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.

Where to, God? Part 1

Sometimes, it feels like there aren't ANY choices...
Sometimes, that's because there are just too many.

My favorite song by Rich Mullins is one he recorded as a demo, shortly before his death in 1997. In the final verse of "Hard to Get," which is about the struggle to understand God's relationship to man, Rich sings:

I can't see where You're leading me, unless You've led me here
To where I'm lost enough to let myself be led

It can be difficult, in the midst of depression or despair, to feel the Hand of God on your life. In an economy where finding a job that allows you to support your family is itself a monumental task -- so monumental, in fact, that many have simply given up looking -- it's easy to wonder: where is God's plan for my life?

Before my children were born, that was where I found myself. I had left my job -- a dead-end position in corporate communications that, at least, paid a living wage -- in order to more fully engage in freelance video production. I was an entrepreneur! I had begun working with a woman who had established herself in the professional videography world, and we had plans to take her company beyond weddings and graduations. The time was right. People would pay for our services, and there was plenty of money to go around.

I had planned to leave my position right before 9/11/2001, and left shortly thereafter. I was just too short-sighted to understand the economic impact at the time. I learned. After years of struggling and taking on part-time jobs, I was offered a position with another company to do exactly what I had wanted to do, but with full-time hours and pay. I would build their video services business from the ground up, and it would be exciting, and new, and fulfilling. And, to make a long story short, it was a bitter disappointment.

Just like that, I was back to substitute teaching. To taking whatever wedding video job I could find, and filling the rest of my hours through a temp service. I was briefly offered a full-time, entry-level position with a multi-billion dollar corporation, only to see the position eliminated before my first day of work.

It was depressing. It was debilitating. There were days I couldn't even get off the couch. I was just... ashamed. Saddened that I was unable to provide for my family. Beginning to crumble under the debt and pressure. My wife and I were fighting about everything. Put simply, if my little family had a future, I couldn't see it.

Jeremiah 29:11-12

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

I love to look back and see now how the Lord moved in my life. How He positioned  me from depression to trust in Him. This is all part of a larger story, of course... one that is still playing itself out, even now. 

I couldn't see God's Hand leading me. I couldn't see that He led me to exactly that point -- the point at which I could realize that I -- and my family -- needed to let Him lead.

The Law of the Lord is to Love

The one thing Christians seem to have a hard time with, when it comes to the "religion" aspect of our Faith is how easy it really is to become a follower of Christ. On many levels, this really makes a lot of sense. After all, noting worth having is simply given away, right? You work for it; you fight for it; you grab hold and never let go.

Fair enough.

Then you have that whole Law and Prophets -- more or less everything before Jesus came to the Earth. Ancient Israel certainly had to do more than just sit back and accept a free gift. Certainly, that doesn't just disappear, right?

Strangely, though Jesus Himself shows and tells us how to follow Him, it's still so easy to get caught up in "being religious."

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

He gives further explanation in Matthew 22. 

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
 
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (34-40)

So, when it comes to following Jesus, the daily question I ask myself is this: why is it so much easier to try to obey "the law" -- that is, to be religious -- than it is to simply love? We're so caught up in "do"s and "don't"s that it becomes easy to judge others rather than love them.

The truth is, sometimes, Jesus is asking a lot when he asks us to love our neighbors. Other people can be rude, obnoxious, or otherwise just plain unlikeable. It's so much easier, sometimes, to cling to our religiosity and to look down our noses at all those sinners out there, and to believe ourselves to be "good people."

It's easier to forget that we, too, are fallen and that, if it weren't for the Love of Christ and the indwelling of His spirit, we, too, are just a bunch of sinful people who need a little Grace. And a whole lot of love.

Too Bad The Colors Don't Match

I grew up in Michigan with a Barry Sanders poster on my wall. It wasn't always easy being a Lions fan... heartbreaking, in fact, during the Sanders years. But it's what I grew up with and, as somebody who really has never had time to be a regular sports fan, liking the Lions was simply a part of my heritage. As an adult, I found I longed for those Thanksgivings with my family, watching the Lions braving the cold while the smell of turkey, stuffing, and varied pies wafted from the kitchen. A New Yorker for seven years, I never cared about their teams one way or another -- a condition borne of the fact that I simply didn't have anyone with whom to watch the game. Yeah... I'm a social football watcher.

Since moving to Wisconsin, of course, football is an inescapable part of the culture. Especially when you live just a quick drive away from Lambeau Field. After being introduced to the team in the best possible way -- a friend took me to a Packers preseason game shortly after we moved out here -- I developed a genuine affinity for my new home team. Which is great... except for when they play the Lions. Like this coming Sunday.

Try as I might, there's a bit of a divided loyalty there. Though I really do like Green Bay, my childhood self won't let me wish defeat on my Lions. The result is a sort of apathy, the end result of which is that I root for the most convenient.

Go Pack!

Jesus said in Matthew 6:24,

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

Ultimately, in football or in life, you will choose sides. If your loyalty is split between you and God, your heart will simply do what is easiest and, before long, God won't even be in the picture. If you're going to serve God, you must make your choice.

As for me, praising God that He is as stable as I am fickle, I gladly choose to serve my Savior.

If You're Still Stalling, You Haven't Been Repaired

This has probably happened to you, too: I took my car to a shop a couple years back, because it wouldn't start properly. The mechanic looked it over, fixed... something... and declared it repaired. Within a couple of days, I noticed the car still wasn't starting the way it should and took it back. I don't know what the mechanic fixed, but it wasn't the problem. If he had, I would have seen a change. Pretty basic stuff.

In the same way, a lot of people claim to know Jesus -- that He has come in and transformed their lives. But, when you actually look at their lives, it seems nothing has changed.

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that in Christ we are a new creation. Not a changed creation -- new. Meaning, if we are truly transformed in Jesus, we will be different than we were before. We will reflect Christ to those around us, creating an undeniable witness.

If the book of 1 John has an overall message to it, I think it's this: that people truly transformed by Christ will show it in the way they treat others.

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them. (1 John 2:3-11)

God's will in our lives is evidenced by our love for those around us. It's really that simple. 

I don't have a lot to add, except this: First John is an exceptional book, and not extremely long. Ask God to prepare your heart, to open it to His teaching, and then take a moment to read this epistle. And as you read, compare it to your own life and ask: Does my life reflect the change God has made in me -- and if it doesn't, can I really claim to know Him?

Really, It's Just a Fun Word To Say

John 10:10 is a familiar enough verse, neatly tucked at the end of Jesus' description of Himself as a shepherd, who keeps the gate of the sheepfold against "thieves and robbers."

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

There's a lot of confusion in our world about the meaning of that word: "Abundantly." Purveyors of the prosperity Gospel will tell you it means God wants to grant you health and wealth on earth, and to give you a comfortable life.  Of course, if we look at the rest of Scripture, we can pretty quickly rule that out. But what does it mean?

Some synonyms for "Abundant:"
copious, profuse, overflowing, plentiful, teeming, rich.

When Jesus talks about Life, most often, He is referring, not merely to our temporary bodies, but our entire selves. Our souls. He's not talking just about our brief time on this planet, but our eternities, starting right now. 

I have come to believe that an Abundant Life is one given up to the Will of God. It is a life filled, teeming, overflowing with the Love of our Savior. It is a life of service to God and His people. An abundant life is a life free from Sin, not given over to temptation, and filled with the joy that can only come by being called a Child of God. 

Miracles 2: Who Brought the Fish?

"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth." The very first words of Scripture establish without a doubt that the Authority over all things is such simply because He had the power to create it. Everything we see, hear, feel, touch, know, sense -- and even more than that! -- was created by God.

So, when it comes to the miraculous, we can also know that what we call supernatural is just God interacting with His creation in ways only He can. Yet, for all of that, have you noticed how often God requires a human component in His works? Four separate times in the book of Luke alone (7:50, 8:48, 17:19, 18:42), Jesus tells somebody, "your faith has made you well."

Not, "Hey, look what I did." Not, "God made you better." Even though He could have rightfully said either, where He focused was "your faith."

Throughout Scripture, there is a pattern of cooperation between God and Man. God could have simply knocked down the walls of Jericho, for example. Instead, He commanded Israel to march around it, and finally blow their trumpets. Why? Perhaps so there could be no mistake that it was the God of Israel, and not a mere earthquake, which accomplished the task. Or perhaps to set the standard of obedience and trust.

One of my favorite stories from Scripture is from Matthew 14:13-21, where Jesus feeds over five thousand people with five loaves of bread and a couple of fish.

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

The Lord actually accomplished this type of miracle at least twice in recorded testimony, and each time, He asked that the food first be brought to Him for blessing.  But did you notice what Jesus said to His disciples? "You give them something to eat." 

God accomplishes miracles today; but we are His hands, just as His disciples were when He walked on Earth. He will bless the work of our hands, and multiply it to His purposes. All we have to do is bring the fish.

Miracles 1: The God of the Mundane

I've noticed something about the miracles of Jesus: no matter the reason for the miracle, no matter how big or how small, Jesus performed it with the same attitude and nonchalance as if He were carrying a box from one room to another. Something was one way; He wanted it to be another way. He made it happen.

He walked on water, as though He were walking down the street. He commanded a storm to be still as if telling His dog to "sit. Stay." He can do that. He created the water, and the storm.

I think we often feel as though a miracle ought to be accompanied by fanfare. As though we have to sing and dance and shout, and announce from on high before God will so much as heal a cataract. Televangelists have an organ playing obnoxiously before dancing down the aisle, raising up a trembling hand, and smacking a troubled audience member while declaring, "Be Healed!"

Jesus spat in some mud, smeared it on some guy's eye and told him to wash his face (John 9:1-7).

Very often, when we look for miracles at the hand of the God of the Universe, we're looking for some big announcement: Hey, look! I'm performing a miracle over here! Thunder! Lightning!

But the Jesus of the Bible just says, "Get up and walk." (Luke 5:22-24)

The truth is, when we look for the mighty miracles, for the trumpets to sound and a voice to come over the wind, we miss the every-day miracles. And when we miss the miraculous in the every day, we also miss the chance to be a part of a miracle ourselves.

(Coming up tomorrow... "Who brought the Fish" -- how God uses us to perform His great works)

I'm (Trying To Be) Thankful My Side Lost

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

No matter who you voted for yesterday, we can know two things for certain: that at least all the political ads are over (for the next year anyway), and that ultimately God is in control. We may or may not agree with the decisions made about who will lead us for the next four years, but we would do well to remember that, for whatever His reasons, God wants them where they are.

What's always been hard for me personally, is remembering every day to live a life of petition, prayer, intercession and thanksgiving for all people -- including those in authority. That last one is possibly the toughest for me: thanksgiving.

You mean to tell me that God wants me to be thankful, even when I don't agree with the election results?!  Well, actually, yes. Thankful.

Thankful because we know that, whatever it is, God's Will was done. Thankful that God has installed a leader to serve His purposes, and that God's purpose is perfect. 

So I am thankful today. Thankful that God keeps His watchful eye on this tiny planet, and on this tiny nation, and on this tiny person. And that His Will for each is greater than my greatest imaginings.

Jesus is (insert Political Party here)!!

It's been a hard lesson for me to learn that, no matter who is sitting in a Government seat at any given time in this country, that person was ultimately allowed there -- put there, even -- by God Himself (Romans 13:5-7). Republican, Democrat, or other, God is measuring these leaders according to His own plans -- the minutiae of which remain a total and complete mystery.

We're often tempted to say Jesus would have belonged to this political party or that organization. Nonsense. Jesus is neither Republican or Democrat, because He is above our petty politics. Sometimes, He even allows people into power with whom He completely disagrees (the mass murderer Herod comes to mind). Because -- and this is the real lesson I'm learning -- our nation is but a blip on the radar of History. In the eternal Timeline of Christ, and in the grand scale of His plans of Grace and Mercy, the political movements of this world mean so very little.

You and I must vote our consciences today. We must continue to work to the best of our ability to act as we believe God would have us act, even as we understand His plans may not be the same as ours. But even more important, you and I must understand what really matters: and that is Grace.

After dying on the cross and being resurrected; after providing a means for our sins to be separated from us, and for us to once again be called Children of God, Jesus' final instructions to us had nothing to do with politics, but everything to do with people.

"Go into the World and make disciples of all nations."

Love others as He has loved us, and present His love to them. Whatever our external circumstance, whether Christians face judgement and mockery, whether the final voting results lean Left or Right, all is just that: circumstance. It's just a setting in which to do what we must do. It doesn't change for one second our mission on earth to spread the Good News of God's great love and mercy to everyone, everywhere.

Love Wins

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:7-9)

It seems like God can be pretty hard to figure out. It can be hard to understand why the righteous suffer while the unjust prosper, or why God allows some things to happen to some, but not to others. It can be just as difficult to comprehend why a God who is so hard on Sin can show so much grace as to send Jesus to die, be resurrected, and cleanse that sin away, and without demanding anything from us but acceptance. 

It's so tough to figure out, in fact, that we in our humanness can often be tempted to ignore the more difficult parts of Scripture. Like all the "Hell" stuff. Or that "I am the Way, The Truth, and the Life" rhetoric attributed to Jesus.  If we focus on the "Love" aspect, we figure, that'll be okay. After all, God is Love, right? Everything else is just man-made, we reason. 

Never mind that the "God is Love" stuff is part of the same Bible we want to mostly toss out. And, I hate to say it, but if you toss out all the "sin" stuff and the "Hell" stuff, the "Salvation" and "Love" stuff is pretty much meaningless. 

Confusing, isn't it? Well, after all, 1 Corinthians 1:25 does remind us that "the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of Man." And indeed, just a few verses ahead, verse 18, says, "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."

Could it be that, when it comes to what Love actually means, we in our humanity simply don't get it? When we say "God is Love," what we're really describing is God's entire character. If God is love, then everything God does is love. Even the stuff we don't like. 

Maybe we really don't understand Love that much at all. 

Actually, the fact that we are sinners -- the fact that we have fallen short of God's glory -- is proof that He acted out of nothing but love when He sent His son. The law -- and the sin of disobeying it -- serves to highlight the difference between us and God. It shows us that by ourselves we could never be good enough to enter the Holiness that is God, but that, because He loves us, He created a way to bring us into His presence.

Love -- God -- built a bridge. All we need to do is cross.

Daddy

I like to believe my children know I love them. I like to think that, on some level, they understand the work I do to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads; the rules and guidelines we set to keep them safe; my daily displays of affection, are all my way of proving my love for them.

Sometimes, it's not enough. They need to know, not in a practical way, but emotionally or intellectually, that I love them. So, they ask. Out of the blue, my seven-year-old daughter will look over and say, "Dad?"

"Yes, Lindy?"

"I love you."

And she expects -- needs -- to hear me say it back.

Sometimes, this will come in the form of a little four-year-old hand reaching for my own, or a tiny voice asking to sit on my shoulders.

And I love these moments because in their need to know my love for them, my children show how much they love me.

Sometimes, when we pray, it gets so easy to tell God we love Him that we say it without even thinking. It's just part of the spiel. But where Christians get burned out is when we forget that He wants to make His love for us known as well.

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-4)

Sometimes, we forget it's okay to ask God to tell us He loves us. In fact, He wants us to reach out our tiny hands and grope for His own. He wants us to rest at his feet, to seek shelter in His arms. To crawl into His lap and whisper, "Daddy."

Humility isn't the same thing as weakness. Humility is a recognition that we are God's children, that He is our Father, and that we need Him to love us. 

And as a Dad, sometimes, He needs to hear it, too.  

All Saints Day

Today is All Saints Day. Traditionally, this is a day the Church would dedicate to those who came before them. In that same tradition, I'd like to make a suggestion: that we remember those who have shown us the way to Christ, and those who have discipled us. We could spend the day remembering saints of old: the famous people who changed the church, or who were known for charity and piety. Certainly, we can thank God for their lasting influence!

But what about the people in your own life? People whose names will never be in the newspapers, or in a book about the church, but whose impact on you has been profound simply because they chose to serve God by ministering to you?

I thank God for the people in my life who have impacted my walk with God. My own Dad and Mom. My Father-in-law. A former pastor, Tom Blackford. All men (and woman) who God used to impact me and so many others. There are so many others too, some whose names I don't even remember, who God has brought into my life to help bring me closer to Him.

These individuals serve as a reminder, too, that we are also called to make disciples. Not to merely make converts, but to really train people and help them to develop their relationships with God. To teach them Scripture, and to have a lasting impact. This is our highest calling here on Earth, and you and I can thank God because people before us took it seriously.