SILENT NOT SILENCED

There’s a lot of talk about the treatment, or lack of treatment of women in the Bible, especially the New Testament where Paul resides.  I don’t find that true.  Some say women’s voices are silenced and see that as suppression.  I see the women, not silenced, but being silent.  Their witness of God is more like the witness of God through nature.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.  There is no speech, nor are their words, whose voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the earth” (Psalm 19: 1-4).

The women in Jesus’ life are written about very clearly and respectfully; they followed him and loved him; they simply responded differently than the men.  Unlike the shepherds and wise men who responded to the birth by going out and proclaiming the event, his mother Mary simply treasured those things in her heart.  Unlike the other disciples who got caught up in power struggles after hearing Jesus teach, Mary of Bethany simply sat at his feet and listened to him.  Unlike the other disciples who hid together in an upper room after Jesus was crucified, Mary Magdalene tended quietly to his burial and went early to his tomb, enabling her to be the first one to see the resurrected Jesus.

There are more of these quiet women throughout the New Testament and in the history of the church; women, not silenced as some may say, but quietly making noise and an impact in the world.  These women are role models for me.  Their depth of love and commitment to God, to Jesus, and to the faith is heard loudly in their silence, and observed clearly in their actions of obedience, devotion, and adoration.

The Christmas Story

The Greatest Story Ever Told

It’s not about doctrine

It’s not about gifts

It’s not about finding my authentic self

It’s all about Him.

Be it a woman married to a carpenter

Be it a shepherd watching over his flock

Be it a wise man, a king from the east bearing gifts

Be sure He comes to all who watch and wait.

Open eyes, open ears

Open mind, open heart

Open soul, waiting still

Open and filled by God,

The fountain of living water.

A PEOPLE & PLACE PREPARED

The Christmas Story is about God coming to earth, the earth that he created, to dwell among people, people that he created.  He didn’t come here as one would think the Almighty God of all Creation would come, in splendor and majesty.  He came as an infant born in a stable, to people of no reputation.  He came to people who were in one way or another expecting him; Mary, waiting for the coming Messiah spoken about by the holy books, shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks but believed the words the angels said, wise men from the east who had been watching the star they knew to be a sign, Simeon, a righteous and devout man waiting for the consolation of Israel, and Anna, who spent years in the temple fasting and praying for the One who would come and redeem Jerusalem.

The advance promotion of this significant event was written hundreds of years before, in the ancient dusty books of law and prophecy.  The sign was a star in the sky, one of thousands that was easily missed, except by those with eyes to see.  The great angelic announcement was made to lowly shepherds to lowly shepherds out in a field far from town.

An insignificant event in the eyes of the world occurred that night; but to those righteous, devout, and waiting people the event of eternity had been revealed, an event that changed the world and the people in it forever.

This first coming of Jesus was to make a people prepared to dwell with God.  His second coming will be to gather those people and take them to a place he has prepared for them to dwell with God.  The ultimate end of all that has come before is that “where I am you may also be” (John 14:1-3).  From the beginning of time to the end of time it has been ALL about a loving God wanting to dwell with the people he created and breathed the breath of life into.

All that I can do is be like Mary and humbly receive this most treasured gift.

THE HOST IS PREPARED

God must have graduated from Waverly School.  My parents graduated from there and I went to first grade there.  Over the entrance door was a saying,

“Plan your work and work your plan.”  It has been a mantra for me these many years and helps me see things that have been well planned and things that have not.  My humble opinion is that God is an awesome planner, one who prepares well for all that he wants to accomplish.  That is why I think he may have graduated from Waverly School.

Before Jesus, God sent John.  “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a ‘PEOPLE PREPARED’.” (Luke 1:16,17).  “And you, child will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to PREPARE HIS WAYS…” (Luke 1:76-79).

John was sent to prepare the way for Jesus.  As Jesus was nearing the end of his time on earth he comforted his disciples by telling them that he was going to “PREPARE a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also”

(John 14:1-3).

In the end it’s all about being where he is; being in his Presence.  In his Presence all else fades; all my work, all my accomplishments, all my trying to be someone or something…it all fades and melts away when I am with him.

My preparing is really just being able to receive.

God prepares me to receive him.  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in preparing myself for God that I lose the focus of what I am preparing for.  Like Martha I worry and strive about the elements of hospitality and it makes me inhospitable.  Spiritual formation, deepening meetings, discipleship and stewardship are all fruits that will grow from SIMPLY BEING in his Presence.  He is the Host and he has prepared a place for us to be with him; now and forever.

“Cease striving and know I am God.  Relax, let go and know…”

COME & SEE

“And Jesus said to them, Come and you will see.”

John 1:39

The flesh sets boundaries; certain things are good and certain things are harmful.  The written word sets boundaries; certain things are right and certain things are wrong.  Boundaries are helpful as guides to right living; boundaries are harmful as walls of judgment and condemnation.  God made boundaries are rooted in love and produce freedom of choice.  Human made boundaries are rooted in law produce control of choice.  Inner boundaries of love and freedom of choice will inspire love and obedience; external boundaries of law and control will induce fear and rebellion.

I believe in the concept of discipleship that includes a sense of apprenticeship, a sitting at the feet of one wiser then me and learning from that person.  It was the Way that Jesus chose to seed what was to replace his actual walk on this earth, what came to be called Christianity and Church.  His Way was simple and pure; “Come and see.”  His disciples walked with him, lived in his Presence, and learned his Way of living life as God intended.  He never coerced, condemned, or controlled them.  He simply loved them and that love inspired and produced their obedience.

Love of God and obedience to God’s Way are the roots of what true discipleship is to be. As I love and walk in obedience to God and to the teachings of Jesus, hopefully others will be encouraged to “Come and see.”

Come and you will see

All I have for thee

I’ll give you life and set you free

So come and follow me.

Behold the precious lamb

Behold his nail scarred hands

Behold his tear stained face

Those eyes so full of grace.

He’s come to show the Way

To change our night to day

He’s beaconing to thee

Oh come and follow me.

BEHOLD, THE TIME IS COMING

“Truly truly I say to you,

unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone;

 but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

John 12:24

I have a difficult time in this world’s system where wrong is called right and correction is called negative.  Deception is a strong force to be contended with.  It makes it possible to reason ourselves into believing anything, so as to muddy the waters between good and evil. 

Evil is alluring and inviting and has been given free reign in this world’s system of human made laws and political correctness.  When anyone is bold enough to cry out “the emperor has no clothes on”, that person is called out, criticized, forced to apologize, silenced, and made the villain.  That happened this week as Angus Jones gave his testimony of becoming a Christian and calling his TV show filth.

I believe in the Bible and in the end time prophecies it speaks about.  At times I fear not being strong enough to endure them, and to hold fast to my faith in the midst of great condemnation and criticism.  I don’t do well with conflict in any realm and like to avoid it if possible.   But I see it coming and at some point I will need to stand strong against a powerful enemy, even disguised as family and friends.  I am called to love all who would come against me but I am also called to stand strong and true to my faith in God the Father, Jesus Christ, his Son, and the Holy Spirit.  It is only with God’s help that I can do that.

This is when I pray for eyes to see beyond what is presenting itself at the moment to the Presence of the One who is eternal.

“Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden.”

John 19:41

God, give me the eyes to see

The beauty beyond the ugliness

The truth beyond the lies

The hope beyond the desperation

The simplicity beyond the complication

The order beyond the chaos

The calm beyond the storm

The joy beyond the sadness

The life beyond the death

Your Presence beyond the present

Your love beyond love

In all things.

WHAT & WHOM ARE YOU SEEKING

“Not everyone who wanders is lost.”

J.R.R. Tolkein

Some are simply seeking; searching for something.  Those who are walking in the dark may seek for a light; those who are living dull boring lives may seek something to give flavor.  Some simply seek for a filling of an inner emptiness they feel, a longing to be satisfied.

Jesus asked his disciples “What are you seeking?’  He asked those who were coming to arrest and eventually kill him, “Whom are you seeking?”  After his resurrection at the tomb he asked Mary Magdalene, “Whom are you seeking?”  His response to all of those seeking…”Come and see…”; “I am he.”  He was and is always gentle, always loving, always open and inviting.  God doesn’t resort to coercion and force; he simply responds to those seeking and makes himself found.

Jesus told his followers that they were to be light and salt.  Their lives were and are to draw and invite seekers to find what they are searching for.  God is a Mystery but he is not a secret.  He is clearly visible in all that surrounds us and he stands with open arms to embrace those who seek for him.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;

Knock and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives,

And the one who seeks finds,

And to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Matthew 7:7, 8

WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING?

THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT GROW FROM THE ROOTS OF OBEDIENCE

“My people have committed two sins:

They have forsaken me, the spring of living water,

And have dug their own cisterns,

Broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”

Jeremiah 2:13

Broken cisterns that cannot hold water…One way that manifests itself is by taking the Word of God and the things of God and manipulating and adapting them so that they become what works for us.  One of the most obvious examples of this is the attention to the Spirit and how that works out in the spiritual life. 

The qualities of the Spirit that are highlighted most are love, joy, and peace; as long as those qualities are there, anything goes.  So to speak against something that is not in alignment with God’s Word of His ways is not acceptable and is seen as being intolerant, or as some would put it ‘politically incorrect’.  Admonishing or correcting becomes unloving and therefore

mean- spirited.

The Holy Spirit, just like Jesus, God’s Son, came with intention and was sent with purpose, actually two purposes.  “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…He will glorify me” (John 16: 13,14).  The Holy Spirit comes as the Spirit of Truth.  “And when he comes he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness because I go to the Father, and you will not see me no longer; concerning judgment because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:8-11).

The main sin is not believing in Jesus, therefore forsaking God; what makes us righteous in the eyes of God is following Jesus and the way he lived; judgment is measured by not living to the standards of the world.

The tendency today is to separate Spirit from Truth; but it can’t be done and remain True.   Spirit without Truth becomes sloppy sentimentality and loose liberalism.  Truth without Spirit becomes lifeless legalism and uncompassionate understanding.  God loves the world but it is not a lawless love.  He does not love us because we keep his laws but we should keep his laws because we love him and trust him to know what is best for us.

The fruits of the Spirit grow from the roots of obedience to God.  As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be.  Amen

Enriched By God

Encircled by the sky

Encompassed by the beauty

Embraced by the wind

Enthralled by the Presence

Entranced by the Mystery. 

HOW DOES GOD DO THAT?

Jesus, on the night he was to be arrested and led to his death, spent his final hours with his disciples.  He washed their feet and shared what became a sacramental meal with them.  He did these most intimate things knowing that one of these men would betray him, leading those who would eventually kill him to the place where he was; also knowing that one of these men would deny even knowing him for fear of suffering the same fate as the one he truly loved.  Then, in the end Jesus stood before a crowd of people, who a week earlier were shouting praises and welcoming him into their city, but now were shouting “crucify him” with hatred and vengeance in their voices.  All of these people, from the two disciples to the crowd were people he only gave love to and who he was now laying down his life for.  How could he do that?

The light of his life shines on the pettiness of mine.  My disillusionments and disappointments with people and circumstances are inconsequential in the light of his love.

He was so intimate with Judas and Peter right up to the end.  He became naked before them performing the duties of a servant.  He tenderly dipped a morsel of bread in wine and fed the one who would immediately get up and leave to do his deed of death that would be initiated by a kiss in the garden.

Then as Jesus was walking stripped and beaten to his last accuser he looked right into the eyes of Peter just as the cock crowed at the third denial coming from Peter’s lips.  As for the crowd who turned on him he offered words of forgiveness as he was dying.  “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  But Peter and Judas did know what they had done.  Judas’s greed led him to his own destruction, as he hanged himself.  Peter’s fear led him to despondency and a sense of futility, as he went fishing which was what he was doing when Jesus first called him.

I know what it is like to walk in the shoes of both of these men; to be intimate with God and yet covet the things of the world; to be afraid and intimidated by others to the point of denying my faith in order to fit in with the crowd.  But Jesus remained true through it all, with me and with these men.   Jesus went and found Peter and over breakfast on a beach he performed a powerful act reconciliation that made a new man out of Peter.

In my heart I believe that on another plane, in another world that somehow happened with Judas, because that is how I believe God is.

In the end it is all about love, God’s love for the world and God’s love for each and every one of us.  It remains true in times and circumstances of forsakenness and betrayal on our part.   I don’t know how or why he does it, but I know I want to learn to do it too.

God, keep me from the wiles of the enemy; hunger for the things of the flesh, fear, and greed.  Keep my focus on all the glory that comes from you, and far from the glory that comes from man.  Amen.   

WHERE'S THE TRUST?

The thing missing in this world today is a sense of trust and without trust one cannot feel safe and secure; that leads to a culture of fear.  Manipulation, deception, and out right lies erode the element of trust.  A firm foundation of trust is necessary in any whole and healthy relationship; personally, with those we love, in places where we work, and in the country that we live in.

Trust and truth stand hand in hand.  Truth is a standard, a plumb line to measure one’s accuracy by.  Truth is consistent and gives us boundaries that keep us safe.  Truth and Spirit are one and the same so in the end, truth is love, the kind of love that wants the best for one another, even though there may be a cost of suffering and selflessness.  Truth is not always popular or comfortable, but in the end it is good, whole, and most loving.

God’s ways are true, consistent, and trustworthy.  He continually shows Himself and His ways as a worthy standard by which to live because it is the way that will give us the freedom to BE who we are truly meant to BE.  His consistent truth provides the trust we need to dispel the sense of fear that can hinder us from living a full life.  God is true to His Word, true to His actions, and true to His covenant of love.

I can stand in that trust and say with truth in my heart, “I know who I believe in, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me” (2 Timothy 1:12).  I made a decision to become a disciple of Jesus, and being his disciple, Jesus entrusted his teachings, his heart, and his life to me, so that I could live them out in a world that doesn’t know Him.  Like his other disciples I sometimes fail, falter, and fall, but my heart and soul are grounded in sound truth and trust in forgiveness and love.

The entire Bible is about God’s consistent love and covenant with His creation.  People fail, falter, and fall, but God remains True.  In that I can Trust.

ENLIGHTENED & ILLUMINATED

“Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

John 11:9, 10

I do not walk outside after dark.  It’s not that I am afraid of people; it’s the sidewalks I fear.  In the neighborhoods where I live the sidewalks are old and in disrepair.  Tree roots elevate some of the stone slabs and create an inch high obstacle to be avoided; or crumbling stone slabs of stone create an inch deep obstacle also to be avoided.  In the daylight these hazards are visible and can be avoided.  But at night they are hidden and make walking safely a challenge.

I know this experientially having tripped on one of the elevated slabs one night, falling flat on my face and spending several weeks with my face looking like a punching bag for Muhammad Ali.  I still vividly remember the feeling of complete helplessness of that freefall where face met stone, so I don’t walk these areas when it is dark, for fear of stumbling.

My life as a follower of Jesus is a paradox; while the fullness of the Holy Spirit resides within me, teaching and leading me in my walk, there is also an outer standard of rule, a plumb line to measure my life with.  Both the subjective, experiential truth within me and the objective truth consisting of laws and precepts of God outside of me combine to give me the whole and absolute Truth.  One without the other is like walking in the dark and makes it easy to stumble.

The history of Christianity is a testimony of what happens when Spirit and Truth are not embraced together.  I know this experientially, having been involved in groups who held to one but not the other; people were harmed and many left their faith in sorrow and confusion, disillusion and despair.

Truth without Spirit yields a legalistic format that must be adhered to at all cost and those who don’t are punished and banished from the group.  Spirit without Truth yields a lawlessness freefall where anything goes and turns into chaos and disorder with little or no stability or sustainability.  The illusiveness of Spirit and the absolute of Truth must be embraced together, creating a healthy and holistic balance in the life of a believer and follower of Jesus.  The light of Jesus enlightens me inwardly and illumines me outwardly so I can walk in His Way.

“The true light, which enlightens everyone was coming into the world…I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 1:9; John 8:12).

God, feed me with Your Presence and Your Word, that I might live an enlightened and illumined life, following You in Spirit and in Truth.  Amen.

ANGER BREEDS ANGER-LOVE BREEDS LOVE

Good teachers are those who bring forth and stay true to sound doctrine.  They combine the letter with the Spirit and their motive should be love.

They should not be people with an axe to grind, who can only see one side of the slate; that side being their side.  Paul described the false teachers of his days.

         

“They promote speculations rather than the stewardship (good order) from God that is by faith…have an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people…engage in irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge” (I Timothy 1:4; 6:4,5).

Jesus trained his disciples and when they were ready to go out and minister he gave them authority to cast out unclean spirits, and the authority to heal every disease and affliction. (Matthew 9:1)  If people did not receive them or listen to them they were simply to leave.  People are not to be argued into the kingdom of God.  They are to be invited, drawn in by love and receive healing.

Causes are often fed by anger; anger breeds anger.  The kingdom of God is not taken by force.  It is given in love, and entered into by love; love breeds love.  The zealots of Jesus’ days wanted to make him a cause; wanted an over throw of the established rule and reign of the Roman Empire.  That was not and still is not the Way of God.

I’ve had plenty of axes to grind.  I spent a lot of angry years fighting for what I believed was fair and good; for myself and for others.  It rarely brought me peace of mind or contentment; it usually just brought up another cause, because there are plenty of those to go around.  I have since learned that the battle between good and evil ultimately belongs to God, not me.  I am to focus on Jesus and do what he tells me to do and walk as he walked.

Several scriptures have become life to me:

“Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth.  Therefore let your words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (I Thessalonians 4:11).

“What is that to you?  You must follow me” (John 21:22)

LOVING SHEPHERD OR HIRED HAND

John 9:1-34

The reaction of the Pharisees to Jesus healing the blind man in this story has always baffled me.  They are so stuck in their heads about the rules and regulations of things that their hearts remain untouched by the fact that this man, who was born blind, can now see.  It all seems very cold to me.

The scriptures that follow that healing miracle talk about the difference between the true shepherd and the hired hand. For me it added some understanding to their reaction.  It reveals how important motivation and investment are in the things that we do, especially in areas of ministry.  People work towards achieving places of power and prestige for many reasons; some because they simply want the position, the attention, and the glory that goes with it; some because they believe that they can do more good for others by being in that position.  It comes down to serving self or being a servant to others.

I have seen the fruit of ministers operating out of both motivations.  The ones who are there to serve and be a shepherd to people are very different from those who see it as a job and enjoy the privileges while caring less about the people they are serving.  Jesus spent a lot of time teaching his disciples to be the first option and warned them of the dangers of being the second.

In our time spirituality has become a commodity to be bought and sold and controlled by those who become trained as experts, similar to any other business.  What used to be volunteer ministries are now paid positions, requiring expensive training and certification programs.  While there are very sincere people involved in this endeavor, I still have some hesitation about the process, mostly because of the money involved, both in the training and in the resulting ministry.  I am haunted by the scripture that says, “You have received without paying; give without pay” (Matthew 10:8).

There is the danger of a “hired hand attitude” that can easily slip into any place where money is exchanged. 

The priests of old were provided for by the community, not paid for services.  The disciples on their mission trips were provided for by the people who offered hospitality, not paid for service.  Jesus told us to lay up treasures in heaven because that is where our hearts are, rather than gather treasures here on earth.  He also said ‘do not make my Father’s house a house of trade” (John 2:16).

A workman is worth his wages.  Being provided for as a way to recompense one for time and energy is a fair deal; making a profit and accepting position and prestige is a slippery slope.  When spirituality becomes a commodity to be bought and sold it is serving money.  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).  Entering into these ministries of spiritual matters one must always be aware of one’s motivation and not become a hired hand. 

A PLACE FOR GOD TO BE AT HOME

“…because my word finds no place in you” (John 8:37).

God the Father, Jesus his Son, and the Holy Spirit are not just elements of a creed I believe in or necessary parts of a religion I hold to.  They are living beings that reside deep within me.  I feel their Presence consciously and unconsciously just as I feel the air that I breathe in and out.  Why all people don’t crave that intimate relationship with the God that created them and loves them so much is a mystery to me.

God created us to have a personal relationship with him.  “Adam, where are you?”  God is all around us, in everything that has Being.  But he also wants a relationship beyond the superficial words and actions that religion is often reduced to.  Religion is a way of life, not just a Sunday activity.  God’s Word is not just something we listen to or read; it’s the bread of life that we are to take within us and let it nourish our body and soul.

But we must make a place for God; an inviting place, a welcoming place, an abiding place.  Those who make that kind of place for God in their inner being will also make that kind of place for those in their lives, and for strangers who are seeking hospitality and rest as they journey through life.

For some reason people have made religion a battle field, using judgment, condemnation, and even hatred as weapons.  The Scriptures have become ammunition that is fired at one another, both offensively and defensively.

Jesus used Scripture like that only when face to face with the devil himself.

With people he was kind, loving, and always inviting.  In that hospitable healing atmosphere of love and acceptance he was able to say “go and sin no more” and was heard.  Judgment, condemnation, and hatred put up a wall.  Love creates a space that meets the needs of people, the unmet needs that often result in the sin to begin with.

Jesus came to show the way, the truth, and the life of the kingdom of God that is to be on earth as it is in heaven.  My prayer is that religion, churches, and I will reflect that, and that we all find a place in us for God to be at home.

THE KING I SERVE, THE LEADER I FOLLOW, THE ONE I LOVE

The trillion dollar event that culminated last night has very little to do with me.  If there is that much money floating around I wonder why there are still people sleeping on the streets and going hungry.  What a waste…what a sin.  But it has been going on for a very long time in human history.

I Samuel 8 speaks to the beginnings of this need to have someone other than God, their Creator rule over them.  “They have rejected me from being king over them” (verse 7).  It is rooted deep in our human history to do our own thing and be our own god.  “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).  Again and again and again we continue the same pattern.  At what point do we stop and ask, “So, how’s that working for you?”

I continually feel railroaded, run over by those who know it all and won’t stop and listen to another point of view.  Evil is a strong force, uncontrolled like the winds of a hurricane it forces itself forward, destroying all in its path.  It was that force at work that crucified Jesus, God in the flesh that dwelt among us.  But Jesus rose from the dead, not in a great display of force and unleashed power, but in a quiet, unseen way.  God’s loving power erodes the strong force of evil, like drops of water erodes rock.

The resurrection of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was not a trillion dollar event.  Jesus revealed his power to Mary and his disciples in tender and touching demonstrations of love.

God does not use force to prove himself to us.  Even when Jesus was facing the force of evil head on at his arrest he said, “Put your sword back into its place.  For all who take the sword perish by the sword.  Do you not think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels” (Matthew 26: 52, 53)? 

God comes to us in the quiet places of our lives and reveals the power of his love to us; just as he did to Mary, who mourned him, to his disciples who deserted him, and to Peter who denied him.  Jesus ended his ministry as he began it.  Using his power, that is strong enough to overcome the force of evil, to change water into wine, to change death into life, and to change flesh into Spirit.

This is the King I will serve, the Leader I will follow, and the One I will love.

It is his Kingdom I am loyal to and I will work to further while here on earth.

THOSE WHO SEE BEYOND

God created the world and invisibly sustains it.  But to those who desire to see beyond the invisibility God provides two ways.  The first way is nature, the creation itself.

          “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims

            His handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night

            reveals knowledge” (Psalm 19:1, 2).

The second way is Jesus, the Creator himself.

          “In the beginning was the Word…all things were made by Him…

           and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:1-14).

There’s more to this life than meets the eye

It’s hidden in plain view, in the ordinary, in the mundane.

It’s as mysterious as the wind that you can only hear

But don’t know where it comes from or where it goes.

It’s miraculous to those who have eyes to see

Like the servants at a wedding, the fishermen on the shore,

The blind man on the road, the whore on the street.

The more is there for no one special

Who live in places filled with special no ones

Like Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth Zachariah,

Simeon, Anna, you and me.

The more is there for those who have eyes to see

Beyond what is there.

The more is eternal life, the kingdom of God, and it is not something that comes at the end of what is here now.  Eternal is past, present, and future, with no superficial boundaries between them.  It is a continuum, a beginning that never began and an ending that never ends.  Eternal is beyond those superficial and temporary measuring points.

          “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what

            Will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc.1:9).

“As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be.

World without end, Amen. Amen.”

There Is More Beyond

There’s more to this life than meets the eye

It’s hidden in plain view, in the ordinary, in the mundane.

It’s as mysterious as the wind that you can only hear

But don’t know where it comes from or where it goes.

It’s miraculous to those who have eyes to see

Like the servants at a wedding, the fishermen on the shore,

The blind man on the road, the whore on the street.

The more is there for no one special

Who live in places filled with special no ones

Like Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth Zachariah,

Simeon, Anna, you and me.

The more is there for those who have eyes to see

Beyond what is there.

CALLED TO BE GOOD SOIL

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name,

He gave the right to be children of God, who were born, not of blood,

        Nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:12, 13

Receive him…This takes my mind back to the parable of the sower. A sower went out to sow his seeds and the seeds fell on the soil of the earth.  It was the soil that needed to receive the seed in order for it to grow.  The soil needed to be Good Soil, loose enough for the seed to go deep, and free of thorns and debris so the seed could find its place in the soil and be able to grow into what it was meant to be, complete and whole, a hundredfold.

The seed is the word of the kingdom of God and we are the soil.  It is the soil that receives the seed, provides a nurturing place for the seed to grow and then continues to support what grows and bares fruit.  When most people look at a full grown garden they see the beautiful flowers, vegetables, and fruit and revel in the beauty and bounty covering the earth.  Few even see or comment on the soil.  The soil is the catalyst for the growth, but it remains unnoticed and almost invisible while the glory of the fruit it helped produce burst forth.

Contrary to conventional wisdom the Christian life is not about us; it’s about the kingdom of God and how we are to walk and live in it.

“God formed man of dust from the ground” (Genesis 2:7).

We are but the soil that God breathed life into, making us alive, in his image.  Could it be that his image is the invisible catalyst that brings life to things that bring beauty and fruit to this world; good and nutritious fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control?

Contrary to conventional wisdom the Christian life isn’t about us.  It is about the kingdom of God working in us to produce the good soil necessary for the seed that will grow and manifest the kingdom of God to the world.  Spiritual disciplines and practice are the tools we use to prepare ourselves as Good Soil.  They loosen up the soil, remove the rocks, thorns, and debris so the soil can nurture the growth of the fruit of the Spirit, produced so that God can be revealed to the world, the world he created and invisibly sustains.

What About...?

There are so many “What abouts” these days.

What about gays,

What about rights,

What about abortion,

What about the poor,

What about national security,

What about war?

Everyone has a say, an opinion, a solution

But they’re all different

Most are invisibly self serving

My mind gets cluttered, confused, chaotic

What about them or that?

Peter asked, “What about him?”

Jesus answered,

“What is that to you? You follow me.”

He will attend to the rest

So in him I can rest.

THE VOICE SURROUNDING THE WORDS

What is the difference between words and voice?  As I listen to people it is not necessarily the words I remember, but rather it is the voice that I relate to, especially as I grow older and memory is not my strong point.

It’s their voice that resonates within me and brings up something that connects.  I used to be an avid note taker at workshops and events, writing down every word I could.  I have boxes of notebooks full of those written words, some unread after the workshop or event was over.  But now I listen more to the voice of a speaker and I find I remember, not so much the words spoken, but what resonates through the voice surrounding those words.  Perhaps that is Spirit meeting spirit and that’s why I remember some things and hold on to those things while many of the words fly by me.

So much training in spiritual things is done in getting the words right; the right way to prepare a sermon, or write a paper; words upon words, upon words.  I’m not saying that’s not important, but I believe there are things more important; like where are the words spoken coming from and what is the energy around the words?

Eloquent speakers, well trained and educated in the mechanics of speech and writing are many in number.  The assembly line of schools and seminaries are producing these speakers and filling the churches all over the world.  And yet, the overall condition of churches, especially in the United States is poor, sickly, and in many cases dying.  I hear things like ‘God is dead’, ‘We’re living in a post Christian age’, ‘Religion is a bad thing’, and so on.  That may be the world’s perception but it is not mine.  God and Jesus are alive and well and those who practice a religion, a way of life that believes that are flourishing.

It’s those who don’t know it all; those who don’t settle for statements but quest after the questions who are alive and well; not in the minds of conventional understanding but in the Presence of the Living God, who alone is True Wisdom.  “What are you seeking?”  “Who do you say I am?” “Do you love me?”  Seek, ask, and knock are the keys to the Kingdom of God.  Seek, you will find, ask it will be given, and knock, it will be opened.  These are the signs of those on a quest and who live in the Mystery.  The treasure found and the pearl of great price is nothing less than God Himself, alive and Present with us all.

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.

He will dwell with them, and they will be His people,

And God Himself will be with them as their God. ‘ ”

Revelation 21:3

BE PRESENT WITH THE PRESENT

Be present with the Presence

Abide in My love

Think, speak, and live Out of the Silence

Trust the process…Let it BE.

Cease all your striving

Abide now in Me

Come, live in the Quiet

Trust the process…Let it BE.

My thoughts are higher

My ways are True

Come follow and see

Trust the Process…Let it BE.

Throughout the years I have found that the Spiritual Disciplines and Spiritual formation I work hard at doing are less about making me better and more about providing an open and inviting space for God to come and be with me.  It is simply sitting and being in God’s Presence that calms and quiets me.  I cease my striving and simply sit with open heart, open head, and open hands. 

In Your Presence God I abide with you, become one with you, and find rest in you.  From that place of abiding silence I come to hear all that you want me to hear and to know.  From that place of abiding rest I come to BE all that you want me to BE.  From that place of abiding love I can trust the process of Eternal Life and let it BE.

It’s all about Presence.  It was God’s promise to Moses; it was Jesus’ promise to his disciples, both past and present.  It is the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, and it is the good portion chosen by Mary, the “one thing necessary” that will never be taken away from her.

THE EMPTIED WILL BE FILLED & THE FILLED EMPTIED

It is the striving after something that is the vanity of vanities that the Preacher in Ecclesiastes talks about; whether the striving after what is good or not so good, wisdom or pleasure; it’s the striving that is like chasing after the wind.  God created everything to simply BE what it was created to BE; nothing more, nothing less.  He created all things good and provided all things with whatever was needed to be and remain good, healthy, and whole.  The fall from grace was and is wanting more than is given and providing it for ourselves.

Jesus’ mission was to return people to God and to restore the relationship they each had with God at creation.  Those who came to him empty, he filled; those who came to him filled came to realize they needed to be empty.

John 4 tells of a woman who came to draw water at Jacob’s well.  She brought her empty water jar.  There she met and encountered Jesus who told her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jon 4:13,14).  The woman went back to the people in her town, leaving the water jar empty, by the well.

Luke 7 tells of a woman who came into the house of a Pharisee who was dining with Jesus.  “She brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind Jesus at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair on her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment” (Luke 7:36-50).   She left the house filled and whole.

Matthew 4 tells of four fishermen who were busy at their livelihood, mending their nets and casting for fish.  Jesus came and said to them, “Follow me…and immediately they left their nets, their boat, and their father and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-22).

Matthew 19 tells of a rich man who had kept all the commandments and had great wealth and possessions who came to Jesus asking for the key to eternal life.  Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.  When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:16-22).  He was full but empty and he knew it; how sad.

Luke 18:9-14 tells us about two men who went to worship God, one man who was full of himself and proud of all his good deeds; the other came as an empty sinner who didn’t even feel worthy enough to lift his eyes to heaven.  The one who was empty received God’s attention and blessing.

In my approach to God I need to be empty of all I am and have, believing that he will fill my emptiness with himself, and that is truly all I will ever need.

ALL I REALLY NEED

“There is nothing better for a person than that she should eat and drink and find enjoyment (make her soul see good) in her toil.”

Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

These verses go on to say that all things, wisdom, knowledge, and joy come from the hand of God for apart from him we have nothing.  I came into this world with nothing; yet somewhere along the time and space of my growing up I was taught to expect a lot of material things as well as soul things.  I learned that I had rights to a long healthy life, to have everyone love me and take care of me, to possess things to keep me amused and entertained, shelter and a means to a comfortable living, and the freedom to pursue anything to make and keep me happy.  If these things weren’t made available to me, I then had the right to fight for them of take them away from others.

Now that I am older and realize that I will leave this earth with the same nothing that I came with, I wonder where all that encouragement to chase and strive after the wind came from.  As I reflect on it more it begins to sound more like the temptation in the wilderness between Jesus and the devil than the covenant that was originally spoken between God and human beings in the garden.

God originally created us, provided food and drink for us, and gave us responsible and enjoyable work to do with our hands.

         

“And God said, Behold I have given you every plant yielding seed that

          is on the face of the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit.  You

          shall have them for food” (Genesis 1:29).  “A river flowed out of Eden

          to water the garden” (2:10).  “The Lord God took the man and put him

          in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (2:15).

All of that changed when the created being chose to disobey the Creator, rejecting God’s gracious way of life and wanting more than what God freely gave.  The original temptation was being like God, knowing what was good and what was evil in his own understanding, which created needs, wants, and expectations that have passed down throughout the generations to this day; self derived needs, wants, and expectations of possessions, position, prestige, and power.  Jesus, in his first act of redemptive ministry, took us back to the point of departure and showed us how those were not legitimate needs, wants, and expectations, how the temptation was to be overcome, and to bring us back to the God who provides us with all we truly need in this life and throughout eternity.

Human history seems to revolve around a consistent pattern; forsaking God and wanting to do our own thing.  It always fails and God continually calls us back to him, where we were created to be.  As I grow older and look back over my own history, I share the sentiments and convictions of the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity.  When all is said and done and I am exhausted from chasing after the wind of illusionary needs, wants, and expectations, I too submit to the Preacher’s conclusion.

“There is nothing better for a person than that she should eat and drink and find enjoyment in her toil…The end of the matter; all has been heard.  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of God.”

Ecclesiastes 2:24; 12:13

WHAT IS MISSING THESE DAYS?

Jeremiah 2:13

“For my people have committed two evils;

they have forsaken me,

the fountain of living waters,

and hewed out cisterns for themselves,

broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

I drove past a church whose outdoor sign read, CH  CH…What’s Missing? UR

Of course the question they were asking was where am I on Sunday morning?  But I sense that it’s more than me that is missing from that building on Sunday, and the rest of the week as well.  The church claims to be the Body of Christ, but does it really look like Jesus, saying what he would say, doing what he would do?  Mary Morrison, in her book Jesus: Sketches for a Portrait, says, “Jesus Christ is, for today’s multitudes and even for many of today’s disciples, the missing center of our faith – the Forgotten One of the twentieth century.”

Many folks carry his name, calling themselves Christians, but are like the prodigal son, who took his inheritance and traveled far away from his home, his father, his center of being.  He squandered his inheritance and the gifts given to him by his father, was left hungry and in need.  The people of the place he traveled to gave him nothing.  When individuals and churches leave their center of being and lose their identity, they will follow in the footprints of this prodigal son and will wind up in the same condition.

God, the Father gave Jesus, his Son as our inheritance. (John 1:12)  But what has been done with that inheritance?  If I take my inheritance, leaving the place I am meant to be to go to a far off place of illusion and empty promises, I will end up empty and in need, in a place where no one gives me anything.  The church without its inheritance from God will be empty, in need, and will not be able to give anyone who comes to its doors anything of substance and sustainability.  It will become, as many today are, empty buildings, void of life, love, peace, and joy.

The good news is, God longs for the return of his children.  When individuals and churches realize what they have left, what is missing in their lives and in their ministries, and return to God expecting nothing, his response will be as the father in the story.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him”

(Luke 15:20-23).

This world is in need of Christians and Churches that are reflective of the “Word that became flesh and dwelt among us, the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  That is Jesus.  Those who claim to be Christians; those who claim to be a church, need to speak, act, and BE like Jesus, the founder and perfecter of their faith.

“Have you seen Jesus my Lord?

He’s here in plain view.

Take a look, open your eyes.

We’ll show him to you.”

ABOVE & BEYOND WHAT IS ACTUALLY THERE

While the form and technique are important and useful, it is the inspiration that I desire.  That requires my participation in the looking at a piece of art or the reading of the words that are written in a book; that is what brings life to that which is.  If a painting is simply a replication of what is there, it may interest me for the moment but will not require me to participate or give it meaning.  It is only reproducing what the artist saw and interacted with; giving meaning to him or her.  Rather than look at the painting I would do better to go and look at the thing myself, and have it come alive to me.  A work of art should inspire something more than is simply there for it to bring forth life.

When I look at my picture, Master Bedroom, by Andrew Wythe, of the dog curled up on the bed, asleep in the middle of the day, I am not looking at and concerned that the technique and detail is perfect, which it is. 

I am inspired to rest and to be at peace.  When I look at my picture of the sea captain by Joni, while the technique and detail of the man dressed in rain gear, lighting his pipe, eyes looking straight ahead is perfect, I am inspired to keep my eyes on the horizon because a storm is brewing.  When I look at my picture by Hook of Jesus as a young carpenter, shaving a piece of wood, while the technique and detail is perfect, I am inspired to simply focus on the piece of work that is right in front of me at the moment, and be faithful in doing just that.

As with art, so it is with writing.  I do not consider myself a good technical writer; adequate but not always accurate to the rules of writing.  But I am told by some that my writing has inspired them to enjoy reading the Bible more and looking more to a devotional understanding of its words and lessons, and that means a lot to me.

Jesus taught in parables and spoke words of wonder and mystery.  He wanted people to think above and beyond what was, because what was would someday not be.  God created forms to reveal himself to us, but those forms will someday not be.  Forms and technique may work as the invisible catalyst, but they must lead to inspiration, to think and see above and beyond what is actually there.  Inspiration is God breathing life into what is void and meaningless.  Inspiration causes us to look above and beyond what is actually there.