Head to the Heart

Photo: Warren Grieve (pixabay.com)

"I open up to You, this Love that makes me new; Oh may my heart receive this Love that carries me..."—United Pursuit

Mind shift: Sundays were never meant to be the sighing end to another too-short weekend. They were never meant to be just another day among seven. Sundays were meant to be glorious, no matter the weather, because Sundays are God's weekly reminder to our world-numbed souls of the Resurrection that changed, and still changes... everything.

"It's Friday...but Sunday's coming!"

A weekly reminder that on that first glorious Sunday morning many centuries ago, a bunch of men and women who walked closely with Jesus for about three years were running frantically to and from an empty tomb trying to wrap their brains and hearts around what was going on, and the angel's words of shock and awe, "He is risen, just as He said."

Resurrection power is like that. It is mind-blowing and beyond comprehension, no matter how often you spout the words "He is risen!" aloud, or nod your head to the many times Jesus said it was going to happen.

Until it happens to you—when God awakens you from the dead of your own thinking and way of life and calls you to step into the glorious known yet unknown, where life is full and alive and has no end, and is totally upside down to all that you've been led to believe.

Some people have pretty dramatic resurrection experiences, and these friends stir my faith like few others can. But the Gospels indicate that some of the most resistant ones to come alive were often those who grew up going to synagogue, were pretty decent people overall, and who "got it" pretty well up in their brain. But that's where it was entombed, never connecting to the heartbeat of life...

...."The religion scholar said, 'A wonderful answer, Teacher! So lucid and accurate—that God is one and there is no other. And love Him with all passion and intelligence and energy, and loving others as well as you love yourself. Why, that's better than all offerings and sacrifices put together!' When Jesus realized how insightful he was, He said, 'You're almost there, right on the border of God's kingdom."

(Mark 12:32-34, The Voice)

For 27 years, I was that guy. "Right on the border." But not for much longer. Because even though I didn't know it at the time, someone was praying. Several someones, in fact. (Rabbit trail: never give up!)

And then there was that strange moment when some "voice" or loud impression or whatever within spoke to me while out on the town one night: "You are at a crossroads. Which road will you take?" And all of that at about the time I was singing in the church choir because I liked to sing but far from God and yet being strangely drawn like a magnet to a simple gospel song: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow..." Because it was my grandmother's favorite song at the time, and I really loved her, and she wasn't well, and she was the first person I knew who loved Jesus like He was more than a historical figure.

And then one day, just a few weeks before another Resurrection Sunday, all those seemingly random elements came together: Love broke through the roadblock between the head and heart. It came unannounced, almost quietly and yet with a burning, unexplainable something-something inside. I wanted, like those first men and women, to run like the wind. It was resurrection power that was shocking and beyond comprehension at first, and then altogether amazing and wonderful. ....

"From the head to the heart, You take me on a journey of letting go and getting lost in You..."

But Sundays are a reminder that resurrection isn't a one and done thing. Some 16 years later, resurrection power reached even deeper. It is one thing to be on the outside looking in, to try to be a good person yet being "almost there, right on the border of God's kingdom." It is another thing entirely to have Love break through culture's tomb of performance, even in a church: A deeply engrained lie that to please people and even God, you just need to do good stuff and more of it.

Ministry burn out.

I had never been "one of those hand raisers," but in a single moment of desperate surrender, up they went. It felt like being in one of those wooden barrels where the bands began to snap off one by one. A new resurrection: Relationship, not performance, won the day and won my heart. And for the first time, I began to understand what real worship, even beyond a song, was all about.

I was reminded of all of that while reading these words from the late Brennan Manning in "The Furious Longing of God"...

"How is that we've come to imagine that Christianity consists primarily in what we do for God? How has this come to be the good news of Jesus? Is the kingdom that He proclaimed to be nothing more than a community of men and women who go to church on Sunday, take an annual spiritual retreat, read their Bibles every now and then, oppose abortion, don't watch x-rated movies, never use vulgar language, smile a lot, hold doors open for people, root for the favorite team, and get along with everybody? Is that why Jesus went through the bleak and bloody horror of Calvary? Is that why He emerged in shattering glory from the tomb? Is that why He poured out His Holy Spirit on the Church? To make men and women with better morals?

The Gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand new creations. Not to make people with better morals but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friends, is what it really means to be a Christian. [It] never begins with what we do for God. It always starts with what God has done for us."

For all who come this way on not just another Sunday, and in between all the other resurrection Sundays to come, more of that...and more of You, from the head to the heart.

[Adapted from 4-16-17]

"There’s no shame in looking like a fool, when I give you what I can’t keep to take a hold of You."

What Difference Does it Make?

Photo: Suliman Sallehi, pexels.com

Let the Word of Christ..."richly inhabit your lives." (Colossians 3:16, The Voice)

While going about what was an otherwise normal day at work not long ago, writing business-related articles about people and processes and achievements, there was an earthquake.

Over a word choice.

What I thought was a harmless and actually very appropriate word to describe someone’s positive contribution to a situation wound up offending that person and a colleague.

Their email made me go “whaaaat?” A change in word choice was expected.

And because it’s what humans tend to do when they go on the defensive,

I was ready for an all-too-familiar reflex:

To dig in, to defend myself, to be offended by their offense.

Which never goes anywhere good.

To my surprise, I didn’t go there

This time.

“What is this strange feeling I’m feeling?”

And I realized that the word that came to mind to describe this person’s admirable quality was a word prominently found in the Gospels.

All from that reading, both because “you need to” and because you want to,

But sometimes, wondering “what difference does it make, practically?”

Until I also realized that the word that rolled out of my brain and into type that day was a natural reflex,

A "richly inhabit"

An overflow of that which was now living within me from “all that reading” and through the mysterious power of the Spirit...

“For the Word of God is alive and powerful…”

—Hebrews 4:12, NLT

...And on this day, that same Word didn’t get hung up on words.

Instead, it took the temptation to be defensive and turned it on its head:

Humility. Grace.

(What the world needs now.)

“No offense intended, I’ll make the change.”

Which was met by grace—and, as a result, peace—in return.

It is always a good thing to pray, as you head out the door, things like:

“Lord, help me to carry Your light into work today”

But while we may be thinking some really big things

Often, it is the little things God uses to answer that prayer that carry the biggest light—for others, and especially for your own encouragement on this Journey.

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

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.

Selah

“Sometimes, we are called to experience rejection for the Son of God living in us. When we carry the cross of Christ, the world and even our families sometimes look at us as though we have a few marbles out of place. A miracle [salvation] often has a cost. But it is the seed for something imperishable. It is the seed of Eternity in our hearts.”—Os Hillman

When the Details Don't Really Matter

Photo: Markus Winkler (pexels.com)

“Now gather the scraps,” Jesus told His disciples, “so that nothing is wasted.” And 12 baskets were filled with leftovers.”—John 6:14, Living Bible

While reading this story, for the gazillionth time, of the multitudes being fed with a few fishes and loaves of bread, I remembered watching the ‘90s movie “Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves,” and instead of focusing on the plot got tripped up wondering where all those fancy ropes came from that suddenly appeared in the forest outpost of Robin and his merry men....

Wait, so where did those 12 baskets come from?

Did 12 kind ladies (or gentlemen) provide them, or did the disciples go up to the crowd and ask “Hey, who has some baskets we can use to pick up these crumbs?”

And when they were filled, then what?

Were they left there? 

Did people in the crowd of 5,000 each take some of it for the journey home?

Did the disciples “get it” in real-time?

Did they look at each other, shrug their shoulders, and wonder what was going on?

Did they take the leftovers and chow down, because they were hungry, too?

Did they take them with them when on their ensuing journey across the lake?

(Maybe that helps explain why their boat was so difficult to maneuver on the wind-driven waters?)

For centuries, Bible scholars have offered helpful theories and tons of possible explanations for it all.

The fact is,

No one really knows.

And ultimately, just as with the awesome ropes that appeared out of nowhere in that movie, the props of 12 baskets are simply a means of telling a larger, more important story.

It doesn’t mean that wanting to know doesn’t matter because we are told time and again to search the scriptures for ourselves, and to seek diligently and inquire of the Lord on every step of the journey.

Seeking wisdom is good. Asking questions is really good.

But demanding answers for every single detail and basket and move of God is eliminating the most important thing of all:

Trust.

God is God and I am not.

His ways are higher than mine and His thoughts are way higher.

No one has ever known the mind of the Lord, and no one has ever been His advisor.

No one has entirely figured Him out or known His every move.

And if I could and if I did, then He wouldn’t be any different than any other.

But He is altogether lovely and altogether worthy.

He is Lord of heaven and earth.

In the beginning, God. Period.

And so maybe 12 baskets of leftovers are simply supposed to represent an everlasting monument and reminder to our weary souls and weak-kneed faith that God’s provision in our time of need or when the task seems overwhelming—His promises, His answers to feeble, desperate prayers—can always be trusted and are always more than enough.

Just like all those ropes in the movie.

And not just a general provision, either, one that we can nod our head at as being true for maybe everyone else;

But personal—“one basket each, guys, just for you, with your name on it.”

With my name on it?

“Trust Me. I have never lied and I never will."

“Blessed with spiritual security is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord

And whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord.

“For he will be nourished like a tree planted by the waters,

That spreads out its roots by the river;

And will not fear the heat when it comes;

But its leaves will be green and moist.

And it will not be anxious and concerned in a year of drought

Nor stop bearing fruit.”

—Jeremiah 17:7-8 Amplified

Proverb For a New Day

Photo: Juliano Ferreira, pexels.com

“Little is much when God is in it…”—from hymn by Kittie L. Suffield

It is good to be able to memorize lots of Bible verses for future use.

It is better to live out loud the few you know today.

It is good to read that Word of goodness every single day this week.

It is better to let the Truth you remember today come out your pores.

It is good to want to be a beam of Light that shines for all to see

It is better to be a ray of Hope for that person on your path today who desperately needs it.

It is good to want to see the big picture of what God is doing in your life and in the world

It is better to let the Word be a lamp unto your feet as you head out the door today, and start there.

It is good, always good, to want to go deeper, higher and stronger in your Walk

It is better, always better, to step into today with what little you think you have, and say:

“Speak, Lord. I am Your servant, and I am listening.”

—1 Samuel 3:10, New Century Version

“Here's what you need to keep in mind. You no longer have yesterday. You do not yet have tomorrow. You have only today. This is the day the Lord has made. Live in it.”—Max Lucado

Resolved

Photo: Pexels.com

“I do not run without a definite goal; I do not flail around like one beating the air.”—1 Corinthians 9:26, Amplified

It can be easy to talk yourself out of making resolutions for the new year, especially when research shows that many are broken after the first month anyway. Why bother? But when you’re walking in the adventure that is God’s kingdom, you quickly realize that He is all about resolve, intentionality and purpose when it comes to our destiny and our everyday lives…

“For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].”

—Ephesians 2:9-11, Amplified

Which means there is always one resolution truly worth pursuing, a resolve "to decide firmly on a course of action; a firm determination to do something"—getting to know God more and more so that our lives will walk more and more in paths that reflect His goodness and love.

Perfect? Like all other resolutions, this one will be broken within the first month, if not sooner. Potholes, misfires, and wanting do-overs along the way will be a given. But the difference between this resolve and all the other resolutions that people will make on January 1 is that a broken resolution in the hands of the Redeemer is not a failure. Because God’s great grip of grace, how He loves keeping His promise of making all things new, and how He loves continually singing “Perseverance!” over us from January to December, will trump every epic trip and stumble, every time.

In fact, some of the best resolutions we can make for a new year are not resolutions at all, but prayers—a reminder (and relief) that all the outcomes ahead will be in His hands, not ours:

“God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course;

Give me insight so I can do what You tell me—my whole life one long, obedient response.

Guide me down the road of Your commandments; I love traveling this freeway!

Give me a bent for Your words of wisdom, and not for piling up loot.

Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets; invigorate me on the pilgrim way.

Affirm Your promises to me—promises made to all who fear You.

Deflect the harsh words of my critics—but what You say is always good.

See how hungry I am for Your counsel;

Preserve my life through Your righteous ways.”

—Psalm 119-33-40, Message

For a new year, even just for today, so be it, Lord.

“Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.”—Jonathan Edwards

[ADAPTED FROM 12-28-14]

Lessons from a Deer Crossing

Photo: pexels.com

"As the deer pants longingly for the water brooks, So my soul pants longingly for You, O God."—Psalm 42:1, Amplified

It is amazing how often what we see everyday that seems routine and matter-of-fact can be a type and shadow of something eternal and essential. 

Like deer crossing signs on the highway. The message is loud and clear: slow down and pay attention.

But how do they know? How do they know that deer like to cross along this particular stretch of highway and not that one? Researchers at Penn State University learned that deer don't usually cross the highway randomly but use known crossing sites taught by those that have gone before them. “Deer didn’t just approach the closest fence section and then decide to cross. It wasn’t just chance that brought them to a particular place. They were seeking them out.”

Further, deer tend to cross the road for two primary reasons: they’re being chased or, depending on the season, they are in pursuit of relationship...

"...the report of His power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear Him preach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer."

—Luke 5:15-16, NLT

...The root word of the place to which Jesus, and deer, often withdrew is “wild-deer-ness”—a place inhabited only by wild animals like deer, or simply any place where there are no people. No noise. No distractions.

We are never told in the Gospels exactly why Jesus went to the wilderness other than to pray, and that He did so as was His custom. For guidance on choosing disciples? For wisdom on where to minister next? To get away from the never ending pressing in of the crowd and to seek intimacy with His Father without distraction and noise? Probably yes, yes and yes. After all, He once said,  “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”—John 5:19

The great and wonderful mystery of it all is that in one sense, because Jesus is God in the flesh, it would seem that He didn’t need to do any of those things. And yet in Love, He did so anyway, to leave an example for all of us who would follow in His footsteps...

“I am the vine, you are the branches—apart from Me,

you can do nothing.”—John 15:1

...Especially in this hectic month, when people and events and demands are pressing in on all sides, and on top of all the other craziness of the world and daily life, it is good—no, essential—to follow the deer and find that known crossing site of the deep woods, or the woodworking shop, or even a favorite chair in a quiet room, and make it our custom, too, to seek it out regularly.

And pray. And seek guidance and wisdom. And love. And exhale. And be still. And just be. And none of it to merely escape or live passively but to be refueled, like the deer at the brook, to go on in wonderful pursuit of Him, with all we've got.

It could be the greatest gift any of us receive (or re-open) this or any year.

"The pursuit of God is not a part-time, weekend exercise. If it is, chances are you will experience a part-time, weekend freedom. Abiding requires a kind of staying power. The pursuit is relentless. It hungers and thirsts. It pants as the deer after the mountain brook. It takes the kingdom by storm...The pursuit of God is a pursuit of passion. Indifference will not do. To abide in the Word is to hang on tenaciously. A weak grip will soon slip away. Discipleship requires staying power. We sign up for duration. We do not graduate until heaven." - R. C. Sproul

In the Moment

"Should I _____?"

"Wouldn't it be better if I had______?"

"Is _____ what I'm supposed to be doing, and is this it?"

"What if I try ______ over there instead?" 

It's actually a good thing to be asking most of these probing questions, of yourself and of God, as a sort of discipleship tune-up. Simply because it's easy to wander off course and realize you sometimes need a two-by-four awakening to realize you've been fixing your eyes on what really doesn't matter all that much after all. Like that thing you wished you'd never bought as soon as you walked out of the store...

"Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough."

- Emily Dickinson

...Contentment may be about being satisfied with having just enough of just about anything, but maybe more importantly, it is not about "stuff" at all but about being satisfied with place and purpose — where we are in actual location, career, relationships, or in station of life at any given time. 

Because that is where God has us at the moment, and the greatest sense of contentment that I could ever know is that, no matter what, wherever I am, He is already there, and that is enough. 

Even here, even now...

“A devout life does bring wealth, but it’s the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that’s enough … go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage — do good, be rich in helping others, be extravagantly generous… build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.”

—1 Timothy 6: 6-8, 17-19, The Message

[ADAPTED FROM 6-5-16]