I love the smell of rain, especially when mixed with the ionized air of a thunderstorm. I enjoy the sound of the falling sheets of water, and the raindrops on the roof. Watching them dance on the road, or falling on the leaves, pausing only a moment before continuing their descent to the ground inspires awe at the vast simplicity of nature’s beauty, and God’s creativity, and it is a beautiful creativity with a purpose.

The sights, sounds, and smells that I enjoy in these moments are signs of the heavens refreshing the earth. Each raindrop brings life to grass and trees, to wildflowers and potted plants. Animals will cool off in the showers and refresh themselves with these waters. All living things will be nourished through the life-giving rain. Even I will find future blessings as well water is replenished, and the natural beauty I love is sustained. Far beyond Doppler images and weather forecasts, such storms are the fingerprint of God upon all life.

Simultaneously, these rainstorms are a force of great power. As I watched the rain falling Friday night, in sheets off the roof of our front porch, not far away, people were being evacuated from campsites for safety, and streams and rivers were rising to dangerous levels. In some places these waters were causing significant damage. Basements flooded, and cars, homes, and businesses were destroyed. This is powerful beauty.

I’ve heard a number of praise songs and prayers that invite the Holy Spirit to rain down upon us. It is a fitting image of the beauty of God’s refreshing grace. It is also an invitation to be filled with God’s awesome power. These images overflow with meaning, but when we speak them, do we really consider what we are asking for? We desire refreshing, and strength to walk victoriously through our lives, but are we ready for all the Spirit will unleash?

A woman in a church I served once said to me, “Pastor, I feel like the Holy Spirit is in our church, but I also feel like we keep him under glass. We want his presence, but we are cautious about letting him move.” I shared this reflection with our leaders and from our conversation came an initiative we titled, “Take the Lid Off.” It was a bold decision, and a bolder request. What would happen if we let the Spirit do whatever he wanted?

A few weeks after we began sharing our vision with the whole congregation, a man came to see me. He was worried. “If we do this thing… if we take the lid off of the Holy Spirit, things could get out of hand,” he said. He was more insightful than he knew. I wanted to comfort him, assure him that everything would stay in order, but I knew better. We were asking God to release the power of the Spirit. In some places, that would be a gentle, refreshing rain. In others, it would be a flood that would destroy the things that held us back from God’s best for us. Unlike the recent, powerful thunderstorms, the results would all be beneficial, yet similarly, the experience would be anything but easy, in some places.

Clearly, God is not the source of calamity in our lives. Jesus demonstrated God’s heart was one of compassion. Repeatedly, in the Gospels, it says, “he had compassion on them…” Still, the Holy Spirit is not to be played with, as if the Spirit were merely an agent of God to make us happy and give us what we want. The Holy Spirit is God. He works in us to produce God’s will for our lives and for the world. The Spirit is the powerful beauty of God intimately at work in human lives.

Inviting the Holy Spirit to rain down is an excellent, and worthy prayer. Such a prayer is much more than seeking spiritual goosebumps or expecting some cosmic good vibes. Asking for the rain of the Spirit, is asking for the manifest reign of God. It is trusting God for what is best, and yielding every part of our lives to God’s desire and and design. God loves to manifest the Spirit in our lives, but never does so on our terms. God does not perform for us, rather, God produces spiritual fruit in us. This may come in the form of refreshing rains upon the soil of our heart, or it may result in the stripping away of what is lifeless so that new life can spring forth. Typically, like awe-inspiring thunderstorms, it is both. When the powerful beauty of God is released in our midst, that creative force will remake us. As Jesus said in Revelation 21:5, “Behold, I make all things new.”

This may sound frightening, but God is not the source of fear. God is, however, worthy of our respect and awe. It is no small thing to invite God into our lives, but when we do, we will see the true goodness of God’s powerful beauty at work. We will become reflections of God, powerful in the Spirit, and beautiful in Christ.

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“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” – Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV

God finds unexpected ways to get your attention, and if you are willing, your awareness Divine presence will teach you everything.

The morning was fairly routine. There were a number of things on my “to-do” list, but I began with some time alone with God on our front porch. It’s become a bit of sacred space for me as I enter God’s presence to the sound of birdsong, roosters crowing, and squirrels chattering. I even get some of nature’s visitors who join me for devotions. I love reflecting on Scripture and praying in the stillness of this serene environment.

This morning, God’s inroad was going to be different. It seemed like every other morning, but I struggled to stay focused. The list of things I needed to do kept creeping into my thoughts and I would need to re-center. Then came the noise. It was not a loud noise, just a persistent, rhythmic squeaking. I thought it might be the neighbor’s chickens at first, but it was too uniform and constant. Honestly, in my distracted state, it was annoying.

Looking up from my prayers, I found the source. A lone child on our church playground was fully enjoying one of our swings. I thought, “this can’t last much longer,” but it did. I was about to abandon my devotional time and launch into work, when I realized God was speaking, and speaking through the noise of a swing. While I was busy seeking some deep insight, this precious child of God was embracing pure joy. It was as if God kept saying, “Quit trying so hard, and savor my presence.” So I did, and it was far better than what I planned.

We can get caught in our efforts, however well-intentioned, and miss the revelation meant for us. God is always speaking to us, sometimes in ways we don’t expect and may not be listening to. If we will remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit, our senses will be heightened to recognize when something ordinary is anything but that.

Just as Paul wrote to the Ephesians, we need the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened so that we can see God’s revelation. It may not be a child or a swing set, but God invites us to live with eyes of wonder to see, and experience, the joy of the Lord. We need our spiritual disciplines, including reading the Bible and prayer, but we will also benefit from open hearts to hear what God is saying to us through the world around us. While that revelation will never oppose the Word of God, it will help us discover a deeper awareness of God’s word to us.

Today, may the Spirit help us remain open, attentive, and receptive to what God is saying to us through all of life.

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As you can imagine, accepting the coming change is a difficult thing. Some people are ready to move forward while others are still trying to adjust to the news. For many this time simply feels like chaos, and questions about the future seem unanswered.

Yet, in the midst of it all, God is present and that is the whole point of what we celebrate on the Day of Pentecost. Some call it the “Birthday of the Church,” but it is so much more. Pentecost is the celebration of Jesus’ promise that God would send the Holy Spirit. It is a celebration of God’s intimate presence with us.

I find it so appropriate that Pentecost Sunday should fall on Memorial Day weekend. In the midst of our national time of remembrance of those who sacrificed their lives for our future, we celebrate the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ who sacrificed his life for our salvation.

Jesus told his followers that the Spirit would remind them of all he said to them and teach them everything. The presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives would allow them to remember all that Jesus did and said so that, from their remembrance, they would be able to look forward to God’s future for them and for the world.

The Spirit does the same for us today. We too, are reminded of the teachings of Jesus’ life and words, and we are equally empowered by his indwelling presence to fulfill God’s destiny for our lives. By the Spirit’s leading and empowerment we are able to face our fears and challenges, even an unknown future, with divine direction and strength.

As we remember those who gave their lives so that we might be able to live, and as we celebrate the presence and power of the Spirit of Christ within us, let us be good stewards of the lives we are given. Placing our trust in God and in the power of his strength, let us boldly embrace the future before us as we savor and celebrate each day. With the presence of God within us, may we walk by faith in such a way that we might leave a legacy of love and hope that enables others to experience the power of the risen Christ and embrace the promise of God for their lives as well.

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It is amazing how many things go under appreciated until we are in need. It is often these simple things that represent some of the most sacred gifts in our lives. Surrounded by divine blessings, we can walk blindly along and miss them all.

It is not without reason that Jesus chose to take the ordinary gifts of bread and wine and make them to be one of the most sacred meals we share. Out of the common, God creates the extraordinary. It is true of communion and it is true with countless details of our lives.

Every day we encounter simple, sacred moments and common, consecrated people. Life is full of God’s ordinary blessings. They come in the form of cardboard boxes that enable to move forward in the ministry that awaits us, or in the kind word of a friend, even in the time to pause for a cup of coffee. Blessings are found in each breath of air, each gentle breeze, and each beat of the heart.

When we invite God to open our eyes to the movement of the Spirit, our senses become attuned to the presence of God in the tiny details of our lives. We see beneath the surface and find there is greater depth than we ever expected. Before long, we come to understand that every moment is a gift of God because God is with us in the moment.

Life is full of blessings. May the Spirit make us ever more aware of the blessing of God’s presence in our lives.

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It is interesting that God gets the blame for these events when, in fact, they are more directly acts of nature. It seems easy to lay the responsibility with God as if God said, “Let’s send some damaging storms their way and see what happens.” God ends up looking like the ancient Greek and Roman gods who often found pleasure in playing with and tormenting humanity, and nothing could be further from the truth.

In tragic situations, I frequently hear people ask, “why did God do this?” Such a question is understandable in the midst of crisis, but it betrays an underlying belief that God is directly responsible for the bad things that happen. Yes, there are biblical stories that show some natural disasters as expressions of God’s judgement, but these are very specific instances. Nowhere, do we find every bad experience the result of a direct action from God. I suppose, part of this struggle comes from our understanding of God’s power and direction in our lives, but these attitudes often separate God’s power, direction, and judgement from God’s mercy, grace, and love, and that is a serious flaw.

Yes, bad things happen, but God’s creative power is at work in the darkest of moments bringing illumination. The power of the resurrection can transform our experiences of pain and suffering into something amazing and life-giving. Sometimes, bad things happen. Evil exists in the world, yet the Spirit of God is always at work in and through us to overcome evil and bring forth life from death.

Instead of naming disasters “acts of God,” maybe we should begin to declare unmerited blessings and healing as those holy acts. In moments of grace, forgiveness, and hope, we see the acts of God. With expressions of love, kindness and community, we see the acts of God. In places of sacrifice, service, and salvation, we see the acts of God.

This is the great message of the Gospel, not that God is a punitive, angry deity, but that God is gracious and long-suffering, full of mercy, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. The revelation of God is not to be found in thunderstorms and tornados, but in places of providence and protection, and in the lives of those who bring healing and love. In these places of compassion, we see the tender heart of God acting in love toward humanity.

People may never stop referring to disasters as, “acts of God,” but we have the opportunity to be the body of Christ; the representatives of God, and show the world what God is really like. We can be the hands of action that show compassion. We can be the voice of peace, hope and love. We can offer the ministry of our presence that reflects the truth of God’s presence with us. We can align our heart with the heart of God and, allowing the Spirit to work though us, make our actions, expressions of the real acts of God.

Opportunities are all around us. Where will we begin?

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The experience did raise an important question, “How do we make time for study and spiritual growth while living busy, sometimes over-full lives?” There are many tools to help strengthen our study, but if we lack time, how can we put them into practice?

Too often, the responses to this concern are guilt-laden comments about our priorities and commitment; suggesting that if we were only a little more serious and willing to work a little harder, we would not be facing any struggle. The truth is, we can be seriously committed and yet remain challenged in our attempts to achieve what God put on our hearts to do.

Journeying through these past weeks, dreaming of making time for everything, I realized that many things were suffering from my frustration over my inability to fit it all in. Greatest among these were my own peace and the peace of my family. I became aware that I was increasingly defining my life by what I was accomplishing, or not accomplishing. Not only did this increase my frustration, but it is no way to steward the gift of life God gives.

As I sought God in prayer, in the moments I could carve out, the words of John 10:10 kept coming to mind, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” What powerful words from Jesus. He came to give life, not consume it. It was clear that I was sacrificing his gift of being able to fully live to instead, be bound by the trappings of doing things. Instead of celebrating the beauty and wonder of each day, I was buried in my extended list of things to do.

It is true that we all have things that must be done. It is also true that there will be seasons when much will be asked of us and our schedules will be overfull. However, even in these moments, maybe especially in these moments, we must not lose sight of what it means to really live the abundant life of Christ. We may not be able to commit the time we would like to our study, but that is precisely when the study we did in other seasons can bear us up, strengthening and empowering us to find life in our lists of obligations. We will have to make choices, sometimes very difficult ones, about how we use our time, but trading the joy of life for a few tasks completed will never be the right one. Maybe, we simply need to give ourselves a break and trust God.

Wherever you are today, remember you are not alone. God is with you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You have purpose and destiny and more ability than you know. You may not have the time for study and action you originally hoped for, but you have the Holy Spirit who will, as Jesus said, “remind you of all that I [Jesus] said to you and teach you everything,” and who will give you all the power you need.

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I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard those words, and how many times I said them. There are times when all of us would rather not expend the metal effort to take in more information. Sometimes we feel too tired or maybe the material does not excite us, but whatever the reason, we don’t feel like learning any more.

Most of us can relate to feeling little or no motivation to study, but there is a deeper challenge when it comes to living our faith that threatens to leave us unprepared for the work of ministry and the challenges of life that we will experience. That challenge is not the lack of motivation, but the lack of desire. When we move beyond “I don’t feel like it” to “I don’t want to” the situation is much more serious, and when the subject is our faith journey the impact can be devastating. That may sound dramatic, but when it comes to living and sharing the Christian life, the results of our choices have eternal significance.

The Apostle Paul told his younger protege, Timothy, “Study to show yourself approved.” (2 Timothy 2:15) There is a real need for Christians to invest time and themselves in the work of study for the sake of their faith journey and their impact with the Gospel. It is true,that many modern translations of this verse replace the word “study” with “discipline yourself” but a necessary part of that discipline is renewing the mind and spirit through study.

Too many times as a pastor, I hear people say, “Just tell me what to believe (or do).” The implication is that they would rather blindly follow someone else’s direction than do the hard work themselves, yet that is exactly what they need. More than a simple answer or a personal direction from the pastor, the real knowledge lies in allowing the Spirit to use their studious efforts mingled with divine revelation. Pastoral insight may be a part of that process, but there is so much more. I once has a door hanger that read, “I trust in the Lord, but I still have to study.” The quote is cute, but full of truth for all of us.

Our faith is surely more than academic, but it still requires our study. No sermon or teaching will replace time spent reading the Word of God, engaging the reflections of the community of faith over several millennia, and gaining the insights of the knowledge and wisdom of others. John Wesley, the founder of the Wesleyan denominations (including my own, the United Methodist Church) exemplified a model that engaged Scripture, tradition, experience and reason. We need to incorporate all four, and we need to do the work, not wait for someone else to do it for us.

We want to offer God our very best and that includes the mind and intelligence we were blessed with. Our study need not be laborious, but it must not be avoided.

In the coming days, I will be sharing some suggestions to help encourage and empower your study. For now, however, it is enough to encourage us all to take Paul’s advice and study so that we can show ourselves to be those approved.

Be blessed in this day and in your study. May God’s divine revelation multiply your efforts.

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One part of my presentation (and the preparation for it) that really captured my thoughts was the concern for the language we speak. All too often, we fall into the belief that we should be able to speak our language and expect others to understand it and grasp what we are saying. When they ignore or reject what we are saying, we can easily place all of the responsibility on our audience while never asking ourselves if we communicated in the right way.

I have a passion for ministry in Brazil and enjoyed the privilege of leading groups there to do missions work. Never did we arrive in Rio expecting that the people we would minister with would speak fluent English. Instead, we took time to learn some Portuguese and we arranged to have an interpreter ready when necessary. We made every effort to speak the language of the people we were with.

The same thing applies in the areas we all live and serve in. The church, reaching out to the community and the world, must be willing to learn the language of the people we are speaking to. We cannot simply expect that our words have the same meaning and that our methods of communication are the same. They are not. Even though the learning curve is significant and seems to continue to change, we must not step back.

When I was young, the church found its greatest growth through its members having children. People remained committed to their church and people who moved into the area typically looked for a church of the same denomination they previously attended. There was tremendous denominational loyalty. By the time I began in ministry, people were shopping for churches based upon the programs they offered. They would often change congregations based upon their needs and the seasons of their lives.

Today, people are seeking something real and a place where they can be engaged and connected. They want to be known and to know others, and they want to be a part of something that is bigger than they are, something that enables them to make a difference. The church can meet these needs and become stronger in the process, but we will need to speak the language of a new day.

Change can be intimidating, but what wonderful opportunities it presents. Thank God the message of divine love and saving grace remains unchanging. Thank God the Holy Spirit enables and empowers us to face a changing world and speak a relevant word. Thank God we have the privilege of living is such exciting times, and when it all seems overwhelming, take heart in John Wesley’s final words, “The best is, God is with us.”

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