Clay in the Hands

I just got back last night from a men’s retreat to Colorado.  Eight men from our church and two others left Saturday morning and headed for Freeman’s Ranch – a little north of Creede, Colorado.  If you have never heard of it, it is because it is in the middle of the Rio Grande National Forest – away from civilization.

It was beautiful but technology was not really an option – no cell service at all.  However, this year there was a new addition.  The camp does have WiFi.  If I stood at the light pole facing north, raised one hand in the air and stood on my left foot, I could get a weak signal.

Actually, it was not quite that hard to get.  But the point is, we were really out in God’s creation and not pulled in by email, voice mail and text messages.  It was a glorious time to experience God’s majesty and spend some time bonding with some great guys.

On our way home yesterday, one of the guys noticed a large cross standing in a field just off the highway.  I missed it, but he described it and said, “There was one folding chair sitting under the cross.”  We mused about why there would be a single chair by a cross in a field along the highway.

Honestly, I don’t have any idea.  But I can tell you what that image has come to mean in my mind as I pondered the picture all the way home.

Scripture tells us that Christ died for all.  He came to this earth to live among us, teaching us how to live and how to love.  He showed us the magnitude of his love by dying a cruel death in our place.  And he did this for all of us.

But while he died for all – he also died for one – each one.  For me, that is the significance of the single chair at the foot of the cross.  Jesus wants a relationship with you – so much so he was willing to die just for you.

Your parents can’t make the decision for you.  Your pastor can’t take care of it.  Your friends can’t cover you.  You have to make that decision for yourself.

Will you follow Jesus?

Will you take a seat in that chair at the foot of the cross?

You will never regret it!

(I don’t do this very often, but if you have questions about what it means to follow Jesus, I would be honored to talk with you about it.  Please email me at bhill33@me.com or leave a comment here)

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Who has your heart?  Or stated another way, who has captured your attention, affection and dedication?

The answer to that question varies from person to person.  And for some of us, it may vary from time to time.  Answers may range from “my spouse,” to “my job,” to “my kids.”

At the center of the issue is focus.  Where do you focus your attention?

If we are honest, most of us focus our attention on ourselves.  Yes, we may strive to be honorable and to be a good husband or wife and a good father and mother.  But the reality is, we are, at our core – self centered.  We want our own way and as long as these other things fit into what we want, then all is well with the world.  But when we come to a fork in the road and pleasing someone else means we won’t be happy, then more often than not, we will veer down the path of keeping ourselves comfortable and content.

Let me suggest another option.  When we seek to please God, all these other areas of life fall into place.  When we strive to serve God, then serving our spouse and our kids becomes part of the plan and not something we tack on when we feel like it.

It sounds easy enough but remember, at our core we are self centered.  So here is my challenge for you today – start by making it a matter of prayer.

Here is my prayer today – you can make it yours:

God, grant me an unwavering focus and lead my heart to you!

Be blessed today!

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Ever had one of those days that turns into 3?

Monday morning, my week was turned upside down.  I got a call from the gas company telling me that they had replaced our gas meter at our house.  Now that is not a bad thing,  But then he said, “we have detected a leak in your gas line and we think it is between the meter and the house – underground.”

He turned off our gas and told me when I got the line replaced they could turn it back on.

Now that sounds simple enough, but what it entailed for us was talking with the city, getting a permit and then spending Monday night, all day Tuesday and all day Wednesday digging a ditch 15 inches deep 55 feet long – under 3 sidewalks and 5 water sprinkler lines.

Of course, this is the week that we have Vacation Bible School, we have a new office manager starting and it is the hottest week we have had all summer.  But other than that, the timing could not have been better!

So my week has not gone as I had planned it.  But, as I stood and watched and listened to the kids sing at Vacation Bible School last night, it was as if God said, “Your schedule interruptions didn’t stop me from loving these kids.”

They were full of life and having fun and learning a little about God in the process.  While my world seemed to crater all week, God was still at work.

Now I realize, that statement seems a bit narcissistic and self-centered.  Of course God is at work regardless of what I am experiencing.  But it was completely refreshing for me to be reminded of that fact.

So no matter what you are experiencing today, God is at work all around you – and even in you.  Stop for a minute today and look.

Be blessed today!

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What is it that gives your life purpose?

Have you ever struggled with the question, “What is the meaning of life?”

I realize this is a deep question for early in the morning, but it is a question I have been wrestling with for years and really over the past couple of weeks.  This Sunday, I am preaching on the subject so it has been on my mind and heart.

In John 10:10 we find Jesus giving us the answer.  He says that the reason he came to earth was to give us life and not just any old life – life to the fullest – life as it was meant to be lived.

So as I have wrestled with this topic enlightened by what Jesus said, I have been affirmed in my direction in life.  Real meaning and fulfillment can only come, in the truest sense, when we are committed to and following Jesus.  Serving him and choosing to live as he taught us to live is where we find the most joy, fulfillment and meaning.

So today, rather than ask the question, “What gives your life meaning?”  I am asking you to think about, “How is your followship?”

Yes, I know that “followship” has not been recognized before today as even being a legitimate word, but as of today, it will be in my vocabulary and I encourage you to adopt it as well.

Focus on your followship today.

Be blessed!

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If you had to name your best friend who would you name?  Think about it.  Who would top the list?  If it is too difficult to decide, name your top 3.  Now ask yourself, does the person (or people) you named know where they rank and how you feel about them?

Take some time today to let them know how you feel.

Friends are important.  They make the good times better and the bad times, not quite so bad.

In some of my reading this morning, I ran across this from Thomas á Kempis.  He said, “Without a friend you cannot live well, and if Jesus is not above all a friend to you, you shall be indeed sad and desolate . . . Love all for Jesus, but Jesus for himself.”

Do you consider Jesus one of your friends?  I agree with this quote.  Not only does Jesus need to be counted as one of our friends, he should be the friend that we cannot live without because the reality is, without him we can’t truly live.

While you are taking some time to let your friends know where they stand in your eyes and how you feel about them, don’t forget to let Jesus know what he means to you as well.

Be blessed today!

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As I said yesterday in my post about Father’s Day, my sons have moved me and inspired me.  Case in point, Ethan is reading through the Gospel of Matthew.  I decided last night I would begin to read through it as well so that he and I can have discussions about what we find there.

So this morning, I read the first 8 verses of Matthew 18 as part of my prayerful reading time (or Lectio Divina).  As I meditated on the passage, I was overwhelmed with the idea that I will never see God’s kingdom unless I change by humbling myself and become like a little child.

In the context of the passage, the disciples are looking for a little boost to their egos.  Basically, they want to know who is the greatest in Jesus’ eyes.  In other words, they ask Jesus, “Who is more important to you?  Would it be us – your dedicated followers – or one of those other people – the . . .?”  Fill in the blank.

As Jesus always does, he cut right to the heart of the question – the intent behind it.  He took this opportunity to teach them, and us, that the true greats in the kingdom are humble servants.  They are content to simply serve God and not worry about who is the most important.  He illustrated his point by focusing their attention on a child.  A child is innocent and humble – not tainted by worldly pursuits.  A child is content to be loved and to love.

You see, humility has a sister and her name is contentment.

If we are to truly be the people God called us to be and to be great for God’s sake, we must start with realizing who we are in relation to who God is and that leads to humility.  Rather than worrying about making a name for ourselves, we need to be content to strive to make God’s name great.

How will you become like a child today?

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