Father's Day Surprise

This weekend brought a huge surprise. Doug received a text from Tammy to see if she could come over and demonstrate a product for us. While we never got to the demonstration, we revived a relationship that served to shape us and added such value. I was reminded how God delicately places people in our lives.

Several years ago, we offered a place to stay for this young lady who was having some difficulties after the loss of her dad to cancer. A unique relationship ensued and for the next few years she allowed us to mentor her. We lost touch with her for a while, but were invited to her graduation. What joy to know that she is at an important juncture in her life and we can be a part of it. During our conversation, we learned she lives at one of the apartment complexes where we do outreach. She has offered her time to help with Sunday Bible Blast.

A cool part of the story is it all happened on Father's day. A day I was missing my daddy who died of cancer two and half years ago. I think Tammy was missing her daddy, too. She has looked to Doug to offer a fatherly voice in her life and maybe, in some way that made the day a little easier for her.

Sometimes I personally get caught up in the things of life, I forget to invest in the people God has placed in my life. What about you? Is there anyone who made an indelible mark in your life that you've lost touch with? What would happen if you renewed that relationship?

Myopia

There is a vision problem among God's people. Somewhere along the way, we have lost focus on the things of God. We are more concerned with our own comfort and less about adults and students who struggle in their personal lives, many of whom are devoid of hope. We argue and gripe over uncomfortable chairs and lack of air conditioning, instead of being broken over those who are dying without Christ. We have families struggling with infidelity, drug abuse, debt, job loss, health problems, etc. We have a students who wake up everyday with the goal of trying to survive the abuse they face at home. Other teens struggle with unplanned pregnancy, parent drug abuse, pagan rituals within the home, the embarrassment of an incarcerated parent, mental illness,and just trying to fit in somewhere.

Somehow, we have lost our way. We have forgotten that Jesus endured hours of beatings, plucking of his beard, taunts, jeers, spitting, cursing, etc. He was falsely accused. After hours of torture, he carried a heavy cross through the streets and endured more ridicule and humiliation. He was nailed to the cross. He hung between two thieves. Soldiers gambled for His clothing. His followers deserted Him. He died. For you. For me. For all humanity. This is the hope for all the world. It is the difference between heaven and hell for all.

And we have the audacity to complain. In the church building. Among the church which is comprised of those who claim to have received salvation through Christ's sacrifice. Those who hold the very hope that people seek out. Hope that sets us free!

A few words come to mind as I mull over the 10 minutes I spent among the complainers. Selfish. Disconnected. Ungrateful. Grave concern. Life and death hang in the balance and we trade opportunity to share hope for...get this...comfortable chairs and airflow. That's right, material things...things that in the end will burn up and be destroyed have stolen our focus from the eternal things.

Do we ever come to a place in life where we do not HAVE to work out our salvation? Do we ever come to a place in our faith walk where we do not have a burden for those in our space who are without hope and going to hell unless we share truth with them? "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." Phil 3:8-9 I think knowing Christ is having a heart for the things that He values. Note to self: there is mention in this verse that I consider EVERYTHING A LOSS compare to the SURPASSING GREATNESS of KNOWING CHRIST JESUS MY LORD. As a matter of fact, Paul considered them rubbish. In other words, everything else belongs in the trash bin when compared to knowing Christ.

In the world of vision, myopia is the condition also known as nearsightedness. Nearsightedness is when the eyes focus incorrectly, making distant objects appear blurred. Sadly, there is a spiritual nearsightedness that plagues the church. Wake up, people! Life is short and in the end the only thing that counts is what we do for Christ. It's time to be inconvenienced. Its time to be uncomfortable. Its time to die to ourselves and live for Christ!

Worldview

How do I view my world?  I'm very short-sighted.  I base my opinions on the little universe around me.  I see things from a perspective of personal experience.  My personal experience and how I process it is unique to me.  Just as yours is unique to you.  I have two siblings who were raised in the same household by the same parents.  And though we experienced many of the same things, our experiences are unique to each of us based on birth order, how we processed it and our individual perspectives.  

Experience makes us who we are.  Experiences whether good or bad, don't define us.  How we process them and what we do with them does.  For example, if you had a challenging childhood, you can choose to take that experience and learn from it.  Or you can harbor anger and resentment and become just like the person who inflicted the abuse.  

Forgiveness is key.  I guess today, I'm making sure that I'm in sync with what I believe. "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven." Eph. 4:31-32  Just a quick note about forgiveness, neither you or I can even begin to repay what we have been forgiven for through Christ's shed blood.  If we are so greatly forgiven, it stands to reason that we are able to forgive more.  

Let me be clear.  Does this mean I don't struggle with anger or bitterness?  That would be a resounding "No!"  I struggle everyday with these emotions and many others.  I have to keep them in check.  It would be easy to sit up with these emotions, to nurse them and make them my friends but doing so would hinder my effectiveness in the kingdom of God.  It would say to an unbelieving world that God's grace is not sufficient.  His forgiveness is conditional.  And this abundant life is not so real.   Jesus came to seek and save that what was lost.  He came to bind up the broken-hearted.  I love Psalms 34:18, "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit."    

Today my prayer is that I will chase after God.  That I will believe what He says I am through the blood of His son. And that I will seek after all He has in store for me.  Though the enemy tries to lure me in by inviting me to continually visit my past, I pray that I will be clear and  on purpose.  

"See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;" Heb. 12:15.  

I remember Pop...

It's January 2, 2009. Today would have been my Pop's 88th birthday. My life is blessed to have him as my grandfather. It's hard to believe that we lost him just shy of 8 years ago.

He didn't always have an easy life. His mother sent him and his two older brothers to a boys' home when he was three. She was dying of tuberculosis. He and his oldest brother were fostered out to two different families in Western KY. He didn't meet his other brother again until he was 23 years old. He had a 4th grade education, but understood hard work. He married my grandmother. He served in WWII. He raised five children and 8 grandchildren. We all loved to go to see him.

I think of him so often. How he thought the best of people. Given his upbringing, he could have been bitter. He could have lost all trust in the human race. He chose to value his God and his family. He taught his sons and daughters that...and we, his granddaughters and grandsons learned as well.

I often wonder how my sweet dad must have felt in the days, weeks, months and years that followed Pop's death. I know dad thought of him often and did what he knew Pop would want him to do...take care of Grandma (his mom.) How he must have missed Pop. I find myself struggling with my loss of him just over a year now. I miss him terribly.

How thankful I am for my Pop. Today on his birthday, I remember. I remember the countless times he sang a hymn as he piddled around his house. I remember the times he smiled and called me his little doll. I remember his warmth and smile. I remember how he loved his family. I remember how he loved my grandma, his Anna Faye. I remember him praying in church and around the dinner table. I count myself blessed. My life is richer and forever marked by this precious man who was orphaned at 3 years old. I'd say he pressed on despite his circumstances and became the example of a godly dad and granddad for all of us.

Eternal vs. Temporal

This flesh is limited. Actually that is a semi clever attempt of saying, "I'm only human." It's a poor excuse, but true. What is frustrating it the manner in which I sell myself on this pitiful excuse. I look at my surroundings and I'm amazed at the privilege afforded me, yet I long for more. There is a hunger deep inside that never seems satisfied. It's a vacuum. I visit it all too often. I think of the passage in Revelation to the church at Laodocia:

"'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked," [Rev 3:17]

How dare I dream that I am rich, wealthy and have need of nothing. While I am afforded privilege in this country, it is only by the grace of God that I reside in this little corner of the world. But my definition of wealth is based on a world system. It is assessed by brand and quantity. So if this scripture speaks of things in the spiritual realm...perhaps I am better described as:

"wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked..." The phrase echoes in my mind. How we deceive ourselves to think we can be fulfilled without Christ. When I personally do not focus on Him, my entire world is reduced to a shattered reality that is flawed, and unfulfilling. I subject myself to opinions of other creatures who are limited to their interpretation of the ideal. My purpose is lost. And I am harnessed to a value system based on human effort and reward. Who judges the effort and parcels out the rewards? Flawed, failing, unfulfilled human beings. It angers and frustrates me.

I will be the first to say it isn't fair. (Afterall, it has been my favorite phrase pretty much all my life.) Any value or reward system developed in this realm is questionable because we, with our flawed thoughts, failing efforts, blind decisions, and wretched opinions are limited creatures. So I seek after the One who is limitless. I long in the deepest level of my being to be valued by One who can look beyond this realm and judge based on purity of motive, justice and righteousness. I am relieved to know that mercy abounds in spite of my limitations.

"I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and {that} the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see." [Rev 3:18]

I still get caught up in the frivolous happenings of my little world. I question my abilities. I assess myself all too often based on the opinions of others. My whole day can be ruined by someone's criticism. My anger can be stirred by another person's arrogance and self-centeredness. I can become disheartened when I disappoint someone. And there are times when I really think I must be invisible based on how easily I'm overlooked.

A wise Sunday school teacher taught me to measure things based on eternal impact. Basically, what difference am I making today? Is it eternal or temporary. He used the example of arguing with your spouse. Does the argument lend itself to eternity and if not, what is the purpose? Eternity equals impact. Temporary or temporal is fleeting and fades with little or no value. I like that perspective because allows for a quick way to assess value.

I pray that rather than getting caught up in the day-to-day, (the temporal) I will cling to an eternal perspective. I will seek God and desire Him. Psalm 42:1-2 reads "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?"

First Light

What a day! Sunday, I awoke at 2:30AM. Anxiety? Perhaps a little. Frustration at the bright lights in my eyes...oh yes! Prayer, then a little sleep. It was the coldest morning of the fall. I dressed in my favorite insulated running gear. (Not to worry...I changed before the service began.) It was still cold. Weather, distractions, frustrations nor anxiety did not hinder God! He moved in an incredible way at our TMT Commitment Celebration Service. His timing - flawless. His ways incomprehensible!

We offered our time, energy, music, presentations, testimonies, readings, service, fellowship, voices, friendship. All these in total abandon to His purpose for the day. And He moved in hearts and lives!

What's more, He was not limited by geography. Elevate had their preview service at 12EST/9PST. Sixty-five in attendance and 1 salvation! God continues move among His people and draw those who are His to Himself.

Now, why does this amaze me so? Pardon my humanity. I am still handicapped by my inability to comprehend His ways. The omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Maker of the universe is able to do all things. Yes, I know this! It's another thing to really wrap my mind around it. And I, limited to time, space and this present world, still struggle to understand.

Call it a lack of faith, but I think it's more about the space I'm confined to. I feel so small, and yet so humbled that He allows me in my smallness to be a part of what He is doing. Throughout scripture, God uses the insignificant, the flawed, the impossible for His will and to accomplish His purpose. I'm glad He chooses to engage us, the creation made in His image, even when He can do it all by Himself.

My grandfather accepted Christ on the banks of the Rhine river during WWII after a tracer bullet barely missed him. When he would share about his salvation experience, he would say, "Sometimes God sends a tracer bullet, but other times He just sends you or me." Yeah, I think that sums it up!

Psalm 86:12 "I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.".