Saturday

The Marvel of Hope

During the week of Jesus’ trial and eventual execution by the Romans, He taught through many parables and made predictions of the things to come, both far and near. Most especially, He foretold of His impending death and reminded them that on the third day, He would rise again. No doubt the subject matter of many songs and writings, the events of these three days have become cornerstones of today’s Christianity. Although we have the luxury of historical perspective to aid us in our understanding; the eyewitness accounts of the empty tomb, and the personal testimony of His sightings by many, are numerous and make a great foundation in our faith that He did what He said He would do. We also have historical data that supports the life of a man named Jesus, the Romans recorded His execution, and the type of punishment was in line with the times for Rome and her rivals. The accounts and testimonials during these three days vary slightly from person to person, nevertheless, the narrative remains consistent; However, there may be something in-between Friday and Sunday that we need to consider.

Saturday was a definite day of emotional and spiritual darkness for the followers of Christ. Most of them did not understand the complete salvation story playing out in their very circle. They had heard the predictions and knew of His power to renew and restore, but who would do that for their teacher? That seems like a skeptical and heretical thing to think or say, even now as I write it. Of course, they thought as we would, God would come for His son, but how would that look, and what would it mean to those left behind? Death occurred on Friday, life was predicted for Sunday, but what about Saturday?

The Bible tells us of a man named Abraham. By all accounts Abraham lived a Godly life, trusting God, praying for others, if anyone would be blessed by God it would be him. But year after year his wife, Sarah, was not able to conceive a child. In those days it was imperative to have children to pass along the family history, and sometimes the land or authority of the family name. Especially important, would have been a son, a name bearer, a continuing heir. Abraham had none of that, and I’m sure there were rumors as to why. What sin or terrible thing had they done for God to “punish” them in this way? If you’ll read through their story, this couple went year after year believing in an outcome that would seemingly never arrive. They had gone through much adversity together, their ‘Friday’ of longsuffering and doubts had caused turmoil and confusion. At one point, they took things into their own hands to “help God out”, what a disaster that turned out to be. When Sarah gave her servant Hagar to Abraham so that she could bear him a son, it caused all kinds of suffering in their family, including jealousy, and resentment. And just think, a new dad at 86 years old. When God renewed His promise to Abraham some 13 years later, Abraham laughed at becoming a father at 100 years of age. Yet, God did what He promised, and 99-year-old Sarah had a son, Isaac.

Fast forward a few years later. Can you imagine how proud Abraham was of young Isaac? His first-born son of Sarah, a promise of God fulfilled, and as trials sometimes follow triumph, Abraham was about to experience another biggie. One day, God spoke to Abraham and told him to take his son Isaac to a far-off mountain top where he was to build an altar. He was to supply the wood and the burnt sacrifice to God there in that place, the wood they carried, the sacrifice followed along, in the person of his son, Isaac. Without hesitation, Abraham gathered the supplies necessary for the trip and told Isaac, let's get going, God has called us to make a sacrifice and it’s a long journey, three days the bible tells us. Along the way, young Isaac notices that they have the wood, flint, and knife to slaughter the animal, but no animal. As young children do, he asked his dad about what he thought might be an oversight. ‘Hey dad’ he says, ‘we have everything but the lamb for the sacrifice’. Abraham answers him saying, ‘God will provide’. I cannot imagine the struggle in Abraham's heart at that moment. Believing that obedience to God would not lead to destruction and knowing God had promised to bless his children and the many to come, still his heart must have been heavy. He was certainly in-between his own Friday and Sunday, not knowing what would come next.

Finally, they reach the mountain for the sacrifice, Abraham leaves the helpers and the animals and tells them, ‘We’ll be back after we worship God’. Notice he doesn’t say, ‘I’ll be back? He still has faith that God’s promises are true, and both he and Isaac will return. At this point, I’m not sure how a father goes forward, but the alter is built, the wood is laid into place, and somehow, with words that I cannot find to elaborate, Abraham tells young Isaac that God has called him to be the sacrifice. How can that be? To let go and let God… This is a moment in time that I cannot fathom. Abraham ties up Isaac and lays him on the altar before God, raising the knife, I imagine him with his arms held high and his eyes closed, trusting God, and just as he gives in to obey God’s command, an angel calls out to Abraham. ‘I’m listening’ he says. Don’t hurt Isaac, still your hand and put the knife back in its sheath. God sees your faithful heart, lacking any hesitation to follow His commands, He will pour out blessings to you, and your family will thrive. As promised, God sends a ram, caught in a nearby bush as the final sacrifice. Together, Isaac and Abraham return to their home, Sunday had come. God’s plan had fulfilled itself for both to see, blessed them in their faith, kept Isaac safe, and protected a dad from a heartbreaking decision. God had provided a rescue from a decision and circumstances because of faithfulness.

 

The End of the leash

who's holding yours

Our family dog Chance is a wanderer. Any time he gets an opportunity to run at full speed away from home, he will explore and disappear as fast as he can go. He needs to be tethered to something or we know we might never see him again. Being a spirited adventurer, he requires some exercise from time to time and as is our tradition, or our duty whichever the case may be, we attempt to take him on occasional walks up and down our country road. At times, this is a comical event in and of itself. Chance will pull you this way, then that way, always jerking your arm right to the end of the rope. The longer the leash you use, the more tugging he will do. So, we’ve learned that the shorter the lead he wears the easier it is to direct him and keep him from hurting himself or one of us. It's funny, I always thought it was us training him, it turns out it was training for the both of us, but the more we take control of his leading the safer he is and the fewer opportunities for him to be lost.

It seems interesting to me that I can be a little like Chance the dog when it comes to my life and in general, my walk with Christ. There is certain obedience to the will of God that is necessary to follow Christ, and even more if you want to be a disciple. Much like the control of Chance's leash, my obedience to God is there to keep me and others safe. It's there to direct my path in the right direction and yes, I think God sometimes needs to give us a tug to set us straight. In my case, it's more like a good yank at times, and that's where I want to point you in this message. 

Peter was one of the earliest to be called to follow Jesus, even though it didn’t seem that he came across as much of a follower at all. Many opinions of his attitude are described as bold, somewhat of a hotdog, and quick to react. Peter was the one follower to stand up and leap out of the boat as they saw Jesus coming to them on the water, then ends up being distracted and underwater in Matthew 14: 28-30. Matthew 16: 22-23 says that Peter takes Jesus aside to chide him for speaking of his own death in a way that was upsetting the followers, only to be righteously corrected immediately. Later, in a very dark power grab by the church officials of the day, Peter attacks and cuts off the right ear of a slave belonging to one of the high priests who came along with the local Roman detachment of soldiers to arrest Jesus while He was praying in a garden named Gethsemane. Immediately, the ear of the slave is restored by Jesus while He reminds Peter, and the entire group, that He has preached and been in the temple often, and they had never acted against Him in this sort of violent way. But now, at night with clubs and torches, they had come for Him as if he were a common robber or villain. Reminding Peter yet again, not to pull so hard on the leash, God’s plan was being carried out by every action they witnessed, both good and bad. 

In John 13: 8, Peter isn’t understanding the servant lesson of simple foot washing that Jesus is trying to teach to His followers. Again, he is resistant, pulling at his tether to the Lord, saying to Jesus, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” What Jesus is telling the group and Peter is, this is who I am and what I have come to teach, if you can’t accept it then you won’t have a share or part in building my kingdom. That’s a big revelation for them I would. Jesus is emphasizing that serving humbly is part of the calling towards the kingdom of Heaven. Peter’s adamant, “not me Lord, never!” exclamation was another yank of the chain in his obedience to Jesus’ teachings, and yet the Lord pulls him back to the real meaning of discipleship. 

Simon Peter seems to have a habit of pulling on the leash, only to have Jesus tug him back to His side. There are even a few hard yanks in the examples we just read, yet clearly, Jesus knew that Peter loved Him and had a rousing ambition to share the Gospel message. When Peter heard the teachings that sounded good and led to a more abundant and prosperous life, he was all in. Certainly, he had a heart that was fully in love with Christ, he just had the occasional wandering attitude and temper of a fisherman. His faith, like the others, was not fully mature, which led to his occasional impatience and impulsive actions. Does that sound familiar to you? It does to me. When serious illness strikes a loved one, or an evil action affects our family or town, we often think, how could God let this happen? When bills and debt pill up or we lose a job, do we tend to react by criticizing God and saying, "Hey, are you paying attention, I'm hurting here?". I think we all say or think those types of things at one time or another. Perhaps you have taken a job or attended a college without seeking wise counsel or praying about it, and now you've created a mess, and the blame, well it must be God's fault because He is supposed to be in charge, right? 

The God I know is not usually one to stop you from making bad choices. Peter denied he even knew Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted he would; though Peter was warned and knew it could happen, the poor choices and denial were still carried out. A decision I am sure, that lingered in Peter's mind until the day he died. That one thing you've done that you wish you could undo... My point is this, even though we make bad choices, we try to pursue dangerous things for us or stray far off the path from God’s plan - if we truly give our lives to Christ and have Him living in our hearts, He will give us that tug towards His path for us, just as he did so many times for the future leader of the early church, Peter. We don't always understand it, and yes, sometimes the consequences of the tug can hurt - a lot. This I know, the Lord of Lords loves us far more than we do our favorite pets. If we do so much to care for and guide our furry family friends, how much more will Jesus do to stay by our side? Whether He is guiding us through our successes or life’s trials, He’s keeping you safely in sight. He will not allow you to be lost or wander too far away as long as you are connected to Him. He desires to keep us moving toward the goal of the gospel, reaching others that do not know Him, helping those who have stumbled and have self-inflicted wounds, and healing those who have been hurt by “good intentions”. He is stretching and molding us into His likeness and that sometimes feels like somewhere we are not ready to go. 

Maybe today you are not tugging at the end of your leash or yearning to stray off the path to discovering something new. But still, obedience is a learning process that we pass and fail with regularity. Just remember this, Jesus sees the full plan, He knows the path with its dangers and its rewards. Our reactions can tend to be like Peter, brash and quick, or unsure and faithless, we just need to keep our eyes and our lives focused on Jesus. Try every day to be the best Christ-follower you can be, that’s my goal. I fail a lot, but I hear my Makers calling, his tether to my heart, I know that I cannot do any of this “goodness” on my own, but- with one foot on top of the water, who is ready to do something miraculous. 

NASB Version 

Matthew 14: 28-30 ~ Matthew 16:22-23 ~ John 18: 10&11 ~ Luke 22: 51-53 ~ John 13:8

ONE...

Loneliness to Friendship

   We often talk about the meaning of the word ‘one’ in our churches today. Worshipping for an audience of one. Being ‘one’ with God. In the secular world, we tell people to be one with nature or get one-on-one with a task or important person. It seems we as a people and society put a lot of importance on being singularly good at who we are, or is it being good at who we want people to think that we are? Certainly, being independent is a good trait to aspire to, it has its upside when it comes to being successful in life. My regular career has always been centered around a job requiring a great deal of individual thinking, and self-motivation. So, I concede up front that it’s not a bad thing to be self-sufficient. It can, in fact, save your life.

   The idea that I want to explore here is where do you go, what do you do, when your individual, self-created plans and ideas run into roadblocks? When you come against walls in life or obstacles so huge that you feel overwhelmed or defeated before you ever start your day. Maybe today, you could barely get out of bed because depression weighed you down from the moment that you opened your eyes. It could be that life-shattering news about your health or the health of a loved one has beaten you up, and you feel as though life is not bearable or even worthwhile. There are millions of reasons to be in that place in your life today. Bad life choices can put you in ugly financial wreckage, or personally in an emotional prison. Or, you could just be living the life of Job. Where do you find yourself in this story of one?

   Sometimes in our life, we feel like we're a single entity against the world. Like it's us against them. I think back to all the friends that my father had in his lifetime, and how he kept many of those same friends until his dying day. After he retired, he used to go and have coffee with them. They would sit together at a local fast food restaurant and buy ten-cent coffees and apple pies and then talk about all of the world issues and of course grandkids. One day, they decided to come to my house to work on a plugged sewer line. Arriving home at dusk and after a long day at work, I found three or four of these old guys at my house. All of them were in their 70s or 80s, working away digging up the front yard doing their best to suggest the proper repairs for my house’s plumbing issues. It was a thing of friendship beauty. These gentlemen were mostly World War 2 era men; the “let's get it fixed” crowd of people that never stopped to ask if it would be hard or difficult, they just got involved. They made a plan, rolled up their sleeves, worked hard with the knowledge that they had as men of hard knocks and life lessons, then they fixed the problem. Funny thing, I had come home thinking that I would have to work several nights to resolve this problem, their gift to me was that they had resolved most of it for me. What a gift it was too, not so much the actual repairs, but knowing that they would give of their energy and time, to help me and my family for no real reason at all except compassion and charity. I am still amazed by their actions today. Several of them only lived a short time after that day, my dad included, but they taught me so much through their actions.

   You see, each of these men, as individuals could not have helped me resolve my plumbing problems, the harshness of the digging and working underground on that old pipeline, would have overtaxed any one of them individually; however they were not working alone, and that was the lesson that is, to this day, not lost on me. The ability to come together to take care of the needs of one with the strength of many, that was their greatest asset and their path to success. It seems there may be much more here than the obvious though, so let’s look deeper together.

   We’ve discussed the obstacles and trials of life as causing us to feel alone and beaten, so how can we combat it? There are many others that seemed alone but were part of the bigger plans of God. Obviously, Jonah, whom I have written about before. His plans were so opposite from Gods, that he boarded a boat sailing in the other direction to get away from God. Gods plan and the actions of unaware bystanders brought him back to fulfill his destiny. Moses was left to die in the desert, alone. This young man was raised with everything. His family was rich, he had power beyond anything most of us can imagine, yet his story in God’s plan left him alone and defeated. I often wonder how long Moses wandered without knowing if he might live. Don’t you think that he was convinced many times that he would die in that desert? In time, God brings him to a place where Moses understands and realizes the big picture; even then, there are supporting friends and loved ones that fill in where Moses falls short.

   You see, the friends of my dad, the old guys who worked together to fix my house’s plumbing issue, they knew the power of coming together, to labor and toil with a common goal. It made their friendship stronger and brought them pleasure through the accomplishment and success of their deed. This is the basis for community and building blocks of the church. That feeling is something I find lacking on many days in my life, the camaraderie of friends who will step in to “do” life together; and sadly, it is the downfall of many churches were they talk about it but rarely carry it out, holding hands with the dying, taking food to the sick, it’s more than thoughts and prayers, it’s actions to provide help to someone that needs it. It’s taking the time to go to someone’s house even without them asking and fixing a plumbing problem. Almost daily I think of how I have arrived at the place in life, where knowing friends like my dad had, is a rarity and painfully absent in my life, maybe it is the same for you.

   In Ecclesiastes 4, verse 9 there is a rather famous line of the Bible, and the Amplified version says it something like this, “two are better than one because they have a more satisfying return for their labor; for if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and does not have another to lift him up. Again, if two lie down together, then they keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? And though one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” It certainly isn’t easy, this idea of finding a like-minded partner to help you carry the load; after all, people fail, they lie, and they betray. So where is the middle of that proverbial road? And how do you and I find that elusive friendship if we’ve already lost faith and sight of it in our lives?

   I believe there are a few things that can prepare and guide us toward this rewarding relationship if we work at it, perhaps together, you an I can give these a try. First, examine your relationship with God. Sometimes we don’t know why He tolerates us at all. We fail, we fall short of being “good people”, we have bad habits, the list goes on and on. Remember, Jesus called out to his disciples while they were still fishermen and tax collectors. They weren’t rabbis from the local seminary, they were failed sinners, far from perfect, and they continued to fail even while following Jesus. They didn’t understand, they lied to protect themselves, they were violent, yet they still went on being used by God. Find your place and talk to God about who He wants you to be.

   Second, we must seek the right kind of friends. Those who keep us accountable to what is important to our goals and what God is calling us to be and do. People that always tell you that you’re great, when you’re not, may build you up in a way that makes you believe in something false. Believe me, that isn’t helping you. We need honest people around us that can help us grow, be there when we stumble, love us when we’re dirty from sin, and help us up when we fall. Those people are usually just like us, friends that have been there, done that. That’s why they know you need help. Value these people and make them your friends, protect these alignments because really good ones are hard to find. Don’t kid yourself here, good friends are not easily found or kept, they are a precious commodity.

   Third, well I really don’t’ have a “third”. It really comes down to this, when your relationship with God is good, your relationship with others can be good as well. If you are estranged or absent with God, you will never find peace or alignment with the type of friends we’ve been talking about, I am quite sure of that. My dad had those friends because he lived an honest, respected life. He said what he meant and meant what he said.

To most of those guys, his faith in God wasn’t what they respected most about him, but because of his faith in God, he lived in a way that they could not help but respect.

   Do you see how that works? He lived his faith and told his story in a way that made him easy to have as a friend. He was trustworthy, he was kind and positive. He was faithful and patient. The reason he could exhibit these traits was that he worked at keeping his relationship right with God. He would be the first to tell you if he were here, that he was so very far from perfect. I saw that distance myself on a few occasions. The answer though, is that he kept trying. He kept allowing God to work in and through his life.

   Where are you today in that walk? Are you on a path toward God or away from him? Do you try to avoid Him when He speaks to you or do you listen even if it’s after you have to hear it a couple of times? I can tell you where I am, I’ve been standing still listening. Like being in a vast wasteland or dense forest, sometimes it’s hard to find your way. I think I have walked a little in each direction, towards Him and away, we all do that from time to time. But if you want to stop being lonely, if you seek those friends that can help you up after you fall, as I do, then we all need to walk with purpose toward God, and a little less self-condemnation and excuses about how we’re not worthy or we’ve gone too far the other way. Jesus made you and I worthy to walk towards the throne of God, what we have to do now is be willing to accept that we can, that He welcomes us, and is ready for us to be at His table. When we do that, we are no longer only ‘One’, we’re mishpachah, home with family.

Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 (AMP)

"Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified^® Bible (AMP),
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission. www.Lockman.org"

Sightseer

This year, our family has been actively traveling a little more than normal. Some of the places are our usual hangouts, the Mojave Desert in spring, Sierra Nevada’s in the summer. Over Easter vacation, we visited Arizona; taking in Route 66 in Williams and the Grand Canyon. It was fun seeing new things. The Canyon was inspiring and beautiful just as you might think, stunning its visitors with colors and grand views. It even snowed on us as we visited the south rim. We stood on a corner in Winslow… well, you get the point. We also found a few places along the way that we were sure we never wanted to live, or even spend the night. Those places were desolate, dry, and void of services and people for the most part, but we were enjoying our sightseer status, eating in new places and taking in all the surroundings.

We sought out interesting and different things that caught our eye, just like many people do when they go to new churches. Not only trying out the taste of the food spiritually but the sights and sounds as well. The Christian life can be a little like being a sightseer. You enjoy the fun parts, the beautiful scenery, and then when things get serious or dried out, you move on to the next point of interest. The term ‘Day-Tripper’ comes to mind, I’m sure a lot of you might remember a song by that title. Big concert settings can give us that feeling, a fun-loving and fast-paced free sense. At certain times, a well-organized church camp or retreat can give you a real ‘mountain top experience’; you know the ones, you hear a great worship band or a speaker that gives you goosebumps every night when they share. While you’re there, you almost start to feel like a Super-Christian. Someone with a mission to accomplish and vision to see exactly what that mission is. If you’re like me, when you come home, you find it more and more difficult to see and find the mission, much less feel like a super anything. The ‘real’ world returns you to reality with a thud.

Lord, help me not to be a Daytripper Christian.

It is a process that I continue to struggle with yearly, how do you keep that fresh and vibrant sense inside when it comes to serving God. Lord, help me not to be a Daytripper Christian. One that bounces from spiritual high to spiritual high; who fades and moves on when the work gets tough, or the people get hard to deal with. If we think about it, there might be some wisdom in the vacationing story I mentioned earlier. Do you ever go away from home on a much-anticipated trip, only to find that near the end of that time, your remembering how nice your home is? For the campers out there, maybe it’s the soft comfortable chair or taking a long hot shower. Or maybe you love coming home to your own special bed. Whatever you think of when it comes to home, it always seems a little better in our minds, when we haven’t been there in a few days.

Escaping the ups and downs of life, in general, is likely impossible for most of us to do, but there are some things that Jesus spoke about in a major sermon He gave during his ministry. These are some of the footsteps of growth that are still relevant today and will be every day of our lives.

• First, realize that you are blessed. Through all of our successes and trials; when we are lost, hungry, made fun of, and content, these times teach us things about ourselves. They help us to have perspective and grow stronger in our faith in God and acceptance of His grace.
• Another is to accept your mission as the salt and light of this world. Our lives show others that God does make a difference when you walk with Him. We go to our schools and workplaces, and flavor the relationships by showing grace, and offering mercy, things that are given freely to us, and intended to be shown to others. They will know that we are Christians by the difference they see in the way that we respond to adversity and cruelty. By doing these things as often as you can, your life will produce light, a ‘light’ that is put into this world through Jesus to lead others to Him.
• Don’t make promises or enter into partnerships that you know aren’t healthy or productive, keep your word. If you promise something, do it.
• This one is really difficult for most of us, love your enemies.  I don’t think that this means let everyone run roughshod over you so that you can shower them with love; but I do think it means to walk away from someone who is provoking you, whenever you can. Defend yourself and loved ones when it’s necessary, that is your responsibility, but don’t write off those who come against you. Be generous with your prayer and kindness. Anyone can enjoy being around people that they already get along with, but Jesus says walk those extra paces toward those who are difficult. God loves each of those people that you and I can’t stand, and He sends His blessings to everyone equally; wherever and whenever you can - love those people, even if it never feels like they deserve or want it.
•  Don’t put your faith on stage for everyone to see. Being a leader in worship or being on stage is different than putting your faith “on stage”. In other words, your motives should be to love and help others see Jesus through what you do; if that is in leadership from a stage that’s ok, if it’s mopping the nursery after a busy Sunday, that’s great too. Just remember who it is that you’re serving, and make sure that someone isn’t you.
• Pray. Prayer scares many people, they are afraid that they don’t know the proper way to do it, and where do you learn all those special words that they hear used on Sundays, or from TV personalities. Keep it simple; sometimes you need to find a personal and quiet place or time so that you can just let your heart pour out. But don’t let that become restrictive, pray all day, any time and place is a good place to talk to God. He wants to connect with each of us in this way; keep it a two-way relationship. Don’t just ask for things, offer your praise and thanksgiving for what you have. It’s the number one way to keep yourself in tune with God’s plan in your life, and one that we all need to do more of.
•  Make sure to use your wealth wisely, even if you’re like me and not a “rich” person. In spirit, we are made rich through our relationship with Christ. So, whatever you have, whether it is a lot or a little, don’t put it on a pedestal and make it too important. Be generous, and don’t make a public show of your intentions. This goes for looks as well as money; looking good does make us feel better about ourselves at times, but don’t let it be your judge and jury when it comes to worth. God loves you and I the same, without any strings; rich, poor, skinny, heavy, bald, or anywhere in between, His love never fails. Be faithful and wise with what you have.
• Live a life that values those around you. It should be obvious but bullying others or constantly criticizing people will eventually be returned to you, and that boomerang can be painful when it lands. It’s a pretty simple philosophy that we used to teach children at a young age. Treat others like you want them to treat you. If you don’t know what that is, think of actions and things you would like, and then go do some of them for others. Try it.
• Lastly, there are no shortcuts to living a Godly life. Don’t treat your faith like one of those ads offering instant weight loss. We all fall for things we later find out to be too good to be true. Learn from that. Things of value take honest effort, including your walk with God. Do and be genuine in your effort to know God and live the best life that you can. We all trip and fall missing the mark, just keep asking Him to help you up.

So, what does this all have to do with having ups and downs in our life, and being a spiritual sightseer? Everything. Each one on its own is a good thing, but putting these steps together create a mindset of living. Living in a way that will build in you and me an ability to appreciate what we have, be positive in perspective, and proactive with our time and talents. Finding a way to tell your story through living it to the fullest. I need to do this more in my life, I struggle with nearly every one of these steps, and sometimes I feel as though I’m never quite content, or that it’s just a step or two in front of me, not quite close enough to be caught. Are you in that same boat? I am sure that the Gospels recorded this sermon of Jesus on the mount for that reason, we needed the roadmap. The reminder that faith and walking with Him was like anything else, you get out what you put into it. To quote an old Christian pop hit, I don’t want to be a casual Christian, sightseeing my way from one touristy place in life to the next. Now to just put these actions to work in our hearts and lives. May our journeys become more effective and lead us to a place of serving Him with fewer and fewer mountain tops and valleys, but a meaningful, rewarding and level path of serving and loving others daily -as a family.

           

Mathew 5,6 &7 MSG

Sermon on the Mount

Forever..

Let’s talk about us for a minute…

                I am sure you’ve heard the saying, ‘nothing lasts forever’. The longer I’m here on this merry-go-round of life, the more I realize how true that statement is. Lately, I have been reflecting on life and my place in it; the things that seem to matter the most here in this world, are the hardest to hold onto. Children grow up, jobs come and go, friends come into your life and fade from view. What makes me “me”, seems to be harder to define with each passing day, certainly a little more with every personal and major life event. The things that used to be low on my list of importance, now occupy hours of my time, which I lose track of more and more with ease. When my wife and I were first married, we had priorities that focused on who we were, and what we enjoyed. As all of you know life happens, and in our case, a family takes form in the way of children, and in the span of what seems like moments, our priorities and our hobbies suddenly revolve around them. In most cases, that’s not a bad thing. We need to be attentive to our family and children, the time is well spent, and I never regret being with mine for fun adventures and just being a family.

          For a few minutes though, let’s talk about what happens to us personally when we don’t keep a part of ourselves focused on who we are, our passions and purpose in life. You can have your kids as a passion and certainly, they can give you purpose, but what happens to the rest of your story. In my case, I used to have a specific personal direction in my life, one that I could define and knew well; perhaps you did too, or still do. But if we lose sight of that on the inside, it can affect how we act on the outside, and certainly it can or will eventually cripple our ability to find joy with our family and others because we have lost ourselves in the drive to fulfill the passions and purposes of everyone but who you are on the inside.

Here is one thought that I commonly find in my random personal fear file, ‘how will I ever live in this house without kids running around in it?’ Even with a wonderful wife in my life, whom I feel closer to every day, I fear loneliness. It’s like a hungry animal waiting for its next meal, and I’m their prey. I try to hide from it, but I’m terrified of being exposed, I run from one comfort replacing idea to the next. No amount of “things” can bring me peace. However, looking back to when my dad was alive, I realize that he was my ‘peacemaker’. I always felt safe around him. I suppose him being gone now, leaves me feeling more revealed than I imagined possible, more unsure of how to process happiness. He was indeed my hero and mentor; now the question is, how do I pass that on? Sometimes we think of how things could have been in our lives, instead of how they really are. One thing my dad said to me time and time again, “be happy with today, right where you are”. And he was good at that. But how…

How do we relate that positive philosophy to our living with changing priorities and losing sight of our personal direction and purpose in life? It seems to me that many of our major life events make and mold how we see ourselves, how we value ourselves. No doubt that we have each enjoyed many happy moments and periods of time in our life where we were happy and living the fun and fulfilling dream that you envisioned for yourself and possibly your family. But those painful times, they find every one of us. Whether it’s illness or tragedy, the loss of a loved one, financial ruin, or divorce; the list is long and depressing. It’s hard to plan for fun or experience happy adventures when all your life’s valuables are seemingly falling in ruin at your feet.

 I believe that it's during these times that most of us allow the internal drive and purpose of our lives to become altered. Where the vision for our happiness becomes skewed or blurred, or maybe even completely blocked out by the hurt of an illness or the depression of a sudden loss. It’s during these times that the second part of what my dad used to say to me comes into play. He would ask, “what are you doing that for?” In other words, is this your passion or someone else’s? I will take that question one step further here in our thoughts together and ask, ‘who... are you doing that for?’ ‘Who do you wrap your life’s purpose around?’ The answer to that might shed some light on the reason behind our sudden and sometimes debilitating internal struggles with our life’s purpose and the fears of failure and loneliness. What or who is at the focus of your life? And when these hard times come to us, and truly they will come to us all eventually, then what is the foundational center of your life? Certainly, don’t spend all your time looking too far ahead to see your path change, and don’t fall into the trap of constantly looking back into your past. It takes a lot of effort to focus on today, regardless of our feelings, and see the good in a bad day, a bad month or year.

You see, how you live on the outside, depends largely on how you live on the inside. And your belief that you are a valuable asset to God’s plan during and after your trials, will hinge on whether you live with Him at your center to start with. You and I may not always know our purpose in this life to the exact measure He intends to use it, and our direction will certainly alter course over the years. Remember that most things of value require refinement of some type. In John 12: 24-25 the message of the Bible goes something like this. Until a seed of grain is buried out of sight and lifeless to this world, it cannot grow, it’s just a seed. In fact, it is only after the seed is left underground and experiences the trial of darkness that the miracle of change begins. Eventually growing into a plant fully capable of producing new seeds for many new plants to grow. It continues the lesson with these words to us. Like a seed, if we hold on to our lives so tightly as to prevent change, you will die. The seed will eventually become inert. But if you let go of your fear, and love God with careless abandon, then you will know real love, real grace, and fulfilling purpose, forever.

We are the seeds of God’s kingdom, and yes, we go through all sorts of trials that test our resolve and faith in Him, and each other. This lesson was taught by Jesus just days before His crucifixion. His reminder that through our struggles and heartache, we become more and more valuable to His work here amongst our families and friends. It is the center of our life, the question that I asked you earlier, ‘who… do you do life for’? Though we all fail, if you will put God at the center of your life, your foundation will not move. Your purpose will be steady and fulfilling through all your trials. Today this message is mine as well as yours, I struggle. I hope that together we can remember that struggle is part of sprouting into something new. It’s part of growing and reproducing, but what are we reproducing? Is it worthy of your life’s work? An example being passed down from us to the next seed? Think about that, because your life will leave a legacy somewhere, in someone.

Some of you may not yet have taken that step to trust in a God that you can’t see or touch. After all, the rest of the world tells you that He does not exist, that it’s all just legends and stories told to make us feel better and safe. I won’t debate you on the reality or proof of God, I’ll only tell you that I believe. I felt it inside myself many years ago, as I believe you do too, I knew that I needed Him. It isn’t complicated to stop and tell Him that you want Him in your life. Just talk, God will listen. And though I am not worthy to be His messenger, I pray my legacy and offspring are many who continue to look to God, even in times of darkness. When the light is not seen, and when we feel as though the world has left us for dead and considers us useless; when our priorities and personal direction is in turmoil, I pray that you and I will seek the center of our lives in the presence of a loving Father, whose number one ambition is to show us love and grace. That should be our focus and our gift to those who come after us - today, and forever.

John 12: 24-25

ShoeBox Thoughts- Kindle Give-Away

UPDATE

THIS PROMOTION IS OVER

LOOK FOR NEW OFFERS SOON

This weekend, January 27th & 28th 2018, the Kindle version of ShoeBox Thoughts will be free. You can go to Amazon and find your free Kindle download to read in your Kindle reader, iOS or Android device using the Kindle App.. 

See my video below talking about this fun gift from me to you, and please remember to share this news with your friends.

Here is the link to the ShoeBox Thoughts Kindle page

Thank you for sharing the stories of the ShoeBox.

~ Randy

ShoeBox Thoughts - The Book, it's here

     As many of you know, I have been working on a book that would bring these messages into physical form and today I have finally accomplished that task. Over the past two years I have put together past published works, and some new pieces just to keep it fresh, into a devotional book called, "ShoeBox Thoughts, Messages from the ShoeBox Prophet". I know, it's a surprise title choice isn't it? But my purpose has always been to share these thoughts and life lessons with as many people as I could, so this book is an extension of this blog ministry, perhaps going where the internet cannot, or just giving someone a chance at real world, hands-on time for some basic heart and  mind thinking.

    The past two years were not without hardship in our house; losing my mother, both parents are now with the Lord, and my wife being diagnosed with one of the worst forms of breast cancer, I can say without a doubt, that going through these messages and editing often reminded me the author, that I continue to need them, and to be reminded that I need God's grace and mercy every day. In fact, my wife Michelle says on occasion, you need to go back and re-read what you wrote about how your acting. Just confirming that I will never be more than one beggar, showing other beggars, where to find food and shelter in Christ.

     It is my earnest prayer that after reading these messages, and listening to God's whisper in your ear, that you will share them with those who are hurting and lonely, without the hope that we cling to through the Good News. They need us to show them that "all have fallen short", and we walk together. This book is just another tool to allow us to share the message of love and grace that keeps us afloat and alive in a life of continuing storms.

UPDATE 12/5/2017:

     Use the link below to check out my sales page for ShoeBox Thoughts, both versions are now on one page for your convenience. It is for sale on Amazon, and various outlets around the world.

Use this link to visit Amazon to buy your copy today

Click here to go to my Amazon sales page for Paperback & Kindle

     Also, you can follow the link below to my authors page on Amazon. It will give some additional background from time to time, and also gives others links back to this blog. 

Use this link to see my author page and follow my books

    More than anything, I want to say thank you to everyone here that has commented and left me notes or sent email. I am doing life every day just like you are, and the encouragement and friendship mean a lot to me. I hope to return to writing more blog pieces now that the editing for this project is complete, it has been a great experience but an exhausting one creatively. Now, back to writing.

God’s mercy and blessing be with you all.

Randy