Misfits

As we go through life, we meet a few people that seem to have “it”. But, what is “it”? That’s a good question. There are those schools that you want your kids to attend and the businesses that people huddle in mass to buy from. They seem to have “it”. Mentors and leaders that attract larger gatherings of followers because of their charisma. They must have “it”. Could it be the groups of kids we think of as cool or the “in crowd”, the popular ones with which we long to associate? It can be Scouts, sports teams, school programs, or church groups, all of these offer their approval of you when you are allowed to join. We work so hard to make ourselves look the part of their advertised membership traits. How often do we look at our effort to belong and find that we have become something very unlike who we really are?

Throughout the years, one of the personality traits that I have worked on the most in myself has been being genuine. It isn’t always the prettiest journey, many times I do it completely wrong, with far too little tact, love, and compassion. My quest to be genuine has at times turned into a mission to help everyone else realize their faults instead of correcting my own. That is definitely not the way to work on your own personal character flaws, by showing others theirs. I am so embarrassed and ashamed when I realize that I have done that. I have used my own desire to change and belong to something better, to judge others. So wrong, and sadly so common.

Self-worth doesn’t come from the groups or clubs we belong to. Even the best of us have faults, and surely focusing on those isn’t the way to live a happy and productive life. In fact, the Bible talks about our inability to do what’s right, saying, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. That’s not a reflection of our worth, it’s just a fact that we are born into an imperfect world. Our worth, if we measure it by the people and things around us, can fluctuate wildly with circumstances.

There is no way we can find a stable idea of inner value if we allow that which surrounds us to dictate our standing.

In fact, many of us might think, “Hey, I’m a good person, look at what I do in the community” or “I volunteer at church or the shelter, so at least I’m not like those people who don’t”. It becomes very easy to set yourself aside from others as better than some, or not as good as most. I’ve spoken to people from both ends of that argument; Sadly, discussing anything but that false belief often leads to arguing the age-old question, where does self-worth come from? Who decides?

Class warfare isn’t all about weapons and a physical battlefield. It's often a struggle of thought and attitude. It's one of my pet peeves when a group of people thinks of themselves as a “higher” class of person than another group. In history, this has made for some of the greatest divides between societies, creating the perceived haves, and the have-nots. I’m not writing necessarily here of the political separations so much, as the spiritual ones. During much of history, the religious elites held high prominence over the average person, dictating how people could come to God for their needs, how they could be healed, and who was worthy of God's love and who was not. If you haven’t heard, Jesus came to reveal that those ideas of segregation among the children of God were no longer going to be acceptable in His church. It’s my belief that He sought to repair the relationship between man and the Creator. To encourage conversation and faith from us, toward a God that has always wanted to be personal and connected to each of us. This isn’t possible when we allow ourselves to feel beyond the reach, mercy, or forgiveness of Him. And it becomes far too easy to let arrogance slip in when we think we’re doing it right, and others just don’t get it.

Jesus taught us about worthiness and knowing our place of honor in the kingdom by relating a parable. While sharing a meal and in the presence of the church leadership of the day, they were discussing which of them should have the most prominent seating. The discussion must have reflected a lot on the class difference that existed among the Jews of the day. Those who had attended religious learning and knew the Torah and all its laws and the difference between them and the working class Jew, barely scraping by and working night and day to provide for a family. Why had wealth become a factor when it came time for the blessing of God? And why would men educated enough to read and write consider themselves to be more blessed than someone that was hard working, providing a home, and raising a family? This is what happens when we allow society to choose our worth. Jesus had just warned them that the people they choose as worthy friends to associate with would easily disappoint them when their priorities didn’t align with each other. He told them to beware that when you place too high a value on a certain group, they may not live up to your expectations, especially if your outlook on value and worth is skewed by worldly ideals such as money and position in society, or the church.

When one of the men boasted a little about enjoying his place and position, Jesus followed up with the following story. He said, “Yes. For there was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many. When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, ‘Come on in; the food’s on the table.’ “Then they all began to beg off, one after another making excuses. The first said, ‘I bought a piece of property and need to look it over. Send my regrets.’ “Another said, ‘I just bought five teams of oxen, and I really need to check them out. Send my regrets.’ “And yet another said, ‘I just got married and need to get home to my wife.’ “The servant went back and told the master what had happened. He was outraged and told the servant, ‘Quickly, get out into the city streets and alleys. Collect all who look like they need a square meal, all the misfits and homeless and wretched you can lay your hands on, and bring them here.’ “The servant reported back, ‘Master, I did what you commanded—and there’s still room.’ “The master said, ‘Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full! Let me tell you, not one of those originally invited is going to get so much as a bite at my dinner party.’”

What a great life lesson Jesus gave to them and us with this short story. The invitation went out to the destitute, the corrupt, anyone and everyone, come and enjoy my banquet. Certainly, this was not just talking about how you and I should make dinner plans. It made one thing pretty clear, the message of grace and hope, the message of forgiveness and salvation was not merely for the Jews, the highly educated or religious elites. It was for everyone, equally. Jesus taught them, don’t just invite your wealthy and distinguished friends, invite the lost and the hurting. This is the message for today just as surely as it was for them.

In the church, we often lose sight of those that have made mistakes. It may be a  former member that crossed us or worse. It might be someone who was once a church member that was cast aside for falling from the pedestal they were expected to stay firmly on top of. Perhaps, someone that has a societal blemish of poor judgment or obvious sin. You see, back in the days before Christ, just like now, there were sins that were private, only God knew, and there were sins that were public, everyone knew your story of failure. It always seems like the public sins get ridiculed and harshly pointed out, especially in the church, but the less obvious ones such as pride, lust, envy, or love of power; so many times these stay hidden, without public judgment or scrutiny. What I think Jesus was telling us here was that we are all misfits. I’ll say it differently, we’re all sinners. He didn’t assign a class hierarchy to sin. He invites all of us to His banquet, His grace, His perfect gift of salvation.

So as Christians, and as churches, we need to remember that there is no value greater than another child of God coming to the table of the Gospel. We are all ragamuffins, soiled by our bad choices, our poor performances in life, our hurtful words, and our lack of understanding of perfect love. I speak to me as much as any of you, only Jesus can deliver us from the mess we’ve made. And when we find a table set such as the banquet of salvation that Jesus offers, free for everyone and as simple as a prayer for Him to come in and change our lives, we should leave not one stone unturned trying to find every misfit and ragamuffin we can and show them where to find the bread of life.

Luke 14:15-24 MSG

Another New Year

  It happens every January first. A new year begins, new goals are set, and a whole new chain of events is put into motion. We decide to lose weight or get a new job,  all with the best intentions. Year after year, we look with longing at the opportunity to change something about ourselves. Something that will make life better, or renew our self-image. Perhaps you start a business that you have always wanted to be a part of. I think we can all admit that these agreements that we enter into with ourselves can be overrun by eventual thoughts of doubt and failure. I appreciate that some people succeed in these endeavors to change and or improve,  but more often than not, they fall short of our expectations and leave us feeling like we've let ourselves down. But before you go with me too far down this road of pity and self-depredation, let me share with you one of my favorite verses from the Bible.

Written by the Apostle Paul and paraphrased here in my thoughts, Romans 12, 1-2 goes something like this; 'go out in your everyday life, in everything that you do, eating, working, exercising, playing and all, and do it knowing that you are a child of God. That everything you do should honor that relationship, giving the best that you have, mistakes and all, to Him as a gift of yourself, without holding back. Don't get used to being like everyone else, but keep reminding yourself of that task, to give God your best effort, your most honest behavior, and your unbridled thoughts, even when you fail. If you continue to do that, you will find purpose and peace on the inside. And unlike many of the people that you might know, who when tough times come to them they fall apart, you will have strength and wisdom, that few will understand. You will be at the top of your game because your game will be God's plan for your life.'

Over and over again, Paul spoke about grace. It's important for us to remember that, like human anatomy, we each get our meaning from being part of the whole body, not the other way around. If you separate an arm or a foot from its owner, they don't amount to much more than just incomplete pieces of something greater. So we too are important to each other. In all of our planning to "do better" or "live more healthily" we sometimes forget the value of being genuine with each other and the importance of who we are and whose we are. I know for myself, it is hard to accept the fact that I may have gained more weight than I want to, or cannot see as accurately as I once did. As life moves along, we can become overly aware that we aren't as young as we once were. That we can't run or heal as fast as we used to. And certainly, responsibilities and life circumstances change how we look at ourselves, both positively and negatively. I write to you about this way of thinking because more often than not, we make these deals with ourselves, these resolutions, not based on positive and uplifting goals, but because we feel less than perfect, substandard, or inadequate. But go back to what Paul wrote, do everything that you do in life as if it were a gift to honor God, even when you cannot possibly see a way for God to use it for something good. Don't second guess Him, just keep going and giving your best.

 God's grace does not depend on what we accomplish,

in fact, it doesn't need us at all. 

But what does matter to God is how we accomplish what we do. Is it our best effort? And realize this, sometimes our best still fails. You've heard it said that 'it isn't whether you win or lose, but how you play the game'. That is a life lesson for us to tuck away, and keep for all future reference. Win or lose, resolution kept or not, did you run the race with conviction and purpose? Did you give your gift of 100% effort to your calling? I believe you know the answer to that. And certainly, God knows as well.

Whether your 'new' year is your first year sober, being a new Christian, or striving to be more healthy, we all need to focus on honoring God and each other, when we eat, work, play, and struggle through our lives. That's never an easy thing. I write this as much to myself as I do to you. The difficulty for all of us is in our disbelief in true grace. We know our past and our weaknesses. I believe it is within our nature to realize that there are consequences to actions, both good and bad ones. But the miracle gift of God's grace is very simple. Just ask Him and accept it. 

          So back to our 'new year' scenario. Whatever yours is today, the answer to fulfilling that resolution is believing as Paul wrote; that you are a child of God, believing that He loves you, and if you are willing to live obediently, your life will be changed, forever. I suppose our problem is the obedient part. But here is where the gift of grace comes in. In our failures, God's grace fills the gap. This is how we stay obedient to serving and honoring Him. The pattern here emerges for how to have success in many kinds of resolutions; whether they are to stop smoking, lose weight, find true love, or live a more Christlike life. When we fail, God understands that imperfection in us; through His forgiving grace, He grants us a new beginning, and in our life's journey the chance to begin again. So let us endeavor to give God our best and most grace-centered effort in another new year.

Romans 12: 1-2

#ShoeBoxProphet

Healed

  Many years ago, in the great city of Jerusalem, there was an area near a popular gateway known as the pool of Bethesda. In Aramaic, Bethesda meant “house of mercy or grace”. This was the place where sick people came to be cured of their illnesses or injuries. With its five porches and various walkways, the people would wait, many of them blind, lame or so ill they could barely stand, or if they were lucky, walk. Here they waited for the waters to stir and the possibility of being made whole again. When Jesus passed by the area, He took notice of a man, whom He knew had been afflicted for many years and feeling compassion for him, Jesus approached him surrounded by the crowded walkways.

For thirty-eight years this man had been crippled, unable to walk. His only hope was the pool of water that was said to be blessed periodically by Angels. The pool would bubble and all the people around it that were waiting to be healed would rush toward the water trying to be the first one in. According to religious tradition, the first to enter the pool at this moment would be healed. Whether or not that was true or ever happened we don't know, this part of the story doesn't tell us that. What we do know is this man was never first in the pool. It's quite possible that he was pushed aside and trampled due to his disability, by others that had just a little more mobility. And yet he stayed, hoping that one day his healing might come. You might wonder, how did he keep from getting discouraged? If you had asked that man before he met Jesus, I’m sure he might have laughed or even had a response with some amount of resentment or anger. What else was he to do? When Jesus met him he didn't offer to move him closer to the pool or to sit with him and help him when the waters began to churn. He asked him a simple question, “do you want to be healed?”

We all have our handicaps in life. Whether they be physical, financial, or emotional; perhaps being abandoned or betrayed. All those things that we go through in life that beat us up and tear us down. We call out to God, “God, deliver me from this”, “God take this pain away”, and “God, help me to find the right person”. But do we really want to be healed? I've lived a long time and suffered my share of tragedies, illnesses, loss, and my share of abandonment, and betrayal. I've prayed those prayers over and over, “God deliver me from this”.

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

A Child at Heart

 Mark 10: 13-16          

There is a commonly told story in the Bible about the disciples and Jesus, where parents are bringing their children to see Him, seeking an audience with Jesus and His blessing. While those closest to Him attempted to shoo them away, telling them to step back and leave Jesus alone. What happens next seems to be a popular lesson, both inside and outside of the church, Jesus steps up and says, “Stop! Let them come to me, don’t dare get in their way”. There is a little more to what He says in the passage, but during a recent Bible study, I found an interesting sidebar to this story, some things that make it even more personal to me, and perhaps to you also.

If you read prior verses to this incident, you’ll find that Jesus and the disciples had been ministering nonstop for weeks, perhaps months. Every manor of the question had been discussed and argued. The dialogue was often deep, and most times the disciples must have felt like they were grasping desperately to understand what Jesus was trying to teach them. From hiking through the mountains with nothing short of miraculous happenings going on all around them, to healing one person after the next; they dealt with every sort of illness and demonic encounter. The debate and instruction carried on and on, day into night.

In Mark 10 verse 10, they arrive at what is noted as “the house”. After further examination, I found that many scholars seem to think that this reference to a ‘house’ might have actually been a home owned by the group, a close follower, or at least was a home base of sorts. I had never thought about Jesus the adult and missionary traveler, having a home. A place where you might go to find Him on a Tuesday evening, sitting with His friends, having ‘Tora’ study. I would love to see that church flyer, “hey everyone, Bible study this Thursday night at Jesus’ house, 7 pm - dinner will, of course, be served”. We might laugh at that, but it sounds as if they were arriving home after a very long stretch of out of town ministering. Frankly, and not surprisingly so, the last thing on the minds of the disciples and His traveling companions was to have company over for the evening. But according to Mark 10, chapter 13 this is precisely what was happening. I don’t think that they were just random kids hanging out, like your friendly junior high and high school youth leader’s house, it says that the people were bringing their children over for Jesus to bless. Imagine this, if you believed that Jesus was a very high-ranking rabbi, maybe even heavenly connected somehow, and he lived in your village or a neighboring community, wouldn’t you try to slip by for a visit? And knowing the importance of having your children blessed by “the church” during this era, how could you blame any of these people for “dropping in”.

After all the long days of walking and discussions, nights sleeping here and there, you might understand now why the disciples were tired, and not in the entertaining mood. As ministers of His modern message, there is a clear lesson to us in this small story. Not just that Jesus valued children, if that is all you’ve heard about this story, then you are only halfway to the real illustration. Jesus angrily admonished His close friends and reminded them again, this is why we’re all here! Let these parents and kids in. The common lesson we hear from this is that Jesus so loved the children that he wanted to see them and that they were amongst the idealistic versions of what we needed to aspire to as Christians. The child-like faith and acceptance they had for Him was a teaching moment that Jesus could not resist sharing with the disciples, and us. The fact that we might need to ease up on all the technicalities of life; that simple faith was the answer to life everlasting, and perhaps the main focus of this whole story.

I think there is also another very valuable illustration here that we often miss. After telling the disciples to let the children and parents in, He took the time to meet each one separately. Talking to them, lifting them to His lap so they would know he was interested in them personally. Hearing the concerns of the parents. One at a time, each of them came to see and talk to Him, and He prayed over them and gave them encouragement, one by one, working His way through the crowd. There was no rebuke of the guests. No ‘come back tomorrow when I am not tired from my mission’. Not even a hint of bragging about how important and great His trip had been. Just Him spending time with them, listening and praying over their needs.

I hope that you can see the subtle message here to all of us in ministry. And dare I say, we all have a mission field to minister in, so don’t miss this point; God calls us to be His eyes, His hands, His feet. No matter our status, energy level or emotion, we need to be willing and open to being used by God. Certainly, we can all only do so much, but sometimes we think, “I’ve done enough” or “let someone else take care of that”. Occasionally, I find myself thinking that I can’t take on anything new or out of my comfort zone, or that I am not equipped to do what I hear God calling me to do. But how do you justify those excuses when it is God who has called us to “let the children come”. Moses, Jonah, David, none of their reasoning let them off the hook with God either.

And that brings me to the center of my thinking surrounding this passage and story. Perhaps on the alternate side of this lesson, Jesus has an illustration that says, “Come to me, climb up on my lap. Tell me what you’ve done, and where your heart is”. “Let’s talk about you, me and us for a bit”. Jesus tells the disciples, in verse 15, anyone that does not come to the kingdom with the faith and acceptance of a little child, those people will not enter heaven. That’s a pretty direct statement to make, throwing out a profound question right into the hearts of His disciples, and us. Jesus is saying, if you can’t freely and openly trust me as these children do, you won’t get to heaven. Lay off those ideas you have about what good things you’ve done, or how many Bible books you’ve read. Never mind your doctorate degrees in theology or your successes at work, can you trust Me He asks as if you were one of these small children?

I believe they struggled with this question there in that house, just as you and I do. It’s a simple plan God has for our relationship with Him, but we’ve complicated it with emotions and sin. We are too proud to think He loves us just because. Too afraid that He can’t forgive our personal legacy of squandered chances. However, nothing could be further from His truth. He was trying to tell us all that very thing through this story, from His home with the children. To us, He is saying, come on by. Stop in and visit with me, tell me your concerns and cry on my shoulder about your pain. His interest is individual and specific to each and every one of us, just like those children and parents on that day. We each should know that He is attentive to our call, one by one, listening and spending the time to know us, bless us and hear our hearts cry.

In my mind, I see the lesson of this story as much bigger than Jesus loves kids and wants them to be included. I sense that Jesus is showing us a glimpse of ourselves and saying, “you are all my children, in you I will invest my time, my grace, and my love. If you will only come to me and seek me out as a child would seek its parent”. The kind of circumstance where there is no judgment or fear, but acceptance and pure love, without rules and man-made hoops to jump through. It was and is, an important lesson to drive home with His disciples and each one of us, that unless we simply accept His love and grace, as young children do, then our own pride, selfishness, and greed may very well keep us from knowing the real potential of His selfless gift to us. Forgiveness. Sometimes we may need to just stop, put down our false armor of adulthood, and climb up into His lap of understanding and grace, and remember that He is our father, our Abba. He always makes time to listen and know our doubts and fears; He is ready to bless us with His goodness and mercy. The road to real peace and blessings may look different for each of us, but isn’t that just another sign that He listens intently and covets our individual relationship with Him? Imagine that for a few minutes, the God of creation longs to have a specific and personal relationship with you, and with me. He says, “Come and sit with me, let's talk and get to know each other. Bring me your concerns and let’s work them through together”. He told us what it takes to have that kind of bond with Him. He said that we must seek Him with the faith and heart of a child. Nothing fancy, no long and flowery introductions or fanfare suited for a king, but rather an offering. An offering simple in thought and concept. The trust and expectation of a hopeful heir to the King, and the faith and commitment of a child at heart.

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

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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

Magic or Illusion..

the power of God's love -

God's forgiveness and love isn't about tricking you with slight of hand or distraction from your problems. I will cause a stir in some of you by saying this, but God's wonder just may be the ultimate in magic. After all, His power is inexplicable. He needs no special prop or staged theatrics to 'fool' you into believing in His power, because what He does affects us in ways that can make a personal difference. Is that magic? I don't know for certain what it is, but I do know it's real. On earth, we Christians are taught to guard against and test such powers of unknown origin against what His word says, I know that, so don't write to me chastising me for using the word to describe God's miracles.
    If you were sick and dying without hope of a cure, which would you prefer, an illusion, a mirage of good health yet still dying? Or would you want the wondrous, unexplainable and yes 'magical' healing power of a good God who longs to have a relationship with you - His child.
    As entertainment value goes, illusions are fun. Sometimes they even freak us out a little. Though it is baffling to me why you and I search for answers to our problems among the fakes and the charlatans. The people and things that promise to distract us from our problems, but use the "smoke and mirrors"  of worldly magic and illusion to keep us from the real healer, the One who is the author of love, grace, and forgiveness.
    Maybe we should define the difference between magic and illusion. An illusion is something that is wrongly perceived or understood by the senses. A false belief or deceptive appearance. These types of fake ideas and fools gambits have been around for years, taking people for their money, their possessions, and sometimes their lives. The power in the scam is making the person doubt their own ability to see it or feel it; not knowing that what you see isn't really what you think it is, that is the false belief in a deception. And sadly, many of us go through life, sometimes for years, and sometimes just when it matters the most, with ideas that are a mirage of what is really happening around us. We look at our pain or our failures of this life through a small window limited by our own feelings.
Let us look at the definition of magic, (not the paranormal nonsense): someone who apparently has powers from the supernatural, the power to change the course of an event through an unseen force, one who can create something from seemingly nothing. Okay, for some of you that sometimes wonder about me and the basis of my faith, I assure you that I am not encouraging anyone into the occult, or saying that incantations will get you closer to God. Quite the opposite in fact, I am saying that true power to heal, forgive and create life comes from God. Are there powers of darkness out there that harness these ideas of supernatural magic and illusion? You bet that there are, and they are very dangerous. Think for a minute about anyone that can do those type of things we defined as "magic", seemingly create things out of thin air, change the course of events to their will. Illusions for fun and entertainment are one thing, they can be explained and surely wow the senses with amazement, but magic with spells and crystals to 'focus your powers' for the manipulation of the supernatural, God says that these types of things are from the darkness of evil, and that we should stay away from them in our life. Far away.
That being said, how then would you define or describe God's power? Great? Exalted? That is difficult isn't it? Of course we can use all of the over-the-top words that we know such as limitless, amazing, mighty, awesome; somehow they all seem to fall short of a real description of just what the Creator of the heavens and earth does to affect the course of our lives when we call out to Him. When you witness the beauty of a falling star or the wonder and vastness of our universe or hold a newborn child of yours for the first time and feel their tiny fingers wrap around yours. It is truly something magical. The best and only good kind of magic, God's.
God does not desire to be our Santa Clause, only to be called on when we need His miracles of deliverance. And He is surely not an illusionist, deceiving us into believing that He has made our 'elephant' in the room to disappear, only to find it later hidden in some dark corner. No God's magic is His love for us, His longing to be in a real relationship with each of us where we know each other by name. Illusions may be entertaining as part of a show or theater, but they are hurtful when we find that we have believed in a lie as part of our life's journey. They bring emptiness into our heart and deliver us from nothing. Addictions to work, play or desire, are all illusions of real happiness. If you find yourself in a place where you keep wondering why your life is full of disappointment, pain or personal failure, ask yourself as I do, are you believing in and looking for, the illusion of happiness; or are you looking for the One who can create wonder from brokenness, the One who can change the course of events in your life through real supernatural power.
There are most likely no adequate words in our language that can accurately describe the wondrous mystery that is God's power. But then if we could, it wouldn't be quite so wondrous or mysterious, would it? The magic of God's love is that it is free, even though we have lived lives that go against His longing to forgive us and have us get to know Him. It's still free. The things that we each see as miracles, or the magic of God, healing, deliverance from danger or illness, those are not the real miracles of the Gospel story. The Truth is simple, as people who defy God and His plan for our lives constantly, and steal joy and cause physical pain and sometimes even death to His children, He still pours out His love to us. Those of us hiding in our dirty, ragged clothes of lies, covered in the mess of our shame and disappointment. He never meant for us to go through life as ragamuffin children, but that's exactly who we tend to be. Don't go through life looking for the illusion of happiness. And don't seek the things that make your pain go away temporarily. Take the first step today toward the real magic of forgiveness, toward the One who stands at the door of your heart every day and night, waiting to come in and do life with you. He can create something completely new from the rubble of your life, and that isn't magic, that is God's love for His child. Only fools live in an illusion and believe it to be true, the wise seek stability in the Truth. Jesus waits for you  to seek Him and put your trust in Him. No magic, just God's love.

Randy

Proverbs 14:18 (MSG)

Galations 5:19-21 (MSG)

Isaiah 8:19 (MSG)

Prodigal

        Many times in my own life, I have judged myself. Judged by critical standards and by soft, far too forgiving standards. I have run from authority, and run toward it for shelter after doing something dumb or immature. The one thing that my parents gave me as a gift, without financial cost or my working to earn, was the acceptance that they had for me being me. Not that they looked the other way when I was wrong, they didn't. They usually let me know it when I was doing something of concern to them. Unfortunately that didn't always translate to me making a change or doing what they wanted, there are sure some pitfalls that I could have saved myself from drowning in. But that's life, that's learning, and sometimes, that's painful.

         In our lives there will be paths that we must walk alone. Sometimes they will be hurt, and sometimes we just chose the wrong one. You and I have both done that; we have been on a path toward destruction, one that could have ended up very badly for us. Somewhere, hopefully you made a change, saw a way out, a light at the end of your tunnel. However, perhaps you still live in fear and darkness, I tell you that many days I feel as you do in that dreadfully murky place. The future is easy to obscure, and hope is a fragile thing when life reminds us that we are not in charge. When we put our hope in finances or careers that can disappear quicker than they are earned, we run the risk of opening the doorway to disappointment and losing our real self-worth. Likewise, failing to spend time with family and friends can leave us feeling unloved, and desperate. Or maybe you're not getting along with a spouse, parent or child, what happens to those whom we know if we give up? Is it us that are lost, or those that we disagree with? Have you hurt someone while on this path or been hurt through someone else's choice to walk away or their direct intention to cause you pain?
  Regardless of the source, there is peace and shelter for your heart. There is also a guide to how to deal with those who are lost, or adrift in life's sea of despair. If you are the ship sailing with no direction and no anchor, there is hope and grace for you too. But maybe your asking, why should anyone care? Why do I write to you when I don't know you? And especially, why would God care what happens to a person that has chosen to walk away from the love and warmth of a family or God? 

        While Jesus was in ministry in and around Jerusalem, he often angered the religious leaders of that time by teaching and hanging out with ordinary people, and on occasion eating with that crowd of "sinners". A crowd that the leaders deemed unworthy of such direct contact, if Jesus was indeed who he said that he was, or even just a temple rabbi. They looked at such non-clean people as unimportant and lower class. When Jesus got the chance to tell them why, he said something like this, if you had a flock of animals that were making your living with, and meant everything to the survival of your household, you wouldn't want to lose even one of them. In fact if you did find one missing,  you would leave the other 99 in good care and go to attempt to retrieve the one that was lost. Without a doubt, you would even be happy or celebratory about getting back the one that was lost. His point was this, why wouldn't he be trying to reach out to the lost? More over, why is it not surprising to us, those cast aside by "the religious", that the leadership of the church or local government wasn't happy with him. This meant that they would have to share their power; but more than that, it would have meant that they shared their importance and status with the lowly public. Those motives of judgment aren't old or new to this world, there was self indulgent greed then, and there still is today. But a true shepard, isn't worried about losing power or prominence, it's about finding the lost.
  Now back to you and I, it should be a little more obvious now what kind of attitude that we need to have when it comes to seeking and serving the hurting, the abandoned, and the lost. No matter what stage of despair or regret that you and I find ourselves in, there is grace and hope in the shepard, Jesus. Our torn and raggedy lives are the very thing he seeks to renew. But how do we do that for others when we are ragamuffins ourselves? How will people look at us when we try to help someone else from the heap of our own ruins? Well first of all, get your heart in the right place, make sure that you're not seeking something in return; helping others isn't about the reward, although there will be one. If you seek the reward most of all, your help will be as worthless as an umbrella of mesh in a downpour. If your motives are righteous, that means without greed or self grandiosity, then don't worry about what others think or say. That isn't to say that good council shouldn't be listened to, you should always seek the ear and wisdom of someone that you know and trust to keep you accountable and on task. But the nay-sayers, let them scoff at you for your efforts, you're in good company. Remember that the religious leaders hated Jesus because he sought out the meek and the hurting, no matter if they were the "in" crowd or not.
  If you are like me, long before now you have asked the important question of why. Why do we need to help each other? Why do we need to change at all? Why does God want us to do this seeking for Him, can't He do it? And why Randy, do you write these irritating questions? I'm not sure that I can answer the last one, but the first questions are a little easier. In  John 21: 15-19, Jesus asked John one question, three separate times. He asked John if John loved him. Each time John answered, Jesus replied with feed my sheep, to the immediate irritation of John I might add, it was as if the group of them needed to know the simplicity of the message and the mission. Find those in need, do something about it. Paraphrased here as: Live as a follower of Christ, serve as best you can to find and "feed" the lost, and love one another as brothers and sisters in one big family. It seems to be that middle one that really gives people the most trouble, serving.
       Thinking again of the prodigal story, I am reminded of the father running out to meet his son. His son was dirty, smelled like a barnyard, and hadn't even uttered any words of apology, yet his father met him on the road, with a big hug and kiss. Tell me again how you and I can't have grace and forgiveness because of what we have done in our past. Time after time, Jesus told his disciples to go, feed my sheep, go and make others like yourself. He taught them not to look at the outside, and that sin was sin, call it what it is, forgive the ragged sheep, and bring them home.
        I know that each of us have our idea of what God must think of us. The truth is, in his eyes we are as filthy as any drugged out prostitute, or as unlovable as an abuser of others, but through the sacrifice of His son, and His representation of our lives before the Father, we each become the perfection that is only found through being born again. It's not science or science fiction, it's not something that you show someone in your hand, but it's as real as the sun that warms the daytime. We are all prodigal children. Sometimes we are the sheep needing to be found, and other times we are the ones doing the finding, I think that's all in God's plan. He uses us right where we are, still a little dirty from the barnyard of life. And without a pedigree of whose at the top of the list and whose at the bottom. Read the passage in John 21 again, go ahead, I'll wait. It's one description for all of the lost; I read nothing in there about the really nice award winning sheep getting priority or the ugly, half bald, sheep getting pushed to the back of the line. Just all of us raggedy sheep in this together, and one Father ready to run down the road and meet us at the point when we realize that we can go home to him. Whether you are searching for sheep, walking the prodigal path back towards home, or still feeding the pigs in the slop, never judge others by the way they look on the outside, and don't stop thinking of yourself as a child of the King. He said that he stands at the door of every prodigal heart and knocks, hoping to find each and every one of His lost and hurting raggedy children, a status and mission by the way, which you and I both share.

Luke 15: 6 / John 21: 15-25

Sorry to Bother You..

Do you feel like you are bothering God when you pray?

     It seems to happen just as you get to the best part of your conversation, or just as the most important point of what you have to say is coming out of your mouth, the phone rings or the door bell chimes, and all at once your thoughts are thrown under the proverbial discussion bus. If you have children then it can and will happen just about anytime, important or not, the interruption. The point in time where someone else's concerns or thoughts become front and center, and that thing that you had hoped to share, important, life-changing and all, just has to take a back seat. These moments are when you come to realize that most peoples priorities are not the same as yours.
     This scenario really seems to strike a personal note, when we are sharing our hurt feelings, or a special burden that we are dealing with. It is all to easy to feel unimportant when others have a different view of what should come first, either in life, or in simple conversation. Learning to listen is a very important part of being in a relationship, what ever kind of relationship it is that you are in. Teddy Roosevelt had a saying that I heard many years ago, it goes like this, "people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care". Simply put, if you spend all of your time in a relationship expounding on how smart you are, or how good you do something, and lack the skill to hear others when they need you too, then all of your educated mastery and effort aren't helping them one bit. To others in your relationship, you might just seem like an uncaring know-it-all; someone a bit too self-centered to really be interested in the thoughts or concerns of others.
     One thought that I have had over the years was how does God care for each one of us, listen to us, and take interest in our toils, while doing all of the rest of the things a universal God would have to do? Does He care about the little aspects of our lives like school tests, and stress at work? When I fail to plan well enough for my monthly bills or put myself into financial hardship due to bad decisions, is He going to help with that too? When I pray for things that I care about, why do I feel like I am interrupting Him and taking Him away from other things far more important than mine. Isn't He needed somewhere else for life and death things like healing cancer or stopping the persecution of His followers? Surely He is.
     Like the good parent, He is always listening for our call, and knows our needs before we do. How He does it all and hears each one of us without distraction, even scripture says that understanding some things of the realm of heaven are simply beyond our comprehension. If I some how had the knowledge to write it all down, and tried to explained it here in this message, it is likely we still would not understand any of it. He is God. A being of wisdom and mystery, and answers for some of our questions will just have to wait. But some questions have answers in plain sight, such as the question of Him really caring about our lives or not, both for the grand and finite issues, there is a direct answer. In 1 Peter 5:7 it says to give all of your troubles to Him, because He loves and cares for you. There is no definition mentioned of the severity of the troubles or the value according to their importance, size or limit; in fact, it says give Him "all" of your troubles. The way I see it, that means both big and small. That's every school test and quiz. Best friends that have an argument with each other, all the way up to spouses that are giving up on their commitment, He cares. Lost puppies and kittens to children who have run away, He cares. Our stressful lives rob us of our joy in life, I am quite sure He also cares about that. It would seem that no concern or crisis of ours would be too large or too small because He said, bring all of your troubles to me. It isn't a bother, it's love.
     It is our good fortune that in God's kingdom, we never need to wait to talk to Him. We are not interrupting when we pray, we are empowering the spiritual realm and acting just as we were taught. Jesus went straight to His Father in prayer many times, and He taught us to do nothing less. Just make sure that you don't wait until a crisis occurs to make that connection. Though I know and believe that even your first whisper towards heaven is heard and answered, it doesn't make sense to live life without that connection of grace from God. It is free after all, no roaming fees apply, nothing embarrassing required.
     God's plan for us is to realize this kind of lifestyle in our day to day walk. Praise and prayer are regular activities of a righteous life path. Although we often struggle to set aside our 'perfect' time or place, God doesn't have that problem. He is always available, always waiting, and compassionately listening for our quiet call of His name. In Thessalonians 5: 16-18, God says to stay positive and pray all the time, pray through good times and bad, no matter your place or status. It goes on to say that this is God's exact life plan for everyone, constant and consistent prayer. As ragamuffins, we are all tired, worn, and occasionally feeling a little less than worthy to bring our needs before an all-powerful, omnipotent being. But time and time again, that is exactly what we are instructed to do. Each  of the disciples of Jesus had to learn how to deal with failure and loss. They said the wrong things, ran from what was right and honorable, denied their status and involvement with Christ; and yet He continued to pursue their hearts and minds, convincing them one by one, that He really was who He said he was, and that He loved them in spite of their scars of failure and their tears of sorrow.
     What great news to you and I, there is no line to form, no number to take, we only have to speak His name, and His promise says that He is listening. Remember not to confuse that fact that you don't get what you want, with Him not answering. A great deal of the time, He answers with His plan in mind, and not ours. But He does answer. But if you never stop to ask, thinking that he can't possibly find interest in your needs or hurts, you will never know the peace or joy, that comes to you when you see the full and complete process and end result, answering your cry. You are not an interruption, not wasting your breath, or crying out your voice into an empty void; you are a child of the King, and He has said it in His word, and proved it throughout history to His people, that He longs to hear us call His name and commune with Him. I am quite sure that there is no happier occasion in His kingdom, than when a long lost child begs for Him to hear his or her voice. In a loving family, welcoming home those who have been away is a special moment; from a few hours to a hand full of days or years that have slipped by, you and I are welcomed before the Lord, invited no less, by His Son. He is our example in finding an audience of acceptance and love, One who always hears, and is never bothered by our presence or interrupted by our prayers to our Father.


1 Peter 5: 7 / 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (MSG)

Fatherless...

     It is a most difficult thing, fatherhood. Until you experience it, and become one, you have no idea how you will react or what emotion you will show, with that mini version of you staring back into your eyes. I must say that my experience with my own dad was one of respect and honor, but also acceptance and the unconditional idea that he loved me for who I was. I admit that verbally saying that he loved me was not his strength, I rarely remember him saying anything of the kind. But, he showed us every day in the way that he loved our mother, and took care of things that mattered. We knew that he loved us by his actions and his dedication to our family.
     In all my years of listening to sermon after sermon, I have heard countless references to God as our heavenly Father. To me that was great, because my real dad had always held up his end of our life together. He wasn't abusive to any of us, he always provided for our needs, and he never quit doing that until the day that he died. But what about those whose fathers here on earth aren't so credible. What happens when your earthly dad, the one who beats up on your mom, comes home drunk from work, or doesn't come home at all, is the man that you love to hate? How do you ever see God as your loving and good father in heaven when you only know pain or disappointment from your own? I sometimes imagine that it might be easier never to have known your father, than to have lived through the horror of an abusive or unloving one. I really can't say that for sure not having lived that path, but I would struggle the same as some of you if I were in the same position.
  So we come to a question that is a difficult one, and one that I can only speculate on; but I lean not on my own understanding or experiences, but on something far more trustworthy and steadfast, the love and forgiveness of Jesus our Lord. You see, I could expound to you a whole list of Bible quotes and psychological language taken from the latest medical reports, noting the steps you need to take to get beyond the upbringing and disappointment of your past; but one, I wouldn't have the first clue what those reports meant, and two, words don't tend to heal anything without faith. We come back to faith a lot when we talk about grace and forgiveness. The faith that God has it all under control, and knows exactly what is going on. The faith to forgive others for things that they have done to us, because God tells us too. Faith enough to except that those things which we can't control, have meaning and purpose, sometimes only known to God. Grace is what we accept from Him to fill the gaps left by our failures, and hopefully, what we grant to others that fail around us. This doesn't mean that we accept failure as justified behavior, mistakes have consequences, but grace says that we forgive you; know in your heart that God loves the failed, just not the failure.
     If you haven't had that father figure in your life that can support you and love you through your mistakes and your victories, then I have great news for you, that is exactly what God desires from your relationship with Him. His chance to prove to you that  He cares for you, and has great faith in your talents and abilities. He knows your needs and your limits. He cheers for your successes and weeps with your pain. Doesn't that sound like the kind of dad you would want? I am sure that there are many of you that still cannot wrap their thoughts around what that would be like. Whether you have a great dad that has been there for you in life or not; or you have simply lost faith that a Being that created the universe could ever care for you enough to value your attention, I tell you that Jesus came to prove once and for all that God wants each one of us to know the depth of His love. There is no other explanation for His dedication to heal and help those that He met. To sit down and eat dinner and visit the hated. To subject Himself to ridicule and death for the sake of teaching us to love one another.
  Those of us that believe in Him, and think of Him as friend and savior, are called to mirror His teachings. To show the love and grace that He lived out every day. It's a sad fact to me that we fail so much at this one ideal and commandment. I suspect that we all know the disappointment of being treated in an unloving manor by people that we thought were different, Christians especially. We need to realize that we all are those same people, failed humans. Compassion and a loving spirit have not been my strong suit for most of my life. More than a few times I have been embarrassed when friends refer to me as the 'angry' man. We all have the ability to give off a perception through our actions. What we need to examine is what kind of perception do you want to be known about you. No matter your level of success or achievement, none of us look good when compared to Jesus' life. Every once in a while, if I put Him in the right place in my life, my mirror shows Jesus to someone, and that is a good day. What if we could find a way to do that more often? What would that take to accomplish that personally, or as a church body? Years of going to church and volunteering? No. Becoming that church leader that isn't afraid to speak up when you know the other person is wrong? No, not at all. Judging others and doing good works are not the answer. I believe that it takes a willingness to open yourself up to the softening of your own spirit, to cheer for others, instead of seeking the lime light for yourself, and helping people even when they don't think that they need it.
It comes down to a decision to live differently. Not 100% perfect, I just don't believe that we can really do that. Rather, changing one piece of your attitude at a time. We learn to do many things in life by starting small and working our way up to proficiency. Why would learning to love like God be any different. If we could only change our outlook 10% of the time, wouldn't that make a major change in how people perceived us? The tragedy of those whose father figure has left them without real knowledge of what family compassion is like, might be offset and partially healed if those around them really mirrored the love and graceful attitude of Christ. A forgiveness that doesn't care where the other person has been, or what they have been up to, but freely loves on them without regard for outward failures and obvious deformities.
The attitude of many that have struggled through the abuse of a childhood without love or compassion is one desperate for genuine acceptance; Real people, who live life wearing the rags of personal torment or disease, knowing that they look just like everyone else in the sight of God. That is the ragamuffin truth in life, that none of us are worthy to judge others based on our own perfection or success, many of us are worn and tired, and in no condition to brag or show off, nor should we. I am now fatherless here on this earth, my dad passed some years ago, but his life still influences my thinking and my heart. He taught me life lessons by living them with me, letting me experience them on my own, but never leaving me to feel alone. If we could be that kind of influence on those around us, how many lives could realize the love of a real father, a real family, through our actions. We are all on our own through this battlefield journey, we alone choose our directions and our attitudes to bear, but as sure as the sun rises each day, we are never alone in the devastation of this life. There is One who stands at your side each day and every night, unwilling to leave you just in case you call His name. In Psalm 68:5  it says that He is the Father to the orphaned, the knight in shining armor to the widow, and in His house He makes homes for the homeless. To each of us He brings hope and unconditional love, fatherless or not His acceptance is there, that's His promise to every one of us.

Psalm 68:5
Randy