Dying Well

Yesterday I visited a friend of mine who is dying. I did not know 12 years ago when we first met the direction the journey my life would take. We grew close though hard times. I worked to encourage him as we struggled though a building project at our church. He stood by me when things grew difficult in my life and I needed a friend.

He is now a pastor in his own church, yet still calls me his pastor. When he left to follow his call five years ago only God knew the path his life would take. Unless God intervenes, he has only a few weeks left. He has asked me to do his funeral. Life takes some amazing twists.

Was his life “successful?” The world would look at it and shake its head “No.” He left a good paying job, the town he grew up in, chasing some call half way over the country only to return somewhat broken.

I would ask another question. “Was his life fruitful?” I would shout out a loud “YES!” Over the course of his life hearts were touched, people were drawn to Jesus, and friendships were made. It seems to me that some of his most fruitful work is being done now. In the midst of his pain and dying he communicates a deep love for God. He has a joyous grasp of God’s grace. He told me that he is living his “bucket list.”

The fruit of his life germinates in the lives of those around him. Especially in the lives of those who are walking with him in the valley of the shadow of death. The fruit of God’s love takes root and grows in those who have been touched by him and his faith.

Through him I have learned more of what it means to take up our cross. When we take up our cross and die on it, our lives bear the greatest fruit. It is in our greatest weakness that God’s strength is perfected.

He has given me the gift of his faith and an understanding of what it means to die well.

What you see is what you get

In Psalm 16:8 we read: “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” NIV I wonder how it would affect us if we really kept the Lord always before our eyes? What if I saw Jesus there in every situation, in every problem, and in each person?

I think we would lose our self-dependency. We would stop trusting in ourselves for we would realize that we do not see life like Jesus sees it. We would realize our total need to lean on Jesus in the midst of everyday life.

We would grow in our awareness of God’s presence. We would begin to see him everywhere. How many times did I think that God could not possibly be in that problem only to discover later he was working out his plan? We would see God working in each person’s life. We could sense his presence in our hearts as we travel our journey in life.

We would “see” God more clearly than the world around us. He would become very real to us. We would know that God is here with us. We can smell him in the scent of a flower. We hear him in the song of the birds. We see him in the crimson sunset. He is alive within our lives.

Worry and anxiety would flee away. We need no longer become concerned by the fears of life. Why? We have set the Lord always before our eyes. His perfect love casts out all fear.

We begin to see others as God sees them. We begin to understand the hurt, the rejection and the pain that has driven that jerk at work to act like he does. We grasp the heart of God for people. We grow in his grace toward people. We express his love to the unlovable. We know that whatever we have done unto the least of these we have done unto God.

Finally we grow in purity and holiness. Keeping God always before our eyes keeps us faithful to honor him with our lives. We know he sees all and hears all. Our respect for him and our love for him lift us above the draw of the flesh. Our actions, thoughts and attitudes of our hearts display the character of God at all times.

Do I keep the Lord always before my eyes?

United in WEAKNESS

Power divides – weakness unites – Those who seek to be in control, to have the power to have it their way divide. They divide people into factions. They divide hearts. They divide the mind, will and spirit.

This division comes because I must have it my way. I need to be in control. I want the power to force my will onto you. This investment of strength to make others conform divides homes, families, churches and nations.

Weakness unites – When I can admit that I do not have all answers, I draw others together. We come to work together to find the answers. If I reveal that I need support, I draw others together to help me stand. Why does weakness unite? We all recognize our own frailties in the weaknesses of others. Each one realizes that he or she does not stand alone for there is another who is as weak as I.

We discover in the midst of our weaknesses, God. Once we acknowledge our frailties and admit weakness then God’s power can be made perfect within us. We discover in humble weakness divine strength.

Brennan Manning writes: “In conversation, the poor man always leaves the other person with the feeling, ‘My life has been enriched by talking with you.’ And it has…. He doesn’t overwhelm him with his wealth of insights; … He listens well because he realizes that he is poor and has so much to learn from others.” (Reflections of Ragamuffins, page 306)

This attitude unites us together. We develop a bond of love for our brothers and sisters. We are poor and weak together. We stand united in the common bond of God’s strength. Jesus told the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” NIV

Power divides – weakness unites – what do you think?

American Idols

We read in Exodus: "You shall have no other gods before me. ...You shall not make for yourself an idol…” (Ex 20:3-4) NIV. Idols! False gods! In this modern day and age!? We often make gods of the things or people of this world. If someone or something has control over our lives, our emotions or our money, is it not a god?

We cling to the things of our world and for all purposes tend to make a god of them. We cannot live without them. We must have that person's approval. We need more, more, more -- more money,nicer toys, better sex, more success and acceptance. Are these really gods?

We will not see them as they are until we let go of them, take a step back and gaze at the true God Himself. Once we truly see God for who he really is and realize the joy and strength that comes from a deeper walk with him, we understand that all these other things have given us more grief and headaches than anything else. We must let go of the “former” gods. Then we can begin to live the life God created us to live. Loving God first and living life from the real God’s perspective allows us to enjoy the “stuff” of his creation without being controlled by it.

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) NIV

Pleased to Please

Have you ever wondered what makes us pleasing to God? Some might say, “Praying more,” or “giving more,” perhaps “reading the Bible more.” The key word in all of these thoughts is “more.” We seem to think that God is demanding more, more, more from us.

I do not believe that God is like some demanding dictator shouting out orders for us to do, be, give and sacrifice more. What makes us pleasing to God are not my prayers, nor my spiritual insights, nor my knowledge of Scripture or theology. Perhaps, if I am a tremendous success in the eyes of the world or my peers God will be pleased with that. Not even measuring our success by the world’s ideals makes us pleasing to God. If these things are true, why do we fill our hearts, thoughts and lives with the fear that we are not doing enough for God? I think it is because we do not really know God and what he seeks in the lives of those who follow him.

What does God ask of those who follow him? He wants us to be obedient to his word. He asks us to open the depths of our hearts to him so that we might really be filled with his heart. As we begin to live this way we love as he loves, give as he gives, sacrifice as he sacrifices and die as he died.

People who live this way make a Kingdom difference in the world they live in. The lives of others are changed because they begin to experience the heart of God through the actions, words, attitudes and habits of his children.

Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. NIV

Plain Prophet Parables

I have been reading through the Old Testament prophets. There were moments in their lives where God called upon them to be examples of His truth. There are many places He asks them to be a living parable. They are told to do things that seem difficult and at times outlandish. They are to live out a truth so others may see and understand God better.

God walks us through the hard places in our lives. We all have journeyed through hurts, pains, losses, questions, personal attacks and sorrows. Often we may ask God why this is happening. Yet, we never come to a full understanding of what we are going through. What if in the midst of each one God is calling us to be a parable or model of the character of Jesus? Deep within all of God’s people lays the heart of Jesus. Difficult times should drive us deeper into his heart and give us more of his character to live out of.

We come to realize afresh and anew that we have His power and strength to forgive those who have hurt us. We can give grace to those who attack us. We can display unselfish love to the one who has crucified us. We can embrace the one who has rejected us. “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart.” Matthew 12:35 NIV

We are given the privilege of representing Jesus in each of these situations. We stand in his place, displaying his character so others may catch a glimpse of who Jesus really is. Scripture challenges us to do this. We may complain that this is unfair. If we do this we simply reveal that our hearts are focused on us and we have not denied ourselves, taken up our cross and followed Him. We display the fact that we are not yet disciples of the One who lived solely for His father and died for others.

Promises Realized

Do we realize all the promises that our Lord has given us? There are promises from his word and promises from his heart. Do I doubt them? Does doubt come simply because He doesn’t do things my way, in my time?

How much of doubt is centered on us, on what we want? After all the Lord has done for us, after all the ways we have seen Him work, why do we still struggle with doubt?

He has answered our prayers. He has encouraged us. He has stretched our money. He has spoken to us. He has blessed our lives.

We must ask Him to forgive us for ever doubting. We must submit our fears and feelings to Him once again. He is faithful. We must decide to trust Him. Trust in Him, denies self. Trust allows Him to work things out His way in His time. Trust is patient.

Will we trust the Lord with all of our hearts, all of our souls and all of our lives? Will we refuse to lean on our own understanding?

In the Scripture we read that he daily bears our burdens (Psalm 68:19). Do we really believe that? If we do then we do not need to daily bear our burdens.

Each of us must come to the Lord and pray: “I do trust you. I trust you to carry the weights that life places on me. Thank you for taking these burdens. I rejoice in you. I cast every care upon you. I lay every encumbrance upon you. I set aside every stumbling block that tries to trip me up. My life is yours.”

The Consequences of Truth

Isaac Wiegand is the DS of the Liberian churches. I met him at our General Conference this year. He really blessed my life.

He tells about the civil war in Liberia. The war lasted from 1996 until 2003. He was a college student during some of that time. He said that the college was often without electric power. They had little or no food or water. There were times when he and a friend named James Smith would go out into the jungle to search for food so they could live.

When going to search for food they had to go through rebel checkpoints. They would be questioned and their ID's examined. They had gone out into the jungle one day and were returning through the checkpoint that they had gone through earlier, when one of the rebels saw James ID and asked, "Smith, are you related to general Smith?" General Smith was the leader of the group the rebels were fighting.

"No," James replied. "I don't know him and never met him. We are not related."

"The rebel leader said, "I don't believe you. You are related to him. I'm going to kill you."

Isaac said that whenever a rebel soldier told you that he was going to kill you there was nothing you could do to stop him. So right there in front of him he saw them put six bullets into his friend's head. He said that if he reacted in any way at all, they would shoot him. So he had to act like it didn't matter.

In the midst of all their hard times our brothers and sisters in Liberia learned some truths about their walk with God. Isaac said they learned in all their struggles that God is really alive.

Isaac said, "When you are surrounded by rebels you have no guarantee for tomorrow.” He told me that they really learned what it meant to live day-by-day being totally dependent on God. He said they also came to realize that we are nothing by ourselves. “We are very poor. Daily we see the senselessness of trying to be dependent on yourself. We have nowhere else to look except to God."

Complaint Department

When we went to Russia in 1994 we road the trolleys. We quickly learned that if it was full and a woman got on the trolley the man sitting closest to her would get up and give her his seat. It was the Russian custom.

Some years later I went into Chicago. I road the South Shore railroad. The car that we were riding in was full. There was a couple standing in the middle of the car holding on to a pole. At the next stop some matronly ladies got on the car. Being trained in Russia as to how to handle this situation, I crawled out from my window seat and asked one of them if she would like to have my seat. She quickly said, “Yes.” The man I was sitting next to, looked up from his newspaper at me, then at the woman and then back at me. He stood up and asked the other woman if she wanted his seat. She took it.

We walked down to the middle of the car and grabbed onto one of the poles that was there. I casually said to the couple standing there, “I guess they should have added another car to the train today.”

This couple immediately spoke in a very angry voice about how inconsiderate the train company was and how they should have gotten their act together. It was obvious that this couple was very upset about having to stand in the middle of the car.

The conductor came into the car just then and told us all, “There are plenty of seats two cars up if you want to walk there.” So I proceeded to turn and walk up the train to that car. The man who I had been sitting with followed me. Yet the complaining couple just stood there, angry. I guess they just wanting to have something to complain about rather then finding a solution to their problem.

When the man and I got to the car with the seats in it, I sat on one side and him on the other. I said, “Well that was easy enough.” He just nodded and smiled.

Am I a whiner or am I one who goes with the flow and lives out of the attitude of the Jesus I claim to believe in?

We are called to “fight the good fight of faith.” When we decide to take a stand and “fight” for our faith we discover that God is there providing us with the strength and grace to do it. Fighting is not being argumentive or demanding our way. Fighting the good fight has to do with our own desire and passion for God.

Too often we want to just get by on as little as possible. We will only pray “just enough” or fast as little as necessary. All the time God wants us to give ourselves completely to the battle. God may lead us into places where we need to pray longer than we think is necessary. There may be a conviction that we must fast and spend time alone with our Lord. We are fighting the fight of faith because we are battling our own self focus.

The battle becomes harder because Satan will do all he can to weaken us and reduce our spiritual strength. He creates interruptions, false needs and endless distractions to try and defeat us in battle.

In this battle we allow so many things to work on our hearts—people, events, needs, desires, etc. We do not realize that most of these things can cause us to be alienated from our hearts and therefore from God who reigns in our hearts.

We must deal with the things that hide our hearts from God. We must be actively working on them. We decide to no longer conceal to ourselves or try to hide from God what is in our hearts. We will stop all self-justification. There will be no more self-pity. Confession, repentance and openness will allow cleansing in the depths of our hearts. This is the fight, this is the battle.

We discover that Our Father honors his children when they resist Satan’s attacks and willingly sacrifice time, energy, effort, and themselves to fight the good fight of faith.

Let me close with this prayer:

Lord, you have given me so many promises: Promises from your word and promises from your heart. Why do I doubt them? Does doubt come simply because you don’t do things my way, in my time? How much of doubt is centered on me, on my self?

You have answered my prayers. You have encouraged me. You have stretched my money. You have spoken through me. You have blessed my life.

Forgive me for ever doubting. I must submit my fears and feelings to you once again. You are faithful. I will trust you. Trust allows you to work things out your way in your time. Trust is patient. Lord, I do trust you with all of my heart, all my soul and all of my life. I refuse to lean on my own understanding. You are my sovereign King.

The story is told of a pious Jewish couple. They had married with great love, and the love never died. Their greatest hope was to have a child so their love could walk the earth with joy

Yet there were difficulties. And since they were very pious they prayed and prayed and prayed. Along with considerable other efforts, lo and behold, the wife conceived. When she conceived, she laughed louder than Sarah laughed when she conceived Isaac. And the child leapt in her womb more joyously than John leapt in the womb of Elizabeth when Mary visited her. And nine months later a delightful little boy came rumbling into the world.

They named him Mordecai. He was rambunctious, zestful gulping down the days and dreaming through the nights. The sun and the moon were his toys. He grew in age and wisdom and grace, until it was time to go to the synagogue and learn the Word of God.

The night before his studies were to begin, his parents sat Mordecai down and told him how important the Word of God was. They stressed that without the Word of God Mordecai would be an autumn leaf in the winter's wind. He listened wide-eyed.

Yet the next day he never arrived at the synagogue. Instead he found himself in the woods, swimming in the lake 'and climbing the trees.

When he came home that night, the news had spread throughout the small village. Everyone knew of his shame. His parents were beside themselves. They did not know what to do.

So they called in the behavior modificationists to modify Mordecai's behavior, until there was no behavior of Mordecai that was not modified. Nevertheless, the next day he found himself in the woods, swimming in the lake and climbing the trees.

His parents grieved for their beloved son. There seemed to be no hope.

At this same time the Great Rabbi visited the village. And the parents said, "Ah! Perhaps the Rabbi." So they took Mordecai to the Rabbi and told him their tale of woe. The Rabbi bellowed, "Leave the boy with me, and I will have a talking with him."

It was bad enough that Mordecai would not go to the synagogue. But to leave their beloved son alone with this lion of a man was terrifying. However, they had come this far, and so they left him.

Now Mordecai stood in the hallway, and the Great Rabbi stood in his parlor. He beckoned, "Boy, come here." Trembling, Mordecai came forward.

And then the Great Rabbi picked him up and held him silently against his heart.

His parents came to get Mordecai, and they took him home. The next day he went to the synagogue to learn the Word of God. And when he was done, he went to the woods. And the Word of God became one with the words of the woods, which became one with the words of Mordecai. And he swam in the lake. And the Word of God became one with the words of the lake, which became one with the words of Mordecai. And he climbed the trees. And the Word of God became one with the words of the trees, which became one with the words of Mordecai.

And Mordecai himself grew up to become a great man. People who were seized with panic came to him and found peace and comfort. People without anyone came and found a friend. People with no exits came and found a way out. When they came to him, he told them, "I first learned the Word of God when the Great Rabbi held me silently against his heart."

Isa 40:11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Lay your head on the heart of the Great Rabbi, Jesus. What do you hear?

Sandwiches and Chicago

I had set apart a week to just get away and seek God’s heart. One of the days I had set apart I decided to take the train into Chicago and just wander downtown and pray and observe to see what God might say. Before I left I felt compelled by God to make a few sandwiches to take and give away to some homeless people. So I packed a bag with 4 sandwiches and 4 bottles of water.

I decided to get off the train one stop earlier than I usually do. When I got off I began to walk. I traveled five blocks looking for homeless people. There was not one to be found. I walked over one block and began to return back. Still no homeless people. The bag was beginning to get heavy.

I was wondering about how one approaches a homeless person—what do you say? “Hi, I’m Mike, what’s your name?”

I was praying about this when there he was. He was standing on the street trying to sell a magazine called Streetwise. I walked up to him and asked, “Have you eaten today?”

“No,” he replied.

I handed him the whole bag and said, “This is for you.” He looked in the bag then back at me and quietly said, “God bless you.”

I put my arm around him and said, “I just want you to know that Jesus loves you.”

I turned and crossed the street into Millennium Park and I began to cry. Why? It was the understanding that I had helped someone eat one more day and wondered why I had not done it before. It was the thought of a man who felt stuck on the streets with little hope. And it was grasping the knowledge that the one I gave the water and sandwiches to was Jesus—“What you have done unto the least of these…”

Unto the Least

Matt 25:40 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

A man tells the following story: “I was walking around in a Target store, when I saw a Cashier hand this little boy some money back. The boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old. The Cashier said, "I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll."

Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him: ''Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?'' The old lady replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.'' Then she asked him to stay there for just 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly.

The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to. "It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas. She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her."

I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry.

But he replied to me sadly. "No, Santa Claus can't bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there." His eyes were so sad while saying this. "My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.''

My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said: "I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall." Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me "I want mommy to take my picture with her so she won't forget me. I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister."

Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. "Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll?''

"OK" he said, "I hope I do have enough." I added some of my money to his

with out him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money. The little boy said: "Thank you God for giving me enough money!" Then he looked at me and added, "I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me!''

"I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose. My mommy loves white roses."

A few minutes later , the old lady returned and I left with my basket. I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local news paper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine, because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma. Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the young woman had passed away. I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wishes before her burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed for ever. The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.

Take the FORK!?

Life is full of choices. Why do we make the choices that we do? What is the driving force that leads us in a certain direction? Do we go by feelings, or by our desires, or by comfort, or by what “everyone else is doing” or by what we sense God wants us to do?

Yogi Berra said: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” I guess he thinks it doesn’t matter which choice you make. Yet every choice has its pluses and minuses.

Joshua said: "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, …But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." NIV (Joshua 24:14-15)

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both.
And be one traveler, long I stood,
And looked down one as far as I could.

"Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear.
Though as for that the passing there,
Had worn them really about the same.

"And both that morning in equally lay,
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how the way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

"I shall be telling this with a sigh,
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost: The Road not Taken

The Heart of Chicago

I sat on a park bench in downtown Chicago and looked around – So many people – so many colors – so many nationalities – so many needs – so many without Jesus. I saw the dogs being walked, umbrellas opened protecting their owners from the sun, newspapers opened gleaning the past’s events, cell phones and baby carriages.

The noise was extreme: jack hammers; lawn mowers; back-up warnings; trucks roaring; tires squealing; the squeak of brakes and the rumble of jets. How can they hear God in the midst of this chaos? How can I touch the lives of these alienated children of God?

I walk down the street and pass a homeless man in the doorway of a building. I take fifty steps and pass the influential and wealthy eating outside of a posh restaurant. And I wonder: …”God, this is such a dichotomy” – rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief – all needing Jesus.

I walk further; I pass another homeless man sitting at the edge of busy Michigan Avenue (The Magnificent Mile). People are stepping over him and around him – a nobody – except…My Jesus gave his life for him, so he is very much a somebody.

In the midst of all of this I stand again face to face with my own heart and with God’s heart. Where is my heart, really? What is shaping my heart? Does it look like my Jesus’ heart? Does it bear the imprint of His fingers?

“Wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also”

The Confusing Curve

What do you do when God throws you a curve that you cannot even come close to hitting?

There is this windex commercial where the sliding glass door is so clean that the man of the house thinks it is open and walk right into is. Have you ever felt that way? You have prayed, fasted and sought God’s direction, took a few steps where you think you are to go and WHAM! – you run into the glass door.

You heart, mind, emotions and spirit are confused and your soul is bruised. It seems that God has caused it all. The questions abound: “What is going on?” or “Why is that happening?” You discover that there are no answers and silence seems to greet your prayers.

We must realize that this is where faith and trust in God must enter into the picture. Will you continue to believe? Will you still trust in God? Do you believe that God has your best interests at heart? Doubt has a part in building a great faith. Only a bruised and broken faith can be rebuilt into a deeper, richer and stronger faith.

God is being seen in a new and different way. A new view of God’s greatness and love can only be shaped when the old view gets broken and the pieces rearranged.

It is so easy to get all wrapped up in oneself and one’s needs. We must get all wrapped up in Jesus. God is working to shape a truer image of Himself and a truer image of us in our hearts and spirits.

We learn that the curve was not supposed to be hit. It is to be admired and enjoyed.

IMAGES and REFLECTIONS

Some ladies in a women’s Bible study were wondering about the process of refining silver. One of the ladies decided to visit a silversmith. She went to watch him work.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"

When people look into our lives do they see the image of Jesus in us? If not, perhaps God may place us in the fire to refine us until the image of Jesus shines out from our life.

When God refines us he puts all of our lives over his all consuming fire to bring out of us the clutter that has infiltrated us. In love he looks down into our hearts and spirits and seeks to see the reflection of His Son there.

We must stop and ask ourselves if we are living lives that please God and allows others to see Jesus in us. When we go to bed at night we need to pray and ask God: “Did I live today in the way that pleases you?” Living life this way affects the lives of others who live, work and play around us.

Pastor Scott Camp was working on an assignment for a doctoral thesis. As a college student he spent a year with a group of Navajo Indians on a reservation in the Southwest. As he did his research he lived with one family, sleeping in their hut, eating their food, working with them and generally living the life of a 20th Century Indian.

The old grandmother of the family spoke no English at all, yet a very close friendship formed between the two. They spent a great deal of time sharing a friendship that was meaningful to each, yet unexplainable to someone else. In spite of the language difference they shared the common language of love and understood each other. Over the months he learned a few phrases of Navajo and she picked up a little of the English language.

When it was time for him to return to the campus and write his thesis, the tribe held a going-away celebration. It was marked by sadness since the young man had become close to the whole village and all would miss him. As he prepared to get up into the pickup truck and leave, the old grandmother came to tell him good-bye. With tears streaming from her eyes, she placed her hands on either side of his face, looked directly into his eyes and said, "I like me best when I'm with you."

Perhaps that is a great expression of the image of Jesus. Other people learn to like themselves when they are around us.

Life in the S-L-O-W lane

There is a movie entitled Nell. I have not seen it but it I understand that it is about a young lady who grows up alone in the forest. She knows nothing of electricity or plumbing or any other modern convenience. One day the world beyond the forest discovers her.

She is taken out of the forest by well-meaning people who think she should catch up with the rest of the world so she can lead a fuller life. Her fate is in the hands of 12 jurors. After the lawyers speak, Nell gets up to speak for herself.

“You have big things.”

“You know big things.”

“But you don’t look into each others eyes.”

“You are hungry for quietness.”

“I have lived a small life.”

“And I know small things.”

Nell looks into the eyes of the judge and those of the courtroom. She wants to help them understand.

“The quiet of the forest is full of angels—“

“In the daytime there comes beauty.”

“In the nighttime, there comes happiness.”

“Don’t be afraid for Nell”

“Don’t weep for Nell.”

“I have no greater sorrows than yours.”

In the backwoods with her bare feet and broken speech, Nell lived a small life, knowing only small things. She knew nothing of stock prices or cellular phones, nothing of the state of the union of the scandals of its leaders, nothing of the mysteries of the universe or the miracles of modern science. Yet, her nights were filled with happiness, her days with beauty, and she sensed something of the divine in the world around her. (From the book Seeing What is Sacred, pages 1-3).

This noisy, busy and fast paced culture keeps us speeding by the moments when we might hear and see God. There is always one more thing to accomplish. If we don’t do it we feel like we have failed. We want our children to be involved in every sport and every club so that they might have a well balanced life. We drag ourselves from one task, one moment of time to another but we end the day tired, weary and exhausted. Life goes by, children grow up, we age and the world changes but deep down inside we know that we have missed something very important.

Life is not about participating in every opportunity that comes our way. It is not about experiencing the thrill of each event. Life is about relationships. Life is truly lived when we block out time to sit and listen to each other AND to God. Life is lived from the inside out – from the heart and spirit. We must learn, before it is too late, to enter into the world of our children, our friends, our co-workers and even God Himself. Once there we will discover the beauty of the world, the beauty of its Creator and the joy of relationships that are worth more than any amount of gold.

Will you live life in the slow lane and listen to God’s world around you?

Splinters and Glass Doors

It is interesting how God uses things in our lives to speak to us about our relationship with Him.

Have you ever had those moments when you wondered what God was up to? You had prayed, sought his guidance, read the Word and understood what he was asking of you. You took off only to run your nose into the glass door like the man in the Windex commercial. You recollect yourself, consider another direction and WHAM! Another glass door.

This has happened to me. Recently I received bumps on my head from running into those glass doors. Questions begin to pile up. “What did I miss?” “What is God asking me to do?” “Where is God taking me?” “God, please speak clearer.” And off I go – WHAM!

This last Saturday I was working pulling some dead plants out of our garden. Running my hand down into the dirt I stuck it on a thorn of some kind. A piece got caught in my thumb. The rest of the day I could feel the small bump there from the splinter. That night I took a needle and tried to remove it. It was buried deep and if felt like it was rubbing up against a nerve. I could not remove it. The next morning the thumb was somewhat swollen. I lanced it again and the splinter came out!

That morning we had a prayer service at our church. I again was seeking God and questioning Him. He spoke to me about my splinter. He has been digging around in my heart and spirit working at removing the “splinters” that were stuck there by life. There were splinters of guilt, anger, betrayal and other emotions that were wedged in my life. He was working to remove them, because these were leading me to run into the glass doors and not see the right way to go. There is some residual pain that remains from their removal but that will completely be gone soon. And so it is with our lives. God will work to remove the splinters in our souls so that we are not injured by them any more. It may hurt for a time, but the real healing will follow. We will not be bothered by them again.

What “splinters” is God working at removing from your life? Where are you running into your glass doors and feeling a little confused? God is there in the middle of it all.

Prayer Blessings

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agree that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.

However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing the first man prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that his wife and he could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered, and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.

Beneath the Cross of Jesus

We are coming into the time of year where we consider again the death and resurrection of Jesus. One day I sat and focused on the cross we have in the middle of our church. I pondered what the cross really means to me as a follower of the One who died on it?

It means that I center my life on Jesus and the lifestyle of the cross.

I pictured myself standing beneath his Cross with the crowd of people who were there. I see the blood dripping from his wrists, his brow and his feet. Because I have drawn near the Cross this blood falls upon me. It washed over my head and body. It penetrates deep into me and flows over my mind, my heart and my spirit.

His blood cleanses me from all sin. My mind is cleansed. My heart is cleansed. My spirit is cleansed. This cleansing reveals the deep desires of my self that are still crammed into my life. The desires of the flesh infect me and call out to me. The power of his blood can cleanse me of my self and sever its power over me.

Then I reflected on the fact that I am called to take up my Cross. The Cross has a way of putting his life into my perspective. What does it mean to me to live the cross lifestyle of Jesus?

The Cross means that I submit to God and not me (Jesus prayed: “Let this cup pass from me, but not my will but Yours be done.”).

The Cross means that I trust totally IN God – not in me.

The Cross means that the past, present and future are placed within God’s hands.

The Cross means humiliation – Jesus was stripped naked.

The Cross means that I give up all I have – they took away Jesus’ clothes.

The Cross means my wrists and feet are pinned to the Cross by nails – I am going nowhere.

The Cross means I bleed for others – I give my life to God for Him to use to grow His Kingdom.

The Cross means that I forgive.

The Cross means everything of my life is placed in God’s hands

The Cross brings death and the Cross brings life – There is a resurrection!

The power for victory in our lives lies not in us, it lies in Jesus. We must be willing and place ourselves under the power of his blood as it flows from his Cross. When this happens, the power of the world, the flesh and the devil is broken. We begin to walk in the freedom and the victory that Jesus gives.

God is good!

What do you really believe about God? We can quote the many Scriptures describing God. We can reflect back what our theology teaches us about God. But the question remains to be answered, “What do I really believe about God?” What we believe about God is seen in how we live our lives more than in just what we say.

Do I believe that God is really good? Perhaps we need to consider what we think is “good.” Who defines what is good? How do I determine what is good? Is something good because it brings me health or wealth? Is something good when I laugh and feel good about myself? Are things good because they happen just like I want them to? Are not these all very subjective definitions of good? So if I believe that God is good does that mean that I believe it because he does things MY way?

Have you ever had something good happen then later on discover it was really bad? Or vice versa, something came across bad but it turned out great? Does this mean that my definition of good and bad have changed?

I realize that this comes across as a very philosophical discussion. However, it does affect our understanding of God. If I believe that God is good then the definition of goodness cannot be what I define as good. The Scripture repeatedly tells us that God is good, so all that God does and allows must be good. Joseph was sold into slavery, lied about by his employer’s wife, sent to prison for 10 to 12 years. Yet he told his brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Gen 50:19-20 NIV It appeared to be evil for many years, but it was for the good. The good of the entire known world of his day.

I believe in the real goodness of God, as God defines it. The journey of my life will take me though mountains and valleys. Now I know that wherever God leads me it is good! What people intend for evil, God intends for good. What the devil tries to work against me, God can work for good.

God may mysteriously lead us into his purposes at times, through darkness and obscurity. Knowing he is good means we can trust in his goodness and love regardless of what we face. Living out the goodness of our God means we walk this journey of life in safety even if it takes us into the shadows. We rest in the peace of God, rejecting anxiety because God is really good.

What if...

Let’s play, “What if…”

What if there came a knock at your door one day and you opened it and found Jesus standing there? Would you invite him in? Would you wonder what magazine was lying on the table or what TV show was playing?

What if you invited Jesus into your home? He entered in and sat on your couch. As his eyes drifted over the interior, what would you be thinking? He is noticing how dirty my walls are. He is looking at those dust bunnies in the corner. I know I am not a very good house keeper. Would you begin to feel like a failure? Would you consider that you are not good enough to have Jesus in your house?

What if Jesus looked deeply into your eyes? You sense his piercing gaze travel straight to your heart. He knows your every thought, every desire, every failing, every act and every word. Would you cringe and try to hide your remorse?

Yet, what if Jesus said, “Yes, my child, I know what TV show was playing. I know your struggles with your thought life. I understand your anger at being rejected. I recognize that you want to be more handsome, more athletic and wealthier. I came to tell you that I love you. You are very special to me.”

What if Jesus walked across the room to where you sat, placed his hands on your head and hugged you to himself? In the depths of your heart, all the pain, the loss, the emptiness and struggle suddenly broke free. The tears flowed down your cheeks. You discover the freeing nearness of the gracious Lover of us all. You might just realize that he was not criticizing you. He just wanted to be near you and care for you.

What if you decided that Jesus really does love you like this, that he longs to be close to you and walk with you through the mountains and valleys of life? You would then change the channel on the TV. You could live out the truth that sets you free. You would be gracious to those who have injured you. You begin to enjoy the gift of each day. You celebrate the life that you are blessed with. You enjoy the journey Jesus has you on. Life becomes a wonderful adventure.

And what if ….Wait a minute….Is that a knock I hear at your door?

Lost and Found

One day, before Christmas, I went shopping at a local Target store. I parked my vehicle and wandered into the store. After making my purchase, I exited the building and returned to where I had parked looking for my van. When I arrived at the spot, behold, it was gone! I stood looking around. Our van is not that hard to find. As I was scanning the parking lot, I noticed a gentleman sitting in a car watching me. I did not want him to think that I could not find my van, so I began to wander across the Target parking lot looking for it.

After walking completely from one side of the lot to the other and back again, I could not find my van. I was sure that someone had stolen it. Just as I was about to start the journey again I remembered … I drove our car. Glancing around, sure enough there it was right where I started looking in the beginning.

Have you ever lost something only to discover it “right in front of your nose?” Or have you ever just known that your appraisal of a certain situation was true only to discover much later it wasn’t?

One of the ways the brain works for handling problems is to create mental models. We all have a mental map of how we think or perceive things to be. It is the way we learn to make it through our world. However our mental maps can be flawed. What happens is we tend to see what we expect to see. You tend to see what makes sense to you at that moment. Yet that doesn’t make it true. Every mental map comes with its own underlying assumptions based on our experiences, memories, and emotions – all of this influences what we expect to see and what we plan to do about it. (Adapted from the book, Deep Survival)

In reality our mental maps can be surprisingly strong and the abilities of working memory surprisingly fragile. We all say that the mind plays tricks on us, but few really believe it. What we tend to do is to take all information and fit it to our own mental models. We shape the things we see, hear and feel to fit our mental maps of life. So we are in a sense trying to shape our environment to fit our view of realty. In the end we end up losing ourselves in an unreal world that we have shaped to fit our view life.

It is great to know that God comes to seek that which is lost. God works in our lives to lead us out of our unreal world into the true world he created. We must learn to see life with His eyes, hear with His ears and understand with His heart. As we do this, life takes on new meaning. The truth sets us free, that which was lost is found and we enter into the adventure of life as God created it to be lived.

Is God working to change your mental map?

Booming Beans

Have you ever been humbled?

My family and I had gone camping. I enjoyed “roughing” it. The smell of the campfire, the fresh air and family time was relaxing. I was thrilling my boys about my tales of being a Boy Scout when we began to cook our afternoon meal. I told them how we used to cook our meals as scouts. That day we were fixing baked beans for lunch. I regaled with how we used to just place the can of beans in the fire and let them pressure cook. I was not a baked beans fan, but I really enjoyed those that we ate with the Boy Scouts.

As we prepared our meal, I decided I would cook our beans just like we used to in the scouts. We rolled the can into our roaring fire. I excitedly told my boys how great these beans were going to be. They would be steam and pressure-cooked. In my excitement, I forgot one little detail about cooking baked beans over the fire. We always poked a little hole in the top of the baked beans can before we rolled it into the fire.

KABOOM! Beans flew everywhere. The can was blown 15 feet into the air. The fire was blown completely out. And my son and I were covered with freshly steam cooked baked beans.

There was a couple strolling by our campsite just as the beans exploded. I certainly did not want them to think I had done anything foolish. Yet, do you know how difficult it is to look nonchalant with baked beans dripping out of your hair?

Why did this happen to me? I was proud of the fact that I had been a Boy Scout and knew some things about how to cook out in the open. I just knew that I could remember all that we had done to cook beans over an open fire. I wanted to impress my family with these facts. Pride, self sufficiency, the desire to succeed, and ignoring the truth has a way of making beans blow up in our faces.

God has ways of humbling us. He shows us that being self-sufficient and ignoring what he tells us will make the beans blow up in our faces.

Peter tells us: “Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:5-7 NIV

How many lessons will it take before I, we all, learn to walk humbly before our God?

A Grace Disguised

I am reading a book entitled: A Grace Disguised. It is written by a man who talks about his journey though terrible loss. He, his wife, their four children and his mother had taken a day trip to a Native American reservation in Idaho to attend a powwow. They experienced the beauty and the trials of the American Indian. At the end of the day, they piled back into their van to head home. Ten minutes into their return this father noticed an oncoming car driving extremely fast. At a curve, that car jumped its lane and collided head-on with that minivan. He lost his mother, his wife and his four year old daughter.

This book tells the story of his grief and the way he dealt with it, and discovering the power of God’s grace in it all. In one chapter he talks about feeling like his life was sailing into the sea of nothingness. He did not want to forget the memories of his past, but was grieved whenever he remembered. He writes: “These memories (of his wife, daughter and mother) were, and are, beautiful to me. I cling to them as a man clings to a plank of wood while lost in the middle of the sea. But they are also troubling because they are only that –memories. They are vestiges of a past I will never again possess. They involve people I will never see again. I cannot live with the memories, and I cannot live without the.” (Page 70)

He shares how sorrow never really leaves the heart of those who go through severe loss. “But this depth of sorrow is the sign of a healthy soul, not a sick soul. It does not have to be morbid and fatalistic. It is not something to escape but something to embrace. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’” (Pg 73)

He learns that sorrow can actually enlarge our souls where we can feel mourning and rejoicing at the same time. We can feel pain and discover healing. Sorrow forces us to face life and ask life questions. Though he was overcome with grief, he discover how focused he could become. Things that had previously meant so much to him, he discovers are not really that important. He learns again the joy of fatherhood, spending time with his children, enjoying God’s creation, and discovering peace in the midst of life.

The grief brought focus and clarity into his life like never before. He learned to enjoy the present moment. Enjoying the present moment “makes us aware of the wonder of life itself, gives us a keen awareness of the world around us and deepens our appreciation for each moment as it comes to us. Even in loss and grief we can embrace the miracle of each moment and receive the gifts of grace that come to us all the time.” (Page 77)

We all suffer loss and grief. We often question God, others and life itself. We will never fully understand the paths that we walk down. Yet, there is a purpose in our journey. There is a grace from God for each moment. Our calling is to listen for His voice, place our hand in His and trust in the power of the One we are walking with. God helps us to enjoy each moment!