Sightseer

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

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

Lord, help me not to be a Daytripper Christian.

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

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

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

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

           

Mathew 5,6 &7 MSG

Sermon on the Mount

A Child at Heart

 Mark 10: 13-16          

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ShoeBox Thoughts- Kindle Give-Away

UPDATE

THIS PROMOTION IS OVER

LOOK FOR NEW OFFERS SOON

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

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

Here is the link to the ShoeBox Thoughts Kindle page

Thank you for sharing the stories of the ShoeBox.

~ Randy

Carousel

Colorful horses galloping around in beautifully synchronized herds. Brightly painted structures with lights and loud sounds of joy and laughter; benches and rest for the tired and feeble to rest yet still be part of the group. You might think I am describing a race track, or park somewhere in the past, with horses and carriage rides as part of the day's normal series of events. Actually, I am thinking more along the lines of the great carousels that used to dot the countryside a few decades ago. If you look closely, you will still see a few grand ones here and there. From really large and extravagantly decorated ones in the popular theme parks to the modest few that you find at the country fair, carousels are still a popular ride with the young and old alike. Lines to ride them are full of every race, age, and personality type. Interestingly enough, the ride isn't just about one kind of horse or pony or one particular color. There are ponies that are dancing wildly and ones that look to be walking peacefully, and everything in-between. When you get on the ride, you search for just the right one, and suddenly, there it is. There isn't a way to describe it, maybe it's your favorite color, or the look painted on the horses face; perhaps it's just a mad rush to find an empty one. What about the real carousel with the two benches on it? Why the bench? Isn't this about the fast animals, and enjoying the "ride" and the wind? It seems that not everyone is ready, or able to sit in the saddle.

    When I look at my life some days, it feels a lot like a carousel of craziness. A merry-go-round of work, kids, volunteerism, after-school sports, taking care of loved ones, and on and on. As young adults, we stand in line waiting for our chance to mount our life's steed. We pick the color and the type of "life" we think that we will lead, but in reality, most of the time, it's just a mad rush to find an open ride, to find our path onto, and around, the carousel of life. Wouldn't it be good just sometime, to sit on the bench? You see, sitting on this bench isn't like being out of the game, this bench is on the ride, just a little more laid back than the "mounted horses" part of life. I can certainly attest to my life being busy like that, too rushed to find a way to enjoy the view. I keep waiting for it to slow down so I can catch my breath, or change my position, but as we all know, you can't move around until the ride comes to a full and complete stop, and life rarely does.

    The really interesting part that I learned about carousels was this, if you found yourself a little sick or dizzy, you could look at the center of the machine. This part usually housed the moving engine mechanisms. Sometimes it even held the organs and musical equipment of the older types; but best of all, it always seemed that it was just barely moving, in relation to the rest of the surroundings. With all of the outside structure rushing around, one horse chasing the horse in front of the other, the center of the whole thing seemed to move slowly, and with purpose. Focusing on this would give you less sense of movement, and it always helped me to feel better when I started getting green from going in circles.

    If your life is a spiral of out of control dizziness and unobtainable goals, even a small part of the time, maybe it is time to focus on the center of your life. When you look at where your values and central thoughts lie, what do you find? Do you see your job, your impressive new car, or maybe your kid's latest sports schedule? Do you see the long list of needs or debt piling up? Let's imagine for a minute what God thinks of that picture. 

  

ShoeBox Thoughts - The Book, it's here

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

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

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

UPDATE 12/5/2017:

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

Use this link to visit Amazon to buy your copy today

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

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

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

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

God’s mercy and blessing be with you all.

Randy

Perfect Pitch

A Story of Worship

  Whether it is the off-key voice of the person behind you on Sunday morning, the guitar solo that wasn't so hot, or the muffled sound of the voice from stage singing a song you've never heard before, how do you perceive the noise we call worship? Can you hear the beauty in it's offering, or are you the judge of its ineptitude? Worship has many different styles and even more methods of delivery and presentation. Most people think of music when we talk about worship, with many churches all over the world hiring a guy or gal that we refer to as the worship leader, but do we look at our worship as their job to create and administer the worship time? To manage what is said and done, to direct the church body into a position and realm of worshipful expression. Perhaps for the corporate time together that answer is mostly yes.
  Yet worship is so much more than people getting together to sing songs, whether flashy lights and loud music is your thing, or you pine over the soft and subtle folk sound of acoustic everything, maybe you prefer the realism of no sound system and just enjoy the harmony of voices bringing life back to the hymnal. None of these are wrong, or better than and more pleasing to God than the other. As a former worship leader, and longtime sound engineer, concert producer, and rock singer at heart, I have my tastes for what I like to hear on Saturday night or Sunday morning. But is that all there is to worship? The sights, sounds and endless opinions. I think that we have focused far too much on the style differences and have forgotten, or at least minimized the real purpose and motive of worship.
Worship has a purpose behind it in this world, just as life has been a series of changes and learning experiences, worship isn't something that you master on the first try. Although it's purpose is one of expression, the ultimate reason for it is far beyond this world. As a famous science fiction movie line once said, and I will paraphrase into the realm of worship to make my point, worship surrounds us, it binds us together, it helps us to see through eyes that are not our own. It is the light that we share with one another, an ally when we are alone, and as a little green guy once said, a powerful ally it is. Okay, so enough with the movie thoughts, but they are pretty powerful thoughts when you put them into the real world in which we live. While many of us think that we might enjoy being a movie hero and having special powers, how many of us develop the special powers and gifts promised to us by God through His word? Some of God's gifts would surely seem extra-special if we were to suddenly start healing people with a simple word or touch. Or perhaps healing the emotional issues on the inside that we all seem to suffer through would be an even greater feat. Imagine a church body full of believers that have prayed their way through the hardships of their own ragged lives, a group of people who have learned the full value of grace and forgiveness. People who might even have discovered the destructive power of loveless judgment and conceit, and find no room for it in their group and individual lives. A truly special power that would be.
  Worship without the distractions of failure and doubt, where everyone is valued and the stories of life tell of our undeniable need to ask God to form us into His likeness. Letting the past be the past, and removing the scales from our eyes, the inability to see life and others through the eyes of a loving Father. One who grieves when we are resistant, but One who party's with all of His creation when we come to Him and say, "I need you, I am sorry for making a mess of my life, please take over and guide me in the path that leads me to the heart of your perfect love, help me to hear the voice of that ally which you have sent to be with us. Through your grace and mercy, remake my heart into your heart, and show me the purpose and pathway to true worship". There are many words that you could say and have the same meaning, don't get hung up on the words of your prayer, it is your heart that matters to God. He knows it well, and if you're sincere with Him, the words that you use won't matter.
  Worship to me is far more than a song, or music; it's a state of being. A mindset that we need to use to talk to and visit with God. Before you theologians seek to reprimand me over what biblical purposes are called out for worship; yes, I agree that it is to exalt Him as Lord and as such it is an offering not always a two-way conversation, (at least the Pharisaical friends that I know like to point that out), but I believe if you look at worship as a single directional state of being, then you are missing out on the truly powerful message of the gospel. Jesus was very clear that our relationship with God was a personal one. Not something that could be done by remote or through an intermediary, but through time spent together. Having the knowledge of what each other is thinking and what their plans are. Certainly, we have reverence for God and His position as Lord of lords, over everything earth and sky, but He hugs us through His spirit, comforts us when we're sad, and enjoys every minute that we spend in His presence. As we intertwine our lives with His, we become a bound force, a shared power flows from Him through us, changing our darkened hearts into beacons of light. And though we have our faults and weaknesses, His light and His grace continue to burn through our messy lives, casting light into our shadows and failures.
  Normal three-dimensional thinking just cannot explain this connection that we have with Him. It is definitely difficult to explain to someone that hasn't at least attempted to experience it for themselves. The wonderful and inexplicable part is that He seeks our hearts to be one with His. For us to find a relationship with Him, through our rags and dirty mess of a life, He doesn't seek to judge that; What He does seek to do is celebrate our homecoming, our release back to Him that which He created, us. Worship is surely not about being a great singer, or fabulous guitar player, those people are fun, and I love to hang out with them and hear them use their gifts for praising God and sometimes just entertaining people. It isn't about how big a church building you have, or whether or not you have moving lights in your service. New songs or old hymns, Leslie organ, or keyboards and strings, let those arguments go. That isn't worshiping. It's about your heart? Are you conversing with God and getting to know His heart, or just judging the surroundings when you go to church. Don't wait for service times to worship, if you do, you're missing out on all of the time you could be spending with Him. Worship is every day, small minutes of your time, saying hello and thank you to Him for your blessings that very moment. Talking to Him during the first half of a walk, then listening to Him for the second half. I know that sounds a lot like prayer, maybe it is. The point I want to make is that worship is a lifestyle, a thought process that will help to bind your heart to God's. Maybe it's a prayer of worship and thankfulness: talking, singing, thinking of beautiful things. I look at those times as worship, agreeing with Him that I appreciate His creation and long to be more like He intended me to be. Worship isn't about having perfect pitch and singing like an angel, worship is about using what you have to enter into a relationship with God so that you can recognize His leading and influence in your life. And truly, what could be better than knowing that you have the ear of God when you call to Him and that He is as close as your breath when you need Him most. Off key or not, with my mouth or my hands, I will keep looking for ways to worship Him until I can do it in person.

Gloriously Gifted

I could use countless illustrations to compare ordinary people to each other. Colors of hair, skin, or even clothes are all differences that set us apart. However, our similarities far outweigh those differences, bodies of one over-all race, human. For now, I want to compare the makeup of the church body to our human bodies. If you aren't even sure about all of this talk of Jesus, and "being saved", lend me your ear for just a few more moments, what I am about to say isn't just for the churchy people. It's about our importance and self-worth in a world that takes no prisoners when it comes to low self esteem or braggadocios, better-than-thou behavior. Both extremes are dangerous, depressing, and far from your real purpose in life.
Equality and tolerance, we hear these words a lot these days, and more often than not, in a description of how someone is not acting, rather than how they are. Why is it that we, as a race of somewhat intellectually developed beings, can't treat each other with consistent mercy and grace, while respecting our differences? Prepare yourself for a sophisticated and highly controversial proverb, because no one is perfect! I know, disappointing isn't it? The worlds problems cannot really be that simple can they?
When you mix together millions of imperfect people from varying backgrounds, stir in a few different religions, and then separate them in geographic areas that create very opposing societies, you end up with power struggles, greed, enslavement, poverty, class warfare, property disputes. This list is as long as it's peoples heritage. The people of earth are, at their core, very flawed. We want what others have, take what is not ours, devalue our own worth, and shame others for things in their lives more public than our own.
Whether you are a mature Christian and life-long church-going Pharisee supreme, or just a struggling failed human of the doubting and fearful nature like most of us, let me illustrate how we overcome these ingrained tendencies, and why we need each other so much. If you take a look at your own body, a quick inventory will confirm that most of us are born with legs, arms, eyes, ears, a heart, lungs, liver and so on. If you are a great musician, then maybe your hands are very gifted at the keys of a piano, or the bow of a beautiful violin. Perhaps you're a fabulous track star or a football standout, and your legs are your winning quality. As a producer and sound engineer, my ears, and the knowledge of what I am hearing and how to manipulate sounds, makes my ears valuable to a great sound production.
Now lets take those thoughts and put them into this perspective, are any of those parts more important than the others? I'm sure that in dangerous situations, we would protect our gifted parts, appendages and organs; if you lost an arm, you could still live, but if you lost your liver you would need a replacement to be sure. The loss of a leg or a foot is devastating, but we can learn to live without it. If you lose your stomach or your lungs, your not going to survive without major intervention and replacements. What I am trying to point out here is this, all of these things are part of your body. Some look very important from the outside. Hands that make beautiful music, eyes that see the perfect colors of a landscape. But without the whole body, without your liver, heart, lungs and all of the other vital organs that work to keep you alive in quiet unison with the rest of your body, you not only could not function, you would be dead.
This is exactly how it is in the world of people. Some of us are called to be feet. In other words we go out into the world to do our work, which is sometimes our mission. Some of us are a mouth, we speak or teach about our passion. There are hands and arms to make music and learn skills, to do the things that need a personal and integrated touch. But then there are the people that are the heart; they supply the fire and passion to go and to build. The lungs, people that help us breath in the beauty all around us, that keep us human by taking the time to extract the oxygen of life into our system. All of us have a combined and purposeful life that is integrated with the lives of those around us. Knowing this, it is really ridiculous to think about how some people act, thinking of themselves as superior to those around them in some way, whether it's race, gender, or brains. Can a foot see the beauty of a sunset? Wouldn't the eyes do that job better? And a hand cannot convert your food into energy as your stomach and systems do.
Unfortunately, most of the world doesn't think that they need anyone beside themselves. The selfish nature of imperfect people is a hard habit to break. But even more disappointing is that our churches have invited in a model of judgement, one that says this kind of person is more valuable as a member than that kind of person. Or they elevate the gift of one person as more "mature in God" than another. I don't intend to argue which gifts are more valuable than others with you, besides, the non-Christians might still be reading along. All of us should look again at 1st Corinthians 12, and then ask ourselves if we still need to argue about this question at all. In this chapter, we find the author explaining where  gifts come from and who is behind the decision to give what to whom. Verse 4 explains that His varying gifts are handed out all over, but they all originate from God's spirit. God's ministries and displays of power are in obvious action around us every day, but God Himself is behind every single one. Each of us is given a tool or something to do, that shows others who God is. All of us, in amazing variety, is handed something by the spirit of God, to some it's wise counsel or clarity to understand life's issues. To others he hands the ability to heal the sick, or perform miracles, or perhaps just be a good listener, and a trusting ear. Still there are those who are gifted to proclaim God's messages, call out spirits, speak in tongues, and those that interpret those things as well. All of these are from God, but are gifted to us individually, by His will, so that we can use them to gloriously bring praise and acknowledgement to Him. If that is a little too religious sounding for you. it means that God grants us these individual gifts not to make us look good, but to serve others. Serve. The idea isn't to categorize them and decide which ones are better than others. No. It's pretty simple if you will check your ego at the door.
The gift God grants to you isn't about you. It's about making you something more than you were before you asked Him to help you grow, and change into a person more like Him. As ragamuffins, we have nothing that He could want when it comes to talents or things. What He wants is your willingness. Willingness to show others grace and love. Willingness to share your gift of leadership or healing. He wants to set you apart from who you were without Him.
Certainly I write to you not as a scholar or a PhD, not even a preaching pastor with a sizable church to prove my important status. But I write to us both, because God has called me to do it, and the gift that He has handed out to me asks me to bring others the healing and merciful good news that He knows our imperfections. He knows that you aren't always right, and that you have made some really dumb decisions in your life. You know what, so has everyone else. The hand and the foot have been wrong, just like the lungs, eyes and mouth. Our existence here starts out as one of failure and defeat, but as beggars often do, we have found a safe place to eat and to sleep. A place that gives us rest, and helps us to find footing again.
God knows and expects us to all be different. What a shame when we put others down for not meeting our expectations. He calls us to love every ragamuffin in His creation. Their choices and lifestyles may be different, and honestly, might even be offensive to us in some ways, but real judgement is the Lord's. I don't remember ever reading about God handing out the gift of judgement. But love, grace, forgiveness, respect, and mercy, those actions could change the world around us in profound ways. Every day, in our walk through this life, God asks from us, whom He calls His children, to display that which He has richly blessed us with. Each of us, are His gloriously gifted.

1st Corinthians 12  (Msg)

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)

Revision

  We live in an era where the family structure has taken a beating with the popular opinion that "it takes a village" and not necessarily good parents to raise and train our children. While I don't deny that good mentors and even a few great teachers along the way taught me some important things about life and myself, the thought that I am talking about here are parents that relinquish or even shrug their responsibility to nurture and raise their children to be the best that they can be. I am always shocked to hear people agree that parenting today is harder than ever and that they welcome the influence and uninhibited input from our schools and media. I may be wrong, but looking back in my family's past, I see plenty of tough times. My parents came from relatively poor families, and as kids, my brothers and I had to work for things that we wanted. Extravagance was never part of our lives. So it seems perspective makes a big difference when you are looking at your surroundings, both financial and spiritual. As small children, we all learn our value and self-worth in a few short years. We pick up the mannerisms and habits of our parents or guardians, good and bad. If you have ever struggled with your self-image, an addiction, or abusive behavior because of what you learned as a child, then the rest of this message is focused for our mutual thought and healing.

     What formula in life can take children who overcome a family history of drug and alcohol abuse or physical and mental exploitation, and lead them to become happy and healthy adults, seemingly free from the hereditary hangups of their past? How do you take a tragically bad memory, learn and grow from it, without digging it up all the time? Just referring to it in a discussion can seem to cause us to relive it again and again. My mom and dad both came from families where alcohol and the abusive behavior of their fathers were almost considered normal. Neither my mom or my dad brought up those bad times very often, most of the time they only referred to their families' in good ways and how they had learned from the bad experiences that they never wanted to burden their children with such pain. And they never did.

     They were so convinced that they could alter who they were, that they took what were sometimes extreme measures, to make sure that the example that they set for us boys was not one filled with the same abuses that they had grown up with. They began by first dealing with their own lives. I think they decided that if they didn't have those things in their lives, then we would learn that it wasn't necessary to have them in ours either. Within their self-examinations, they also returned to roots involving the church and began to seek out God. Both of my grandmothers were very good women; although my mother's mother admitted that she wasn't a very good judge of men, married four times and eight children; one day as a young boy I asked her if she was ever going to get married again, without any time to consider the answer, she retorted, "I surely don't need another man in my life". For all of my life, and until her passing, she was true to her word. My father's mother was a very religious and kind spirit, she provided the very early dialog that pointed my mom and dad towards the church. I think that was the final step for them in finding what could make a difference in changing their life... Eventually, they found and started to attend a very actively growing and friendly church. In the lives of my brothers and myself, that church and the determination that my mother and father had to change their lives for the better, created a paradigm shift within our family, one that would change the course of who and how my brothers and I grew up. Certainly, we were not perfect, we made our share of mistakes and got ourselves into plenty of trouble, and still do on occasion. However we all grew up to find success; success in business, success in marriage, and success with our families and children. How can you look at that outcome and not realize that mom and dad had really figured out something big?

     You may find yourself being that person who needs to do the changing, or you may be the one hoping to live through something horrible and are simply trying to survive. I encourage you to find something positive and real, not fantasy or a temporary fix, to put in your field of emotional and spiritual vision. Try not to focus too much on what is painful or wrong in your life; instead, seek out the One who made every part of you. The creator of who and how you are. It may seem overly simple, but God does have a plan for you, and it isn't being abused or abusing others, or yourself. I don't want to talk specifics about steps to success here, there are plenty of groups and organizations out there that do that. I am talking to you directly and saying, we all have our life moments when we have to rise above the noise that is the evil and sorrow of this world. My point here is simply to reaffirm to you that it is possible to overcome such adversities. Regardless of the method that you choose to make change happen, be encouraged that success is within your grasp. Remember that you may not be able to change your past, but you can decide that your future will be different. You choose each pathway in your life, and how you choose will determine not only your destination but the legacy you leave when you're gone.

     There are so many self-help books out there, and slickly advertised plans that are guaranteed to "fix" your life and make you happy, it boggles the mind to think about the money we all spend, trying to find that permanent fix to our addictions, depression or failed marriages. But it's like someone who's trying to quit smoking. They can chew the special gum, get hypnotized, wear a hidden patch, or go to meetings with other smokers that all talk about quitting in-between "smoke" breaks, but until they decide to quit, until that, "I'm quitting right now" moment comes to them, most of these other answers will be short-lived and ineffective. That said, let's look at our own lives, the real picture of it, not the mask we wear in public, at church or to work. Maybe you always feel overwhelmed with mountains of depression or an addiction that controls your every train of thought; In the quiet of your own heart, and without the distractions of your life crowding inward, ask yourself for an honest answer to this question, do you really want to make a change? Is it time for a paradigm shift in your life? If so, then now may just be your time to put your mind, heart, and soul at work together toward a common goal, to make the things you need to change in your life, become reality.

  Start by seeking God. Have a conversation with Him, and be honest. Pray for strength and wisdom to identify the habits and the people in your life that need to change, or completely be rid of. Sometimes we hang on to people and things that just remind us of where we have failed. Choose those whom you can talk to, and don't just dump on them, listen; and be open to the thinking that you can change. To be clear, I am not saying that everything or anything is your fault. Change sometimes means that we are giving others too much responsibility in our lives. There are far too many avenues to explore here to usher in a new you in this short message, but if I can keep it simple and just say, God understands who you are. He knows your habits, and how hard it is to put them down. All He asks of you is to try. To seek help where it can do you good. Find friends and a church that makes a difference in your life, one where you are moved to stretch your spiritual legs and grow. Real followers of Christ, Christians, are still at best, sinners. So don't put anyone on a pedestal. Live in His grace, it is free, and it's the only secure path to finding peace. Learn to love yourself in spite of what you see in the mirror of your memories. God's forgiveness is fathomless, that means as far as it is from the earth to the sky, and then a thousand times more, He has forgotten your failures. Choose to end your addictions, abuses and bad habits and give them over to His love and grace. That probably will not be an easy thing, it usually isn't, but it is a worthwhile endeavor. You and your family can start today on your path of deliverance from whatever separates you from the perfect path God has chosen for you. Do not give up when you fail. The disciples failed, lied and hid-out to save themselves during their painful learning process, and God picked them up, dusted them off and helped them to become more than they could ever dream. You can live a life of purpose, overcome your past and its hold on you, but the first step is yours, you have to seek God and accept the grace and love that He will pour out on you. It's not easy, I know all to well the trap of fear and complacency when it comes to change, but the joy and freedom that will come from winning this battle, and the story you will have to share with others that suffer from the same trials you have won victory over, will shine the light of glorious transformation over your life, and prove beyond a doubt, that God is a God of renewal and revision for the beggar standing at the doorway of grace.

Peace

  The dictionary says this about peace, that it's the state of tranquility or quiet; a place of security and freedom from oppressive thought; being in harmony and without the aggression of war, or disagreement. Take a journey with me and imagine yourself on a wooded pathway, the trees filter the sunlight through to the ground, and a wisp of mist floats above the ground cover, with its multicolored flowers sprouting from vines and bushes, so beautifully placed that it appears that a gardener had planted them there just for the ones on the path to enjoy.
     Standing alone and quiet, you close your eyes to hear the sounds of nature all around you. The chorus of birds chirping on the branches above you, the slow and gently warming breeze flowing around your body, and through the grasses and ferns on the forest floor. The faint sound of a small distant waterfall as it flows gracefully to the stream winding through these woods. You walk slowly along the dirt path, running your hands over the branches of the tiny trees as they learn to grow skyward and join their family of giants. Just for one moment, there is no rush from work, no bill to pay, no sick child to tend. No telemarketer on your phone, or leaking faucet in your house dripping to remind you that your list of honey do's is growing by the day. Only the sounds of the birds, the wind, and your footsteps break the silence. There are only you and the sights, smells, and sounds of peace.
  I wish this kind of place and peace were that easy to find whenever we needed it. In fact, the older I get, the more that I find that I need it, and seemingly the harder it is to be found. If your life lacks peace and tranquility, then we are in the same boat. Maybe we have missed the opportunities that God provides to us for finding our daily retreat, by lacking the vision to see it when it comes along. If we are so focused on success that we miss our children's laughter or musical number that they perform for us, perhaps we miss Gods invitation to enjoy the flowers of peace. Have you ever made plans to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with a book, or the paper? How often do these plans work out? In our desperation and desolate hour, we call out to God for deliverance, but have we regularly called out to Him in real praise? Our busy lives and the temptation to have success at any cost will most certainly derail any opportunity God puts in front of us to enjoy the flight of the birds through the treetops, or feel the warmth of the afternoon breeze through our wooded meadow. I find myself guilty of these distractions as any of you. Not that I've given it all for success in business, actually I gave up my personal business to spend more time with my family years ago. But I allowed other things to slowly work their way into powerful positions in my life's schedule. Some of these were church and ministry-related, so I told myself that God called me to do it, therefore, the sacrifice was divine. Be very careful with that line in your life. God can and does call us to sacrifice for His work, but rarely have I seen that sacrifice come through the cost of our families, and friends worth. I say to us all, guard against being too busy or "called". Serve your family first, for if you lose that battlefront to the enemy, what will the rest of your life's work mean when you're called home.

If you need peace as a regular part of your life as I do,then you must first learn to seek it, accept it and finally enjoy it.

     It hasn't been that easy for me to find and I bet the same can be said for you in your life. when we need it the most, we are often too far from it to see it. This is where the seeking part comes in. In John 14: 25 - 27 Jesus is trying to explain that He is leaving the apostles. That the plan of His destiny had already been set into motion, and that He should follow the Father's will right down to the very last detail. From Palm Sunday right through the rest of the week, He was following the plan of God. So obedience and a faithful heart are at the core of serving God, but peace, how do we seek peace? That same passage goes on to quote Jesus saying, "This friend of mine, the Holy Spirit who will be sent by my Father because I have asked Him too, will make your eyes to see all of the things that I have talked to you about, remind you of every word, every council, and every story. I am leaving you in the very best of hands, complete and connected as whole children of a loving and grace-filled God. That is my going away gift to you, Peace. I don't go away leaving you the way that I found you, alone, abandoned and void of the knowledge of my love"
  It seems that before you were even born, a map was drawn with the words and directions from Jesus and given directly to us, on how to find that peace that we each long for so desperately. I believe that it doesn't come through success or owning a lot of nice things, we cannot create our own peace. He said that His friend, the Comforter, was coming to remind us of the things that He taught. Lessons like Love is kind, it never demands it's own way. To treat others as we would want to be treated. That grace was abundant and free for every one of us. That those who prayed out loud just to be heard by others would find no reward in His kingdom. That the only way to the Father was through Him; He is the way, the truth, and the light.
  How often do we go through life forgetting the amazing truth of those lessons? God loves us in spite of who we are; He loves us because of whose we are. If you long for the quiet of the forested meadow, with the tall trees and the smell of the flowers and pines filling the air, and the sounds of all nature at your ears, then you long for the worship of our King. For in our silence, the rocks and the hills cry out to affirm that He is Lord. Maybe that is why we find such solace in that setting. Deep within ourselves, we know that they are singing our song, praising our Father. Seek out your way to praise Him in private. Find a way to move your branches and chirp your song, but do it in a way that it is between you and God alone. Start slowly and without a big production, remember this is your meadow song before your Father. Your peace is there, in that place. Don't be too busy to try, it might only be a few minutes each day, or you might decide to make more time for it, whatever the case, seek Him, praise Him, alone. In that quiet space, you will find rest, you will find comfort, and peace will find you.

The basis for biblical quote from John 14: 25-27 (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)