A tool is meant to be used

I was standing outside our hospital pharmacy waiting to drop off some information the other day. Through the window I observed a series of 'apothecary' items, one of which is the old fashioned mortar and pestle. It reminded me there is always a little bit of a crushing process in life. The purpose of the pestle apparatus is to crush, grind, or mix whatever is in the bowl (mortar). Something is placed within the mortar, then through the action of the repeated blows and grinding of the pestle, the object in the mortar begins to change form. If it is corn, eventually the hardened pellet of corn will become like fine flour. When leaves are put in the mortar, the pounding begins to release the oils contained in the leaves, allowing a fragrance to be released. The bowl portion of the device is nothing without the "tool of action" (the pestle). It is the pestle which accomplishes the "transition" of substance from one form to another. One without the other is nice, but both are needed to bring change.

You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle. (Proverbs 27:22)

Fools are not easily "changed" in their "form"! Even in the up and downs moments we might refer to as the "mortar and pestle" of life - no amount of "pounding, crushing, or grinding" is going to change the folly of a fool! If you have ever tried to change the foolishness of another person's ways, you might just realize this fact is spot on! If you have ever asked God to deal with the foolishness of your own heart, you have probably come to the place you realized you also struggle to resist his "pestle" working to bring change in your life from time to time! Yet, as he brings down the "pestle", it is with grace - he is never crushing us to hurt us, but to make us into something that no longer resembles the original form of what we were before he began - he sees something in us he desires to bring out with the action of the "pestle".

The most common symbol of a pharmacy is the mortar and pestle. It came to be known as the method of "compounding" the various substances we use in medicines today. Yet, as you may well imagine, if the mortar is not cleaned well between uses, what goes into the mortar to be "mixed" the next time will be contaminated by the trace elements that remain from the last time it was used. God takes great care to never allow the impurities of our lives to "contaminate" the final product he is after in his "mixing" process. To our talents, he adds his grace - refining them through the actions of the pestle against the mortar until they become one. To our resistance, he adds tender tugs - wearing away at our resistance until we become supple and yielding in his hands.

In some cultures, a large device is used, made of a hollowed log or large stone and a large piece of wood or another smooth stone which has been transformed into a pestle of sorts. The purpose of the device is to remove the husk of the grain that is being pounded upon that large log or stone. It is not so much to grind it into fine flour, but to get it to the point of being "penetrable" - something not possible until the hardened husk has been removed from the grain. Sometimes, God needs to do some "husk removing" in our lives before we are ready to be "penetrated" with his grace. In my case, the husk can be thicker than the grain inside! Thank goodness God is not giving up on removing the husks in our lives - because I am thinking the 'grain' he desires to use is something that will benefit us all.

Try as "we" might (and I daresay we all have tried), we cannot separate a fool from his folly. Try as "we" might, we cannot separate ourselves from our own foolishness (something we also have tried without great success). Then why do we get so "down" on ourselves when we "try to live right" and find ourselves failing? God has designed us to be "separated" from our foolishness (husks removed) through the actions of his repeated "passage" of grace in our lives. Think of it this way: His mortar is the present trial. His pestle bring the repeated "passage" of the thing that will "break through" our resistance to change. In the end - the substance that is produced has greater value - and a more pleasant "aroma"! If we really want to be separated from our folly, then we need to embrace the grace ever so present in the trial. The trial is a separating process - making us "penetrable" to God's touch. The process is difficult, but the end result is awesome. Just sayin!

Build Strong Relationships

I am going to ask some hard questions this morning, so please bear with me. What kind of friend are you? What motivates you within friendship? How is it that you seek to have your needs met in that relationship? How is it that you seek to meet the needs of the other individual? Do  you build strong relationships, or are you content with nothing more than the superficial or 'artificial' kind of friendships? These are tough questions, but if we begin to answer them honestly, we may find they reveal something about either the 'success' or 'failure' of our relationships with each other!

Forgive someone, and you will strengthen your friendship. Keep reminding them, and you will destroy it. (Proverbs 17:9)

As a kid, I truly desired close friendships - the kind where you could tell your BFF anything and they wouldn't blab it to the world, or judge you because of something you thought or did. I truthfully didn't have any of these 'close' relationships until I was well into adulthood, though. It wasn't for lack of trying, but because I really didn't understand what it was I needed to 'give' in relationship and what it was that I 'needed' out of relationship. So, I went through my childhood with those 'superficial' types of relationships - good friends to hang out with, riding bikes, playing with our Barbie dolls, and watching clouds pass overhead on a hot summer afternoon while reclined under the shade of the mulberry tree.

Coming into adulthood found me seeking something deeper, though. I was no longer content to just have 'play dates' with people! I wanted deeper relationships - the type that would challenge me to grow and give me a chance to be myself without the masks! Let me assure you of one thing - these types of relationships are harder than you think, take longer to find than you might imagine, and are worth their weight in the most precious of metals or gemstones! Now, maintaining these relationships is something we seldom think about - but without 'maintenance', they will soon drift into the types we call 'superficial'!

If we desire to grow into strong relationships with each other, it takes consistent work - yep, you heard me - work! It isn't all fun and games, good times, and easy conversation. Sometimes it is harder conversations - the kind that challenges us to think differently, to see things from another viewpoint, or to just listen without saying anything in return. The time we spend together is truthfully treated as a 'valuable commodity' - every moment is spent building the relationship. Yes, we enjoy our times together, but somehow each time we are together there is something that transpires within that relationship that draws us closer. It may be laughter when we need to just have a good belly laugh, or tears when we just need to share our fear or hurt. Either way, growth is occurring.

I don't know where you are today, but I hope you are not in a bunch of superficial relationships. You need the closeness of that one who will challenge you. You don't know what you are missing out on in your life until you have found that strong and lasting relationship of one you can truly be yourself with in this world! You are growing, not singularly, but jointly. You are good for each other - not just for one, but for both. Just sayin!

Me? You want me?

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. 

(Thomas Jefferson)

I am not much for keeping up with the styles of the day, either in my home decor or in what I choose to wear. I do look at the 'trends' from time to time, almost wondering what someone was thinking when they chose that particular 'design'! I find it comforting to see others just like me, trying not to 'bend' with the winds of popular trends. Principles are a hard thing to adhere to at times, especially when the 'trend' of the hour is telling us to do something entirely different than what we know to be right or true. I am sad to say that many will follow the trend rather than remain true to the standard upon which they claim to base their life!

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. (I Corinthians 16:13-14)

The values we choose in life are often those we see modeled in others. I think it is imperative for us to have good role models - more importantly, it is critical for us to be they types of role models others can follow! Five things for us to consider this morning:

1. How are we modeling the behavior of watchfulness in our lives? What is it we are 'watching'? I would like to caution us here a little because what we tend to behold with our eyes long enough will often become something we allow ourselves to 'grow toward', much like the plant who turns their leaves toward the light of the sun. If we are 'watching' through the 'lens' of faith and truth, the things we behold that are not going to help us stand strong in our faith will soon become the things we turn away from, not toward.

2. Standing firm requires a solid foundation - what is your foundation in life? I have done some pretty goofy things in life, like crossing suspension bridges of questionable strength or quality. I have also done some pretty good things in life, like using a step ladder to put away something in a high storage spot rather than standing on a chair. The things we choose to do that are not 'well-founded' in life are usually the result of not having the right focus, listening to the wrong voices, or just being plain lazy in our convictions. The things that we choose that are what most would call 'wise' or 'smart' are just the opposite!

3. Act like men seems a little odd for a woman to be writing, but if we take this in context, the idea is that of leading and doing it well. We are to be models of 'right' and 'consistent' behavior, not wishy-washy or misdirected in our purpose, plan, or performance in life! Where are you called to 'lead' in life? Consider who it is that is following where it is you are leading. Will they be made 'better' by your leading? If not, consider how it is you need to change your actions so that your leadership is positive and purposeful.

4. How is it we exhibit strength in life? I think it comes in the fifth word to us - by modeling love in all we do. There is nothing that reveals true 'strength' than to be able to model the actions of Christ's love in our lives. To give grace to those who don't deserve it is an actions of 'strength'. We don't demand our own way, but lovingly extend grace when the circumstances or the individual doesn't do one thing to earn that extension of love, forgiveness, or 'freedom'. 

We aren't going to have strong role models in this world until we are willing to allow God to make us into them! Just sayin!

Say what?

Have you ever been guilty of just talking on and on, really not cognizant of all you are saying? Believe it or not, we might do this pretty frequently in our quiet times of prayer. We are supposed to be quiet for a while, but we find ourselves just rambling. I wonder just how many times we rant on and on to God about something, all the while ignoring his desire to get a word in edge-wise? It amazes me how much "talking" I do in prayer time and just how little "listening" I allow! I think we might be quick to spill our guts out before God, but I really wonder just how quick (and possibly willing) we are to listen to his instruction!

"I'm speechless, in awe—words fail me. I should never have opened my mouth! I've talked too much, way too much. I'm ready to shut up and listen." (Job 40:3-5)

I am ready to shut up and listen....pretty poignant words, huh? Two conditions are laid out - we have to "shut up" and we have to "listen". There is quite a difference between being "silent" and being "attentive"! In fact, most of the time, we manage a little silence, but still miss the message, simply because we were not paying attention! We can muster up quite a bit of complaining in our present circumstances. For Job, he had lost family, flock, and his own pride - all causing him to find a whole lot of things to "talk about" without ever sitting quietly to "hear about" these things from God's perspective. We do this ourselves, don't we? We find all kinds of ways to belabor the facts of our failings, frenzies, and fiascoes, all the while spinning our yarns about why we "think" these have occurred. In turn, we tell ourselves a story - just not always the most accurate accounting of the facts!

What occurs when we take time to finally hear about things from God's perspective is a change in our perspective! When we begin to transition from "talking about" our mess toward "listening to learn" from that mess, we are going to hear God's "message" in our mess and we might actually learn something which will liberate us! I am not proposing we just sit quietly and wait for some "voice from heaven" to speak to us - cuz I haven't heard his 'audible' voice yet! In fact, "listening" is an active process. This is one of the reasons you will find me journaling sermons, my own bible reading, and just some of those special moments when God needs to do something in me. It "focuses" me into an active role in listening.

Listening involves receiving. There has to be a "receptive" heart. Receiving involves something being "conferred" - there is a transfer of information, substance, or meaning which brings to light things often not otherwise considered. When we are in a receiving "mode", we are open to new insight - to take into our possession something otherwise not known or understood. Receiving leaves an impression - there is something which affords or allows "space" to be taken by what is received. For example, when you make a plaster-of-paris "cast" of your hand, you leave behind an "impression" of your hand. The plaster "received" your hand - yielding "space" for the imprint. When God's word is allowed a place in our hearts, it leaves an impression!

Receiving encompasses us having a welcoming spirit - there is an openness to "entertain" what God is doing, saying, and revealing. I used the word "entertain" in quotes because we can associate with this word - it carries the idea of "holding something in the mind" - allowing it to begin to affect how we process the information we possess. We "hear" a lot of stuff - but we choose what we will "entertain". I wonder just how much God might actually speak into us if we "shut up" long enough to "receive" what he desires to reveal to us? We all probably need to do a better job of "winding down" on our complaining, and "focusing in on" our active listening skills. Since I don't think I am in this boat alone, I know I have others who are "rowing" just as hard as I am! Maybe it is time to put up the sail and let God do a little "directing" of our progress across this sea of confusion we are presently sailing through! Just sayin!

No matter what...

Have you ever lost one of your children in a large mall, or at the park? I have and I can describe for you the moment of sheer panic when I realized they were gone - not just from my sight, but gone! They had disappeared quicker than I was able to appreciate and that moment of panic gripped my soul, sent my emotions into a spiral, and began to play scenes of terror across the screen of my imagination. I wonder what it would be like to see our 'separation' from God through is eyes...would we begin to see the extreme scenes of terror that cross his screen, as well? I think God has things in control, unlike us, but he is certainly deeply affected by any separation between us!

So who can separate us? What can come between us and the love of God’s Anointed? Can troubles, hardships, persecution, hunger, poverty, danger, or even death? The answer is, absolutely nothing. But no matter what comes, we will always taste victory through Him who loved us. Romans 8:35,37

Before I go further, let me assure you the kiddos were safe and sound, despite their momentary lapse in 'staying close to mommy'. They hid out in some hiding spot, thinking it was funny to see mommy go through sheer terror over their absence. When you finally find those kiddos, your emotions race from "I was so worried about you" to "I think I am going to strangle you" in about zero to sixty! While the kiddos might have experienced a moment or two of jubilee for having pulled a good 'gag' on mommy, God isn't all that excited about any of our sinful shenanigans! He is grieved by our separation - he feels that 'time away from us' deep within his heart.

Why is that? I think it is because he loves us so deeply! Why did I panic when the kiddos disappeared, ever so briefly as it may have been? It was because of how deeply I loved them and wanted to protect them from all manner of harm! God is no different - he wants to keep us from all harm. We, on the other hand, seem to enjoy getting ourselves into places where we shouldn't have gone in the first place. Even our 'dangerous' steps into places we were not supposed to go in the first place are watched over by our caring and compassionate heavenly Father. He may not have wanted us to go there, but he knows when we experience that 'panic' of separation from him, we will call out!

Sometime the 'separation' is our own fault - but at others it is because we have an enemy who wants nothing more than to cause us to panic. We cannot always 'mitigate' or 'maneuver around' his attacks, but we can 'manage our heart' through them! We can remain consistently under God's wing and never have anything to fear. That is what I wanted my kiddos to know as they were growing up - mom would take care of them, no matter what. God wants us to know he will take care of us - no matter what! Just sayin!

Should I quit?

There are some things in life we need to focus on intently, never quitting. There are also other things in life we'd do well to just turn our backs on and walk away, making a clean break from those things. While Norman Vincent Peale says, "It's always too early to quit," I wonder if he ever walked away from something that brought more liberty in his life to just be finally free of in the end. I have also heard it said that when we are at that moment of feeling like there is nothing more to do than quit what we are doing, we might want to first consider why we started. Sometimes in understanding why we started something, we also come to an understanding if it is really time to quit it!

May we never tire of doing what is good and right before our Lord because in His season we shall bring in a great harvest if we can just persist. (Galatians 6:9)

Those things that need our attention, with that 'never quit' kind of focus, are what God wants us to put our whole heart and soul into at all times. Those things that are 'tripping points' in our lives are the type of things God may be asking us to consider as potential 'quitting points' instead! We might just want to take some time to consider why we started in that direction in the first place - what motivated us to take up that course of action? Why are we reticent to let go of what seems to only add pain and disappointment to our lives? What keeps us going back for more? What enticed us to consider that course and on what level of our 'basic needs' were we enticed?

When we stop to consider the 'why' behind our actions, we can sometimes find the very point at which we can break the cycle of repeated failure. Failing is not a bad thing, but when the failure is clearly because God has asked us to give up some course of action, we aren't going to benefit from continuing in that course! When people ask me how to overcome some particular temptation they have in life - that thing that leads them continually down a wrong path - I ask them why they think they are pursuing that path in the first place. What often comes to light is that they don't even know why they are following that path!

They haven't stopped to consider why they started! They haven't even asked themselves the question of what basic need that path supposedly met when they took the first step. We all have basic needs that are basically emotionally-based, like feeling accepted, loved, and respected. We also have basic needs that are truthfully more physically-based, such as nourishment and rest. There are also those needs that are kind of a mixture of the emotional and physical, like the desire to feel safe and secure. Understanding the 'need' behind our action is preliminary to understanding if the action is even correct for us to be taking. Just sayin!

Credit - do you need it?

Throughout my various careers, I have often run into individuals who think taking credit for what they have done is so very important. They want to see their names included in the research articles, or their names brought forward as the creator of the idea. To be transparent here, I know I have given away more ideas than I ever knew I had in my time on this earth - all with little or no 'credit' to speak of and so have you. I wonder what would have happened if Jesus had come out of that tomb so many years ago and looked for the walkway conversations, mealtime gatherings, and town hall discussions to all proclaim what a wonderful thing he had just accomplished on our behalf? He might have been sorely disappointed to find there were still all those who just didn't think he served any purpose in their lives!

But beware of doing your good actions in the sight of men, in order to attract their gaze; if you do, there is no reward for you with your Father who is in Heaven. (Matthew 6:1)

You may have heard the old adage, "No good deed goes unpunished." It is a sad commentary on the state of our human hearts - we do good, but sometimes we don't get good in return! What is more important to keep in mind is that when we 'do good' we aren't doing it for the accolades or to be noticed for what we have done, but because it is the right thing to do! This is the principle Jesus lived by - do good unto others and don't dwell on the 'credit' you receive or don't receive. In fact, there were times Jesus asked those he healed to NOT proclaim what he had just done, but to just live in the joy and liberty of their 'new life'. 

Good actions are the 'right' actions - no doubt about it. Will every good action result in another good action being returned. No! You can count on that one! The moment Jesus took those last steps toward the cross, he knew all his 'good actions' on behalf of all sinners for all time would not be acknowledged by some. He knew there would be those who'd reject his work, who'd want to find a way to do things for themselves. It never stopped him from doing ALL he set out to do, though. When you really think about it, he did it in hopes his actions would change the lives of those who'd actually CLAIM his actions as their OWN! Jesus showed us, we don't 'do' things for the credit - we do them for the satisfaction of having done a thing well. Just sayin!

Move that...there

Beauty: the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole. 

(Leon Battista Alberti)

Is there anyone else out there that is constantly adjusting the parts? My sister has this tendency to put down a cup, plate, or even a napkin - then she returns to it repeatedly moving it a little here or there, never really just allowing it just to be 'okay'. Now, I just set the table and enjoy the meal - the position of the 'stuff' doesn't really matter all that much to me. I wonder how many of us go through life trying to 'adjust the parts', not really sure what is 'proportionately correct' in them? We are fine as long as none of the pieces seem to get lost, or someone upsets our apple cart. The moment we find the pieces falling apart, we panic! We adjust and readjust, sometimes in an attempt to get them all back in the 'regular order' we have established, and at others we are simply trying to hold onto whatever we can! Truth be told, some of the parts just need to go!

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (I Peter 3:3-4)

The moment we try to replace the pieces, we might find our perfect plans just falling part - making it impossible to hold all of them in 'perfect alignment' to what we believe is the 'right order of things' in our lives. In terms of holding on let me offer this advice - God may be asking us to let go of those pieces because they are doing nothing to add beauty to our lives! They are not ever going to be 'proportionately adjusted' so as to not impair the 'perfect harmony' only he can provide in our lives. They need to go! While we are working so hard to 'adjust the parts', he is working exponentially harder to get us to just let go!

The inner beauty of our lives is where God works, making 'adjustments' that only serve to adorn us perfectly with evidence of his grace and love. We find ourselves forgetting what he is after 'within' us because we are so focused on keeping all the pieces aligned so nobody sees where the adjustments actually need to be made inside us! His desire is to affect our spirit - the desires created within us are to be directly impacted by his Spirit within us. Anytime we find God is 'upsetting the apple cart' of our lives, he isn't doing it out of meanness - he is arranging the parts, removing some that don't belong, and replacing them with the ones that will only adorn us with even greater beauty. Just sayin!

A little wisdom goes a long way

It is election year here in the United States and the campaign 'flinging' has already begun. The field of candidates has begun to shrink before our eyes as one after another throw in the towel and call it quits. As with any other election year, there will be a lot of 'story-telling' about how this candidate will out-perform the other, until we are all down to the wire and must choose one over the other. In the end, we can pray God will intervene and place the best candidate before us, but sometimes the 'people' demand what is not always the 'best' for them. It was Joe Biden who reminded us, "Our future cannot depend on the government alone. The ultimate solutions lie in the attitudes and the actions of the American people." If you recall a time in the history of the nation of Israel, there was this great outcry to have a king - just like the other nations around them. They wanted a 'royal' upon the throne - a man to govern their kingdom. They thought they wanted Saul, but in the end, they really needed David!

“Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” (I Samuel 8:6-9)

I am not one to spout political opinion, but I am one to speak forth truth when we need to hear it the most. The cry of God's people may get a little confused at times, only because the heart of his people isn't always submitted to his leadership in their lives as it should be! There is a tendency we all can have that causes us to trust people at 'face value' rather than look at the evidence of their character. It might just be easier to trust than to verify, so we sometimes bypass the verification process because we don't want to expend the energies, or perhaps know the truth. I shall not endorse one candidate over another, or 'bad mouth' one or the other. I shall remind each of us of the importance of being very intentional in discovering truth in a very tough election year, though! Let us not forget the dangers of just asking for a 'ruler' to preside in office, but rather consider the 'character' of each 'ruler' that will be given the privilege of presiding! 

Yes, it is a privilege to take up that position of authority in this country - whether it be a seat in a local government post, or the head of our great country. The authority one is given is sacred, but we can never forget that God is the ultimate one in authority. While it is true that we have been given a field of candidates who will 'pitch' their ideas before us, we must always consider each candidate in light of where they stand on the moral and ethical issues as defined in scripture. Do they hold life sacred? Do they build up others, or tear down their character? Do they distort truth, or hold fast despite the urge to cave under pressure? Do they put God first, or does their own ego seem to get in their way? These are only a few of the questions we must ponder as we consider each position or post one will assume. We must let scripture act as our guide and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as our filter.

That said, it is not too early for any of us to begin to pray for God's protection of our country in this election year. May he bring forth the 'best' candidates all over this nation. May he gives us light where there has been darkness. May he help us to verify the message and examine the evidence of each candidate's performance. Then, in the end, may he help us not to 'settle' for the lesser of two evils, but may he raise up only those that clearly don't further any form of evil in our nation! Just askin!

In this place

Abraham Lincoln had perhaps one of the most 'grounded' perspectives on how he was to live: "...my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." To be 'on God's side' is maybe one of the most significant steps a man or woman can take in their lifetime. There are many who 'report' they are on his side - but when you examine their actions, the testimony of their words doesn't match the evidence of their life! The two always much match up. We debate more about if God is on our side, forgetting entirely that we need to place ourselves squarely on his side with each decision we make in life.

If God is for us, who can be against us? He that did not hesitate to spare his own Son but gave him up for us all—can we not trust such a God to give us, with him, everything else that we can need? (Romans 8:31-32)

When we are not clearly on his side, we are actually standing against him. Unfortunately, when we are standing against him, we are not on the 'right side' in life! Many times we seek what is right, find what is 'sort of right', and settle in there to live our days doing what is 'sort of right'. The problem is that there is no 'sort of right' in God's economy. There is either right or wrong. Some may ask about all the stuff we 'could do', but scripture doesn't say much about it, or anything at all. For example, scripture doesn't tell us to not smoke cigarettes, but it does tell us to take care of the 'temple' we are given (our bodies). So, even though scripture doesn't say 'thou shalt not smoke', it does tell us to be wise stewards of the body we are given. Right is never unclear - it is always in alignment with scripture because scripture is God's living and breathing testimony!

I daresay our country is riddled with a great many who 'fly the banner' of being a Christian - going to church on Sunday and having a Bible on their bookshelf. The words from their mouth even sound a little like 'Christian' words, but the evidence of their life choices tells us something quite different. As Lincoln said, God is clearly on our side - how is it we give 'evidence' that we are fully on his? Lincoln also reminds us, "I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him." What does your 'place' say about you? Are you making life choices that God will view as things that make him proud, for God lives in 'this place'? Just askin!

An Edison Moment

It was the American inventor, Thomas A. Edison, who reminded us that "just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless." This is a good reminder for each of us who get down on ourselves because we didn't do what we were supposed to do. We aren't useless just because we failed. We are human! We are fallible. We are going to make unwise choices from time to time. It is what we choose to do IN those moments that makes all the difference. Do we get down on ourselves, labeling ourselves as 'useless', or do we take our failure to Jesus and ask him to help us find a way to take different steps the next time?

You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them. (Proverbs 28:13)

Edison also recounted that he had tried a lot of things, but in trying these 'new ways' he found lots of ways that don't work. We oftentimes find ways that just 'don't work' in life and then we stop trying because we think we will never find the 'way' that will work. The thing that made Edison successful in his attempts at inventing was that he didn't stop when he had 10,000 ways that did not work - he was determined to find the ONE way that did! If you know anything about Edison, you will soon realize he was not content with failure - it created what he called a 'restlessness' within him. That restlessness caused him to not stop taking 'next steps' in life. I think we might learn something from him - next steps aren't easy, but they are necessary if we are to make forward progress!

Our failure really comes when we stop taking 'next steps'. When we settle into our sinfulness and just accept our failures in life, we abandon our mission. We were created to be a holy people, decisive in our actions, determined in our commitment, and demonstrative in our love. When we accept our failures as 'where we will always be' in life, then we wither and die right there. We cannot stop with the 10,000 times our steps didn't work in life - or even our 100,000 attempts to abandon our sin. Instead, we bring our sin to Christ, accept his grace, and take whatever the 'next step' is he asks us to take. Yes, it won't be easy. Yes, it is sometimes us 'repeating steps' we have taken before. There is no getting around it - the ONE way we need to find is there - we just have to take the next steps into it!

Edison didn't abandon his inventions just because they didn't work. In his case, he applied the principles of science to each failed attempt to see what went wrong. In our case, we apply the principles of grace as they apply to repentance - the confession and forsaking of our sin. Then we look at how we can use what comes out of our failures to take 'new steps' that don't result in the same failures. Yes, we will fail again on occasion, but be determined and decisive about your commitment to see each failure become the ground upon which you learn what steps not to take the next time. We aren't 'inventors' here, but we can learn from what inventors do. They don't give up because they fail. They learn from their failures and don't repeat those same steps again! Just sayin!

On the hunt...

William Gladstone reminds us, "Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won't have to hunt for happiness." I think we spend a great deal of time 'hunting' for what will make us happy in life and totally miss the stuff right there in front of us that actually has the greatest potential to not only create a sense of happiness in life, but of reward and a sense of well-being. Hunt not for what will be the next thing to make you 'happy', but for the truth that will make your life deeper and more rewarding!

Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind finds life itself—glorious life! (Proverbs 21:21 MSG)

Hunt for what is right and kind - hunt for Christ and the truth he brings into any life when he enters it with his power and peace. Power and peace seem like opposite words, but to be clear here, where there is great power, there is bound to come great peace. We need more of Christ displayed in our lives - it isn't that we need more of Christ. We already have all we need in him, but we don't always see his power and peace displayed in our conduct. What we need is for our conduct to be conformed to his presence!

Gladstone was the one to remind us it was the duty of government to make it difficult for us to do wrong, but easy to do right. This is the very essence of what scripture teaches us about the 'government' of Christ in our lives. Where he is allowed to rule with full authority, there is an 'ease' that comes in doing right and a sense of 'unease' that comes with doing what is wrong. God's presence actually acts as a 'governor' over our lives - helping us choose what is right and kind, so that we will always find reward and a sense of well-being in our actions.

We don't always allow God to govern our lives, though. There are times we 'unhook from' the governor, allowing free-reign of our emotions, will, and thoughts. When we aren't governed, we are living without restraint and this is a dangerous place to find ourselves. Regardless of how much we resist 'governance', we ALL need it more than we might want to acknowledge! We all need help making the right choices so that we are consistently 'on the hunt' for what is right and kind in life. Just sayin!

Go ahead...be an irritation

It was Carl Jung who reminded us, "Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves." I find some stuff others do a little more than irritating - like when someone chews loudly with their mouth open, or when they leave one teaspoon of ice cream in the bottom of the container in the freezer. These things are just not supposed to happen! There is an 'etiquette' to chewing and a courtesy to 'sharing', is there not? Yet, if we are honest about what irritates us the most, we might just find out that we do not really stop at finding the 'behavior' offensive - in time, unchecked irritation can lead to anger, disgust, and even a riff in the relationship! For our love to grow, sometimes we have to 'check' our irritations to see if they reveal just a little more about how we really are treating each other.

Your faith is growing more and more. And the love that every one of you has for each other is also growing. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 ERV

Love that is growing is the result of a faith that is growing. It is kind of hard to separate the two. We must be in right relationship, growing in grace with Jesus, then we can focus on growing in grace with each other. As your faith grows, so does your love. It is not the opposite way around. So, if you are struggling to get past some of the 'irritations' of others in your life, you might just want to take a moment to explore your faith relationship with Jesus. It may not be as deep as it needs to be! Those are pretty harsh words, I know, but sometimes we need to hear the truth about ourselves from someone else because we almost always tell ourselves what we WANT to hear, not what we NEED to hear!

Mother Teresa always tried to meet others with a smile - she said a smile was the beginning of love. A smile reflects so much, oftentimes breaking down barriers that otherwise would not be breached. The little act of smiling was her way of 'opening doors' for her to minister to the deeper needs of those around her. Now, before you plaster a smile on your face and head out the door today, let me assure you a genuine smile comes from the heart. It isn't practiced or rehearsed. It is real because there is a love behind it that stems from a very real and deep faith that is growing daily. That is why her smile was so powerful - her faith was vibrant and growing. To her, sharing a meal was an act of love - opening doors to the poor and meeting their most basic of needs.

I wonder if things irritated her? I imagine seeing the overwhelming poverty of Calcutta might have just gotten under her skin from time to time. Seeing caste systems at work might have caused her a little consternation. Yet, she learned to live in such a way so as to allow those 'irritations' to bring her to a deeper faith. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all turned our 'irritations' into opportunities for us to see something within us that needs God's touch and our growth? We'd like to blame others for irritating us, but maybe it would be best to thank them for those irritations - because they are opportunities to expose areas where our faith needs to grow! Just sayin!

Depending on God

Scripture frequently reminds us no king, governor, or ruler of any sorts succeeds by his own doing. Big armies and lots of loyal servants or citizens in your territory does not make a ruler successful - indeed, it gives an "appearance" of success, but it is nothing compared to the glory of being anointed and blessed by the Most High God. Armies are full of warriors. There is an extreme futility in thinking a warrior's strength is his own - that he doesn't need good leaders and others to fight alongside him. The warrior has a tendency see his "strength" as something he possesses - instead, it is something he is "granted" as God prepares him and goes with him into the battle. It is silly to believe having more "horsepower" or "brute strength" will win battles. When we "count on" the wrong stuff, we often don't really "win" the battles at all!

Watch this: God's eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He's ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together. We're depending on God; he's everything we need. What's more, our hearts brim with joy since we've taken for our own his holy name. Love us, God, with all you've got—that's what we're depending on. (Psalm 33:18-22)

Make no mistake - the battle is real and it is tough! The struggles with life-debilitating disease processes almost overwhelms some of you. The constant changing environments within work, home, and community seem to be pulling many in all directions - stretched almost beyond capacity. Grief doesn't seem to pass, despite the passage of time - making us vulnerable and leaving us feeling a sense of being alone in the fight. In short, the outlook just doesn't seem to "clear up" sometimes for us as we 'live life' - it continues to be a little more than challenging for us! Maybe we take a few 'clues' from our writer on how we should face the present so we are well-prepared for the future ones. Watch this! This is a call to pay attention to what our writer is going to lay out for us - to direct not only our eyes, but our hearts and minds so that we can apprehend fully. He has a hold on something which he found has been able to take him through some of these tough times and he is calling us to attention. Wouldn't it be a shame to have the answer to our "need" right there in front of us and miss it totally? God's eye is on us! The condition for being under his watchful care is twofold - our part is to respect him and look intently for his love to become evident in our lives. Don't get this idea of respect wrong - respect is more than just holding God in "high regard". It is giving him the foremost part of our being - our attention focused on him above all else.

Too many times, we think we can be "casual" with God - just holding him in "high esteem". His instruction is clear for all to know and fully comprehend - have no other god before him. When he has the right focus in our lives, it is natural for us to look for his love to be manifest. We begin to "count on" his love to be there, sustaining us, helping us to move forward. What excites me most about our relationship with God is the "face-to-face" contact we have with the one we honor! His back is not to us - it is his face! It is impossible to "eyeball" someone when your back is turned toward them! When seeking God, holding him in the center of your focus, we are in the center of his! He is ready! God doesn't delay - although we may think the answer is slow coming! Bad times and lean times come - there is never any assurance in scripture of these being totally avoided by service to the King of Kings. Too many times I think we have a little bit of warped belief here. I think we believe God should "keep us from" these bad and lean times. In the lean times, I have come to appreciate how little I have and how much I need what he has! In bad times, I have drawn closer to his heart - just to hear it beat a little faster when I draw near! His hands are always ready to intervene for us. Look at the outcome of God's intervention in our lives - body and soul are kept together. In the bad times, doesn't it feel like we are being "ripped apart" by the struggles we are in? This is another word picture to show us how much God is the "cement" that holds us together even in the midst of forces who'd like nothing more than to see us "undone"!

We can (and must) depend on him! The instruction here is not one of living "independent" of God - it is one of relinquishing our control and giving it to him. In the times of challenge - don't we always want to "fix" whatever we can first, then ask God to help us with the rest? Or is this just my struggle? I think many of us try the best we can to "fix" the leanness or change the outcomes of the bad stuff. When we just can't get it done - then we turn to God. Oh, what a warped sense of importance we give ourselves! We try to live independent of God - all the while he is saying he is the one we can depend upon! Our psalmist wanted nothing more than to serve his God well. He struggled with the "real stuff" of life, just like us, and each time he found God faithful in his life. "God, love us with all you've got!" We are brought back to what brings us through the challenges unscathed - God loving us with all he's got! It is good to keep the right perspective! We either "make it through" or we are "brought through" in life's battles - which would you prefer? Quite honestly, I'd prefer the latter! Just sayin!

Shut 'em down

Airspace is referred to as the air available for an airplane to fly in, but it is usually subject to some rules because it is over a particular country or area that is 'maintained' and 'governed' by that ruler or a group of rulers. Airspace can also be that 'space' in your life where you either allow others into or not. You may allow them into that space, but with orders to exercise 'caution' as to where they go or what they bring into that airspace. You may not allow others into that 'space' because you have already determined them or what they bring with them to be of 'dangerous intent'. We need to guard our 'airspace' carefully and always be alert to what is attempting to get into it!

A person who talks sense is honored; airheads are held in contempt. (Proverbs 12:8 The Message)

Airheads often speak without thinking - just blurting out whatever will "stimulate" the senses of anyone who is in hearing distance. They don't care about the "shock-factor" of their words - indeed, they may even strive to accomplish some 'wow factor' by their words! In the good old days, the term "airhead" used to refer to the "airspace" the enemy occupied in order to do air drops of more troops or supplies into the midst of the fight. Stop long enough to consider this definition in light of what our proverb is reminding us about and this might just give us an interesting perspective on what an "airhead" really does? They are actually putting more "resources" into the fight - they come into the airspace to lend more ammo!

Don't get me wrong, sometimes we need to hear something which will stir us up from our place of slumber or apathy. Airheads may begin this process by bringing some type of 'disturbance' into our airspace, but if all we listen to is their ranting we will soon be drifting into the negativity of the masses. Look at what God describes as their fate - they are held in contempt. In other words, there words soon come to be viewed as worthless. They speak, but nobody really pays them any mind - not really. The sad part of this is we don't realize the "airspace" they are given in the first place is what opens the doors for them to gain a stronghold! They didn't have access until we gave it to them!

On the other hand, we are reminded about the person who "talks sense". There is something about trying to talk to an "airhead" - someone who packs a huge punch, setting everyone on full alert - we must learn from this passage. First, we control their "airspace" - we don't need to give them an inch! If we control what we allow to be spoken in our "airspace", we control what can gain "influence" in our minds. Second, we don't need to give credence to everything that is spoken - we need to check it out first! The words were spoken to make an "impact" - pure and simple. The "impact" may leave a crater the size of the Grand Canyon if we give too much credence to those 'ammo' words!

Most of the time the best defense is a good offense. We often think we cannot "counter" the words of the "airhead" with anything that will impact the situation in a positive sense - and at first blush we may be right. Their words just hang there like stale air. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to "eliminate" the "bad air" with some "good air" of our own! The best defense is a good offense - the best offense is the Word of God. Nothing shuts down the "ammo" of the airhead any quicker than the gentle reply of one "tempered" by the Word of God. I am not saying you quote a scripture, but you let the scripture "temper" your response - so it is in gentleness, love, kindness, and with boldness. In turn, you almost "close off" the airhead's "airspace". Just some thoughts on dealing with an airhead today! Just sayin!

So, is this love?

What kind of love do you exhibit in your life? Is it 'conditional love'? This is the kind where you only extend yourself to those that extend themselves - like a 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' kind of thing. Is it 'strings attached' love? The kind in which love is given, but only within certain limits. Is it 'free love'? There may be more than one meaning to this one, but in the times when I grew up, 'free love' was that kind of 'giving of one's self' without commitment, often in a sexual sense. If we are confused about the type of love we see exhibited around us, maybe it would do us well to understand what God says about it!

I may speak in different languages, whether human or even of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am only a noisy bell or a ringing cymbal. I may have the gift of prophecy, I may understand all secrets and know everything there is to know, and I may have faith so great that I can move mountains. But even with all this, if I don’t have love, I am nothing. I may give away everything I have to help others, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing by doing all this if I don’t have love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 ERV

God wants us to understand there are no 'conditions' to love. Grace is a reality in our lives as a result of all the conditions already being met in one person alone - Christ Jesus. No other 'conditions' exist for us to participate in and receive God's grace. Grace is unconditional - an outpouring of God's heart to meet a need so deep in our lives it could never be met by anything else. If God's love is first of all 'unconditional' then maybe we'd do well to consider how many conditions we have been placing on our love!

God's love isn't an 'out there and in your face' kind of love. He is there, yes, but he doesn't 'intrude' into your life unless he is invited. His love is invited - it isn't forced. Imagine if God woke up one morning and said to himself, "I'm gonna get them to love me, or else..." I am not sure about you, but I wouldn't want a relationship with him just because I feared the "or else"! God doesn't intimidate us to get our love - he invites us into love and then he waits for us to acknowledge that invitation. Yes, he pursues us in gentleness and kindness, but he doesn't intimidate or intrude!

God's love gives first, long before we even know there is a need in our lives that he has met. His love isn't 'strings attached' when it is given - it is 'free' only in the sense that it is available to all. His love isn't going to break us down - it is going to woo us and gently encourage us to find joy in it, but it isn't going to be like sandpaper wearing away at the hardness of our heart. His love softens the hardest heart, not by being abrasive, but in gentle and repeated extension of his grace. Just sayin!

World or One?

Whose world are you trying to change today? The question is quite simple, yet most of us will stumble to answer this one truthfully. We may quip that we are trying to change everyone's world, one kind action after another, but is this truly what our actions reveal? We are called to be 'world changers', but by what means and with what intent? Too many times our intent is to 'make things better' for someone or something. We 'save the whales', 'recycle now', and 'feed the homeless' all in an attempt to make the 'world better' for someone or something. God asks for us to be a different kind of 'world changer' though. God asks for us to be 'good stewards' of the resources and talents we have been given, revealing little bits of him to others as we do, showing others there is always grace available to as many as will reach out and take it.

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16)

World-changers isn't an organization of men and women, nor is it a church on some street in your local town. World changers are you and I, called to live as light in this dark world, challenged to be 'salt' in a world that otherwise would be pretty unaware of the 'savor' found in having one's sins forgiven and life transformed by the power of Jesus. We sometimes think we cannot impact the world, but forget the world is right there in front of us one person at a time. There is nothing we can do beyond that person! We find our greatest 'usefulness' in God's kingdom whenever we are faithful to be light and salt in the lives of those who cross our path. We aren't called to 'save the world' because that is God's job! We are called to be faithful stewards of the light we have received - to share the hope that is within us.

Become generous with your lives - this is our challenge today. If we are to be 'world changers', it begins today by being generous with the blessings God has poured into our lives. Those blessings include his grace, but they also include his truth. When was the last time you extended grace where it was least deserved? When did you speak truth into the life of someone clouded in the muddle of fog that a life without Christ attracts? We might think this is too much, but we 'speak' with our life actions more than we do with our words. We exhibit grace and we live truth. We live in the light of the truth we have received from Christ and then we become the light by which another life is guided into the same light! We don't want to be stingy with God's grace. We want to use it to change the lives of those around us.

Too many times we think 'globally', but I think God is challenging us today to think about our 'world' in a way that takes our focus from global to right there inside your own home, work space, or next door neighbor. Light dissipates the farther it travels away from the source. Light is brightest nearest the source. Remain near to the source of true light (Christ), and before long others will be drawn to the light you are reflecting. Our 'world' is small in comparison to Christ's world - but it is the world we are called to change. Be an example of forgiveness in your family and see how that begins to impact your 'world'. Be a messenger of hope where those around you seem to have lost theirs and see how that alters their hopelessness. You and I are not asked to change the 'global' world today, but we are asked to help change the 'individual world' around us! Just sayin!

Another "unsafe" prayer

Are we guilty of praying 'safe' prayers? Prayers that are kind of mamby-pamby at best - working our way AROUND the real need without ever really hitting the nail on the head! These types of prayers are prayed more times each day than we might realize - with some of them coming from our own mouths! Why? "Safe" prayers are easiest because we don't have to 'expose' too much - we can just 'hint' about the need and hope God gets the point.

And when you pray, don’t be like the people who don’t know God. They say the same things again and again. They think that if they say it enough, their god will hear them. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, we pray that your name will always be kept holy. We pray that your kingdom will come—
that what you want will be done here on earth, the same as in heaven. Give us the food we need for today. Forgive our sins, just as we have forgiven those who did wrong to us. Don’t let us be tempted,
but save us from the Evil One.’ (Matthew 6:7-13)

Jesus didn't just tell us to pray, he gave us specific examples of how 'not to pray' and then told us how we should pray. In the opening verses of this chapter, he tells us not to be like the hypocrites that pray those 'big wordy prayers' that really say nothing - just bringing attention to how 'theological' our prayers can be. They don't win us any points with God because he'd rather we get alone and just share our hearts with him.

He also remind us of the importance of knowing God himself - of being in relationship with him - because that is the real reason for prayer - to relate! God knows our need, but we are still to talk with him about it. It is quite possible that in the intimate sharing of our hearts, God is doing the work of purifying our hearts just a little bit more. We don't know if our need is pure or not until we submit it to God himself. In those 'risky moments' of praying 'unsafe' prayers, we are opening ourselves up to what may become the 'best prayers' of our lives!

Notice our passage begins with an expectation - "And WHEN you pray..." There is no option in prayer. It is necessary for two people to talk - to share openly with each other - if they are to grow together. Even deaf and mute people talk! Even blind people use their other senses to explore what they hear. Don't think you can bypass being open with God - it isn't going to allow growth if you just put those 'safe' prayers and never really get to the 'juicy' stuff you are keeping all bottled up inside.

"Safe" prayers are simply prayers that should remain unspoken. They are idle words - empty and devoid of substance. Get specific about your sin and see what God will do with that honesty. Get down to the nitty-gritty about your desires and see how God begins to unfold how he plans to fulfill those desires. Get real in sharing your hurts and see how God's grace can bind up those wounds. It is the 'unsafe' prayers that open the door of God's heart. Just sayin!

What is your impact?

You are bigger than your job, that bank account, or the followers you have amassed on social media. The people you impact are much more powerful than the things you accomplish in this lifetime. View others as more important than yourselves and you might just see just how big your impact can be. There is nothing wrong with having a good career, or a solid bank account. The issue comes when we make these the goal and not just one of the 'means' by which we allow God to accomplish great things in and through our lives!

Even the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom. Even the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, God chose you to be his. Think about that! Not many of you were wise in the way the world judges wisdom. Not many of you had great influence, and not many of you came from important families. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. (I Corinthians 1:25-27)

God chooses differently than we do, doesn't he? We want a good chance of winning the game, so we choose those skilled in running the ball, executing the plays, and challenging the opponent. We want to grow our investments, so we choose to align our capital in places where it will have the greatest growth opportunity, not always knowing what is behind the companies we are backing by those investments. God chooses the weak - not the strong. Why? Maybe it is because the 'strong' are relying on the wrong thing in life to make it through tough stuff. That makes sense, but why does God choose the foolish to confound the wise?

That doesn't make sense, does it? If we take the literal meaning of foolish, then we wonder why God would take those who show a lack of good sense, judgment, and discretion and do anything good at all through their lives! What is being said here is that God takes what others view as 'insignificant' and uses it to bring glory to his name. We are each 'insignificant' in one way or another and God choose to use us exactly where we are and as we are for his glory. This is what God does - he uses the weak to defeat the strong and the insignificant to tear down the proud.

The impact we have on people begins with the impact God has in our lives. The more we take his grace in, the more we will find our impact in this world. Our impact isn't in what we accomplish, but in what God accomplishes first IN us and then THROUGH us. Just sayin!

Soar, Climb, Change Your Perspective

Kites rise highest against the wind - not with it. (Winston Churchill) I know there are lots and lots things we walk through that have absolutely no appeal to us - we'd rather just dismiss them and walk away rather than go through them. What makes it more frustrating for us is the prolonged period of facing those troubles. We don't mind if they 'come and go' as long as they do so quickly. We don't want them hanging around! All kites rise best when there is wind, my friends, and opposing winds help it to soar higher and higher. A kite without the wind is just a little bit of fabric, paper, sticks, and string. With the wind, it is majestic beauty!

My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be. James (1:2-4)

Have you ever been in a forested area and observed some form of vine ascending the tall trees around you? Those vines are nothing more than 'ground crawlers' without the tree! Either way, on the ground or climbing the tall trees, they are still vines. They just have different perspectives and challenges! One rises above, the other is content to just crawl along the low places in life. I don't know about you, but I am not content to crawl along the low places in life. I want to climb to new heights and I want to soar as the kite - higher and higher, meeting each opposing wind with strength, endurance, and beauty!

To rise, one faces great opposition. Imagine the little vine trying to make the climb. It has to resist the pull of gravity if it is to climb. Yes, it is equipped with small 'tentacle like' appendages that it sends off to help hold it in place as it wraps its way up the tree. Yes, it has all the resources of being solidly planted in the ground to ensure it continues to grow. Yes, it needs the sunlight to keep growing. But...if it never begins the struggle to move out of the forest floor, it remains a 'bottom crawler' and is subject to the life as limited as that may be. 

To rise, we need to have determined focus to move from where we are to where we will become our best. The kite is designed to soar high. It begins the ascent little by little. As it 'catches the wind', it begins to climb. Just as the tiny vine begins the climb, the kite endures the hardships of opposing forces all around it. The higher it climbs, the easier it becomes to soar as it should. It is where it should be, not in the absence of the opposing forces, but because of them! 

We are made into what we are designed to be not in the absence of those opposing forces in life, but because of them! Let them grow your faith. The kite takes on a new 'form' as it ascends, much like the tiny vine. The vine is able to develop at sometimes astronomical speed as a result of the climb. The kite expands and begins to display its full beauty as it soars high above in the face of those winds. Time to ascend, my friends. Just sayin!

Are you stingy?

What does it mean when we say something is "ours"? As kids, I would hear my little ones struggling to let go of a toy they wanted to play with, declaring loudly, "MINE", and then swiping it away from the other one who was also interested in playing with it. They saw that toy as theirs, if even for a moment, not wanting to let go of it to any other kiddo desirous of a chance to put it into use. It became obvious to me that even though they had just declared it as "theirs", in short order it would be abandoned as they moved on to some other toy in the box. There are times we declare something to be ours without really intending to put whatever it is into constant 'use' in our lives. I have a washing machine and dryer, but they aren't used everyday. I have a dishwasher that I also don't use everyday. I have a hose in the backyard that may get used once a month if that. To 'have' doesn't mean we always 'make use of' the thing. It is quite possible this is how we treat our relationship with God - we have one, but we don't really put much into it by investing in it everyday!

“Listen, people of Israel! The Lord is our God. The Lord is the only God. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ERV

This 'everyday' kind of relationship with Jesus isn't an on-again / off-again kind of deal. If it is to be living and renewed, it needs constant attention. I don't have plants that require much effort to keep them alive because I don't have much desire to spend hours upon hours tending them. I like how they look, but I need 'easier' ones that look good, but don't require the same effort. The relationship we maintain with Jesus can be hard at times, because it seems like we are making all the right steps, but the 'feelings' of the relationship growing or maturing are just not there. The heart doesn't 'feel it'. You know why God asks us to put our whole heart, soul, and strength into loving him? It is because our 'heart' would get discouraged by 'not feeling it' if it stood all alone!

We need to put our soul into it - our mind, will, and emotions, not just our emotions. We need to put our strength into it - spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional. We might want to compartmentalize Jesus into one part of our lives, but to truly love him, we need to bring him into our emotions, will, thoughts, reasoning, rationalizations, energy, and the list goes on. To 'love him with' means we bring all to the table - we don't limit the investment of ourselves, but rather give all entirely to him. Mind, will, and emotions may help us make huge strides forward, but have you tried to just do things you 'knew' were right? You had the intellect to know the choice was correct, but you lacked the drive to actually do it long term. You need the 'will' to back up your convictions, but even the 'will' alone cannot 'get us to do something' we don't really desire to do!

What we are asked to do is bring what we have to the feet of Jesus. Mind, will, emotions - coupled with strengths and weaknesses - then trust him to help us make the most out of what we have brought to him. The faithfulness of 'coming into his presence' is oftentimes a struggle, but it is where we find our heart, soul, and strength are renewed the best. It is where our emotions are settled, our spirit is lifted, our thoughts are ordered, and our steps are determined. Don't be stingy in loving God - do it with all you've got and see just how much he gives in return! You won't ever be disappointed. Just sayin!

Not doing it alone

I am finally getting time to reorganize the shop and begin some builds of workbenches, carts, tool storage, etc. This means a little here and there needs to be gone through, plans made as to how to accomplish the builds, and then the actual work of cutting the wood and putting it together. The last part is a little tricky in a small space, with only two hands, and with limited 'old lady' strength! Do you have any idea how much 3/4 inch plywood weighs? Now make some shelving storage unit that needs to be mounted on the wall and try to figure out how to do it with one hand to hold it and one to drive the screws into the studs! I have had to get pretty ingenious in my 'holding' work to get these things into place! If I were honest here, I should have 'phoned a friend' for help, but I didn't realize how much help I'd need until I was way into it. That is often the case in life - we get into it and THEN realize just how much help we are going to need to get through it!

My Lord, you are good and merciful. You love all those who call to you for help. Psalm 86:5 ERV

The important thing is that we know who to call and when to call. The 'who' part is easier than the 'when' part, though. We understand we are supposed to call to God for his help, but do we always realize the 'when' of that call? Some of us get way into life and realize it is getting muddled up because we neither called for help, nor listened to his consultation on the matter when we finally did! Much worse are those of us who get into the muddled place and don't even call out for help - struggling in our own power and pride to 'overcome' (much like me when I get into these pickles in my workshop). This isn't going to go down well with some of us, but we need to hear it. We need to stop being so doggone 'independent' in how we live life and relish the help God desires so deeply to render in our lives.

Pride keeps us independent, but is it worth it? Humility helps us be mindful of when we will need help and it also helps us ask for it when we do! Maybe this is why God reminds us he opposes the prideful, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). We 'proud people' forget just how much grace we need in our lives - grace that oftentimes is right there waiting for us to simply admit we need it! There is no joy in having done it all ourselves and ending up with a 'crooked build', 'bruised and battered' parts, or 'inadequate builds', is there? Some of the greatest 'wins' in life come when we admit before we even stumble out there into life that we are not going to do it alone. Just sayin!

Steadiness is about more than discipline

If your life is marked by 'fits and starts', but very few 'finished items', then you are probably not alone. In fact, more of us start things and never see them through to completion than you might imagine. We have closets with unfinished craft projects, crossword puzzles that never quite get that last clue answered, and ideas for improving processes at work that never make it off the drawing board. We are great at 'imagining' stuff, but the follow-through to get it completed is oftentimes lacking. One thing I have adjusted to as I have 'grown up' is the idea of this whole 'slow and steady' progress toward a goal. When I wanted to have a savings large enough to handle unforeseen emergencies, the process began with only a couple dollars here and then a couple more there, but it was in the consistent savings of those small amounts that I learned I could save even larger ones! Slow and steady isn't always the way we do things. Some of us jump in both feet first, as thought the water will be too cold and we'd never make it all the way in if we don't!

In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. Ephesians 4:2 MSG

As we think about what God is saying to believers in this passage, we might be tempted to hang our heads a little because we know we have been making fits and starts in this walk with him, but 'finishing' very little. Where there is a start, there is the potential for a finish or a stall. We can get across the finish line, giddy as all get out that we did, all the while not even looking back at the path we took to get there. When we do look back, we see what could have been a much shorter and straighter path became a pretty long and jagged path of twists and turns because of how we were running it! We were running and we made it across, but what a journey it took to get us there! Some would argue that the person who makes it across the finish line has done better than the one who is simply 'plodding along'. I might be tempted to argue that one out a little because a slow and steady progress in the right direction always outweighs having 'made it', but with very little consistency or integrity!

A couple of things mark this path of consistency. Most assuredly, the path is marked by a starting and finishing line, but it is also marked by milestones along the way. I don't think I have ever hiked a trail that didn't have some markers along it - at least not one I was confident would result in me reaching my destination safely! Those markers not only help to outline the path one is to follow, but they indicate where you are in the progress you are making. As you drive upon an American highway, you will observe these green and white signs along the roadside at various intervals. They may not be at every one mile mark, but when you observe them you will note they are either counting downward from the last point or upward toward the next one. Milestones mark out our path because they help us see how far we have traveled and if there is still any distance yet for us to travel, but they also keep us aware of being on the right path!

Why does this path of consistency require humility? I think it is because there are always going to be times when we need to ask for directions! We are bound to not know the next step to take, or how to find our way back on course when we haven't been paying close attention to the course we have taken. We need to be able to acknowledge our need for help when we aren't feeling like we can go on any longer - when the path seems a bit too steep or too 'unknown' to travel. Humility isn't for the weak of heart, my friends. In fact, it takes more fortitude and 'umph' to admit you are lost, or that you are wearing down in the journey than one might first admit. Yet, in so doing, we place ourselves at the mercy of someone else - either God, another who has traveled this way before, or both! We find we can muster up the energy for the next step when we are humble enough to admit we haven't been paying the right amount of attention to our present ones! Just sayin!

Well water

So many times we look for answers trying to figure out if something is "right for us" to be doing, or if it will accomplish what it is we are aiming to finish. In trying to reason out the response we will make or the steps we will take, we oftentimes find ourselves drawing from "the well" within - the knowledge we have "saved up" over time - and we don't even know we are doing it. It comes from having experienced things, storing up the "cause and effect" knowledge which comes from experience after experience. For instance, we experience disappointment when the ice cream cone melts away while we doddle in eating it down in the hot Arizona sun. The next time we purchase one, we might recall the knowledge we formed through the last experience - eating this one much quicker so it doesn't become a gooey mess. This is knowledge formed on understanding the "cause and effect" principle - ice cream is only enjoyed if the sun doesn't melt it first! Touch a hot stove once and you are reluctant to do it again! Lose money in the stock market and you are wary or cautious where you invest it again. Cause and effect - lessons learned.

Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within. (Proverbs 20:5 MSG)

Not every lesson we learn comes in an 'easy' manner though, does it?  We see a whole lot of "effect" in our lives, but there are just times when the "cause" is sometimes quite hidden and hard to grasp (at least in our estimation). When this happens and we don't see the immediate insight from the moment at hand, we might say we did not learn from this experience or our past experience.  We sometimes even repeat the failure over and over again. In time, if we are paying attention still, we might see a little link between cause and effect in our behavior, attitude, or ability to resist temptation - but it comes at a cost we'd rather not have had to endure. The delay in 'seeing' the cause has resulted in substantial 'cost'. Our writer suggests knowing what is right is like deep water - stored up in the heart to be drawn upon when we need it. Stop for a moment to consider a well and you might just observe a few things that may help.

- A well is a storage or repository location, much in the same way God expects our hearts to be a storage or repository location for his wisdom. Knowledge only becomes wisdom when it is applied. In other words, we have to act upon what we know if it is to affect the "cause". We can 'store up' all manner of things, but if they are never put into use, they are merely useless tidbits of information. The heart is really more than the physical muscle of circulation in our body - it is the part of our brain which connects will and emotion to every action / reaction we exhibit. Therefore, every action or reaction is affected by what is stored deep within our "heart". Storage only occurs when there is regular and consistent input. A well is renewed when the rains collect over time and come frequently enough to allow renewal of the well - our hearts are renewed when the Holy Spirit of God himself "rains" afresh in our lives.

- A well is meant to be drawn from, to provide refreshment and renewal. No one draws from a well to just look at the water. The water drawn from the well is for a purpose - either we drink it, bathe in it, or use it to water something for future growth. God expects the knowledge we store up in our "wells" to be used much in the same way. We can find refreshing for our weary soul in the knowledge of his guidance and comfort in rough times. There is renewal which is brought to our mind, will and emotions when the knowledge is allowed to wash us and make us clean. The ability to produce further growth is only possible when what we already store up is used to further this growth. Wells 'store', but they also act as a 'resource' for times when there is need in our lives.

- A well can be polluted, either through non-use or the haphazard introduction of something which has the power to "taint" the waters. Much in the same way, when knowledge is just taken in, never drawing it out, it becomes stagnant. The purpose of knowledge is found best when it is put into use. When we allow "mixed" knowledge to affect us - the type which we don't test against the word of God to examine it for alignment / congruence - we might get a little "tainted" in our application of the knowledge. It might be applied - but when applied incorrectly, it has a "sour" effect. It produces something far different than what God intends with 'pure knowledge'. Wells that are polluted are not a pleasure to draw from because the effect of that which is drawn up isn't going to produce very good results.

Whether we use knowledge because we have come to possess it through experience, or simply as a result of some repeated failure, we are drawing from a well within. What's in your well today - how's the 'water' down there? Is there sufficient drawing from that well to keep it from growing stagnant? Is there sufficient renewal of the well with a fresh input from the Spirit on a regular and consistent basis? Is the well as deep as it could be? Remember, you may "hit water" the first few feet you dig a well - but the most flavorful and purest of water oftentimes is found at the deepest point! Well water is just well water until it is drawn out of the well! Just sayin!

What are you hiding?

Most of us have heard that old adage, "The only thing constant in life is change", but it is almost an oxymoron. Why? If you didn't know, change is by definition the opposite of something which remains constant! Think about it again, and you might just realize there is truth in this saying because when you consider it, change is constant. If we are to remain fresh, vital and in a position of being on the "cutting edge" of all life sends our way, we need to be up for change - sometimes more frequently than we'd like, but change will come. Sometimes the greatest challenge to us comes in the willingness to admit we even need change. There is just something "comfortable" about a lack of change. When change begins to be called for, we get really, really nervous! Why? Simply because we don't see the need for change in quite the same way as the one calling for the change in the first place. When God calls for us to change, we might even find ourselves squirming a little, totally uncomfortable with what he might ask, or how he might bring about that change within us.

Change your life, not just your clothes. Come back to God, your God. And here's why: God is kind and merciful. He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot, this most patient God, extravagant in love, always ready to cancel catastrophe. Who knows? Maybe he'll do it now, maybe he'll turn around and show pity. Maybe, when all's said and done, there'll be blessings full and robust for your God! (Joel 2:13-14 MSG)

There is another saying, "When you are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere." I wonder if this is where we get off-course in life, thinking change will surely bring us some means of happiness, or new-found satisfaction in life. So, we change partners, jobs, places of residence, and even our hair color. Change for the sake of change is rarely as rewarding as we first imagined it to be. Seeking peace within our hearts by any other means than stepping into the grace of God is useless - it will just continue to elude us. We have a tendency to change our "clothes" and not our "life". In other words, we change the circumstances - not the things that squarely placed us in the middle of the present circumstances in the first place. I think this is why people might hop from one relationship to another - all the while seeking some "change" that will give them some sense of "inner tranquility". Imagine their surprise when they realize no "person" can fill that void! The "void" is only capable of being filled by one big enough to fill it - God himself!

We can change the outward without truly changing the inward, being like a crab who outgrows his shell. In changing our outward circumstances, all we did is go from being a crab in a shell we'd outgrown into being a crab with room to grow still within a shell! We are still gonna be crabs! Nothing changed in the process - just the size or appearance of our outward shell. If we no longer want to be crabs - what we can refer to as our original nature - we need something more than a new outer covering. We need the transforming power of the creator God. Try as the little crab might, he cannot become a whale anymore than we can become instantly kind, or instantly free from the bitterness, or free from any other number of issues which shackle us. Liberty comes in change - change comes in grace - grace comes in God. We experience the extravagant love of God when we can begin to feel the breath of God on the very "tissues" of our soul. Until the outward shell we hide inside of is stripped away, we don't feel the breath of God passing over us. Once it is, we begin to feel the invigoration of his breath - because it produces life!

I am not suggesting we are all a bunch of "crabby" people, but I think we can take a lesson from the crab. The outward has to be shed if change is going to occur. Crawling into the next "covering" we find may "fit" for a while, but seldom does it "fit" for the long-haul. The only "change" that really becomes permanent is the change which affects us inwardly. Only God is able to accomplish a true and permanent "change of life". The next time we are tempted to just crawl into a new outward covering, we might want to consider the inevitability of the "new" covering becoming just as useless as the last in just a matter of time. Outward coverings are like our clothes - they serve a purpose to hide something within or underneath. They do a good job for a while - but all clothes wear out in time! Whatever we are trying to 'cover up' within will eventually wear thin. The only thing lasting is the tranquility God produces when he becomes the source of our searching - the focus of our heart. We think we do a good job of hiding what is inside us. There is not much transparency possible when we are hiding under some covering. Transparency only becomes possible when the outward covering is cast off. Just sayin!

Huh....as simple as being prepared

If you have had the impression that the battle you see raging around you is bigger than anyone really knows, you are probably closer to the truth than you might think! The battle we 'see' with the naked eye is one thing. The one being fought in the minds and hearts of men is another. The one being fought in the heavenlies is yet another! The battle rages - the surface has likely only been scratched, and there you stand in the midst of it trying to make sense out of what you can see and feel. What we can see and feel are only part of the issues at hand - there is a much deeper 'point' of warfare that we just won't be able to see or feel, but it exists and is at work all around us right now.

Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing. Ephesians 6:12-13 ERV

We need to be prepared for what it is we cannot see or feel. These are the things we likely cannot fully understand with our finite minds, but it doesn't make them any less real. I don't have to understand how the worst virus replicates in a human body to know it is dangerous! I just need to see it at work one time and I am convinced it is a nasty bugger to deal with and I don't want it in me! I need to know how to keep it out of me and to not be affected by the presence of such an evil little bugger! The same principle holds true in terms of our spiritual warfare - we don't need to see evil at work to know it still exists! We just need to fight the good fight with all the weaponry we are afforded.

As a nurse, I will tell you the most important thing we can all do to stop the spread of disease is quite simple - wash your hands! Yup, you got it right - something as simple as washing one's hands can reduce the biological 'load' of microorganisms one can potentially 'spread' to others. Mom always used to say cover your mouth with your hand - now we tell you to sneeze or cough into your shirt sleeve. Why? Germs have a harder time 'living' on that surface and are less likely to be spread by casual contact. Again...not rocket science, but practical advice to help reduce the spread of disease.

The warfare we fight is not likely 'rocket science' either. In fact, if we are trusting in God's grace, holding fast to his truths, and doing what he asks us to do, we are likely going to do well in the fight. Why? We have the resources at our disposal - even when we lack the full knowledge of how they work! When we are told to put on our armor, it isn't a suggestion. We will never be fully able to withstand temptation without it. We shouldn't bemoan our failures when we haven't prepared to win the battle in the first place! Just sayin!

First and Great

The last shall be first - be humble to be made great. These ideas seem a little like they might be an 'oxymoron', don't they? How can the one who is last possibly be first? How could being humble mean we will ever know greatness? I guess the way we define 'first' and 'great' are what may be of concern here, my friends. The words 'last' and 'first' frequently carry the connotation of being the one at the head of the line, in first place, or even getting it done ahead of anyone else. Have you ever been 'last' to finish something? I know I have and others rubbed it in because I was so far behind them in getting it done! It made me want to always be done 'first' because I didn't like being 'last'. If I were to be honest here, my 'ego' took a hit by being singled out as 'last'. I think others struggle with similar issues, so maybe it is time to look at the value of being 'last'.

Be humble before the Lord, and he will make you great. James 4:10 ERV

'Last' doesn't mean we are 'dumb', 'dense', or 'deviant'. In fact, it may be more like we are 'determined', 'deliberate', and 'dedicated'. God doesn't reward us so much for getting across the finish line first, as much as he rewards us for having finished well. To finish well one may take a little longer than others. It isn't for lack of trying to be there with the rest of the group, but rather what was learned in the time between starting and ending that makes our 'finishing' the reward! There are times when I have started something and finished it quickly - but on those occasions where I took my time to really put in some effort, the thing produced was much different!

Some think of humility as the 'abasement' or 'putting down' of one's self. It is not 'putting self down' to the point the individual or their efforts are seen as insignificant, though. Humility is really the ability to see one's self in a very realistic way - a sinner in need of continual grace! In fact, a humble man's significance is so great God sees to it that we are continually renewed in grace! The humble man or woman is one who recognizes their need and isn't going to cover it up. In truth, the humble are those who don't try to live independent of God's grace. They are fully aware of their need and live in such a way their need is constantly being placed into the hands of Jesus so he can help get them through to the finish line. This is indeed 'greatness' - to be the object of God's grace. To be great, one needs to acknowledge their need of grace - to lay down the self-effort of trying to 'get right' by doing life without God. Just sayin!