Church with Feet On

On mission at the high school, on a Sunday morning.

Just about everyone knows that Church is not a building, even though that is what most people (even believers) think of when someone says the “C” word. Of course, it’s not really something you go to. Instead, it’s meant to be a gathering of fellow believers who meet with God and encourage one another to keep going on this wonderful, narrow road while sharing Hope with others in word and deed. But sometimes, when the right circumstances come together, a different kind of Church can happen in some unlikely places—where the “called out ones” actually get called out. Even on a Sunday.

Last weekend was such a time. Plans had been made in advance for spending several days on the Maine coast, partly to fulfill an obligation and partly to get a change of scenery. In the back of mind were plans to gather with fellow believers at some local Down East “C” building come Sunday. Instead, I cut all of those plans short and hustled back home in time to participate in a 5K run/walk to benefit teen mental health and suicide awareness. 

On a Sunday. A Sunday morning, even, when my body and soul were used to gathering with the saints and were pulling hard in that direction....

...It felt weird. It felt wonderful. It felt a bit like being that salt seasoning and light carrying that Jesus taught His followers to be in Matthew 5:13-16.

I do not know exactly when or how this particular mission grabbed my heart, but when it did, it hit hard. The more I heard and read about it, it crushed my heart to think that many young people felt so alone, so hurt, so isolated by COVID, so unaccepted (by others and themselves), so fearful of world conditions and things in their own little world, that they would think no one really cared. That there seemed to be no hope, no way out. To then keep it all stuffed down inside themselves in silent pain.

A guy’s DNA is to want to fix things, and fix all what was wrong for these young people. But in this case, there are very few fixing options for anyone. Until I remembered that Someone came for all of that, and cared for all of that, and that all that going to the “C” gathering-with-believers experience had stirred up a passion for things I knew I could and wanted to do—to pray, and to listen/“be there” in some way. And that 5K was one small but practical way to “be there” in person and for those providing resources, and to listen to stories, and to try to put names with faces of students who were rallying to do the same for their friends so I could pray. Even make it a habit to pray for the middle and high schools as a whole whenever I drive by.

“Why this mission, and why now?” It’s something many believers ask themselves. Only God knows. Seasons come and go, and so do the eternal things that God will suddenly pour into our heart out of nowhere with a sort of burning. And the only explanation I can come up with is that the more time you take to get to know, and listen to, and seek to follow the greatest Light of the world of all time, the more He becomes the motor that drives your thinking, your passions, your interests, and your everyday interactions—especially with those who find going to the “C” word on Sundays a very foreign idea.

Kind of like, that’s the whole point of the gospel.

Because nearly 900 years before Jesus, there was a prophet named Isaiah who described what His mission would be all about. And in Luke 4, the Light of the world Himself not only confirmed it, but passed the baton of salt and light on to all believers down through the ages to carry for as long as we have life and breath…

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;

He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed

And to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim freedom for the captives,

And release from darkness for the prisoners”

—Isaiah 61:1: Luke 4:16-21, ISV

To go to church on Sundays, yes, but much more than that— to be church with feet on.

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For vitamins beyond Sunday, see the Day Starter morning devotionals on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/renewchurchhancock

Checkout Line Awakening

Last night’s thunder and lightning have been replaced by this morning’s mighty rushing wind that is making the trees roar and setting the two ship’s bells in the backyard to dancing. Their joyful clanging is almost church-bell-like while reading an ancient Hebrew invitation on this first day of Holy Week: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘let us go to the house of the Lord!’” (Psalm 122:1) But their joyful clanging triggers another reminder: More than 2,000 years ago, Jesus showed up not just at synagogue but wherever His followers happened to be in their normal everyday life.

It's good to remember that He still loves to do that...

...Preoccupied with life and a bunch of to-dos on a rainy Good Friday morning not long ago, and wondering if anyone (including myself) had grasped the meaning of this day in history, something wonderfully jolting happened while standing, of all places, in the grocery store checkout line. It began with a rugged-looking workman in front of me who was carrying the surprising combination of a balloon presumably destined to be given to his child, and a pot of springtime for someone special in his life. But none of it was as surprising as his reply to the cheerful cashier's "Happy Friday, sir!"

"Thank you, and happy Good Friday to you...if you believe in all of that."

"Oh, I do! Happy Good Friday to you as well, sir."

Wow, people were actually talking Gospel things in public? In a grocery store, no less. And that was that, or so I thought. Until it was my turn to check out, and the cashier continued her train of thought as she scanned my items, then looking out the window at the dreary weather: "You know, I was just telling my husband this morning, every Good Friday, it seems to be like this. I don't think that's a coincidence, do you?"

Wait. Was this cashier opening the door to further conversation about the Good Friday I had nearly forgotten in all my preoccupation? And here? Where anyone and everyone could listen in, in a grocery store checkout line? How cool! And the door was opened, and the uplifting conversation went public. It’s easy to look for Jesus on Sunday mornings in “the house of the Lord” when God's people gather together. Easier still is to forget that...

... just as He burst forth from the tomb on that most glorious of mornings, Jesus still shows up in unlikely places by bursting in to our preoccupied everyday lives.

This was not the first time Jesus showed up at a grocery store checkout line. Something similar happened several years earlier during a different holiday....

Everyone was in a kind and festive mood, even though the line was long, and remarkably patient for day before Thanksgiving. The line seemed to be moving at a snail's pace—make that a frozen snail. Stores seem to love this. It's why they often display some of their most tempting goodies nearest the cash register, so that you check it all out while you're waiting for the snail to move. The marketing scheme worked. I scanned it all, because there was nothing else to do. But then looking up one of the shelves by the window, my eye caught a jolly figure standing outside the store with a red collection bucket and bell. 'Tis the season, after all, and I purposed to stop by on my way home. 

Fortunately, the people in front of me had only a couple of items, so I was out of the store faster than expected. As I headed to the bearded fellow with the red bucket and bell, I noticed a sign and easel had been set up next to the collection pot. Today was a special collection for a young local guy who had been seriously wounded while serving in Iraq. Instead of emptying my pocket of loose change as usual, without hesitation, I went to my billfold and pulled out dollar bills and stuffed them as best I could into the bucket. 

The jolly bearded gentleman handed out remembrance pins with a photo of the soldier on it, and as I started walking away, pinning the pin to my fleece, I suddenly—out of nowhere—felt a wave of tears trying to rise up. For sure, part of it was the emotion of being a dad, and thinking: "If it was my son, I'd give anything to make his world right again. Anything!" But then Divine revelation while, of all places, walking downtown: As I was making my way back to my car and asking God aloud about this strange reaction, almost immediately, I sensed Him speak in so many words: "This is how I feel about you, and for everyone you see around you right now, and in that grocery line. I have looked upon My kids, gravely wounded by sin, and I determined that I would give anything to make it right again. And I did.”

Right then and there, on a side street downtown, while walking and talking and doing the supposedly unimportant stuff of life, I celebrated Thanksgiving and Easter together in a moment that seemed far more significant and weighty than the goodness of what happens on any given Sunday morning....

... "You saved four dollars today. Thank you, and happy Easter!" And just as I was on that day several years ago, and thinking of the rugged workman with the balloon and his Good Friday sermon starter, I left the grocery store checkout line on that dreary Good Friday morning grateful all over again for the One who really matters in this life--no matter where I am.

And with it, renewed hope that no matter what kind of mess the world is in right now, God is still speaking to and through His kids today right in the middle of it all—in “the house of the Lord” on Sunday for sure, but perhaps most loudly and urgently in the streets, the daily grind, and in the grocery store checkout lines.

"This is my Father's world...He speaks to me everywhere."

—Hymn, by Maltbie D. Babcock

The Wave

Building waves at North Beach, Ogunquit, Maine.

Once upon a time, in fact, only a few days ago, a man had a real-as-life dream that seemed to have been triggered by something far removed from whatever he may have had to eat before bed.

This was no usual mish-mash of his day’s or life’s events, or a weird blend of the stuff weighing on his subconscious, or the panic of classes he missed in college. This was one of those rare dreams when he knew when he was in it and when he awoke that it was not trivial but perhaps weighty and Eternal. The kind you don’t dismiss with a yawn and a strong cup of coffee, but the kind that you write down—every detail—and ponder, and pray about, and wonder, and pay attention to…

…The time was late winter, perhaps early spring. I was standing on a sidewalk outside our town’s elementary school looking out on the large expanse of playing fields down the embankment. Everything was covered with water, like a large lake or an ocean. The water was heaving and gently rolling. From the south end of the field, a train of snow piles that seemed to have gathered momentum, as though pushed by a river during spring thaw, paraded on to the back of the “lake.” This seemed to cause what looked like a huge building wave that was coming toward me and other unknown faces around me, and we sensed it was coming toward the school—but not in a horrific or fearful way. There was no panic, although I felt myself instinctively running for cover to get out of its way. As I turned around to look, the building wave was very blue, as if from heaven itself. Just as I was about to reach an unlocked door to the school gym, the wave had somehow surrounded me and was coming from the other direction as well. Again, no nightmarish fear. I remember diving through it and feeling neither cold nor warm but incredibly refreshed. A friend who had been with me said he decided to ride the wave, and though he was soaked, he was beaming from ear to ear with joy. Once inside the gym, although the wave had washed over the school, all was well. Peaceful. Of note, however, was where there had been an actual slow drip of water from a leaky roof had turned into a torrent. No one was concerned. Someone who appeared to be a teacher approached with a smile and gave off a vibe that everything was going to be fine. The scene suddenly transitioned to walking out of the school and back to my car. And as I walked down a hallway, it morphed into a sprawling restaurant-like atmosphere crowded with adults who were loud and having fun but who seemed to be totally oblivious to what had just happened down the hall and outside…

You have probably heard on the news or online about a wonderful wave of spiritual awakening that is significantly impacting several college campuses and even public schools across the nation. The media isn't quite sure what to make of it. Church people in my generation have tried to define it, label it, critique it, even make it their own. But this is not about us, really. This is about God sovereignly showing love to a generation desperately in need of some. Many are, reportedly, being healed of deep hurts in the process. They are discovering or rediscovering who Jesus is, that He is not “religious” or political, and that He is more than a figure from history. And they may or may not be interested in coming to our churches or listening to sermons…yet. Shocking.

Because this is a wave of Love that does not precisely fit a mold from “revivals” of the past, it has caused some to question its authenticity. In fact, however, it looks something like this: a young man who seems troubled and weighed down by the craziness of the world around him is approached by a Believer, greeted by name, told that God loves him, and is given a hug. And a dam breaks. Simple as that. That kind of “revival.”

If the man’s dream means anything, that sort of wave can happen wherever we live, and it is not to be feared but embraced. But none of us will make it happen. It can’t be announced or programmed or event-ed. If there is a wave in our towns, it will be a sovereign wave of God. And it will be because of one thing— someone and several someones prayed, and never quit praying, for the kids and teachers in their community. And it will be because our generation embraces the wave but gets out of the way and simply stands ready to be spiritual moms and dads. Ready with a prayer, a “God loves you” and an embrace.

May my generation never be like that oblivious, “who cares?” throng in the dream’s restaurant.

That would be a nightmare. 

“But when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

Headlights

When unexpected light on a Nativity scene becomes more than just coincidence. 

Some would call it a revelation. Others would call it an epiphany. Still others would be more down to earth and call what happened this week “a light bulb went off.” 

In this case it was all of that and more.

It was headlights.

After our team rehearsal on Thursday night, while everyone was getting into their cars to head home, I took a slight detour out to the new Nativity scene on the front lawn of the church. It was time to update the photo on our Facebook page and what could be better at this time of year? Except it was too dark. There were spotlights and streetlights at a distance, but not enough to highlight the characters at the manger. “Eh, maybe I’ll come back on a sunny day…oh, what-the-heck, let’s give it a shot.” And as perhaps all the angels in heaven had a good laugh watching, just as I focused in and was about to click, a car with those super-bright, usually annoying headlights pulling out of the parking lot “just so happened” to ever-so-briefly shed its bright beam on the Nativity as it drove out into the world.

Perfect!

And that was cool, and that was that. Until two days later when the revelation-ephiphany-light bulb really hit home. In the early morning, when all was just as dark as it was on Thursday night, I “just so happened” to be reading from Psalm 67 to get some fuel and grounding for the day ahead. And it was here that the headlights-on-the-nativity became more than just a random happening in the middle of the week…

...At the end of each Sunday morning worship gathering, our pastor sends us out by praying what is known as the Aaronic blessing from Numbers 6:24-26 (aka, “The Blessing”) over us. While the words become familiar to the ears, they never get old. And then he drives it and us all home by adding, “Bring that Light out there!” 

I had no idea that a similar blessing was sitting right there in Psalm 67—one that summarizes everything within our pastor’s message, and that shed a revelation-epiphany-light bulb on the headlights in the manger two nights earlier…

“May God pour His blessings into us

And turn His face to shine His light on us

[insert drum roll here]

So all those on earth will learn to follow Your way

And see Your saving power come to redeem all nations.”—Psalm 67:1-2

If ever I had any doubts, it answered the question of “why do I go to church, anyway?” once and for all. I was reminded that I come to get decluttered from the weights of life and this world and to see once more with the eyes of heaven. I come not for religion but for what some might call a “radical” way of life. I come not to try to become perfect but to follow that Child in the manger who grew to become the Light of the world, Who made a way to forgiveness and healing and an abundant, everlasting life when there seemed to be no way (try as I might). And I come not to hog it to myself, to selfishly be blessed and then go on my merry way. 

I come to be like those headlights—to focus on what truly matters and then not leave it behind but carry it out the driveway and into the world around me on all the other days of the week. To “bring that light out there” in word, deed, attitude, conversation, compassion, kindness, encouragement, prayer to “all those on earth” who are on my daily path. To remember, in the words of author Jeff Deyo:

"Worship is life. Every breath. Every word. Every thought. Every deed. In public. In private. Everything. Everywhere..."

“He’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.”

—Micah 6:8, Message

The Goal

A smoky sunset at the high school soccer field.

One of the best retreats I ever experienced wasn’t the planned events of the retreat itself. It was walking deep into the woods of the White Mountains on a mild and breezy fall afternoon, the leaves just beginning to change to hues of yellow, orange and red, and a bubbling stream following each bend of the path. It was here, hours before the actual retreat, that “church” happened. It was here where I had been weary and dry as a bone and found renewed purpose and vision. It was here where I pulled out my bible app and turned to a familiar passage, and read fearlessly aloud because there was no one in sight, and where I felt what seemed to be every word jumping off the page and into the depths of my soul: 

“One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord—in His presence—all the days of my life,

To gaze upon the beauty, the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur, of the Lord…”

—Psalm 27:4

 

And I just knew. That’s it! That’s the goal.

In writing, in speaking or singing, and especially in photography, I knew that I knew that afternoon in the woods that the goal of my life was not retreat but advance—to gaze upon and then point to the beauty of the Lord that’s all around us “all the days of my life.”

And then get out of the way.

Yes, there is surely darkness and ugliness.

The goal is not denial.

But the goal is built on a promise that trumps all ugliness:

“The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered, defeated or understood it.”(John 1:5)

Never has, never will.

Keep sharing that.

Keep gazing upon that truth.

Because the Psalmist realizes that this is no pie-in-the-sky, dreamy goal. Because he knows that gazing on the beauty of the Lord all the days of his life will always give him the right perspective when the world is turned upside down.

Me, too:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the refuge and fortress of my life—

Whom shall I dread?...

…For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;

In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;

He will lift me up on a rock.”

 

And so, whenever I look through a camera lens, whenever I remember through a photo, or through words or song how big and beautiful my God truly is, “the things of earth grow strangely dim in the Light of His glory and grace.”

Always.

That’s the goal, anyway.

 

“Living becomes an awesome business when you realize that you spend every moment of your life in the sight and company of an omniscient, omnipresent Creator.”—J.I. Packer

Sunrise along the Maine coast.

Misty-eyed

Early morning mist along the Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail.

Around here, there are lots of beautiful reasons to go “wow!” when looking out your driver’s side window on the way from here to there: A sunset. A multi-colored, rolling field. Mountains skirted by clouds. Deer nibbling on roadside shrubs. Most of the time, you marvel and enjoy but keep on going from here to there. One morning this week, though, I had to pull a (safe) U-ey. I had to go back to a “wow” scene I had seen countless times before but seemed to be calling my name.

It was the fleeting beauty of early morning mist on marshy land as the sun broke over the horizon. When you walk through it, your skin becomes moist. It gets all over you, in a very good sort of way. Scientists say mist is what happens when something warm and moist comes in contact with surfaces that are much cooler. Mist is thinner than fog, it’s more transparent, it blankets whatever it contacts with a moisture that seems to come out of nowhere, and then quickly vanishes.

God is continually speaking through His creation, even through the August morning mist. And I was sensing a confirming word: “This is your life. This is everyone’e life. Time flies so quickly. Think about it: how did we get to the end of summer so quickly—weren’t you just shoveling snow off the driveway yesterday? Make the most of each day, each opportunity. ‘What is your life, after all? For you are like a mist that appears for a brief time and then vanishes.’ (James 4:14). So, blanket wherever you go like this mist. Keep bringing My warmth to the cold of the world around you. Keep being salt. Keep being light.”

Wherever you go? 

Like many believers, I grew up in a Christian environment where if not spoken out loud, it was implied that just about everything in your life, except for your obligations, was to be centered around church. Friends. Music. Activities. All certainly helpful for growth and encouragement and discipleship, and I am grateful to this day for the fruit of all that. But there was also this sense that the outside world had become a “them” and a “that” and to have nothing to do with it anymore. Healthy discipleship cautions like “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2) often got turned on their head to imply—stay away, it’s safer in your Christian bubble. The idea of being “in the world but not of it” felt a bit self-centered, that we’re stuck in this place for now but hold on because Jesus is coming soon to take us Home.

And He is!

But not that way. Because things Jesus really said…

“I’m not asking that You take them out of the world but that You guard them from the Evil One. They are no more defined by the world than I am defined by the world. Make them holy —consecrated—with the truth; Your word is consecrating truth. In the same way that You gave Me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world.”—John 17:15-18, Message

In some ways, I found it was easier and safer to live in that all-Christian, all-the-time bubble. It’s a lot harder to be the kind of penetrating mist Jesus is praying for us to be as we enjoy connecting with old friends who do not know Him (yet) and with common interests, holding on to uncompromising convictions and Truth (like Romans 12:2) while walking in love and not judgment and continually carrying the fragrance of Jesus wherever we go. But it’s the right way.

For some reason, it’s taken me several decades to feel safe about making a misty-eyed U-turn on this way of thinking—saturating, blanketing, being transparent—both inside and especially outside my church’s wonderful walls. But thank God, it is so.  And it is never too late. To be continued…

"I've got the little Bible magnets on my refrigerator door

And a welcome mat to bless you before you walk across my floor

I've got a Jesus bumper sticker

And the outline of a fish stuck on my car

And even though this stuff's all well and good,

I cannot help but ask myself

What about the change?

What about the difference?

What about the grace?

What about forgiveness?

What about a life that's showing

I'm undergoing the change?"

—The Change, by Steven Curtis Chapman

Paying Attention

Along the Marginal Way, Ogunquit, ME

 “But there is only one thing that is essential. Miryam [Mary] has chosen the right thing, and it won’t be taken away from her.”—Luke 10:42, Complete Jewish Bible

It seems that many of our dreams are just mixed up gobbledygook that’s easily forgotten, but then there are those that seem to say “pay attention to this.” The other night, I remember observing a long list of what seemed to be great ideas and thoughts, waiting for a winner to be selected as on a talent show. There were some obvious contenders and personal favorites, but when the winner was selected, everyone (myself included) was stunned.

“Wait, what? Who?” And way down this very long list, the winner’s name was found: “Mary.” Yes, that Mary. I sensed many around me were shaking their heads in unbelief. But in my dream, the word “Mary” seemed to jump off the list and pass right before my eyes… “Pay attention to this.”

The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42  is one of the most polarizing for believers. I know I have a love-hate relationship with it. At first glance, the Home Depot “do-ers” (and that would be most of us born in the USA) who are wired more like Martha think Jesus is favoring the more contemplative Mary. We can get a bit defensive and try to counter with Paul’s words that “we are God’s workmanship created to do good works…that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10). Yeah!…Also true, but when Jesus speaks, it is best to follow the Leader. What might He be really saying?

A closer look at this story seems to indicate that it is not as it first appears—it’s not really about do-ers vs. contemplative personalities. After all, no one ever did as much amazing stuff as Jesus did. Instead, if we can get past the defensiveness, it seems to be about priorities and dealing with all the distractions of life that would try to get in the way of the one thing that really matters.

And Jesus is quite clear in identifying that greatest priority of them all: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. There is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” (Matthew 22:37, Message).

It is hard to do that—wait, it is impossible to do that—when we’re distracted. It is even hard to do that when we’re busy doing God-busy things. Doing the stuff is still important—it’s gotta get done—but before lifting a finger or getting distracted by what needs to be done, it would seem Jesus is saying to Martha and all of us down through the ages that no matter how busy we are or what needs to get done, the best and first move is always to take our cue from Mary and make sitting at the feet of Jesus (the position of a disciple) our priority. In case there are any doubts, it gets no clearer than this:

…“I am the Vine and you are the branches. Get your life from Me. THEN I will live in you and you will give much fruit. You can do nothing without Me.”

—John 15:5, NLV

Mary's is the position of the heart of worship—worship that is more than 20 minutes of singing, or going to church every Sunday but of one who seeks to trust and obey Jesus’ greatest commandment of them all, whether we are more Home Depot-inclined or contemplative. Because this is the position for our life’s purpose, effectiveness and fruitfulness, and its launching pad for becoming better reflectors of Jesus to those around us. We keep trying to look elsewhere, but it is found only here, and nowhere else…and deep down inside, our hearts know it and even long for it. It is something that needs frequent recalibrating, and thus sometimes the Lord sends us crazy dreams as a reminder, but it is still the right and only position that matters.

Because the story of Mary and Martha and Jesus and all the rest of them really comes down to this:

"I Am looking for a people that will simply pay attention to Me.”

—Andy Byrd, from “Fire and Fragrance”

Selah…

Foundations

At a corner of the corner of Main and Grove.

I could walk through my town a thousand times a day and find something beautiful to photograph—people, architecture, the way the sun’s setting paints a golden glow on old buildings, waterfalls and reflections, flowers in bloom and trees clothed in fall foliage or standing bravely naked against the harsh winter. I look for objects that paint a pleasant, beautiful or hopeful mood or that prompt some sort of good vibes within when you look at them—never too much positivity in a world like ours.

A photograph, well, like this one: Just a bunch of cool-looking rocks holding up a corner of the old Granite Block building at the corner of Main and Grove in my hometown. Colorful, artsy foundation architecture for sure, but I remember when I took that photo a couple of years ago, it was intentional—to help practically illustrate a teaching on something mysterious that Jesus said about Himself many years ago:

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the very stone—the cornerstone—that holds together the entire foundation.” (Luke 20:17).

That's a great image to hold on to when you wake up every morning to a world gone mad, where all around seems shaken and unstable. The Lord who made heaven and earth and all that is in them is still the firm foundation of it all. Whew! But the news gets even better, and frankly a bit unbelievable, for anyone who has made Jesus the cornerstone for life—news that promises a life full of meaning and adventure and fantastic purpose, even amidst all the trials and stresses that everyone has to deal with on planet Earth. And Peter, that most imperfect and relatable of all disciples, sends the invitation that has no expiration date: “Come to Him, the risen Lord, as to a living Stone which men rejected and threw away, but which is choice and precious in the sight of God. You believers, like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4-5)

While that always sounds like “Amen!” music to the ears and you know in your brain that it is so because God said it is so, truth be told, there can be days when I wake up on the wrong side of bed and wonder how on earth I can fit in to that kind of holy structure — to reflect the love of God to people and situations and conversations throughout the day. "Maybe not today. Too may faults and blemishes and inconsistencies." On such days, Peter's invitation is still a beautiful picture, but something seems missing...

... My newspaper publisher, when I first broke into journalism back in the day, never let us settle for the obvious. He’d often say something like, “Dig! Get more details. Tell a story.” And once that gets in your blood, there’s no turning back. I had to admit that “cornerstone” was a word I could easily throw around and nod at, but didn’t know much about. And how do the other stones fit in?  So, I dug a bit. From an architectural definition:

“The cornerstone, also known as the foundation stone or setting stone, is the first stone to be laid in the building of a foundation. All other stones will be placed with reference to this stone… The cornerstone should be selected based on its quality and the reputation of the builder….Cornerstones can also be used as an anchor for heavy loads [Amen!], such as when placing a foundation under a house or garage. … It is laid initially to verify that the structure is square and sturdy. It is the rock that bears the weight of the entire construction…

… Each stone has been selected with care; some are more notable than others, but they all serve one purpose: they build up the structure so that it is solid and reliable.”

Every picture tells a story beyond the obvious, and there it is!

Unlike many other photos that can be liked and quickly forgotten, I will often return to this one and gaze intently as one might do at a painting in an art gallery. I return to praise God in awe and wonder and joy as I remind myself that no matter what kind of day I'm waking up to or think I’m having, He always has and always will delight in choosing to build His Kingdom every single day with and through a bunch of imperfect, oddly-shaped stones who simply depend on the Cornerstone for unshakeable strength.

No excuses. Time to get on with it...

Dial Down Day

 

Downtown on an early Saturday morning.

“And you, beloved, are the light of the world. … Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.”—Matthew 5:14-16, Voice

Some say that December is the busiest month of the year. I say May is a very close second—gardening, yard work, project catch-up, endless post-winter wooings to go hiking, kayaking or camping, graduations, end-of-school activities, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, baseball games, cookouts, Mother’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, and let’s not forget about National Mother Goose Day and National Lemonade Day. Whew! 

Which is why it’s always good to take a Dial Down Day (any day will work), and especially in May, because—he said to himself—it will be fuel for all the rest…

So today...

Worship well.

Sing loud. Pray “Thy kingdom come.”

Absorb the Word. Take notes.

Take it to heart.

Then take it all with you.

Because remember, wherever you go, there He is.

You carry the Light.

And there is no place or moment that’s too insignificant.

There is no such thing as being from a too-small church.

Or from a too-small living room.

And no town, no neighborhood, no street is too small.

Or beyond the reach of God’s Love.

So whatever it may look like on you,

Be the Light...

Pray, love, listen, laugh, serve...

Be amazed and live out loud Jacob’s familiar words

But with renewed emphasis:

“Surely, the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it.” 

“Most incredible are the times we know Christ is with us in the midst of our daily, routine lives. In the middle of cleaning the house or driving somewhere in the pick-up, He stops us in our tracks and makes His presence known. Often, it's in the middle of the most mundane task that He lets us know He is there with us. We realize, then, that there can be no ‘ordinary’ moments for people who live their lives with Jesus.”—Michael Card

[Updated from 2019]