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

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)

Foxhole Faith

     Everyone knows the saying, "there are no atheists in foxholes". Especially when you're in battle; under fire, about to be overrun, and feeling the 'end' is near. Impending defeat from a fierce enemy has a way of speeding up the soul searching that we do to find our purpose, our reason for living. Often that battlefield searching within ourselves reveals a need to believe in a power, an order, beyond what we see and know here in this world. The call goes out to God, save me, or take care of my family. In crisis mode, when things are as bad as the soldier thinks they can get, faith in God is natural, easy, and outright compulsory.

     In our desperate times, we too turn to God, whether it's to save us from something we've done to ourselves, or from what danger someone is about to impose on us. We shout to God when we think He has been unfair to you or subjected a loved one to an illness. Or when a family member or friend is taken to heaven. Even as believers, there are times that we do not seek God until we are frantic enough to admit that we cannot solve the problem on our own. Issues big and small, crisis that are life-threatening or not, each of us has a threshold, an ability to cope, that once reached forces us to seek a source of deliverance beyond ourselves.

Foxholes can hasten your belief in God,

they can even inspire you to reach out to Him for absolution.

But they can also be a great place to hide

     I see two kinds of Christians in foxholes. The new Christians, that just realized how much they need God and are accepting God's grace at light speed because of their immediate need. And the Christian that has known God's grace and forgiveness over and over. The tired and worn Christian, that obeys and takes up the arms of the battle only to find that they can't go on. Exhausted, used up, consumed and eaten alive by the "religious commandos" of the church Pharisee squad, they hide. They hunker-down and take cover, just in sight of grace, but not quite under its full power and forgiveness. Afraid to move, paralyzed by fear, shame, or the ridicule of others. This is a very scary place. To know that you need to move towards God, but not have the ability to move. To see the Savior at a distance, but not believe that He is here to care for you.

     Foxholes are also full of dead soldiers. Those that never found a way out. That didn't believe that they could be saved, or that God could forgive them. This is the condition that I seek to help you and I avoid. We all struggle with acceptance, and self-worth at some point. We think that we've fallen too far or done too many bad things. That we have already chosen our path, and it's too late to change it. The good news is that God doesn't give up on us when we fall. His love is unlike anything we experience here in this world, and his forgiveness stretches farther than you have ever been. Most of His chosen men fell upon doubt and disbelief when Jesus was crucified. As with us, they failed. But God had a plan for them, and though some of them hid in their foxholes waiting for the battle to calm down, grace came to them where they were. You see, those in the foxholes who die because they are too afraid or conditioned to believe that they can make it from where they are to where God is, fail to realize one thing.

Grace meets us where we are

     Scars, defeats, sickness, addictions and all, God sends the might of His generosity and compassion to our hiding place. It pierces the darkness of our lonely struggle to believe that we aren't alone in our foxhole. The truth is that He is as near as the air that we breathe. The deeper you dig, the harder it is to see out of your hole. Don't stop looking for God to answer your call. Don't ever stop. The good news I want you to know is this; He has already answered your call. Before you were in trouble. Before you knew that you needed Him, and before you were born into this world, He loved you and wanted you to know Him. Hiding in your foxhole or not, He has a purpose for your life, and He will meet you on your battlefield. You are the front line and the last line of God's enduring mission to reveal Himself to each of us, through good times and bad. Seen or unseen, He is within reach; do not lose faith. Close your eyes and touch the hem of His mercy and forgiveness as He answers your call, reach out and you will be renewed.

Giants

   Most likely we all know the story of David and Goliath. A young boy, not particularly large in stature, defeats the mightiest worrier of a fierce enemy. What David lacked in size, he made up for in faith. Some would say that the story of David against the giant is just that, a story. A parable, told to energize the masses, and motivate the outmatched armies throughout history. Regardless of what you believe, it is a story told of an undeniably courageous young man, whose faith in his God was stronger than his self doubt and fear. When everyone around him was at a loss for what to do, or where to run, he knew exactly who would give him the strength and wisdom to slay Goliath. For David, it was a life changing experience. His trust in God, brought out the real leader in him, and eventually lead to his procession to the throne.
    Every day, each of us battle against our own 'giant'. Illness, addiction, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, the list is endless, and the pain it represents is devastating. It's how we choose to address this giant of ours that sets us apart from the rest of the world. I usually choose to face my battles head on, but some of them you never see coming. Courage and faith can be powerful allies when you are at war with depression, indecision, or fear; when placed in the right hands they help us to rise above our weakness. God says he will never forget about us, that he will never leave us all alone, and always wants the best for us. With that in mind, those 'giants' don't seem as huge or indestructible, but they are still in our lives. God doesn't always remove our pain, or rescue us from the situation that we are in, but He does promise to help us in it, to carry us through it if necessary. I occasionally imagine that as we struggle with pain or loss, Jesus is right there crying with us tear for tear. Not that He is helpless like we think we are, but because He understands our sadness, and doubt, and He knows that grief and expressing those feelings, is part of the process of dealing with them.
     The good news is that we don't have to be frozen in place by life's anxieties, or crippled by fear of the unknown. David placed his trust in a God that he knew, without a doubt, had his back. He may not have known how he would be able to triumph against the bully, but he knew that God called him to try. In our lives, I think that's the important thought, God calls us to believe in Him, have faith, and try. It's not a guarantee that all your problems will go away, David's didn't. However faith does come with a promise that you are not alone in your trials, and a very loving friend in Jesus, the Son of God Himself, will be at your side for every step of of your journey.
     We will all face tests of our faith, and trials of suffering, grief or doubt; the question is, will you follow the example of a small boy serving God against the odds to conquer his battle, or will you go it all alone. Being a strong-willed child, I have attempted the "all alone" method many times, and I can tell you, it has never ended well. It usually ends up with me in a bigger mess than when I started, and I still need someones help to get out of it. Our life is full of times when we feel that our problems and situations are too big for us to deal with, and that is true. But as children of God we are not left to deal with anything on our own, and nothing is too big (or small) for God. All of our struggles, victories and failures, God uses to make us stronger. He molds us through each experience into to men and women that He wants us to be; someone that He can then use to bring someone else closer to Him. Take courage and have faith, when you are the most fearful and full of doubt, remember that God is just a prayer away to help you face your giant.

1 Samuel 17:45 (MES)
Randy

(revised 6-18-2016 - originally written: 2012)