Keep me safe

We can seek refuge in a great many things, such as our bank accounts, but I heard a report just the other day indicating that Americans once reported they felt 'secure' when they were making six figures - today they only feel secure when that 'six figures' is upwards of a quarter-million a year! The average worker goes into a new job interview expecting to make upwards of around $78,000 annually - up $5,000 from the previous year. If we haven't learned by now, our refuge is not in a bank accounts or retirement funds. It is found in God alone - all other 'placement of trust' is like taking refuge in a cardboard box in the midst of a hurricane!

Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” (Psalm 16:1-2)

Put your trust in money, and you soon find you are spending a whole lot of time and energy working to get money, thinking about money, and talking about how to make or get more money. The one who trusts in God will spend his time and energy building a relationship with God, thinking about God, and talking about God about how to get a bit closer to him each day. Where is it we place our trust? If our sense of security come from something in this world, we are going to find ourselves sorely disappointed when those things ultimately fail us. 

The thing we might miss in this passage is that our refuge actually requires us developing this relationship with God. Following Jesus means we put our trust in him - nothing else. We don't even consider a 'fallback' plan when we are seeking God this way. We see no other alternative 'place' or 'thing' in which there will be any form of 'refuge' (safety, protection, provision). If you think about it, Jesus will the Lord no matter how we think of him. He is Lord above all, but we need to make him Lord of all in our lives. What God looks for from each of us is more than 'lip service' to his rulership over our lives. 

If we don't always feel we have a refuge (that safe place), maybe it is because we have committed our lives to something other than this relationship with Christ. You may have said 'yes' to Jesus, but what do you reveal each and every day in the way you 'use your day'? Is your first attention directed toward him, or something else? Do you find it is the furthest thing from your mind to actually pray and read his Word, or do you long for those times together? Your true 'refuge' becomes apparent when you consider just how much Jesus' grace and presence really mean to you. If you want true safety, seek God first. Your refuge is in him, nothing else. Just sayin!

Not just barely free

I have to admit - at times I keep score. Not so much in your life, but in mine. I keep score of the things I do that are right steps toward a healthier lifestyle. I keep score of the steps I take in a day by wearing a smart watch. These are pretty 'harmless' things to keep score of in our lives, but when we start to 'keep score' of times we fail to take the right steps, we are doing just the opposite of what Christ does on our behalf. God doesn't 'chalk one up' on our 'account of misdeeds' just because we make a bad choice. We don't earn merits and demerits in some 'heavenly accounting system'. Prayer, going to church, reading our Bible - good actions, but they don't 'even out' the score when we do dumb stuff! In fact, it isn't about evening out any score - it is about all the demerits going away because God only sees the side of us that reflects the 'merits' of Christ!

Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. (Ephesians 1:9-10)

The good news we are looking at today is this idea of living more than 'just barely free'. I once read the story of how the circus trained the large elephants to 'stay' where they were supposed to stay. At first, they drove long stakes into the ground and secured the back leg of the elephant to the stake with a length of chain. It allowed the elephant to maneuver just so much, then it would feel the tug to not go any further. In time, the more the elephant got used to the 'distance' they could go while secured to the chain, the less the elephant resisted or pulled against the chain. As time went on, the chains became unnecessary because the elephant learned the 'distance' he was allowed to maneuver and he stayed put.

I kind of look at God's plan for our lives as kind of 'restrictive' at first. As new Christians, we look at all the 'rules' it seems we are supposed to live by - some 'rules' such as go to church, read your Bible, have a 'quiet time' with Jesus every day aren't particularly onerous 'rules' per se, but then there are the ones we struggle with a little bit more that present a little bit of a 'tug' that 'restricts' us somewhat. They kind of rub us the wrong way at first. I could elaborate on a lot of those things people consider God's 'rules', but I will just look at a couple to make this point. 

The 'rule' to turn the other cheek comes to mind - one that is harder to do in the moment when all we want to do is defend ourselves or retaliate. Why are we told to turn the other cheek? It represents the grace of God - when least deserved, totally unearned, grace is given. The 'rule' to 'forgive seventy times seven' is not just designed to 'keep the peace' in relationship. It is exemplary of the unconditional love of God. These are more than 'rules' - at first, they are like the 'chain' that holds the elephant - harder for us than we might like it to be. The more we allow those 'rules' to guide our actions, the less we notice there is even a 'rule' being kept. It becomes our way of life. 

We don't live 'bound' in Christ, even when we find ourselves 'keeping the rules'. We have learned the value of remaining within the 'boundaries' set by those 'rules'. The distance we can go without getting outside of those rules isn't what matters, it is that we remain securely in the place of safety those 'rules' create for us. The elephant doesn't notice he is no longer chained - he just enjoys being safe where he is placed and lives to the fullest right where he stands. Maybe we need to take a lesson from the elephant today - live more than 'just barely free' constantly chafing against the 'rules' - learn to appreciate those rules are just there for our safety and provision. Just sayin!

Not just another net

Keep on working to complete your salvation with fear and trembling, because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:12-13)

What work goes into 'completing' our salvation? Isn't everything complete in Christ? Isn't that what we are told in scripture - that his work on the Cross took care of all of our sin and made us right with God again? If this be the case, what 'work' do we have to engage in so that we will have a 'complete' salvation? I think we sometimes get 'salvation' mixed up in our minds as an 'action' done for us by another and nothing we have to do for ourselves. In a sense, this is correct. Salvation was accomplished by Christ and Christ alone. There is no other sacrifice that needs to be offered to make man right with God again. We do have to say "yes" to Jesus, though. We have to welcome him into our lives and begin to make choices directed and encouraged by his Holy Spirit who lives within. This is where the 'work' begins! We have to engage with the Spirit of God within us to no longer live according to our wants and wishes. Salvation involves a change in leadership - there is a changing of the guard, so to speak. A new ruler is on the throne and a new 'sentry' stands guard over our hearts and minds. 

When the 'exchange' of sin for grace begins to occur in our lives, we feel a sense of relief, almost like when we take off some tight shoes or jeans that barely buttoned. We get 'breathing room' given back to us in some sort of strange way. It isn't 'breathing room' or 'wiggle room' we can just use as we want to, though. Salvation makes us feel liberated, but liberated people still cannot live as they please. There are 'rules' and 'boundaries' inside which we live our liberated lives. If we take our liberty to the extreme and just do whatever appeals to us because we are 'secure in grace', we are living beyond the boundaries. If we begin to make choices that actually help us enjoy life while staying completely within the boundaries, we are using our 'liberty' as we were intended to use it. One of the toughest things we face is relinquishing control of the throne of 'leadership' in our lives and we oftentimes don't listen when the 'sentry' over our hearts and minds tells us to 'halt'! We just choose our own way.

Some obedience choices come easy to us - like not murdering or not committing adultery. There are others that come a little harder - like not gossiping, not speaking unkind words, and not having any other god before God Almighty in our lives. This is the place where the 'work' begins in salvation - keeping in 'check' the desire to be in control, giving over our regrets, envies, and misplaced trusts. We find the struggle to 'listen and obey' becomes real and we sometimes push against the boundaries to see how far we can stretch them without breaking them. It is like when we put up one of those bungee cord nets around a trampoline. We jump and hurl ourselves blindly into that netting, trusting that the net will stretch with us and not let us fall to our harm. What we don't realize is that the 'netting' we are trusting in is not at fault when it breaks - we are! We kept hurling ourselves at that same spot until the net just no longer presented any barrier to our falling.

Rather than hurl ourselves against the 'nets' of protection in our lives, maybe we should seek to understand why they are put there in the first place. They aren't there to be a thing we chafe against. They are there to be a thing we respect as providing safety and security. Keeping things out that belong out, keeping us safely within where we find his Spirit guiding us to live. Obedience will always be 'work' on our parts, no matter how much we respect the boundaries. We just need to remain consistent in vigilance to live within them, allowing the right leader to be seated on the throne right smack-dab in the middle of those boundaries. Just sayin!

Have no fear

What are you wearing today? Have you dressed by the time you read this, or are you luxuriating in your jammies for just a little longer? Regardless of how you have 'clothed' yourself at the moment, there is nothing like what comes from being clothed with the blessing of God! Have you ever snuggled deep into something of comfort because your day was just a little harder than you'd like it to be? You may even find you needed some form of help, but it just seemed to never be coming, so you hunkered down, sheltered in place and are just there waiting. At those moments, all you want to do is sit down and cry out for help - but there doesn't seem to be anybody within earshot! Yet, you might just cry out anyway - if not outwardly, at least on the inside! Never lose sight of this hope - "real help" and very "real comfort" comes from God.

But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high; With all my might I shout up to God, His answers thunder from the holy mountain. Real help comes from God. Your blessing clothes your people! (Psalm 3:3-4, 8)

God - the name of God also referred to as Jehovah - the unchangeable one. He is the one who stands ready to intervene whenever we cry out, hunker down, and seek his comfort. He is the one who gives grounding to our feet and lifts our heads high above the mess of the circumstances surrounding us on all sides. He is the one who becomes everything we need at the very moment have need. Need reveals itself in many way, but the answer to our need is always the same! He is the one faithful in all his promises and it is he that is our "real" help. You know, that word "real" has a unique way of describing our Lord's faithful interventions in our lives. We often look for that which is the most apparent to us - but did you ever realize that the term "real" means that which is not always apparent? Sometimes our "grounding" and our being "picked up" or "born along" is not always apparent in the circumstance we find ourselves in. We don't realize the reality of what God is and has been doing in our lives that brought us to the present point we are facing. We just know we need a little comforting and a lot of his presence!

We think of "real" as genuine, not counterfeit. That is true - but the thing I think we need to see is that God is not always apparent in those life "moments" when we find ourselves crying out! Just like clothing surrounds our physical frame and provides us with protection from exposure or the elements of the weather, God surrounds his people with his protection. He is what stands between us and the forces that come against us. Not just once, but each and every time! The next time you think you have no help - you are standing alone in one of those "life moments" when things are just not all that comfortable - cry out to the one who protects without always being apparent in his protection. He gives us a form of "immunity" to the things that otherwise might take us down! He provides the protection we so desperately require from the "inside" out - maybe not apparent to us immediately, but this protection begins to reveal itself more and more as we 'settle into' his presence! There is something of his character that is within us that will often be exactly what we need to draw from when we face that moment of challenge. God may not be "apparent" in the moment you face - but stand assured - he IS there! Just sayin!

Circling the Drain?

Do you have a safe place? It could be the peace and quiet of your bedroom after a long and crazy day at work, curled up with a good book, or vegging with a game on your tablet. It could be you have built out a little sanctuary in your garden, allowing you to bask in the sun while listening to the soothing songs of the birds in the trees. Maybe it is a time each day you take just for yourself - a time set aside when no interruptions can come and when you can just be alone with yourself, God, and your thoughts. Your safe place doesn't have to be a 'place' as much as it should be a harbor where you can find firm and safe anchor! The first two 'safe places' exist in my life, but the third one is the safest place for me to find what it is I am really needing.

My help and glory are in God —granite-strength and safe-harbor-God— So trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is a safe place to be. (Psalm 62:7 MSG)

What does absolute trust look like? In today's society, the concepts of trust have been a little skewed by perhaps whoever is in a position of authority at the moment, or whatever the norms of society say we should be trusting in. Some trust in their bank accounts - finding greater security the more those accounts amass. Others trust in one individual, focusing all their time and energies into that one relationship at the expense of all other matters in their lives. While the relationship may indeed be very important, does it warrant ALL of your attention? Then there are those who find their trust is only placed in what they can do for themselves, not needing any other source of help other than what they can muster themselves. Likely that trust is a little misplaced, as no one is an island unto themselves.

Our safe harbor is to be God, not career, savings, another individual, or even our own ability. The moment we assume our safe harbor can be anything other than him, that is the moment we move out of the harbor and into the rough waters! The anchor being as secure as it can be is not good enough when the waters get really, really rough! We need to lay our lives on the line, not with misplaced trust, but with a sure and certain trust in the one who holds us secure no matter what storm comes our way. I think we may want to trust in what we can see and feel rather than in something that isn't all that tangible. God's protection, love, grace, and peace are always there as long as we remain safely harbored in him - placing our trust in him alone.

The concept of trust is that of relying on another's ability and integrity. We learn quite quickly of God's integrity - for who else never stops loving even in the face of a whole lot of 'unloving' actions on the part of the one they are loving? We also learn quickly of his strength and ability when we see his extended grace in our lives, keeping us secure even when all around us seems to be caving in. We don't go down the drain with the bath water - we might feel the tug or pull of the waters rushing our all around us, but we don't follow the water. We remain secure in his care - despite the tug of the waters! Just sayin!

Knock, Knock - I know who's there!

There are a lot of way to be 'beat down' by the things and people we have to deal with each and every day - just walking this earth today may make you feel that you are persistently beaten down - worn out by hard or unnecessary abuse.  There are those who have suffered repeated blows to their ego, emotions, or physical well-being. The repeated blows have left behind damage that seems to do nothing more than place on public display the defects of our lives. To each of us with 'damaged lives' let me just give you a word of encouragement - God isn't put-off by our damage!

God's a safe-house for the battered, a sanctuary during bad times. The moment you arrive, you relax; you're never sorry you knocked. (Psalm 9:9-10)

What?  The anointed of God, the one who has been hand-chosen by God, feels beaten down, abused, emotionally spent, like his or her life mattered for little in the scheme of things?  Yep - it happens to the best of us! We each experience emotional disappointment at the hand of friends on occasion. Our life canned be turned into turmoil at times because enemies are being constant in their pursuit.  We all can have problems with our own lusts and pride, bringing shame, immense feelings of guilt and anguish into our lives. News flash...we are all just a little bit like the other person across from us!

In today's society, there are "shelters" that one can run to when they are dealing with extreme mental or physical abuse at the hand of another - we call these "safe-houses".  We also should never forget that God specializes in being our "safe-house" in times of trial. Think of all that the safe-houses of today provide for those that find shelter there and you might just see an image of God:

• Security - it is a place of safety, free from the pressures, anguish, or torment of what one have been dealing with
• Strength - it is a place of recovery, allowing one time and resources to heal from their "battering" and "abuse"
• Substance - it is place of provision, affording one the tools they need to get back on their feet again - strong, empowered, whole, and healed

God is just such a safe-house.  David is so faithful to show us that it is at the very moment we arrive in his care, we are able to relax - to find peace where no peace has dwelt in a long, long time - within us. The effort we have had to exert to "hold up" under the tension and stress of the "battering" we have been under (whether that battering is the doing of another against us, or the result of what we have done to ourselves) suddenly begins to ease.  

As soon as we knock - we find shelter! We don't even need to wait until the door is opened, we begin to experience that we are fully inside the safety of his sanctuary - he begins the work of bringing us into that state of "peace" when we first knock! Yes, we are invited into his safe-house, into the very presence of the holy God of this universe. His door is open to each of us - a place to run to, not just when we are in trouble or in times of extreme hurt or pain, but on a frequent and consistent basis.  There we find our security, our strength, and our substance. You'll never regret knocking.  You'll never be disappointed in taking refuge in God. Battering will come - but the provision for everything we need for our health and well-being is found in his presence. Knock and it will be opened to you! Just sayin!

Why the guard rails?

Guard rails exist beside the side of the road for a reason, don't they? They are not decorative. They aren't put kn totally flat,non-winding roads. They are there for our safety...to keep us from gong over the edge into a ravine or a ditch. They come in places of the road where it would be easy to miss just how close to the edge we were without them. We don't always know the "proximity" we are maintaining to the edge in our lives until we begin to bump up against some of the "guards" God places there to keep us safe!

Lord , you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance! I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. (Psalms 16:5‭-‬8 NLT)

As a kid, I would crawl into the upper bunk in our camper while mom and dad were in the cab of the truck. We'd go rattling down the road in search of a good fishing spot for dad to throw in his line and our drive often took us high up into the mountains. As we traveled further and further away from the valley into these elevated places, the road became noticeably more windy and narrower. The combination of climb, curve, and narrowness made the journey slower, but the reward of cool pines and gentle streams to relax by made it worth it.

As we journey through life, the best places we reach are often the ones that were the hardest, narrowest, and often the most "frightening". There are twists and turns, with sometimes a whole lot of unknowns in the way. At the end we look back and are amazed at the "climb", but in it, we are just concentrating on getting there unscathed! My vantage point as we journeyed was much higher up than my parents. I knew dad saw the guard rails, but I saw the reason for them! The rails exist because God has a much higher vantage point than we do!

We might think the things God places in our lives for our safe-keeping are a little too restrictive, but trust me on this one...his vantage point gives him perfect insight into what could prove to be our undoing if we didn't have those safety "rails" in place. We might chafe a little to stay put within those "rails", but we need to get past that feeling of being 'restricted' and start thinking of it more as being 'divinely protected' from what we cannot fully perceive?

The rails? His Word, the Holy Spirit, other believers, and yes, even some very odd things such as gut intuition. All can serve to keep us safe, but not if we ignore them. I recently drove a long section of winding, narrow mountain roads. The drive was enjoyable because the scenery was terrific, but the twists and turns demanded my careful attention. One thing I always try to do in these places is obey the posted speed limit in those curvy places. Why? Someone who knows the layout much better than I do prepared those warning signs to keep me and my passengers safe.

God often prepares well in advance those things he knows we will need for our safty. Our part is to use them and pay attention to them. In other words, we are obeying the safety signs and staying within the limits of the "guard rails" he provides! Just sayin!

Got a little turmoil going on?

Ever been in a place some might call a real "brouhaha"?  You know what I mean - the place in your life where everywhere you turn, it is like total conflict.  It could be conflict all created by your own mind and soulish desires, or it could be external to you, but affecting your life nonetheless.  It is that place where someone or something is lying in wait for that moment when the attack will be just right to take you down.  It is as though things are on a slow boil up to a point, then all of a sudden the boil begins to roll and steams begins to build.  At that point, what do you do?  For most of us, it is too late to do much because when it finally builds to that point, it is harder and harder for us to find peace, get a clear picture of what is happening, or even call a retreat from it.  We are there for the duration - simply because we didn't know how to avoid the conflict in the first place!

I am pleading with the Eternal for this one thing, my soul’s desire:  To live with Him all of my days—in the shadow of His temple, to behold His beauty and ponder His ways in the company of His people.  His house is my shelter and secret retreat.  It is there I find peace in the midst of storm and turmoil.  Safety sits with me in the hiding place of God.  He will set me on a rock, high above the fray.  (Psalm 27:4-5 VOICE)

At the point of turmoil's first hint, where we turn with that turmoil makes all the difference in the outcome.  Turmoil takes on all manner of "appearances" in our lives.  Probably one of the most noticeable types of turmoil in our lives is that which we call "anxiety" - the internal type of turmoil which really is a matter of trust.  Anxiety is really caused because of some question of who or what we are going to trust in within that area of our life.  If we lean heavily upon our own "wisdom" and don't have much use for the wisdom God provides, we might find that turmoil builds until we reach levels of anxiety which are difficult for us to manage.  The problem is that WE created the turmoil - by placing our trust in something which is unreliable in our lives.  Until WE step out of the way, the peace we now lack cannot be re-established by God.  It is as things BEGIN to build within our minds and hearts which seem to be creating internal unrest that we must turn to the sanctuary of God's shelter and secret retreat - not after we have allowed all the angst to build to the point of breaking!  Our psalmist describes this as "living with" God in the shadow of his temple - not occasionally taking our messy lives to him to sort out.

For others, the greatest place of turmoil comes when there has been some type of "mix-up" in life.  It is like you "thought" things were going one way and then you come to discover they are going in the opposite direction.  You discover (often too late) that the road you have been traveling is not the one you expected.  Expectations cause us a great deal of turmoil in life - either because we didn't live up to them, or because someone else dashed our hopes by not living up to ours.  In those moments, the greatest thing we need to realize is that our expectations were the wrong focus for us to maintain.  It is okay to have expectations, but who or what we choose to focus on to meet those expectations is another matter.  If we are counting on ourselves to meet those expectations - all our desires and aspirations in life - we may come up a little short in the deal.  We are limited a great deal of the time by our talent, energy, or time.  In the end, we either burn out along the way, or we get to where we were going to find we are too "spent" to enjoy what we have achieved.  The best way to avoid the turmoil of the "mixed-up" expectations in life is to sit with the one who provides "safety" for us.  We need to constantly be turning to him to seek clarity and a "re-sorting" of our priorities so our expectations are realistic, not based on the performance of another, or even ourselves, but squarely on the boundaries he provides for our safety and protection.

Perhaps one of the most difficult types of turmoil for us to deal with is that of feeling a sense of rebellion - a place of resistance exists and we just don't know how to break free of that turmoil it causes. Simply put, rebellion occurs when there is a schism of sorts which takes place, allowing two parties who are "at odds" to exist in the same "space".  It is like oil on water - the two exist together, but they are totally "unmixed" and remain "at odds" with each other despite being in the same "space".  Within our minds, rebellion wreaks havoc.  We are at odds with none other than ourselves - our spirit tells us to do one thing, but our emotions are pulling us a dozen different directions - leaving us "at odds" with ourselves.  In turn, we give in to the "voice" which is making the most "noise" in us at that moment.  This "noise" is often created by the very thing we don't want to be pursuing because we "know" it is clearly not the right thing to do, but we "feel" the opposite about it.  Until we learn to shut out some of those voices which scream the loudest within us, we won't rise above the rebellion brewing within.  When we want to overcome rebellion, we don't argue with it, we withdraw from it - we get away from the voices!  It isn't a sign of weakness to say we are weak!  It is a sign of strength to recognize when the voices are too loud for us to resist!

It may seem a little too over-simplified to say this, but the greatest way to avoid turmoil in our lives is to run to the place where turmoil doesn't exist!  David went regularly (with consistency and purpose) the place of where "safety sat with him", bringing order and peace into the midst of his turmoil.  Safety isn't a "thing", but a person!  As long as we give into the people, circumstances, and voices of turmoil in our lives, we are not going to understand the benefits of running to the person who provides safety for us when turmoil abounds.  God can set at rest the things which are spinning out of control, and he can settle the screaming voices of compromise, but we need to be in the place to allow him to do this.  Here is the key to overcoming - we go regularly, with consistency, and with determined purpose into the presence of the one who can set right what is totally wrong within or without our lives.  Just sayin!

More than a denomination

Those of you following my blog on a regular basis know I was raised in the Catholic faith and then after being out on my own, I chose to leave the Catholic church, choosing instead to associate myself with more of the non-denominational Christian church community.  I have been asked many times why I would leave the Catholic church and I always respond the same way - it wasn't the place for me to learn what I needed to learn, grow as I needed to grow, and become what I needed to become.  I will admit it almost broke my father's heart when I did leave the Catholic church, as he had been raised "staunch" Catholic and I can still recall every Saturday confession, Sunday communion, my first Communion, my Confirmation, and catechism classes.  All though high school, I struggled immensely with lots and lots of actions which really didn't reflect a very good "Catholic" at all.  I really needed more than a weekly visit to the confessional, if you get my drift!  Yet, all the while, I felt something tugging at my heart, for at the age of fourteen I had prayed the prayer of faith - asking Jesus to forgive my sins, come into my life, and make me a new person from the inside out.  I tried reading the Bible, but really had no one to mentor me in my faith, so I never really grew that much.  I had said "yes" to Jesus, but I was really "marching in place".  Deep inside I longed to be made new - sick of how lonely I felt all the time, distraught about continuing to disappoint my parents with all my wrong behaviors, and just plain miserable as a person, but wearing a pretty mask on the outside which said "everything is fine".  It wasn't until I was on my own in the military when I finally hit bottom. I can still remember the day my friend took me with him in his little blue VW bug to this "hand raising", "lively chorus singing", and very "happy" church.  My world was turned on end that night!  I could hardly wait for the sermon to end before I found myself at the altar, asking Jesus to transform what had become of my very empty and very lonely life.  I had found something which I had longed for without even knowing that was what I longed so desperately to enjoy!

So we should stop judging each other. Let’s decide not to do anything that will cause a problem for a brother or sister or hurt their faith. I know that there is no food that is wrong to eat. The Lord Jesus is the one who convinced me of that. But if someone believes that something is wrong, then it is wrong for that person. (Romans 14:13-14 ERV)

What I needed was community - something I just didn't find in my previous twenty years.  I needed connection - something I just didn't realize I could ever achieve because I had told myself I wasn't "worth it".  That night transformed my life - not overnight, but it began a journey I haven't turned back from or regretted for even one minute!  I made the decision to come regularly to that church in Anchorage - the church on a hill - Abbott Loop Christian Center.  Yep, it wasn't a Catholic church and I was about to break all the foundational "rules" I had been raised within, but it was what I needed in order to grow up in Christ. I grew by leaps and bounds that year, realizing I was loved more by Jesus than I ever had known before.  I found myself embracing lively praise and hand-raising worship.  I noticed myself broken and yearning - something "giving" inside of me which hadn't "given" before.  It was the beginning of a new era in my life and I was grateful for the things I was starting to see, appreciate, and understand for the first time.  Most importantly - I was certain that God loved me - just as I was, without any merit of my own, and he wanted relationship with me.  

I tell you all this to remind each of us of one important thing - God doesn't care about which denomination we attend - because in his eyes there is no "denomination".  These are "communities" of our own doing - we made these what they are today, not him.  His idea from the very beginning was one people, in relationship with him, and growing closer and closer to his heart each day. Where we get to that point doesn't really matter!  I can attend the Catholic church, Assemblies of God, or the local non-denominational Christian church. What he does care about is a few things:

- The Bible must be taught in totality.  None of it is without merit - all of it must be taught.  It isn't up for our own interpretation and we must adhere to the rules of interpretation which makes up "good teaching".  

- Sinners must be welcomed.  None of us is without sin, but to look down upon some or exclude them because of their "particular sin" is not the example we ever saw when Jesus ministered on this earth. 

- A sense of community must be established.  This is where and how we grow. We need the privilege of "being real" with another group of individuals because this is how we learn from each other and grow in Christ.

Paul said it well in Romans - we don't create a place where others feel judged and we don't create a place where there is no chance of being who we really are.  We don't have to "condone" any particular action or behavior which is opposite to that which God outlines in scripture, but it doesn't mean the individual is rejected or excluded from our fellowship.  What it means is that we create a safe place for them to meet Jesus, discover his love for themselves, find out how much he cares about transforming their lives, and then helping them to grow in that relationship.  If you think about "denominations" as how we describe something such as our currency and coins, you might see "denominations" within the church a little differently.  We have call our differing "bills and coins" of our money systems "denominations" because they each carry a different "value".  In God's economy, none of us carries any different value!  Just sayin!

Safe Harbor Anyone?

Safe Harbor:  Any place that offers protection in a storm or wartime.  I read that sailors are to be prepared for the storm - knowing in advance what the weather will bring.  They are to read the signs - being ever vigilant to the changes in the winds, skies, and the like.  In so doing, they are instructed to head immediately to safe harbor when they see the rapidly rising storm.  It is one thing to sail into a safe harbor - knowing you will shelter or refuge there. It is quite another to sail away or out of it.  One thing I see when sailing away from safe harbor is the "risk" associated in that movement.  We set sail into uncharted territory - uncertain about that which lies ahead.  The only thing we know is that we are leaving the place of safety.

My help and glory are in God—granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—so trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him.  God is a safe place to be.  (Psalm 62:7-8 MSG)

One thing I know for sure - God is the one who provides the safety we need in the storm, but he is also the one who will guide us with security out of the place of safe harbor.  The key to leaving the place of safety and security, setting sail into uncharted territory is who pilots the ship we set sail in!  If God is the pilot (not the copilot), we know he has the expertise to sail us right past all the hazards that lie just beneath the surface of the waters we sail.  

Most of us want a place of safety and security.  We look for the "comfort zone" only because it is there we are kept from the ups and downs of actually being tossed about in the storms of life.  It is not a wrong thing to want a place of safe harbor - in fact, God wants to be that place.  Yet, if we always remain in that harbor, never sailing out of the place of comfort, we will never discover what God plans for our lives.

There are various kinds of safe harbors in our lives.  Some of us have the need for a safe harbor for our minds.  We get so muddled up in the storms of thoughts we cannot keep one from getting all mixed up with the other.  We are tossed to and fro by the storms of thought.  In finding a safe harbor for our minds, we are coming to a place where the frenzy is allowed to stop long enough to sort out the actions that match up with the thoughts.  In other words, we get a chance to settle down, think things through and really make choices based on facts, not emotions.  God provides these places of safe harbor for our mind - we just need to pull into them now and again to really get out of the storm that rages.  If we don't we get so tossed by the storms, we actually begin to take on water and drown in the mess of our own thoughts.  

Some of us need a safe harbor for our bodies.  We get physically beat up by the storms of life - physically exhausted by the demands placed upon us.  We run hither and yon, never really taking time to rest.  The problem with this type of constant activity is in the damages of the fatigue which we may not immediately see, but which are occurring nonetheless.  A sailor knows he can only stay in the intensity of the rough seas for so long - to stay longer will have an untold effect on his sails, his masts, and his ship's hull.  The constant beating of the waves and the ripping effect of the winds will leave his ship battered.  Safe harbor allows rest for his vessel.  He can weather the storm much better in a strong vessel.  

Others of us need a safe harbor for our spirit.  We are so inundated by the constant onslaught of the enemies attacks - we just need a place to "lay up" for a while.  We aren't taking ourselves out of the battle, but we are being wise in regrouping, getting the handle on what the enemy's doing, and then prepare our defenses against the attack.  In wartime, the ship pulls into safe harbor, not to "hide" from the enemy, but to "out maneuver" the enemy.  In that one move, the enemy is rendered a huge blow.  Some of us would do well to learn the safety of the harbor in out maneuvering our enemy.

Yes, we need safe harbors.  We also find ourselves called out into the seas once again - leaving the security and safety of the quiet harbor.  In actually leaving safe harbor, you face the uncertainty of the deep waters again.  But...don't lose sight of who sails the ship.  Safe harbor is often the very place where the "captaining" of our ship is handed over to the one who actually knows the uncharted waters of our voyage and can navigate them with both expertise and safety.  Just sayin!

Halted by our Guard

^7-8 God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life.
   He guards you when you leave and when you return,
      he guards you now, he guards you always.

(Psalm 121:7-8)

When I was in the military, I had the unfortunate lot of pulling "guard duty" on a few select occasions.  The thing that struck me most was that I was guarding "stuff" that I had no clue that anybody would want!  Sometimes I'd be assigned to the motor pool - now, I ask you, who wants an olive drab sedan?  At others, I'd walk the perimeter of the base, looking for intruders.  Ummm....now, ask me if I EVER saw any?  Nope!  So, what was the purpose?  Simply because you never know when the enemy will attack, or at what location.  So you "prepare" for the worst!

Our passage today is taken from a psalm that celebrates God's watchfulness over his children.  The writer begins with the question, "Where does my help come from?"  David knew that his "help" came from God and no other source.  He points us to God at every turn.  Now, he tells us why he has this confidence in the God he can neither see, nor touch.  It is he who guards our very life, now and always!

To guard means that someone or something is kept safe from harm.  There is a watchfulness over that person or thing that keeps it out of harm's way.  Did you also know that to guard refers to keeping a watchful eye so that the one being guarded does not escape or engage in misconduct?  God does more as the "guard" over our lives than just keep us safe - he also keeps us from escaping his care, running toward those things that will harm us, and reminding us of the pain that our misconduct will eventually end up costing us.  What a faithful "guard" he is!

As my children were born, there were things I did to "guard" them from injury.  One of the simplest things was to purchase those small plastic caps that fit into the electrical outlets.  How did I know to do this?  Well, I learned by experience, of course!  I learned that bobby-pins placed in those small holes in the walls give you a rather significant jolt of "attention-grabbing" current!  So, I "covered" the small holes that could injure my children because I had already experienced the painfulness of "misconduct"!

God places "safeguards" in our lives, much like the outlet covers, in order to prevent loss, injury, or reputation.  Just like my children, we resist those safeguards because we think something "good" must be on the other side of the safeguard!  I watched as my children took small fingers and attempted to manipulate the plastic guards from those outlets.  Each time, I'd remind them that they should not play with the outlets.  Guess what?  To my knowledge, my kids never got the "jolt" of playing around with electricity!

God doesn't want to "keep us from the good stuff" - he is working overtime to keep us safe from the "bad stuff"!  Safeguards don't mean we aren't curious about what is "on the other side" of the safeguard (boundary).  All it means is that we have something that stands between us and that object of our attention.  God leaves the response to the "safeguard" he has placed to us.  Much like my kids pulling with all their might to get that plastic plug out of the outlet, we often find ourselves "pulling with all our might" to remove the safeguards God has placed in our lives.

Did you realize that there are a ton of synonyms for "guard" in the Bible?  Here are just a few:  shield, shelter, watch, defend, bulwark, watchman.  God must really want to get the point across that we need "guarding"!  The next time you see one of these words, look at in context of what God says he is doing for his children as their shield, their defender, a bulwark, or a watchman.  It may open a whole new meaning for you about the value of God's "guarding" of our lives.  

Aren't you glad that you have someone as dedicated to your safety on Guard Duty in your life?  The next time you hear, "Halt, who goes there?", you might do well to actually stop and ask why God is stopping you.  He is actually trying to get you to realize the error of your steps, not to keep you from something good in your life!  The first step to enjoying the safety of our boundaries in understanding where we are crossing them!  

Never sorry you knocked!

 ^9-10 God's a safe-house for the battered,
      a sanctuary during bad times.
   The moment you arrive, you relax;
      you're never sorry you knocked. 

(Psalm 9:9-10)

There are many walking this earth today that feel that they are persistently beaten down - worn out by hard or unnecessary abuse.  They have suffered repeated blows to their ego, emotions, or physical well-being.  The repeated blows have made damage that seems to do nothing more than place on display the defects of our lives.  David probably was feeling a little of this with all the things he was dealing with as King of Israel, the anointed of God.  

What?  The anointed of God, the one hand-chosen by God, felt beaten down, abused, emotionally spent, like his life mattered for little in the scheme of things?  Yep!  Nowhere in scripture is it recorded that David was any less of a "human being" than the rest of us!  He experienced emotional disappointment at the hand of friends.  His life was in turmoil at times because enemies were in constant pursuit.  He had problems with his own lusts and pride, bringing shame, immense feelings of guilt and anguish.  He was just like the rest of us!

In today's society, there are "shelters" that one can run to when you are dealing with extreme mental or physical abuse - we call these "safe-houses".  David reminds us that God specializes in being our "safe-house" in times of trial.  Think of all that the safe-houses of today provide for those that find shelter there:

• Security - it is a place of safety, free from the pressures, anguish, or torment of what we have been dealing with
• Strength - it is a place of recovery, allowing us time and resources to heal from our "battering"
• Substance - it is place of provision, affording us the tools we need to get back on our feet again - strong, empowered, and healed

God is just such a safe-house.  David is so faithful to show us that it is at the very moment we arrive in his care, we are able to relax.  The effort we have had to exert to "hold up" under the tension and stress of the "battering" we have been under (whether that battering is the doing of another against us, or the result of what we have done to ourselves) suddenly begins to ease.  

As soon as we knock!  We don't even need to wait until the door is opened, we are fully inside the safety of his sanctuary - he begins the work of bringing us into that state of "peace" when we first knock!  Yes, we are invited into his safe-house, into the very presence of the holy God of this universe.  His door is open to us - a place to run to, not just when we are in trouble, but on a frequent and consistent basis.  There we find our security, our strength, and our substance.

You'll never regret knocking.  You'll never be disappointed in taking refuge in God.  Battering will come - but the provision for everything we need for our health and well-being is found in his presence.  Knock and it will be opened to you!