Feeling His Pleasure

"I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure." (Eric Liddell, from 'Chariots of Fire')

It wasn’t a sermon. It wasn’t a particular passage of scripture. What God used to draw me into the land of "I believe!" was a very out-of-church experience. Sometimes, people can tell you all day long what they believe and why, but it doesn’t register until you see it. For me, it was learning about a dear family friend wrestling with her own serious health issues yet setting them aside for a moment to comfort and encourage someone else that Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever, just as He said He is, and that the promise is no respecter of persons or their life circumstances.

It was simple, it was powerful, it was done in relative obscurity with no crowds to applaud, and it was simply an overflow of my friend’s passion for God expressed through hospitality. And for me, even though I wasn’t anywhere near that room, it won the day. Forever...

"One generation after another will celebrate Your great works; they will pass on the story of Your powerful acts to their children. Your majesty and glorious splendor have captivated me; I will meditate on Your wonders, sing songs of Your worth. We confess—there is nothing greater than You, God, nothing mightier than Your awesome works. I will tell of Your greatness as long as I have breath."—Psalm 145:4-6, The Voice

...What is amazing about the psalmist’s declaration that “one generation after another…will pass on the story” is not only that it has been proven true and fruitful since the day it came out of his writing instrument, but that, for the most part, those generations and the men and women in them are nameless. For every Abraham and Joshua and Gideon and David and the likes of Peter, John, and Paul who, in God’s wisdom, have been put in the spotlight as examples for our encouragement, there have been many more of significant personal influence who read like the prolonged “who are these people?” genealogies of Jesus’ earthly mom, Mary.

People like my friend in that hospital room.

And that same powerful, often anonymous torch has been passed to our hands, too, for one very good reason: The context of the psalmist’s declaration is that down through the ages, men and women who have encountered the living God—even through the example of others—have been so enthralled, so amazed and filled with joy, that they had to do something to express that praise inside that feels like a volcano about to bust out...back to God, for sure, but to somebody, anybody. It's in our spiritual DNA, whether we think we are good testifiers or not.

So, if what is bubbling up inside you is baking cookies for shut-ins, let it out. If it is in rolling up your sleeves after a long week’s work to put a new roof on a widow’s creaky home, let it out. If it is downloading God’s goodness to you in a journal, or painting something or composing something inspired by what God pours into your heart, let it out. If it is working with your hands or dancing with your feet, let it out.

No doubt, within all of us is a longing to be noticed, to be appreciated for who we are and how God uniquely created us. And God, in His great goodness and kindness, often brings people into our lives—even if just one or two—who are there to cheer us on when we need it most. But in the economy of the Kingdom, it seems that God’s preferred currency is this:

“Not you but rather I AM through you, and the things that bring you pleasure for My glory may seem small and unnoticed, but they bring Me pleasure because that's how I created you. Your love expressed is seen by Me and can be used as a life-changing sermon in someone’s life. You have no idea. So, don't hold back; whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in My Name, and I can multiply it before your very eyes, or even in a time and place you may never see.”

Even a lonely hospital room, one generation to another....

Keep on 'Roaring'

      “He makes the winds His messengers!…” —Psalm 104:4, NIV

JOURNAL ENTRY 1/5/17: Wind gusts this morning are making the house shake. Is it a coincidence that today’s reading is Psalm 8? “O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!” As I keep reading, the wind acts as a soundtrack; it keeps coming in waves, at times almost shouting like a stadium crowd. The pine trees bow and dance, oak branches are applauding wildly, and the poplars are getting so carried away in the goodness of the declaration that some of what was dead and decaying and weighing them down begins to fall to the ground.

Selah.

All of creation seems to be roaring its approval of this grand psalmist declaration. But as I read on, maybe that is not the only reason why…

"When I gaze to the skies and meditate on Your creation—

    on the moon, stars, and all You have made,

I can’t help but wonder why You care about mortals—

    sons and daughters of men—

    specks of dust floating about the cosmos.

But You placed the son of man just beneath God

    and honored him like royalty, crowning him with glory and honor…”

(Psalm 8:3-5, The Voice)

O LORD our LORD!...So unparalleled in majesty, yet also consumed with love for mankind—for me, and for the people next door, my family and friends—that He would choose to come down and move into my neighborhood, my home, and occupy quite comfortably in my space, as not only Savior but friend like none other. No wonder the winds roar in joy and amazement! Here is a picture, complete with sound effects and right before my very eyes, of what the furious love of my Father must look like: Not angry furious, but relentless and tireless with Love energy and intensity in His pursuit of the ones He created.

Are there even words for that? Which, may explain the wind...

And as quickly as it began, relative calm. A typical routine winter morning settles in, with lots of clouds and an occasional cold breeze causing the pines to still sway a bit and the hardwoods to maybe snap their fingers instead of going nuts. Is that it? Is that all? Or, maybe another great picture, complete with sound effects right before my very eyes:

When there’s no roaring excitement to get caught up in, no crowds shouting encouragement, follow the lead of the pines and hardwoods—and for that matter, all of Heaven itself—and keep on praising anyway, breathing in and breathing out joy and amazement and wonder...even and especially on those typical routine winter, and spring, and summer, and autumn mornings when there very well might be more clouds than sunshine on your to-do list, in your mood and in your life circumstances. 

Doing the tree-swaying thing is for His glory, for sure, but it's also for our joy and strength, even when ours feels like the only voice. Simply because, as you know already but forget in the stress of the moment and all Creation has just reminded you…

“Let them neglect Thy glory, Lord

Who never knew Thy grace,

But our loud songs shall still record

The wonders of Thy praise!

We raise our shouts, O God, to Thee,

And send them to Thy Throne,

All glory to the united Three

The undivided One!

’Twas He—and we’ll adore His Name—

That formed us by a word;

’Tis He restores our ruined frame—

Salvation to the Lord!”

—Isaac Watts, “Hymn 35” (no known melody)

O LORD, our LORD!....

"I love the intensity of the Psalms. No one ever sounds bored about God or about life." — Matt Redman

'This Is Your Brain on God'...

"To believe a thing is to see the cool crystal water sparkling in the cup. But to meditate on it is to drink of it. Reading gathers the clusters; contemplation squeezes forth their generous juice." (Charles Spurgeon)

My friend Nate out in Michigan is as passionate about filling his mind with good things as he is about helping people live a well-fit life and walking with God as husband, dad, worship leader, and business owner. I know this because in the midst of all of that, Nate has committed to read a book a week (some of which he's designated to take two weeks to get through) pertaining to work, life, and the Walk, and at last count, he was up to 34 in his stack and looking for more.

Nate is hardly a not-do-much, stay-at-home kind of guy. His life is full and active. Making tons of book-reading a priority not only seems over the top, it makes you wonder if Nate knows about an eighth day of the week that we haven't heard of yet. But here's the thing, even while constantly on the move and with tons on his plate, and even while blending the best of modern business inspiration with the perspective of Heaven, Nate seems to be taking this Biblical command to heart uber-seriously:

"Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]." (Romans 12:2, Amplified Classic)

Which, thanks to Nate's crazy-cool challenge, is how God graciously grabbed my attention.

Because this verse is not a suggestion or good idea. it would seem that God is serious about His kids renewing their minds not because He wants to irritate us or make our lives more challenging (e.g., one more thing to do) than they already are, but because He knows how good and essential it is for us to live well-fit Christ-one lives while renting space in this world on our way to a Better One. Cultivating mind renewal in a world filled with mind-blowing craziness can greatly influence, in a counter-cultural sort of way, how we think, and respond, and interact with others during the course of our day. And it seems God really wants that reflection we give to be of Heaven-sent goodness and hope, not grumpiness and a critical spirit.

We know things like that really well but don't always do something about it. So, while it's not a stack of 34 and growing like Nate's, what follows is the start of a monthly goal for taking in some mind-renewing goodness from saints and admired authors, many of whom have motivated and even discipled me on this Journey over the years. The goal is simply more quality "this is your brain on God" food in the coming year, to put the phone out of sight and earshot early in the morning, and practically seek to live out Romans 12:2 instead of just applauding it from a distance.

Maybe some of these will encourage you to build your own stack, of any size, be it of print, Kindle or audiobook, and "squeeze forth their generous juice" a few pages at a time for a well-fit life in the year ahead:

1. "The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture," by Jonathan Wilson-Hargrove...Because this might be the most important thing to pursue right now on a day-to-day basis, lest the day overwhelm me with information overload.

2. "The Case for the Psalms: Why They Are Essential," by N.T. Wright...Because Wright is right, because the psalms are entirely practical, raw, and honest, and because there is always a need for a greater glimpse into all 150 of them.

3. "A Praying Life," by Paul Miller...Because it's the most practical book on prayer I've ever read and deserves an annual revisit.

4. "Desire," by John Eldredge...Because the author of "Wild at Heart" and "Waking the Dead" unwraps an essential question: can we find a life filled with passion without being overwhelmed by it?

5. "Heroes," by Iain H. Murray...Because it profiles heroes of the faith who were just regular guys.

6. "Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes," by Kenneth E. Bailey...Because it explodes the goodness of the  Gospels through the lens of the ancient culture and not our American/Western perspective.

7. "Fire and Fragrance," by Sean Feucht and Andy Byrd...Because I've always wanted to know what drives regular guys like worship leader/songwriter Sean Feucht to live such a passionate life.

8. "Delighting in God," by A.W. Tozer....Because a year without Tozer's wisdom is a sad year indeed.

9. "A Spiritual Field Guide: Meditations on the Outdoors," by Bernard Brady and Mark Neuzil...Because here is clearly my sweet spot for physical and spiritual recharging.

10. "Inside Out Worship," by Matt Redman...Because, well, see response to #7.

11. "Dirty Glory: Go Where God's Prayers Take You," by Pete Greig and Bear Grylis...Because Pete is another #7 and has been up front about the fact that he's not very good at praying, and yet God (and wow, Bear Grylis?!)....

12. "The Furious Longing of God," by Brennan Manning...Because God is not angry but His unfailing love for us is wide, wild, and relentless.

And for daily nourishment in 2017, "Spurgeon's Devotional Bible"....Because good books are just good books without the Word and the Person of the Word as the driving force of everything we do, think, and say.

Even if you don't have a stack, are there books (any format) that you'd recommend or are hoping to pursue as part of renewing your mind for this fantastic Great Adventure? If you can, include the all-important "Because....."

A Backyard Revelation

"When God promises, He's not saying, 'I'll try.' He means, 'I can and I will.'" (James MacDonald)

In New England, ringing in the new year can look a lot like yesterday morning: a cold, rushing wind blowing through the ship's bell in the backyard.

Depressing? Hardly. Just hearing that low chime resound [Clang-clang!] as if for the first time brings an imagined aroma of the ocean when the breeze is warm and refreshing. It is the sound of hope for the promise of summer, even when the evidence all around says 'no way!'

Not to rush a new year and life along, but moments frozen in time such as these are a reminder how God can show His creativity (and even sense of humor) in telling us a really important story...like letting us know He is with us, and will be with us, in every season over the next 364 days. Resolutions can be good and goals are great, but in the pursuit of fulfilling those, the clanging ship's bell is a reminder that there will be no greater treasure to pursue, discover, and hold tight to your chest all over again this new year than the unshakable, faithful, good and loving promises of God. 

Especially on those cold days of doubt and discouragement when everything around seems to be unraveling, even in the middle of a sunny, humid New England heatwave.

Better still, it's a reminder that the promises aren't just words, powerful as they are. The promise is a Person, who longs to hang out with us wherever we go...

"May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing, through the experience of your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope."(Romans 15:13, Amplified Classic)

For all who come this way today, so be it, Lord. [Clang-clang!]