A Firehouse Parable

No matter how old you are, there seem to be certain snapshots from your childhood that are seared in your memory. You know. The ones that were so traumatic at the time and that the enemy to this day still tries to use to get you to doubt the goodness of God. Not to be outdone, however, God uses the same snapshots to, as a modern song says, “take what the enemy meant for evil and turn them for good.”...

When I was about 5, I had lots of fun memories of following my dad to the town fire station on Saturday mornings. Big trucks that made a lot of noise. Marveling at the size of hoses. The chicken barbecues and the auctions. And because dad was a captain with the department, there was one Saturday that topped them all—when I got to ride in the cab when he went to pick up the new pumper. I remember the feeling of being high above the ground and on top of the world.

Then one Saturday, while mom was out shopping, the fire alarm sounded. Dad had to go. And I had to go with him. Up to a point. When we got to the firehouse, he said I couldn’t come with him this time but that he’d be back soon. The sirens, the commotion, guys racing to get their gear on, and then disappearing down the road was scary enough—but not as scary as being left alone by dad. But I was never really alone because he put me in the care of a family friend who was station manager for the day. He gave me peanuts and a soda and we turned on the black and white TV to watch cartoons as a distraction that worked really well. He stayed right there with me until dad came back just as he promised, picked me up high and hugged me tightly….

This was a Divine set-up, long before I knew who Jesus was or why I should give my life to follow Him. Because while the enemy has many times since tried to take that snapshot to remind me that this is a scary world and you are on your own to figure it out, God inspired the writing of John 14 as the ultimate reinforcement of the promise that just the opposite is true.

The microwave version is this: After spending three amazing years with Jesus, filled with adventures and wide-eyed wonders, there in an upper room on the night He was to be betrayed, the fire alarm of Time’s fulfillment sounded:

“I have to go, and you can’t come with me right now.”

“Wait. Where are You going, and why, and when are You coming back?” 

“I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.”

“And I will give you Someone who will take care of you and guide you and remind you of everything I said until I get back.”

Fear of the unknown is real. Fear of things seeming to be out of control is real. It’s part of being human. But you can feed the fear by believing the 24/7 news cycle and people’s scary and screaming posts on your social media feed, or you can choose to turn fear to ever-increasing faith by remembering that no matter how you feel or how it may look, God never leaves you alone to figure out life by yourself. Ever.

And on those days when you feel like a little kid who has been left at the fire station, it’s better to remember that:

“He brings out the starry host one by one

And calls them each by name

Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”—Isaiah 40:26

And…

“You hem me in—behind and before;

You have laid Your hand upon me…

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Where can I flee from Your presence?”—Psalm 139:5, 7

And so then…

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified …for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

—Deuteronomy 31:6

The God of 'Next'

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“For everything that happens in life — there is a season, a right time for everything under heaven.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1, The Voice

The first time I walked through the door of that church, everything felt right. Most of all, it felt like a place where the love and power of God was always welcome. I had just gone through a huge, multi-year, life transition, and I was ready for the waters to calm and the wind to die down. I was ready to settle in. And for a couple of years, I did, and it was refreshing and refueling, and it was very good. It was a season and a right time for everything under heaven.

Until one day, “We need you to help us out in Hancock.” Here I was a half-hour from home, while Hancock was the next town over from mine. How cool should that be? But I was comfortable. Everything would be new in every way again, and it would mean another transition and being away many a Sunday from a family I’d just begun to connect to. “You don’t have to decide tonight, but pray about it.”

And at that moment, God must have been covering his mouth to suppress a chuckle: “Watch this!” Because when I got into my car to head home, this is the song that just so happened to randomly appear in my Spotify mix…

“Comfortable, don’t get comfortable

I’m going to move this mountain

Then I’m going to move you in…”— Brandon Heath

Today is the fifth anniversary of the launch of that wonderful Hancock church. Despite wanting to be comfortable where I was in late 2015, God gradually drew me in like a magnet to yet another new community of believers I love and a whole lot of new adventures filled with new life and answered prayers and community outreach as Jesus' hands and feet. Things that only God could do. I still have a place in my heart for where I came from because it was all part of the journey, and “a right time for everything under heaven” — it was a much needed oasis, but also another launching pad for whatever God has in mind next.

When you’re in the middle of transition, you don’t (want to) see it that way, but looking back on it all, it all makes sense:

In the Kingdom of God, there is no retiring or settling in.

God always seems to have a “next” for those who are willing to follow (even reluctantly). And especially the way things are going in our world right now, there’s a ton of Hope in that. No matter what, God is always on the move for good, even if and when we don’t see it.

In all sorts of areas of life, that Brandon Heath song will probably show up several more times on the journey ahead. But these past five years have been a beautiful reminder that in every season of life, wherever I am and whatever I am doing with my life, when I remember that I am a branch grafted into the Vine (John 15:5), nothing with God is random and everything is intentional:

“You have not chosen Me but I have chosen you,

And I have appointed — decided beforehand in a specific way

And placed — put in a particular place or position

And purposefully planted — to achieve an aim not randomly or accidentally, and set in place for growth

You.

So that you would go and bear fruit and

Keep on bearing.

And that your fruit will remain and be lasting.”

—John 15:16, Amplified (with definitions)

“God interrupt whatever we are doing so that we can join You in what You’re doing.”

— Francis Chan

An Ending That's Just the Beginning

 

“For we are God’s fellow workers, His servants working together; you are God’s cultivated field — His garden, His vineyard — God’s building.”—1 Corinthians 9:10

This is the view that is smack-dab in my face each time I leave the church parking lot and head home. I can’t think of a better landscape to put there. It is a constant reminder of God the creator and that He really is our Shepherd who leads us daily to the peaceful green pastures of His presence, God the artist who is always at work in our lives, and God the majestic and immovable and trustworthy as the distant mountain range. Most of all, the gate is a reminder that you don’t just go to church and go home, but that whether you turn left or right, you are now entering the mission field. And though the weekly gathering may be over, it’s never over…

…Back in the day, a kid growing up in church was a picture of impatient endurance: Feeling like we'd be forever stuck on that first of four numbers on the hymnal board...Pew cushions so old, they were an oxymoron...Doodling on the back of the bulletin with a stubby pencil with no eraser...Wiggling and fidgeting, and fidgeting and wiggling, and getting "the hint" from dad's or mom's gentle but firm hand on my knee...Being bailed out countless times by sweet old ladies in perfumed fur coats sitting in the adjacent pew, who, with a wink, sneaked over pieces of hard candy...Totally frustrated from trying to sing out of the thing they called a hymnal, until that day you realized that the reason everyone had moved on to words you weren't singing is because you don't read all the verses on each line like a paragraph. 

Sundays were simpler, and the afternoons typically meant a big family dinner and then playing in your yard. No friends over. No places to go shopping or work or play youth sports, because on Sundays, everything in my little world was on lockdown. And it was good.

Which meant I looked forward with great anticipation on those mornings of impatient endurance in church to getting to that last item in the bulletin: The Benediction. I had no idea what that meant, all I knew was that it signaled "We're out of here!"...

"And just because we say the word 'Amen,'

it doesn't mean the conversation needs to end..." 

— Steven Curtis Chapman

...A benediction is a grown-up word that simply means "to speak well of." It begins with hearing and receiving what God speaks well of us — how much He loves us in spite of our prone to wanderness, and how much He wants us to savor a life that comes from sticking close to Him. One definition calls that "holy joy."

But little did I know then that the speak-well-of goodness wasn't supposed to end there, that the ending was really supposed to be the beginning. The life-giving, encouraging, power of blessing spoken over me and those sweet old ladies and everyone else was supposed to be carried out the door and passed along to those on our path: 

"The LORD bless and keep you...protect you, sustain you, and guard you.

The LORD make His face shine upon you with favor and be gracious to you...surrounding you with lovingkindness.

The LORD lift up His face upon you with Divine approval, and give you peace...a tranquil heart and life."

(Numbers 6:24-26, Amplified)

…In "How to Worship a King," author Zach Neese drives it all rightfully out the parking lot whenever I turn left or right and see the goodness of God in the field smack-dab in front of me:

"In this one blessing, we find destiny, protection, the glory of God, unmerited favor, intimacy with God, and the peace that passes all understanding regardless of our circumstances...What a world we would live in if we all gave and received such blessings."

Selah…

Days of the Real Deal

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“Taste and see that the Lord [alone] is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.”—Psalm 34:8

As a creature of habit, when it was time to buy carrots, my go-to had been the big bag of organic minis. The package promised that they hadn’t been washed in bleach, which is always a good thing. Carrots are really good for you. And you can’t get more convenient for snacking and stir fry than minis. 

Until one day, the store was out of minis. The only other organic choice was a bag of the kind Bugs Bunny would chomp on. Carrots are carrots, right? Until I took a bite, and everything changed. The texture was like the root veggie it was supposed to be, and the taste was nothing like those minis—there was almost a hint of clove. A sweetness but not sweet. Earthy but without the dirt. I was in love.

On another day and another trip to the store, the packages of minis were back. (Did I mention I am a creature of habit?) And when I got home and grabbed a few to go with a sandwich, an awakening: Convenient maybe, but compared to the bigger versions, the minis had no taste. And maybe they weren’t washed with bleach but my tastebuds clearly detected that they had been washed in…something. The bigger ones tasted like somebody’s garden. I had tasted and seen what was good, and this wasn’t it…

I hope that we are in a Bugs Bunny carrot season right now. All around, it seems to our natural eyes that chaos, confusion and evil are not only on the rampage but are winning. Which is not true, of course…

“God’s plans are made on the basis of His complete knowledge and control, which extends to all things past, present and future, that there can be no sudden emergencies or unlooked-for developments to take Him by surprise.”

—J.I. Packer

In the process of our crazy days, though, God has been more than just in control. It seems He is driving millions of believers like me away from the comfort and relative ease of mini-carrots discipleship and to our knees in prayer and to our feet in fervent worship, and service, and determination to walk out the Greatest Commandment as never before. It is an entirely organic season, raw and one both desiring and requiring deep roots. And what the enemy has meant for evil, God is turning for good in His Church, if we will only stay the course. Because with our backs to the wall in a pandemic and national upheaval, it seems He is removing the taste for the convenient way of walking the Walk and anything with artificial flavoring and content and replacing it with the raw power of the real deal, the pure Gospel.

We cannot gather (yet) as we once did, yet He has been stirring us to press in as never before wherever we are. We have become more aware of those in need, and online prayer chains are more active than ever. The preaching of the Word has become more passionate, and much more vertical and much less horizontal. And much of what we thought was necessary to “do” church? And the undercurrent of a gospel that was often “all about me”? These have been exposed as inconsequential and like the bag of mini-carrots are leaving a funny taste in our mouth.

We’ve been experiencing the fullness of Psalm 34:8 because we’re tasting and seeing in a revived, awakened sense, that the Lord alone—the Maker of heaven and earth and all that is in it, and the omniscient, all-knowing One alone, and no man or a human system—is our true refuge. Our true safety and shelter from danger or trouble, the unshakable rock of our faith and source of our trust who has never failed and never will.

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”—Psalm 118:8-9

Hopefully, there will be no going back. Because in the end, in these days of the real deal, it's becoming clear that only the big bag of carrots will do…

Proverbs and Prayers to Carry

From the craziest of years, 12 Vitamin proverbs and prayers for new beginnings in 2021 to help carry you forward...and slow you down once in awhile, too...

JANUARY
It’s not always pleasant or full of acceptance, but this Word, these Words, make a difference. And these Words of life that will come out of your pores from all that reading and listening matter. And will change you, bit by bit. This Life is not stuck in a Book. This Life is practical and for real, and fully meant to be lived…Way beyond Sunday.

—from “What Difference Does it Make?”

FEBRUARY
Remember that Jesus’ final words before ascending began with: “Go…” To remember that your mission field could be in a land far away but more likely it’s right in your own back yard, and in and through the things and interests and places and people that God has poured into your life for His purposes…

—from “Just Go”

MARCH
An essential calming, daily “to-do and to-be” list:
Keep an attitude of prayer
Keep being thankful
Keep in the Word of Truth, comfort and promise, and especially hang out in the Psalms
Keep singing, keep drinking in the lyrics, and let faith drive out fear
Keep at it because fear is persistent

—from “Living Hope”

APRIL
Even if I can’t swallow all the world’s problems, I can always start right here, I can always start praying where God has planted me. This little town, just like a lot of little towns—in the middle of nowhere…but it is somewhere to God, and God always notices, And I am not here by accident, even if only to seek its welfare.

—from “Start Here”

MAY
The most effective evangelism methods are often not the loudest or with just the right words or by randomly handing out a tract. They begin with listening before speaking. What the world needs now….

—from “The Power of Nothing to Say”

JUNE
Lord, help us to never underestimate the renewing, refreshing, re-energizing, hope-filled, comforting power of a simple spoken word of encouragement. There is no one who is exempt from needing one. Because You have urged, commanded, exhorted, reminded, and poked us — fathers, mothers, friends, co-workers, spiritual parents and mentors — from just about every angle, and more than 70 times in Your Word, to encourage one another. To make war against the darkness of negativity, hateful words and deeds, and the fear-induced spirit of the 24/7 news cycle, by speaking wonderful words of life into someone's atmosphere of weariness.

—from “A Snapshot Worth Remembering”

JULY
God’s guidance, protection, wisdom, discernment and direction are gifts, but I also need to walk them out every time I step out the door. I have a purpose…I carry the Light wherever I go because He is the Light that lives within me. I have a weapon of praise…My Light breaks through fear of the dark and all the unknowns of life. I have the world’s most reliable GPS…He is the Light that helps me see and trust for what is ahead, even on those days when I can’t see one step in front of me. And my Light never goes out—He never loses power, He is always true and right, always faithful, never changes, always shines for my good…

—from “Lessons from an Old Red Lantern”

AUGUST
The next time there is a meteor against a canvas of the night sky, or a spectacular sunset, or cloud formations that make your jaw drop, or the flight of an eagle overhead, remember that these are more than things of beauty to admire and then get on with life. They are a reminder that while God may have finished creation in seven days, He is still speaking forth wonderful and amazing things that are best seen rather than heard, that He has never stopped, and He never will, and that no matter how the day has gone, no matter the challenges ahead, God isn’t finished painting you yet, either…

—from “A Pandemic Blessing in Disguise"

SEPTEMBER
“If a man just stops to think what he has to praise God for, he will find there is enough to keep him singing praises for a week,”said D.L. Moody. So let the praises ring. Remind yourself all over again. Fight against the adversary’s lie: “Pft, it doesn’t matter.” Because he knows that it really does. Since ancient times, God has ordained praise from His people to confound enemies, make darkness flee, lift heavy hearts, fuel amazing signs and wonders, and most of all build up His Church. You. You know this. You just need to put on the garment of praise all over again.

—from “Open Wide Your Mouth”

OCTOBER
“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15). Choose for yourself things not to be checked off but to be walked out over and over again. Things Jesus said and did. Things He said and did only because His Father was saying and doing them. Things His first followers saw Him do in the routine of their days, and then sought to do likewise, and then wrote down for our benefit some 2000 years later. A roadmap for the much less traveled path.

At every crossroads, then, take the back road, and choose Life as it was meant to be lived.

—from “Take the Back Road”

NOVEMBER
“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.” Still. He is not in the stands watching the game unfold, wondering if the players will ever get it right as the game seems to get out of control. He is the unseen Captain on and in the field, from the rising of the sun to its setting, unfazed by wind and cold and storm. Often calling plays that are not in our playbook and that don’t make sense. Until at just the right time, they do. They always do. And they always will.

—from “The Captain in the Field”

DECEMBER
Reset: Seek first the Kingdom of God and not human logic or expert advice…and worship. Seek first and keep on seeking Him at the start of each day, one step in front of the other, even if you aren’t sure where it all leads…and worship. “Seek and deeply long for the Lord and His strength His power, His might; seek…and deeply long for His face and His presence continually.” (Psalm 105:4. Amplified) Keep looking Up…and come, let us adore Him.

—from “Heading in the Right Direction”

“Often, you can see the power lines running alongside the street. Unless current is flowing through them, there is no light. The power line is you and I! The current is God! We have the power to allow the current to flow through us and thus generate the Light of the world: Jesus—or, to refuse to be used and, thus, allow the darkness to spread.”

—Mother Theresa