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.

 

Can I Have a Glass of Water..

     As young children, from the darkness of our sequester of bedtime, it rises from our racing and fearfully busy minds; from a mere idea to the quiet unheard words slipping through our lips. No answer, we raise our call another level of urgency, a little louder. Again with a cough and a clearing throat, we call out to our parents, "daddy, mommy, can I have a glass of water?" Is it that we are really thirsty, or do we fear the loneliness and dark seclusion? For me, it was one more chance to hear the voice of my mother or father saying, "it's okay, don't be afraid". I always took a drink, waited for another hug, and slipped away peacefully into my dreams. It never seemed too late or too much of a bother, for them to assure me that they were still there, that everything was okay, and that I was safe in their care. There are times in the darkness of my life, and the desperation of the hour, that I call out to God, just like the younger me did for that last cup of water at night. That last chance to know that everything would be alright. Our God hears your prayer, no matter the hour. No matter how desperate.

   Fear is something that we feel from a very early stage in our life. It can be severe enough to cripple our sense of adventure and stunt the natural quest for excitement, or it can be just enough to keep us honest and respectful of the power and dangers of life in general. Fear from the unknown can be hard to overcome; then there is just plain being scared. We have all been scared of one thing or another. Failure at school or at work, failure to have courage enough to ask that special someone to dance, failure to be a successful parent or spouse. Fear can keep us from failure, it can also most certainly keep us from trying.
   As a young child, we call out to our parents from our bed, "can I have a glass of water?" I know that I did this quite often. So much so that my mom started sending me to bed with a small glass of water, just in case, (something that I continue to this day). I am not so sure that I was really all that thirsty, I was afraid. The fear of the dark, and being alone gripped me beyond my ability to manage with counting sheep. It was the comfort of hearing her voice and seeing her face, that put my fears to rest. Sometimes she would sit there by my bedside, turn off the light, and tell me, "close your eyes and go to sleep, I'm here, there's nothing to be afraid of". I can still remember her touching my forehead to comb back my hair, and whispering "goodnight".  I seemed to always find rest in that, no matter how fierce the monsters were.

     Is it 2 am in your life? Does the world around you seem a dark and lonely place? A place where you have nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. The pressures of life, in general, have become your monsters under the bed. The addictions that you hide have transformed into your most feared "boogieman".

Fear becomes failure when we lose hope in ever finding redemption or a way out of where we have put ourselves in life. 

When we look around and see nothing but darkness in our surroundings, then the fear of the dark itself becomes a very real adversary.

     In Deuteronomy 31 verse 6, Moses is preparing to hand over the leadership role to Joshua. After decades of miracles and wandering through the desert, victories of just keeping that many people fed and alive, he was getting ready to die. I am sure many feared what life would be like without Moses, a legislator and judge of sorts, but no doubt also a fierce leader and someone whom they trusted with their safety and their family's future. In their time of fear he spoke words that said, be strong and be brave, don't let others push you around. Don't give that a second thought, because God, our God of deliverance, walks ahead of your path. He takes every step with you,  He will not fail you and He will never leave you. What a morale boost Moses gave to his new leaders, and the entire group of followers. Just like my mother, encouraging me to close my eyes, that everything was okay because she was on duty. God reminded them through Moses that He was still with them, that they were strong and blessed, and that He would never leave them. Likewise, He is telling each one of us that same thing today. He is there in our darkness, watching over us. When we call to Him, He brings our "water" and listens to our ramblings about monsters under the bed, or in our closet. He walks our path in front of us, like a good parent would, to be nearby when, not if, we need His help.

     In the past few years, I have lost both of my parents. My dad several years ago, and my mom just recently. I had great parents, they were not perfect, but the type that was supportive, and always wanting me to earn what I had.  I can honestly say that there is a fear, a finality if you will, that those persons that held such unconditional love for me are now not around anymore. The two people that I knew would always keep my best interests in mind, aren't here to call about my problems and concerns. I know what the people felt like when they heard that Moses was not coming with them into the promised land. Depressed, afraid, lost. It might be that you too are feeling those kinds of emotions inside yourself at this moment. Whether you are dealing with the loss of a loved one, a parent, spouse or precious child; it is a fear and sadness more gripping than we can describe, with a depth like an abyss. Possibly for you, it is a financial train wreck costing you everything, or just a general sense about yourself that you are not worth the trouble to save.

     As ragamuffins, we all have those fears. Worthlessness, anger, being scared and feeling spiritually destitute and completely alone. There is One who gave everything He had to get to know you. Who decided long ago that you were worth everything, and that you should never be alone. I would remind you to call out to God for Him to come and sit with you for a while. Just like my mom used to do for me when I was so afraid of the dark, Jesus is waiting and ready to be with you through your brokenness and life struggle. His water will do more than quench a mild thirst, the living water of Jesus can change your night into day and can turn your mourning into dancing. Trust that He is there, call His name, and the glass of water that you receive will never run dry.

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

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

Would You Believe..

Luke 1: 5-25 - Zachariah, God's plan in spite of our disbelief.

  As we grow through our teenage years, and into young adulthood, there are many questions that we ask ourselves, how to find a job, who our real friends are, what comes after high school or college? All of these mysteries and thousands more, they flood our minds with possibilities and fear, with the insecurity of a future yet to be written. Our purpose growing through this is to be mindful of our path and consider what we have been taught; using what we have learned from our life lessons and mentors to make decisions that will be good ones and benefit our lives, instead of creating consequences from making the wrong choices.
  Certainly that is a positive goal, to make all the right choices, and follow God's perfect path for our life, but what do you do when that isn't the case? If you're worried that no one has made the kind of mistakes that you have made, relax. Everyone has failed. You are a member of a very public and widely inclusive group. Most of our life, we make decisions based of what we know to be true, or what we have been taught, but have you ever questioned what you believe? Or why you believe it? I think we all have gone through that stage to some degree. I never questioned the existence of God, but I most certainly questioned how I believed in Him. What he wanted from me, and how would I know if I was hearing Him, or just doing what I wanted and calling it God's will. I know that I wondered why there were so many different types of churches, and why some grew larger than others and seemed to reach successfully into their communities, and others stayed the same, decade after decade. As life continues it's wandering journey, our questions will evolve, some get answered with causes for joy and sorrow alike; careers, spouses, children, death. None of us know all of the answers, so the best advice is to know someone who does. Now if it was just easier to figure out how to understand His responses.
          If you think that God can't work through you because you lack faith, or connection as a Christian, let me tell you about a man named Zachariah. By all accounts, Zachariah was a Godly man. He did have a flaw though that a lot of us can identify with, he had prayed to God for a lifetime to give him a son. Year after year, it didn't happen. Have you wondered like I have, "God, why don't you hear me", "why don't you answer me the way I want you too"? Zachariah had grown old, waiting on God to answer his prayers, maybe even a little resentful, apparently the answer was no. In Luke 1, the story of an unbelieving Zachariah is told, not to embarrass, but perhaps to give us hope, and an example of God's grace. Though Elizabeth and Zachariah were an honorable couple, in good standings in the church, and apparently with God, Elizabeth could not conceive. At the time, without medical explanations to bring reason to this sad situation, I am sure many around them scorned and made fun of them. They may have even been accused of having some hidden sin in there lives, something that caused God to "punish" them by keeping them from having a son. Just to be clear, God doesn't want to punish us for sinning, His desire was and is to forgive us. When the angel finally came to Zachariah and he told him that Elizabeth would conceive, old Zach just couldn't believe it. I get the feeling that Gabriel, God's honored sentinel solder, was a little frustrated with Zachariah's disbelief, so much so that he asked Zachariah if he knew who he was talking to.
          To make a believer out of Zachariah, Gabriel told him that he would not speak again until the baby was born. I'm not sure which would be worse, the fact that suddenly you have no ability to speak, or that even as an official of the church, you lacked enough faith in God to believe an angelic announcement of your blessing. Imagine telling your family, friends and church the real reason why you are compelled to silence, but it's a rather good lesson for us. Zachariah's doubts, and unbelief didn't stop God's plan from being fulfilled. John was born into the world just the same, as the bearer of the good news to come.
          Has God called you to pray for someone at school or work? Maybe you feel the tug on your heart to teach a small group in your home. Would you believe, a calling to write a book about your ragamuffin walk with Jesus? (I wouldn't). Rarely are we called in an obvious manor, with great signs and wonders appearing in the sky, or being handed to us packaged neatly and concise, with directions and a manual for how to proceed. Usually its more like Zachariah, we doubt ourselves and we can't imagine God being serious about what He is suggesting to us. Doesn't He know that we are not qualified, not capable or equipped to do what He is asking of us? I'm sure as you read this, you recognize those questions, and you also realize how ridiculous they are, being asked of the One who hung the stars into place. The God who made a bush to burn, but not be consumed. The Father who sent His son to live with us, walk with us, teach us how to be more like Him, and then ultimately die for us. He knows our short-comings and inabilities. Yet He has a plan to use us for His purposes and take our experiences and make them tools for good in the realm of God.
          The day that John was born, just as the angel had said, Zachariah opened his mouth and spoke again. What has God placed in your life that requires faith and a first step to continue or succeed? As we learn from the story, believing is not always easy. We have rules of this world that we try to place on God, forgetting that He is the author of all things supernatural. Remember that whether or not you go along, you may end up right in the middle of it anyway, God has a way of convincing us that He's right. The question for you is very basic, can you set aside your doubts and fear of inadequacy? Maybe we can trust Him, at least long enough, for Him to show us why He has put us where we are. You may be the Bible study or youth leader, the one person to reach out to your unlovable neighbor, the coach of a child who needs a Godly mentor, the friend that takes the opportunity when it comes, to pray and talk to someone in need, or the writer whose not really a writer, but a simple beggar showing other beggars where to find bread.
          For most of my life, I have struggled with not knowing exactly what God's plan is for my future. In fact, truthfully I have been my own Zachariah many times over. Not that I've stopped talking for months because of it, but God had to break me from thinking or doing what I thought was right in my life, in order for me to ever consider His plan. There is a call that goes out to each of us. It's specific to what God wants for you and from you. Though you may be like me, and wonder what God could make of your ragged and worn life, He has a plan. And He has placed you in life, where you have just the right knowledge and experience to succeed, if He is in it. But first, 'would you believe?'

Luke 1 (msg)

Who Will Go

     Recently, a mentor of mine reminded me that it is not always the perfect and skillfully educated people that do the leading and discovering. More often than not, it’s the willing and even more importantly, the available, that fill those shoes. Those who talk without polish in their words, or lead without knowing the odds. Stepping out into a leadership role can be scary, and if it doesn’t scare you, you probably aren’t a good one. There were many reluctant leaders in the Bible. Moses and Jonah found out that even if you fight against God’s will, He sometimes has already laid the groundwork to use you, and no matter how hard you fight, God will find a way to put you where He wants you.
      Let’s just look at Jonah for a minute, Jonah was not ungodly. He knew God, and I think he probably thought of himself as a good person. Certainly God thought that he had something usable to reach the people of Nineveh. But for several reasons, Jonah was scared. He ran the complete and opposite direction from where God wanted him to be. Boarding a ship to sail away into the sunset, God put into motion a set of circumstances that would eventually find Jonah thrown overboard by the captain and crew. A bit extreme if you stop to think about it; yet no sooner than they had disposed of Jonah, the sea became more calm, and they were saved. They obviously made the right choice.
     Jonah on the other hand, had started out with some very bad decisions. I have a question for you though, after telling the crew of the boat the truth and coming clean about what he had done, did his life get better? I would say spending days alive, inside of a fish qualify as things only got worse for him. After some time, Jonah arrive where God had intended, and with an even more fascinating story with which to reach and hold the attention of the people of Nineveh. I’m sure he looked the part as well, haggled, worn, and in general a real mess.
      It seems that this story could be told about each one of us doesn't it? Of course you may never be thrown overboard from a ship, or swallowed by a fish, but don’t you feel like you have been on some days. I sure do. It doesn’t even necessarily come from directly going against God’s call, sometimes it’s just our stubborn resistance to follow His direction in our lives. We want something so bad, that we do it even knowing God wouldn’t approve. I’ve made decisions that way, and I am sure that you have too. Some are of lesser consequence, and then there some that really get us thrown overboard.
     The mindset that I usually find myself in when I feel God’s leading is this; I’m not qualified to do what I feel God is calling me toward. Either because I resisted so long to do it, or because I feel like I lack the education, experience or the skill to do it. I talk myself out of even considering it. I board my ship, and sail as fast as I can in the other direction. Not that I am, or ever have been, called to preach and save an entire region as Jonah was, but you have to understand that God isn’t always looking for that. He calls each of us to serve and believe it or not, most times the people and places He is calling us to are right where we are. Family, neighbors, friends, co-workers. Not everyone is an overseas missionary, in fact those are the rarest of people He calls.
     I am sure that you are thinking of someone or something that God has nudged you about in the past, or may be currently filling your heart with thoughts of, “this is for you”. Mine have changed over the years. Yours may too. I didn’t feel all that qualified for most of them either, but each time that I have been spit out by the fish that rescued me from running away from God’s plan, wonderful things have happened. I’ve met new people, some are affected by the stories or music that I have to share. It never ceases to amaze me how God uses my regular life of trial and error, and non-super powers effort, to create an outcome of beauty that glorifies Him. That’s His grace in my life; not only has He forgiven me, but He allows me to help others through sharing my journey and life lessons with others that are going through similar times. This is the true intention for fellowship.
     I’m not going to tell you that it isn’t a little scary at times. Okay, sometimes a lot scary. I think, “what if I am a complete failure”. If you feel that way too, remember this, you are following a path that God has led you to. If you have been obedient and prayed about it, asked mentors what they think, prayed some more, and you all agree that you should go forward with it, then you’re doing the right thing. Just remember, sometimes success can be in disguise. God’s plans can be far down the road, and though you and I may see what we did as a flop, it may be a foundation for what someone else comes to finish. Don’t judge your results by yourself; let God do that. Then listen to family and have good accountable mentors that can help you gauge if you are really being effective.. Don’t be afraid to say, I have finished this calling, or God has given me a new plan of action, and it’s time to move on. If I had not done that, you would never have read this message.
     The answer to who will go is simple, those that are willing to try. It’s not a pastor's job to reach everyone with God’s message. They can’t go to your work or school, and they certainly don't have your life stories of forgiveness and mercy to share and use to relate to others; You and I are called to go. We must, especially if you know God is calling you to a specific place or group of people. The alternative of sailing away in defiance in your own direction, well, we all know how that ended up for Jonah. Unless you are feeling short of trials and failures in your own life to share, I suggest we try His way the first time for once. Maybe you’ve done it your way for a while now, and you are not sure how to change. That is the single biggest obstacle for me to be sure, change. We can all do it differently as we take a step out in faith to follow our path. Believe in what God is calling you to do, seek His guidance. It isn’t easy, but it’s never too late to change. Finding your way to tell others about how your journey led to a "boat ride" of running away, or being swallowed by a big fish called failure; being used by God to help someone else in need, through our scars, that my friend is what grace is all about.

Jonah 1, 2, & 3
(also inspired by the passion and ministry of Pastor Terry Schneider

Crying Out

There are times in all of our lives that we lose hope, or at least the vision of what success would look like to us. Those moments where time can seem to slow down, and our senses seem to become heightened to the realization that we have not become who we thought we would. Or, we have become someone that we don't even recognize. Life can throw many curves and twists into our path. If you are a Christian, then you have at least been told that God always has a plan for you, and will never test you or allow you to be beaten spiritually, beyond the point the He knows, you can withstand. But there are many days, for both you and I, that we look into the palms of our hands and say something like, "God, what did I do to make you leave me?". or,"God, where are you right now,  in this moment of my greatest need? why have you left me like this?"

If those words or thoughts sound familiar, both to your heart and somewhere in you memory, they should. I believe that we all feel them; that feeling of being alone and abandoned. The notion that you are carrying something far beyond your abilities, and you are about to fall. If you also recognize the phrases from your Easter services and movies, then you will know that they were the thoughts of Jesus too. That evening in Gethsemane, with the fire lit, and the sky full of stars and wonder just as it is today, He gathered with His closest friends, which He had poured out His heart to, but they still didn't know His whole story. The weight of the world's deceit and selfishness crushing His beautiful and bubbly spirit. His face, once smiling in love and forgiveness, laughing at the pranks and jovial jokers with which He traveled and lived out His last few years in the companionship of these cohorts, contorted now with the pain of God's plan for His life, and a realistic feeling of abandonment, and being alone.

Do you see yourself in any part of His story? I know that I have my "garden moments" fairly often. Those feelings of despair, worry, or just plain unworthiness. They change from time to time. Sometimes just the feeling of not knowing the direction my life is going is one of those moments that I am overcome on the inside with feelings of fear, failure, and desperation, and most of the time, it's hidden deep and camouflaged well to keep others from seeing. They are real feelings of being left right where God was "done" with me. Like I had served a purpose for a while, but not anymore. I am thankful that Jesus's hardship in the garden reflects hope for me, and for you. Although He didn't know the overall plan, He persevered. He held fast to what He knew, God's promise not to leave us alone, not to overburden us beyond our abilities. I think we sometimes sell ourselves short of the path God lays before us. We tell ourselves that "we could never do that", or "If God wanted me to do this or that He would just make it happen". You must admit, hearing that might make you pause to think, that sure sounds self-centered and faithless. It might be, but I think we all tend to call on God the most when we are in trouble, not when things are going right. At least right according to our plan.

I know that some of us struggle with medical reasons for being depressed, and believe me when I say as a former believer in "wishing away" or "self-correcting" these types of feelings, that just is not possible. Abandonment, failure and feeling like the weight of the entire world is squarely placed on your shoulders is a fact of life that everyone, from time to time, will go through. It is where you put your faith in finding an answer to that crisis that decides the success of your fate. In other words, we all are faced  with insurmountable odds, and the 'no win situation'. Where you seek your answers though, that will determine how your outcome ends up affecting your life and the lives around you.

Looking back to the night that Jesus met His greatest challenge of faith, I see some very important things that He did that may have made all the difference in the world. First of all, He found a place of peace. Possibly a favorite of His; the trees and countryside with the quiet winds you can't find in the city, or a busy life. Second, He surrounded himself with His very best friends. Those people that He loved, trusted, and cherished the most. And if you will take the time to read or know the whole story, most of them fell asleep and He asked them not to; so even though they were there with Him, they were not the only part of the equation to this answer, in some ways, they failed Him. Although if you'll read the story of that night, it sounds like He asked them to pray for Him, and that's the part we don't know about. Did they pray? Did they pray so earnestly that they wore themselves done and fell asleep? In what ever way that it really happened, I see the friends being called around Him, and His asking them for prayer as a huge element to His success with the evening's burdens. Third, in this place of solitude and beauty, or darkness of night under the stars of the heavens, He prayed. He found a place and a condition that helped Him to focus on what He needed to do. Go before God and seek the plan for His life. With the distant support of His friends, doing what they could to be there for Him, He Himself had to give up on fixing the problems alone. Forth, He took the time to listen. I am sure that Jesus was out there a while. I have little doubt that with the deep and committed friendship that He had bonded with His followers, that they would have fallen asleep ten minutes after He left. He was out there praying for a while. He didn't just talk to God, He listened. Today I hear a lot of people say that God just doesn't speak out loud to people anymore. But you see, I don't think that Jesus heard an audible voice that night either. He had a heart connection with His Maker. A connection that if honored in a two-way direction will allow you to hear God's leading in your life. Just as Jesus did two thousand years ago.

Today, with the schedules that we keep, and the jobs that we must excel at, do we keep the direction of our Maker's connection going in a two-way direction? I know for a fact, that I struggle with this. I do talk to Him. I lament, I beg, I even plead with Him sometimes to take away the pains and worries of my world. But do I always listen to His answer. In my case, the outcome has allowed me to minister to so many more of you than I ever could have before my illnesses. I realize that the pain of loss and depression are very real, and very dangerous. I have experienced God and circumstances change my dreams and callings without my permission, imagine my horror at that notion? I thought those where mine to chose and control. Guess again. There is a plan, there is an outcome where you and I make a difference.  But it may not be the plan you were imagining or dreaming of. It may be a plan for you and I to witness to someone in the middle of some very hurtful times or experiences. Perhaps they are the ones that are destined for greatness or a grander stage, and without your journey, without your pain and successes and willingness to share it, they don't ever see the path God has chosen for them. Have you ever considered it from that perspective? I admit that I hadn't either, but how does that make you feel about your life and the choices that you make?

Jesus, at a time of great pain and anguish, laid out a plan for us to look at, marvel about, and then emulate. During His night of decision, He turned to the simple things in life to find answers; Not the business of educational theology, although I am not knocking those with superior biblical and educational understanding here, He turned to a peaceful and calming atmosphere, the trusted support and prayers of family and real friends. Then He included the most important ingredient of all, He found quiet and spoke directly to God. He didn't just beg and plead, but He cried out for His Maker to hear and help him, and He did. It wasn't the plan that He had wanted, but it was the right plan, the salvation plan.

If you suffer today with depression, use the example left for us by the best teacher that ever walked the earth. I know life is not easy, in true fact, it rarely is. Life is a journey as I have often said. A trip through wonderful places of beauty and excitement. Where we often laugh and experience the fullest that life has to offer; love, family, marriage, children, success, grandchildren. But life can also wind through the darkest of valleys as well. Sickness, failure, loss, divorce, depression. There is a saying that I heard years ago when I was coaching kids baseball. It takes ten good comments to overcome one bad rant directed at a child. In life, there will be a roller coaster of events that effect your heart and soul. Don't let the bad ones distract and disconnect you from the Maker. His plan for you is certain and it does contain love, acceptance, forgiveness, grace and success. It does however require us to actually have a connection to God, and to 'cry out' regularly, and then listen. Make sure that you take as much time to listen as you do to talk. He does continue to speak, and you are not abandoned, you are chosen. Allow Him to carry you through those darkest times, when  your strength and mine, are wholly and completely inadequate, but His strength is perfect.

Mark 14: 32-36 (MSG)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Whispers

          We have all experienced the piercing sharpness of a word spoken with the intent to hurt us. There do seem to be those out there that live for the opportunities to judge others, or to spread rumors, whether true or not. The friends we choose in life have access to our trust and the truth that we sometimes do not want to be made public. You don't have to have a deep dark secret of monumental proportions to appreciate the idea that some things are private, and others are hurtful.

          The real question is why? Why do people take pleasure in filling the crowd full of lies or hurtful truths whose only purpose is to be destructive. Why do friends let us down and sell out our trust in them? Why do people we sometimes know and love whisper untruths and slander us to the world? It really is hard to say what the motivation or satisfaction is that comes from these acts. Of course we all make mistakes and say things we shouldn't from time to time, we slip at the wrong moment and divulge something that should have stayed in our heart, but that isn't what I am talking about here. The sin of this world is most evident when we as humans decide to be selfish, or seek power and fame at the expense of others. We use what we know, or what we think others might believe, to manipulate the character and reputation of someone else. Gossip is such a powerful weapon, and a devastatingly cruel means to an end.

          In Psalms 41: 4-7 David cries out to God to help him. David needs God's grace, and though he has made his life into ruins through mistakes and wild, selfish living, David asks God to put it back together again. All the while his enemies are plotting against him, gossiping about him and creating even worse stories to tell than David himself has actually done. The "friends" that are near him and speak to him, come with disingenuous platitudes, and don't mean anything that they say or do for him. They are only there to spy on him and gather more useful things to twist into their stories; or to make sure that they are seen as loyal just in case it helps them to attain their goals and objectives. No one really cares for David, but for God.

           The exception here is a true friend, someone who is there for you, no matter what you're going through. I assure you that these gracious people do exist. When you find one, it is a friendship to cherish. But we must be aware that the ways in which we live, and those whom we associate with, are directly connected with what type of people that we meet. You cannot hope to meet genuine and caring friends if you constantly hang out with people that are abusive in some way, lie to others, "but not to you", or have little sense of right from wrong. Notice very carefully here that I did not list specific places where these types of people might exist.. That's because where you tend to hang out is no guarantee of what type of people that you'll meet. Some people might think a bar will only introduce you to bad, unscrupulous types, but believe me when I tell you, there are just as many liars, cheats, and dishonest people in your local church, as there are at any bar or club. No matter what you have done, or where you have been in life, you've met good and bad people. Those who gossiped about you, and those who treated you like their own family.

          The real question then isn't why people act like this, or why you've been betrayed by a friend or loved one, but more importantly, what you did in response to it? I know that my first thought is to find a way to enact revenge. To get "even" with those who have hurt me or my family. It would have been very easy for David to carry out punishment for those acting against him. His guards could have publicly sought them out for execution, or imprisonment. He could have called his army to defeat a rival and take their land, or quietly poisoned the family of the offending party. But in Psalms 41 it doesn't say anything like that does it? It starts out saying that we should respect those down on their luck and poor, that in doing so, you will feel good about yourself. Even more than that though, when people plot against you, and scheme how to hurt you or slander your name, the best answer is to ignore them and concentrate on how to be a better you. In the case of David, he asks God to help him rise above his enemies. Not in might, but in deeds. That he would flourish in spite of their rumors and false accounts. In this way, David's enemies may have seen a broken and weak man at first, but through his faith and desire to have integrity and honor in his life, they eventually saw a strong and valiant leader; one protected from his foes in battle by a charitable and forgiving God. In fact, that is what God does when He looks at us. He has every right to ignore us, to walk by us as beggars, even enemies, stranded on the road of poverty and hatred. God sets the example for David, and for us. He reaches out to us through mercy and grace, and seeks to find the good in us, and spend time with us. He offered His very life to prove that He was genuine, and nothing short of us telling Him to go away, would ever separate us from his love and attention.

          Though you may never know the motive for others that attack you, or bring false accusations against you to make you look the fool or guilty, you can decide to seek the best in them. The example we are given is to believe in the part of each other that is giving and compassionate. Knowing that some will hurt you, and some will mock you for being naive or clueless, you will have a power over them and a confidence born from the assurance that you look to them as God has looked at all of us throughout the ages; as poor, dirty, and unworthy people, in search of forgiveness and a genuinely forgiving spirit.

          When people talk about you and convict you in the court of public opinion, remember that you are in good company. David spoke of his accusers in Psalms. Moses felt the sting of ungrateful friends and followers, though he continued to follow God's leading, they questioned him and his judgement, even to the point of publicly humiliating him by proposing to go back to Egypt. Jesus was scorned by many "religious" leaders of the day. They were popular leaders in their towns and churches I'm sure. But because Jesus represented something different, or new, they conspired to lie about Him, to accuse Him unfairly, and eventually murdered Him. You cannot predict or control the actions or idle thoughts of others, but you can decide how to respond to it. You can make a difference to the ones closest to you by proving that you believe God's promise to never leave you alone or without His love and mercy. That He will hold you together in any situation of chaos. You can show the people that you work with that you are different through the way that you live your life. Your courage and ethical lifestyle, living in contrast to the world's values that say, "its okay as long as you don't get caught". These are the virtues and promises that protect us from the whispers of the world. Those that lie about us, cheat to win over us, and accuse us, even though the God of the universe has set us free from the guilt of our mistakes. Though you may not yet know how, you can silence them, one day at a time. Living under God's mercy and by His example; loving others, protecting the innocent, and walking through every day as though He was right there, step for step, following along with your life. God does care enough to hear your faintest prayer, and to tolerate when you need to yell, and question why. Why others seem to rejoice in causing you pain, or wish bad things upon you and your life. Bad things done in the secret of silence or the low tones of false friendships are very painful. But just as they can be destructive, God takes the soft and quiet disjointed pieces of our personal destruction and whispers hope and acceptance to our heart; that He loves us just as we are, and in that moment turns what others meant for loss and personal ruin, into our full and successful measure of grace and renewal..

Psalm 41 (msg)

Thunder in the Desert

          Recently, I was reading about a man that had been lost alone in the desert for nine days. His ordeal was surely one that I cannot imagine. The thirst from not having water would make one desperate enough to drink just about anything in order to stay alive. In his story, life saving rain came at just the right moments to keep him alive, when he was too weak to manage for himself. But there were days that came and went, when no rain fell. I'm sure he thought that the end was near many times; that his life's story in this world had come to an end, there in the California desert.
          One of the dictionary's definitions of desert is, 'any place lacking in something'. It sounds so unassuming, yet a place where any and all organisms struggle to survive is not a place to be. Life can be a series of events that range from your happiest day, to being lost in your own desert. Whether it's a desert of failure in school or work, or one of financial ruin. Perhaps the cruelty of human weakness through disease has come to you, or you can't control an addiction that seems to weigh over you like a massive boulder quarried from shame and self-loathing. Each time you see an end to your circumstances and pain, it turns out to be a mirage of lifeless vapor.
          Imagine yourself in the quiet, starlit night of a dry and lifeless place. The sky is intermittent with clouds, and in the distance, you see the faint flashes of lightning at the horizon. The delusion of hope grips your heart again. Days into your ordeal, you are ready to move toward the promise and find out, for certain, if the rain is real or not. After a seemingly eternity of thirst and heat, you long for the drops of wet redemption to touch your burned and aching skin, to wet the tip of your tongue if only to cool it for a while. This is the image of not only a desperate person in a dangerous physical place, but it also describes our lives in those times when we find ourselves in our darkest, driest moments. Those times when our spiritual tongues are dried and cracking from the lack of living water. When we've lost our direction or misplaced our purpose. We wander in our search for what makes us happy, or fulfilled, and yet rarely discover the answer on our own. The desert can be a place of great peril, and even death. So it is spiritually. If we stay in the desolation of a purposeless life, we will eventually die to the ways of good, mercy and hope. The desert will consume us.
          Unlike the man in my story, we do not have to wait and hope that the thunder will bring us spiritual rain. In John 1:19-23, God calls us to be His prelude. To announce that He is coming to a world of desolation and drought with the healing everlasting water. In John 4: 13-14 Jesus tells the woman that His water will forever quench our soul's thirst. In a few short chapters, John tells us that as we wander in our desert we should keep telling others about what God has done in our lives. Even when we are thirsty ourselves, dry and parched, we should point the way to His living water. In fact, I think that we are the most useful to God, when we've come through our own solitary wasteland. When we have seen and felt the sorrow of loosing a loved one, we are ready and trained to help those in need. To come through a life crisis such as the failure of a business, or betrayal of a friend, this is our desolation ordeal, and if we put our faith and resolve in the right place, it makes us a very credible voice to others in similar situations. I'm not saying that you have to die to understand what death means, or that unless you have been divorced, you can't know the feeling of abandonment or failure. Some people are gifted with the ability to empathize with those in need. But for most of us, the experience of life circumstances trains us to know when others truly need our grace and support.
          I believe that the church was called to help fulfill this function, to share with each other's passion and loss, in ways that would strengthen one another. Sadly, many times that seems to be the lacking ingredient as the modern church searches for purpose, instead of hearts. But do not give up on your search for genuine lives being lived with passion and those willing to share what they have experienced and learned from their conflicts. We do not come together to judge or count sins, we come together to find strength, and endurance. Find your place of belonging, where God's message is emanating from hearts full of grace and a natural caring for others, living day to day by His unchanging words and promises.
          If we are to have a chance for others to see our lives as a light of credible understanding, the fact that we have lived the same crisis or tragedy is a big first step. We are to be that thunder in the distance, the hope of good things to come. Seeing our survival, our continued resilience under fire, gives others an example of what may be close at hand for them, if they pursue with diligence the path towards the well of the living water. Our desert is not one of complete desolation, even though many times it does feel that way. There are many today on this journey with us, as well as those who came before and will come after, and we all look to each other for that promise. That hope of thunder in the desert.

John 1:19-23 / John 4: 13-14 (msg)

Our Last Day

Much has been written and said about what we would think of or do, if we knew today was our last day. Life is done, the great beyond begins tomorrow. Period. Would you think first of your children and their lives? Maybe you would write a quick letter to them, telling them that you love them, and impart some sort of lasting wisdom through your final words. For most of us I think, the thought of our last day is not one filled with joy, and suspenseful excitement. We fear those notions of finality. Of taking that next step on our own, where no one can come to our aide, or hold our hand. Although I know, and you should too, that Jesus came into this world so that the exact moment we fear the most, would be His best and most welcome wonder. We will not go into the future life, away from this world of pain and disappointment, alone. The grace and love of Jesus Christ will go with us. Comforting and contagiously helping us know that we are not unattended, but surrounded by family. The heavenly family.

          With that fear settled, and looking back at that last day of your life, what would you do? Who would you talk too or council? I know my own list is long, and probably impractical. Impractical because a day only has twenty four hours in it, and the plans and lists of people and things to see and accomplish would take more time than one twenty-four hour span. Precious time that I wouldn't have left, if it was my last day that is.

Thinking about it, I have come to a simple conclusion. Live every day as if it were your last one. Certainly a cliché, I know, but when I asked you earlier, what you would do, and who you would seek to be with or talk to, you knew as soon as I asked it, that your mind came up with far more things on that kind of list, than you could possibly do in the time given. That it might actually take a lifetime to say and do the things that you felt that you had yet to do. That is absolutely, without a doubt, the correct thinking. It does take a lifetime. You can either make yours a lifetime of blessings and learning from your mistakes, or you can let it weigh you down, repeat wrong after wrong, and leave a life full of regret, loss, and unimaginable sadness. That's really what free will is all about. The freedom to choose right or wrong. But it's more than that. It's also the freedom to do or choose wrong, and then later, choose to make it right, and learn from your experience.

          Even more than choosing to do better, freedom to choose gives us the opportunity to share with others our struggle in things or places where we have been wrong, or perhaps wronged. It allows us to give hope to others and offer them what wisdom that we have learned while we were in that low place. The freedom to choose gives us the chance to experience the greatest blessing in this world that I think there can possibly be. The chance to help someone else that is hurting, or downhearted. To give them a glimpse into what their future could be, by showing them that you have made it past those difficult times. That life can and will get better. Not perfect, but better. You are given the grace of your rescue, to offer the hope of rescue to someone else. This is an experience extremely hard to equal in life.

          In my last day scenario, I see my children grown and strong. Strong in spirit, and in faith. And also in wisdom. The wisdom to see others in need and respond. The righteous intellect of the Samaritan, who gave without wanting anything in return. It is easy to teach your children to be weary of this "evil" world. It's not hard to show them skepticism and have them grow into adults with no respect or morals to bind their thoughts. What is hard, and will be a sign of my success in life, is knowing that my children love God, love others, and live lives worthy of the respect of their peers, with grace, strength, and wisdom.

          Matthew 6:34 says that we should turn our full attention towards what God is doing right now. Don't become worried, or get upset about what may or may not ever come to pass tomorrow or the next day. God is here today, tomorrow and beyond, to help you deal with everything that comes your way, and He'll help you at exactly the right moment.

          That message is repeated in the Bible so many times it isn't hard to find sermon after sermon to substantiate what it says. Do not worry about tomorrow. But for me at least, it just isn't that easy. And what if there wasn't going to be a tomorrow? This seems to be where faith and knowing Jesus personally, fits into the answer column to all of our questions. If we could just know without any doubt, that He was indeed here for our every concern; That He hears our whispering prayers of desperation, and at that moment when this day is your last, He will welcome you with a hug and a warmth that we have only dreamed of in our best of times. Then, at that time, maybe we could know without worry or fear that tomorrow would be fine with or without us. That all of our depression and hiding in dark and quiet spaces would fade away into his presence.

          The reality of all of this is, with our simple acceptance of His gift of forgiveness, and our obedience to do the best that we can to follow Him and His plan for our lives, we open the doorway to the peace and warmth of Heaven's Prince. Though it's hard to wrap our independent human minds around it, God has made a way for us to know Him in a way that can and should, give us the wisdom and the resolve, to trust that when He says He will help us, at just the right moment, He will do what He has promised to do. Realize something for yourself today, each of us has stress and struggle within this world. To each one of us the ability to deal with our hardships comes in different strengths. In other words, what might seem world ending or horrible to you might not seem as bad to someone else. Maybe their struggles look easy to you, you who have never been a day on their path. So most importantly, don't judge or dictate for others what the definition of a crisis is. But offer the hope that comes through knowing Jesus as your best and personal friend.

          On my last day, I hope that I have lived life, like every day mattered. That I didn't waste opportunities to help others when I was called to be there for them. I pray that I have done everything that I can to show my children that faith and family, and the loyalty to it, cannot be over emphasized. That how I lived was my testimony to what and who I believe in. On that day, I want my wife and children to know that they were loved without measure, and my friends to know that they were cherished and enjoyed. You see the list can be quite definable, when your priorities are where God aligns them, and not where our selfish hearts put them. Examining that outcome for myself, I would say that I have some work to do. That I often fall short of living out what I just wrote. Maybe you do too. But God knows our shortcomings. He wants to see us succeed, but He is all too ready to help us up when we fall.

          Maybe today we can all take a step towards the goal of not worrying about something that hasn't yet happened. Taking one step of faith at a time, both you and I, can learn to trust that God does do what He says that He will do. Matthew 6:34 says it; God will help you deal with whatever hard things come to you, when that time comes. Whether it is a school final that we didn't study for, bills that we can't afford, the loss of a job, or the loss of a loved one, He will be there at just the right time, if we trust Him. And know, that the future will still be in His hands, on our last day.

Matthew 6:34 Msg

Solitude

     Having time alone, being by yourself can be a good thing. Sometimes we think better when we're not interrupted, or distracted by the noises that come with living a normal life. The extreme version of this solo lifestyle can be desolate and lonely. Movies often depict certain characters, thrust into living alone on deserted islands, talking to themselves, or inanimate objects to pass the time. In some ways, that can be the experience for a lot of us that are not actually alone on an island, but spiritually and emotionally feel alone in some part of our life. Whether you're a single person wondering if the "right" one will ever come along. Or your life in the church has left you feeling like an outsider because you don't have that "connection" or gift that everyone else seems to have. You may be a hard working person at a job that has given you very little inspiration or credit for how good you are at what you do. I am quite sure that I could keep on writing one scenario after another with this same theme appearing over an over, the question of being "alone", even when it's just a perception, not a physical fact. I certainly know some of these experiences on a very personal level. Hopefully, you don't feel perpetually stuck in one of them, because that is when the most damaging effects seem to occur. Those are the people that give up, and decide that life isn't worth living anymore.
     The good news is this, there is company for those lonely times. You and I do not have to face the desolate times alone. And no, they do not last a life time if we know where to look for the oasis. In fact, most people that have been lost and are successfully found do something proactive to make their-self visible to the searchers. In other words, would it make sense if you were lost to dig a hole, climb in and cover yourself up? Just sitting there hoping someone stumbled across your exact location so that you could be found.. Of course it wouldn't. But it has been my experience that when I felt alone, and lost emotionally, the thing that I most wanted to do was hide, and not be seen. To get further away from anything and anyone that might hurt me, or help me. I'm sure that I am not alone in that feeling. But looking at it right now, with the comparison of really being physically lost, and wanting to be found, doesn't our natural response leave little to no room for success? I hope this reaches you in a way that changes your perspective the next time that you have those feelings. That somewhere inside your heart, you realize that you really want to be found, and helped. But for that to happen, we cannot hide in our own desolation.
     In Isaiah 57, most versions of the Bible use the word contrite, meaning to be filled with guilt and remorse, longing for atonement. Atonement that comes through the forgiveness and grace of Jesus. But that verse says a lot more. It directly points toward an answer to what we've been discussing. In the Message of Isaiah 57: 15 it says, I am the God of Heaven. From the highest of heights, to lowest of all, the low in spirit, I put new spirit in them, and help them to stand up again. If you're looking to be found, or need a renewal in your body, mind or spirit, God himself says that He will do that for you. That he looks for the downtrodden and crushed in order to put new life into them. Does anyone else find that mind-blowing? God says when you are low, when you are in that desolate place of despair and personal destruction, He will put new life, and a new spirit into you. There is no reason to dig a hole, climb in and hide. You are promised renewal, and a new spirit. I don't know what that means for everyone, but it sounds better than never being found. Which is what will happen if we stay in our solitude, hiding. But if, like a lost hiker who wants to be found, we get proactive and make ourselves visible, we leave trail markers, or build that big smoke signal, if we call out for Him to help us, then God has promised to do just that. The promise isn't to make all of our problems go away. It isn't to pay off our bills or take away our sicknesses. The promise is to renew our spirit, and lift us back to our feet.
     Have you ever just fallen flat on your face spiritually or emotionally? I have, it isn't fun or pretty. And at the time, I wasn't really sure what to do to get out of that cloud. It felt lonely, even though I wasn't alone. I felt like a failure, even though that wasn't altogether true. It felt as though it would never end and I was doomed to the deserted island. Alone. But a small voice within my spirit eventually whispered to me that I could never be fully alone. That Jesus had promised never to leave me. And in Isaiah 15, God Himself also promised that as low as I got, as destroyed as I felt, no matter what had happened, He was there to put new life into me, and to pick me up onto my feet. Solitude may be a good way to get alone to pray, or study, or even just enjoy nature and the beauty around us at times, but it is not a punishment that God ever asks us to endure.
     If you are feeling alone, make yourself visible, call out to God. Don't hide. If you're single, God has that perfect companion in mind for you, and He will be with you in the search. If you long to find a church that loves you, and makes you feel like you are family, don't dig a hole and hide, reach out to God, talk to Him. Then do what the lost hiker does, seek the best direction to travel in so that you can be found. If you are that worker that isn't feeling the respect that should be afforded to you, or the promotion that could have been yours remember this, you are different from the world. As Christians we live in the world, but are called to act, look and be different. So don't complain. Work as hard as ever, and put in your time as though God was your employer. God's plan could be bigger than you think. Whatever your desolation, the loss of a loved one, financial ruin, drug or physical abuse, stress from pushing every day to it's limits, remember the words that God spoke in Isaiah, when you are low and crushed in spirit, and in your solitude, God will meet you right there. And in that moment, He will renew your fading hope through the light of His amazing truth and love for His creation. He has promised to pick you up, and help you stand.

(The Message: Isaiah 57:15)