Sum Total

Sometimes I wonder how my life would be summed up. What would people say? If I had to describe my whole being in one sentence, what would it be? Sure, I'm a human, and that means that I'm complex. My wife and I have been married 7 years and are just getting to know each other. How could I sum her up in a sentence? I couldn't - there is no single sentence that would do justice. But, what about my passion? Could that be summed up in a sentence? Is my life that focused that my passion drives it all and that passion is so focused that it can be put in a sentence? Was that last sentence even focused?

John the Baptist's whole passion and life and ministry came down to his message: "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." That's his passion - it doesn't tell us a thing about his parents who were really old priests, the potential everyone saw in him, his life in the woods, his life with God and relationship with Him from a young age. None of that, but the passion bleeds through and his concern is simple: God is coming, repent. Not tomorrow or next week, but today, right now. He knew God and loved God so much and saw that all of life was meaningless without God. He didn't have a big bank account, gap jeans, or A&F shirts. He didn't eat at the nice restaraunts. His life had to be pretty bland - except that it impacted so many people and changed the course of history. His concern, wasn't himself. It was God, and it showed. And, because he lived his passion, people believed. There was proof in the pudding. The religious leaders, you know, the pastors and bishops and priests all went to go see him and hear his message. They didn't always get along, but John's life and simple message couldn't be swept under the carpet.

When I'm done, will people be able to sweep me under the carpet? Or will the message stand and force decision? What is that message?

Destiny

People who follow God are a pretty zealous bunch. They aren't usually lazy about it. They aren't usually half-hearted about it. They're like pro-athletes: its what you do. People have been known to walk away from jobs, money, family - all to follow God. What is it about God that is so attractive? Probably, everything. Deep in my heart I have this urge, this desire to live life significantly. If I make a lot of money, great - maybe my kids will enjoy it. If they don't, someone will. If I survive the disease I've got, great! Maybe some day they'll find a lasting cure and method of control that works for everyone. But what's significant about my life in all of that? God. He's significant in all of it. I now know that I am meant to be more than a worker. My life is meant for significance - to change lives and turn light on all around. This is the life of a God-follower: to follow the One who satisfies and gives significance which isn't found in money, success, or survival. But rather significance is found in Him - His purpose and peace spread to others.

Before Jesus changed everything, there was his cousin - John the Baptist. He was a preacher, but a relevant one which means he wasn't long-winded. This is what he said: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." That's His whole message. My blog's bigger. (by the way, he didn't wear much either - clothes of camel hair and a leather belt - perhaps this visual added effect to his message). But His message had significance: it was truth, hope, encouragement, and challenge all at once. John wasn't calling half-hearted people to give up somethings, like, say stealing paperclips or bandwidth. He was calling for passionate people to change everything about themselves. Why? Because good times were coming - the kingdom of heaven: a place of belonging, community, and connection with God. Beats the desert where he lived. John the Baptist had a God-given destiny for His life, and His life had signficance: call people to the kingdom of heaven. That's the kind of significance I pray for: spreading hope and encouragement and love for God's glory.

Other things to consider: his Biblical destiny (Isaiah 40:3), his appearance, and his diet - the last two probably didn't matter as much as I think about my appearance and what I eat. Also, he had major doubts when he was in jail, his disciples left him, and followed Jesus. His destiny was done. He got answers to his questions, but am I willing to end significance in insignificance?

God's Mountain

Your righteousness is like the (mighty mountains) or (mountains of God); Your justice (or judments) like the great deep. Psalm 36:6

Let's face it, God is pretty righteous. The best picture He gives us on earth is, say, Mt. Everest. Big, climbing past altitude levels where most of us can breathe, and then some. It's cold and solitary at the top (ever seen the pictures of people who get to the top - there's not a village or a city up there.) His righteousness is just like that - lofty, grande, and singular. No one else is righteous like God. No one really comes close. His righteousness stands true and faithful like the mighty mountains. God, in other words, never chooses to take a short cut, the easy way, or "sin" against His nature. He is true, through and through. He is righteous, through and through. And He has personality. The mighty mountain of God can show pleasure and displeasure. When Jesus was baptized, the righteous God said 'you are my son, with you I am well pleased.' Pretty exciting! Imagine Everest bowing down and asking to take you for a climb! The pleasure of God is just that - righteousness abounding in joy that is rooted in, you guessed it, righteousness!

God is also just. Righteousness and justice can be a pretty deadly combination. The ultimate standard of right and wrong (there is such a thing) and true justice applied by the standard. God also makes the right decision every time. Like the ocean depths, the justice of God can seem unfathomable - God, why did my baby die (true question asked)? What's just about that? I'm neither Everest nor the Pacific. I don't know fully the heights of righteousness and the depths of justice. But I do know that God's love is infinite, so there is no reason to doubt His judgments and justice and righteousness. Rather, I desire to know Him and His righteousness and justice. God's righteousness protects the weak and humble. God's justice serves the broken and lost. Better than Everest, better than the Pacific, the best picture of righteousness and justice is Jesus.

[faithful:love]

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Psalm 36:5

God's love doesn't stop, ever. Never. I can't escape it or leave it, it's so big He always loves me. Spatially, the heavens and the skies are a long way off - I won't ever travel through the "heavens" = space. Even if I were to go to the moon, God's love is there. Emotionally, I can feel distant from God. When I'm not still, listening to Him. When I run, run, run through life - caring for kids, family, friends, and not taking time to listen. Or just run through life to, you know, "get things done." And the whole time it seems like life is passing me by, I'm never on the edge, in the lead, setting pace, but always trying to keep up. Even then, God is faithful in love.

Are their limits to God's faithfulness? No, He is true to Himself and always true. "Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful." How about rejection? Does God ever reject us? No,

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neighter height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Nothing can separates us from God's love. Nothing, but there is one important word in the above quote - the second to last: "our." Until God is mine, I'm not His. He remains faithful, yes, but I am outside of Christ, and therefore outside of the love of God that is in Christ. God's love is seen in Christ. God's faithfulness is in Christ. In Christ, nothing separates from the love of God. Count me in.

the veil & the darkness

Only God does things in increasing glory. I tend to peak, God always outdoes. It's like the best is yet to come - when Jesus turned water into wine, it was the best wine of the party - and the last wine served! When God sent the law it came with glory, but the glory faded: Moses covered himself with a veil so that people wouldn't see the glory of God fading on Him. When God came in Jesus, the glory grows, to the point that the law seems to have "no glory" compared to the glory believers have in the spirit. My glory grows as I become more and more like God - like Jesus. Imitation only gets better - it starts good and grows better. But the glory is God's. No one raves about people who love like God does, they rave about God who loves so greatly [i hope]. God assures me that I am "being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

Imitation #1

Ephesians 5:1-2 are such loaded verses. They read:

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of
love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragant offering to
God.

In the NASB, the verses start with "therefore." The whole book, it seems, is building up to this command, which seems awfully strong and how do you keep it? How can you imitate God. It starts with knowing God, His character, His heart. Only when my heart and His are united can true imitation begin, anything else is not fully imitating, it's more impersonating. Therefore - God's love before time began, God's love in action, God's power for us, God's grace to us. All, therefore.

[Success]

Welcome to Blackaby Ministries: "Delivered into Your Hand
And the Lord said to Joshua, 'Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.' (JOSHUA 10:8)
'No greater confidence will ever come to you or to any other Christian than the confidence of knowing you are doing God's will. God will not commission you to do anything without ensuring your success. God assured Joshua that there was no reason to fear as he prepared to battle the Canaanites. God would allow the Israelites to fight the battle, but the outcome was settled before they ever picked up their weapons. What confidence this gave them as they fought! Even though their enemies fought relentlessly, Joshua's army was certain of eventual victory.
God does not promise you victory in every task you devise, but He does promise that you will be successful whenever you follow His will (Deut. 28:7, 2 5).
Does it appear that people are keeping you from obeying God's will? Rest assured that God will not allow anyone or anything to prevent His children from accomplishing His purposes.
Be careful to evaluate success in the way that God does. Perhaps He is working to produce His peace in your heart as you face troubling times. Perhaps He is working to develop a forgiving spirit in you when others mistreat you. Perhaps He is working to eliminate a particular sin in your life. If you accept the world's understanding of victory, you may feel defeated. If you look to see what God is accomplishing through your situation, you will find that He is succeeding. When you face opposition but know you are doing what God has asked, have confidence that He will accomplish everything that He desires.'"

[Wow! Victory is totally redefined in God's hands. This is something for me to think about for awhile.]

One

Unity - what an elusive word. I've been part of teams with great potential, that were never unified but a group of individual stars. All star teams rarely win world championships. Unity means being one, despite differences. Not that we don't have a whole lot of individual differences, but that we are one, united, and our differences showcase the whole, not the individual.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of
your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is
over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given
according to the measure of Christ's gift. Ephesians 4:4-7

Diversity in Unity. Each of us is different: abilities, talents, dreams, but the same destiny in Christ. Christ is One, unified with the Father and Spirit, and His body is one... hmmm... does it look that way? Is His body one? What do we do that communicates "one"?

Unity in calling. Ephesians 4 is about walking - walking - in the calling. The call should be anchored in our minds, like the minor league played called up to the big show. That call is anchored. In Christ it is a call to God, to change our minds and actions, and a call to belong. The call means we belong with Christ - not my lifestyle, not my good deeds, but the call to me from Christ. It is again, all founded, based, laid on Christ.

the walk of the call(ed)

o.k. this has been a tremendous week. We welcomed our 2nd child, and 1st girl into our family. How exciting! Mia arrived with joy last week and everything's kind of crazy at home. Both kids need attention and when the whining starts, the patience stops. But, not always.

therefore i, the prisioner of the Lord, implore you to
walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you were called - with all
humility and gentleness, and patience, showing tolerance for one another in love
(ephesians 4:1-2).

Wow! Talk about a wake up call. The call to follow is not a call to think selfishly - it is a call to think of others. How do you follow without thinking of someone else? But a bigger question, and what I am still grappling with is this: I have a great call, from the great, awesome God. What walk is worthy of Him? What walk is worshipful and glorious and awesome and humble and patient and tolerant all at the same time? It's not the walk of the snubbed nosed, "I'm better than you" elitist, nor is it the walk of the foolish. It is a walk sold out to Christ. Willing to love the un-lovable, do the impossible, and care for the careless. It is powered by a new heart that, though different, is not exclusive, but rather beats in love for others to join the walk - a kind of follow the leader. THE leader.

every generation

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. [Ephesians 3:20-21]

To every generation? Being Christian is being part of a river of history, flowing through every generation. It is a river of people who love God - not an idea of God or something about God or a religion; but God. The God. Being in the river means going with the flow and spreading love for God everywhere we splash - and all for Him. The river is His, not mine. He determines its course, not me. He determines its flow, the obstacles, the falls, and the quite pools, not me. My job is to flow - to follow. Why? to Him be glory.

Finishing last

My freshman year of high school I ran cross country. It was the perfect sport - you couldn't get cut from the team. To say that I "ran" might be a misnomer. No one ever accused me of being fast. Some encouraged me to "run" - meaning I must not have been. It sure felt like I was running inside.

Going into the last race of the season, I had never placed to win a medal (the top 10 spots). There were 11 runners in this final race. I knew it was my moment. I didn't have to win, I just needed to pick one person and stick to them like peanut butter and then slide by at the end. It ended up not being close - 10 of us finished as a group (I was proudly 10th) and I'm not sure if the 11th finished or not. So, in other words, I was nearly last. Is being last horrible? It defies success to finish last. It's not how I was brought up or ever taught in school (just to clarify, by my senior year I did do well in track - but never cross country). But is it bad to be last?

Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the least deserving Christian there is, I was chosen for this special joy of telling [others] about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. Ephesians 3:8 (NLT)

That's what the Apostle Paul, an early advocate of Christianity, said about himself. God likes the least and last. He uses them for great purposes. My success means nothing ultimately, but God's work in me and through me means everything. Life is not about finishing first, it's about running the right race with the right power. Paul changed races in his life - he used to hate Christians; but then he became one. He never made much money, never wrote a book (though he did write a lot of letters), never was a celebrity. He was usually hated, and often a prisoner. Not a real successful life. But God chose Him to bring light to millions.

Purpose anyone?

I'm tired of running in hamster wheels. All kinds of crazy motion going no where. The best thing that is happening is that I'm getting a good workout. You gotta love that benefit - running on a treadmill is probably the most boring kind of running, so if I'm going to run I want to run somewhere. The more I run, the thirstier I get, so the more I run to find satisfaction - but it's not there.

Here's the good news, I know I'm here for and with purpose. Life isn't meaningless, it's meaningful as I fulfill my purpose. It's not without difficulty; there's all kinds of difficulty, but I have the opportunity to be courageous in difficulties. Because I can have strength of purpose to overcome, face, and withstand difficult times. What is my purpose?

To shine the Light of the World to everyone I meet, in action and word. On campus, in church, in community, in family: live for Christ. What's that mean? It means I put myself behind the rest. When I got off the hamster wheel to nowhere, I only began to get anywhere as I put myself aside and served Christ and others. It's not about me - that's good news. And it is satisfying. My life is now hidden with Christ in God. I don't have to live a life of self-denial, I live a life of joy and satisfaction because God is my satisfaction. More than denying myself, I want more of Him. He's better than anything I chased hard after on the hamster wheel, because no matter how much I got, I still had to run and got nowhere.

Purpose? I like purpose, and I like satisfaction. I like to live purposefully, courageously, so that I will be more satisfied.

Clutz meets Grace

Grace, what a concept. I don't encounter it much in life. This morning I was driving, and stopped to make a right-hand turn. The (rather expensive) car behind me wasn't all that excited about me stopping to make the turn - at a stop sign none the less. I was honked at, and promptly passed in a rather dangerous maneuver, in city traffic. Maybe they were on their way to the hospital! Or maybe they were an undercover police car chasing Osama bin Laden or someone else who we want to catch. Or maybe they just need a little grace to give a little.

We all need it. I need grace everyday. Not that I'm a clutz, but because I'm a clutz. As hard as I try, life doesn't come out right. I have desires that turn me in the wrong direction. I go the wrong way and need grace to see the light and go the right way. The good thing about Grace is that I, or you, can't ruin it. It is always good, never worn out, and when pure, always given. It does have its requirements though. It doesn't come cheap.

Grace requires faith. Faith in the One who gives grace. Otherwise, we reject the grace. What does that faith look like. It means accepting the grace-giver. It looks like Christ in real life. Check out Ephesians 2, it's all about grace, and forgiveness, and wholeness - even unity. Pretty amazing grace.

Thick Clouds

Ever feel like you want something but can't quite get it? Like the sun on days with thick clouds. You know it's there but... it can't be reached. The sky is gray, the day seems murky, attitudes get sullen. Rain would replenish, sun would refresh, but there's neither. Or, like my son at the grocery store. He wants to play with everything in the cart, but he's strapped in a seat. Twist and strain and cry and mope; it's all useless until he's set free. Cravings, desires, hope gone hopeless.

It's not uncommon. Our souls cry out to open spaces, with no return. Distant, separated, lost. Jeremiah, a prophet of God, knew what it was like. Don't get me wrong, he knew God, but he also knew separation. He spoke about God, "You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through." Looking for sun and finding clouds. Jeremiah's experience didn't end there, because later he wrote, "You drew near when I called on You... You have redeemed my life."

Harbor of Grace is meant to be a place where you can look for satisfaction and find it. It is a safe place: express your hunger, your thirst, your journey, your hurt, your confusion, your cloud, and your desire. Pierce the clouds to light.