A New Start

It's recently occurred to me, there's nothing singularly special about a New Year. We replace our calendars. Have to start remembering to date our checks with a thirteen instead of a twelve (and if you're anything like me, you only got used to writing that number some time in October). But when it comes down to it, all the problems we had in 2012 will still be there in 2013. The bills that were stacked up on December 31 will be stacked up on January 1, and the people who sent them will still expect to be paid. No... there's nothing really significant about the date itself.

So, why is it such a big deal?

I think it must be that it represents new beginnings. A chance to start something new. Or to be renewed. Our hearts and souls long for growth, but the mind craves order. So, a new year, a new start. Day one.

So what are you doing with your new start?

At the end of each year, I look back on my life and ask: what did I do for God? Did I accomplish all He had for me to do? Did I reach somebody for Him? Did I touch a life? Could I have done more? The answers for these questions are often uncomfortable. I didn't accomplish everything. I could have done more. What, actually, did I do for God, anyway?

So, for me, a new year is about renewed commitment. It's about saying, "God, I'm sorry that, in 2012, I wasn't all You wanted me to be," and asking for His help, in 2013, to reach others in His name. It's about understanding that, eventually, I'll be out of New Years, and all I'll have to offer Him is what I did with the time I had.

So with this new year, I recommit my life to the service of the God who saved me. So that, when all is said and done, when I've come to the end of my years, new and otherwise, I can say with Paul,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

I'd Rather Be Burdened With Christ

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29)

It can be so easy to get caught up in the do's and don't's of Christianity some times. Sadly, this is as much true for believers as it is for non-believers, who see this whole church thing as nothing more than a big set of rules to follow. How easily we miss the point!

The real truth is, Sin, and not faith, is our burden. It's hard to see when we're drenched in wrongdoing, but the stuff, the muck, that weighs us down is nothing more or less than our own human nature. We are burdened by this world; dragged down by our sin, and the sins of this world. 

The truth of Jesus is that He came, not to burden us with religion, but to release us from the bondage of sin. Once we acknowledge that there really is a right and a wrong, and that we have been on the wrong side of it, we can lift that burden to Christ.

I've often wondered what was meant when He said "my yoke is light." I've begun to realize the reason His yoke is so much easier than the one we carry without Him is that He does most of the heavy lifting.

Psalm 103: Praise the Lord, My Soul!

As I was trying to decide what to do today's devotion on, I ran across Psalm 103. I can add nothing, this morning, to the words of David. Let his words be our prayer this, and every, morning.

¹ Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
² Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
²¹ Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
²² Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Keeping Christmas

It's all over. The children are basking, under the warm glow of the Christmas tree, in the glory of their gifts and toys. The belly is still full from the ham and turkey and stuffing and a wondrous variety of pies and desserts. The wrapping paper is in the recycling bin or, for the more meticulous among us, folded and ready for use next year. And everywhere there is a sort of satisfied happiness.

But what about Christmas? Is it, too, being placed back in a bin, with the artificial tree and ornaments and seasonal decorations? Are Mary, Joseph, the infant Jesus, and that whole manger crew being buried once more beneath mountains of packing peanuts, like the figurines that represent them?

We have spent the weeks coming up to this point in remembrance, not only of a small child born in a stable 2000 years and thousands of miles away, but of who that Child really was, and what He did? Can the enormity of God stepping from the Heavens to walk and die as a man, to suffer for our sins and bridge a gap that separated man from Himself for hundreds of generations, really be packed away, tucked into a box until the end of next year?

Or is this message -- that God Himself came to us, born to a woman in a lowly stable, that He walked the earth as a prophet despised by His own people, that He was brutalized and murdered, that He rose again to conquer once and for all the death we brought on our own heads -- perhaps worth remembering all year long? Is it worth taking these touchy-feely "holiday" sentiments like generosity and peace and grace, and spreading them throughout the year?

Or do we really believe as we occasionally act: that God sent His Son so we could have a nice holiday once a year?

Remember Christmas this year. Remember it in your actions toward your fellow man. Remember it in your own generosity of finances and spirit toward others. Remember it in the grocery line, when everybody around you is grumbling about the wait, and snarling at the cashier. Remember who you are, and whose you are. Remember that, because Christ came down as a tiny baby, and because He lived and died and rose again, you are the child of a loving King, and His representative to everyone else who, like you, needs a little grace.

We Pause In Our Celebration of Christ's Birth To Witness The End of the World

Well, it would seem we're all still here. Again. Doing some quick digging, it seems the end of the world has been predicted over 240 times since Jesus walked the earth. That's 240 dates for the end of all things. Apparently, there's even another one coming up in 2016, since the whole Mayan calendar thing didn't work out.

And, since we're at it, we might as well predict exactly how the world will end. Nuclear war was a big one for a few decades. I guess it's still under consideration, but not quite as prevalent since the Cold War. Acid Rain? We don't hear a whole lot about that either, anymore. Not that it isn't still there... I guess it's just not as "in" right now. Global Warming. Or at least, some kind of climate change. Warnings, all. Change your ways, people. The end is nigh.

It's weird how even secular apocalypses take on something of a religious quality, isn't it? In the case of the 2012 Mayan apocalypse, there's even that thread of mysticism.

This fascination we have with our own mortality may have something to do with how temporary we really are. I begin to wonder if this constant warning of impending doom isn't more spiritual than it first appears. A realization, perhaps, that we are not meant to live on this world forever. A longing for our true home.

As the New Testament often reminds us, we are strangers to this world. As people who belong to Christ, we Christians are ambassadors to this world. It is not our home. So, we do long for the day when Christ returns to reign again over this Earth, to welcome His children to His side.

Is it so strange, then, that even the nonbelieving world would have this ingrained, instinctive desire? That even unbelievers would see and know that something isn't right with the world they know, and long for some catastrophic event to change the very face of what they know -- and to, perhaps, forge something better from the wreckage?

It's not that we're a planet full of nihilists. It's that we're eternal beings, with an instinctive longing for Eternity.

So it's proper, I think, in the season when we remember the coming of Christ as a small child, to look forward, as well, to His returning as triumphant King.

Over the Hills and Everywhere!

You know what I love about Christmas carols? Everybody sings 'em. Agnostics, nominal Christians... if you are willing to celebrate Christmas, chances are you sing a Christmas song. And even if you don't, you still know 'em. Catchy little things, Christmas carols.

And -- and this is the part I love the most -- in doing so, whether or not they really mean it, they are proclaiming the birth of the Savior. They are declaring His lordship. They are telling the world.

And when it comes down to it, what Christmas is really all about, isn't merely being nice to one another. It isn't some esoteric ideal of "Christmas Spirit" or even a "spirit of generosity." It is really, when it the rubber meets the road, about telling the world Our Savior has come. That He came among us, that He died for our sins and rose again. That He is coming back. 

That,
Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
That blessed Christmas morn.

So celebrate, yes. Spend time with family and friends. Spend time worshiping our God and King. And then, Go, tell it!

Thy Deep and Dreamless Sleep

My children and I have started reading the Bible together before they go to bed. Because of the season, we decided to start in the book of Matthew. Yesterday was the first part of Matthew 2. I was struck, as we read, by how much the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law really knew about their coming Messiah. After the wise men from the East visited Herod, the king called all these teachers together and asked from where this Messiah was to come.

⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Given the wholeheartedness with which these same priests and teachers later rejected that same Messiah, I often forget they, too, had read the prophecies. In fact, these men were extremely well-versed. They knew the prophecies of the Messiah backwards and forwards. They knew them so well that, when Herod asked a specific question about them, these men were prepared with a specific answer. 

And yet, in spite of this -- in spite of the man Jesus humbly meeting every requirement set forth in these prophecies -- these great teachers of the Law didn't recognize Him. You see, there was prophecy, and then there was expectation. The nation of Israel expected -- and indeed still expects -- an earthly King, to pull them away from their troubles, to make them great among all nations.

And He will. But first, He came to bridge the gap between man and God. He came, as Isaiah said, to bear our iniquity, and be wounded and killed as a sacrifice. He will come as a King, but came first as a man of sorrow. 

It seems to me these teachers and priests were perfectly willing to allow their Messiah to be that man of sorrow, so long as he wore the Crown of Israel. But what God says He will do, He will do, our own preferences aside.

The Messiah did indeed come to Bethlehem, a ruler and Shepherd, not only for Israel, but for, as Paul reminds us in Romans 3, "all who believe." 

The promised Messiah came out of that little town of Bethlehem, in the land of Judah. The question is, will you recognize Him?

Heaven and Nature Sing

The lyrics to a favorite Christmas Hymn is actually a song about the return of Jesus. "Joy to the World" was written by Isaac Watts as a hymn to the Triumphant Return of Christ, foretold in the book of Revelation.

Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

The thing is, it really works well as both. After all, His triumphant Returning wouldn't even be possible without His first coming to Earth. This cultural juxtaposition of beginning (Christ's birth) and end (His return) also serves as a reminder to us:  be ready.

In Luke 5, Jesus is challenged by Pharisees because His disciples don't fast like John's disciples do.

³⁴ Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? ³⁵ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast.”

And then, as we see in Matthew 25, after he is gone, we must wait for His return, and be prepared for it. 

¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

So, in celebrating His birth -- His arrival here on Earth -- we remember to live as though He could return at any time.  


He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,

Peace on Earth, Good-will To Men

If we ever needed a reminder that we are a world in need of a Savior, Friday was it. I read the news with growing shock and sadness. Multiple deaths, several children, at the whim of one man. And worst of all, the knowledge that this is just the most recent (and among the most horrific) of a growing trend.

Blame whatever you want for it: guns, or video games, or movies, or the Media. Blame us. Blame a fallen World, growing in her depravity as her population collectively struggles against its own yoke of sin, while steadfastly refusing the Hand of the One who can remove it.

I had a hard time, Friday, as we talked about the horror of another school shooting; of the parents who have just suffered through what no parent should ever have to experience. The father of four small children myself, I could barely contain my own sorrow and anger on behalf of all the fathers and mothers in that small Connecticut town. "I'm praying for them," I told my coworkers. "I'm glad the shooter is dead, because I can't bring myself to pray for him."

And in that gentle way of Brothers in Christ, I was reminded by one of those coworkers that it's not about me. "You know," he said, "Jesus came for him, too."

This is neither the last nor the greatest of the horrifying acts man is capable of visiting on his fellow man. A world struggling to deny its Creator can only sink itself into the mire of sin and despair. And that's exactly why Jesus came.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had just lost his wife, and was watching His nation embroiled in Civil War. His son had been severely wounded in battle and the news of gunfire and death surrounded him. Surely it must have seemed that everything he had ever known or had faith in was crumbling around him. It was in the midst of this chaos that Longfellow wrote the words, "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day."

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;

"For hate is strong,

And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men."

God With Us

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

In the years before Jesus came to Earth, God and man were separate. A veil was hung in the temple, behind which only the Priests were allowed. It was behind this veil that the rites of atonement were performed. It was behind this veil that the priests of Israel, once a year, could come into the presence of God. The veil was a reminder to Israel that the sin of man kept him separate from the Most High. That God could not bear to be in the presence of Sin. It had been this way for generations.

But then, Jesus. 

God came out from behind the curtain and dwelt among fallen men. He walked our paths, ate our food, became one of us in order to bring us Home. God sent Jesus as a man, because, for a mortal man to cross over a chasm, a bridge must have its feet on both sides. Jesus, The Word, was with God and He was God, and he lived as a man to do what men were unable to do: to provide a Way back. 

When the Priests of Israel went, once a year, behind the veil in the temple, the best they could do was make a temporary covering of sins. A mask without a cure.When we go to God, our offerings are paltry, and insufficient. God wasn't interested in a covering. 

God wasn't interested in this religion of sacrifice and atonement, repeated once a year. He wasn't interested in visiting His children by proxy; He wanted a relationship with each one of His children. With you and with me, and with every single member of this sinful human race.

That is why, on the day Jesus -- God right here on Earth -- died, the Temple veil was torn. God was letting us know these days of religion were over. That He had once and for all offered Forgiveness and a true relationship with Him. It could once again be like the old days, when He would walk in the Garden with His Adam. When each one of us could finally be called, once again, His sons and daughters.

But it didn't start with Jesus' death; it began with His birth. Our renewed relationship with God truly began on the Day our Savior, Jesus Christ, came to Earth and dwelt as one of us. We weren't able to go to Him, so God, instead, came to Us. 

That's how it was, and that's how it is. God knows you can't come to Him, so instead, He comes to you. He reaches across the chasm we've built in our own Spirits, and asks only that you take His hand. 

 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

He Will Be Called: Prince of Peace

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

There is, perhaps, no greater time than the Christmas season to remember that Jesus is our Prince of Peace.

In the chaos of gift-shopping, and the usual, subsequent fretting over bills... in the working to catch up and make ends meet... in the worry and excitement that comes with seeing family... we get so caught up in celebrating the birth of Jesus that we often forget to take the time out and seek Him. To breathe. To meditate on our wonderful Savior. 

To find Peace. That all-too-elusive reality, so rare it can often feel like mere sentiment. 

Peace, for when my world is spinning out of my control; when the work is piling up, when the dishes and laundry and bedrooms and children all need cleaned; when the bills are coming in faster than the money to pay them; when everyone seems to be moving quicker than I can ever keep up.

Peace, for when my Spirit is frantic, then worn out, then restless again; when sleep won't come; when my well of tears is long since dry; when I wonder, to the depths of my soul, just how God expects me to succeed in the face of my own human tendency to fail. 

Peace, for when we're caught up in the wonder and the glory and the mystery of God, and are then reminded by the Enemy how truly unworthy we really are. 

One of my favorite songs is by Rich Mullins. It is a prayer, a cry, and a heartbroken plea:
Hold me, Jesus,
For I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my Glory
Would you be my Prince of Peace?

He Will Be Called: Everlasting Father

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

In today's culture a lot of people -- too many -- seem to believe the job of the Father begins and ends at conception. But in fact, the germination of new life is only one part of what we do. A father also cultivates that life. Trains that child up, and provides for her needs. In fact, I would argue that it is all that stuff -- the building and care of a family -- that truly makes one a Father. 

Joseph, Mary's husband, played no part in the conception of the child Jesus. Yet, here on Earth, he filled the role of father from the beginning. When he discovered his young wife-to-be was pregnant, his instinct was to run. Not his kid; not his responsibility. 

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[f] because he will save his people from their sins.”
²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[g] (which means “God with us”).
²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:20-25)

When Joseph took Mary as his wife, he also accepted the responsibility of Fatherhood to her child. Twice in this passage, we see it fell to Joseph to name the baby. Why? Because from that time on, Jesus was his son, too. It was a responsibility he took seriously, right from the beginning. He found a place to stay, warm and dry, if not ideal, for the birth of his son. He trained Him up, taking Him to synagogue and teaching Him how to live and behave. And he loved Him.

In turn, Jesus is the Everlasting Father. He cultivates the relationship with us, His family. He teaches us and builds us up. He molds us into men and women in his own image. 

I love my children, and do my best to train them up in the Way they should go. Someday, though, I'm not going to be here for them. I'll do what I can while I'm here, but someday I'll be taken from their midst, and they won't be able to turn to me and ask for advice or assistance, or just for the assurance of my love for them. 

But Jesus is their Everlasting Father. He loved them before they were born. He loves them -- and us -- still. And He always will.

And He Will Be Called: Mighty God

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)


In the second name Isaiah gives to the Messiah in his prophecy, God is making clear that this coming King will be God Himself. Indeed, the Jesus of Scripture bears this out. He is a healer, a miracle worker. But what's more, He is Mighty.

Sometimes, I try to imagine myself in the shoes of the Disciples, getting to know this man Jesus as, through the course of His ministry, he reveals more and more of His true nature. I imagine myself in a fishing boat, the tiny vessel being buffeted by water and heavy winds as the sound picks up to a frightening howl. Huddled and waiting for the rain, when a figure reveals itself in the distance, walking upon the angry waves. 

I imagine I, like the disciples, would be afraid. A ghost! A spirit traversing the waters, coming for us! 

And then His voice: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 

Peter, so relieved to hear his Master's voice, he just wants to run across the lake himself just to be nearer to the One who so boldly has stepped into the maelstrom. And when Jesus finally reaches the boat, to watch the winds immediately cease, to stand in awe of His presence, as His nature is finally revealed, and say with his Disciples, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:22-33)

That is our Messiah: a God who can brave the depth of the sea and the roar of the wind, because He has total control over both. Who can whisper a word and calm a raging storm.  Who stared down even Death, and walked away Victorious. 

Are our own problems and struggles so great, when we match them against Him, who is called Mighty God?

And He Will Be Called: Wonderful Counselor

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

For many of us, our first prayer is a cry for help. Often, we're looking for a way out of some mess in which we've found -- or, usually, gotten -- ourselves. This cry for salvation will set the tone for our relationship with Him in the future. Salvation from sin. Help from trouble. And of course, there's nothing wrong with this -- it is in Jesus' very nature to assist in time of need. 

But sometimes, I find myself crying out for help because of a failure on my own part: the failure to look to Him first for guidance. We look at Scripture, and find Jesus healing, and preaching, and prophesying... but we don't look beyond to see Him as the Wonderful Counselor. The wise friend we can trust to be honest, forthright, and -- importantly -- always right. 

It's easy to go to our friends for advice on finances, or our marriage, or our children. But what about Jesus? I admit, I sometimes forget to ask Him. I'll ask advice from my dad, my friends, my pastor -- all of whom can offer wise counsel, for sure. But then I forget to ask God what He would have me do. 

Job was somebody in dire need of good counsel. His friends sought to give him advice, and failed miserably. His wife offered equally horrific advice ("curse your God and die," I believe). But through the noise, Job remembered where to look for true wisdom: “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his." (Job 12:13)

David, whose life was often fraught with threat and trouble, also knew to whom he could turn when he needed a word of wisdom. "I will praise the Lord who counsels me," he says in Psalm 16:7. "Even at night, my heart instructs me."

This week, I'm taking the time out to reflect on the names of the Messiah, given in Isaiah 9. Today, I remember He is rightly called "Wonderful Counselor," and it is my prayer that I take His name to heart. When I need advice, a word of wisdom, my God and my Savior is also my Wonderful Counselor, and I can always trust in His word.

For Entertainment Purposes Only

Yesterday's fortune cookie: "You will soon have the opportunity to improve your finances."

I like to think nobody actually takes these things seriously. That somebody who opened a cookie with the same fortune as the one I found yesterday will not be sitting around and waiting for the phone to ring. And then I remember how many so-called fortune tellers and mediums are still doing business today. How many people are living their lives -- at least in part -- based on some phony readings of the stars (despite the clear, if tiny, warning printed below the headline that such things are not to be taken seriously).

Stock predictions, betting odds, weather forecasts... we plan our lives by trying to find an edge. Trying to figure out Where It's Going, and looking for a way to get there first. We're no longer content to simply rush from point A to point B; now we race ahead to C, D, and beyond, seeking shortcuts to the future.

It's no wonder we're all so stressed out, so buttoned up, so... busy. We find ourselves to wrapped up in staying ahead of what's ahead, that we barely have time to see where we stand in the present, let alone to look back and reflect.

Not that this is anything new, of course, which is maybe why Jesus told us to knock it off:

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:31-34)

The truth is, we know how the future will turn out, eventually, because God told us so. Scripture is full of prophecy. Fortune tellers will fill your mind with nonsense about your own future: about fame and fortune and whatever else, that may or may not happen. Real prophesy is nothing more or less than the Creator of the Universe telling us what He is going to do.

And as James reminds us, there's a big difference, even between God's plans and our own. You and I can make plans, but be thwarted by weather, by work, by a thousand other distractions. Once God, however, has set His ultimate Will in motion, He must simply act to make it happen.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

You want an edge on the future? Seek the Will of God, and plan for His Kingdom. He'll take care of your needs. You and I just need to worry about following Him.  

It's Not The Words, But What's Behind The Words That Matters

It's so easy, sometimes, to take a piece of scripture out of context, tell yourself what you think it means, and live up to the reasonably low standard that interpretation sets for you. For example, Ephesians 4:29a (honestly, the only part of Ephesians 4 I've EVER heard quoted by many Christians) says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths."

Which, obviously, means, "don't use curse words." Right? That seems easy enough. Guard our tongues. Awesome. Next. 

Well... let's slow down, Speedy, and take a step back.  

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:29-32)

Wait... you mean it's not just the words we say, but the spirit in which those words are said? Afraid so. 

See, if I've learned anything about the character of God, it's that He is far more concerned with the hearts of His children than He is with their religiosity. Certainly, He wants for us to watch that what we say is glorifying to Him... but it's never really been about the words. It's about the Heart. It helps to remember what Jesus said in Matthew 22:

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^{[c] 38} This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^{[d] 40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Every other thing comes down to love. So, what we see, when we look back at Ephesians 4, is that it's not about the words, but about the intent. If you never, ever utter a "curse word," but your words are bitter, or biting, or judgmental, then you are defying Christ's command that we love one another. 

Declaring your hatred for another by saying, "that guy is a gosh-darn jerk" doesn't make you a better Christian... just a bigger hypocrite.

Okay. I'm Out.

Parenting is hard. It is wonderful, and I would trade it for nothing. But it is not easy. Most days, my children are a constant reminder that I am loved by a Creator who loved me enough bless me with Family. Occasionally, they remind me that Man is a fallen creature.

It is on those occasions that they also remind me that, as a fallen man, I am woefully unprepared to be responsible for these lives. It's a humbling experience in many ways. See, right up until I had kids, people would talk about how patient I was. Slow to anger. Calm. So, needless to say, when I lose my patience with my kids, it is as much a wake-up call to myself as it is to them. Probably more so, actually.

A wake-up call because that, too, is a reminder of my fallen-ness. A reminder that, as long as I am human, I will have an end to my stores of grace. Fortunately, My wife and I aren't in this on our own. What these moments really are, are a reminder that, by ourselves, we haven't the strength necessary to deal with these larger family issues. These moments, as trying as they are, are a blessing, because they remind us to lean on God.

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7b-10)

There are moments in life that show you where your strength truly lies. It is in these moments where you find your measure: do they cause you to flee, or do they drive you to your knees? 

Praise God that, when our stores of strength are tapped out, He has an everlasting pool, just waiting for the cries of the humbled.

Still Thirsty?

I am a chronic joiner. If there is a group or a club around some topic or hobby in which I am even remotely interested, I want to be a part of it. Of course I don't have any time at all to be actually active in anything, so often being a nominal member has to be enough. The biggest draw for me is community with other people who like the same stuff I do.

I think this is human nature, to want to connect with other people. We are relational people, and to our very souls, we hunger for interaction, for a relationship.

I have lately come to realize, however, that I don't need to be a part of everything. I love being with other people, or connecting in some way, but the truth is, I no longer need that human approval or validation that I once did. I've come to realize in fact that my need to constantly join, to be a part of everything, was the spiritual equivalent of emotional eating: there is a hole we can't understand. We know something is missing, but we don't know what. So we fill that void with... something. For some it's other people. For some it's food or drink. Anything, so long as it helps, even temporarily, to fill that hole in our lives.

Jesus recognized this Spiritual gap in a woman near a well in Samaria (John 4:1-26).

¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
¹⁶ He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
¹⁷ “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸ The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

Jesus wanted for this woman to recognize the depth of her Spiritual thirst.  When He told her about her five husbands, he wasn't saying it just to prove He was a prophet. He already had her attention and curiosity. Instead He was telling her: just as your body thirsts, your soul thirsts also, for a relationship, a communion, with One who will satisfy. 

The truth is, I no longer need to be a joiner, because I already belong. I belong to the family of God, a brotherhood of saints. I no longer require the water of being validated by others, because I have been quenched by the Christ, the Living Water. In Him, my cup is full: my Spirit overflows with His love.

Like the woman at the well, I have gone looking for a way to quench my thirst for another day, and have found a way to quench it for Eternity.

You Don't Know Unless You Know

I have a sister who is now several months along in her first pregnancy. It's fun to watch her experience all those things moms-to-be experience for the first time, seven years now since the first time my wife experienced them. Yesterday, it was baby hiccups. She posted on Facebook about how weird it was to feel that tiny person hiccuping inside of her. "But it's Wonderful!"

A mutual friend, who has never experienced a pregnancy was curious: "Why is that wonderful?"

"Because," I started to answer, and stopped. How do you explain it to somebody who doesn't know? Especially when I, myself, have only experienced it vicariously, through my wife? I understand it. I've felt the baby hiccuping in my wife's womb, and have been pleased and awed and amused. A hiccup, as annoying as it is to an adult (and, let's be honest, probably an unborn baby, too!), is also a wonderful reminder of the little life growing within. Intellectually, I get it. But how do you explain it to somebody who has never had the experience. Why is it wonderful? "Because it is."

It can be just as difficult trying to find words to explain to people why your life is better with Christ. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to "always be prepared to give an answer" when people ask us about the hope we have. But how? How do you explain it to somebody who simply doesn't know? It's like trying to describe how something looks to somebody who was born blind.

In fact, Paul comments on exactly that problem in 1 Corinthians 2:14:

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

The truth is, without asking for the guidance that can only come from God's Holy Spirit, we ourselves can only touch on the outer edges of explaining our hope in Christ. Just as my wife, who experienced her own pregnancies, and my sister, currently going through it, were far more able than I to explain the simple joy of a hiccuping baby, it is only through the Spirit of God that we can begin to describe for others who God really is. 

Even then, it can be discouraging as your friend tries to understand what you're telling them, because, unless he or she knows through the experience of the Spirit, he or she simply can't really know.  Like my friend who won't fully understand pregnancy until she experiences it for herself, we can't understand God without being given that understanding directly from the source.

So, be encouraged. It isn't our job to guarantee understanding when we tell others what Christ has done for us. We simply need to let the Spirit of God speak through us and, when they're ready, He will give to others the understanding He has given us.

We're Burnin' Daylight!

As my wife and I were sleeping, one of my little girls came into our room crying because she'd had an accident -- something that rarely ever happens anymore. As I started going upstairs to find her some dry clothes, I passed through the kitchen and checked the clock on the stove: just over a half an hour before my alarm would go off.

If you're a parent, chances are you've been right where I was. If it had been even half an hour sooner, you'd consider the circumstances long enough to realize you had plenty of time to go back to sleep. But no. Thirty minutes sleep roulette. Maybe you'll be able to go back to sleep, or maybe you'll lie awake as your little one struggles to get comfortable between the two of you. Maybe you should just take the loss and get up early. It's an important decision -- too important, maybe, to be making first thing in the morning, but there you are.

A huge fan of sleep, I chose bed.  I like to squeeze every last drop of sleep out of a night as is humanly possible. I figured, if I could get an extra 15 minutes out of the deal, I was doing okay. That the human body doesn't actually work that way did cross my mind, but then, I'm a pretty committed sleeper, when I get the chance.

No... my ability to get everything possible out of a night's sleep has never been in question. The bigger challenge for me, I've found, is getting everything out of my day.

Often, it is difficult for me to remember that time is a gift, and it is finite. God has given us a limited number of days in which to do His work, but so many of my hours are wasted on things that don't really matter. I will struggle to go back to bed and squeeze every last drop of usefulness out of my sleep, but when it comes to doing the same for my day, I find my commitment often falls far short.

In the movie, The Cowboys, one of John Wayne's catch-phrases is, "We're burnin' Daylight." The meaning was pretty clear. Enough coffee and chit-chat; we have work to do.

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

There is work to be done. And we're burnin' daylight.

Looking Back, Taking Stock

My wife and I celebrated our 13th Anniversary yesterday. I love celebrating my anniversary with my wife, because it is a great moment for reflection and recommitment. I look back on the years, and on the good and bad events in our life together, and consider how they have molded us into the couple, the parents, the people we are today. I look back on how I have done by her, and renew my commitment to be her rock and partner, and to never let a day go by where I don't let her know in some way how much I love her. 

These moments of reflection are important to life in general as well: to look back on how God has moved in your life; on those events, positive and negative, which have helped to make you the person you are now.

Romans 8:28 - For we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

God uses circumstances to bring us closer to Him. Not only the bad circumstances, but even the good things that happen in our lives are made better when they help us grow in Jesus Christ.

Today, as we near the Advent Season and the end of another year, I want to encourage you to take a look at the past year in your own life. What has happened, good or bad, and how have you handled it? Have you come nearer to His presence in those situations? Maybe, God was teaching you something, and you didn't even notice.

Or maybe, it was just another opportunity for Him to let you how much He loves you.

If It's So Great To Be Forgiven, Why Are You Such A Sourpuss?

Have you ever noticed that, no matter what you say or do, it seems like there's always somebody who has to put a negative spin on it? I'm not talking about just at work or school, either. This sort of thing actually happens in church, too.

A lot. 

Does that seem improbable? Allow me to suggest an experiment: come up with a new idea for ministry. We can't do it that way! We've never done it that way before! That's not what our last pastor did, and anyway it'll never, ever work! 

Or, try sharing a bit of good news. Too bad it won't last. Just wait, that'll go south before you know it! I don't really like/approve/appreciate/enjoy that... but whatever floats your boat, I guess.

Maybe it's human nature, but it seems like we very often can't wait to find the cloud attached to the silver lining. 

 

This is so contrary to who Jesus is, though, and to who we are, if we are in His spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says to "Rejoice always." Not to look for the negative in your circumstances, or to find reasons to be a naysayer, but to "pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

 

So often, it seems as though Christians have very little to be happy about. At least, if we were to judge on their countenance and behavior.  But don't we, after all, have the best of reasons to rejoice? Shouldn't we be an example in our exuberance that we, in our lostness, were found and in our blindness given sight? 

 

Seems like I read about something like that somewhere...  

The Biggest Shopping Weekend of the Year!

I love Thanksgiving. I love everything about it. I love watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with my kids. I love spending time with my family, laughing together in the living room while in the background the Lions find new and interesting ways to lose another game and the smell of cooking turkey and stuffing wafts in from the kitchen. I love sitting back and drinking a post-dinner cup of coffee while deciding whether or not to eat another piece of pie, or whether to simply wait a few hours so it will be as enjoyable as it is delicious. I love how easy it is, looking around the room and listening to the sounds of my children playing, to find reasons to be thankful.

Many people find it ironic that, on the heels of this wonderful day of togetherness and thankfulness, we spend the early hours of Friday standing in line, nearly freezing to death as we wait for the stores to open, so we can push, shove, scream, cajole, and fight our way to whatever big sale brought us there in the first place. How the Rockwellian family portrait of Thanksgiving gives way to the materialistic, consumer-driven chaos of Black Friday.

Even more ironic, perhaps, is that all this insane materialism is in celebration of a small child, born in poverty, the very incarnation of God on earth, who grew into a Man, a prophet, and a Savior for the entire world.

As the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year creeps into the entire weekend, and on into Cyber-Monday, let us remember what's truly important -- not only during the Christmas season, but for the entire year. And let us be an example for the rest of the world, in our love, joy, and thanksgiving for what Christ has done, and for what God gives us every single day.

Philippians 4:5-7

Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Where to, God? Part 2

I went to college for radio. Sort of.

Fresh out of high school, excited for what God had planned, and ready to get started, I began my Freshman year with a double major in Broadcasting and Business Management (the latter to make my parents -- who wisely insisted on a fall-back plan -- happy). By the time I actually left college (not graduated -- a story, perhaps, for another time), I had spent much of my time in video production, film studies, journalism, writing, and, yes, radio. My experiences were as varied as could be for a mediaphile. I had gotten married, interned with a film company, and had decided my career would not, in fact, be in radio, but in film and video production.

I mention this, because looking back on it now, I see that God had given me my original passion and that I -- and not He -- moved in a different direction. A fickle race, mankind.

And of course, when it came to doing things my own way, I failed. Often. After multiple part-time and temporary jobs, and after failing to pull the video production job into a permanent, full-time position, it still took a long time for me to get the hint.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. My wife had, at some point during all this, gotten pregnant. I still couldn't find a solid, full-time job, and, once the kids came, we thought we needed a bigger place. We found what we thought was perfect -- until the landlord decided, six months into our stay, that he wanted his daughter to live there. Now we had two kids, little money, and soon, no home. We did what you do in those situations: we went to family.

We moved in with my wife's family in Northern New York. Then, once his rental property opened up, we took up residence there as her father's tenants. We got jobs, the two of us, almost right away after moving out there. Well, part-time jobs in retail. But it was work.

A few years after moving, my Father-in-law found an ad in the local paper: a small country radio station was hiring. No experience necessary. I actually HAD experience -- AND education. I applied, and was more or less hired immediately. It didn't pay a lot, but it made me happy, and I kept my part-time job to make ends meet. More importantly, I believe now, it was God's way of getting me back on track for His plan.

Making a long story short, after a couple years there, I was hired into a larger station, where I worked another three, before finally being brought back into Christian radio where, I suspect, God wanted me all along.

Here's the thing with God. When you seek His will, ultimately you will find it. When you fall short of seeking God's will, He will put you into a place where, as Rich Mullins sang, You're lost enough to let yourself be led.

I spent a good chunk of my adult life depressed and unsatisfied. Ashamed of my failure to provide for my family. Even more ashamed that I knew, ultimately, I wasn't doing what God wanted me to do. But as I look back, I see something amazing: even though I forgot about God's will, He did not. And, when I was ready to ask Him, He had already laid the groundwork to put me back on His path.

Matthew 6:31-33

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

I have learned, through my own errors in life, by the side of a patient and understanding wife, under the watchful eye of a loving God, that a life lived outside of His will is a life unfulfilled. I'm not going to pretend everything will be perfect here on Earth as long as we do what God says; but I know it's a better life knowing that I'm walking the path laid out by the creator of the Universe. I won't pretend to know what's up ahead, but God does. And that's good enough for me.