Thinking Faith Cafe

Lift off!

2015-07-07T21:00:50Z

There is nothing quite like knowing you are on your way! There is a sense of excitement and joy that comes from each new beginning in our lives. We feel things begin to tremble as we begin to launch and we know that we are underway, something amazing is about to begin. The anticipation is tangible. Even facing some fear and the unknowns, we know the adventure is starting.

Last week, I had the pleasure and privilege of officiating the wedding of a very dear friend and her fiancé. Standing before them as they shared their vows and exchanged rings, it was easy to see the joy on their faces, and everyone felt their anticipation for the new life that they were embarking on in that moment.

I always share a few words with each couple I bless in marriage, and I make sure to mention that not every day ahead will be as utopic as their wedding day. Challenges will certainly come, and there is no way to predict what awaits in the future. What is sure is that they are joining their lives together with each other and with God, and they will, through the strength of those relationships, be able to face whatever comes their way.

Such significant moments come with joyful expectancy, and a healthy dose of respect for the unknowns of the future. It can be a wedding, the birth of a child, a new vocation, or a new calling. These, and other similar moments, become launching pads into God’s future, and when we embrace them in their fullness, there is much to celebrate.

In the Book of Revelation, God says, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5) In the very text that epitomizes God’s future for humanity, there is the promise that God is making everything new. When we walk in faith, we are assured that God is working to re-create us, and our circumstances. Not only is this a promise of hope, but it is a definition of life. Day-by-day, God’s new life for us is being revealed and created.

To say we soar with Christ is an excellent description of what our life of faith is truly like. We continue to climb higher with him, and we experience greater vistas of beauty and wonder. What was once our ceiling, now becomes the floor for the next step of the journey. What once seemed difficult is now commonplace, and what was only a dream becomes reality. With each stage and step, our ability to see more and dream bigger dreams increases.

It would be easy during the shaking and rattling of lift off to back out or change our mind. The immediate experience of that moment can be intimidating, but it is only a short season that is leading to something far more beautiful that we ever expected. Soaring with Christ is a wonderful thing.

When I was younger, I took lessons toward gaining a private pilot’s license. I still remember the day my instructor got out of the plane after we landed and said, “You are ready to solo. Take her up yourself.” My stomach was in my throat. My heart was beating fast, and it was hard to breathe. The thought of my lift off was very intimidating. There were many hours of theory and practice behind me, but this was the real thing.

Sitting at the end of the runway, I pushed the throttle forward and the plane began to move, slowly at first, but rapidly picking up speed. About halfway down the runway, I felt the wheels leave the ground. I was far from steady, but I was flying. In moments I was hundreds of feet above the earth and enjoying an experience I will never forget. Soaring around the airport was amazing. The view was beautiful, and I felt so alive. It wasn’t long before it felt normal to climb into the cockpit and take off by myself.

Soaring with Christ comes with the same intimidating fears, but the reward is worth facing those fears. Nothing we experience compares with the wonder and amazement that comes from the choice to say, “Yes!” Lift off is worth it. We are meant for it.

Whatever God is calling you into today, say, “Yes!” Soaring in faith is an exciting experience. May God’s blessing be yours for the journey!

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5 Steps for Breaking Free (Gravity Pt. 3)

2015-07-02T21:09:08Z

Identifying the sources of negative spiritual gravity in our lives is the first step to breaking free. When we see what is holding us back, those things begin to lose some power in the light of that exposure, but knowing gravity exists will not give us the power to overcome its pull. We need to take active steps to move upward. Here are five steps that can build the momentum we need.

Dream God-Sized Dreams

Do you remember your imagination? You probably used it a lot when you were younger, but in the course of maturity, we become more conservative in our vision and we constrain our dreams. God dreams big dreams, and you are created in God’s image. You were made to pursue grand visions, not to settle for what is common, or easy. The first step toward breaking free from the sources of negative spiritual gravity is to give our imaginations permission to dream big again.

What would you do if you had nothing holding you back? What captivates your heart? What is burning within you, crying to be free? These are the questions to ask, and ponder. Take the shackles off of your dreams, and embrace the Biblical promise that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Remember, we have a God who can do, “exceedingly, abundantly beyond all we can ask or imagine through his power that is at work within you.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Take Hold of the Vision

Dreams remain dreams until we embrace them, then they become a vision. Keep dreaming, but as you begin to resonate with your dreams, let them become visions that draw you forward. To use the rocket illustration of the past two days, launches do not happen by accident, nor are they just to see the rocket go up. There is a clear vision of the rocket’s purpose, direction, and destination. Dreams must be distilled into a vision. Even if all of the details are not clear, the next step is to own the vision that is growing within you. Once you take hold of it, the clarity will begin to come, and you will be on your way. God reminded the prophet Habakkuk, “The vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end – it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3)

Fill Your Tank with Faith

You cannot create energy without fuel, and that fuel is faith. Breaking free will involve building our faith, and increasing the capacity for faith in our lives. Start with what you have. If your faith is low, then use what you have to accomplish small victories. A series of small steps accomplishes the same thing as a giant leap, and with each step completed, your faith will grow.

It is also important to feed on inspiration. Read Scripture, pray, and spend time in fellowship with others who dream God-sized dreams. Read books by people with vision and faith. Savor the stories of faith-filled people, both past and present. It is very easy to find stories of defeat and discouragement. Make the effort to fill yourself with things that strengthen your faith and deepen your dreams.

As hard as it is to hear, it may be necessary to remove yourself from voices that speak negativity and defeat. It is very hard to build faith when others are holding you back. I am not suggesting our relationships with people are merely expendable, but embracing the dream God plants in your life may require limiting the impact some people have on your life and energy. Instead, surround yourself with people who will share their faith and help you fill your tank.

Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

Breaking free from what holds us back involves playing one of the greatest, and most significant, games of follow the leader. Just as driving requires keeping our eyes on where we want to go, so moving forward into our destiny demands that we keep our eyes on the One who is leading us into it.

You might remember the story of the Apostle Peter. He was in a boat with the other disciples when they saw a figure walking on the waves. At first they are afraid, but then they realize that it is Jesus. Peter calls out to Jesus with a burst of faith and says, “Tell me to come out to you.” Jesus makes that invitation and Peter responds. Eyes on Jesus he begins to walk upon the same waves, out to where Jesus is. Somewhere along the way, he moves his attention from the One who called him to the waves surrounding him. With that simple shift of his gaze, he begins to sink into the water, causing Jesus to come to his rescue.

When our eyes are on Jesus, we can do amazing things. When we look away, we begin to sink. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Don’t Look Back

Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) Again, this is not a condemnation, merely a statement of fact. If we keep longingly looking back toward what held us captive, our fitness level is not ready for the demands of the race before us. Imagine an Olympic runner trying to win a race while looking back at the starting line. It simply doesn’t work. While God was surely with us in that place in the past, God is with us now calling us into our future. Remembering where we came from and what we did is fine, but our gaze must remain forward to run a fit race.

With these steps in mind we can trust Jesus to lead the way and the Holy Spirit to empower us to achieve the destiny God is calling us to embrace. I would love to say it is easy, but that is simply not true. Great things require great effort, and our calling is a great calling. However, if we remain faithful and disciplined; if we will persevere with passion, we will break free from the strongholds holding us back and soar into our future with Christ.

We will wrap up this theme looking at the wonder and beauty that is found soaring with Christ. Until then, let the Spirit build your faith, and keep your eyes on Jesus.

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7 Sources of Negative Spiritual Gravity

2015-07-01T20:36:19Z

Yesterday, we considered the challenge of overcoming negative sources of spiritual gravity holding us back from living an adventurous life with Jesus. In order to break free from the pull of these strongholds, we must first identify them. While the list could be quite long, here are seven common sources of negative spiritual gravity:

1. Familiarity

This is the one, as a pastor, I encounter most frequently. It usually expresses itself in one of two ways, either, “We’ve never done it that way before,” or “We’ve always done it this way.” Both are ways of articulating the deeper meaning, “This is what I know, and I am afraid of change.” This is understandable. With all of its challenges and problems, what we know is familiar. We know what to expect. Making changes may lead to something better, but how can we be sure? What if the change turns out to be bad? Staying with what we already know, feels much more secure, therefore, we resist letting go.

2. Past Failure

Maybe we tried something new in the past and it didn’t work, or maybe we saw someone else fail when they tried to break free, but the fear of failure is powerful, especially when we’ve experienced it before. Someone breaks our trust and we easily pull back from trusting in the future. We try a new business venture and it doesn’t work out so we squelch our entrepreneurial spirit. An attempt to live by faith seems to come with more struggles, making it easier to settle for a more “reasonable” understanding of faith. When things go bad, we become far less likely to try new things in the future.

3. Past Success

Ironically, when things go well in our past, it can also inhibit stepping out in faith. Why fix something that isn’t broken, or, why not just do what worked before? I often hear it expressed this way, “The church I went to when I was younger did it this way and it worked.” That is probably very true, and it may even be the right choice for us today, but the assumption is, it worked well enough in the past, it should still work in the future. So, instead of asking God how we should move forward, we take our direction from past success. It happens in churches, but it also happens in our personal lives as we keep trying to do what worked well the last time we tried, often leaving us stuck in the past instead of moving into our future.

4. Perceived Safety

Sometimes, we believe that we are safer where we are, than we would be doing something new. Certainly, this can be the case, but many times we convince ourselves that we are safer inside our sinking ship than we would be risking the open water in a life raft. We insulate ourselves from the realities of our circumstances to reinforce that belief, but the situation is actually no different. We feel safe, but we can be more at risk than we know.

5. Negativity

“That will never work!” Many of us are conditioned to think negatively. We start our evaluations looking for, and accentuating, all the possible concerns. When asked to list the “pros” and “cons” of an action or decision, we begin with the “cons,” and easily find more items for that list. Instead of seeing possibilities, we see problems, and we let that worldview shape our decision. One of the great dangers of this source of negative gravity is the more we feed it, the more dominant it becomes. As we search for, and speak, negativity, we train our minds and our spirits to think this way and thus, it becomes easier to find and say even more discouraging things, sapping our strength to move forward. Like adding weight and resistance to the rocket we are trying to launch, we sabotage ourselves at the outset.

6. Lack of Faith

I know, saying, “you don’t have enough faith,” is often used as a tool to beat people up, but Jesus spoke it frequently, not as a condemnation, but as an honest assessment and an invitation to think differently. Without faith, it is outrageously difficult to embrace new things, or to step into a new stage of our destiny. In many ways, faith is the fuel we burn to create the energy for upward momentum. The more faith we have in our tank, the easier it is for us to achieve liftoff and begin to soar where Christ has led.

7. A Controlling Spirit

Admit it, sometimes life feel wildly out of control. The more chaotic things feel, the more we try to control them. I recently discovered this was a growing problem for me. Over the last year, a number of things happened to reinforce the lack of control I actually possessed over many circumstances. During some recent prayer and reflection, I became aware at how much I was trying to find order through my own ability to control my circumstances. Of course, this control was just an illusion, and all I managed to do was create large amounts of stress in my life. Yes, things are often in chaos, but the good news is that God does some of the greatest work in chaos, and speaks order in the midst of it. Attempting to control things only restricts us from releasing our circumstances to God and embracing God’s power to walk through the storm together.

Maybe you find yourself wrestling with some of these issues, and maybe, they point to some other strong sources of gravity holding you back in your personal journey. Take heart, Jesus overcame the world, and he can help you overcome every stronghold that is holding you back.

In my next post, we will discover how to break free and soar. To do that, we need to know what is holding us back, and trust the One who is calling us forward.

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Gravity

2015-06-30T22:03:27Z

Gravity, it is the weak force of physics that keeps us strongly rooted to the ground and affects everything from the lightest feather to the grandest sun. It is something we depend upon for life to remain ordered, and it is surprisingly difficult to overcome.

We see that difficulty every time we watch a rocket launch. Massive amounts of fuel are needed to create the thrust energy needed to lift the rocket from the ground. At first it barely moves, and slowly develops forward momentum. Still, that momentum would be almost instantly lost if the thrust were cut off. However, once free of the strong pull of the earth’s gravity, very little energy is needed to change direction or increase speed.

Like the rocket that exerts great energy to free itself form the gravitational force pulling it back to earth, we must also exert great energy to break free from the things that pull us back in life. If we stop too soon, or back off from the effort, the pull of the former things will quickly drag us backward.

The Hebrew people were slaves in Egypt. The Bible tells us the lived in subservience for 400 years. Generation after generation being born and dying in slavery. They dreamed, prayed, and cried out for freedom with a vision that one day they would be free from oppression.

Enter Moses, the man God chose to be the tool of God to liberate the Hebrew slaves. The story is lengthy, but as God moved powerfully through him, Pharaoh relented and set the people free. In the process everyone saw the supreme power of God, and rejoiced that they were delivered from their bondage.

Early in their journey away from Egypt they encountered an obstacle, Pharaoh was coming after them and they were trapped. Having seen the great power of God to set them free so recently, you would expect their faith to be high as they called out to God to deliver them again. Instead, the gravity of their previous life took hold and they began to complain to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die? We were better off as slaves in Egypt!” It was a complaint spoken repeatedly in spite of God’s continued deliverance.

Jesus’ apostles were not immune to this pull. After all he taught them; after three years with him; after seeing him manifest the power of God and then doing the same themselves, the shock of his death led them to return to fishing, the vocation many of them possessed prior to his call to follow him.

We are not immune either. The Psalmist said, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to in and are saved.” Yet, all too often, when the struggle hits, we run the other direction, right back toward where we came from. It happens in individual lives, in families, and in churches. When faced with adversity, unknown outcomes, and obstacles that seem dramatically bigger than our abilities, we try to fall back to what we once knew, before we were walking in the Spirit. We try to solve things in our own strength, or we try to run and hide. The pull of what we knew and where we were is a powerful force to overcome.

Of course, adversity, unknown outcomes, and substantial obstacles are also the foundation for great adventures. They are often the source of grand tales and the stuff of legends. It is when we push to overcome the pull of our past and our fears, we break free from what holds us back and are able to soar with Christ! Imagine the possibilities and discoveries that await us when we break free and pursue the adventure of a lifetime with Jesus. Let that nugget sink in and give you a little more hope, and power to persevere.

In my next post we will look at some forces that draw us back. What do you find tends to draw you back from living the adventure with Jesus?

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Slow Down

2015-06-04T20:26:44Z

Busyness is not a sign of success, effectiveness, or importance, yet many live their lives as if it is. Busyness is a sign that our schedules are too full, and we are missing the opportunity to be fully present in the moment, focused on our true priorities. Of course, there are times, maybe even seasons, where circumstances require us to live with heavy agendas, but this is not meant to be a way of life. Even Jesus, a man with a tremendous mission, made time to be alone; to step away from the activity of ministry to be renewed.

When I first entered the process toward ministry, my uncle (who is also a pastor) gave me a profound piece of advice, “Remember, the pastor who is always available, usually isn’t any good when he or she is available.” I remind myself of this often, as many around me judge down time as a sign of ineffectiveness. I’ve seen it in meetings of clergy and lay people, whose calendars are filled with appointments. They pass the same judgement on themselves as they do others, believing that more items in their agenda, and on their “to do” lists, is a sign that they are doing more effective work for God. This approach often leads to little time to soak in the word, enjoy God’s presence, and listen to the voice of the Lord.

I remember being confronted by a person who had something they believed I should add to my schedule. The church I was serving at the time required a lot from me in the mornings, and the evenings were often filled with meetings and classes. This left a little time in the afternoon to get away with my wife, enjoy the company of friends, and spend some quiet time with God. When it became clear that I was not going to add this request to my agenda, her reply was, “Well, if you have time for coffee in the afternoon, you have time to do this for me.”

I could have chosen to allow this to offend me, but actually, it made me sad. Sure, there was little respect shown for the commitments I already had, but her comment represented the way she lived her life. It was no wonder she was stressed, and no wonder many of us are for the same reason.

We can talk about going deeper in our walk with God, pressing into our relationship with Jesus, and soaking in the scripture, but if we do not slow down and make time in our schedules, we will only give lip service to these ideals. Being good stewards of our lives and of our faith development requires us to be attentive to how we allocate our time. Time spent with God is an investment in all that we do in Jesus’ name, and it comes with great reward.

Here is where it can get a little sticky. There are things we need to do, and there are demands on our schedule we should attend to, but drawing the line between those activities and the countless nonessential requests can be difficult. Our view of ourselves, our desire to be needed and respected, and our fear of judgement can keep us from making healthy decisions about our time.

Not long ago, I was sharing with a colleague my struggle with what people expected from me. Between ministry and family, I was finding little time for nourishing my spirit and developing my creativity. Many of the things I wanted to do were being put off, or lost all together. His response was exactly what I needed to hear, “Who sets your schedule?”

We all like to claim the people in our lives are responsible for our busyness, but the truth is, the choice is ours to make. While there may be consequences from not taking on a task or appointment, the decision to include them in our agenda is ours to make. I needed that reminder. Maybe, you do too.

Developing our spiritual life requires an investment of time. If it is a priority, we will make time for the things that will grow our faith and relationship with God. In my own life, there are times when I will cancel my time with God to attend to other matters. I console myself with the knowledge that God understands, but if the appointment was with my Bishop, my Superintendent, or numerous other people, I would never cancel the appointment for those reasons. It is a difficult truth to accept, but I find it too easy to ignore what is most important.

This is why I need to be reminded of how Jesus ordered his life. One specific story always stands out for me. Jesus is on retreat with his disciples when someone finds him to tell him his beloved friend Lazarus is extremely ill. Jesus’ response to this news is to remain on retreat for two more days! When he finally arrives, Martha is quick to remind him that he arrived too late. If only he came sooner, Lazarus would be alive. Of course, the story concludes with Jesus raising him from the dead, but the message of his actions is clear, it was more important to stay apart with God, than to rush back, in spite of the expectations and opinions of others.

Experiencing a deep life of faith will require sacrifices. It will mean that we must prioritize our lives, and live out of those priorities. We will need to slow down and make room for God to have our attention for more than a few moments, or while we are rushing on to our next appointment. These decisions will not be easy, or popular, but they will be right, and as is often the case, the best results will come from doing the hard thing.

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Soaking in the Scripture

2015-06-03T20:53:04Z

Going deeper with God naturally involves soaking in the Scripture. In these precious texts, we find the revelation of God’s heart and design for our lives, and the world. As we listen deeply to the word of God resonating within our spirit, we deepen our relationship with the Author and we receive greater revelation for our lives.

In Colossians 3:16 we read, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” It is the very design of God that we allow the word of God to dwell within us. More than that, we are meant to experience the richness of the presence of the word within us. As we allow the word to take root within us, we can strengthen ourselves, and our community, and we will find the song of the Lord rising up within us.

One of the passages I return to again and again is Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” By constantly pondering and meditating on the good things of God, we see more of God in our lives, and the light of Christ shines brighter on our path. Soaking in the Scripture is the primary way we “think on these things.”

Many of us were trained to read for distance, and we try to read as much as we can, as quickly as we can. There is value in reading this way because we expose ourselves to more information and can capture overarching themes that we might miss otherwise. There is, however, also a need to read for depth, working to mine all that we can from what we are reading. This is a slower process that allows us to savor the meaning of words, and the application of that meaning to our lives.

Consider the passage of Colossians above. Just the first phrase is full of meaning and insight. Her rare just a few thoughts:

“Let” – We have an active part in seeing the word of Christ dwell richly in us. God is clearly the source of the word, and it is by the Spirit that we receive the word, but there is part for each of us in the process. We must allow the word to take root. This is much more than merely making time to read it, though that is necessary. We must actively participate in receiving the word.
“Word of Christ” – As part of the Trinity, Jesus Christ is the author of more than just the words in red. The words of Scripture are his words that speak life into us.
“Dwell” – The goal of engaging Scripture is much more than reading, it is inviting the very word of God to live in us. Through our meditation on the word, we make room for it to make a home within us, shaping our thoughts and flavoring our lives.
“Richly” – When God is involved, there is always an abundance. Scripture does more than guide us, or give us information. It overflows into our lives, creating life within us, and through us.

In just a few words, we can see that there is much to savor. As we soak in the Scripture, we are infused with its truth and our lives begin to reflect its content in how we think and act. There are no shortcuts, and this may seem disappointing yet, like any relationship, the deep value is revealed in extended time together. Yes, there is an investment of time and attention, but the reward is a deep, rich, centered life in God, and the gift of divine revelation for our lives and the world. That is surely worth the time.

May your time soaking in the Scripture, yield deep and lasting fruit in your lives.

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Pressing In

2015-06-02T20:53:01Z

One of keys to going deeper in our faith is a commitment to press into God. The concept of pressing in is often hard to fully understand and can sound like just another piece of Christian jargon. Once understood, however, it becomes a powerful tool in creating a robust Christian life.

So, what exactly does it mean to press into God? Is it reading more Scripture, extending our time in prayer, or being more active in church, or is it something different? While it may include some of these things, pressing in is not just about doing more, it is about persistently cultivating an awareness of God’s presence and savoring that relationship in every circumstance.

If you’ve ever made microwave popcorn, or watched someone else make it, you already know something of the nature of pressing in. The process is fairly simple. You place the bag in the microwave in the proper position, set the timer for the time listed in the instructions, and allow the popcorn to heat and to pop. It is that simple.

Now, imagine the instructions said to heat it in the microwave for 2 ½ minutes, but instead of setting the timer that way, you chose to set it for 15 seconds, then removed it, put it back in for 15 seconds, and repeated this action for a total of ten times. The total heating time would be the same, but the result would be far different. Instead of a bag of delicious popcorn, you would produce a bag of burnt kernels that never popped.

For many, the Christian experience is made up of occasional visits with God, rather than a continued life of staying in God’s presence. A devotional here, a church service there, mingled with an occasional prayer, will not produce the same results as soaking up God’s presence and saturating ourselves in the truth.

Jesus told his disciples, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He was clear that our identity, direction and life were to be found in relationship with him. He also said, “My word is truth.” Which is why we need to keep ourselves immersed in God’s word. When we regularly fill ourselves with the word of God, and live in a dynamic relationship with the Living Word, Jesus Christ, we are pressing into the presence of God. It is there that we are transformed.

Saturating ourselves with the truth may mean that we need to study more Scripture and pray more, but it may also mean that we need to meditate on Scripture, chewing it over and over to release its deeper meaning. We may need to memorize parts that strengthen our spirits. As the Psalmist wrote, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. We may need more personal worship, more stillness to listen, more time spent in the community of faith, and more awareness of God’s presence. There is no formula, rather it is an intentional decision to seek God in all things, at all times, and in all places. Pressing in means that we do not shrink back, or settle for what we already have in our relationship with God. Instead, we consistently continue to cultivate that relationship so that better fruit is produced and in greater abundance.

The Scripture clearly states that, “we reap what we sow.” The more of our resources and ourselves we sow into our relationship with God, the greater the harvest of faith we will see in our lives, and the deeper that faith will become. As we press into God, we are filled to all the fullness of Jesus Christ, and his presence overflows our lives into our circumstances, our families, and the world. Regular visits with God are good, living in God’s presence is great. Deep faith requires the deep roots that come from saturating ourselves with the presence of God.

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Go Deeper

2015-06-01T21:54:24Z

Last week was our denomination’s Annual Conference. It is always great to see friends, experience great teaching and worship, and do the business of the church.

In preparation for the event, each of us receives a journal with all of the necessary information, including all of the action items for our time of business, details of the budget, and general information about our time together. Additionally, we are given a time to gather prior to the event to review the information together, receive clarification, and ask lots of questions. There is also plenty of time to reach out to others to become better informed.

In spite of all of the preparation time and options, there are still people who come expecting to hear about, and understand, the information after arriving at the conference. After nearly 30 years of attending these conferences and being a person who invests the time in reading and asking questions, I am always a little annoyed by those who don’t prepare, but more importantly, I feel bad for those who are trying to navigate all of the details at the last minute.

Unfortunately, too many people approach their faith in the same way. Life gets busy with many distractions. It becomes all too easy to coast through the week and then try to get close to God and grow deeper in faith by attending church services on Sunday. Just like procrastinating for an exam, it is hard to make it work by cramming things at the last minute, and just like those late night cramming sessions, what you gain is often lost quickly after the exam.

Being Christian is more than just going to church services. It is more than a lifestyle. It is a way of being that finds its identity in relationship to Jesus, and its purpose in loving and serving others. Worship is central to our daily lives, as are prayer, study, and reflection. Acts of compassion and concern for the world flow out of our relationship to its Creator. We do not merely go to church, we are the church, the body of Christ in the world.

We certainly need to be in community with other Christians. We were never meant to be islands; Lone Ranger saints who live without one another. The Psalmist reminds us, “How good it is when sisters and brothers dwell together in unity. We need the rootedness that comes from belonging to a connection with others. In that relationship there is a place for building one another up, offering compassionate correction, and growing together in God. We can live successful Christian lives on our own.

Yet, we cannot live successful Christian lives in relationship to one another and the world, if we do not nurture our faith in our everyday lives. An ongoing passion for a deeper relationship with Jesus, and a greater fire of the Holy Spirit burning within us, leads us to more mature, whole life in relation to others.

Of course we should gather as the church to worship, pray, and study, but that experience should come from the overflow of the Spirit nurtured in our daily walk with Jesus. Instead of coming to a worship service to get what we need to get through the coming week, we might better come to share out of the abundance of a week lived in the passionate presence of the Savior. Instead of looking for what we can get, we come to give out of what we received to build one another up, so that together, we can go forth to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

The deeper we go in our relationship with God, the richer and fuller our lives will be, and the greater the impact those overflowing lives will be for our communities and the world. We must pray for the passionate fire of the Holy Spirit, saturate ourselves with the truth, and make ourselves available to be conduits of God’s love for the world. We are blessed to be a blessing. As our roots grow deep in God, we become a tree that bears much fruit for the sake of the world and the glory of God.

May your week be richly blessed as you go deeper in your relationship with Jesus.

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Out of Season

2015-03-28T17:52:50Z

Today is a sunny spring day, but one look out the window at the vast amounts of snow covering the lawn, along with the occasional flurries still falling from above, it is clear that the season is not fully realized yet. A quick check of my weather app also points out that it feels like it is only eight degrees outside. This is certainly not how I envision springtime when I think of it. Still, the sun is creeping higher in the sky each day, and soon the warmer weather that comes from its rays will be here. For now, I will have to hold onto the promise prophesied by the birds nesting outside my window, and the birdsong that breaks through my closed windows.

Life does not always feel like it is supposed to for the season we are in. Our circumstances, emotions, and thoughts may not be in sync with what we expect for the timing of our lives. We may feel joyful when we could feel sad, and we may feel discouraged when we have many reasons for encouragement and hope.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, the beginning of the most meaningful season of the church year. It is a week I look forward to every year. I know that I will end the week exhausted and ready for some rest, but the power of these days is amazing, and truth they proclaim about God’s love for the world, and for me, is profound. Every service is full of meaning, and the time in between is laden with reasons for reflection, revelation, and expectation.

This year, I confess that I don’t feel very much like the season suggests I should. Like the weather that doesn’t yet appear like spring, I am not overly inspired to wave my palm branches in celebration tomorrow morning. In many ways, I still feel like I am at the very beginning of Lent and that Easter is a long way away. Thankfully, the season does not wait for my feelings to be ready. Instead, it calls out to them saying, “Wake up! The time is at hand! Embrace what is coming for the resurrection is on its way.”

I can only imagine what Jesus felt as he entered Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday. Clearly, he knew where the journey would lead him. The hope of the resurrection must have been mitigated by the reality of his betrayal, and the pain of the crucifixion that were yet to come. The week ahead likely seemed overwhelming, yet he put his trust in God and walked out the path that was before him.

Thankfully, none of us is required to be led by our feelings. We can take every thought captive by the power of the Spirit, and we can choose to live by a deeper connection to the One who promises resurrection, and a stronger conviction that, through Jesus Christ, joy truly does come in the morning. In just a little while, all of nature will declare that spring is here, and in just a little while, the Dawn from on high will break upon us. We may feel out of season, but we are called to wait and believe until it is fully revealed in our lives.

May our Holy Week be blessed as we embark upon this sacred journey with hope in the One who calls us to believe.

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Strong in the Lord

2015-01-08T02:26:08Z

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:30-31

We all have moments when we want to quit. The battle we face may seem too big, or too long. We begin to grow weary and that exhaustion weakens our resolve and wears on our thoughts. We begin to imagine that there is an easier path than the one we are traveling. Our pace slows, and we can even choose to simply stop where we are. Many people remain stuck, sitting alongside the path of their life, unable to go any further.

As I write this, my thoughts keep coming back to Sailor Gutzler. She is a 7 year old girl who recently survived a plane crash in Kentucky. The lone survivor, having lost her family in the crash, she freed herself from the wreckage and walked a great distance through some of the worst terrain to find help. She was not trained for the path before her, which was overrun with obstacles, nor was she prepared for the journey. However, she pressed on through the briars, ditches, and downed trees, and through her emotional pain and trauma, to reach a place of safety. Her story is amazing!

The past few days, I faced some challenges and obstacles that I would have rather avoided. At times, I felt like I wanted to avoid the path in front of me and sit down for a season. Then, I thought of Sailor, knowing that my journey and obstacles are nothing compared to what she faced, and I kept moving. Then, I thought of Jesus, and the journey he faced, and found more inspiration. Then, God reminded me that Jesus is walking with me, going before me, and giving me strength for the journey, and I allowed the Holy Spirit to renew my strength. Somewhere between the tenacity of a 7 year old girl, and the great grace of God, I lost my weariness, and moved forward .

Many people are talking about how miraculous Sailor’s successful journey was. I agree. I also am overwhelmed with the miraculous strength she found to press on, to overcome. I do not know if she had an awareness of God as she pushed through her circumstances, but I do know that God was aware of her, and empowering her to keep moving.

We all face unwanted and difficult things, some are far worse than others. Many times, we dig deep and try to find the strength to keep going, yet that strength can be quite elusive. Then, we discover a strength that exceeds our situation, a power that gives us more than a hand, it lifts us up on wings like eagles. God’s strength has no limits, and the Holy Spirit shares that strength with us.

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon once said, “I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need.” No matter what we are facing, God is bigger. No matter how difficult the task, God’s power is stronger. No matter how great our need, God’s willingness to meet it is greater. We are not alone, and we are not left to our own strength to continue. When we hope in the Lord, God renews our strength with his inexhaustible supply.

I thank God for grace, power, and hope. I am thankful for Sailor’s tenacious witness. I pray that God continues to strengthen her for the difficult journey ahead, and hope that one day she will see how her actions, in the face of great pain and adversity, inspired the nation and the world.

Let us not grow weary. Let us not faint. Let us hope in the Lord and be strong and courageous.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his might power.” – Ephesians 6:10

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