Fathers Touch of Love

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Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

 I Corinthians 16: 13-14 NIV

Fathers, did you get that perfect gift yesterday for Father’s Day? If not, there is always Christmas. This gift may not be for you, but if you are the father of young children, it would be an answer to prayer. I am not sure if or when it will ever be released in the United States, but Chinese carmaker Seres has been granted a patent for the long-awaited “in-vehicle toilet”. This amazing invention slides under a passenger’s seat for those much-needed stops on long road trips. How many times have you just passed an exit when you hear the magic words, “I need to go to the bathroom,” and the next exit is 20 miles down the road?

The patent filing on April 10 stated, “the feature is meant to satisfy users’ needs on long journeys, while camping, or while staying in the car. The loo will come with a fan and exhaust pipe to channel odors out of the car…Waste is collected in a tank that has to be emptied manually.” (Osmond Chia)

Globally, Father’s Day is celebrated in many nations, all with the same purpose of honoring fathers. In the United States, the UK, and South Africa, among others, it is observed on the third Sunday in June. The idea of celebrating fathers came from two young ladies in the early 1900’s, Grace Golden Clayton and Sonora Smart Dodd. West Virginian Clayton proposed the idea in 1908, and though many felt her idea worthy, it was rejected. On the opposite side of the nation, Dodd convinced the Spokane, Washington Ministerial Alliance to celebrate Father’s Day the following year. The idea was accepted and gained support over the next several decades. However, it wasn’t until 1966 that it became officially recognized.

President Lyndon B. Johnson designated the third Sunday of June that year in a proclamation as Father’s Day. In his proclamation, he stated, “In the homes of our Nation, we look to the fathers to provide the strength and stability which characterize the successful family…If the father’s responsibilities are many, his rewards are also great-the love, appreciation, and respect of children and spouse.”  Finally, in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a law officially making Father’s Day a permanent national holiday.

Father’s Day may be officially celebrated on one day of the calendar, but hopefully, fathers, just like mothers, are celebrated the other 364 days, since their roles are not limited to one day of the year.

Fathers come in all shapes, colors, abilities, temperaments, and fashion senses, yet they all share one common thread—their children. Whether their role as fathers came about through natural birth, adoption, fostering, or unique care status for children, they are fathers. Fathers know best some days and completely blow it the next. Yet a wise father who seeks to guide his children in God’s ways will unveil the true secrets of life. “Listen, my sons (and daughters), to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching…Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them.” (Proverbs 4:1-2,5 NIV).

Fathers know it is not an easy job. It never has been, nor will it ever be. Dwight Moody was not talking only to dads, but the message was encouraging. “Let God have your life; he can do more with it than you can.” The Bible does not have a special category for “Best Dad of the Year,” but we can find some noteworthy examples. One great example is Joseph.

Joseph’s role as father did not come through the normal channels. He was given a very unique role. Joseph was looking forward to a long, ordinary life with his fiancée, Mary. Plans were coming together for the marriage, for setting up a new home, for dreaming of children, and for starting his carpentry business. Then came the extraordinary assignment that changed the course of their comfortable, preconceived plans. God asked Joseph to fulfill a critical purpose in the Messiah’s birth, as caretaker of Mary and the baby.

“Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Needless to say, Joseph’s perfect world was turned upside down. He cared deeply for Mary and didn’t have the heart to publicly disgrace her, so he decided to divorce her quietly.

An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, reassuring him that Mary had willingly agreed to the plan. Now, would he have the courage to say yes? “Carry the cross patiently, and with perfect submission; and in the end it shall carry you.” (Thomas a Kempis)

 “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” (Matthew 1:24-25) Joseph did not know what lay ahead, but he said yes. He would protect Mary and Jesus from a tyrannical ruler, take his family as refugees to a foreign country, resettle them in a new home, teach Jesus to be a carpenter, and serve as a mentor and teacher.

“The characteristic of a disciple is not that he does good things, but that he is good in motive because he has been made good by the supernatural grace of God. The only thing that exceeds right-doing is right-being. Jesus Christ came to put into any man who would let him a new heredity which would exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus says—If you are my disciple, you must be right not only in your living, but in your motives, in your dreams, in the recesses of your mind.” Oswald Chambers

Little is said about Joseph after the first few years. Scholars can only speculate; we can only offer opinions, but what we do know is that he faithfully did his job as God asked him to. His obedience changed both history and eternity. Whatever or however the role of father came to you, do it in a way that prepares the next generation to follow Jesus.

God is great!

Monday morning devotion to offer encouragement, hope, and purpose for Jesus’ followers

Change of Purpose

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Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen Romans 11:33-36

Have you ever had something you thought was for one thing and ended up being for something else? Some of the most ordinary, successful products became valuable because customers used them differently from the inventor’s intention.

Tea drinking and the British go hand in hand; they are inseparable. The arrival of tea in Britain in the 17th century altered the nation’s drinking habits. To make a perfect cup of tea, place the tea leaves in a teapot and steep for 3 minutes. Add a hot scone for the perfect teatime!

You can imagine the mess of cleaning out the pot until an accidental American invention in 1908. Thomas Sullivan, a New York tea merchant, started sending samples in small silken bags. Sullivan intended that people open the bags and pour their contents into a pot. Customers started dropping the little bags into the pot, and thus, by accident, the tea bag was born. (UK Tea & Infusions Association)

Developers Hurley, Chen, and Karim had the idea for an online dating service with the slogan “Tune In, Hook Up,” and launched it on Feb 14, 2005, but it flopped as originally intended.  However, they quickly realized the value of the video-upload platform, which transformed YouTube into a place for users to upload, view, and stream videos. That failed dating platform is now worth as much as $550 billion.

Inventors Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes were trying to create textured wallpaper. They ran two pieces of plastic shower curtain through a heat-sealing machine in 1957, resulting in a sheet of film with trapped air bubbles. Unfortunately, they failed in the interior decorating business, but what they did changed the world of packing and shipping forever with the introduction of Bubble Wrap.

God is masterful at taking how one thinks something should be and turning it into a treasure that far exceeds what was intended. God used a godless king to provide a way of salvation for his people. Cyrus was a political and military genius, bringing together the Medes and the Persians into a unified nation. One of the greatest changes he introduced was a genuinely fresh idea onto the world stage: tolerance. God said of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please.” (Isaiah 44:28).

God takes the improbable and redefines it for His purpose. God takes what is hidden and reveals it for His glory. God takes what can’t be explained and reshapes the whole story. “I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” (Is. 45:3) God is at work in the darkness where we can’t always see.

God often uses one person’s concern to ignite a spark. This is the story of Professor Robert George of Princeton University in 2023. “I happened to read a report in the Wall Street Journal. It included polling data showing that the belief of Americans in certain core values—values that had traditionally been sources of unity and strength for Americans—had very considerably diminished over the past decade or decade and a half. I’m talking about values such as religion, family, and patriotism.”

According to the polling data, the only value that had increased in importance was money. Can one person make a difference? Professor George didn’t know, but he decided to do something bigger than himself. He announced on his Facebook and Twitter accounts, “By the authority vested in me by absolutely no one, I have declared June to be Fidelity Month—dedicated to the importance of fidelity to God, spouses and families, and our country and communities.” (fidelitymonth.com website)

Fidelity is defined as “Faithfulness to obligations, duties, or observances; loyalty… Fidelity involves the unfailing fulfillment of one’s duties and obligations and the keeping of one’s word or vows.” (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)

Time will tell whether this one man’s concern and determination will become a movement. It has grown across the nation since launching, with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Michigan’s House of Representatives all proclaiming June as “Fidelity Month.” Gov. Sanders told the Daily Wire in an interview after the Fidelity Month declaration, “The resolution highlights the state’s goal of creating a healthy society by sowing faithfulness to ‘God, family, community, and country.’”

Jesus taught his followers what the kingdom of heaven really looked like. Given their choice, their nation would have been a superpower. Jesus took an opposite approach, teaching parables about the kingdom of heaven as God intended. (Matthew 13). Though the consumer market has many successful products used differently from how the developer first envisioned, Jesus made sure his kingdom would be used correctly. “A disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” (Matthew 13:52b)

“Dear brothers and sisters, I pray God may open your eyes and let you see what hidden treasures he bestows on us in the trials from which the world thinks only to flee. Shame turns into honor when we seek God’s glory. Present affliction becomes the source of heavenly glory. To those who suffer wounds in fighting his battles, God opens his arms in loving, tender fellowship, which is more delightful by far than anything our earthly efforts might produce.” (St. John of Avila, 1499-1569)

“May God give you treasures hidden in the darkness.”

God is great!

A weekly devotional post to offer encouragement, hope, and purpose found in Jesus!

A Story Worth Telling

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God, now that I’m old and gray, don’t walk away. Give me grace to demonstrate to the next generation all your mighty miracles and your excitement, to show them your magnificent power! Psalm 71:18 TPT

“Leave footprints to follow rather than scars to heal.” (Gerry Brooks)

What footprint will you leave for the next generation? God designed life where generations overlap. Sometimes the overlap is not very long, but long enough to tell stories that the next generation will remember. This overlap is a time to love, to teach, to inspire, to hold the future, and to be held by the future. Count it as holy ground regardless, and if you are the generation ready to pass the baton, then you are in a grace-filled season of life.

This past week, we visited the Japanese Gardens in Portland, where there was a display of various bonsai creations. One dated back 300 years, while the others were 80 to 100 years old. This ancient horticultural art form of cultivating trees literally means “planted in a container” or “tree in a pot.” A Ficus Retusa Linn holds the title of the oldest bonsai tree in the world, at over 1,000 years old. The tree is located at the Crespi Bonsai Museum near Milan, Italy.

 Bonsai plants and the intricate art of shaping these mighty trees into containers have always fascinated me. Though Bonsai trees are deeply rooted in Japanese culture, they are found and thrive around the world. However, what they all share is the people who nurture and care for them, and that is what is amazing. A person painstakingly cuts and prunes, shapes and maintains the plant, then he dies. Then another person takes on the responsibility of care and painstakingly cuts, prunes, shapes, and maintains the tree, and then he dies. The Bonsai becomes a living story passed from one caretaker to the next, for the next generation to enjoy.

An article in Leaves & Soul says it well: “A tree doesn’t become 500 or 1,000 years old by accident—it takes generations of continuous care… It is a collaboration between nature and human caregivers over decades or centuries… They remind us that with patience and proper care, a bonsai can outlive us and become a legacy for future generations.” (Leaves & Soul, Aug 22, 2025)

God has entrusted each generation with a similar task: to be caretakers of His story for the next generation, providing a story that carries a message of hope and life. Anglican theologian N. T. Wright said, “Belief is actually not an isolated individual thing. I don’t believe in a little box all by myself. Yes, I have my own particular take on things, but the great creeds say, ‘We believe.’ Belief is something that actually we do together.”

We are caretakers responsible for sharing, “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” (Psalm 145:4 ESV) We are called to be faithful caretakers, “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” (Psalm 78:4 ESV) We hold a light as caretakers, telling the stories of a God who loves and cares for the next generation. “How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:3 ESV)

In her latest book, “What Grows in Weary Lands,” Trish Harrison Warren poses a critical question that echoes the Psalmist’s words, “Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story” (Psalm 107:2a). Warren writes, “Who are the believers that make you want to believe? Whose faithfulness makes you want to be faithful? Surround yourself with these people. Immerse yourself in a church, in a Christian community, whose (albeit imperfect) lives help you learn, see, and seek what is most true, good, and beautiful. Immerse yourself in thinkers throughout time who have asked the questions your soul is shouting and offered you new ones as well. Immerse yourself in the prayers of those who teach you to pray and the songs of those who dare you to sing… They live as people who have known agony and ecstasy. They have been disappointed and have failed and failed and failed, yet still know themselves as beloved. To me, they are a walking, breathing apologetic. They make me want to believe.”

The bonsai tree exists only because one generation cared for it until the next was ready to take it as their own. God has given each generation the responsibility to prepare the way for the next to grow in maturity and wisdom. Wisdom demands a lifelong quest, often wrapped in a flawed shell. “The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.” (Henri Nouwen)

Solomon failed in many ways, yet he passed on life-giving words of wisdom. “Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.” (Proverbs 4:10-15 NIV)

What kind of footprints will you and I leave for those who follow? Will we be one of those who give life to those who follow? “Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story!”

God is great!

A weekly devotional post to offer encouragement, hope, and purpose found in Jesus.

 

Two Events, One Purpose: Remember

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“What do these stones mean?… He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God. Joshua 4:21,24 NIV

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” I Samuel 7:12 NIV

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts 2:1-2 NIV

“That Nation which respects and honors its dead, shall ever be respected and honored itself.” (Lt. Col. Edmund B. Whitman, 1868). Pentecost Sunday and Memorial Day are two very different yet equally important events that share the same weekend this year. One marks the beginning of life and power, while the other commemorates those who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom. One is celebrated globally in every nation, while the other is confined to a single nation.

The United States set aside Memorial Day to honor the men and women who died in military conflicts. Though this day is uniquely observed in the U.S., many other countries also set aside a day to remember their men and women who died serving their nation.

The concept of Memorial Day emerged shortly after the Civil War, when it was known as Decoration Day and graves were adorned with flowers and other decorations. B.K. Waltke writes, “Remembering the past plays a vital role in the identity of any nation. Sociologists claim that a society aspiring to endure must become a community of memory and hope.”

James Garfield, Ohio congressman and a future United States president, spoke at Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the first ‘Decoration Day’ and said, “I am oppressed with a sense of the impropriety of uttering words on this occasion. If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the graves of fifteen thousand men, whose lives were more significant than speech, and whose death was a poem, the music of which can never be sung….We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country, they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.” (May 30, 1868)

Historians estimate that more than 1,300,000 men and women have died in the wars and conflicts the United States has been involved in since the American Revolutionary War. Each number represents a man or woman whose story ended much too soon, never getting to finish their life journey. A statistic on paper, but for families, a loved one, now only a picture on the wall, a memory kept alive through stories. Memorial Day allows us to reflect on the cost of freedom that others get to enjoy because of their sacrifice.

“Rest, comrades, rest and sleep!

The thoughts of men shall be as sentinels to keep

Your rest from danger free.

Your silent tents of green

We deck with fragrant flowers

Yours has the suffering been, The memory shall be ours. (stanza 5&6, Decoration Day, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

Whether it is a pile of stones, a monument, or a specific day, history is filled with reminders that tell the next generation about a sacrifice that took place. World War II Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote, “Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.”

Memorial Day and Pentecost Sunday are two very different occasions, yet both serve as reminders of events that changed history. Memorial simply means serving to preserve remembrance. Memorial Day gives us pause to reflect on the lives of those who gave their lives for freedom. On Pentecost Sunday, we rejoice and celebrate the birth of the church, which has become the embodiment of Christ (1 Cor 12:12-27), as we “Go and make disciples of all nations.” From this small group of about 120 disciples, a worldwide body of over 2.6 million Christians has grown.

Pentecost changed everything for Peter, this first small group of followers, and for us, generations later. There was no turning back for them, and no turning back for us. Dr. Ray Pritchard writes of Pentecost, “That is when thousands come into the faith. And it goes from this little sect of believers who followed a Jewish rabbi from Nazareth who died and rose again, and suddenly the church breaks forth into the culture. Suddenly, it is that unstoppable force that no one can really deny any longer. Pentecost has taken on a new significance for us. It, at one point, is just a historical memory. Now it is the living reality of the moment that the spirit of God seemingly burst forth.”

We remember and are grateful as a nation for the 1.3 million who have been killed fighting for freedom. Yet Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimates that more than 70 million Christians have been martyred over the past two millennia. Pentecost and Memorial Day are completely different, yet both events were born of costly commitments and sacrifice. “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” I Corinthians 12:27

Blessings on this weekend of remembrance.

God is great!

A weekly devotional post offering encouragement, hope, and purpose in Jesus

Passing On A Legacy Of Faith

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She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26 NIV

“For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.” William Ross Wallace penned this poem over 100 years ago, and the words still hold true. The second Sunday of May marks the one day a year in the United States that recognizes mothers for all their efforts and the impact they have on each one of us. This one day out of the year was officially established by President Woodrow Wilson’s proclamation in 1914 in recognition of mothers.

History is filled with the stories of great men and women who owe their foundation of success to a praying, faithful mother. God uses the imagery of a mother’s love to help Israel understand His judgment and hope. “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 66:13)

John and Charles Wesley became leaders in a powerful spiritual awakening, yet behind them stood a powerful prayer-warrior mother, Suzanna. Her ten children knew that when she pulled her apron over her head, she had entered her prayer closet, creating a sacred place within a chaotic home where she prayed for each of their spiritual walks.

Charles H. Spurgeon became known as “The Prince of Preachers,” yet behind him was his praying mother, Eliza Spurgeon. She prayed fervently for him and all her children that they would walk faithfully before God all the days of their lives. Spurgeon’s brother, James, wrote of his mother: “She was the starting point of all the greatness and goodness any of us, by the grace of God, have ever enjoyed.”

James Hudson Taylor became the missionary to the nations, yet behind him was his praying mother, Amelia Hudson. She was a mother unknown to the world, but not in the kingdom of God. She never stopped praying for her rebellious son that he would come to faith. Hudson Taylor would embark for China in 1853, where he would spend 54 years as a missionary to the people and establish China Inland Missions. He left knowing that his mother was still praying for him.

Timothy became a leader in the early church, yet behind him were his praying mother, Eunice, and his praying grandmother, Lois. Paul, writing to Timothy, acknowledged this great legacy that was being passed down to the next generation. “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (2 Timothy 1:5)

Samuel became the prophet to the nation and anointed the line of David, yet behind him was a praying mother, Hannah. “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life…” (I Samuel 1:11)

Luther Little became a prominent Baptist pastor in the last century, yet behind him was a praying mother. At 15, Little knew he was called to preach. His family all made fun of him, except his mother. However, she would never live to hear him preach. The day he was to preach his first sermon, his mother wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t go. She told him, “You go on, and when you come back, you can tell me about it.” Three months later, at her deathbed, each of the boys said their goodbyes, but to her youngest, Luther, she told him, “You go on and preach the gospel, and when it is over, come on home, and I will be standing at the gate, and then you can tell me all about it.” Years later, Dr. Little wrote, “I am going on to preach the gospel as she said, and when it is over, I expect to find her at the gate, and through all eternity, I can tell her all about it.” (from an article by Joe McKeever)

“Woman, how divine your mission

Here upon our natal sod!

Keep, oh, keep the young heart open

Always to the breath of God!

All true trophies of the ages

Are from mother-love impearled;

For the hand that rocks the cradle

Is the hand that rules the world.” (Third verse of the poem, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle)

Mother’s Day consumer spending in the U.S. this year is expected to reach a record $38 billion. For this reason, Anna Jarvis, who championed the original idea of Mother’s Day, opposed its commercialization. What she envisioned was a simple day of remembrance. However, most of the $38 billion of flowers, jewelry, candy, and cards are from the heart to tell mothers and wives how important they are in your life.  Economist and researcher Mark Matthews writes, “Consumers are gifting from the heart, seeking unique gifts that create lasting memories for the mothers in their lives.”

Mother’s Day! What a great reminder to honor those who rock the cradle because praying mothers will raise up young men and women who will go on to rule the world. Mothers who may not make Time’s magazine Person of the Year or become social network influencers, but their calling will be greater, becoming eternal influencers through godly children. “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” (Proverbs 31:30-31)

God is Great! Ps 70:4

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Walking In Faith

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Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for…These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Hebrews 11:1-2,39-40

What is your earliest memory that helped shape your childhood? Depending on how many years or decades have passed since that event, it may take a little longer to remember.  I attended Sunday School, but for the most part, my life was centered on the farm where I grew up. There were no preschool or kindergarten options, so that first day, as a first grader, walking into the classroom was a new experience. My mother’s hand was my security until it wasn’t. What gave me hope and confidence was knowing she would be at the driveway at the end of the school day, waiting for me to get off the bus. My certainty rested on knowing, without a doubt, that she was always there for me.

For me, that confidence never wavered, but for many, that mother’s hand of security or a father’s strong arm wasn’t there. Over time, other things began to fill that vacuum and took that person’s hand, leading them down dark roads of doubt, fear, and hopelessness. All of us need a hand to hold onto. For some, that hand is addiction, money, sex, or religion. The good news is that God reaches out his hand for those who will take it and hold on.

We all like a hand we can touch, feel, grip, and see, but God offers a different hand, a hand of faith. “For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). The grasp we have on addiction, money, sex, or religion seems real until it unwinds like a magician’s empty box. What seemed real turns out to be only an illusion. What God offers may seem invisible, but in reality, it is the only real thing to hold on to.

Faith is often hard to grasp when we need to see something tangible. Yet in those moments, God offers us more than enough to keep moving forward. He offers himself. Thomas had been with Jesus from the beginning and had walked the same roads with him. Yet when he missed the first appearance of the resurrected Jesus, his faith wavered. “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)

I am so glad John included Thomas’ story of doubt. I have known many amazing followers of Jesus, and most of them have shared similar stories of confusion, frustration, and challenges. Faith doesn’t keep us from doubt, but it carries us through the doubt. In his great love for Thomas, Jesus walked through another locked door for him. “A week later, his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” (20:26-27)

Thomas came face-to-face with his doubts. However, he also came face-to-face with faith and made a bold statement about it. “My Lord and my God!” Jesus used the moment as a powerful teaching opportunity and gently reprimanded him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Others will always follow in Thomas’s footsteps of doubt, yet we can take our doubts, like Thomas, and use his example as a powerful confession of faith in Jesus. Thomas accepted the reprimand and went on to live out a life of faith. Early church tradition records that Thomas was a missionary to India, where he preached the gospel and established a lasting legacy of Christian communities. Thomas was eventually martyred for his faith. His was a journey from questioning to unwavering belief.

We want everything laid out in plain sight, with no uncertainty in our plans. Yet it is amazing faith that creates an unbelievable landscape of life. Oswald Chambers writes, “Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life: gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways; we do not know what a day may bring forth.” However, instead of being discouraged, it is in those moments of doubt that we feel we hear the words, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Chambers went on to write about uncertainty, “it should be rather an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God…He packs our life with surprises all the time…We are not uncertain of God, but uncertain of what He is going to do next…When we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy.”

Faith is a gift that God delights to give. “God knows what we lack and what we need. He made each of us as we are, and in our character is the raw material he will use to make us who we can become.” (Claire Cloninger)

We are invited to ask for faith. When the father was confronted with his doubts and lack of faith, he cried out, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). This is a prayer that God delights to answer.

There are days when we may not be sure of the uncertainty and long for a little more certainty, but what we can do is trust God. We can be certain that he knows the plans he has for us. We take one step amid uncertainty and find ourselves in step with the certainty of God.

Lord, let me live a life of amazing uncertainty because I live a life that is certain of you.

God is great!

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Gift of Worship

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Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Colossians 3:16 NIV

Have you ever listened to a song as goosebumps covered your arms? You are not alone. Psychologists call this frisson, a phenomenon linked to heightened emotional sensitivity and a stronger connection between music and the brain’s reward system. Music has been a beautiful part of worship long before the word frisson was coined. God placed a deep desire to worship within our souls, and through the songs and prayers of the Psalms, our souls need the music of worship.

The Psalmist must have felt goosebumps as he wrote Psalm 96, “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

  Tradition holds that Queen Victoria was so overwhelmed by the powerful “Hallelujah Chorus” from George Frideric Handel’s Messiah that she stood during the performance out of reverence for Christ. Whether she was thinking of verse 9 as she stood, the impact was there. “Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.”

God has opened the gates of worship for us. Augustine understood this beautifully, as he wrote in his book, Confessions, “O my God, let me remember with gratitude and confess to you your mercies toward me. Let my bones be bathed in your love and let them say, ‘Lord, who is like unto thee? You have broken my bonds apart; I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving.’ And how you broke them I will declare, and all who worship you will say when they hear these things: ‘Blessed be the Lord in heaven and earth, great and wonderful is his name.’”

There are seasons in our lives when we will pull aside for solitary times of worship. However, for the most part, worship was never intended to be a solitary act of devotion but rather a powerful, communal experience. We need each other to strengthen our faith, and worship connects us at the deepest levels. Our times of communal worship uplift, inspire, and transform us into what it is to be a follower of Jesus. “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.” (Psalm 34:3 NIV)

The early church never doubted the need for worship or the oneness of being together in worship. The early church didn’t have the luxury of not being in worship and fellowship together. They were under intense pressure and being persecuted by the religious leaders, government officials, and the traditions of their culture. When Peter and John were released from jail, the church did what came naturally to them: “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.” Acts 4:24

Somewhere along this journey of faith, many have forgotten the very heart of worship, which is God alone and the gathering of people together as one. The early church expected and longed for this gathering together to “Praise the LORD. Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.” Psalm 149:1. According to Pew Research, data estimates that only 1 out of 4 Americans will be in worship weekly; numbers may be worse in Europe and better in Africa.

What do the 3 out of 4 miss out on? Everything that gives life. Everything we are called to do is to worship God alone (Exodus 20). Everything that provides us with the strength, hope, and encouragement we need to live. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV

The measure of worship is found in the community of faith gathered together. Douglas Steele writes, “When we come to a service of worship, we should come to participate, to bring our praise, honor, and thanks, as well as our needs, and lay them at God’s feet in the midst of this great mixed community of the present and the past. In this act, we are lifted out of our private world into a public one, out of our personal situations into a social situation…The humbling, enlarging, encompassing fellowship into which the church’s corporate exercise seeps us is a part of the Christian experience that we dare not forgo if we are able to attend.” (Dimensions of Prayer)

God is not surprised that our lives are busy, schedules overflow, and conflicts abound. He anticipated your objections to setting aside time to worship from the very beginning. God gave us the gift of the Sabbath to live life.   “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…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 20:8-11).

“The Sabbath is a weekly reminder that we don’t keep the planets in orbit. We can’t manufacture miracles, and we don’t have to. All we have to do is let God love us, let God grace us, let God heal us, let God empower us, let God repurpose us.” (Mark Batterson)

Together in worship, worshipping God. What you sound like as you sing is not important, but what you sing is incredibly important. “I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30 KJV

God is great!

God’s Questions Changes Everything

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As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging…Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Luke 18:35,40-41 NIV

What kind of cheese is the moon made of? How did the man get in the moon? Why can’t grass be blue and the sky green? If you have or have had toddlers, you know the routine. According to Harvard child psychologist Paul Harris, children between the ages of 2 and 5 will ask roughly 40,000 questions. Research suggests an average of 100-300 questions per day, with the peak volume usually coming from four-year-olds. (data from A More Beautiful Question, Warren Berger)

When our son was in that age range, I would come home in the evening, and Connie would hand him to me and tell me she needed a quiet break. If you have children, grandchildren, or are around little ones, just know that the endless why, when, where, who, and how questions are normal. God wired these little brains to be inquisitive, information-gathering creatures. On the downside, adults find themselves unable to answer their questions 35% of the time.

As we grow older, we may not ask 300 questions every day, but questions remain an important part of our lives. We live in a world where questions shape our daily lives. We ask questions to get opinions, directions, information, or for a thousand other reasons. What do you want for dinner? Can you tell me how to get to Walmart? How long will the sermon last? Now the world of questions has expanded to asking Google, Siri, Alexa, and Bixby, among others, life’s poignant questions. Hey Google, how long does it take to boil an egg?

Scripture gives us the first recorded question. It is not a question seeking information or directions but one meant to deceive. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?” (Gen 3:1) God had finished an unblemished creation, and mankind was given free range of the most incredible home. It was a perfect paradise until a question was asked to sow doubt, create envy, and stir longing for something they couldn’t be, namely God himself. The Bible tells us that “the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.” The great deceiver disguised himself as a serpent to sow doubt.

It was one question that sowed doubt and one response that changed the course of human history. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Deception was planted like a fragile seed until it gave root to the bitter fruit of sin.

The deception hung over the Garden of Eden like a heavy blanket. “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”

A question of deception had been asked, but now God uses a question to begin the process of healing and confrontation. A simple question, yet it would require a difficult answer: “Where are you?” I have no doubt that God, who had just finished creating the world, knew the surface-level answer to where they were physically. What God wanted to know, and what he still wants to know, is not where we are physically but where we are with Him. It was a question that stirred the soul, forced self-reflection, and opened the door to repentance, and it still does.

Fast-forward through the pages of history, and the same deceptive questions have been asked of people. They are the questions that arouse envy, lust, anger, revenge, and greed. The questions that leave us doubting God’s goodness and love.

It doesn’t take much of life space to get asked a question that plants seeds of doubt in our souls.  Were you really the most qualified to get that promotion? Are you really entitled to that award? Did you really—you fill in the blank. At one time or another, most of us have had questions asked that belittled us, made us doubt our abilities, and cast suspicion on us.

 The Great Deceiver has had lots of practice at planting these questions. A question of envy caused Cain to murder his brother. A question of lust caused David to commit adultery and eventually murder. A question of greed caused Judas to betray Jesus for a few coins. A question of fear caused Peter to deny his friend and mentor.

God has a way of asking questions that bring healing, life, and redemption, questions that prompt us to say, “Yes, God, I blew it; I need you.” When God asked Cain where Abel was, it wasn’t for information. God asked Jacob, “What is your name?” not for His knowledge, but to force Jacob to confront who he was and had been, and to surrender to Him what he could be. “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel.” (Gen 32:27,28)

God’s questions force us to look beyond the obvious answer to what lies deep within ourselves to the place only God can touch and restore. God used questions to compel Moses to look beyond his limitations, “Who gave human beings their mouths?” When Job was on the brink of despair, God asked questions to help him look beyond himself: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” When Peter thought he was beyond grace, Jesus used questions to begin his healing: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

God’s questions are never superficial, nor are answers always obvious. There is an obvious answer to a blind man: Do you want to see? Though Jesus cared that Bartimaeus could physically see, he was even more concerned that he could see spiritually. Today, how will you respond to Jesus when he asks you, “What do you want me to do for you?”

God is great!

Together

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Now, in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. Mark 1:35 NKJV

“This world is tricky and getting trickier every day. Man, sometimes it confuses me. Sometimes I lose my way in this world. Can ya’ll relate to that?”  I, for one, can relate to this statement by Grammy Award-winning Christian artist TobyMac (Toby McKeehan). During his concert in Colorado Springs last month, McKeehan shared about the challenges that he faced following the death of his son in 2019, and what he learned about God being there for him.

“What I’ve been hanging on to with everything in me for the last six-and-a-half years is this: God promises that if you have a relationship with him, he will never leave you or forsake you. It gets confusing when your heart gets broken, for all of us…You see, God didn’t promise us that we wouldn’t be hurt on this earth. He didn’t promise us that our hearts would not be broken. He didn’t promise us that we wouldn’t lose the ones that we love. What he promised is that he would never leave. And I can only tell you this from my own personal experience: He was there in the deepest of valleys.”  (Jessical Mouser, ChurchLeaders.com)

McKeehan, in the midst of his pain and sorrow, used his music as an avenue to express his deepest feelings as he journeyed through his loss. In his valley, he wrote the song “Help Is On the Way,” in which he expressed that the only way to survive was through Jesus.

I heard your heart
I see your pain
Out in the dark
Out in the rain
Feel so alone
Feel so afraid
I heard you pray in Jesus’ name

It may be midnight or midday
It’s never early, never late
He gon’ stand by what He claim
I’ve lived enough life to say (words from Help Is On The Way by TobyMac)

God is/will always be faithful in his promises to be with us, through days of bright light and most critical during the nights of deepest darkness. On this side of eternity, we will be faced with chapters of unexplainable events in our lives. We can trust that God will be there, even as we face unbearable pain. We find that there is only one place that will keep us sheltered: in God. We may still hurt, but He is there to prevent us from falling completely apart. James encourages us to “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:8a). “One of the best ways to prevent your heart from growing cold is to regularly talk with God.” (Henry Blackaby)

“The reason many of us leave off praying and become hard towards God is because we have only a sentimental interest in prayer…We hurl our own petitions at God’s throne and dictate to Him as to what we wish Him to do. It is when a crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to place our trust in Him, the crisis will reveal that we can go to the point of breaking, yet without breaking our confidence in Him.” (Oswald Chambers)

“May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” I Thessalonians 3:12-13)

Hopefully, we realize quickly that we need others to walk with us as an engaged prayer community. Trusting our deepest needs with those who will become “rope holders” to keep us from falling off the edge. A community of prayerful pilgrims who stand with us. I witnessed a powerful prayer community surrounding a little 16-month-old facing a life-threatening incident this past week. A community calling on God for healing and holding the ropes for her parents and grandparents.  “Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. Psalm 55:1 (NIV). What seemed impossible is now a place where a community and a family rejoice, as God has miraculously intervened.

What does a prayer community look like? One example given by John Michael Talbot is a great starting point.  “Prayer is the strength of our individual and community existence. It is through prayer that we find the heart of our love relationship with Jesus as individuals, and it is through the love relationship of Jesus working in individual lives that communities prosper in peace and unity. It is in the solitude of prayer that we find our true companion and thus learn to be better companions of others. It is in the inner silence of prayer that we hear the living word of God, and thus learn to speak words that flow from the love of God to one another.”

We do not always get the answer we expected, but we always have God’s presence to see us through every circumstance. We never give up because God never gives up. Whatever situation you or I may face, we have a Savior who provides a way. Together, may we find encouragement in this prayer of benediction:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace – Numbers 6:24-26

 

God is great!

Lasting Treasure

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Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John 21:25

How does your digital clutter compare to recent surveys? It shows that the average person has over 1,000 unread emails, 12 unread text messages, 17 unread social media notifications, 15 open browser tabs, 9 unused phone apps, 2 pending software updates, and 11 other unread app messages. If you often get overwhelmed by clutter, the good news is that over 31% of people have spent money to upgrade to devices with more storage. The bad news is that 77% of people feel digital clutter negatively affects their lives. (Information from an article by Josh Koebert, All About Cookies)

I don’t know where you stand in the digital clutter world, but I will say I am above average. Sometimes, I clean out my email inbox, but not every day. Maybe what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote over 300 years ago still applies today to the world’s digital clutter: “Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean.” The issue isn’t that our email boxes are cluttered, but that we live in a world with so much information that we can’t process it all. Digital clutter keeps expanding because technology keeps adding ways to store it.

Yesterday, or Easter Sunday, depending upon when you read this post, we celebrated a risen Savior. Churches were packed with people worshipping Jesus, who brought hope to a dying world. Sunday reminded us of his final words from the cross, words that forever challenged us to live a life fully surrendered to Him.

Scripture contains a wealth of truth that points us to salvation in Jesus, including the prophecies of His coming, the history of God’s story, the Psalms of worship, and Proverbs for living a godly life. It is truth that is ageless. What an amazing comparison to our world filled with digital clutter, especially in light of reading John’s ending: “I suppose even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)

I would almost guess that most of the digital clutter on our electronic devices will end up in the great digital trash can—information needed for the moment but with little future value.  The Bible, however, contains a life-giving, life-changing, and life-sustaining message.  Dwight Moody wrote, “The Bible was not given for our information, but for our transformation.”

Even though we will never know all the additional stories that Jesus told, what we do know is a treasure hoard beyond anything we can imagine. As we read the Bible, the treasure is not found in what we don’t have but in what is written.

What we do know is that the recorded words of Jesus bring wisdom. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

What we do know is that Jesus’ words brought amazement. “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching.” Matthew 7:28

What we do know is that no one can top Jesus. “No one ever spoke the way this man does.” John 7:46

What we do know is that Jesus left specific directions for eternal life. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.“ John 6:68

Paul Dayes found life-changing words reading John 5:24, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” Dayes was in both a physical and spiritual prison. He had been in and out of prison since he was 14. He was serving a prison term for robbery when he encountered Jesus.

Dayes said in an interview, “I remember having the urge to read the Bible. I don’t know why.”  The problem was that he didn’t have access to a Bible. However, the next morning, coincidence or miracle, when he stepped out of his cell, there was a brand-new Gideon Bible lying on the radiator. Dayes started reading, and as he read Matthew 9:13, he came across the verse, “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  He said, “It spoke straight to my heart, and I found myself praying the sinner’s prayer and gave my life to Christ.” After his release, Teen Challenge helped him, through their substance abuse program, escape his addiction.  (information from an article by Charles Gardner)

“When we submit our lives to what we read in Scripture, we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but our stories in God’s. God is the larger context and plot in which our stories find themselves.” (Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book)

As we finished celebrating Easter, we were once again reminded of the great hope we have in Jesus. In Him, the world will never be the same. Easter marked the beginning of change; circumstances and people will never be the same. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35

God is great!