Clay in the Hands

I saw a picture of a maquis at a fast-food restaurant recently that said, “Helping you break your resolutions since 1962.” While I smiled at the image, thinking to myself how many times I have frequented the chain for food that would not fit any diet, I was reminded that our lives are filled with enticements to pull us off track. The beginning of a new year is always a time for people to renew commitments to eat better, live better – – be better. But a day or a week or even a month later, life happens and we find ourselves right back in the same habits as before.

This year, I’d like to suggest a simple process toward change that anyone can follow. These six words can truly change your life:

Look in . . . Look up . . . Look out

This Sunday, I will begin a new sermon series titled, “Inside Out.” In this series I will challenge our family to look inward to examine your faith – are you walking with Jesus every day? And then look up – are you trusting in God and looking to Him for guidance? And finally, look out – are you looking for ways daily to live your faith to make a difference in the world?

Don’t get discouraged. God is the God of grace. Simply remember to look in, look up and look out.

May 2024 be your best year yet!

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The Christian journey is a beautiful mix of adventure and excitement as well as times of stillness and waiting. Life, in general, is full of highs and lows – ups and downs. Following Jesus does not level out the hills and valleys but it does give them meaning.

This week is one of those interesting “liminal spaces” I have talked about before – the space between the now and not yet. We just experienced the Thanksgiving holiday full of opportunity to consider our blessings and how the Father interacts in our lives every day. And now we look to Advent beginning this weekend. Advent is a time of anticipation and waiting as we remember God’s people waiting for the coming Messiah. It is also a time of anticipation of the return of the Messiah.

But this week, we sit between, and as we do, consider the love the Father has shown us. God’s love is evident not only in the ways He sustains and provides for us but also in the length He was willing to go in order for us to have life. He sent His Son into the world not to punish the world but to save it. The one and only Son of the living God took on flesh in order to show us just how much we are loved. Love now has a face – the face of Jesus.

Remember this week, as we sit in the now but not yet liminal space, that you are loved. Jesus came, lived, taught, died and rose again because of love. As dearly loved children we are to show His love to others.

Loved people, love people.

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Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

That was the first line of one of my readings this morning. Psalm 26 starts with that verse. As I continued on through the psalm, I could not get passed that bold plea. All that kept coming to mind was, “I have never, nor do I now live a blameless life.” Even as I read through the rest of the verses, my mind filled with all the ways my life is anything but blameless.

Verses two and three of this psalm say, “Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.”

On my second time through this psalm, these verses are where my heart rested. Scripture teaches us that all sin and fall short of God’s expectation – His glory. So none of us are blameless. To turn our hearts and minds over to Him to be tested and examined is a terrifying proposition.

But we can confidently surrender ourselves to be examined by God – to be “tested,” because He is the God of love and compassion – His “love is ever before me.”

Our desire should be to live blamelessly before God. But we need to remember that we fall short of that ideal every single day. Thankfully, God is the God of compassion and forgiveness and our shortcomings have been covered on the cross. So we ask Him to examine our hearts and minds and point out those areas where we aren’t blameless in order for us to grow and progress to becoming more like Jesus.

So go and live blamelessly before God today. And when you fall, look to Him, ask His forgiveness, then get up and keep moving knowing that you are loved.

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Wait! Chill out! Slow down!

For many of us, those words have become like the curse words we were taught as children not to say. I don’t like to wait – – and if someone tells me to “chill” it really aggravates me. I realize not all of us rush every where we go (that is obvious every time I get behind the person on the road who doesn’t seem to have any place to be or any specific time to be there). But even folks that don’t ever seem to be in a hurry don’t like to wait.

One of my readings this morning was from Luke 12:35-38. In this passage, Jesus tells us to wait but wait with ready expectation. Take a look at the passage here. We are to be like the servants awaiting the master’s return. He tells us that blessed are those who are ready.

Waiting on the Lord is not easy – especially for those of us who do not like to wait. But it is part of the Christian journey. Waiting reminds us that the world does not revolve around us. Waiting reinforces the idea that we are not the most important person in the world. Waiting turns our focus to the One who is the most important.

This Sunday, I will start a new sermon series titled, Heart Condition. We will be working through one of my favorite passages of scripture. For three Sunday’s we will go verse by verse through Psalm 51. Verse 12 of this chapter is part of the psalmist’s prayer: “grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”

As I prayed through the passage from Luke this morning, and the idea of waiting, God’s response to me was to bring Psalm 51:12 to my mind. As I shared with the Father that I am waiting but it is not pleasant in some ways, His answer to me was “Wait – – and I will sustain you.”

Many reading this today are waiting on something – test results, an answer on which way to go, a new season of life – waiting. May God’s answer to me bring you rest as well – “Wait – – and I will sustain you.”

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Yesterday, after church, Kristi and I got in the car and drove 540 miles to Lubbock. This morning I have the privilege of officiating the memorial service for a dear friend and a great man – thus the reason for the drive.

About an hour south of Lubbock, we were granted the joy of watching the sun set as we drove. And then, for the next hour we watched the sky display the most vibrant colors of orange and yellow and gold. Then the stars began to become visible. I was struck with how much bigger the sky looks in west Texas. That is probably because one can see for miles on the south plains. (We lived in Levelland, west of Lubbock, for thirteen years – there is a reason the town is named Levelland)

As I have reflected on the breathtaking vistas last night, I am reminded of the psalmist’s words in Psalm 19:1-4:

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

It is so true! When we pause and look around, God’s creation cries out in praise of His majesty and power. If creation, that has no speech, can glorify the Creator, how much more should we do so. May we find ways today to declare the glory of God in the way we live and the way we treat those we meet.

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We are told this October is pastor appreciation month. But I want to say that I am truly blessed. I have been called by God to serve Him in the local church. I would be less then genuine if I said it is a glorious journey everyday full of reward and joy. It does come with some valleys and dark times. But Jesus is faithful and I am blessed to serve Him.

I am also blessed to serve with an amazing church full of loving and compassionate people. Each day we are learning to follow Jesus more closely together. And one of the most joyful parts of the journey is leading a staff team that loves Jesus and wants to serve Him. I am grateful.

This morning, Kristi and I awoke to this picture displayed on our front lawn.

Each sheep has a name of one of our staff team – with some extras for good measure. It is a simple yet creative expression of encouragement for me as their leader. I am told that my executive assistant fought the mosquitos at 5:00 am this morning to make such a statement.

Thank you for the gesture and even more for the opportunity to partner in ministry!

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Last week, I had the opportunity to serve a group of Christian leaders who live in a different world than the one in which I reside. Week in and week out, I get up and get ready for the day. I then get in my Jeep and drive the 25 minutes to the church. I enter the office and sit down to work on the tasks at hand – meetings, planning, sermon and Bible study preparation, making visits to hospitals and homes – you know, the usual pastor stuff. I don’t remember an instance in my ministry where I felt that my life was threatened because of my faith or position.

Last week, the Proyecto Fortaleza team with which I serve, offered a retreat in Juarez, Mexico. Thirty-nine pastors and their spouses were in attendance for three days and two nights. Many were long-time friends who have attended one or more of our previous 16 retreats in Juarez. But many were first time friends. All of them had one thing in common, they pastor in a violent and difficult area. More than one shared that they have received threats to pay money for their safety.

As I heard their stories, I was convicted that while ministry can be difficult for all who lead, I really have no concept of the added pressure of living in such an environment. This was not the first time I have heard such stories but it was a vivid reminder of their commitment to serve Jesus in all circumstances. It was also a time of inspiration for me to take a look at my commitment to serve even when the way forward seems difficult.

As you think about how Jesus has called you to serve today, take heart and know that He does not call you to serve without equipping you to do what He asks. Also remember that no matter how difficult it may seem, you are not serving alone. There are brothers and sisters around the world walking the same journey. But even more comforting is the fact that Jesus walks with you every step of the way.

Take heart, you are not alone!

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We just finished a sermon series titled, The Focus of Worship. As the title suggests, we spent four weeks looking at the subject and importance of true worship. One of the primary points of the series has been to help each of us understand what constitutes true worship. We tend to think of worship as music. We say things like, “I am headed to worship at church,” or “worship was really powerful today,” or “I did not get much out of worship today.” We have come to equate worship to a set of songs in a church service.

The reality is, worship is not about us but always about God. And worship is not a church service. I have said each week, “It is possible to have worship outside a church service – AND – it is possible to have a church service but fail to worship.” That is because worship is bowing down to the person who is God. When we let all distractions fade into a blur and focus intently and intentionally on Jesus, we are at a place of worship. When we focus completely, as best we can as humans, on who He is and what He has done, we realize Jesus is the only one worthy of our devotion, adoration and praise.

I firmly believe that when we come face to face with Jesus our only logical next step is worship. We recognize Him as God and ourselves as anything but God. We bow our desires and will to His desires and will. And we live our days as worship to Him.

How will you worship Jesus with your life today?

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