazarenes with a sneer in their voices. And He was one of them and never wore the label with shame.

He identifies with us as well, whatever our histories, cultures, or backgrounds. He refuses to acknowledge the shame that the world associates with people based upon human prejudices but elevates people of every race and nationality to a place of dignity. As a Nazarene, raised near a great road traveled by numerous peoples, He must have encountered great cultural diversity. Out of that context, God gave us His Son to create a new race of mankind.

Seasons

Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. – Ecclesiastes 3:1

Our God breaths upon time and space and enters into our sphere, moving with rhythmic precision and thoughtful order, shaping events, turning tides, and weaving the seasons into a tapestry of purpose. We respond either by riding the waves of His wonderful will or resisting the seasons in habitual stubbornness and rigid rebellion.

The antithesis to a celebration of God’s gracious seasons would be a life of compulsive habit – where every day is the same and every reaction on our part is predictable. We so often live in contradiction to the way God’s Spirit moves. When we do, we swim against the tide and deplete our energy and other resources in frivolous pursuit of what we think is an orderly and well-planned life. In reality, we are resisting God and His ways.

There are places in the scheme of things where seasons seem to meld into a seamless web of sameness, but they are part of a greater design and even in such places there are divinely ordained fluctuations in what might be considered “norm.”

There are lives that seem dull and redundant, but when God is having His way in the hearts of His people, there is adventure and newness every day.

We need to embrace the seasons of our lives with relish and wonder. They are indications of God’s creative love and graceful presence. All that men define as chaos in the universe may be that way from their limited perspectives – but it takes an eternal perspective to see that there is glorious pattern beyond our comprehension that we shall some day see unfolded before enlightened eyes in glory.

Whatever season you are in, physically, chronologically, developmentally, relationally, occupationally, emotionally, or spiritually, God knows and He is present. He is moving in the midst of your circumstances. Discover the current of His grace and ride through the storms. For everything, there is a season.