Coming Home

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You’re all I want in heaven! You’re all I want on earth! When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, God is rock-firm and faithful. Look! Those who left you are falling apart! Deserters, they’ll never be heard from again. But I’m in the very presence of God—oh, how refreshing it is! I’ve made Lord God my home. God, I’m telling the world what you do! Psalm 73:25-28 (The Message)

Are you in the market for a unique, one-of-a-kind home? How about living in the second most photographed house in the United States after the White House? The 5,140 square foot house has been completely renovated and will bring back lots of good memories, plus it comes at a reasonable $5.5 million. Considered one of the most recognizable homes in TV history, the “Brady Bunch” house located in Studio City, California recently came on the market.

The Redfin listing for the property reads, “Once in a lifetime opportunity to own one of the most iconic single-family residences in the world. Meticulously rebuilt and designed to replicate the set of the home from the beloved 1970s sitcom “The Brady Bunch.” The Brady Bunch was one of those feel-good shows where all the problems of the world were solved in a 30-minute segment. I have great memories of the show but not quite ready to pay out $5.5 million!

How often have you heard or even said, “Home is where the heart is?” The Brady Bunch was a perfect setting for this idiom or as Maureen McCormick, who played Marcia said in an interview, “This whole show is filled with so much love.”  (Drew Weisholtz, TODAY Digital reporter)

Home doesn’t necessarily mean a physical building, though often it is. Home can be a beautiful memory of an event, comfort foods from your mother’s kitchen table, a hug from your third-grade teacher, or an encouraging word from your coach. Sights, sounds, and smells can all create a longing for home. Whether it is a place, person, or time, something causes your heart to grow warm bringing back special memories. Home is that place that holds a special place forever in your heart and soul.

Flying back into Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport after being gone for 4 and half years brought back memories for me. There was an excitement and joy of seeing family and friends as we came off the plane after our first term in South Africa. I was returning home.  Yet I also realized in those moments that home wasn’t confined to a physical location in Oklahoma because home had been Africa and would be home for many years afterward. Home really becomes where the heart is.

Living locally is an important part of who we are as humans. God planted Adam and Eve locally in what would be their home, Abraham was given the promise of home, Moses came home to his people and home became the narrative of many stories throughout the Old and New Testaments. The curse of sin broke relationship with God but it also caused displacement. Adam and Eve may have lost geographical home but even more critically, they lost relational home.

“The story of salvation, then, is about a recovery of all aspects of lost shalom, including the blessing of a physical, geographical home. In the New Jerusalem, we will be reconciled to God—and reimplaced in a city whose lights never dim.” (Jen Pollock Michel) The need for geographical rootedness relates to our need for relational rootedness.  Americans have often been known as a people on the move but recent data reveal a decline in mobility as more Americans opt to stay put.

At our first meeting as new missionaries on the field, the theme of the week was “bloom where you are planted.” I learned living locally becomes home where you are and you plant roots that grow deep into the life of your new location. Living locally becomes moments when you stop and hear the stories of your new neighbors, you seek to be a living testimony of grace and ultimately you make a home where your heart can bloom. No matter how many times we move, we leave a piece of our heart in that place we call home. “Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.) Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. (2 Cor 5:1)

Evangelist Billy Graham once said, “My home is in Heaven. I’m just traveling through this world.” Truth, a Christian music group active from 1971 to 2001, released an album in 1972 with a song, “Welcome Home Children.”

…Welcome home, children

This is the place I’ve prepared for you

Welcome home, children

Now that your work on Earth is through

Welcome home, children

Ye who have fought on so faithfully

Welcome home, children

Welcome home, children

Here where I am you shall always be

Forever rejoicing with Me (https://youtu.be/lAUUb_nTzts?si=u9mNTmLchOGkEixT)

There will always be something special about coming home. That place in your heart that will be forever special. Christian martyr, Oscar Romero wrote, “Christianity discerns that beyond the night, the dawn already glows. The hope that does not fail is carried in the heart. Christ goes with us!” It is going to sound amazing to hear, welcome home children!

God is great!

The Unopened Gift

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Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8

Feeling angry? Are you mad at someone? Feeling depressed, frustrated, hopeless, or whatever? I discovered this week that modern technology has the answer. You simply release stress by screaming into the digital void. You type the word that you are feeling such as mad, angry, or frustrated, and then click the button with the word, “scream.” Your computer yells the word and sends it into the great digital void. A nice gift but one that doesn’t last long.

We live in the golden age of 24-7 activity and accessibility. Who remembers when TV ended with the national anthem and then went static? Now if you can’t sleep at three in the morning there is a plethora of choices on TV. Forgot something at the store? No problem, Walmart is open 24 hours a day. In this golden age of accessibility, there is one commodity that is in short supply: rest. God gave us an amazing gift of rest but unfortunately, rest often goes unopened in our modern era.

At the very dawning of time, God set in motion the need to rest. After a busy period of creation, He looked around after saying it was good, and “so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” If God took rest seriously at creation, why do we think it’s optional for living? God saw rest as good and “blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

God set in motion a day to rest after a super busy week. Interestingly there is a growing social media trend called “bed rotting” where young people stay in bed all day. So, what is bed-rotting? Sleep scientist Vanessa Hill’s definition is “It’s kind of like a rejection of productivity culture by doing nothing and taking the time to rest.” Sounds good on the surface since the focus is on rest, however, the focus of this rest is often more on avoidance. “While an occasional lazy day is not a problem, if it becomes a habit, where the bed is preferred to anything else, that’s an issue.”

God’s idea of rest came after a season of life-sustaining activity and creativity. Apparently, the Sabbath was so important that the longest of the Ten Commandments addresses the issue of rest. The commandment didn’t just address the individual, but everyone involved with the family, even the animals. Men and women who culturally and socially had no rights and whose needs were seldom considered by others found out that God did care and included them in the Sabbath!

I grew up in Oklahoma when they had a series of blue laws where certain activities were restricted on Sundays. We served in South Africa when they had very strict blue laws starting on Saturday afternoon through Sunday. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day mandated a long list of restrictions for Sabbath observances. The problem with blue laws, Sabbath restrictions, and even well-intentioned forced rest, all of it becomes a burden trying to keep the rules to rest. Keeping the rules becomes the most important element, not the life-giving gift of rest that God intended.

Jesus took the Sabbath and again breathed new life back into the day. Jesus reminded the rule givers that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28) Jesus modeled rest by being with friends and fellowship. Jesus enjoyed a hike through the meadows. (Mark 2:23) Jesus used the day to bless a man who had struggled for years with a physical disability and gave him a restored body. (Mark 3:1-6) Jesus used the day to worship with a community of believers. “And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.” (Luke 4:16) Jesus modeled Sabbath that leaves us with a restful soul through relaxing, fellowshipping, ministry, worship, and scripture reading but not a set of rules on how to enjoy the day.

The Sabbath was never meant to be a “bed-rotting” experience but a time to re-create, re-energize and re-focus our lives on God. Instead of something to be marked off of a to-do list, the Sabbath was to bring life. Jesus understood the challenges we would face, the burdens we would carry, and the struggles we would face and offered us the real gift of rest; Himself. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke (instead of a bunch of dos and don’ts) upon you and learn from me…For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30)

“When followers of Jesus observe the Sabbath, we live as if this restoration has already taken place. We take a break from the broken rhythms of hustle and hardship to set aside time to honor Jesus’ rule, enjoy his presence, and extend rest to the world around us. When we trust God’s invitation to come to him and truly rest, we become places where his presence can dwell.” (Missy Takano)

What keeps us from opening this precious gift? Self-importance, pride, and even denial are only a few reasons. We think we can handle the non-stop life we find ourselves in each day. We think we have too much to do to slow down, take it easy, or refocus our energies. We think we can yell into a computer that takes our stress into the digital void.

God set in motion the pattern of rest by modeling for us what and why we need to rest. He saw how important the day was and declared it holy. Jesus took the time to model how the Sabbath was life-giving for our souls. The Holy Spirit takes our rhythm of rest to replenish and restore within us the fruit of our souls so that we can be givers of life and hope.

The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit. (J. Stowell)

The Sabbath is God’s gift that allows you to finish this life with your torch still blazing bright. What keeps you from opening this gift from God?

God is great!

Extravagance – As Only God Can Do

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I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Psalm 145:1 (NLT)

What do you give your spouse on your 50th anniversary? Flowers, candy, jewelry, travel — all top the list of great gifts. All the anniversary suggestion charts, whether traditional or modern, are gold. This makes sense since throughout history gold has been a sign of great wealth and luxury. Fifty years together deserves the best! Naturally, a beautiful bouquet of flowers should be given, along with the carefully selected gift.

However, Lee Wilson of Pratt, Kansas decided he had to do something really unique for their 50th anniversary. Instead of driving to the big city of Wichita, Kansas to shop for something special, Lee climbed onto his tractor and started plowing – 80 acres to be exact. He knew Renee loved sunflowers, so instead of a nice bouquet, he planted the 80 acres in sunflowers! According to Mr. Wilson, that is “about 1.2 million sunflowers in this field or 15 thousand flowers per acre!

What did Renee think of this extravagant gesture of love? “It made me feel very special. It couldn’t have been a more perfect anniversary gift than a field of sunflowers.”

Extravagant is the best word I could use to describe the story. The dictionary defines the term as “given to lavish or imprudent expenditure. Exceeding reasonable bounds; excessive; unrestrained.”

Extravagant is an appropriate word that describes God. We often think and rightly so in terms such as compassionate, long-suffering, holy, King of kings, Eternal God, and the list goes on. However, extravagant is not always on our lists. If it is, unfortunately, it is used in terms of cheap trinkets.  Since God’s extravagance is unlimited, what would be on your list?

God’s extravagance is seen in creation! “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1)

From the very beginning, the words, “So God created” set extravagance into motion.  There are roughly ~73,000 tree species globally, among which ~9,000 tree species are yet to be discovered. (PNAS) “A study in 2011 predicted there are some 8.7 million species on Earth, and we’ve identified maybe 1.6 million of them.” (National Geographic) Traveling at the speed of light would take you about 25,000 years to reach the middle of the Milky Way Galaxy. (Amer. Museum of Natural History) The mind-blowing extravagance of God’s creation is on display every second of the day for us to enjoy and be amazed.

God’s extravagance is seen in forgiveness! There is a growing segment of modern cultural thought that you are forever bound to the sins of the past. You are judged not by what you have become but by your failures of the past, even those of your ancestors or worst, your ancestors’ neighbors. In the current trend, you can never pass the past. Thankfully, God doesn’t see it that way because He is extravagant in forgiveness. Forgiveness that is “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Ps 103:12)

David drank deeply from this extravagance when he wrote “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Ps 32:5)

Jesus finished teaching the section commonly called the Lord’s Prayer with how the extravagance of forgiveness impacted life. “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, you Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt 6:14-15)

Peter thought he was being extravagant when he offered to forgive up to seven times instead of the religiously accepted three times. Jesus taught him that extravagant forgiveness was unlimited. “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matt 18:21-22)

God’s extravagance is seen in grace! Greg Laurie in a Christian Post article shares how Goliath, “the giant David killed with his slingshot was not always a giant! He was once a helpless little baby.” It is the same way with our sins, they start out very small. They are cute little things but as you nurture and feed the little things, then one day you discover they grew up into giants, which destroy your relationship with God and with others.

You would be left without hope if it were not for the extravagance of God’s grace. You would no longer be that cute, cuddly Goliath but you become the very giant you despise. God didn’t wait for us to get things in order but “demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) Extravagant grace that doesn’t make sense except “because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph 2:4-5)

God’s extravagance is seen in all of life! A million sunflowers are fading beauty compared to the world created by the hand of God. “For I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” (Ps 139:14) to live in a “universe created by the word of God,” (Heb 11:3) knowing “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

God’s extravagance is seen for all eternity! “For the Christian, death is not the end of adventure but a doorway from a world where dreams and adventures shrink, to a world where dreams and adventures forever expand.” (Randy Alcorn) You can only guess if JM Barrie knew how incredibly powerful the line he gave Peter Pan in his novel was: “To die will be an awfully big adventure.” What a fantastic adventure awaits the heirs of salvation and we get to share it with “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language!” (Rev 7:9)

God’s extravagance is seen in His love! For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jn 3:16-17

Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen! (Rev 7:12)

God is great!

Influencers of Hope

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The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Isaiah 58:11 NLT

Toe bone connected to the foot bone
Foot bone connected to the heel bone
Heel bone connected to the ankle bone
Ankle bone connected to the leg bone
Leg bone connected to the knee bone
Knee bone connected to the thigh bone
Thigh bone connected to the hip bone and on and on until you get to the head bone.

United Health Group’s executives may not be singing and dancing to the classic children’s song “Dem Bones” after a recent financial report. According to various news articles, United Health Group reported that those cute little bones would contribute a staggering $377 million in medical costs this year for procedures such as hip replacements and knee surgeries. Always on the hunt to get to the bottom line, UBS Group AG analysts offered a surprising theory: pickleball!

Pickleball is estimated to see a 150% jump in players or “Picklers” in 2023, to 22.3 million. According to a Bloomberg article, “While more activity is generally seen as good and healthy, the analysts offer a somewhat depressing conclusion: “While we generally think of exercise as positively impacting health outcomes, the “can-do” attitude of today’s seniors can pose a greater risk in other areas such as sports injuries, leading to a greater number of orthopedic procedures.” (Joe Weisenthal) If you are a pickler, enjoy and keep on hitting, just be safe!

Juan Ponce de Leon set sail in search of a rumored fountain of youth. Still, according to a CBS news report on the American Society for Nutrition conference, he just needed to adopt eight healthy lifestyle habits that would have earned him 24 years of his life.

According to the report, these lifestyle changes included being physically active, being free from opioid addiction, not smoking, managing stress, having a good diet, not regularly binge drinking, having good sleep hygiene, and having positive social relationships. All of these added up to a longer life expectancy.

Just like Ponce de Leon, many are looking for easy ways to attain health and fitness. People search for a healthy life in all kinds of places, some good and some not so much. Many are following the advice of TikTok influencers. Leah Anduiza promotes among her 47,000 followers a solution of borax and water which she drinks daily with her morning coffee. Another TikTok influencer, Todd Mendlesohn, with 25,000 followers “promised his audience that a pre-workout drink of borax, baking soda, and Celtic sea salt would give them “the biggest pump on the planet.” Borax is a chemical compound that’s sold as a laundry detergent or cleaning agent. According to the National Capital Poison Center, drinking it or bathing in it can cause skin rashes, and if taken long enough, anemia. (from an article by Abby Ohlheiser)

The search for health and fitness didn’t start with Ponce de Leon nor will it end with the host of social media influencers. The search comes down to what is truth and who can be believed. Health misinformation, whether it comes from a man driving his wagon from town to town selling his magic elixir, a white-suited preacher selling a bottle of anointed oil, or the new social media trend, all of them share the same story of playing into the longing for a cure that gives hope. How can you doubt the testimony of someone supposedly cured?

Misinformation is as old as time, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Gen 3:1b) It has been downhill ever since giving a receptive audience to the snake-oil salesman when he comes to town.

What will your role be as a truth influencer in a world filled with misinformation influencers? You may not be a TikTok influencer, or have a social media impact but you daily find your unique roles of influence. You have some awesome information since your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, (I Cor 6:19-20), you know God cares for you as He cares for the birds of the air, (Matt6:25-27) and you know that from the very beginning, you were made in His image. (Gen 1:27).

So, go and play pickleball, hike, golf, or whatever you enjoy and gives you pleasure. Go eat your veggies, even kale. Find ways that provide your soul and body rest. Avoid those things that degrade and destroy your body. Live in community that fosters and encourages you in your daily walk. “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (I Cor 10:31)

There are lots of influencers in our world but there is only One that can be totally trusted. He has a proven track record. He is steadfast, reliable, compassionate, insightful, caring, and above all else, His love endures forever! (Ps 106:1) “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8a NIV)

God is great!