Me vs The Raisins

I was trying to open a box of raisins when I ran into trouble.  Opening the box itself wasn't too much trouble in and of itself.  Getting the bag that contains the raisins open was quite another thing.  While standing in front of the cabinet from which I had fetched the box of dried fruit I was woefully out of position to wrestle with that pesky bag.  So after a half a minute of futility I reconvened my wrestling match on the island counter in the middle of the kitchen.  Now I could master that bag... or so I thought.

Seconds turned to minutes.  Minutes seemed to multiply out of control but no amount of regripping could get me the leverage I needed to open the bag.  I thought, "I am not going to be out muscled by some industrial glue."  So I stood there and struggled for 5 to 10 minutes with no success.  But deep in the back of my mind was the nagging thought, "Right there below the countertop is the drawer with the kitchen scissors.  Just get them out and cut the bag open."  I resisted.  It was too easy.  It would mean admitting defeat.  My pride would not let me.  So I didn't.  I just stood there struggling futilely.

After a couple more minutes and a trip or two to the kitchen towel to dry off my fingers I finally relented.  The bag had won.  So I reluctantly opened the drawer in front of me and took out the scissors.  Amazingly in less than a second the bag was open.  It was just that simple.

And this is a fitting story to explain how we often struggle with sin.  You and I are as powerless to overcome it as I was to open that bag.  Yet we still try to do it on our own.  And the sad part is the grace of God, which will assure us of victory is as accessible as the scissors in the drawer of the island.  More accessible.  Grace is there in an instant.  Ready to be used.  Free of charge.  Yet our pride won't let us.  We want to best the opponent on our own.  Yet we fail miserably time after time.  What a sad state we live in.  Why not just give up and let God fight the battle for you?  Victory is guaranteed with Jesus.  1 Corinthians 15:57 says, "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  Friend, the best thing to do is give up and let God do His work in you.  Spiritual victory is not about struggling but about submitting.  Surrender to Jesus and let Him win the battle for you.

Physical Freedom

Frisky and I go jogging almost every morning and each day we pass by a house with the garage door half open.  Inside you can see a man sitting in his lawn chair smoking a cigarette.  He seems to be a rather nice fellow and shouts out his greeting unreservedly.  But what strikes me is that he never moves from there.  He is a little over weight and clearly under exercised.  A little fresh air would do him some good but I don't get the impression that he has the energy to get out.  I never see him outside.  He just sits there for long periods of time looking out the half open door and smokes.

So as I pass him every day I get to thinking about freedom.  Not the political kind, the physical kind.  This man is free to do whatever he wants but the state of his health will not permit it.  So I ask myself, who of the two of us are really free?  I am free to go out and run 3-5 miles whenever I like.  He, like many others, can only dream of running even around the block.  Who, I ask again, is really free physically?

Forgive me if you do not agree with my opinion but I do not feel that it is God's plan for humanity to smoke.  I have taken a lot of flack as a minister for taking such a hard line stance on tobacco.  Admittedly it is fairly hard line.  "A Christian," they say, "should be free to choose whether they will smoke or not."  And they are.  But am I being unkind in urging others to be free of those things that enslave them?  We all know tobacco will squeeze the life out of you once it has you in it's grasp.  But it also won't let you out of it's grasp either.  So I return to my question yet again.  Who is really free?  He who can go out and enjoy the out of doors as he pleases, or he who is stuck in his smoking chair?

John 8:36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Oak and Mushroom

Mushrooms are one of my favorite foods.  I could eat them everyday and not get tired of them.  They have such a delicate, earthy flavor that there is no way to substitute them.

It has been said that to grow mushrooms all you need is darkness and a little manure.  Let me assure you, however, that it is much more complicated than that.  Mushrooms are extremely particular about the compost they grow in.  Environmental factors such as heat and humidity have to be just right.  It takes a specially trained farmer to make their compost productive.  And in just a few short days a mushroom can develop and be sent out to market.

An oak tree, however, is another story.  It begins with a seed that lies dormant in the ground for months and months.  When it has finally germinated it starts as a tender shoot that must endure the harshest of elements to survive.  Year after year is lives through flood and drought, wind and snow, heat and cold, yet still it grows.  Because of all the harsh elements it grows to be strong and mighty.  And it isn't until decades later that it begins to provide benefit to all that are around it.  But those benefits can continue to be reaped year after year.

So which would you prefer to be?  A time tried and tempurature tested oak tree or a simple pop-it-in-your-mouth mushroom.  One is a simple fungus that is here today and consumed tomorrow.  The other is a beautiful, majestic organism that lives, gives shade, provides a home for animals and displays beauty year after year.  But it is important to note that such a rich blessing can only come out of the harshest of elements.

Matthew 7:24,25 says, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock."  For all of us the winds will blow and the rains will come.  The devil will make sure of that.  But God has provided the rock, Jesus Christ.  Through Him we can find our foundation in the storm and as a result be a blessing to others for years to come.

Getting to the Mountaintop

At times I have struggled with God over things in my life that seem unfair.  Decisions that were made for me without regard for my feelings, my family or my finances.  Situations where if it had been someone else of equal stature and position a different process and deference to their opinions would have been employed.   One thing lead to another and I found myself far from where I wanted be.  My life seemed barren and unproductive.  I cried to the Lord, "Why me?"  But He never answered.  He just continued to lead me along the path.  I trudged along at times even half-heartedly.  But He didn't scold me.  He just continued to lead me along the path.  At times I grew weary and faint wishing there were a different way.  But He never pushed me.  He just continued to lead me along the path.  But each and every time I sought to know His heart and to grow closer to Him, He has lovingly reminded me, "My child I will be with you, my grace is sufficient for you.  For my strength is made perfect in weakness."  And that has been enough to see me through to see new heights on the other side.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 says:
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Now it seems to me that people, including myself, want the deer's feet (or hind's feet) in high places experience of verse 19.  But that only happened for Habakkuk after he had lived through a very barren and fruitless time period.  People want the blessing but are we willing to pay the price?  In order to make it to the summit you have to go through the valley.  God will be with you every step of the way.  Of that you can be sure.  But never forget that the lowest low and the steepest climb are the only way to get to a real mountaintop experience.

A little voice

I was getting ready to go to an appointment one summer afternoon and was about to throw on a loose, lightweight dress shirt when a voice spoke up in my head with a message.  You know that voice.  The one that kind of let's you know what you ought to do before you do it.  We've all heard it in our heads from time to time.  This time it was telling me to put on a t-shirt under my dress shirt.  I thought to myself, "That's the craziest thing.  It's summer.  A hot one at that."  Honestly, my preference is to wear an undershirt.  To me it's more comfortable.  But it was summer and I thought it was my preference talking to me.  So I started to ignore it thinking about how hot it had been all summer.  But the voice wouldn't go away.  So I relented.  I thought to myself, "Well, I'll be out til evening so at least I won't be sweltering the whole time."

Boy, am I glad I gave in.  It turned out the place where my meeting was held had one of those uncontrollable A/C systems.  We've all experience those buildings where the central air has no communication with the rest of the building.  The rooms cool down to 65 degrees and the later in the day the more efficient the A/C works so that by the time you leave at 9 o'clock and it's 74 degrees outside and 54 degrees inside. Others were reaching for sweaters and covering their sleeveless shoulders with their hands or any piece of cloth they could find.  Frankly, I was a little chilled all evening long as well.  Then as I was reflecting on the evening on the way home in the car I realized what had taken place while I was dressing.  If I hadn't listened to that voice I would have frozen to death.

The reality is that all of us have that little voice.  Isaiah 30:21says, "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' Whenever you turn to the right hand, Or whenever you turn to the left."  God speaks to us through His Holy Spirit.  And He helps us by doing more than just telling us right from wrong.  That is His primary task but He also gives us a little extra help from time to time.  But it does us no good in big things or little if we don't listen.  That voice inside your head, pay attention to it.  Learn to develop your ear for it.  God will guide you in many ways if you will learn to listen to Him speaking to you and obey.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Please.

On the 27th of August, 2012 someone decided that Morgan Freeman was dead.  Notice I used the word 'decided' because he was clearly not dead.  As of this writing he is still very much alive.  Then on the 19th of September a friend posted a nice picture (shown below) of the renowned actor from the Facebook site proclaiming his demise.  I was immediately suspicious.  Within just a few keystrokes I had found confirmation that the information was wholly unreliable and that the hoax had been debunked publically for quite some time.  I immediately commented back to my friend to set the record straight.

So with this incident Freeman joins a very elite group of people who's hoaxed deaths spread like wildfire throughout the www, including Bill Cosby, Cher, John Bon Jovi, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, Kanye West, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and most of the young paparazzi starlettes.  Most times the purported death came in spectacular fashion.  But what surprises me is that people will believe this stuff.  They know these death hoaxes are as common as pig tracks in wet weather yet they still fall for it.

So before I go any further let me state what must be said.  DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET!!!  For that matter don't believe everything you hear, see or read in general.  What can I say.  Some people are just plain liars.  In fact when Jonathan Gorman was ratted out for Bill Cosby's fifth death hoax, he called the believers "stupid" and promised he would keep on doing it again.  Which helps me to understand one spiritual fact a bit better.  Jesus tells us in John 8:44 that the devil is the father of lies.  What I never could understand is why anyone would fall into his traps.  Well, the fact of the matter is people are gullible and Satan takes advantage of it.  So when we are admonished in Matthew 10:16 to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves," we need to take it very seriously.  The devil has all kinds of lies, some more subtle than others, to trip us up.  We all take the bait at some time.  We have to be careful.  We need God's help.  Pray for wisdom and God will give it to you liberally, James 1:5.  Only with His help will be be able to see past the wiles of Satan.

 

Unfortunate Circumstances

I didn't really notice what kind of truck was next to me as I pulled up to the light.  Nor had I any clue as to what was going to come out of the tailpipe.  All I remember is thinking "I hope none of that rust falls off onto my car"... as if rust was going to be the major environmental hazard coming from that vehicle.  Boy was I wrong.  And by the time I realized what was happening I was boxed in on all sides.

So as the light turned green we all began to pull ahead but the truck next to me did so with great difficulty.  In order to compensate the driver gave it all the gas he could.  The result was a flow of think, nauseating smoke that enveloped my car.  The more his truck lurched and sputtered the more I did as well.  I thought I was going to cough up a lung.  But what could I do?  I was boxed in.  I just had to continue my journey in the hopes that the guy ahead of me would finally pull ahead of the truck enough for me to get around him, which did happen, but not on my time frame.  Meanwhile I had to either wait it out or cause an accident.

But this situation reminds me of folks who go about life choosing the latter.  They would prefer to take out a couple of cars and cause major damage rather than put up with a situation that is less than adequate.  Unfortunately life isn't always what it's supposed to be.  It is inevitable for all of us that soon or later we will be stuck in a bad situation with no good options.  However, how we choose to deal with it makes all the difference.  Faith and patience is key.

Jesus said in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  There's bad news and there's good news in this verse.  The bad news is that in this world we will have troubles.  It's inevitable.  The good news is Jesus has overcome the world.

So my advice to all those people out there in unfortunate circumstances is to be patient.  Jesus warned us these things would happen.  Don't make matters worse by taking out a couple lanes of traffic.  Sit tight, it will all work out in the end.  Jesus has promised to take care of things in His time.

Dirty Laundry

The other day I was loading my running clothes into the washer when I came to the realization that it was at least the third time that week that I had washed that outfit.  Though the clothes were damp and smelly from a hard run on a warm day I was looking forward to them getting completely clean again.  There was little doubt in my mind that they would be restored to usable condition.  So I got to thinking what a wonder it was to have the contaminants removed every time you wash your clothes, no matter how smelly they get.

Then I got to thinking about God.  How many times have I had to air my dirty spiritual laundry to Him?  Too many indeed yet He never complains about seeing them again nor is insufficient to cleanse me of my sin?  Over and over I have to do my spiritual laundry and over and over He forgives me of my sin.  And while those loads should eventually get to be less in frequency and "intensity" God still washes them the same whether they are days or minutes apart.  It's a sad reality on my part but it shows what a big God, yes, what a forgiving God He really is.  Today I am simply thankful for the patience of our Lord who is, "faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)  Aren't you?

Traveling about

I've been traveling about recently.  I went to a wedding and had the opportunity to go back to my alma mater and take a look around.  So while driving in the country off campus I happened upon a road that was all too familiar to me.  I had been down that country lane many a times and at all hours of the day and night.  What was interesting to me was that I had never noticed how many of the most influential people of my college life lived right there together, my academic advisor, my boss and my gymnastics team coach, all within a mile of each other.  So I got to thinking about the experiences I had with them and got to asking myself one question, the same question I'd like to pose to you.  All of us have been impacted by many people over the course of our lifetime but have you made an impact in the lives of others in the same way you have been impacted?  Have you touched someone else like you have been touched?  Each one of us leaves a legacy.  What will your legacy be?

Stop Running!

My trusty German Shepherd and I were about two-thirds of the way through our morning jog yesterday when a small white flash of hair came running around the corner and ran past us.  The owner came into view seconds later and seemed to be in hot pursuit.  

"Catch that white dog!" she exclaimed and the chase was on.  I took off at top speed and my jogging partner, who is always up for a high speed adventure, jumped out ahead.  Even though he had no idea what we were doing or where we were going he strained forward pulling me all the way.  

Down one street and up another we chased that white fur ball for a quarter mile.  However, when an alert groundskeeper at our neighborhood school was unable to get his hand on the little mutt I decided I had had enough.  Shortly thereafter the owner caught up with us, thanked me for trying and continued on.  

Within just a few moments the same little white dog had made a circle around the neighborhood and was now running towards us in front of the school from where she had approached it the first time.  This time however, there were several people and a couple of cars trying to box her in.  

"Now I have you trapped," I thought to myself and I jogged toward the oncoming canine in hopes that she would stop.  No luck.  She darted into the street and I took off after her.  She barely eluded my outstretch arms but my secret weapon was with me.  With his shepherding instincts now kicked into high gear my own pup lunged past my extended hands and pushed the pooch to the side with his big snout.  She stumbled off to the right but her momentum took her beyond where my leash would allow my dog to chase her and she scurried off into the far reaches of the neighborhood.  Later someone spotted her heading off into a sparsely wooded area not far from the subdivision but they too were unsuccessful in calling her home. 

Now this story reminds me a lot of the relationship many of us have with God.  We run furiously away from Him as though the home He has for us were a terrible place.  He comes looking for us be we run all the more.  Later He sends out trying circumstances to nudge us back to where we need to be but we run faster still.  Finally as we cower in the middle of the wilderness panting and out of breath we realize that what we thought was freedom is simply a lonely and inhospitable place that offers plenty of danger and nothing for shelter.

So let me ask you, are you running from God?  Do you live in fear of a loving God that wants to bring you home?  Do you curse the trying experiences that are meant to nudge you back to Him?  Worse yet are you in the wilderness wondering what you are doing there?  It's time to come home.  God will love you and accept you just as you are.  He is out there looking for you, calling for you to come home.  Friend, God loves you (John 3:16).  He wants nothing more than to see you come home. 

By the way, my neighbor told me this morning that she went back to the school a few hours later with their other dog.  When she got there she called and called.  To her amazement her little white fur ball came running back.  She was a bit frazzled and her hair a bit dirty but she was home.  And her owner took her in, no questions asked.

Not Stinky But Dirty Nonetheless

Several weeks ago I came to the realization that my car was badly in need of an oil change.  With my wife unavailable to give me a ride back and forth in the other car I decided to take advantage of the opportunity take the dog with me and leisurely jog the couple of miles back home instead of going on our normal morning run.  Upon arriving at home, however, I was immediately thrust into the demands of incoming phone calls to answer and minor crises to attend to.  Next thing I knew the shop was calling to tell me the oil was changed, the tires were balanced and rotated and it was ready to be picked up.

Admittedly, I had not thought through my plan well but either way I had to make a choice, go back to the garage still stinky from our run or shower first and risk getting hot and sweaty on the walk back.  I chose the former, but with one small change.  I decided what I would do to make it seem less offensive was to spray on a bunch of cologne on my formerly sweat-soaked body.  I figured if I would also put a different shirt on and comb my hair a little then no one would notice.

Well, it worked.  I walked to the shop without encountering anyone on the street, no one at the shop looked at me funny and the service writer was so busy answering the phone and attending two other people at the same time that he wouldn't have noticed if I had been a martian let alone whether my cologne was covering some underlying foul smelling.

The funny thing is though, I did notice.  I spent all 5 minutes in the shop with the worst case of self-conscious nerves I have ever experienced.  Every ten seconds I was sniffing the air around myself or looking at myself in any reflective surface to see if my appearance was giving me away.   I couldn't wait to get out of there.

Which teaches us an important spiritual lesson.  You may be able to fool others about your smell but deep down you know you are really smelly and dirty.  That's right.  You and I really do stink, spiritually speaking.  It's called sin.  And despite the fact that it may not be politically correct to call others out on their imperfections we are all keenly aware of our own.  And they are many indeed.

Now to make matters worse eventually we come to the conclusion that there isn't anything that we can do to remedy the situation either.  We can try to cover the smell and put on nice clothes but deep down we know we are dirty and no amount of cologne can change that.  Isaiah 64:6 says that we are an "unclean thing" and "our righteousness is as filthy rags."

So what are we to do?  The only thing we can do is go to God.  Our only hope is to pray the publican's pray, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke 18:13)  Any attempt to do otherwise would simply be playing the pharisee.

Take your sin to God, my friend.  Be honest with yourself and Him about your condition.  Confess your spiritual need and He will "forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)

The Race is to...

When I was a senior in high school I had the privilege of going on a mission trip to help with construction on a Navajo Reservation near Farmington, New Mexico.  So on the way there our principal organized an excursion to Pike's Peak so we could take in the beauty of the Rockies.  The plan was simple.  Since the road takes you all the way to the top we would drive all the way to the top and soon return to our journey.  Unfortunately Mother Nature was not willing to cooperate.  Although it was still late summer/early fall there were snow banks on either side of the road well over 15 ft high.  So after driving fairly close to the top the road was eventually cut off by the drifted snow.  From there we would have to go on by foot.

What would transpire on our trek to the top was something that I would never forget.  We all set out with the intention of getting to the top first.  Richard, the fastest student in the school was with us and gave it his best effort but fell back quickly, mostly from the distraction of the young lady who he eventually would marry.  Don, his second place challenger in the 100 yd dash, was however a leading contender throughout the afternoon.  Todd, the winner of the 1 mile race at the school picnic, seemed to be getting along well too but never was able to adjust to the altitude.  Scott was somewhat outdoorsy and perhaps posed some threat but the last guy in our group, the other Richard, seemed of little consequence.  I, however, was sure I would get there first.  I had taken third place behind Todd and thought that maybe a good combination of speed and endurance might help me be victorious.

So as the afternoon went on I set myself to making it to the top taking calculated rest stops and watching the progress of the others.  Richard and Don seemed to have good bursts of energy but were constantly stopping.  Todd and Scott went along at there own pace.  I tried to maintain a constant pace but the person who seemed to be at the head of the pack every time I stopped to look around was the other Richard.  At every break he just passed me by.  How could that be?  He was tireless.  In fact, the higher we went the more difficult it seemed to keep up with him.  Eventually all the guys seemed to run out of gas and I was not far from calling it quits myself.  So as I sat down to take in the view below I looked up to see who had bested us all and there was the winner, plodding along.  It was the other Richard and his untiring pace.  Slowly but steadily he had outlasted us all.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 says: "I returned and saw under the sun that—

The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all."

One never knows how things will turn out in real life.  You may think you know what to expect but you never do.  There are people like the second Richard who unexpectedly come in first and there seems to be little explanation.  Frankly, some people have more heart than others give them credit.

The Bible is clear.  No one knows who will win and circumstances are always unpredictable.  Place your life and your trust in Jesus Christ and the importance of winning mere foot races will find it's natural order in a life arranged by meaningful priorities.

Something's missing

It was going to be my first culinary masterpiece.  No.  Another culinary masterpiece.  I was going to make the pot of beans of my life.  I was going to slow cook them overnight in fresh vegetables and spices and the whole church would crown me the 'king of potluck'.

Hyperbole aside, I was very hopeful for the pot of beans I was making.  I had diced up fresh onions and green peppers.  I had carefully stirred in ground cumin and other Mexican spices.  With a touch of olive oil to give it a final touch the crock pot was set to simmer my beans overnight and I went to bed a few hours later with the smell of Latin glory beginning to emanate from the lid of the pot.  I was filled with self-satisfaction.

The next morning the air was filled with the smell of deliciousness.  Olfactory reminders of what was stewing in the kitchen came wafting to my room to awaken my half conscious slumber.  Unable to bear the suspense of not knowing how the beans had fared overnight I got up and headed straight for the kitchen.  Upon arriving my nose assured me that I had done something right, but as I opened the pot and set aside my trial portion my palate began to tell me a different story.  Each bite from the tasting bowl was filled with a flavor that was dishearteningly mediocre.  That's right.  My beans were just mediocre.

What had gone wrong?  I thought I had added everything.  I went down my mental checklist of all I had put in.  All of the quality ingredients I had planned on had made it in.  How had I failed so miserably? Then upon testing them one more time I realized my error.  I had forgotten to add salt.  That's what was missing.  Just a little bit of salt.

In retrospect I am amazed at how few of those little white granules was required to liven up a whole pot of beans.  The transformation was incredible.  Just a few shakes of my not-so-magical salt shaker had turn an otherwise forgettable pot of beans into the Mexican masterpiece I had envisioned all along.  The salt had awakened all the flavors that were already there and waiting to be released.  I was thrilled once again.  My taste buds were doing a Mexican hat dance and I could go the potluck knowing that I, yes I the pastor himself, had made a delicious contribution to our midday feast.  I had been saved from embarrassment by just a pinch of salt.

Matthew 5:13 says "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."  In this passage God is calling us to be salt in this world.  We are supposed to be that special something in the experience of others.  He has filled our world with many good things but He wants to use us to awaken the flavors He has put into this life.  You can be a catalyst for all the beauty and good God longs for others to experience.  You can be that salt if you let Him into your life and show you how you can make an impact in the lives of others.  It doesn't take much, just a little of you as the Spirit shakes you out of His divine salt shaker.

When the ground is shaking

The other day I had the opportunity to take my dog, Frisky, to the hospital to visit a member of my church and provide a little canine therapy.  Now going into a public place was nothing new for him and he surely enjoyed the opportunity to see (and lick) new faces.  But the part that he did not find so interesting was the elevator ride to get there.  When we first came into the hospital he entered the elevator without any difficulty perhaps thinking it was just another room.  Little did he know that there would be a slight motion in the floor once the doors closed.  As soon as the elevator went into motion he got a bit nervous.  When it stopped at the next floor where another passenger needed to get off he got even more frightened.  Then again it happened.  Finally when the elevator stopped at our destination he was ready to get out.  What was that crazy room where the floor was constantly moving?  He had no desire to stick around and find out.

After a while there on the rehab floor I came to the realization that he need to go out to do his business.  So over to the elevator we went but this time getting in was not so easy.  He hesitated remembering what an unstable room that was behind those metal doors.  Once inside more of the same.  And again on the way back up after his pit stop outside.  By this time he was sure he didn't like what went on in there.  So we went on with our visit.

So with our visit now ending we had to make one final trip down to the main floor.  This time there was no way he wanted to get it.  I called and begged, pushed and pulled but he was not getting on.  After a few moments of reassurance from me and a bit of pushing as well I finally got him on.  This time he was really nervous.  His claws were clinched and scratching at the linoleum floor.  His legs were shaking like I have never seen them tremble before.  And the look in his eyes was of complete and total fear.  So I knelt on the floor, put my arms around him and whispered "Frisky, it's o.k. Buddy.  It's o.k."  And even though the floor still did it's moving thing he began to relax.  Perhaps not completely but he felt a lot better.  The sound of my voice and the embrace of my arms were enough for him to know that everything would be alright, even though the ground under his feet was unsteady and in sporadic motion.

Now it seems to me that life can be a lot like Frisky's elevator ride.  What seems to be an innocuous situation turns out to be unstable and frightening.  And much to our chagrin we find we have to go through it more than once.  So what does it take to get through these earth-shaking moments in our lives? Only the presence and reassurance of our Master can bring us calm.  Only the promise of His Word that everything will be alright and the touch of His presence can get us through.

Isaiah 43:2 says,
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you."

Always remember that God is with you wherever you go.  No matter how bad it gets or how much the earth is moving beneath you God will see you through.  Know that He will guide you and protect you even through repeated trials and tribulations.

-Pastor Dean

Air Force One

A couple of weeks ago I had a lay over at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport on my way home.  As the plane touched down I looked out the window to see a solitary 747 sitting out in front of a hanger across the runway from the terminal.  As I continued to look the coloring began to become more familiar to me.  So I leaned over to my seatmate and asked, "Is it my imagination or is that Air Force One?"  To which he responded, "That very well may be.  The President is scheduled to make a stop in Minnesota today."  So as we approached the terminal we motored right past the world's most famous passenger airplane.  And by that time people were craning their necks to see if they could spot the President of the United States or perhaps a security detachment outside the plane.  Others were taking out their cameras and snapping pictures.  There was quite a stir.

In the terminal there was more of the same.  Those waiting at gates near where Air Force One was parked were getting out their cameras and taking picture, pointing and gawking or just idly chatting about the event that was taking place.  Which makes me wonder why it is that we are so enamored with seeing important people?  Presidents and pop stars are thronged with fans trying to meet their celebrity idol.  But why aren't we as interested in meeting with God.  Why is it so hard to fill the pews at church for the worship hour.  And why are people so reluctant to pray when God has invited us to approach Him whenever we want.  Hebrews 4:16 tells us, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  

Imagine that.  The Creator of the universe has invited us to come to Him whenever we want and bring to Him whatever we need.  And He is far more powerful and important than any and all of the presidents put together.  Maybe we need to reexamine what is important to us.  Or more specifically we need to reexamine WHO is more important to us.  God longs for us to come to Him.  He practically begs us to seek Him out.  Don't leave Him waiting on the throne too long for your next visit.

Letting Go

More than anything else in this world my dog, Frisky, loves to play.  Eating, sleeping, even getting a belly rub comes second to playtime in the back yard.  But most of all he loves to play fetch the stick.  But there's only one problem.  He never wants to let go of the stick.  Over and over I have to tell him to drop it.  Sometimes he does.  Many times he doesn't.  Finally after a lot of cajoling he will lower his head, loosen his bite and let one end of the stick rest on the ground.  After even more cajoling I finally convince him to let it go complete.  But before I have a chance to take it from him he has already picked it up again.  And if I try to snatch it quickly I run the risk of getting my fingers caught between the stick and his teeth, which has happened a time or three.  So what I have to finally do is make him drop it and tell him to back up.  Only then am I able to take it from him and throw it again.

Which reminds me of the way some people (yours truly included) take their problems to God.  We bring them to Him but won't let go of them.  We may set one end down but want to control the other end.  When reminded that we have to let go we finally do only to snatch it back again shortly thereafter.  In the end God has to tell us to let it go and back off.  The point is supposed to be to take it to Him and give it up once and for all.  He have to leave it in His hands and let Him deal with it.  Only when we have done all this will we get what we wanted all along, to have the issue in better hands.

So today I ask you, what problems do you have in your life that you need God to take care of?  Have you left them in God's hands?  Are you ready to leave them there and back off completely.  Only then will you find the solution you want and the peace you need.

I missed the test!

During my senior year in college I was scheduled to take my GRE so I could go to graduate school.  I had chosen to do it later in the year so as to give myself plenty of time to prepare for it.  So when the time came I did my preparation, I registered for the test but I forget to go.   I totally spaced the test.  In fact I got so caught up in classes and work that I didn't even realize I had missed the test for at least a couple of days.  And since I had chosen a later date there wasn't another test time available until long after grad school acceptance letters were sent out.  What was I to do?  I didn't have much of a choice.  So after graduation I decided to stick with it and get an entry level job in my career.  But the interesting thing is that within a year or so I realized that my field was not everything I thought it would be.  I realized it wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life.  And through that experience God channeled me towards where I am now.

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."  It is amazing how God can use even the greatest mistakes of our lives to lead us into where He wants us and the good He has for us.  But did you ever notice the caveat in the text in Romans? This is a promise specifically for God's followers.  God can use all kinds of circumstances, good and bad, for His good but only if we place ourselves in His hands.  If we let Him lead He will see us through to a bright and glorious future but we have to give Him our lives first.  Please take the time today to give Him your life and trust that He will work out even the worst of your circumstances for good.

Trayvon Martin, the justice system and the justice of God.

Over the past two months the story of Trayvon Martin has been gracing the cover of newspapers all over the land.  Rallies and demonstrations have been organized from coast to coast.  Social media has been blown up with hooded protests and yours truly even got in on the action.  Politicians of all stripes and pundits from just about every imaginable media source have weighed in as the country has been mesmerized by a story that seemed to be on a fast track to no where.  And finally the judicial process began on Wednesday with a very public announcement of charges and a long anticipated arrest.

In reflecting on this week's arraignment of George Zimmerman and all the social upheaval that had preceded it, it causes me to pause and think about the justice of God.  Specifically this whole scenario reminds me of the story of the persistent widow in Luke 18.  That story has a similar plot line where a party, in this case a defrauded widow, seeks for the judicial system to do it's work.  Though initially denied she is not deterred.  Over and over she goes to the judge demanding justice.  Finally out of sheer exhaustion he grants her a day in court.  And the point that Jesus is trying to make with that story is that if justice can be served by sheer persistence how much more will our loving God look out for His children when they have need.

So we see the same plot unfolding out of the story of that fateful late night Sanford encounter.  Thousands and tens of thousands cried out for a day in court and out of sheer persistence that day arrived.  Which brings us to the point.  Trayvon's case reminds us of the one caveat to the parable of Jesus.  God asks that His people persist in prayer when the answer does not come immediately.  God is a God of love but His timing is not always ours.  Things in this life take time and you and I are not always as patient as we ought to be.  God is saying to you today, "Keep at it.  Don't give up.  Just because you don't get an answer on the first try doesn't mean it's not coming."  Friends, keep praying.  Get an answer from God.  Be it yes or be it no, He has an answer for you.  Trust the love of our Heavenly Father to do what is best for you in the right time.  But you will only receive His blessings if you wait patiently and pray persistently for them.

The Final Chapter of the Whitney Houston Story

The verdict is in.  Cocaine and other health complications sent Whitney Houston to her grave.  Such a sad way to silence one of the greatest voices to grace the airwaves.  Whitney simply dominated the radio waves and the top 40 charts year after year.  But her face also dominated the tabloid covers a fair share of her life.  And in her life we are reminded of a terrible cosmic struggle and eternal choices that all of us must make.  The world saw two sides of Whitney Houston.  One was a big hearted singer who made her start singing in her Baptist church choir and continued to maintain close connection with gospel artists and religious leaders.  The other Whitney Houston was a selfish, pleasure seeking individual who got caught up in scandal and vice. One side wanted to do good and one seemed to get caught up in what is not.  Was she here to serve herself or was she here to serve others.  That is the question that plagued her, her whole life.

The interesting thing is that the question of which was the real Whitney is a major portion of the debate going on in the media about her today.  The week of her funeral I was watching CNN at the health club (not that I had a choice) and they were interviewing one of her friends.  She was saying that Whitney should not be remembered for the problems and the scandals and the drugs but for ‘the beautiful voice she gave to the world’.  And I agree.  But the fact that they were having that conversation means that there was a war going on for the heart of that most famous songstress.  I would suggest that Whitney lived her life trying to sit on both sides of the fence.


But God is saying we must make a choice.  And those choices eventually will catch up with us.  It will eventually become evident which choice we make.  Luke 16:13 reminds us “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”  It's sad that Whitney couldn't make up her mind who to serve (and it ended up costing her her life).  But it's not too late for you to choose.  Choose God.  You will never regret it.

Tie down the load

I was driving home from grocery shopping one afternoon when I noticed that the road was blocked in the round-about ahead.  Not having any other options I slowly drove ahead to see what was halting traffic.  As I arrived at the round-about I realized that we were not stopped by some construction project or some city maintenance vehicle.  We were all made to wait because some guy had not tied down the load that he had just picked up at the home improvement warehouse.  Apparently he had stacked up some twenty or thirty sheets of plywood and the lateral inertia from making the turn was more than enough to send half the load flying off the side of his work trailer.

So there we all sat as he and his friend loaded the sheets one by one.  But what surprised me was the fact that they just took off again without doing anything more than just putting the plywood back how it was when it fell off in the first place.  Also, as I navigated through the intersection I could see the truck and trailer speeding away with the same hurry that probably caused the original mishap but not the slightest adjustment was made to prevent a repeat incident.

And this reminds me of our spriritual life.  We are all sinners and experience our falls on a regular basis.  We ask forgiveness of the Lord for what we have done but have we thought about what needs to happen in order for the incident not to repeat itself?  Do we, like the driver of the truck, just put things back in place like before without asking, "Maybe we ought to tie this down."  Maybe you and I, along with our petitions for pardon, need to ask the Lord to help us and show us what needs to be different.  Because if Christianity is only about forgiveness but doesn't include life change then it's a pretty useless religion we have constructed for ourselves.  The problem is we are sinners and we need forgiveness but we also need healing.

I John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" but it also goes on to tell us, "and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  Today God wants to forgive us our sins, but He is also calling us to seek Him so that He can change our lives and tie down all those little things that get away from us.

A half empty plate and the meaning of grace

The story is told of a boy who was in the habit of returning home late for dinner. Every night they would wait for him to return from playing outside with the food usually getting cold.  Repeatedly his parents warned him that that there would be consequences if he did not change his ways. Finally one day he came home particularly late and found his parents sitting down to eat. Thinking he had narrowly escaped punishment again he smiled and sat down quickly. But as he looked down at his plate he realized his punishment was in fact already waiting for him. There looking back at him was an unappealing piece of broken bread and sitting next to it a cup of ordinary tap water.  So they said the blessing, though I am sure the boy was not very thankful for the food he had.  Then when they were just about to eat the boy's father did something that would mark the child forever.  He leaned over picked up the boy's plate and put his own in it's place.  Then he placed the boy's food in front of himself and began to eat the bread.  From that day forward the boy would never forget his father's love and the true meaning of grace.

Friends, grace is getting what we don't deserve.  Just like the boy you and I get what we don't deserve when we choose the life Jesus gives.  And like the father Jesus got what he didn't deserve, the punishment of someone else.  Ephesians 2:8,9 tells us, "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast."  Truly we don't deserve eternal life but God makes it available to us through His grace.  I invite you to accept it today.

New Years Resolutions

So how are those new years resolutions going?  If you are anything like the typical American you lost the battle already.  Exercise every day... by day 3 your were done.  Loose weight... bad time for that.  Read your bible every day... I won't ask.

Well, if will power is not your thing join the club.  It's called humanity.  Thankfully there is help.  Philippians 1:6 tells us that "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."  God is going to help you reach your spiritual goals if you put your trust in Him.  He wants it more than you do and He's willing to help you make it a reality.

So here's my advice.  Give up.  That's right. Give up on the idea of making resolutions based on sheer will power.  Give your life to Jesus Christ and let Him do His work in you, "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13