Posted in Formation, Grace, Hope on July 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I don’t know about you but every once in a while I allow myself to become overwhelmed with all the things going on in my life – tasks at work, projects at home, car problems, etc.
It is easy to feel like I’m drowning. This passage helped me today. I encourage you to link to it and let it wash over you and fill your soul as it has done mine today.
If you need breathing room for your soul – let God be that for you today.
Have a blessed day.
Posted in Formation, Hope on July 1, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Have you ever encountered someone sleep-walking? They are up and walking around, maybe even functioning at some capacity – fixing a sandwich or getting a glass of water, but they are not really “there.” Sleep walking is what many of us do on a daily basis in our approach to life.
I was reading 1 Thessalonians 5 and was reminded that we are to really live life, not just go through the motions. The Message translates verses 4 – 8 this way:
But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.
Paul is telling us that we should not just go through the motions, but rather we should always live our lives aware of the fact that there is something more – more than what we can see, more than we can understand. As I meditated on this passage, I began to think about how one of my favorite authors described this problem.
Ben Campbell Johnson, in his book, Living Before God, wrote that the majority of people exist in “life-sleep.” We get up each day, get dressed, go to work or school, do what needs to be done, go home, eat dinner, watch some TV and then go to bed. The next day looks drastically similar; as do all the others. The majority of folks live unaware of the spiritual depth of the life all around us. Life-sleep.
That description has stuck with me for years. Not because it describes everyone else, but because it describes me – maybe it describes you as well.
Have you ever witnessed a breath-taking sunrise or sunset and felt you had a brief glimpse of what God is like and felt overwhelmed by God’s love and expanse? That feeling is living as God intended, fully alive. Anything else is life-sleep.
Paul reminds us that we are not to sleep walk through life but rather to stay alert to the fullness of life all around us.
Wake up – God is waiting!
Posted in Formation, Hope on June 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Why did the chicken cross the road? In this case, to get to my wife’s office. I suppose it had heard the rumors around the barnyard that my wife takes in stray animals who have lost their way.
Yesterday, my wife was sitting at her desk and looked out the window facing one of the busier streets in town to see a chicken walking down the road. For those of you who are not familiar with our fair city, that is an unusual sight even for our community.
What made the picture more interesting is that 3 feet behind the chicken was a cat, ready to pounce. Kristi jumped up and called for backups from some of her co-workers. As she got to the door, the chicken had already crossed the road and was standing just outside the building. One of the co-workers picked up the chicken and brought it into the building.
Then started the process of finding the owner. After a couple of hours of checking around and running a free public service announcement on the local radio station “Trade-E-O,” she was able to find a new home for the fowl with a family who raises chickens.
As I thought about this comical drama, I was reminded that most of us are pursued by undesirable things – habitual sin, past experiences we would like to forget, etc. Just like that chicken walking down the road and the cat ready to pounce, we are often in the same situation – at any moment we could be pounced upon.
But praise God, we have someone we can run to for safety and rescue. No matter what road you are on today, and no matter what is about to pounce on you, God is watching and waiting for you to reach out for help.
Don’t be discouraged – take heart – God is always right there!
Posted in Hope, Missions on May 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I heard an encouraging story yesterday that I thought appropriate to share here, especially given where my heart has been this week.
A man here in the El Paso area shared his first memories of learning about Jesus. He grew up in Mexico and did not have much to do with church. But every year, for one week, his colonia was visited by a missions team who came to do Vacation Bible School in a local church. He attended every year because he said, “Those white people in the white van had the best cookies I had ever tasted.” He admits that he does not remember much about what they taught, but distinctly remembers the cookies.
The encouraging part of Chalio’s story is that now, 30 years or so later, he is a pastor and church planter here in El Paso. While he can’t remember all the stories he was told as a child by the missions team year after year, the love those people showed impacted him. He believes that he is exactly where God wants him to be and it is largely due to a group of folks who came and served cookies and Kool-Aid and told him about Jesus.
So take hope today! The seeds you sew may not show growth immediately, but God will use your efforts to transform lives. Stick with it!
Posted in Grace, Hope on May 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »
In our church, we have a huge cross that hangs over the baptistry behind the stage. It has lights behind it to make it stand out. It is a meaningful part of our auditorium.
However, yesterday, as we sat in the service, one of the lights behind the cross began to flicker. All through the service the light would flicker on and off at random. While this was somewhat distracting, I pondered on the cross yesterday afternoon.
That cross hangs there every day. Every worship service we have in that room is done at the foot of that cross. But because it is a permanent fixture, it blends in with the rest of the decor. At Easter, we put a drape on it and it draws our attention to the cross. But here we are, a little over a month past Easter, and already, the cross has become a mundane part of the service. If it had not been for the blinking light, I dare say most of us would not have thought much about the cross yesterday.
Has the cross event already become a mundane fixture in our lives as well? May it never be. Take some time to remember Christ’s sacrifice today.
Posted in Formation, Hope, Missions on May 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Today is the National Day of Prayer. People all across America are gathering to pray. It is exciting to see the news of groups gathering to pray for their city officials or to lift up their schools. It should be a reminder of just how great the nation is in which we live – an environment that still allows this kind of activity.
As I think about setting aside a day to pray, it stirs up a couple of thoughts in me. One is that we allow ourselves to become so busy that it takes setting aside a day as a reminder to stop and pray. I hope that today will remind us that every day should be a day of prayer.
The second thought is that while praying for God to move in our nation or to guide our leaders or to work through our schools are all worthy and needed prayers, maybe today we should include praying that God will change the world through me. So often, even our prayer life reflects how we think the problems of the world have their source in something or someone other than ourselves, ie. “God, help them make better decisions.” “Dear Lord, change their hearts.” “Holy Father, provide for the hungry.” Maybe our prayers today (and every day) should be a little closer to home.
My prayer for you and for me today is this: Holy and merciful Father, use me today to make a difference in a hurting world. Burden me with a passion to see lives changed for you. Strengthen me with your patience and power to stick with it long enough to see that change happen.
Bess someone today!
Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational on May 4, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I am here, and last night I had the blessing of sitting in an amazing worship service and hearing Andy Stanley speak on the impact that the reality of life can have on our dreams. I am not talking about the dreams we have when we are sleeping, I am talking about the dreams we have when we are awake. Maybe the things we used to have but don’t much take time for any more.
The reality of the world has a tendency to squash our dreams into something manageable. When it comes to following God’s will for our lives, that is a tragedy! Why is it that we have allowed our circumstances to affect our ability to dream – to imagine what God could do?
Have we forgotten that God created this world? Or that Jesus was truly raised from the dead after three days? If there truly are no limits for God, then why do we insist on trying to limit God’s ability to do mighty things through us?
Stop it! Stop it today! Stop it now!
Ephesians 3:20-21 says this: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
God will surpass anything we can imagine if we do not place limits. So take some time to dream today. What does God want to do through you?
It can happen!
Posted in Formation, Hope on May 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »
This morning, the Pray-As-You-Go reading was out of John 14. As I listened to the reading about Jesus being the Way to the Father, I was reminded of something. The reading ended with verse 14 (take a look at John 14:13-14 here). The question then asked for meditation was this: “Do I take seriously Jesus’ promise in these verses?”
Jesus made it clear that he would do whatever we ask, when we ask it in his name but what does that mean?
Jesus used a phrase, “in my name” to clarify that our requests must be in line with his heart – in other words, we need to be asking in the frame of mind of the old question, “What would Jesus do?” I think verse 13 helps us understand this idea a little better. Jesus tells his followers that the purpose is for the Father to be glorified through the Son.
As long as God will receive glory, Jesus will do anything we ask of him.
Do you truly believe that whatever you ask of Jesus, he will do?
That is a promise I plan on meditating on all day!
Posted in Formation, Hope, Motivational, Uncategorized on April 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Shane Hipps, in his book, Flickering Pixels, deals with the role of the heart in spirituality. He explains that it is the heart – emotions – that drives desire and without desire our spirituality dries up.
. . . the most damaging effect of suppressing the heart is that it deadens desire. That deep longing for life, love, and God fades. Instead, we come to expect less from life. We acquire the bland taste of a domesticated god who resides somewhere in our head. But our head is not home for the divine. The head helps us understand the divine from a safe distance. This is a powerful and valuable enterprise to be sure, but there is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God.
I don’t know about you but I do not care to serve a “domesticated god.” The God I choose to serve is full of mystery and strength, love and grace, justice and mercy. There is no domestication of the one true God – and we should rejoice in that fact!
How faded is your desire? How badly do you want to move beyond knowing about God to a point of truly knowing God? Do not seek knowledge – seek a relationship.
Father, may you fill us with desire to truly know you today and to grow in our relationship with you!
Posted in Community, Hope on April 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Miss Kooki (Rosemary Peterson) is a 63 year old school bus driver in Florida who was about to turn in her keys. The kids were unruly and she had reached her limit of putting up with the chaos. She began to pray about what to do. She was at the end of your patience.
She says God revealed an answer to her. The next day, once she had all her kids on the bus, she presented them with her plan. The following day they were to bring a book onto the bus. After completing a book, each child would write a book report and submit it to Miss Kooki. The students who wrote the most book reports would get prizes.
The plan took off! Now the bus ride that used to be chaotic, loud and distracting is more like the serenity of a library. The ripple effect has been the kids are doing better in their classes as well. What a turn around – what a plan! (You can watch more of her story at NBC Nightly News online)
Miss Kooki took a hopeless situation and filled it with a renewed sense of purpose.
Are you facing any hopeless situations in your life? If so:
1) Take a step back
2) Pray about it
3) Look for something you can do to make things better (and don’t be afraid to think outside the box)
4) Then get busy doing it!
God created you for a time like this!
Clay in the Hands 