Category: faith

Advent: Participate

 12-20-11 Participate

Are you an observer or a participant? I know, it depends on what’s going on. My extroverted personality tends to get me involved. My lack of boundaries causes me to say yes to things I don’t always “want” to do. And because I’m somewhat ADD, well, I just don’t sit well. I like to be where things are happening. Unless the “happening” is in the kitchen or on a sports field of play. I do know my limitations.

Ah, limitations in participation. They are pretty much self-imposed, wouldn’t you agree? We have our list of “can’ts” that we are quick to recite when with really can’t or don’t want to do something. When I was a kid and my grandmother wanted to teach me to knit and crochet, I was quick to use the excuse that I was left handed and therefore couldn’t learn. I’m not exactly sure where I got that, unless it was from my first grade teach who I absolutely exasperated as she struggled to teach me how to write my letters. Perhaps she determined and announced that I was unteachable because I was left handed. Anyway, it was an excuse that served me well on summer days when I was clearly more interested in playing outdoors than learning to knit one and purl two.

All this thinking about participation, reminded me of one of my favorite passages in scripture. It was penned by Peter:

3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4, NIV)

I found this passage early on in my faith journey, thanks to a small book by Bob Benson entitled, “Come Share the Being.” You can borrow my copy, but I want it back. In it he invites to really contemplate that we have not only been invited, but we are equipped to share in the divine nature of God. You and me, with all our stuff—good and bad—have been given his great and precious promises so that we can participate in the divine nature of God. Does that give you chill bumps, or knock you upside the head, or break your heart? Think about it!

Now, given that we’ve been given ev-er-ee-thing (hear that word broken down and pronounced in a slow exaggerated manner) that we need, how (how, how, how) can we continue to throw up excuses and can’ts when God asks us to do something? It is so time to stop letting a few do the work while we observe. It is time to participate. If you’re ready to plunge right in, by all means go ahead! The water’s great! But if not, if you’re feeling a little more timid, if you need a little more confirmation (if your cousin’s name is Gideon), than stick your toe in and watch what he will do. When the Hebrew children were willing to put their toes in the Red Sea or the Jordan River they parted. You have been given everything, his precious promises, to be able to participate in his divine nature. And yes, that does mean you—no matter what your first grade teacher, or mom, or boyfriend, or boss have said!

I don’t know what time the clock says as you’re reading this, but I know it’s time to stop observing and start participating. What are you waiting for? You have everything you need.

Advent: Undivided

 

12-19-11 Undivided

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11, NIV

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19, NIV

I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. 1Corinthians 7:35, NIV

I don’t know about you, but I used to wonder why we drilled so much on math. No wait, when I drilled it was called arithmetic. I just had to use my little phrase to even help me spell the word: a rat in the house might eat the ice cream. And now there is no such thing in studies as arithmetic. But I digress.

When I would groan about spending time on my multiplication tables or working out long division, be sure to show your work, my father would always tell me that I would need it someday. Well, at that moment someday looked a long way off when all I wanted to do was go out and play. So even when it came to math I had a divided heart.<

We may not think about the Divided Heart Syndrome, but we live with it every day. Our case may not be as bad as Paul’s (read Roman’s 7 for his symptom description), but we know the way it impacts us: we feel torn between what we know we should, ought, or need to do and what we want to do. This may be as simple as needing to clean out the garage but wanting to sit in front of the TV soaking in every sporting event on a Sunday, or trying to ignore the laundry so that you can sit down with a good book. Those examples probably won’t get you into too much trouble unless your wife wants to park her car in that garage. Where we really get into trouble is when these mundane choices bleed their way into our spiritual life.

I spent a lot of years chasing after perfection in my faith. I thought that if I just read enough scripture, attended enough worship services or Bible studies, prayed hard enough, and devoted myself to service I might achieve it. I really took to heart what I thought Kierkegaard’s “purity of heart is to will one thing.” But the harder I tried the more I wrestled like Paul, the thing that I wanted to do I could not and the thing I didn’t want just seemed to keep on happening. I felt so divided I must have been Humpty Dumpty’s sister.

Slowly, it began to dawn on me that perhaps that to “will one thing” was not the same as to do one thing. I started to believe that the heart of flesh that God wanted to give me wouldn’t necessarily result in a perfection of actions or maybe even attitudes, but it would result in a cleansing of my desires. David writes in Psalm 37:4 that if we will delight ourselves in Him that he will give us our heart’s desires. I no longer see this as God donning a Santa suit and filling my grown up wish list, but that he will put in my heart the desire to desire things he desires. And then, I will find the will to will one thing.

So are you feeling a bit scattered? Oddly enough, ‘tis the season. How crazy is that? In the season when we should be the most focused, we find ourselves the most out of focus. When a spirit of Thanksgiving should waltz us right to the manger, we find ourselves quick stepping all over the place.

My prayer for all of us today is that we would be willing to stop the division and allow God to place in our hearts the desire to live by a unified spirit. He does an amazing job of bringing the pieces together if we’ll let Him.

Advent: Undoing

 

12-18-11 Undoing

7 A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul. Proverbs 18:7

5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:5-6

18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence. 1 John 3:18-19<

I think out loud. It’s not good. I mean it works okay, but it is not without its difficulties. I end up apologizing a lot because the things I say haven’t been processed or fine tuned. It reminds me of a saying I must have heard a bazillion times from my dad: Engage brain before opening mouth. It was great advice, but really hard for someone with my personality and tendencies.

The word from John’s epistle seems to be a partial antidote to the problem. If we depend on our mouths and words to convince people that they are loved and treasured, we’re going to be sadly disappointed and a big disappointment. We need to balance and back up our words with actions. It really is true that people can’t hear what we’re saying because of what we’re doing.

It is also true that when our actions negate our words we have a problem. People are watching us for consistency and integrity. These are the currency of love. Will we take the time to invest or spend thoughtlessly?

As we move more deeply into holiday times and family gatherings, my prayer is that we will be more conscious of the words we speak, the actions that we share, and the love we want to communicate. God could have just told us his plan, but instead: God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8)

Advent: Vision

 2-17-11 Vision

Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18

     Early in my first pastorate I was told a story about a church that died. As the last few faithful were cleaning out the building they came upon an old plaque that appeared to have been made during VBS. Someone had picked the proverb about vision from above and glued macaroni letters onto a board and spray painted them gold. The child’s art project was very telling, perhaps even foretelling. On this dusty plaque, ignored and hidden, the message read: here there is no vision, the people perish. The meaning for changed, but true, with the loss of one letter.

     Recently my friend Heidi handed me a book and told me I had to read it. There was such passion and sincerity in her words I couldn’t not comply. I want to buy a case and hand it out to everyone. The book is by Donald Miller and is entitled: “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, What I Learned While Editing My Life.” I can’t afford to go buy a case so when you get your Barnes and Noble gift cards get your very own or check it out of the library. He’s a little rough around the edges, but I get what he’s saying. Here’s something I read today:

     I was watching the movie “Star Wars” recently and wondered what made that movie so good. Of course, there are a thousand reasons. But I also noticed that if I paused the DVD on any frame, I could point toward any major character and say exactly what that person wanted. No character had a vague ambition. It made me wonder if the reasons our lives seem so muddled is because we keep walking into scenes in which we, along with the people around us, have no clear idea what we want. (p. 113)

     As I was thinking on these things, the wondering that seemed to bubble up in me was this: have you allowed God to give you a vision? Do you know what you want? What he wants for you? What he wants to do in you and through you? Don’t be like the people at the church and perish for a lack of a “w”…for lack of vision.

 

Advent: The Star

 

12-16-11 The Star

Remember the old TV show “Kids Say the Funniest Things”? If memory serves me early on it was hosted by Art Linkletter and later by Bill Cosby. I could laugh myself to tears watching some of the hillarious interviews. The kids didn’t typically think through their answers and their honesty and curious word choices were the things that the show so enjoyable.

Those kind of moments are adorable unless it’s your child saying the embarrassing thing. I remember one of those moments when Beth was around five years old. It was after worship and several people were just out in the lobby talking before heading home. She walked up to a group of about ten. She was looking exceptionally cute that day. She excused herself and sought to interrupt their conversation. When they stopped talking and allowed her to speak, she asked with pathetic and hungry eyes, “Could we come home to your house for lunch? My mommy can’t cook and we’re hungry.” Neither Calgon or Southwest air could have gotten me out of their quick enough.

One of those moments happened recently at church with our grandson. The children were meeting and the leaders were making assignments for the upcoming Christmas pagent. The leader turned to Asher, the five year old red-haired wonder child, and asked who he wanted to be. He replied quite confidently, “The star.” The leader was taken aback because she wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to be the natal star that led the wisemen to Bethlehem, or the star of the production. When she asked me what I thought, I was pretty sure it was the latter.

Isn’t that just like us as human beings? We want to be the star in our own show.  Jesus didn’t tell us that we were the light of the world to shine on ourselves. We were made to be light to lead others to the source. If we’re doing our job right we’re our actions will bring him glory.

In your quiet moments with God, examine whether you decorations, gifts, activities during this holy season point others to the reason, the Savior; or are they just another way to draw attention to yourself? Who really is the Star of your life?

 

Advent: Who Wouldn’t Want That Kind of Messiah?

 12-15-11 Isaiah 11:1-10 Who wouldn’t want that kind of Messiah?

He won’t judge by appearances, won’t decide on the basis of hearsay. (Is. 11:3b, The Message)

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is about the selection of David to be king (see 1 Samuel 16:1-23). God sends Samuel searching. He examines Jesse’s sons. He thinks he’s found the one because he looks like what a king should look like, but God says not to look on the outward appearance. Samuel contiunes to check them all out, but none is right. He wonders if that’s it and Jesse finally owns up that the runt of the litter is still out in the field tending the sheep. David is sent for and it is he who will be king.

The world we live in puts a lot of stock in outward appearance, whether it be good looks or the accumulation of worldly goods. Studies have shone that teachers tend to favor better looking students. And we all know how this has affected the business world: you better look the part.

That’s what is so amazing and refreshing about the promised Messiah, this savior of the world. He sees beyond the outer facade right to the heart. His judgments are not based on what someone else would say about you or me, they aren’t hearsay, but are based on intimate knowledge, abundant compassion, and lavish love.

Who wouldn’t want a savior like that?

Advent: God’s Ways Don’t Always Make Sense

 12-14-11 Matthew 1:18-25 God’s Ways Don’t Always Make Sense

Can you imagine what Joseph must have been feeling? We speak often about how confusing this must have been to Mary, how God must have seen something special in her to chose her to be the mother of the Messiah. It couldn’t have been easy for Joseph either. His reputation was on the line. His life was about to change drastically as well. When he first heard she was with child, he was ready to walk away. What the angel told him surely didn’t make things any easier, and yet he stayed, fulfilled his part.

Has God ever asked you to do something that made no sense at all? When I was a young pastor, wife, and mom, God led me to a church in Wisconsin—a very small church. There was only one member. There would only be six months of salary paid by the district. I would be several states away from family and friends. My husband would have to leave an incredibly stable job. Taking the position made absolutely no sense at all.

We drove home on Sunday after preaching in the morning service. On the way we discussed all the pros and cons and felt like there was no way we could accept the position, but we couldn’t call the district superintendent until Wednesday. Tuesday night there was a missionary service at our church. I was on the platform leading the music and Nelson was in the back with our daughters. The missionary speaker spoke to our questioning hearts as the angel spoke to Joseph. Three times in his message he clearly stated, “God’s ways don’t always make sene.”

Nelson and I gathered our daughters and got into the car without speaking, waiting for the other to break the silence, wondering if the other heard the message as clearly. Finally we both blurted out at the same moment and then burst into a holy mix of laughter and tears. We knew that even though the move made no sense to us, we would soon be moving to Wisconsin. We were so excited to call the district superintendent back!

Is God leading you into something that seems impossible? Does the task He’s called you to appear to make no sense at all? There’s a verse in Isaiah that reminds us, “For my thoughts (God’s) are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways (Isaiah 55:8).” The angel could have reminded Joseph of that or of Solomon’s proverb: there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death (Proverbs 14:12).

Someone very wise once told me that the will of God will not take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. You may not get a spectacular angel dream, or even an amazing missionary speaker, to assure that you can trust God, but His word and promise is still true and you can trust His leading even when by worldly standards it makes no sense.

Advent: Softly and Tenderly

 

12-13-11 Isaiah 40:1-11 Softly and Tenderly

 I love getting an invitation. Do you? I love invitations to parties, weddings, graduations, showers. I love being invited to a friend’s house. I love being invited out to dinner. I love invitations.

I’m not sure who invented the “hymn of invitation” that typically closes many Christian services, but I know that Billy Graham has been well known for his. He closed his services with the hymn, “Just As I Am.” I worked with an evangelist in Kansas City who always closed his services with “I Surrender All.” While I have always been blessed by those hymns, the hymn that never fails to tug at my heart is, “Softly and Tenderly.” The invitation to “come home” in the chorus of that hymn is like balm to my weary heart.

Living a life away from our spiritual home is a wearisome thing. Trying to function without a moral compass is discouraging and draining. When we are at odds with or arm’s length from the one who knows us best and loves us most life is hard and our hearts yearn for the peace of home. I guess that’s why today’s scripture speaks so much to me.

The prophet describes how the way has been prepared for our God to come to us. Let us do our best to come to Him.

Advent: Me Worry?

 

12-12-11 Me worry?

Have you ever wondered why trust is so easy about certain things and hard about others? Or how it seems so easy for some and so hard for others. I have a close friend who recently had a biopsy of a questionable spot on her lung. She is still waiting for the results. She is trusting God and believes she has already been healed. I would probably be a wreck, about to have an anxiety attack every time the phone rang.

In the very first church where I was pastor there was a woman I greatly admired and enjoyed. I remember sitting in her kitchen talking while we prepared dinner. I’m not sure of the exact conversation, it may have had to do with our husbands, but I distinctly remember her throwing her hands in the air and declaring that it wasn’t her day to worry. The more I got to know her I realized that there was no day for her to worry because God was truly in control of her every day.

As naïve as I am, I know we can’t take two gulps of God and expect all our anxiety to disappear but there are enough general and specific biblical references that assure me that I can trust God. He not only has my back, he holds my future and he holds me now in this very moment.

My friend who sees the doctor any day now knows this just as my friend who spoke truth and peace into my heart so many years ago did. And today I will choose to believe it too.

How about you?

Advent: Innocence Shining

 

12-11-11 Philippians 2:15 Innocence Shining

Philippians 2:15b You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them.

Spending everyday with my grandson who is now five leaves me wondering if Jesus might change out this analogy if he had to spend hours and years with a child. Don’t get me wrong. I treasure my time with him, but there are times when I am absolutely befuddled by his capacity to manipulate and fabricate. Some days I wonder if he’s going to end up with a flat bottom from sitting in time out so much. Then this morning during our Sunday School class I saw a verse that gave me a fresh perspective.

Ever since our grandson came into our lives he has been the center of our attention. At first he and his mommy, our daughter, lived with us. If Asher wanted to play a game (Follow the Leader was his favorite), or run (laps through the kitchen, dining, and living rooms), or watch a video (Baby Einstein rules), then we responded and played. Five years later the games and videos have changed but not his thirst for our undivided attention. But this doesn’t stop at home. When we go out to eat or to a church function, Asher assumes that everyone wants to hear his story or play his games. He is completely convinced that what he has to say or do is exactly what everyone needs to listen to. I’m starting to believe that he could grow up to be a politician.

As I reflected on both the verse and Asher’s behavior, I began to feel better about Asher and Jesus. If nothing else, Asher’s life shines brightly. He has received praise and is pretty secure in his ability. He knows how to shine. As adults we tend to lose some of that. Insecurity and self-doubt take over and inhibit what should be natural shining. Asher believes that he is pretty amazing and without guile he just presumes to share that with everyone. Some may call it precocious. I see it as innocent and unperverse.

Prayer: Thank you Father, for teaching me what innocent looks like. Challenge me to see where pretense has gained a foothold in my life and help me clean it out. I want to shine brightly for you. Amen.