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Archive for the ‘Grace’ Category

Cleansing Rain

Posted in Grace, Hope, Motivational on September 22, 2009| Leave a Comment »

This morning I awoke to the sound of rain dripping outside my window.  I just lay there for a while and listened and prayed.  As I listened to the rain I began to think about the cleansing it can bring – all the dust that has collected on things outside is rinsed off leaving things clean and fresh.

I am reminded that we all need that cleansing rain – forgiveness.  We get weighted down with the mess of life, the poor decisions we make and the things we do even though we know we shouldn’t.  But then God sends rain to remind us that there is forgiveness available.

So today, if you feel that you have gone beyond God’s forgiveness, let me assure you – you haven’t.  According to this passage, there is nothing you can do (or anyone else can do for that matter) to cause God to discontinue loving you.

God is there to forgive you.  So whatever it is today that you feel is holding you back or weighting you down, let the cleansing rain of God’s forgiveness wash over you and make you fresh and new.  I can promise you, it is a wonderful experience!

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Lessons From a Flying Squirrel

Posted in Community, Formation, Grace, Hope, Motivational on September 16, 2009| 1 Comment »

I had the unique experience of participating for the last two and a half days with a great group of people in a leadership retreat.  Leadership Levelland began this past weekend.  We were bused to a Christian camp a couple of hours north of here where we had sessions on leadership, personality studies and various activities.  On Monday, we spent all day on the challenge course – all 26 of us.  We did all kinds of different things there but one of my favorite was called the Flying Squirrel.

In this element we had 12 people.  One person was hooked to one end of a long rope that extended up to a pulley 30 feet off the ground and then down to the other 11 who were hooked to the rope as well.  There were simple instructions:  “The squirrel (ie. me in this case) runs in one direction, and the team runs in the other direction.  When all the slack is taken out of the rope, the squirrel will be immediately carried 20 feet in the air.”

I was excited.  This was going to be a rush.  The facilitator counted off and on 3, I ran one way and the team ran the other.  I took off as fast as I could – the part I failed to remember is that I don’t run much.  I was trying so hard to make this work that I lost my balance and fell flat on my face, Superman style, in the dirt about 10 from where I started.  (Yes, in my mind I had envisioned this very differently).  Just as I was doing the chest crawl to try and get back up, the team hit the end of the slack in the rope and I shot 20 feet in the air.  It was still a rush!  The others watching said all they could see was me go down into the dirt, a big cloud of dust and then me shoot up out of the cloud – I am sure it was quite a sight.

Here are two of the things I took away from the flying squirrel experience.  One is that sometimes when we are trying new things and working our plan as best we can we still fall.  It doesn’t mean that we are a failure, it just means that we failed in that one thing – we have to get up and keep trying.

But the most important aspect to this experience was the reminder that when you have a team working for the same goal, they are there to pick you up.  We are all in this together.

So where are you today?  Have you fallen?  Get up, dust off and keep going.

Or, are you the person who should be helping someone else up after they have fallen?

As Christians, we are all on the same team, striving toward the same goal.  Reach down and pick someone up today.

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A Passionate Glow

Posted in Formation, Grace, Motivational on September 15, 2009| 1 Comment »

The other night I was sitting in front of the fire in the chimnea on the back deck.  The fire was dancing around inside the little fire box, casting interesting shadows on the wall and trees around me.  It was late and there was nothing going on so it was quiet and peaceful.  I had thrown a couple of pine cones into the fire and I began to watch them burn.

Have you ever watched a pine cone burn.  Once it begins to burn, the flame seems to come from within the core and come out through the leaves.  As it continues, the leaves begin to glow in an almost liquid heat.  It’s a beautiful sight.

As I sat there watching, I could not help but notice the similarity between the burning pine cone and our spiritual lives.  When the passion for Jesus begins to burn inside us, the glow should be evident on the outside.  Our lives should become a glowing light for those around us.

Is the passion for Jesus burning inside you or has it died down to a smolder?  What do you need to do today to allow Jesus to rekindle that passion?

I would love to hear your thoughts.

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Do Impossible Things

Posted in Formation, Grace, Motivational on September 4, 2009| 1 Comment »

IMG_0066This past summer, our family was blessed to spend a day or two at Huntington Beach, CA.  It just so happened that the US Open of Surfing was going on at the time.  In addition to the fantastic surfing, there were “side-shows” set up on the beach.  We got to sit and watch some of these guys show off their skills on bicycles.  They could do some amazing things – things that would be impossible for me (and most likely, deadly).

Yesterday I wrote about the importance of giving it our all.  For us to truly live the life worthy of the name of Christian, we must be committed to living everyday in service to God.  That takes many forms but at the root of it all will be the way we love others and show grace and compassion to others.  You may be thinking, “That sounds good on paper but you don’t know the people I know and there is no way I can show some people love, grace and compassion – it’s impossible.”

My answer to you – “Yep, you’re right!”  It is not humanly possible to love everyone unconditionally.  But according to this passage, God can work in and through us to do incredible things – God is able if we are willing.

So here is your challenge – this weekend do a little dreaming.  What is God nudging you to do that would be impossible without God’s help?  Then set your mind about doing just that.

Have a great holiday weekend!

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Change Through Love and Grace

Posted in Church, Community, Grace, Leadership on August 28, 2009| 1 Comment »

I have been talking all week about change.  Change is a part of life – we all change and grow.  But even though change is a part of life, not everyone embraces it. All of us like to be comfortable.  We may say that we want change and really mean it – as long as you aren’t changing this or that, whatever is too personal or already “just like I want it.”  Change is often called for by one person or group but it may mean the bulk of the change will have to actually happen with another group.  This is where conflict often occurs.

So what am I saying?  Should we seek change or not?  Absolutely, as I said, change is a part of life.  But we must always remember that Jesus came and changed the world but he did it with love and grace.

If life transforming change is to happen in this community or any other for that matter, it will come from a position of love and grace, not pride and arrogance.

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Walls or Patios

Posted in Church, Community, Grace, Hope on August 27, 2009| 3 Comments »

Yesterday I mentioned that I would be talking about walls today.  I have been thinking a lot about walls (I still have a wall in one of the rooms in our house I built a while back and I’ve never finished – hmm, maybe I’ll do that this weekend).  Walls have one main purpose – to separate or divide.  I can’t imagine living with three boys all in one big room, I don’t care how big the room.

Walls also provide a perceived safety, keeping us safe on the inside from the evils and danger on the outside.

While Jesus was a carpenter, he was not a wall builder in the spiritual sense.  In fact, he was notorious for smashing walls down – walls between organized religion and the common folks of the day.

In our society, much work has been done to build walls in the religious circles – the taller and stronger the better.  But as I stated yesterday, maybe we need to stop focusing on our differences and start concentrating on our similarities.

What would our world be like if we took the bricks we have used to build walls and made patios instead?  A brick wall separates, a brick patio invites.  A brick wall keeps me in and you out, a brick patio provides a place for community and dialogue.

I truly believe that we can hold on to our distinctions and still work together – after all, we are all on the same team.

I don’t know about you but I think I want to live on the patio and not behind a wall.  Come on over and we’ll sit on the patio and share life together – might even throw a few steaks on the grill and really enjoy being together.

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An Unlikely Meeting

Posted in Church, Community, Grace, Missions on August 26, 2009| Leave a Comment »

I had a great conversation yesterday with a gentleman about change – change in the lives of people, change in our community and change in our churches.  The cool thing about it was that the conversation was not between two people who would normally interact on this level.  We have known each other for years but really never had a deep conversation until yesterday.  How did it come about you may ask?  Twitter.  Yep, we connected over the topic of change through Twitter.  A dialogue began there and moved to a face to face meeting.  So here two guys sat, one from the Church of Christ denomination and one from the Baptist denomination, having a conversation about change in peoples’ lives and the need for a fresh movement of God’s Spirit here in our town.

Now for you who may be reading this not familiar with denominational life in a rural town, it has not been too long ago that a meeting like this would not have happened.  But the tone of the conversation and the desire in both hearts were to work together to further God’s kingdom.  It was an amazing thing.

Here’s the deal – followers of Jesus (yes, all of us) are called to take the message of love and hope to a desperate world.  But in case you haven’t noticed, its a big honkin’ world.  We are going to have to work together to accomplish God’s mission.  Walls must come down (more on that subject tomorrow).

Now before you get all flustered, no, I am not a bleeding heart that thinks we should throw away our traditions and beliefs.  Those traditions and beliefs add color and beauty to our world.  I love being a Baptist.  The doctrine I choose to follow is more in line with the Baptist belief system than others, but I do not think for a minute that I have this stuff figured out.  That is why the grace that covers me, and also covers you, is so important.

What I am saying is that there is much to do in order to further the kingdom of God and it is going to take all of us working together to see the changes in lives that only the love of God can bring.

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People and Slinkies

Posted in Grace on August 6, 2009| 2 Comments »

Years ago, there was a Saturday Night Live bit called “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy.”  There was always a serene landscape shot and the words of Jack’s thoughts would scroll across the screen and one of the actors would read them in monologue fashion – normally there was enough truth to make you pause but they were always comical.

I have a similar style quote on my bulletin board above my desk.  It is a picture of an ocean view at sunset with these words across the picture:

Some people are like slinkies, they don’t really have a purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

I have never really wanted to push anyone down the stairs but the reality is that some people are easier to get along with than others.  Here is the hard lesson for today though, Jesus loves everyone the same.  And he calls us to do the same.

It may not be easy, but God expects us to show the love we have been given to all those around us – likeable or not.  So today, I challenge you to go out of your way to do something nice – out of the ordinary – for someone who sometimes makes you a little crazy.

Oh – and always refrain from pushing anyone down any stairs – even if the opportunity presents itself to you.

Thanks for reading!

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God is Dependable

Posted in Grace on May 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Just when we thought spring was here . . .  I am in Canyon, TX today and tomorrow helping my brother with a building project.  Last night when I got here it was 92 degrees.  This morning it is in the low 50’s with a blustery north wind coming in at about 40 miles per hour sustained!  Weather in Texas is not always very dependable.  In fact, it is downright frustrating some of the time.

Thankfully, we can always depend on God, his grace and his mercy.  It is the same everyday – the same today as it was yesterday and the day before that.

I pray that your weekend is full of rest and God’s dependable love and grace.

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Keeping Me Humble

Posted in Grace on April 22, 2009| 1 Comment »

Several weeks ago I preached a funeral for a church member.  It was a fairly typical service.  At the conclusion of the service, in my best “pastoral” manner I thanked everyone for their compassion toward the family and for taking the time to be present at the service to pay their respects.  I then explained that the burial would follow and all were invited.

As I stood on the sidewalk in front of the church, shaking hands and hugging necks, feeling kind of smug that things had gone very well, the funeral director pulled me aside and asked, “Did you really intend to tell the congregation that the burial would he done at the nursing home?”

Yep, you guessed it.  Instead of telling them we were headed to the Levelland Cemetery, I asked them to join me at the Levelland Nursing Home for the internment!

No matter how well we think we may be doing, we still manage to slip occasionally and remember that we are not quite as good as we might think.

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