A Beautiful Portrait

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. Revelation 1:14-15

I am thankful Jesus chose a time in history when his disciples couldn’t pull out their iPhones and snap a selfie with him. The Bible doesn’t say a lot about Jesus’ physical description. However, his good friend John wrote this compelling description of Jesus in Revelation. Equally powerful is John’s follow-up description of Jesus. “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:17-18

We now live in a very ego-centric age that is totally self-absorbed with ourselves. We have at our fingertips information about anything and everyone. We have access to more books, more pictures, more video clips than all the combined generations who lived before us. We are information-saturated but drowning in self-righteous indignation over the events of the past.

Jesus tells his followers in Matthew 7 to take the plank out of their own eyes instead of focusing on the tiny speck in their brother’s eye. Jesus was aware of how easy it is to focus on other’s failures because they look at the world through filters of unconscious biases and unexamined judgments that cloud their perception. “The unwounded life bears no resemblance to the Rabbi.” (Brennan Manning)

How would I have pictured Jesus if I had been an artist living in a bygone age without access to the internet, TV, or modern printing capabilities? How would you? In our modern era of travel and instant communication, we have the beauty of seeing and living among the rich interrelationships of other cultures, ethnic groups, and languages. How would you picture Jesus if you had never had the opportunity to leave your hometown?  How would you capture a picture of Jesus to show to your community and family that reflected him for others to see? Somehow the finished picture of Jesus would most likely resemble the characteristics of the people in your world.

Connie and I have a fairly extensive collection of nativity sets from around the world. They are sets collected from the Maasai, Kikuyu, Shona, Batswana, Thai, European, Chilean, Peruvian, and countless other people groups. A most interesting feature common to each Nativity Set is that they picture the baby Jesus looking just like them. As I take each set and unwrap each piece at Christmas I never get tired of marveling at the beauty and variety of the cultures of the world that call Jesus their Savior.

Billy Graham once shared a story from Cecil B. De Mille, a movie producer from an earlier era.  Graham wrote that “Cecil B. DeMille once told me that his picture “The King of Kings” made during the silent-movie era, was seen by an estimated 800,000,000 people. I asked him why he did not reproduce “The King of Kings” with sound and color. He replied, “I will never be able to do it, because if I gave Jesus a southern accent, the northerners would not think of him as their Christ. If I gave him a foreign accent, the Americans and the British would not think of him as their Christ.” He said, “As it is, people of all nations, from every race, creed, clan, can accept him as their Christ.”

The writers of scripture didn’t concern themselves with describing the physical qualities of Jesus. They only focused on his character, his nature, and his message to the world.  The problem comes when we expect every Jesus to look like us instead of us looking like Jesus.

C.S. Lewis writes, “Putting on Christ…is not one among many jobs a Christian has to do; and it is not a sort of special exercise for the top class. It is the whole of Christianity. Christianity offers nothing else at all.” How do we begin to look like Jesus?

We look like Jesus when we wash the feet of others who are struggling, broken, and defeated.

We look like Jesus when we bring peace into the midst of conflict.

We look like Jesus when we take a loaf of bread to our neighbor.

We look like Jesus when we care for the sick and offer comfort to the dying.

We look like Jesus when we tuck our children into bed at night and pray over them.

We look like Jesus when we share His love with a lost world.

Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life says, “Christlikeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation.” Therefore, we look most like Jesus when we let Jesus take the brush from our hands, and he paints the picture of us so that the world can see him through us. A portrait where “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

God is great!

The Small Stuff Makes A Big Difference

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand. Zechariah 4:10 NLT

Sorry, our ice cream machine is broken. If you’ve been to a McDonald’s for the sheer pleasure of an ice cream cone or a McFlurry, more likely than not, you have probably heard these words. You only wanted a small thing but left with a big disappointment. Therefore, before you make your drive to McDonald’s, software engineer Rashiq Zahid created the website, mcbroken.com so you can check to see if the ice cream machine is working. If you’ve never encountered a McDonald’s ice cream machine that is broken, count yourself lucky, as opposed to blessed, which is another story. As I write this devotion, according to mcbroken, 14.52% of ice cream machines are listed as broken, including the one in our little town. If you live in Dallas then you are even worse off since 26.98% of their machines are down.

If you are interested in the backstory on why McDonald’s ice cream machines are broken, you can look it up since my focus is not on ice cream machines but on the small stuff that makes a difference. So, the next time you say, “I just wanted an ice cream cone!” then know you are in good company.

However, it is the small stuff that often leads to frustration, anger, or disappointment. The late Richard Carlson understood well the frustration, anger, and disappointment of small stuff when he published his book, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and It’s All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things From Taking Over Your Life.”  He wrote, “When you let go of your expectations, when you accept life as it is, you’re free. To hold on is to be serious and uptight. To let go is to lighten up.”

This is true to a point until you realize that the small stuff can make a big difference if used correctly. There is a powerful concept in aviation called, The 1 in 60 Rule. The bottom line, for every 1 degree you are off course you will end up being 1 mile off course after traveling 60 miles. This doesn’t sound like a problem unless you leave JFK in New York flying to Tokyo, Japan, then you will end up in the middle of the ocean and probably low on fuel and most likely crashing. A small drift has a big impact!

“On March 28, 1979, a sightseeing flight crashed into a mountain in Antarctica, killing all of the 279 people on board. An investigation determined that the crew had not been informed of a two-degree correction made to the plane’s flight path the night before, causing the plane’s navigation system to route them toward Mount Erebus instead of through McMurdo Sound.” (Jeff Haden, U.S. Veterans Magazine)

The small stuff can make a big difference. “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:13) Eliud Kipchoge created a new world record in 2019 by being the first person ever to run a marathon in less than two hours. Kipchoge trained hard, and maintained an incredible speed but had a unique strategy, he smiled as he ran. He didn’t smile to show his confidence or camouflage his fatigue but he simply smiled to help him relax and maintain positive energy and spirits. Mother Teresa said, “I will never understand all the good that a simple simile can accomplish.”

According to CBA Wellness Pooja Chugh, “The power of a smile must not be underestimated. A smile shares hope, affection, and peace. A smile has the power to bring light in the darkness, to bring positive energy in the day, to reduce stress in life, and to bring greater happiness in the world.”

The small stuff can make a big difference. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (proverbs 17:22) “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” (Leo Buscaglia)

The small stuff can make a big difference. “You are my God, and I will praise you; You are my God, and I will exalt you.” (Psalm 118:28) “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” (Harvard Health Publishing, Aug 14, 2021)

The small stuff can make a big difference. Jesus had told his disciples about the power of the small stuff in the parable of a mustard seed. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” (Matt 13:31-32). It was the small stuff that made a spiritual difference when Jesus compared their faith to a mustard seed, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt 17:20)

I will admit there are days it is easier than others not to sweat the small stuff. Yet even on those days when the ice cream machine is broken, you can say, “This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps 118:24 NLT).  The small stuff of a simple smile, a caring touch,  an encouraging word, or even buying your friend an ice cream cone, really can make an impact on you and others.

God is great!

 

The Gift of Work

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24 NIV

Happy Labor Day!  One day a year the United States celebrates a national holiday called Labor Day. Signed into law by President Glover Cleveland in 1894, the day acknowledges the labor and economic achievements of the country. Traditionally you do not have to buy gifts for others, seldom do you send greeting cards and if you are in retail or fast food, it is a busy work day. Labor Day has become the semi-official end of summer and the best day to buy a new mattress!

Mark Twain is most often identified with the quote, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” However, others, from Confucius to a professor at Princeton University, can lay claim to the quote. The sentiment sounds good but like anything you value and enjoy doing, it still requires much effort. Benjamin Franklin would have had a slightly different way of saying it, “It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.”

This Labor Day finds the current labor force participation rate at 62.6% according to the U.S. Labor Department official statistics. It is a big change to realize I am no longer part of this percentage rate! Work has been an intricate part of my life since age 15 when I entered the paid labor force working on Saturdays and after school in a farm equipment manufacturing company.

I thought I had hit pay dirt earning a whopping $1.60 per hour.  I never considered work a dirty word, though I did get dirty at work. There was satisfaction and contentment in those hours of sweeping the floors and anything else I had to do. Work brought in money but its value was far greater than the $1.60 that I made. Theodore Roosevelt said it well, “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Though President Cleveland may have signed a law into effect creating Labor Day, it was God who created the very dignity and purpose of work.  Once God had finished the task of creating, He gave Adam the responsibility and gift of work to take care of his creation.  “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Gen 2:15 NIV) Adam would get to “work hard at work worth doing.”

Labor Day allows us a great opportunity to reflect upon the value of work. It is a value that is not limited to a monetary amount but to the soul’s dignity as a person. “All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today.” –Pope Paul VI

Work can be seen as a gift or a mundane burden of survival, depending upon perspective. The story of Three Bricklayers is a great story that has been told in different forms over the years but is based upon a true event. Following the devasting 1666 fire that leveled London, one of the projects assigned to architect Christopher Wren was the rebuilding of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Visiting the site one day he observed three bricklayers on a scaffold working diligently. Wren asked the first one, what are you doing? The man responded, “I’m a bricklayer. I’m working hard laying bricks to feed my family.”

Wren asked the same question to the next man who responded, “I’m a builder. I’m building a wall.” Finally, Wren asked the third man, “What are you doing?” I’m a cathedral builder. I’m building a great cathedral to the Almighty.” Same wall, same work but with three totally different perspectives.

Did Christopher Wren actually ask the bricklayers the question? I don’t know if the encounter is true or just one of the thousands of urban myths circulated online and by motivational speakers. The origin of the quote seems to come from a book published in 1927 by Bruce Barton.

What I do know is that Christopher Wren was a renowned architect in England, that the Great Fire of London reduced the city to a smoking desert, that of the 52 churches that Wren designed, St. Paul’s was his crowning work.  I have actually walked through St. Paul’s Cathedral admiring this magnificent work.

I’m sure there were lots of bricklayers and builders who dug the ditches, built the walls, and painted the structure. No doubt some saw their work simply as a job that put food on the table for their families, which was a good thing. However, I can imagine a few who saw their work as Kingdom work. As they bent down to pick up a brick and then lay it upon the next brick, they were offering to God their work as an act of worship.

There was no doubt that Wren saw St. Paul’s as more than another construction job. Upon his death, Wren was buried at St. Paul’s and his eldest son wrote the inscription engraved upon the black granite stone over his grave. “Here in its foundations lies the architect of this church and city, Christopher Wren, who lived beyond ninety years, not for his own profit but for the public good. Reader, if you seek his monument—look around you. Died 25 Feb. 1723, age 91.”

I don’t know what season of life you find yourself in. For a few it may be starting in their first job, others gaining seniority, others having to find a new job, others looking to retire soon, and many already in retirement. Wherever you are in your work journey, whether past, present, or future, count it as a blessing. Enjoy God’s gift of work and “May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:16-17)

This marks two years since I launched Prayer Safari and this weekly devotional blog. Thank you for subscribing and taking the time to read the blog posts every week. I desire that each post be an encouragement and blessing to you.

God is great!

Coming Home

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

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

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

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

/1 Comment/in , , /by

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

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

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!

God Longs to Hear Us

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand. (Revelation 8:3-4)

Would you pay for someone to repeat “gang gang,” “yes yes yes” and “ice cream so good” as she licks a virtual ice cream on screen? Apparently, a lot of people do since TikTok creator and leading influencer Pinky Doll is making $7,000 a day according to an article in Fortune by Orianna Rosa Royle. Pinky Doll, real name Fedha Sinon, is part of the growing number of creators on the platform pretending to be NPCs (non-playable characters). The term is from the world of gaming and refers to the background characters in video games “who are not controlled by players and are coded to give pre-determined dialogue.”

According to Royle, “Human NPC influencers are controlled by TikTok viewers who are paying real money to send them gifts on the app and watch them perform these gestures and phrases. Sinon has 820,000 followers willing to pay and see her repeat “gang gang.” I am glad Sinon found a way to provide for her family but I wonder if she will have generational significance?

What if you would compare the lasting impact of Pinky Doll with that of William Wilberforce? Saturday was the 190th anniversary of his death, and unlike Pinky Doll, did have a lasting impact. Wilberforce was a hero of justice who campaigned tirelessly against the British slave trade. He was elected to the UK parliament when he was only 21.  He wrestled with the decision of whether to stay in parliament or become a full-time preacher. John Newton, the former slave captain, author of ‘Amazing Grace’ and himself a church minister wrote to him, “It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of His church and for the good of the nation.”

Wilberforce did stay in public life as a member of parliament, though the opposition and health concerns for him were great. He found his passion and wrote in his journal, “God Almighty has placed before me two great objects: the suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of Manners.” (morals of the nation.) Wilberforce spent his life fighting the injustice of slavery and seeking revival for the nation. Finally, after 46 years, a law was passed to ban slavery altogether in the British colonies. Three days later, Wilberforce died on July 26, 1833.

Charles Spurgeon shared the story of a young boy who refused to doubt that God would answer even the simplest prayer. The headmaster told the children at the beginning of the school year that they would be punished if anyone was late to class. Unfortunately, one day the boy was considerably late for school, and as he walked toward the building, the bell began to ring for class.

“A friend, standing nearby, saw the youngster running and heard his simple prayer: “Dear God, do grant that I may be on time for school.” It occurred to the friend that for once the boy had offered a prayer that was impossible for God to honor. Indeed, one cannot change the time. Still, he was curious to see what might result. Interestingly, it also happened that this very morning the schoolmaster, in trying to open the schoolhouse door, turned the key the wrong way and jammed the bolt. Unable to force it loose, he sent for the local locksmith. Precisely the moment the locksmith fixed the bolt, the boy arrived.”

I can almost picture Jesus’ excitement as he turns the corner to his hometown. Yet as Mark captured Jesus’ homecoming in the Gospel of Mark, he wrote a heartbreaking line, “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.” (Mark 6:5) The town knew all about Jesus:  they knew his occupation, they knew his family, they were amazed at his teaching but Jesus couldn’t do any miracles. Mark didn’t say he wouldn’t do any miracles; he said he couldn’t do any miracles. You can hear the sadness in his voice as he says “He was amazed at their lack of faith.” (6:6a)

Barry Black, a retired US Navy Rear Admiral and current Chaplain of the U.S. Senate writes, “The wheels of progress move primarily because of the labors and prayers of the less-gifted few who make the effort. So I use fervency in my prayers, joining other one and two-talent colleagues in making our voices heard in heaven. God only expects us to faithfully use what he has given us. I can’t sing like an angel or preach like Paul, but by God’s grace, I can faithfully pray with passion and fervor. Prayer is a wonderful resource available to all.”

Can you imagine what a modern-day Wilberforce using TikTok could do to impact the “Reformation of Manners” in our current culture? Can you imagine when even the one and two-talent prayer warriors make their voices heard in heaven? God longs to hear us, be with us, respond to us but unbelief smothers out the life of the prayer. Jesus performed miracles, preached to the masses, and fed the thousands yet the disciples would have only one request, “Lord, teach us to pray.”  This is the same request we should make daily! Just maybe Newton’s words can be said again of you, “It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of His church and for the good of the nation.”

God is great!

 

The Storm Came. Now What?

/1 Comment/in , , , , /by

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my Savior (2 Samuel 22:2-3)

Climate change is one of the major hot-button issues that dominate our current conversations. So, it is not surprising that 11-year-old Essie from Michigan asked the question, “If humans went extinct, what would the Earth look like one year later?” In response, Iowa State University urban design professor Carlton Basmajian gave several examples of what would happen. Yet he said the first thing wouldn’t be visible with our eyes but with our ears. “The world would be quiet. And you would realize how much noise people make. Our buildings are noisy. Our cars are noisy. Our sky is noisy. All of that noise would stop.”

“In a thousand years, the world you remember would still be vaguely recognizable. Some things would remain; it would depend on the materials they were made of, the climate they’re in, and just plain luck. An apartment building here, a movie theater there, or a crumbling shopping mall would stand as monuments to a lost civilization. The Roman empire collapsed more than 1,500 years ago, yet you can see some remnants even today.”

Dr. Basmajian summarized his article by writing, “If nothing else, humans suddenly vanishing from the world would reveal something about the way we treated the Earth. It would also show us that the world we have today can’t survive without us and that we can’t survive if we don’t care for it. To keep it working, civilization—like anything else—requires constant upkeep.”

Jesus closed out his Sermon on the Mount with a challenge to build their lives on His words long before the storms of life came. “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. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

Both men in Jesus’ illustration experienced the same torrential rains, flooding, and hurricane winds. Both men had a chance to build a house. Both men had access to the materials needed to build a strong house. Both men knew about the storms that came up in the area. Jesus didn’t offer an easy way out because he knew that the storms would come eventually in their lives regardless of what or how they lived.

Yet Jesus offered them hope that if they built the right foundation, which only he could give, they would be safe. One of the men chose wisely, the other man decided to take the easy path. Jesus knew it would be easier to build on soft soil since it didn’t require a lot of effort but he also knew it wouldn’t provide a place of safety. Jesus understood that digging into hard rock would be laborious and difficult work, yet only a house built on a good foundation could survive life storms.

If you walk into a house that doesn’t have a good foundation, you will find cracks running up the walls and doors that don’t close easily. In the same way, Jesus knew that a solid foundation for life was essential but he also knew you couldn’t wait and build during the storm. I haven’t heard of too many builders staying on site with a tornado bearing down on them, or construction workers on a high-rise building working with 120-mile gale force winds blowing through the structure. They all head for a place to hide from the storm.

Jesus didn’t just give a practical illustration of building theory. He was only interested in you and making sure you built your life on his foundation – a foundation that would be secure for a lifetime. Let’s face it, at one time or another we will all face the storms of life. Companies downsize and you find yourself without a job. Your body gets injured from a freak accident and you find yourself waking up in a hospital bed. You get that midnight call that a loved one died unexpectedly. Plus, if you live long enough, you will wake up old and need others to care for you.

You find yourself in the middle of the storm and finally ask, will my house stay together? Sandy-soil faith and building-in-the-storm faith doesn’t hold up well when facing hurricane-like storms of life events. Praying in the dark times for help is hard when you haven’t built a prayer life that grew in the bright sunny days of life. How can you trust God in the storms when you never took the time to get to know Him during those carefree and warm summer evenings?

Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie endured the storms of a Nazi concentration camp, harassment, and persecution yet they had built a house on solid rock. Before Betsie died, she told Corrie, “There is no pit so deep that He (God) is not deeper still.” Until a series of strokes finally took Corrie’s life many years later, she never wavered because she had built a “house” on a solid foundation.

She had learned that “The object of your greatest pain can become the source of your greatest blessing when you offer it to God.” The storms will come, as they did for Corrie and her family. The house may shake and cause you to be afraid unless you have built a foundation of trust in God. Corrie understood that lesson and gave a practical example. “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”

Your local weather forecaster makes sure you have enough warning to get to safety. Jesus did the same for us. Not only did he give us adequate warning, he also made the place of safety, Himself. “True victory isn’t found when all your problems are finally over. True victory is when the problems are still there, but they have no control over you.” –Alicia Purdy

God is great!

 

Finding the Answer

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about; I wanted to be in on it! I Cor 9:19-23 The Message

“Fear reigns in America’s culture wars. We need a moral revolution to move past the hatred.” This headline grabbed my attention this week. The article is an opinion piece written by Forrest Harris for The Tennessean outlining his thoughts about the reason for the culture of fear within America. Though I don’t agree with some of his opinions, reasons, or solutions, nevertheless, he raises a legitimate question, “How do Americans move past a culture of fear?”

I am not saying that moving beyond a culture of fear will be easy but it will not be found only in a cultural revision of values, political extremes, or easy adjectives. This will not be the first time that America, England, South Africa, or anywhere else in the world has found itself in a cesspool of hopelessness. Each generation has found itself grappling for solutions yet only those generations who sought solutions in prayers have truly been able to overcome. Getting past a culture of fear will include political, social, economic, and cultural interventions, yet, without a fundamental spiritual framework, each intervention will only be a band-aid on a gaping wound.

“One of the most significant reversals in the history of the Christian faith took place in America during the 1780s just as the new nation was defining its independent identity and scripting its Constitution. Drunkenness was epidemic, city streets were lawless at night and the church appeared to be in terminal decline. In fact, the Chief Justice of the United States, John Marshall, wrote to the Bishop of Virginia, James Madison, asserting that the church was ‘too far gone ever to be redeemed’. The great philosopher Voltaire concurred and the author Tom Paine argued that ‘Christianity will be forgotten in thirty years.’” (Pete Greig, Red Moon Rising)

Edwin Orr writes that “In New England, there was a man of prayer named Isaac Backus, a Baptist pastor, who in 1794, when conditions were at their worst, addressed an urgent plea for prayer for revival to pastors of every Christian denomination in the United States. Churches knew that their backs were to the wall. All the churches adopted the plan until America, like Britain was interlaced with a network of prayer meetings, which set aside the first Monday of each month to pray. It was not long before revival came…Out of that second great awakening, came the whole modern missionary movement and its societies. Out of it came the abolition of slavery, popular education, Bible Societies, Sunday schools and many social benefits.”

God always begins with the unlikely but He always begins with the unlikely who are immersed in prayer. Cultural warriors, activists, and politicians can be concerned but fail to rekindle the fires that can bring light to a culture of fear.  Only those concerned who are deep in prayer will be able to rekindle the fires that burn away a culture of fear.

We live in an exciting time of history that requires insight, wisdom, and a greater measure of prayer. Though many have already discounted the role of the church, G. K. Chesterton would have reminded us that, “At least five times…the Faith has to all appearance gone to the dogs. In each of these five cases, it was the dog that died.”

We can only overcome a fear of culture by moving to the vanguard of leadership and responsibility. British Pastor Pete Greig asks the profound question, “Will Jesus Christ be famous and favored in the coming age, or will he be a peripheral choice on the menu of social preference?”

In response to his question, he writes, “The challenges for the church at such a time are profound. A generation that finds itself at the crux of such change has a significant responsibility for shaping the new ways of thinking that will define not only its own age but also that of the coming era. When Christians get it right at such times, adapting themselves to changing culture and finding new language for timeless truths, the gospel spreads more easily for years to come because it makes sense to people. However, when the church gets it wrong by resisting change and enshrining nostalgia, we risk apparent  irrelevance and an upward struggle.”

I don’t know who the next Isaac Backus will be for our generation but most likely he/she will not be someone in the spotlight, though the person will be in God’s spotlight. Toyohiko Kagawa wrote years ago that “It is not enough to have ideals. We must translate them into action. We must clear our own little corner of creation.”  His quote reminded me that I may not be able to make a difference globally but I can make a difference in my own corner of the world. God has called each of us to make a difference in our own corner of our world, which all adds up to a difference globally. That is impact!

“So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.” Daniel’s prayer for his nation gives us a powerful example of how we can pray for our nation that makes a difference and I think gives a response to Dr. Harris’s question, “How do Americans move past a culture of fear? As you read Daniel’s prayer in chapter nine of Daniel, use the words as a framework to guide you into a time of intercession and reflection for our nation. Instead of just one Isaac Backus, could God be calling out a multitude of Isaac Backuses that will make a difference through prayer?

Daniel ends his prayer with the words, “Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and the petitions of your servant. Make your face shine on your desolate sanctuary for the Lord’s sake. Listen closely, my God, and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion. Lord, hear! Lord, Forgive! Lord, listen and act! My God, for your own sake, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your name.” (9:17-19 CSB)

Together in prayer.

God is great!