As You Go...

“Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here.”—Matthew 10:7

There’s an interesting phrase in some translations of this commissioning by Jesus to His non-seminary, just-regular-folks-like-us disciples: Not just “go” but “As you go…” It implies looking for opportunity to share the Hope that is within us while we’re going about our day.

To ditch the “church talk” that only insiders understand.

To listen. To listen a lot and be slow to speak.

To think “others” before “self” (which always sounds so noble but is incredibly difficult to pull off).

To show the Way, the Truth and the Life in a relatable way through the way that God made each of us think, talk and move, and not try to copy someone else, or feel constrained by a “how to do it” manual, or worrying about all the ways Christ’s name and mission are being hijacked lately by people who have no clue and who are living just the opposite of that Name and mission.

“As you go” means you be you, with Him working through you. Practicing eyes wide open, and praying to see beyond what is Captain Obvious.

Because when you do, some of those opportunities will take you by surprise...

Like when you were on your way to doing something else “important” and just so happened to stop to say hi to your neighbor across the street who was out picking up sticks and other winter debris. And when that neighbor across the street starts a friendly chat and then suddenly shifts gears and announces a series of health issues for him and his wife, you realize that this is a Divine “as you go” moment.

And you could say, “gosh, I’m sorry to hear that,” and leave it there, and keep going on to your “important” task. Or, you could continue with: “I will be lifting you and your wife up in prayer,” or better still, “Can I pray with you?” Very few, no matter what their religious views, will say no to that, especially in a year-plus where just about everyone is starving for any kind of hope. And remembering that we carry the Real Thing.

Some “as you go” missions work better with a phone call, or a note or a text, or doing a favor without being asked. All we need is open eyes to see them—to see Jesus in them, and not to just be nice but to bring Hope with us “as we go.” To follow the words of the song…

“Give me Your eyes for just one second

Give me Your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give Your love for humanity

Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me Your eyes so I can see…”—Brandon Heath

“A disciple is a person who has decided that the most important thing in their life is to learn how to do what Jesus said to do.”

—Dallas Willard

The Power of a Three-letter Word

"Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father and then we will be satisfied.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you for so long a time, and you do not know Me yet, Philip, nor recognize clearly who I am?'"—John 14:9, Amplified

The more I read the gospels the more I realize I’m a lot like Philip—I think I get Jesus, but I don’t really get Jesus. It's not unlike walking a favorite woodland trail and seeing the sun through the maze of obstacles and yet not really seeing the sun.

If I had been Philip or one of the 12, I’m sure I would have been as clueless, blind, fearful, thick-skulled, and puzzled at times as they were by Jesus’ parables on life, His way of life... His life, period. Yet like them, even though never totally getting it, you realize there is something extraordinary about Jesus that keeps drawing you in closer and closer and with greater resolve, sometimes against all odds, pulling you along to see what’s next on this crazy Journey.

I like how God made sure Philip got included in the gospels. I think He wanted to let us know that He gets us.

Philip's honest, "I-can't-believe-I'm-saying-this-but-I'm-going-to-say-it-anyway" question is hope for us all— that this Walk is a lifetime of knowing and being with Jesus more than ever and yet never fully knowing Him; of being at times surprisingly filled with Heaven-sent discernment and yet at times being earthbound clueless; of walking through seasons of unshakable belief as well as ones of dizzying doubt. 

Perhaps it is akin to the real-life parable of the new contact prescription: A man with two new lenses on his eyeballs was driving down the highway one day, and while he could see everything right in front of him as plain as day, peering into the depths was another story because only one lens brought clarity. The other lens was fuzzy and needed correcting.

Maybe, just maybe, this is what knowing Jesus more and more in both a cognitive and experiential way is supposed to look like. The thing that needs correcting is that never really knowing and seeing Jesus clearly every day is not only normal or OK, it's all part of The Plan of faith and trust. It means staying steady in all our Philip moments, and maybe not always running as we'd like but rather simply putting one foot in front of the other. It means to keep drawing near even in the fog and, like those first disciples, keep being pulled along like a magnet by Someone more powerful and profound and wonderful and all-consumingly attractive, and eternally satisfying than anything or anyone this world has ever seen...

“For now, we can only see a dim and blurry picture of things, as when we stare into polished metal. I realize that everything I know is only part of the big picture. But one day, when Jesus arrives, we will see clearly, face-to-face. In that day, I will fully know just as I have been wholly known by God.”

—1 Corinthians 13:12, Voice

And all along the woodland paths and the highway of holiness, even with one-eyed clarity at times, it's a reminder in a lot of areas of life that faith is both “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”…and therefore, to keep praying for what you don't see clearly now: the impossible when that seems like a nutty thing to do, “Thy kingdom come” in friends, loved ones, and messy situations of life when you wonder how on earth that’s all going to work, and staying faithful and steadfast when you wonder what’s the point of it all.

And most of all, to turn “I’m not seeing it” on its head by adding one simple three-letter word at the end…

“Yet.”

“I give You back today the prayers I’ve prayed that are not answered—yet.  

The seeds I’ve sown that haven’t borne harvest—yet.

Restore the years, the prayers, the trust that the locusts have eaten. Remember me, Lord, redeem my life, and answer my oldest, truest, prayers. Amen.”

—Pete Greig, from “Dirty Glory—Go Where Your Best Prayers Take You”

Buckets of Life

(Photo: diapicard@pixabay.com)

Faith, it says in the Gospels, is like a mustard seed.

Trust is like the beautifully-clothed lilies of the field and God's accounting of every hair of a sparrow.

Integrity and Christ-likeness are like the healthy fruit borne of a fig tree.

Those who are in right standing with God will shine like the sun.

The glory of the Lord is like lightning.

Jesus often taught deep, unshakeable truths about God and living well by using simple illustrations from nature. Everyday things all around us. Reach-out-and-touch examples of all that God has created that can turn sometimes hard-to-grasp concepts into something eye-opening practical and fuel for life.

In fact, of a world in great need of a people who will lovingly live out such truths, Jesus told His first followers:

“I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you.”

—John 4:35, Message

In New England, the welcoming "right in front of you" evidence of turning that long, seemingly-endless corner from late winter into early spring looks like the sun rising earlier and staying up longer, brave crocus shoots beginning to emerge from retreating south-facing snow packs, the early birds of spring beginning their familiar songs even on see-your-breath mornings, and — perhaps most symbolic and iconic of all — milder days and cold nights signaling the time to tap maple trees to make syrup (the real thing, not that wannabe brown substance in tall plastic bottles).

It all seems so "right in front of you" obvious. And yet what we take for granted with our natural eyes — things like mustard seeds, lilies, sparrows, lightning, even maple sugaring season — God has created to continually reveal a greater glimpse of Himself, if only we will choose to look beyond "right in front of you" and into the buckets of Life that know no season. About those iconic sap buckets, for example...

…“Filled with nutrients and minerals, sap is the blood of a tree. It carries energy out into the branches…as much-needed food during the growth period.” It is sweet and with natural antioxidants…

...“I am the sprouting vine and you’re My branches. As you live in union with Me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you — but, when you live separated from Me. you are powerless…when your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are My mature disciples who glorify My Father!” — John 15: 5, 8, Passion 

Sometimes, where we are and where we want to be in this Walk can feel like turning that long, seemingly-endless corner from late winter to early spring. Not much seems to be happening, or at least not as fast as we'd like. The sap bucket is a "right in front of you" reminder that God is still powerfully at work in all who stay in His grip in every growth-period season, one sweet and beautiful drop at a time...

“There are periods that we forget that in the pursuit of fruit, that if we just abide in Him, then fruitfulness is a guarantee.”

—Francis Chan

Unconditional Love

Delilah, happily on the run, circa 2001.

It’s been well-said that a dog is man’s best friend, and that a dog is God’s tangible expression of unconditional love. I have found that to be true during the most difficult season of my life, and though I am content in this season of life to be a "doggie grampa," Delilah, our late-great family Boxer, has never been far from my mind.

Dreams can be a mish-mash of the past and present, of things being processed or unresolved, and just plain unexplainable and random weirdness. But when you put yourself to sleep at night asking for God to speak even in the midst of rest, the mish-mash can be eye-opening the next morning…

…It was a familiar scene of happy chaos. The clock had been turned back 20 years to a typical weekend night of teens descending upon our house, unannounced but welcome, to hang out with my daughter and son. And as she often was, Delilah was in the midst of it all, wagging her knob of a tail and barking up a happy storm, following people around. But when the barking didn’t stop and she started jumping on people in excitement, I remember turning to her with upraised voice and finger, “No!”

Delilah immediately sat in obedience (I could tell this was a dream), but what came next totally surprised me. I remember feeling great compassion and love for this dear friend. It was overpowering. All the other noise of the dream was on mute. And as I was patting her, a bit more weirdness—I clearly heard an off-camera voice speaking “Psalm 103, Psalm 104!” But Psalm 103 was what I seemed to be paying attention to…

When I got up the next morning, I was thinking of that crazy dream and decided, “oh, what the heck” and turned to Psalm 103 to see if maybe Delilah was there. What stopped me in my tracks was not “seeing” Delilah there, but her Master:

“The Lord is merciful, compassionate and loving, slow to become angry and full of constant love…As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is His love for those who honor (obey) Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our sins from us. As a father is kind to his children, so the Lord is kind to those who honor Him. He knows what we are made of; He remembers that we are dust.”—Psalm 103:8, 11-14

Some things you never outgrow, like wondering if God reaches a patience limit with our repeated screw ups of attitude and action in spite of wanting to always walk the narrow road. And just maybe, that crazy mish-mash of a dream was a reassuring message that God’s ways are not our ways and that though dogs are wonderful, He doesn’t need one to remind us of what unconditional Love really looks like.

We just need to remember to be like Delilah and “sit” when we hear or sense “No!” and feel the Love, and get up and keep going (tail-wagging optional).

“Do you believe that the God of Jesus loves you beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity? That He loves you in the morning sun and in the evening rain? That He loves you when your intellect denies it, your emotions refuse it, your whole being rejects it? Do you believe that God loves without condition or reservation and loves you this moment as you are and not as you should be?... 

He has a single relentless stance toward us:

He loves us.”—Brennan Manning

A Better Way

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep…”  

Robert Frost penned these words about the woods at night, but this is also what the woods look like just as the day’s first beams of sunlight reach over the horizon. It’s a peaceful picture of hope and possibilities and wonder for a new day… and then the rest of those verses begin to sink in: 

“But I have promises to keep,   

And miles to go before I sleep,   

And miles to go before I sleep.”

And with mug of hot beverage in hand and eyelids barely open, as thoughts of the new day’s responsibilities and cares invade the view, it can be easy to let hope be tempered by “How am I going to get it all done?,” or possibilities by the prospect of a to-do list that seems overwhelming, or wonder to be elbowed by endless “what ifs?”

But there is a more excellent way!…Keep staring at the woods lovely, dark and deep but head in a different direction:

 

Thank You that “I lay down and slept safely; I awakened, for You sustained me.” (Psalm 3:5)

Thank You that no matter what the headlines say, “This is the day that You have made, so I will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

Thank You that You alone “give life and breath to everything, and satisfy every need.” (Acts 17:25)

Thank You that no matter what others think of me or I think of myself, that in Your eyes, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14)

“Thanksgiving is worry’s kryptonite. You can’t worry if you’re giving thanks." — Matt Chandler

Thank You for the “incredible quality of love You have shown to us, that we would be permitted to be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are!” (1 John 3:1)

Thank You that even when I feel alone — even in a crowd — I’m not because Your name is “God with us” and You have promised “never will I leave you, never will I abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Thank You that no matter what I feel, I know I can trust You because “it is impossible for God to lie.” (Hebrews 6:18)

Thank You that You are “not a human who changes his mind. Whatever You promise, You do; You speak, and it is done.” (Numbers 23:19)

Thank You that no matter what it may look like, “The earth belongs to You, and everything in it — the world and all its people.” (Psalm 24:1)

Thank You for the reminder that being thankful “strengthens my faith.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

And thank You especially that no matter what, You never quit on anything, that “You are good and Your love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1)

“O God, my heart is quiet and confident. No wonder I can sing Your praises! Rouse yourself, my soul! Arise, O harp and lyre! Let us greet the dawn with song! I will thank You publicly throughout the land. I will sing Your praises among the nations. Your kindness and love are as vast as the heavens. Your faithfulness is higher than the skies!” (Psalm 57:7-10)

Loving Life

(photo:stocksy.com)

“…let us not love merely in theory with word or with tongue, giving lip service to compassion, but in action and in truth—in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words.”—1 John 3:18, Amplified

Timely words from the journal…

The other day, I ran into an old friend who owns a restaurant. He said it was time for us to get together and catch up because he thought we might have more in common that we realized. I suggested meeting at his restaurant but then quickly cut off the idea, “Oh right, you’ll be too busy.” But my friend’s response was as from Heaven itself. “I only want to serve. And I’m not talking about waiting on tables.”

When reading through the gospels, if you had to give a description of how Jesus walked in love, then humility, honor and servanthood would surely be near the top of the list. And He would say, right on: “the Son of Man came not to be waited on but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many—the price paid to set them free.” (Matthew 20:28) Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi puts an exclamation point on it: “Jesus has always been as God is. But He did not hold to His rights as God. He put aside everything that belonged to Him and made Himself the same as a servant who is owned by someone.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

Foot washing, for example. In Jesus’ day, washing someone’s feet was such a low, dirty task, it was left to a servant or a slave to do it—a respectable person would never stoop so low. But on the night of the Last Supper, out came the basin, water and towels as Jesus flipped the tables on His disciples (then and now) once more:

“I am your example; keep doing what I do...

...I tell you the truth: a servant is not greater than the master.

Those who are sent are not greater than the one who sends them.”—John 13:15-16

Opportunities to love and serve—big ones, but especially the small ones no one really wants to do or notices—await us every day. And each time, it will be easy to say to ourselves, “too busy” or “don’t have the time” or “let someone else do it who seems better qualified.”

It is better to be like my friend. It is even better to remember that I am not my own but I am “owned by Someone,” to  step into every day thinking not “What’s in it for me?” but “What’s in it for Thee?”

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”—John Bunyan

Football, Mom and the 'It'

(Photo: Charismanews.com)

"I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord!' And now, here we are, standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem." (Psalm 122:1, New Living Translation)

Among the many things the pandemic has revealed is something God has been trying to get through to us believers for centuries: worship of the living God is not confined to a sometimes closed or quasi-opened building. We are all mobile temples who carry His presence in us and with us wherever we go. We were meant to worship God at any time, anywhere. But at the same time, God also designed the purposeful gathering of His family in a particular location to be something akin to a stick of dynamite. It's "where the tribes go up"— different people from different neighborhoods, backgrounds, and interests with one common purpose, to...

...Worship the Lord who alone gives us life and breath and everything else we need.

Whether spaced apart and with masks on now or shoulder to shoulder once more when the pandemic passes, sparks of goodness and encouragement and faith-building occur when iron sharpens iron, elbows rub elbows, and completely different people who may never hang out with one another on a regular basis are of one mind about the incredible, daily reality of the living God working in their lives. It’s what happens when the dynamite Spirit of the living God swoops in and galvanizes it all, refreshing and re-energizing a bunch of imperfect people to go out the door and be the Church again for another week, wherever that may be.

If we’re not careful, though, doing all of that every Sunday can become routine and begin to feel like you’re going through the motions. Good. Not bad. But mostly feeling like you’re doing your Christian thing. Life gets messy and can preoccupy.  And then, “Oh look, here comes another Monday… “And sometimes, you’re reminded that it also means dealing with, well, people, and the idea of avoiding that can sound really appealing.

And so God invented football! And Super Bowl Sunday is a good day to be awakened and even humbled a bit….

Because millions of people really love football. They can't wait for Sunday. They think about "it" all week long, even in the midst of their daily stresses and routine. "It" keeps them going until that hour on Sunday afternoon when they can either enter the building with thousands of others or enter it vicariously through a 48-inch flat screen. The "it" of the game may mean one thing to one fan and another thing to someone else, but whatever "it" is, "it" has captivated their collective attention, stirred their expectancy and anticipation, and they cannot wait.

Whenever the whole idea of gathering in a building or joining the tribe online on any given Sunday feels a bit routine, it is good to think of the expectancy of the football fan. Better than that, unlike football, it is good to know that there is one very definable and powerful "it" that believers can always cling to and that should jolt alive any ho-hum Sunday into a day of worship expectancy and anticipation:

The cross and the empty tomb.

Even though none of us may ever fully understand the mystery of it all in this lifetime, when worship/church routine tries to creep in, all we have to do is look to the cross once more. That's “it!" Because through that cross, and Jesus' final gasping words on behalf of all who would believe — “It is finished! — something more amazing than the best football game ever played took place: the veil of separation between us and God was ripped open once and for all. Not only that, we are no longer destined for an eternity of death because the Savior of the world didn’t stay in the tomb but rose to life again and went back Home to be with His Father. And to this very day, He continues to intercede for us as we go on our daily journey.

This grandest of all “it” means we can regularly and always be in God's presence in every situation, and can approach Him with boldness and confidence. Every single minute of every single day... the God who always says "Yes" to His own promises, the God who has and still does the impossible, for Whom nothing is too difficult, and Who is the God of all comfort and wisdom.

I am reminded of my mom in her golden years, when walking and standing too long were painful and slow. It would take her forever to get from the car to her seat in church each Sunday, but nothing was going to stop her. And when the songs of praise and worship began, she wanted to be helped to her feet so she could grab the chair in front of her with one hand and have the other free for expressing her love for Jesus…

"Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe”…it’s more than a great song to sing, it’s a battle cry to follow the lead of the endlessly passionate football fan (and my mom)  and always be eager to worship with our very lives, both together and one-on-one, every single Sunday and especially all the Mondays-through-Saturdays to come. 

"Salvation is not mainly the forgiveness of sins, but mainly the fellowship of Jesus. Forgiveness gets everything out of the way so this can happen. If this fellowship is not all-satisfying, there is no great salvation. If Christ is gloomy, or evenly calmly stoical, eternity will be a long, long sigh." —John Piper