You have great value to me

Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. (Romans 12:9-10)

God desires a way of living that is "outside" or beyond our selfishness - the tendency we had before we said "yes" to Christ which kept us totally self-directed in our focus. Be sincere in your love for others. Sincerity is the idea of being free of hypocrisy. If you have ever caught yourself saying one thing, but thinking another, you might be dealing with this thing called hypocrisy - the tendency to be ingenuine or unreal. Neither of these traits are what God wants for us in relationships - first with him, then with others. He strives for us to be genuine or real.

We are to be genuine in our love for each other, by hating evil, holding tight to what is good, treating one another as brothers and sisters, and giving honor to each other more than we focus on seeking honor for ourselves.  We are to work toward a "protectiveness" of the relationship, guarding against those things which hinder the depth and closeness of relationship. Nothing will shut a relationship down quicker than for anger, malice, or wickedness to gain an inroad into the midst of it. We are to do more than just be "intolerant" of these things - we are to be so vigilant to guard against them that we just WON'T allow them to have an inroad. When anger enters, we are to immediately stop, take notice of what is being said or demonstrated in each other's actions, and then bring reconciliation immediately. This is the principle of not letting the sun go down on our anger. Just think of how much different our relationships would be if we were to begin to operate in this framework! When ill-intent is evident, conflict will arise. As with anger, there is to be an increasing "vigilance" to avoid all manner of ill-intent.

We are to run after the things which produce good outcomes in the relationship.  Those things which increase our moral foundation. Whenever we build one another up in the faith, we are fulfilling this task, leading to us loving each other as we'd love a brother or sister. We are learning to see each other as belonging to the same "bloodline". Those who are part of the family of God share a similar "heritage" as we do. As such, we are to enter into companionable relationship with those in this journey of faith. It means we need each other! We cannot walk it alone. We actually benefit from the closeness of seeing another walk out their faith - in the daily, rubber meets the road kind of way. God is reminding us of being cognizant of those who are "partners" with us in this walk. We don't always "get along" well, but we do grow from the interactions and see love become the driving force which binds us together.

The last reminder is to honor one another more than we do ourselves. This is a tough one, as you might imagine, because each of us tends to focus on self quicker than we focus on others. If we see something in them which is a complimentary skill or trait to what we possess, this might be something we "honor" in them. It might also mean we give some merit to another individual which they wouldn't receive otherwise. I think there are a whole lot of people today just walking around looking for someone to give them some merit - because their lives have been filled with all kinds of things labeled as "demerits"! I don't know where the "demerits" came from, or even if they were deserved, but I do know many individuals focus on those "negative" things they have been told or come to believe about themselves. When we are in relationship with each other, we have this unique ability to focus on either side of the column, so to speak. The choice to focus on those things which are of "merit" in a person's life is something we need to learn to do more often!  Just sayin!

What part do you play?

You have been my teacher, and I won’t reject your instructions. Your teachings are sweeter than honey. They give me understanding and make me hate all lies. (Psalm 119:102-104)

Have you ever considered honeybees? Did you know they are raised to be harvested for the commercial market of honey distribution? There are more than the 'wild' forms of bees, but I didn't know that until I saw a show describing the process of how they are 'raised' for the sole purpose of the 'honey harvest'.  They are 'raised' as members of a 'colony of workers', each with a task our own, but with the undivided purpose of laying up stores and stores of sweet stuff for those who would come behind. The bees each have a function - whether they be the "queen bee" who lays nearly 2,000 eggs a day, the "gathering bees" who go out day after day to the fields to gather in the pollen, or the "worker bees" who work endlessly creating the hive and storing up the honey - they all have a function. Those who don't do their part are pushed out of the hive - there is no place for "dead weight" in the thriving hive. We all serve God with a purpose, and it is important for us to fulfill that purpose.

The beekeepers provide a framework upon which the bees can build their hive. It is a simple wood frame, mounted inside upright boxes of wood or plastic. The bees start at the edge and work inward until the hive is formed in each section of the hive box. This framework produces a safe place for them to go about their "bee business". God also provides a framework upon which we build our lives - staying within this framework provides a place of safety and protection. The bees all work together - in their particular function and in unison. To look upon the clustering of bees and frenzy of activity might just give one the impression there is no real organization to what they are doing, but in truth it is quite the opposite. Even with one bee crawling over the next, they are all working together, one providing what the next requires in order to do their part. Life gets messy and a little chaotic at times, but when we are all working together, fulfilling our purpose, we "add" to each other's lives in a very special and unique way.

The "gathering bees" don't actually get to partake of the finished product - they simply bring in the pollen which is taken from them by the worker bees. The hive would be devoid of food for the next generation if these "gathering bees" didn't bring in the nectar and pollen. They may not get to enjoy the end product of their labor, but they sense the importance of it and go about their task with consistency from day to day. We don't have to do it all, we just have to do our part. The worker bees "digest" the pollen into a nectar in order to put it in the tiny cells of the hive. Then they all fan their wings to help evaporate the water which remains in the nectar, reducing it to the richest of honey we find deep within the hive. Without this process, the pollen would be useless - it has to be broken down into the nectar in order to be useful to the young bees hatching deep within the hive. Remember, there will always be those who depend upon us doing our part to ensure they have what they need to develop.

The purpose of the hive is for replication and feeding - as a safe place for the queen to lay her eggs and the young to mature, the hive provides much more than a place of making honey. We all need a place to develop, and God has provided this for us in our local church family and small groups. There is nothing wasted from the hive - even the beeswax is useful in the making of candles, balms, and the like. The initial purpose of the wax was for the housing of the nectar and the nurturing of the young. The end purpose of the wax is to give light and bring soothing to those in need of healing. The people of God are to be light-givers and provide places of healing for those who need it. The beekeeper warns them he is entering the hive and keeps them from being hurt. The smoke he uses is a warning he is entering, a scent that drives the bees deeply into the hive. Why? To protect them as he enters. God's presence can alarm the unaware, so he comes in gentle and palpable ways. It is as though his very presence produces a scent of grace and peace! We all benefit from the 'hive' and we each have a part to play within it. What is produced is a thing of beauty when we are all doing our part. Just sayin!

Not another opinion!

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.(I Peter 3:8)

One mind is hard to get your mind wrapped around, isn't it? We all have an opinion, and some may come close to what yours is, but does it match perfectly? Not always. In fact, there are more opinions in this world than there is truth! What does it mean to sympathize with each other? I believe we need to see things through each other's eyes in order for us to 'come into one mind'. It is never going to happen that we see things perfectly as the other person does, but we can come into a place where we don't compromise truth and that is when we become of one mind.

The outcome of being united in truth is that love flows freely - there is an outpouring of the grace and goodness God has given us. I have one brother and sister, but I have 'many' in the family of God that are my brothers and sisters. Truth should never be compromised, but if we don't keep it ever before us, we can allow the things of this world to counteract any opinion that we hold. We need to study truth, allowing it to influence our every thought, countering every held opinion that doesn't align with the Word of God. When we do, we enter into 'community' and 'family'.

As we begin to relate within community, we also begin to see our attitudes toward things changes - but only to the degree we embrace truth and allow it to influence our hearts. The heart is influenced by the thoughts we mull over time and time again. Isn't it a good thing to 'mull over' scripture - allowing truth to invade each and every aspect of our heart? Tenderhearted people aren't born that way - they allow the Word of God to influence them over and over again until the hardness of heart no longer exists. When opinion becomes less and less important, we will find it easier to resist the tendency to be prideful.

We might find it easier to 'get along' with our family if we let go of some of the long held opinions that are contrary to the Word of God. Just sayin!

I want out...I think...

I don't know of anyone who starts out in family life having figured out how to make a relationship work, let alone how to raise kiddos that are emotionally healthy and well-adjusted. Somehow, we bumble through this 'family life', making the best of the relationship woes we are challenged with and doing the best we can with what we have right in front of us. The knowledge about how to build a solid family is something that God gives as we 'walk through' the various challenges we face. 

It takes wisdom to have a good family, and it takes understanding to make it strong. It takes knowledge to fill a home with rare and beautiful treasures. Wise people have great power, and those with knowledge have great strength. (Proverbs 24:3-5)

Those with knowledge - isn't that what we are lacking? We face a bump in the road within the relationship and then all of a sudden, we realize just how 'inept' we are at handling it. We wonder how we got where we are, not realizing that a bump here or there got us off-course totally, and now we are facing relationship woe after woe, wondering if there is any way 'out' without actually leaving the relationship. Kids bring a new level of challenge, placing tremendous pressure on parents just trying to do their best getting through figuring out their own relationship hiccups. Now what?

We take those 'woes' and 'challenges' to God. We might not realize it, but he cares so much about each one of those bumps in the road and he doesn't want us to give into the idea of needing to 'get out' of the relationship in order to get beyond the bumps. The bumps may be of our own doing, but there are a great many we face because of all the interacting challenges. The ones he faces are added to by the ones she faces, then the kiddos add even more, until we are spiraling out of control as a family. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you - this is what family life can be like!

God's advice is to ask for his advice! Get the issue before God - in prayer, in time in the Word, in conversations with other Christians with a solid foundation in their own relationships. You aren't going to just figure it out on your own. You need his help. Wisdom is applied knowledge - the more you ask for his help, take what he tells you in prayer, his Word, and solid advice, the more you will develop the wisdom to navigate the challenges. Will it be easy? Never! Will it be worth it? Yes! Family life is complicated, but his wisdom applied within it makes for a much stronger outcome! Just sayin!

Exist as one

  He will receive what is good from the Lord, and what is right and good from the God Who saves him. Such is the family of those who look for Him, who look for Your face, O God of Jacob. (Psalm 24:5-6)

Family - the complex intertwining of individual personalities, traits, and talents into one big conglomerate. Did I mention 'complex'? In the business industry, a conglomerate is often used to describe multiple 'divisions' of a corporation or multiple corporations who do 'business' together. Don't miss that part - the 'divisions' that come together to do 'business' with each other. Families are a bit like that at times - 'divisions' of the 'same blooded' members coming together to 'do business', but when they part again - they are still divided!

In the family of God there is no room for 'divisions'. In our earthly families there is also no room for 'divisions'. We don't 'come together' to just 'do business', regardless of whether we are referring to our earthly or heavenly families. We are supposed to come together to learn from each other, bringing needed support and encouragement to one another. Family life is complex, to say the least, but it is also quite rewarding. Did you take your first steps alone? Nope - in fact, someone helped you realize the strength of your own two legs, catching you when you toppled to one side or another, until you finally stood without wobbling and took those first steps.

We frequently hear the jokes about the 'in-laws', referring to them on occasion as the 'out-laws' in the family. There is always going to be some cousin whose ears are too big for his head, that aunt who is eccentric to the 'nth' degree, and the wayward teen struggling to find their identity with way too many tats and piercings. There will always be 'complex individuals' trying to mesh into a 'complex entity' we call family. Since we recognize the complexity, why is it we still create 'divisions'? Maybe it is because we find it easier to be divided than to work it out, so we are finally united. 

In the church, there is no room for division - Christ made that perfectly clear. Whether we do 'family' at home, in the office, our neighborhood, or even at church, divisive forces will always be at work. If we are to be united as one, it is time to recognize what those divisive forces may be and deal with them once and for all. Unity isn't 'won', but it can be 'lost'. It isn't 'made up', but it may require us to 'make up'. It won't exist when we are 'critical', but it is 'critical' that we exist as one, not many. Just sayin!

We are family

God wasn’t attracted to you and didn’t choose you because you were big and important—the fact is, there was almost nothing to you. He did it out of sheer love... Know this: God, your God, is God indeed, a God you can depend upon. He keeps his covenant of loyal love with those who love him... (Deuteronomy 7:9)

It is a foolish thing to believe we come to Christ all on our own - as though we were on some quest to "find God" and came upon him all of a sudden. We are chosen - he seeks us out. Certainly this 'seeking' on his part has nothing to do with our goodness, nor does it have anything to do with how 'hard' we are seeking for him at that moment. Even the desire to seek is all his doing. Sometimes we get too 'big' of an impression of ourselves - as important as a positive self-image may be, it doesn't mean a thing in God's economy. We don't 'get chosen' because of our 'goodness' or 'seeking' - we are chosen because he loves us right there in the midst of all of our muddle and mess. If you don't believe there is any muddle or mess in your life, think again! As 'good' as you may be, there is ALWAYS some 'dirty laundry' laying around.

Though we may be of little value in the eyes of others, we are of extreme value to God. We are not 'valued' for what we do. Our value comes in who it was that created us in the first place. We are not 'self-created' - we are "God-Created". Within each of us is a place designed specifically for his Spirit to dwell - until he fully indwells us, we are never really 'full-filled'. God doesn't choose us for our greatness - he gives us HIS. Let that one sink in a little - his gift is out of sheer love - not our sacrifices, good works, or how much we give in the offering. His attraction to us is one of pure and holy love - to redeem us from our misguided selves. Know this - did you see that part of our verse today? What does it mean to 'know' something? It means there is more than a casual acquaintance with the facts. We come to a place of understanding it is God who seeks; God who redeems; God who gives first; and God who loves first. 

We don't "know" truth with our heads alone - it is a matter of the heart (mind, will and emotions) all coming into a place of thoroughly trusting in the one who seeks, redeems, gives, and loves. We don't "understand" apart from the guidance of his Spirit. When he seeks us, it isn't to just gather us into some big household. He wants us to become his sons and daughters - fully integrated into his family, wholly entrusted with our inheritance within his family, and completely entwined in the love this family brings into our lives. Knowing God does more than 'make us Christian' - it makes us family. Just sayin!

Adopted by Grace

But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance. (Galatians 4:4-5)

Set free to experience our rightful heritage - did you catch those words in this passage? It is your 'rightful heritage' to experience all that God has prepared for you from now into all of eternity - wouldn't it be silly to walk away from such an inheritance? How can we be sure we will experience ALL that God has for us? If you have said "yes" to Jesus, asking him to renew your life, you now have the Holy Spirit resident in your life. As a result, you are welcomed into the family of God - and kids of the King have full access to the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

What does it mean to be adopted? The idea of adoption really means a change of family - you take on the identity of the family you are adopted into. There is not only a legal exchange of 'identity', but your new family embraces you, bringing you up as their own. The parent assumes the rights and responsibilities of raising the one being adopted. As we say "yes" to Jesus, our heavenly Father takes on the responsibility of bringing us up in his family. This means we don't remain unchanged - we are embraced into a family that loves us in spite of our differences, difficulties, and past. That's good news indeed!

Do you know one other benefit of adoption? We enter into open and honest discussion with our heavenly Father. We have open access to his listening ear. If you have ever been in relationship with someone who seems to love to talk, but does very little listening themselves, you know how incredibly frustrating this can be. Yes, God talks to us, but he also talks WITH us. He listens, responds, and listens again. Great parents have learned to listen to their children as much as they expect their children to listen to them. As we go through life, we have lots of right intentions, but a whole lot of wrong strategies. Isn't it heart-warming to know we have a heavenly Father who is willing to listen to our 'right intentions', and then help us figure out where our wrong strategies have created even more problems for us?

We aren't alone in our walk with Jesus. We not only have his Spirit within us helping us to talk with God, but we have been given a family of believers who are placed within our lives to help us learn this new family life together. Adoption begins with a change - then we begin to see our lives transformed as we taken on our new identity. We don't always feel like we have this new identity right away, probably because we have all these right intentions to live changed lives, but lots and lots of wrong strategies we have concocted to live as part of this new family. Thank goodness we have a heavenly Father who knows our intentions, listens to our frustrations, and helps us embrace our new family life in Christ Jesus. Just sayin!

I need you!

Good friend, follow your father's good advice; don't wander off from your mother's teachings. Wrap yourself in them from head to foot; wear them like a scarf around your neck. Wherever you walk, they'll guide you; whenever you rest, they'll guard you; when you wake up, they'll tell you what's next. For sound advice is a beacon, good teaching is a light, moral discipline is a life path. (Proverbs 6:20-23 MSG)

There are certainly those in society today that lack the good advice of a father (or a father who actually listens to any good advice) and the wise teachings of a mother (or a mother too caught up in herself to actually listen to others). Perhaps father or mother is actually absent from the scene - or simply totally not involved in the life of their children. Worse yet is that the parent was present to teach, but what was taught was continual abuse, absolute neglect, or total mistrust. Society today has not done a good job of representing the role of father and mother. There are homes torn apart by all kinds of selfish influence - leaving damaged children in their wake, kids wanting for this type of wise counsel and solid direction in their lives, but finding nothing of the sort.

It is heart-warming to recognize that God "sets us in families", many times simply to re-parent us where we have been parented poorly in the first place. That family he sets us in is our local church - an assembly of other believers, much like ourselves who draw strength from one another and grow in the graces of Christ right alongside the other. Within the local church, he brings us face-to-face with others who will help us walk this out on a daily basis - individuals who will invest in our lives. According to our passage today, we are to wrap ourselves in the teachings of our parents - allowing them to guide us, guard us, and tell us what to do next. If we have lacked "solid" parenting in the natural sense, we must focus on our "spiritual" parenting within the community of Christ to guide, guard, and assist us in our walk.

Our spiritual family is often the path by which we learn the meaning of true love and unconditional acceptance. It is often the place where we come to recognize the strength of open arms, the infusion of value that a positive word brings, and the emotional healing of an accepting nod of approval when words just aren't necessary. Our spiritual family is a refuge for us - a place of growth. No wonder God makes such an awesome provision for us by placing us in the local church and within close-knit relationships! There are three truths I'd like to elaborate on just a little. Our writer indicates that sound advice is a beacon, good teaching is a light, and moral discipline is a life path.

Sound advice - most of us would be quick to acknowledge that there is nothing more rewarding than to have received sound advice and to have acted on it. Sound advice is characterized as that which guides our action or conduct. Often, sound advice can be a warning designed to keep us from harm, or to redirect our course so that we avoid pitfalls along the way. It influences our thought and in turn, our actions. Good teaching has a similar function in our life with a subtle difference. Some of us have learned things throughout life that we need to be "re-schooled" about now that we are walking with Christ. We may have developed some pretty unnecessary actions and thought-patterns in our life experiences that we need to have exposed as self-centered, sinful, or just plain "dumb". The strength of good teaching is that it produces light - light gives exposure to that which is hidden. We find good teaching in those who are placed into our lives in our local church and other close-knit relationships. Heed their teaching well - whether it is in word or action - and see what the light will expose in your life.

Moral discipline is a little different - it carries the idea of being upright, ethical, and pure in our action. All action stems from thought - therefore, true moral action stems from true moral thought. Moral discipline is the desire and ability to keep the rules without being overly focused on the rules. Moral discipline is a life path - it is an understanding of the rules for right conduct and then the passionate pursuit of those rules that will produce that right conduct consistently in our walk. We cannot learn this kind of discipline alone - it takes a village! Therefore, we are placed into a family - to engage in this walk together and to hold each other accountable along the way. We each get a fresh start in Christ - including a fresh start on family. If your family was not "ideal" and the parenting you received was "less than perfect" - take heart. God has placed you where you will receive all you need for a life of godliness - you are placed into his family. Let's learn to turn toward the beacon of the good advice shared in the lives of those he has surrounded us with. We are each an example of God's love and grace in some manner - let's learn from each other as we grow in Christ! Just learnin!

To get or to serve?

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. (C.S. Lewis) 

He is the one who has helped us tell others about his new agreement to save them. We do not tell them that they must obey every law of God or die; but we tell them there is life for them from the Holy Spirit. The old way, trying to be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments, ends in death; in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives them life. (2 Corinthians 3:6 TLB)

As a child, mom or dad would instruct me to do something, perhaps a chore to be completed prior to going out to play. Whenever I was given this task, although the task was "reasonable", the effort it took to get it done so I could pursue what "I wanted" always seemed so huge. I wanted to ride bikes with the other neighborhood kids. I wanted to get out the Monopoly game and launch into an all day marathon to see who would amass millions. The things I "wanted" mattered to mom and dad, but helping me to see I had contributions to make to the family and that these contributions mattered just as much as doing what I "wanted" was a very important lesson for me to learn as a child. They were instilling a hard work ethic, helping me to see other needs outside of my own, and realizing there were things I would do all my life that would help to make a home for those I call family. In essence, by asking for my obedience ahead of my enjoyment, they were showing me that enjoyment begins as a result of obedience!

In religious circles, many a church-goer finds him or herself smack dab in the middle of this endless cycle of keeping rules for the sake of earning some "privilege" or "status". My chores were never to "earn me a place in the family", but rather to help me realize as a family we all contribute something of value that makes the family more robust as a result. Church-goers who merely "do" in order to earn are less likely to enjoy the privileges of "family life" because where is the enjoyment in doing? The keeping of rules doesn't make us a Christian - the enjoyment of being a member of God's family through grace does! The moment we realize "service" is an outflow of what has been done for us and not to help us do for ourselves, the more we will find enjoyment in serving. 

So many times we find ourselves coming back to the "keeping of rules" - forgetting that service stems from being loved, accepted, embraced into the family of God. We serve because of who we belong to, not in order to belong. Just sayin!

Finding your fit

For in the same way that one body has so many different parts, each with different functions; we, too—the many—are different parts that form one body in the Anointed One. Each one of us is joined with one another, and we become together what we could not be alone.  (Romans 12:4-5 VOICE)

I have shared before that I actually enjoy the challenge of assembling one of those "kits" of furniture you can buy these days to have a quick piece for your room.  They usually come with tons and tons of screws, little connecting devices, glue, nails, an occasional "special part" you have to figure out how to use, and instructions with varying degrees of actual "descriptors" to help you complete the project as it was designed.  On occasion, I have had to take apart something midway through because I didn't really follow the instructions all that closely.  I find a whole lot of effort screwing in of long screws in the "pre-drilled" holes goes completely "unappreciated" when the back is on the front of the project!  It is kind of like that in the family of God, too.  We can get a little too carried away with the way we "think things should be", expending a whole lot of effort getting them to the point we begin to see something take form in our corporate lives, then realize we might just have things "put together" in a little bit of a wrong manner.  The parts may have "fit" for a while, but in the end, you can see where they really weren't the correct fit in the first place. Rework is seldom the most enjoyable part of our process, but that "reset" actually helps us get things as they should be!

We are all "parts", working to fit into the whole.  As parts, we make up a unique function within the lives of those around us - we possess a purpose unique to our character, talent, and spiritual development.  We truthfully can attempt to fulfill someone else's role for a long, long time, but if we are not the "part" meant to fit into that role, all the effort we may exert will be good, but it won't be great!  It won't be as it could be - because someone else was meant to fit into that role.  As a leader for many years in the healthcare industry, I hired a lot of staff.  Some "fit", others didn't. They all interviewed well, showed potential of some sort, and even displayed the character traits I was looking for.  Yet, when they attempted to fit into the group they'd be working with, the fit just wasn't right.  Was I wrong to hire them?  Not always.  Sometimes the group needed a little "shaking up" to get things moving in the right direction again.  At other times, I was right in the selection, but not in the placement I gave that individual.  When I restructured what they did in the team, it made all the difference.  Did I ever make a totally wrong hire?  You bet!  Those individuals just never did fit as they should and as a result, they have a fit somewhere else!

In a practical sense, we all have a "fit" in God's family.  Finding that fit is kind of hard sometimes.  Someone will attempt to make us fit here or there, but we will just not find the fit all that rewarding and it may even be a little hard for us to be in that place.  When I was coming through Bible College, one of my professors encouraged me to volunteer to work in the children's ministry - not with kids who could walk and talk, but with nursery aged infants!  I love babies, don't get me wrong here, but I couldn't do that forever!  In fact, I did it, but I knew my "fit" wasn't there.  It took me about two years to finally admit I really didn't have much passion for the placement.  When I realized my first really "right" placement was when I entered into working with the youth at my church.  Those guys and gals were a handful, challenging me time and time again, but making me a more honest, credible, and deliberate Christian in the process!  They asked me tough questions about why I believed what I believed - making me take a close look at whether I did so because someone told me to believe that way, or because I had come to the place of assurance myself.  They questioned my authenticity, helping me to reveal a side of me I had kept hidden for years - helping me be "genuine".  I had found my fit.

We may need to kind of try something out a couple of times to see if it is our "fit".  I now when I take these pieces out of the box in the process of assembling the furniture I have to lay them in similar piles of pieces, then I hold them up, compare them to the diagram, and then see how they fit when held up to the other piece.  If the holes don't line up, the grooves seem to be in the wrong place, or the illustration looks totally different to how I am holding them, I have to adjust my hold on those pieces.  Sometimes the kindest thing to do for another in the family of God is allow them to be adjusted into the place they finally realize their "perfect fit".  Just sayin!

A colony of families

There are times you just read over stuff in the scriptures and totally miss what is being said.  You can do this year after year, without even "getting" something. I kind of think this may be on purpose because God has a season and a specific time for certain things to catch our attention.  In those moments, he pours something into our lives by sometimes even the shortest of passages. What we do with what God gives us is ours to determine - he can provide the feeding, but he cannot force feed us.  He can spoon feed us, but he doesn't cram it down our throats!  One thing is for sure - remain open to what he provides and you will have your "fill" of good things and "stuff" you can actually use in your own life!  Did you ever stop to consider for just a moment how much "scripture" is declared in the things around you, not just in the written words between those leather bindings you call a Bible?  It is true, for even the heavens tell of his glory and the world of nature all around you bespeaks the creator's power, honor, and majesty.  Sometimes all that is needed is for us to just sit back a little and take it all in - contemplating his greatness in the expanse of what we behold.

The heavens tell about the glory of God. The skies announce what his hands have made. Each new day tells more of the story, and each night reveals more and more about God’s power. You cannot hear them say anything.  They don’t make any sound we can hear. But their message goes throughout the world. Their teaching reaches the ends of the earth.(Psalm 19:1-2 ERV)

My BFF and I have discovered the little ground hogs are back in the field behind our hospital.  It seems like we see them each year and then all of a sudden, it is like they are gone.  I don't know if they hibernate, move to different parts of the field, or what, but they are there now and we are enjoying them.  There are lots and lots of wee ones, not much bigger around than my thumb, but cute as a button.  We happened on them this year quite by accident, but were both bowled away by the tiny one who came running up to us, actually approaching within just a couple feet of us, obviously looking to see if we had brought them anything good.  It is kind of like the ducks at the park, feed one and the entire flock zooms in.  This tiny critter left a little disappointed that first day, but we have been out there at least 3 times a week since then with left-over morsels, fruit, and the like.  We just sit down on the bench and watch them come out of the various burrows scattered around the shade of the trees and under bushes here and there.  We even have named the "communities" similar to those around us - like that set of burrows is Apache Junction, the other is Cave Creek, and the ones closest to us are Mesa!  So as the "families" emerge, we welcome them from their "township"!

As I stop to consider their little lives, I see just how fragile they are, but also how resilient the can be.  They are tiny, but mighty.  With those tiny little feet, they carve out vast tunnels, inter-related communities, entering one place and emerging in just seconds at a totally different location.  They can scamper with quickness akin to race car drivers going from zero to sixty in under a few seconds.  Yet, they are also constantly attentive to their environment - scouting for those birds who might swoop in and carry away their young.  They must compete for their food, with grackles and black birds and sparrows zeroing in on anything left for them to feed upon.  Their constant "hunt" for food is unending, emerging in the coolness of the morning, the stillness of the evening, and likely the cover of darkness to gather seed pods falling from the mesquite trees. When we come along, there may not be one in sight, but when we call for them, one emerges, then two, and then you hear these tiny high-pitched little cries. Within minutes, the older ones emerge, followed by the tiniest of the colonies.  Each sits at attention, awaiting the treat of the day.

We are kind of like those wee creatures - buried deep in the "regular" part of our days, not really aware of what is going on around us, until all of a sudden we catch a glimpse of something good.  In just that short moment of time, our worlds can change.  We can go from being absorbed in the day-after-day existence we are enduring into the delights of something magnificent and totally unexpected.  Yesterday, we took them cherries.  A couple of days before that, we took them grapes, and even an orange.  It was comical to see them race hither and yon, gathering up their new-found treats, and even more comical to see the wee ones hold them in their front paws and chow down.  The "good stuff" is constantly different for them - just as it is for us.  We can count on one thing - God isn't boring!  He delights in giving us new things in new ways, but really their are simply "old things" reborn in a way we just don't fully understand.  

As we sat there a couple days this week, the humidity was high, but the clouds in the sky were delightful.  Big, fluffy, and filled with rain!  June isn't usually a wet month in the Phoenix area, so we are delighted with even the "prospect" of rain!  Those clouds filled the sky, drifted by and changed shape with such rapid succession, that we just pondered them for a while.  Just like kids on a lazy summer afternoon, my BFF and I just sat their gazing into the skies.  Anyone coming by must have thought we were a little strange - feeding the wee critters, talking with them, and then gazing into the vastness of the skies.  I don't know what was running through the head of my companion as much as I do know what was deep within my heart.  There was an appreciation for the smallest of blessings in life - the simplicity of enjoying God's creation spurring the recounting of the blessings of family (as I observed the ground hogs scurrying about), the treasure of friendship (as I sat in companionable silence with my BFF), and the greatness of grace (as I looked into the highest of heavens and considered the awesomeness of our Creator God).

You don't have to look far to see the greatness of God declared, my friends. Sometimes all you need to do is stop long enough to look!  Just sayin!

A carpenter of sorts

I have written about ants before, but this morning, I'd like to write about the carpenter ant. These are small creatures, but they have such skill at constructing their homes that they have been labeled as "carpenters" simply because of this skill.  Actually, these are some of the larger ants we find in the world, not at all like the wee ones which might invade our cupboards in search of a sugar trail.  These "little guys" are hard to miss!   Their call to fame is that of building their homes not in the dirt, but out of wood.  Most scientists will tell you they are referred to as "excavator" ants because of how much they do to "excavate" old fallen trees and such at the base of the forest floor.  In reality, these little guys can do as significant damage to your home as they can to the fallen tree.  They aren't all that particular about the wood they choose to "excavate"!  Scripture tells us to "learn by watching the ants" simply because their are some predominately "well-organized" teamwork and a pretty significant "volume" of work these little guys are able to accomplish.  If we consider for just a moment how this teamwork allows them to prosper and multiply, we might just have learned the first lesson God intended - we need each other!

You lazy people can learn by watching an anthill. Ants don’t have leaders, but they store up food during harvest season. (Proverbs 6:6-8 CEV)

On this earth four things are small but very wise: Ants, who seem to be feeble, but store up food all summer long... (Proverbs 30:24-25 CEV)

These are rather large ants, sometimes measuring as big as 1/2 inch long.  Even the smaller ants in this colony are "large" compared to other types of ants.  Their size might just give them a special "talent" other ants don't possess, but it also makes them more "recognizable". It is hard to miss them and especially when there is a large colony of them.  God's people are kind of like that - even the "smallest" worker in the "colony" being hard to miss simply because of the evidence of Jesus in their lives (the real thing which gives us our prominence in life).

Two types of worker ants actually are "sterile" - they don't reproduce, but they serve a very specific role in the colony.  They are referred to as major and minor workers.  The major workers actually defend the nest and spend their time on the lookout for food they can return to the nest.  The minor workers are busy most of the time with the care of the young. They are the "nanny" ants, so to speak.  Their role is to nurture the life of the wee ones in the nest.  Another reason why God may have asked us to learn from the ants - we all have roles, none more significant than the other, but all specifically designed to maintain the "nest" and ensure "life" is brought forth for future generations.

They prefer moist wood - maybe because it easier to excavate.  This is probably why they like the fallen wood - it is already a little decaying and easier to sink their "teeth" into.  It is this higher "water content" of the wood which actually brings the ants into the wood.  This wood "home" provides the perfect shelter for the laying of their eggs.  As the colony grows in size, the wood structure is carved out more and more to make room for the expanse of the colony. As we stop for a moment to consider this characteristic of the carpenter ant, we might find God is nudging us to be sure we have a place of shelter for the young about to be hatched. The exact building is not the church - it is the place wherein the young may be born and nurtured to adulthood - becoming active participants in their "colony" of other believers.

As the young are hatched, the Queen actually feeds the young from her very own mouth. She has partially digested what she gives them - it is sweet and very nourishing to their wee bodies.  As they are born, the larvae of the ants lack legs - there is no way for them to forage for food on their own.  They need it prepared, delivered, and actually "spoon fed" to them. This is not unlike the newborn Christian - hungry for more and more of the sweetness of God's grace - they yearn for the "spoon feedings" of those who are appointed to care for them as they are nurtured to adulthood.

Something amazing I found out about these ants is their tendency to forage for their food in the night hours.  They actually "go on the hunt" at night, using both chemical trails and "night vision" to help them navigate their trails to and from the nest.  They use the reflected light of the moon to actually orient themselves to their environment.  God doesn't ask us to take light into the light.  He asks us to take light into the darkness.  He doesn't leave us out their on our own, but reflects the light of his amazing glory for us to see the trail to the exact source he designed for us to follow.  

The carpenter ant - consider him well.  He isn't alone in this world.  He is continually about the task of bringing new growth about.  His work is never done.  He is faithful to do what he is designed to do.  His place of growth is in the nest, not on his own.  His "family" is what assures he is well-protected, well-nourished, and well-established in his walk in life.  He finds resources in the night hours and is not afraid to be in the darkness, for he knows the potential of further growth as a result.  Consider the ants, my friends.  Just ponderin!

A little lesson from the ants

Okay, today's lesson may seem a little bit like a biology lesson, or a study into insects, but bear with me as we take this journey.  Ants are social creatures - living in colonies and not out there all alone.  In this respect, they are kind of like us humans - doing much better in a "colony" of sorts than trying to make it through this life all alone.  I marvel at how these tiny creatures figured this out when they only have about 250,000 brain cells and we humans cannot figure this out with our greater than 10,000,000 brain cells!  Deep within the colonies of ants, the worker ants spend all day moving the unborn larvae closer to the surface so they can get the heat of the day, but then faithfully move those same larvae deeper into the nest so they can be warmer.  It is a repeated process until the tiny larvae hatch.  Other ants will work all day gathering food for the colony - carrying weights twenty times their own body weight back to the colony to ensure the colony thrives.  Still others will carry in tiny bits of leaves, providing small pieces of "barricade" material to ensure the tunnels of the nests can be protected against water in times of rain. Another group of ants work for move the chunks of soil to the surface, creating new tunnels in which food may be stored, larvae laid, and the like.  There is this sense of duty to look out for the colony - to do their part to create the right environment to ensure the colony survives.

You lazy people can learn by watching an anthill. Ants don’t have leaders, but they store up food during harvest season. How long will you lie there doing nothing at all? When are you going to get up and stop sleeping? Sleep a little. Doze a little. Fold your hands and twiddle your thumbs. Suddenly, everything is gone, as though it had been taken by an armed robber. (Proverbs 6:6-11 CEV)

We often know we have a "part" to play in the bigger "picture" of life, but we are often quite confused as to what that part may be.  If we were honest about this, we probably know, but we just don't fully embrace it.  Most of the time, the "part" we are called to play is not outside of what we are most comfortable doing.  In other words, we "fall into" our "duties" in life because of a certain comfort level, or "aptitude".  

Did you know that ants have five eyes? Yet, in spite of their "capacity" for vision, they see very poorly!  Two big eyes, known as compound eyes, help them see motion around them. Three smaller eyes, known as ocelli, actually help the tiny ant sense light intensity.  They detect motion and "feel" or "sense" light.  Five eyes - the capacity for vision - but the vast majority of ants are either using them for "motion sensors", "heat detectors", or they are totally blind!  

We humans have been the capacity for "sight" in many different ways, haven't we?  We can take in information, form a "picture" of it in our brains and then interpret we are looking at a red rose.  We can see light, apprehend darkness, and points in between.  Yet, I have to ask - is our vision any better than the ants?  Do we use what we can appreciate through out "sight"?  Even these tiny ants know their part to play in the colony - despite their limited vision.  They use what they know and rely on it being the right thing for them to be doing.  Sometimes I think we just need to use what we know to be true about our "aptitude" in life, not being so confused by all we "see"!

The ants are probably one of the oldest living creatures - making scientists think they are pretty well "adapted" for their environment.  I wonder how well adapted some of us are? Do we fulfill our calling where we find ourselves today?  Or are we always looking for another colony in which we may realize our "true calling" in life?  If we were to be truthful with each other, we "know" our calling, but we just don't think we are in the right place to actually do what it is we are called to do, or we are too intimidated by others doing the same task!  We need to be about the work we are created to do - not always looking for another place to do it!

Ants have two stomachs - one for the food they will ingest for themselves, and one for the feeding of other ants.  They even have a smaller pocket in their mouth where they can store additional food for other ants.  If we stop for a moment to consider this phenomena, we might just see how it can apply to how we fulfill our mission in our "colony" of sorts.  The food stored in the tiny pocket in the mouth is immediately available to provide for the one who is hungry and in need of nourishment to keep going.  The food in the second stomach is there to bring out at a later time.  Kind of like when we store up truths we are taught, keeping God's Word at the ready in times of immediate need and then having it hidden deeper within, to be called upon whenever and wherever it is needed!

Consider the ants and you might find a lesson or two you can take to heart.  One more before I go today - the worker ant and the trail he leaves for those who will come behind. The worker ant sets out in search of food - leaving a trail of scent others may follow.  If he finds a good source for their food, he follows the trail back to the colony and sets other worker ants on the course of following the same trail back to the food source.  This becomes the "highway" by which they will travel over and over again, until all the colony benefits from the discovery of one ant's hard work.  I think our "colonies" may be made the richer if we were to lead others to the "food" of our hard study and lessons learned.  What do you think? Just askin!

You have family?

There are times when the time it takes to engage in what you might see as "necessary" confrontation is sometimes just not worth it, or it seems to come back to reflect badly on you somehow.  These are usually the times when you are attempting to say something to someone just not willing to hear anything which might be shared - especially if it is against whatever they are thinking at the moment.  In those times, it is almost better to hold your peace than to attempt to engage in any kind of "confrontation" with them.  Why?  They aren't going to hear you!  Their mind is set - their attitude is determined - their choices have been made.  No amount of "help" from us is going to change the one who just cannot accept they need "help" in the first place! The cynic sees all "outside" help as really being offered from some kind of selfish motivation - believing no one could be interested in the outcome of another's life unless there was something the "helper" could benefit from as a result.  It can be tremendously frustrating to know you have insight which will change something for someone if they will just embrace it, but they are just too set in their ways to see things any differently than the plan they have set into motion in their minds.  In those moments, we just need to step back, continue to hold the individual up in prayer before God, but save our words - they won't be heard anyway.

If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you’ll get slapped in the face; confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins.  So don’t waste your time on a scoffer; all you’ll get for your pains is abuse.  But if you correct those who care about life, that’s different—they’ll love you for it! Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know—they’ll profit from it.  Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God.  It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen.  Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life; mock life and life will mock you. (Proverbs 9:7-12 MSG)

We need to become "skilled" at living - something we gain through developing a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus.  The wise seem to delight in what it is you can offer into their lives - so your "breath" is better served assisting them grow closer in their relationship with Jesus than it would be in trying to talk sense into a fool.  The difference between the fool and the wise is their willingness to embrace the truth when it is shared.  The fool has a hard time seeing any truth outside of their own mindset - as good or as flawed as that mindset may be - they are sticking to it because they know it and are comfortable with it.  Don't try to figure out the foolish - they will repeat the same mistakes, engage in the same destructive behaviors, and never once think there is any link between the way they have set their minds and the outcome of their actions.  The only one to "connect the dots" for the fool is God himself - he has to change their heart in order to begin to affect their minds.  Heart change is a matter best left up to God himself - we just live as positive examples and then pray like crazy for their heart change.

So, where is it we should invest our wisdom?  Isn't it clear that our wisdom is best shared with those who will embrace it?  Those desiring to see their life deepen are open to embracing the wisdom of truth applied in the life of another.  They see the hope of a changed life as something to be embraced, not shunned because they believe there is an ulterior motive behind it.  God doesn't give us wisdom to hold up just for ourselves - in fact, he intends for us to share it with those who will benefit from it right along with us!  To learn a truth is one thing - to put it into application in our lives and see our lives changed as a result is another.  To share both the truth and the potential of change it affords is the call upon each of our lives.  God doesn't ask for us to be stingy with the grace we have been given, but to give it away over and over again until all who can benefit from it have had a chance to grab hold and make it their own.  Unfortunately, the foolish don't always see the potential in truth embraced, so don't spend all your time trying to "convince" them of the truth.  The Holy Spirit has that job - yours is just to live as an example and then to uphold the foolish before God in prayer.

Instruct the wise and they will grow wiser.  Teach the righteous and they will learn even more.  Maybe this is the power of small groups - the wise and the righteous coming together to receive instruction and teaching.  We cannot underestimate the wisdom in what we have learned by practical application of the truth of God in our lives.  Each revelation and subsequent victory in our lives is not just a potential place of rejoicing - it is a potential opportunity for another to latch onto something they have been searching for in their own lives.  For a long time, I didn't see the importance of small groups, but I do now.  I understand the accountability factor, but I also understand the potential growth afforded when real people come together in real settings and just remain "real".  At church, we tend to put on our "pretty church faces" and make it look like we have life by the tail.  In our homes, it may be quite a different face we display and if we were truthful, we feel like life is biting at our tail!  The small group experience is a place where we can let our guard down and get real with others.

Another alternative to the small group experience is the development of a couple of close relationships where you can hold each other accountable.  It has to be the kind of relationship where you can be yourself, complete with your fears and failures, without fear.  Either small group relationships, or these close friendships can function as accountability relationships.  Some may be more comfortable at first with getting truthfully honest with one before they launch into the group experience.  Both help us to grow when we make a point of committing to each other, praying for each other, sharing the Word, and then living as examples of grace in the other person's life.  We have to find what works for us - they commit to it.  The wise find great value in this type of accountability - knowing having this kind of "sounding board" and "feedback loop" is important.  Small groups and accountability relationships do more than merely share the Word of God over coffee and snacks - they build family relationships!  In a world where family is sometimes not very well valued, or very well "constructed", maybe we underestimate the potential of these relationships.  Nothing helps us grow more than to be true to who we are, allowing the life of another touch ours deeply, and then grow in the truth together.  Just sayin!

Your home country

If you have ever traveled abroad, you know how awesome it feels to just "come home".  The differences you experience when you are in an unfamiliar country range from what you use for transportation, what you eat, to how you communicate.  There are also the differences in dress, living conditions, and weather, just to name a few.  By the end of your "trip", you find yourself settling down into the security and safety of "being home".  When we come to Christ, entering into his family, we find ourselves assuming a new home, much in the way Ruth assumed a new home when she chose to stay with Naomi many years ago (Ruth 1:16-17).  Yet, this "new home country" is not a burden to us because we have pledged our lives to the one whose home it is!   

This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.  (Ephesians 2:19-22 MSG)

This kingdom of faith is NOW your home country.  When we make this transition into the "kingdom of faith", it requires a separation from the former place of "residence" we each knew.  In other words, we detach from the old and attach to the new.  If you have ever tried sewing patches on the old in order to make it last a little longer, you know it works to "cover over" the holes in the old, but it sure doesn't present a very strong or pretty package. The old needs to be just that - old.  I think we get confused about this in today's society which emphasizes the importance of "recycling" things.  We used to just throw away old newspapers - now we turn them into insulation, shred them for compost, etc.  We keep them around, just in different forms than they once had - kind of like we try to clean up the old and hope it fits into the new home we NOW live in.  The issue comes in trying to hold onto the old - our old isn't meant to be recycled - it is meant to be a thing of our past.

No longer strangers or outsiders - we'd call this being an "insider".  We BELONG in this new "home country".  In a society which genuinely strives to just "belong" somewhere, without judgment or ridicule, isn't it amazing that we don't readily step into this place where we "belong"?  We struggle with this transition from old into new, all the while just yearning to "belong". God has already declared we "belong" - in his Kingdom - because of our relationship with is Son, Jesus Christ.  When we "belong", we get this sense of being "properly placed".  I love those pictures where you are challenged to find the things which do not belong in the photo.  In fact, I regularly play those type of games on the computer - it challenges my mind.  What I am looking for are things which don't actually seem to be properly placed - they don't "belong".  When we look at ourselves, I wonder if we see ourselves as "properly placed" in God's Kingdom, or if we are still viewing ourselves as outsiders?

God is the builder and his purpose is to build a home - not with bricks and mortar - but with each of us.  Regardless of how we found ourselves being brought into his family, we are specifically "fit together" to build his Kingdom. I may be a square brick, you might be oblong, and another might have a few curved edges - yet in God's unique way, he has a purpose for each of us. None of us is without a "perfect fit".  At first, when you look at the diversity of those God brings into this family we might think there is no way this oddly incongruent group of individuals could ever find a "fit" together.  In fact, I need your strengths and you need mine; I need to appreciate what you lend to the structure of this family, and you need to see what I also afford.  As we begin to look less at whether it is possible for us to ever find our "fit" and more at those God has "fit" us together with, we might just begin to see how uniqueness isn't what defines us, but what lends beauty to the whole.

A cornerstone unites two points of a wall - giving strength and stability to the wall because of this "plumb" uniting it affords.  Christ does this in his church - uniting what otherwise might just be at odds with each other; giving stability to what might otherwise be continually at the risk of being broken down and easily crumbled.  You don't lay the cornerstone last - you lay it first.  It is the starting point for the building to begin.  Start a wall without a cornerstone and you find you cannot "join" it together with another wall, even though that wall looks similar or has similar building materials as its basis.  The cornerstone is pivotal to the joining together and stability of the whole.  Reject the cornerstone and whatever is built will be of no great worth!  

We find ourselves brought into a new family - given a new "home country". There we find potential to be "built together" - but we have to get beyond focusing so much on the differences in the "stones".  We are called to make a clean break with the old country - the old way of living - in order to embrace the new.  It will never do to just recycle the old in an attempt to make the new - it needs to be left in the "old country" so we can fully adapt and learn to grow within the new!  Just sayin!

What's in a family?

If you haven't figured out by now, God's plan is for us to get into family relationship and learn to grow there.  Now, we have all kinds of family relationships, don't we?  For some, their own biologic family may be a little bit of a challenge because it is somewhat dysfunctional.  For others, their main "family" is that of the extended kind - those who are closest to them in kindred spirit, but not necessarily in a biologic sense.  God has one more "family" he focuses on a whole lot and this is the family he places us in to grow spiritually - the fellowship of others believers in Christ.  For some, this is found in their local church, while others may find this closeness in a small group or at a local support meeting.  Regardless of where we "find" this family relationship, it is important for our health and well-being as children of God.

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.  (Ephesians 3:14-19 MSG)

It is within "family" that we truly learn to relate to one another.  No other type of relationship demands so much of our effort than that of "family".  If you have a dysfunctional family, you know what I mean.  If you have a dysfunctional family, you may spend a great deal of effort trying to change some element of the dysfunction.  God's idea of how we move from dysfunction to close family relationships is a little different than we might think.  It is a myth to believe God works by "redesigning" or "remodeling" our dysfunction.  His main goal is not to "remodel", but to make new.  

Galations 2:20 tells us, "My old self has been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (NLT) God is all about making things new - not just making us some "fixer-upper" project.  We live an exchanged life, not just one which is fixed up.  So many times we focus on what needs to be fixed rather than asking God to make it new.  If you don't think there is a difference, try a little experiment.  Get a stale piece of bread.  You can wrap it in a moist paper towel, stick it in the microwave for a few seconds and "reinstill" a little moisture into the bread.  At best, you have moist stale bread!  It isn't fresh bread right from the oven, but rather "fixed up" bread!

Sometimes I think we focus on going to church, being part of a small group, or a member of a support group because we want a place to learn something new, but we don't shed the old when taking on the new.  The truth is, as long as we hold onto the dysfunction in any part of our "family" lives, we will always know dysfunction in some form or another.  It is in placing ourselves in those places where we might learn how to shed the unwanted dysfunction that we have the greatest opportunity to actually embrace the new as the way we come to relate within "family".

In God's economy, he puts his seed in us in the form of his Son's divine grace - not to "overgrow" our dysfunction, but to allow a brand new creation to blossom.  I am so glad God is not put off by the dysfunction of our lives.  In fact, he embraces us WITH that dysfunction!  In the connection of his embracing us exactly as we are, we come to a place of learning to relate to him exactly as we are.  To some, this is a strange concept because they cannot see approaching a holy God in their total dysfunction.  Truth is, he already embraced ALL that dysfunction when he put his hand on our lives in the first place.  If we think we have to "pretty up" our dysfunction so we can relate to him or within his family, we have a warped perception of how God's family works.

God's family is made up of a whole lot of dysfunctional people - just like you, just like me.  No one of us is without our dysfunctional moments or habits.  In his family, we have the ability to come "as we are" and are allowed the "space" to have his seeds of grace grow within until they come to a place of full maturity within us.  He doesn't just "pluck away" our dysfunction, but instead, he replaces it by his tender care with new growth and tender shoots of mercy.  The place he chooses to focus on this growth is in family.  To be outside of "family" is to be outside of the place of his purpose.  

So, the next time you complain about the dysfunction of one of your "families", remember this - God's purpose is to make new what our selfish sinfulness has made pretty dysfunctional.  It is as we "plant our feet solidly" within the family he places us within that we can begin to live exchanged lives.  It is there we learn what it truthfully means to love one another.  It is there we learn the value of stabilizing relationships.  It is there we come into contact with the hope of newness rather than the frustration of "fixed up" members.  Just sayin!

Running with all ya got!

Did you ever stop to think about what it means to be "spirit-begotten"?  I have taken a couple of opportunities to focus on this idea of being "begotten" and just what "family line" has to do with the type of person we are declared to be.  Notice I said "declared to be".  If we are to be the type of people we are declared to be, we have to stop walking in the old patterns and start walking in the new.  For example, if a prisoner is to be set free from a jail cell after 20 years in confinement, he must learn what it like to have freedoms of his own.  He doesn't have the same degree of restrictions his bondage kept him in.  He has new freedoms which he may pursue - not just think about.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.  (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV)

In examining this passage today, I see a call to live a different "type" of life than we did without Christ.  In fact, there is a call to live:

- Energetically - "let's run the race".  In a physical race, we need energy to keep running, don't we?  Energetic is suggestive of possessing vigor, the ability to make an effect.  It carries the idea of being active and able to be exerted to the fullest point.  Vigor is what gives the runner the intensity, or inner strength to run.  When force is exerted against the runner, such as fatigue, the runner possesses a certain ability to press beyond the exertion - putting themselves out there just a little bit more.

- Ordered - "the race that is laid out in front of us".  Seldom do you see a runner get up in the morning, don his running shoes, and then just set off in some random direction.  In fact, he has an awareness of the course he will take - probably scoping it out in advance and measuring distance, terrain, etc.  We run an ordered race - one set out for us in various ways.  First, it is set out in the Word of God.  The Word defines the course, describes the terrain, and gives us awareness of the obstacles in our path.  Second, we have an example of another "runner" to keep us focused on the track ahead - Christ.  If his example and his Word are not enough, we have the Holy Spirit as our "coach" to keep us running in an ordered, and consistent manner.  It is not a course we define on our own - it is defined by God.

- With perseverance - "run with perseverance".  The race requires the willingness to persist.  This type of willingness does not come from the mind - it comes from the inner man.  Despite the "state" we encounter, there is a stability and determination on the inside which will not be affected by what we see on the outside.  There is always opposition in a race, isn't there?  There is always some kind of obstacle in the path.  No matter the opposition or the obstacle, there is an inner determination which spurs us on.  Some call this commitment.  I'd like us to consider this to be a choice - to be actively obedient to the calling we possess.

- Focused - "fixing our eyes on Jesus".  In a race, energy waxes and wanes.  The tugs of the physical man sometimes want to outdo the commitment of the inner spiritual man.  Our bodies tire, but our spirit is committed.  Why?  Simply because of the focus we maintain.  The focus of our eye always determines the course of our life.  

- Motivated - "the pioneer and perfecter of faith".  When we see value in something, there is a motivation to pursue it, isn't there?  For example, if you go to the doctor and hear you must lose weight and control your diet because your cholesterol is at an unhealthy level, you are experiencing high blood pressures, and your blood sugars are elevated, you might be more determined than when you simply had to buy a bigger size of slacks.  If you couple this with the knowledge of both parents dying at younger ages, you might see by the example and interpret by the warning signs, you need to change!  There is a motivation created by the value we place on the example and the signs.  We are told to place Christ in front as our example.  We are told to explore scripture to interpret the signs.  Motivation comes as we keep these two in focus.

- Unencumbered - "let us throw off everything that hinders".  There are a lot of things in this life which "weigh us down" in the race, aren't there?  We have thoughts which we just cannot seem to break free of.  There are choices we make which load guilt and shame upon us.  The apathy of the years in which we remained inactive have also slowed us down.  The writer tells us to "throw these off" - they hinder, therefore, they are weights.  The hardest part of running is in knowing what to leave behind!  

The good news is the family into which we have been "begotten".  We are "begotten" into a family of "runners".  The example before us is Christ.  The runners in the race are just like us - complete with the baggage they must lay aside, struggling with getting the "values" right, and learning to commit with their entire being.  We don't run alone!  We are in a "family" of runners!  Isn't that good to know?  So, let us run with perseverance the race set out before us, not encumbered by the weights of this world, but focused on the glory set out before us.  Run with all ya got!  I hope to see you at the finish line right alongside me!  Just sayin!