Where Jesus Desires You To Be

Dear Faith Family,  

Have you ever found that following Jesus--listening to, trusting in, and responding to his voice--has led you to places you didn't necessarily want to be? Say, from the energy of being at the center of his movement to being in the center of a storm? Or perhaps from a place of confident ministry into a place of seemingly endless opposition? Or maybe even from a place "out there" to the place "right here"? If so, as Dylan enlightened us on Sunday, you are in good company! (see Mark 4:35-5:20)

Opening ourselves to God's knowledge of us and wholly committing ourselves to be led into the full fruitfulness of that knowledge in the course of our daily living does not always take us where we expect or even desire (at least not immediately). But doing so does put us exactly where Jesus desires us to be. 

In his “High Priestly Prayer” found in John 17, Jesus prayed for you and me, and we,

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

What Jesus desires for you, me, and we; is for us to be with him where he is, where he is active and living and working. And being with him, seeing the beauty of his life, the light of life and love calming the storm, silencing the opposition, and commissioning us to be a part of His kingdom come and will done in our lives and the lives of those around us. 

So this week, because we desire what Jesus desires for us, let us pray for strength, the courage, and the compassion required to be with and see Jesus wherever he leads.

Father, we confess that stepping into the unknown, even with you, is a bit disconcerting. Our hearts long to trust you, so help our unbelief, especially when the way ancient and everlasting is anything but smooth sailing.

Jesus, thank you that your desire is for us to join you in your glorious life. A life that has given us our lives, freeing us to live and move and have our being. A life lived in the clarity of your knowledge. Help us to see that what has been given to us, you desire for all, and are presently working towards your desire today.

Holy Spirit, strengthen our inner being, so that Jesus might dwell in our hearts and we might know the vastness of his love for us. In your loving strength, let us share the heart of our Father for those in our lives whom you are leading us to. And let us speak of the goodness of your Son to all who will hear. 

Let our words and our actions and our affections be yours, cultivating your life in those we see today. In Jesus we live and with Jesus we pray. Amen.

Love you, faith family! 

Loving Well

Dear Faith Family,  

I assume that you want to love well. That you desire what is really good for those persons, places, professions, and even passions to which you've given your affection. And I assume this is true of you even if, like myself, your actions and attitudes don't always seem to align with your aspirations. 

If I am honest, often the misses in my loving--those times when I really am acting out of love but the result is anything but "really good"--aren't for lack of right desire, but a matter of a missed perception. 

Maybe you are different, but I typically have an idea or picture in mind of what is really good for the lives and things I am a part of, especially when compelled by love to get involved within their happenings. Yet I run into issues when I'm primarily looking for what is good and yet unaware of what is true in the lives and things I love. 

"to love others well," says Thomas Merton, "we must first love the truth." And the "truth I must love...is God Himself, living in them. I must seek the life of the Spirit of God breathing in them."

It's not enough for me to want what is really good for those lives and things I love; I must seek and find the only good Himself (Lk. 18:19) present and active. When I am first aware of Love Himself (1 Jn. 4:16) already loving, I can truly love well. 

This shift of perspective from desiring what is good to seeing what is true, is subtle. Yet it sets us up to love with reverent humility and bold effectiveness. In a word, to be meek, and an inherited of all that is God's (Ps. 37:11 & Matt. 5:5).

But how do you make the shift, and make it natural? 

Several hundred years ago, the anchoress, Julian of Norwich, found herself in a similar situation as you and me. She wanted to love well, but knew to do so; she needed to be aware of some One else's love already active. So Julian came up with an "eye exercise" to help her more naturally shift perspective. 

I look at God.
I look at who/what I love.
I keep looking at God.

Her first motion was to look at the One in whose life and love both herself and who/what she loved exists. Only when her eyes had adjusted to the light of that Truth did her gaze turn to the need of the beloved, who was now seen as already enmeshed in God's activities and affection. Then, Julian could love well, knowing if and how to act or speak...or not. 

Maybe an "eye exercise" seems silly to you. I know it did to me at first. But think what could be different for those you love if you took the time to love what is good for them and what is true in them. 

To help you and me get the heart of the exercise, I've included a brief prayer with each movement. Try it this week. When love compels you to enter into the happenings of others, stop for just a moment, seek and find the Truth already shining, and follow Him in loving well. 

I LOOK AT GOD

Father, You hem us in. We have nowhere to go from Your presence. You have formed and written us into Your life. 

I LOOK AT WHO/WHAT I LOVE

Jesus, that which is made, is life in You--from You and through You and to You. 

I KEEP LOOKING AT GOD

Holy Spirit, lead me into Your life and love. I will follow, and love as You love. 

May we come to know and to believe the love that God has for us and his love is perfected in us as we love one another.

I love you, faith family! God bless!

Don't Forget What Comes Second

Dear Faith Family,  

Several weeks ago, we started down the road of trying to answer the question all humans ask (and re-ask): Who am and what am I for? We've discovered (I hope!) that at the heart of our universal question is what we love, for who/what we are willing to give ourselves away. 

Discovering that we know ourselves by first giving ourselves away to God and His desires--loving God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength--is certainly not a new revelation! The truth that we are created to desire what God desires, and to seek His desire (will) above all else, has deep roots in our stories and The Story of scripture. This "great and first commandment," as Jesus called it in Matthew 22:37-38, has been one that most of us have heard and sought to follow from the beginning of our faith. 

And so, as we discovered last week, living in the light of who God knows and has crafted us to be and become is a heart issue. When our hearts are calibrated to His heart for us and His world, we are free to follow our hearts to our question's answer. Still, as John, the beloved friend and follower of Jesus, said, there is something new in this old truth that we need to pay attention to. 

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning…At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in Jesus and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
(1 John 2:7-8)

Already, the darkness that keeps God’s intimately crafted knowledge of us is fading as the true light of what God desires for us and through us shines in the world. “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27), as the apostle Paul put it, adds a new dimension to the old command, for “it is God who is at work within us both to desire and to work for what He desires” (Phil. 2:13). But, John says, there is a way that we remain blind even in the fading dark: when our hearts are against one whose God’s heart is for.

…because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
(1 John 2:8b-11)

What often keeps us from living in the clarity of who we are and what we are for is not a heart that doesn’t desire what God desires, but a heart that, as the “old commandment” forbade, hangs onto a grudge, acting on ill will towards our siblings rather than loving a neighbor (see Leviticus 19:17-18). Perhaps that is why Jesus quickly connected the great first command with "a second like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:39). 

It is not enough to love God, to desire to do what He wants. It is our beginning and our end, absolutely. But, as Jesus said, we are also made to love what/who God loves. If we miss this, we'll find that we stumble or get lost in finding the answer to the question.

So, this week faith family, let us go one step further and join together in asking God to know our hearts toward those in our lives, and lead us in the clarity of His love for them.

Father, we come to You because our sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, and we are called Your children because of His love for us.

Father, we come to You because we desire what You desire and want nothing more than to live the fullness of Your life in us.

Father, search us and know our hearts. Show us if there is any violence or animosity, any bitterness or apathy towards those in our lives (even the ones we fail to see).

Father, create in us pure hearts, and let the love of Jesus lead us to see clearly the way before us.

Because Jesus lives and is pressing back the darkness already, we pray. Amen.

Love you, faith family! 

Getting Back to the Heart of The Question

Dear Faith Family,  

To know that I've been knit together, reverently set apart, exhaustively known, as Psalm 139 proclaims, is undoubtedly a wondrous truth and inspiring praise!

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully set apart,
and wonderfully made.

Wonderous are your works...

I was...intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them. 

(Psalm 139:14-16) 

Yet the awe of faith's insight is not merely in the enormity of such knowledge, as vast at it may be. Nor is it only in the grandeur of its completion, as wonderful as it will be. The awe of God's forming is also in the uniqueness of its graces. 

I don't know about you, but I tend to associate grace with negatives. Grace, as I am prone to describe it to others, is not receiving the just consequences for our wrong/sinful actions. Or, perhaps grace kept us from the felt realities of evil: tragedy or failure or want. While both statements are true, in truth, grace is simply unmerited favor. Approval and goodwill extended not on the basis of action or inaction (positively or negatively) but received from the heart of another. Grace is a kindness enacted, a goodness bestowed simply from the goodness of the giver.

Now think about grace and Psalm 139 for a moment. If God purposefully and adorningly crafted every molecular element of our potential and did so long before someone could realize (earn or merit) their potential, then it is not a stretch to say that our very being is the product of grace. The uniqueness of our features--both internal and external--are bestowed upon us as kindness, a goodness from the Giver of life. And our hearts, the longings and loves that lead us, graced by Another's heart. 

When we realize that what we essentially, fundamentally desire in and out of life is "a spiritual instinct" of God's grace in us, that's when we can wholly commit to God's desires, giving ourselves away to His will and ways. And while we chatted on Sunday about our hearts certainly having maturing to do, knowing that "our heart is after God's own heart" is how we'll begin to answer The Better Question. 

So, my friends, I am praying for you and invite you to pray with and for me that we'd experience the blessedness of His strength in and for us, whose hearts are the highways to God's dwelling: His kingdom come and will done on earth as it is in heaven (Ps. 84:5). And, that we’d listen to the One who knows our hearts,

The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father has sent at Jesus’ request, making everything plain to us, reminding us of all the things Jesus has spoken to us that has left us well and whole…and at Peace. (Jn. 14:26-27)

Love you, faith family! 

A New Day's Blessing

Dear Faith Family,  

We have a morning ritual of sorts in our house, at least on school day mornings. Before we jet off on our separate ways, I hug each child, kissing their forehead and saying: "Love you, buddy/sweet girl. Listen to your teachers. Be kind to others. And do your best." They then pile into the car, Deedra leading them in prayer as they go full speed into a day where they, Lord willing, hold to at least one or two of the things spoken over them! 

In this little rite each morning, my desire is for Cohen and Lily to enter their day knowing through a loving embrace, not just what is expected, but what is possible. Yes, I want them to know that respectfulness, kindness, and diligence is the standard they are held to because they have within them the potential to be such a person. I want them to know what they are capable of doing (really, who they are capable of being) especially when the strictness of a teacher, the snootiness of a fellow student, or the subtle tug to settle makes their possible feel impossible.

I think when the apostle Paul, filled with the Spirit of Truth, wrote "...from God [it] was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory," it was our Father's way of letting us know not just what is expected of us, but what is possible for us--even when we feel such glorious living is impossible. In Paul's words, I hear our Father sending us off into our day, saying,

"I love you. I am with you (Jesus in you!), and I am for you. So you can do your best, my best for you." 

So my friends, may you receive our Father's new day blessing this morning. And may we do our best, in wonder and humility, being all that is possible for us, for God is with us, and God is for us, to His good pleasure. 

Love you, faith family! 

But So It Is.

Dear Faith Family,  

Getting to know ourselves in and through others, even the Other, is not our preferred method of self-discovery. We'd often prefer self-reflection to an external evaluation if we are honest. If we control our narrative, so we reason, then at least we know where we stand.

The problem, however, is, as Richard Foster pointed out, "If the examination is solely a self-examination, we will always end up with excessive praise or blame." The stories we tell ourselves are rarely the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Which is why we so need the help of God, as the psalmist so enthusiastically declares! 

Search me, O God and know my heart! 
Examine me and know my disquieting thoughts, 
And see if there is any grievous way in me, 
and lead me in the way ancient and everlasting. 

(Psalm 139: 23-24) 

But here is the thing, exams always seem to raise our anxiety, no matter who administrates them. That is unless we are sure of the outcome. 

What if we were certain that God's exhaustive knowledge of us would reveal nothing less than His delight and the promise of pleasing Him? It seems to me that only such faith could explain the unabashed excitement of the psalmist before God. The unanxious plea for exposing revelation has to be rooted in some assurance of what God will find. Right?

So what does the psalmist know? Why his self-assessment may not always be spot on, what the psalmist's "soul knows very well" in God's abiding knowledge of him, is that even amongst the disquieting thoughts and grievous ways, God will reveal one who is "fearfully set apart" (Psalm 139:14). 

Imagine the richness of such a life. Confidence and courage would energize one so certain of who they are and what they are for, something grand and possible. Such a person could genuinely give themselves away without fear, naivete, or trying to prove something. Can you imagine what would be possible in your life if you too possessed such hope?

The apostle Paul says we don't have to wonder about if, though we will surely have some growing it to do: 

God chose to make known how great...are the riches of...Christ in you, the hope of glory...that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:27,29) 

The inescapable truth of faith in the gospel is that no matter our history or habits when our hearts are exposed, what is found in us is Jesus. What is uncovered is "God at work in us, to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). For, in the words of C.S. Lewis, 

"The promise of glory is the promise, almost incredible and only possible by the work of Christ, that some of us, that any of us who really chooses, shall actually survive that examination, shall find approval, shall please God. To please God...to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness...to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son--it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is." 

So this week, my friends, because the hope of glory is so assured, let us, like the psalmist, unanxiously plea for a life lived richly in who God knows us to be and who we are becoming in Jesus. 

Father, give us wise minds and spirits attuned to Your will. With hearts attuned to Yours, let us acquire a thorough understanding of the ways You work. May we live well for the Master, making Him proud as we work hard in Your creation. Father, as we learn more and more how You work, let that knowledge shape how we do our work.

Grant us the strength to strive with hope for the long haul—not a grim strength of gritted teeth, but the glory-strength that Jesus gives. Your strength endures the unendurable and spills into joy.

Thank You, Father, for making us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that You have for us.

In Jesus, our hope of glory, we pray. Amen.

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Remember That!

Dear Faith Family,  

Last week I suggested a better question for getting to genuine identification is: To what/whom have you given yourself away? When we have an answer to this question of commitment--to what/whom is our heart bound--we'll truly know someone, even ourselves. 

Knowing who we truly are, in the service, affection, and betterment of something more than ourselves is what every human yearns for. It's why our souls are never satisfied even with the best of things. No matter what we gain, if our efforts and accumulations terminate on us, we are left wanting something more. 

While our better question gets us to our ultimate end, it is not where we start. The ironic and frustrating paradox of this pursuit is that we can not give ourselves away, commit ourselves wholeheartedly to something or someone, without knowing what we are giving: our heart. And we cannot know the heart of who we are except through being known. Or, once again paraphrasing Merton, 

"Our deep longing to discover who we truly are, and to live out the fulfillment of our discovery in the love of others and God comes through first discovering that we cannot find ourselves in ourselves alone; we must find ourselves in and through others...the Other." 

Good thing the Other already knows and is glad to share His knowledge. At least that is what Psalm 139:1 proclaims: 

O LORD, you have searched me
and known me! 

We cannot answer the better question alone. In fact, it's not even a question that starts with self-knowledge, but rather the One who knows us. And His knowledge is not merely a designer's knowledge of his apparatus, but knowledge from presence. His knowing of us comes from His ever being with us.

You hem me in, behind and before, 
and lay your hand upon me. (v. 5) 

To know we are known—crafted and pursued—so intricately and intimately is actually, as the psalmist says, "too wonderful for me to take in!" Which is why we are encouraged through Psalm 139 to regularly ask for an examination: 

Search me, O God 
and know my heart! 
Examine me and 
know my disquieting thoughts, 
And see if there is any grievous way 
in me, 
and lead me in the way ancient
and everlasting. 
(v. 23-24) 

So this week, my friends, I encourage you to do two things. First, remember who knows you truly, by praying this prayer. 

Father, you investigate my life;
you get all the facts firsthand.
I’m an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I’m never out of your sight.
You know everything I’m going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you’re there,
then up ahead and you’re there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can’t take it all in!

And second, remember that He knows you because He is with you by setting aside a few moments to work through the exercise below. 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

REMEMBERING WHAT'S KNOWN

PREPARATION

Set aside 10-20 minutes of relative quiet. Have your bible open to Psalm 139, a journal/paper, and a pen.

PRACTICE

The first part of Psalm 139 is about remembering what is true, that God has searched us and knows us! What we are seeking is not something new, but something known. The following exercise is designed to help us recognize this truth by remembering God's knowledge of us at a particular moment in our lives.

Step 1 | Confess & Read

Confess what you have experienced, but sometimes forget:

"O LORD, you have searched me and known me!"

Now read Psalm 139:2-12

Step 2 | Choose A Memory 

The psalmist recognizes God's knowledge of him in three different "places."

• When God knew what you needed before you could ask/act (v. 2-5).

• When God was present at the "heights" of life (v. 8-10).

• When God was present in the "lows" of life (v. 11-12).

Which "place" is the Holy Spirit drawing you to? Don't try and force it. Give yourself a minute for a memory to come to mind.

Step 3 | Remember 

Now read the verses that correspond with the "place" you remember God was with you. Then let the details of the memory in that place come into full view in your mind. Give yourselves a couple of minutes to remember.

Step 4 | Reflect

Now, with the memory coming to the forefront, consider the following questions:

• What were the circumstances (what, when, where, with who)?

• What made you aware that God was with you?

• How would you describe what you felt after you knew God knew you?

Write down your answers.

Step 5 | Pray & Share 

Finally, use the following prayer to lead you into a time of gratitude and wonder in God's knowledge of you:

"Father, you investigate my life; you get all the facts firsthand! I am an open book to you..."

Then, share what you remembered with a friend, co-worker, spouse, or neighbor. Write down their name and ask the Spirit for the courage and opportunity to share your story. Remember that it's through the stories of others that we often recognize our own!

A Better Question

Dear Faith Family,  

What answer would you give to someone who asked you to describe what questions you'd ask to know someone, even yourself, truly? Would your questions start with the general list: Where did you grow up? What schools did you attend? Where do you work? What are your hobbies? What is your favorite...? These aren't bad questions, but they don't quite get to the core of what we are after, the true self of the one we are examining. 

Maybe then, we'd go a bit deeper and ask more intimate questions like What are your greatest accomplishments and strengths? What are your weaknesses and biggest disappointments? 

These questions get us closer, but the person we are looking for is more than what they achieve or fail to achieve. And while limitations are a part of every one of us, they only shape how we live, not who we are. 

So then, what question could we ask to truly know someone, even ourselves? Well, the poet, scholar, and Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton, helps us get a little closer. Modernizing his lead-in, here is what Merton contends, 

“If you want to identify me, ask me not where I grew up nor where I live, or about my Instagram timeline, or even my daily habits, but ask me what I am living for, in detail, ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.”

The question Merton says identifies him is a question of commitment: To what/who have you given yourself away, specifically? Merton knows we cannot settle for a passing passion in this examination. What or who we give ourselves away is detailed, for to be truly given away is to be wholly committed, handed over, abandoned. 

When we can answer this question, we'll truly know another, even ourselves. 

Merton's better question can be intimidating, even overwhelming, especially if we are uncertain of what we are actually giving our life for or are nervous about what is keeping us from doing so. Graciously, the question of our commitment is not one we have (or even can) answer alone. 

Over the next several weeks, we'll look for our individual answers together, and Lord willing, (re)discover a committed life...of joy. But this week, I encourage you to start where we'll start on Sunday, getting to know ourselves in God's knowledge of us through Psalm 139, asking our Father in Jesus' name for that which we desire, 

Father, in the name of—with the heart of and wholly committed to— Jesus, and in the Spirit of Jesus, we ask; Search us! Know our hearts! Examine us and know our disquieting thoughts! See if there is any way in which we grieve Your heart and hurt others as well as ourselves. And by your Spirit of Truth, lead us in the way ancient and everlasting! Amen.

Love you, faith family! God bless my friends. 

May God Give You JOY!

Dear Faith Family,

It takes courage, and indeed faith, to step out into the world as heralds of Jesus' coming and kingdom. This is undoubtedly true if the world you step into has pre-conditioned misgivings about the reality you speak. 

On Sunday, we conclude our journey with Jesus and his band of followers through the land of Samaria. Samaria, if you remember, was a normatively secular but religiously familiar place, even if apprehensively so. A place a lot like our land today.

Samaritans had a history of faith in Yahweh. A history of being a people connected to His-story, expectant and dependent upon God. Yet, for various reasons—their choices, political alignments, environmental circumstances, cultural pressures, religious snobbery—they had little space for the "old" faith of the regions founding. While they still wanted very similar things to their Jewish neighbors and ancestors—wholeness and peace and prosperity—the means of achieving their dreams and the relation of such desires to God differed. It would be safe to say that, as is true in our day, amongst the Samaritans was a spectrum of faith and spirituality, ranging from the apathetic to the aggravated, most choosing a more pragmatic view of faith, if any at all. No wonder they were not automatically receptive to Jesus' entrance into their lives (Lk. 9:52-53)

Still, it was into a world much like ours that Jesus sent seventy-two of his courageous faithful to proclaim in word and deed the nearness of God's kingdom (Lk. 10:1-11). These brave and obedient ones went into the world as heralds of a vision they could only imagine, but returned to Jesus as ones who had seen the world beyond their imagination, 

"The seventy-two returned to Jesus with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!'" (Lk. 10:17) 

Jesus' response to his friends and disciples' fantastical adventure was, "Now you see it! Now you see what I see, the enemy and his end...Satan falling like lightning from heaven." (Lk. 10:18). And while a glimpse behind the curtain of the battles victorious end is a tremendous encouragement in our daily labors, Jesus says that's not the true seat of sustaining joy.

"Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice [find joy in] that your names are written in heaven." (Lk. 10:20)

What sustains your heralding in the Samaritan land we call Dallas is that your life--your words and actions in courageous faith--are written into The Story of the world. The true story continues to be told and experienced through your life as long as we call this moment "Today." Your daily living is not random. Your choices are not benign. Your role is not unnecessary. Your life matters because you are a part of something more.

So my friends, today, with the words of S.D. Smith, I bless you. I bless you as those whose courage and faith to herald Jesus' kingdom has you squarely in the midst of the Story still unfolding in and through you:

May the Ancient Author bless and keep you.
May the Holy Hero be your rescuer forever.
May the Story find you,
through every painful passage,
at home with him in the end.
May you delight in his love
and exalt in his victory then.
May you always aspire to live
as a character you admire.
May you know the delight of discovering
that the Story isn't mainly about you.
May you know and love the truth
and be brave to obey it.
May you make a hard dart at the darkness
with whatever light you bring,
reflecting, like the moon, a light far brighter than you own.
May God give you joy!

Love you, faith family! 

Prayers From YOUR Cross

Dear Faith Family,

There is no arguing that the most recognizable symbol of our faith is the cross, and rightfully so. For it was there that, in the words of the author of Hebrews, "Christ...offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins..." therefore "there is no longer an offering for sin...brothers and sisters...we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus..." (10:12,18-19). Yet, there is more to Jesus' cross than its gracious finished work. 

Remember Jesus' invitation at the beginning of his Samaritan travels? Speaking to both the miraculously feed crowd, and his ever-stumbling yet maturing disciples, Jesus said, 

"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23) 

Jesus expects us to wind up in a similar spot to where he was always going (see Luke 9:21-22 & 18:31-33). But why? If our daily crosses are not about sacrifices for sin like Jesus', then what are they for? 

We sang a song on Sunday called Scandal of Grace. The lyrics proclaim what is finished, and what more there is to Jesus' cross, 

Death, where is your sting?
Your power is as dead as my sin
The cross has taught me to live
And mercy, my heart now to sing

Jesus, on his cross, teaches us how to live on our crosses.

On our crosses, like Jesus, we learn we live free in the agony of a world of broken relationships and evils, because we are not abandoned to them. On our daily crosses, we learn to speak and act upon that freedom by extending forgiveness and compassion to our crucifiers, and opening relationship, hope, and purpose to the guilty but listening. On our crosses, we learn who we truly are and for what we truly live. And we learn all this, through Jesus' words from his cross as we pray them with him. 

So this week, as women and men who I know to be more than willing to take up your cross daily to follow Jesus, actively allow your cross to teach you to live. When led by the Spirit to deny self--your self-absorption, self-pity, self-fulfillment, self-entitlement, self-doubt, self-ambition--whether in the most intimate of relationships or the most common of office expectations--pray on your cross as Jesus taught you to pray from his cross. The exercise below will help you do so. 

May we who "share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that...we may attain the resurrection from the dead." 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

PRAYING FROM YOUR CROSS

Preparation:

First, remember. Remember that, unlike Jesus, "your cross" is not payment for your sin. Jesus' cross was that. Remember that, like Jesus, we deny self for the salvation of another/others. Second, ask. Ask, "What am I denying?" Name what you are giving and ask, "Who am I giving this up for?" 

Four Prayers:

Read the comments after the prayer, then slowly pray the prayer with Jesus. Repeat for all four prayers. 

#1 My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? 

Denying self for the sake of another, usually when being wronged by another, is not easy. It is also not something you do alone. Enter the real agony of self-denying, but not actual abandonment. Remember that Jesus' first prayer is Psalm 22. And while he only voices the first words of the psalm, the entire psalm is hidden in Jesus' heart.

"For he has NOT despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has NOT hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him...even the one who could not keep himself alive." (22:24,29) 

Often we get stuck here. We only feel the agony of denying self, but never the community and kingdom that joins us, and into which we become a part in our suffering for something more than ourselves. While we must not deny the difficulty, we must also not deny the truth that our cross is for something more and something larger than us. 

If you find yourself stuck here, maybe spend some time praying Psalm 22, the entire psalm, before moving on. 

#2 "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." 

When you realize that you are not abandoned on your cross, but joined in and to something more than you, you recognize that you are willfully dying. You sacrifice in freedom, not as an unavoidable conclusion. Freely dying allows us to freely forgive "them" (whoever might be leading to your denying of self) and exercise empathy "for they know not what they do." On your cross, you see more clearly what "they" are caught up in and what binds them. 

But it is not enough to feel compassion. Jesus' brother reminds us that we are called to do something with the compassion that our freely denied self allows us.

"So speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty...Mercy triumphs over judgment." (James 2:12-13)

When and how can you speak and act upon the compassion and mercy of a willing sacrifice? 

#3 "Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." 

Remember that in denying self for the sake/salvation of another, you are joining in God's Kingdom coming. You are a participant in His good purposes and actions and a witness to life with Him. Praying with Jesus the truth of where you will be when death [even the mini-self deaths] is done, allows you to have ears to hear and eyes to see those who are looking and listening for that hope. And, to respond to them! 

Who is positively responding to your self-denying, and how can you invite them into your life with God? 

#4 "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" 

Finally, you pray your conviction. Not abandonment by God, but abandonment to God's providence and grace even on the cross. In praying this prayer with Jesus, you realize that you were made for this dying so that another might live, and that you, in turn, are living for something more. A more in which you are known, loved, competent, and called--losing yourself, only to find who and whose you truly are (Lk. 9:24).  

Long Beyond the Goodbye

Dear Faith Family,

Saying Goodbye, "God be with you," until we meet again, is rarely easy. No matter where the ones we bless go off to, the unknown between seeing them now and seeing them again leaves our hearts aching in the void. 

Good thing true friends, spiritual companions, leave behind in those they've followed Jesus with "fruit that abides" (Jn. 15:16). The fruit of their faith sowed into our lives stays with us and continues through us. Praise the Lord for true friends! Reeds, we miss you already! 

And while on Sunday we had the privilege to honor the Reeds and glorify Jesus in them, there is no better way to celebrate and bless these friends, as well as the many other friends over the years who have invested God's grace to them in our faith family, than to continue their way of life in Jesus with others. May our abiding in Jesus and love for one another bear fruit that abides through all of life's goodbyes. 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Praying Like The Sinner

Dear Faith Family,

Our prayers reveal our hearts even, at times, more clearly than do our actions. 

At least, that is one take-away from Jesus' parable of "The Sinners" found in Luke 18:9-14. In the story, two men join with others to pray, to seek God for life true and whole. By all external observations, one man is well prepared for the encounter. Every habit of his life intentionally devoted to being there, in the place of God with God's people. None could look at him and see anyone other than a genuinely devoted man of faith. 

The other man was quite the opposite. By all external observations, he should be barred from the premises. Every choice of his life led him away from God and God's people, to taking advantage of them, promoting their lack of flourishing, and ensuring the success of their opposition. None could look at him and see anyone other than a genuinely faithless man. 

Nevertheless, both men come to pray, to seek God for life, true and whole. Yet here is the thing about face-to-face time with God; it's the heart that matters most: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matt. 5:8) And while the heart may be hard to see, it can be heard, 

"For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."
(Lk. 6:45) 

And so, when the two men pray, we see that one has a heart of faith and the other a heart of hate. However, in Jesus' story, the invisible hearts don't match the observable exteriors. The hearts, it seems, are in the wrong bodies!  

Dulled by the distance of culture and the familiarity of sermonizing, the story's unexpected switch may not have the impact it probably should. We're all too ready to embrace the sinner's genuineness over self-righteous hypocrisy. But what if there is something more here for us to see? 

For millennia, "the Church" (both eastern, western, and everywhere in-between) has considered a post-resurrection adaptation of the tax collector's prayer as "essential to our spiritual growth." In Luke 18:13, the traitor by choice "pounded his chest saying, 'God! Be merciful to  [literally, 'Make atonement for'] me, a sinner."  And from then until now, pouring out of hearts in countless languages from grand cathedrals and within simple huts, Jesus' followers have joined in praying like the sinner, 

Lord Jesus, Son of God!
Have mercy on me, a sinner.

These simple words are not merely the beginning of faith but a mature and maturing expression of faith where "we discover a very personal and direct relationship with [Jesus]."  For, we cannot pray this prayer without faith: the assurance of what is hoped for--God's faithfulness to be true to His promises no matter our infidelity--and conviction of that which is unseen--our hearts' broken and made clean through His loving action. 

Repeating this prayer regularly (even repeatedly throughout the day as some do) is an action of persisting faith (Lk. 18:1-8), a "communion with God and participation in His grace." 

So, why don't we join in, praying like the sinner with faith:  "Lord Jesus, Son of God! Have mercy on me, a sinner." 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Looking A Little Closer to Home

Dear Faith Family,

Have you noticed that Jesus often responds to our inquiries with the most unanticipated replies? For example, when asked a question I'm sure we all have asked a time or two, "When will the kingdom of God arrive?" Jesus replies, "It's not a matter of timing but where you are looking." 

Well, maybe he didn't say that exactly, but I think that's what he meant. Here is what Jesus said, 

The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. 
(Luke 17:20-21) 

I don't know about you, but when I think of God's arrival, his action in the world to bring about both goodness and justice, my mind fills with the extraordinary stories of our scriptures. Impenetrable fortifications crumbled at the sound of praising trumpets. The sun stopped mid-sky to ensure a promised and thorough victory. Seas parted, God's people safely across, and their pursuing oppressors crushed as the water walls collapsed upon them. Each episode, even at a distance of time or faith, is an easily observable advent of rescue and adjudication.

If I am honest, I am often on the lookout, scanning the horizon as far as I can, straining to decipher what might be out there, all hoping to catch a glimpse of God's impending arrival. I long to see some sign, some indication, that He is here. If you're honest, are you looking out like me? Are your eyes set on the horizon, the world out there and all around us, hoping to see a sign of God's activity? Do you find yourself looking for yet wondering when the kingdom of God will come? 

If so, Jesus says we are looking in the wrong place. If we want to see the kingdom of God, God's acting to bring about goodness and justice, we have to look a little closer to home: "behold," says Jesus, "the kingdom of God is in your midst," literally, "within you." 

I don't believe Jesus is promoting self-aggrandizing navel-gazing. Instead, what Jesus says is that seeing God's kingdom coming into the world starts with seeing God's activity in your own life. His acting to bring goodness and justice into and out of your past and present. When we see God within us, inside our story, we can see and participate in His kingdom "going on all the time" and all around us. 

If you're asking when the kingdom of God will come, or desire to better see where Jesus says the kingdom is already arriving, I encourage you to take some time this week to look a little closer to home. I have included the exercise below that will help you (us!) do so. 

Love you, faith family! God bless! 

EXERCISE | THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN YOUR MIDST

While employed and applied under various labels, rhythms and methods, taking time to see God's activity in our past and present so that we might fully participate in His kingdom's future has been a regular habit of Jesus followers for millennia. In this exercise, we'll focus on the last month. 

START | Find a quiet (or minimally distracting!) place. Sit down with a pen and journal, and ask the Holy Spirit to give you eyes to see God with you and to guide you as you look back over the last thirty or so days. 


MOMENTS | Now take a deep breath and begin working back through significant moments over the last month. Moments when you did something important, like making a significant decision or a new friend. Moments when you felt something different or more intensely than usual--whether joy or grief or something in between. Moments when you experienced either the presence or perceived absence of God. 


MEDITATE | After you've marked out your moments, meditate on them. Asking the Holy Spirit again for eyes to see and answer:

• In what ways was God acting to bring goodness to and through me at that moment?

• In what ways was God acting to bring justice for me or through me at that moment? 

Remember, sometimes God's goodness and justice come through correcting us, sometimes through providing for us, sometimes through keeping us from things we couldn't see or know, and sometimes through not giving us what we deserve. 


PRAY | Once you've gone through the month in moments of God within your story, write out a prayer. In your prayer, name praises of God's activity as well as doubts and questions that surfaced. Pray, writing out what you learned about Him (His character and affection) and yourself and HIs kingdom going on all the time and all around you. And pray all in the name and to the glory of Jesus. 

Looking But Not Seeing

Dear Faith Family,

There is a way of living where we look at everything and see nothing. Like the “rich man” in Jesus’ story from Sunday, we can look at our circumstances (both good and bad) and never see God’s activity. Never recognizing his recognition of us in the simple and abundant graces of others.  

Likewise, we can look at our neighbors (or spouse or child or coworker or friend) and never truly see them. Never recognizing their humanity, their need, and their purpose. Either overlooking them or looking only for what they can do for me.

Too often, in the self-absorbed, constantly consuming world in which we live, we look but do not see. So this week, let’s pray together for the true sight of the One who always sees us, knows us inside and out, calls us to contribute, and lavishly loves us.  

Father, thank you that you always see us. That you recognize us, dignify us, care for us, love us.

Father, forgive us for looking around at our circumstances and failing to see your activity—your generosity and your grace through others.

Father, forgive us for looking at those around us yet failing to see who they are to you, and so failing to live compassionately.

Father, let us see, truly see the world of grace and wonder in which we live and in which we are made to contribute. Give us eyes that recognize you and recognize others whom you see.

Through Jesus we ask, hope, and are seen. Amen.

Love you, faith family! God bless! 

Oh Summer!

Dear Faith Family,

How are you feeling about summer so far? We're now at the halfway point of the season when it's culturally acceptable to slow down, get away, and rest (even if just a little), so how's it going? Do you feel the restoration and freedom of summer's leisurely character?

I've certainly experienced summers where my answer would emphatically be yes. But, if I am honest, I'm feeling more of the transitional character of the season this year. 

For all its billing of relaxing and getting away, summer rarely is a season of stopping, at least entirely. In actuality, most summers are an elongated (hopefully leisurely) season for transition. The transition might be from one grade to the next, like the twins moving from 4th to 5th. Or the change may be from one job or home to the next. Did you know that it's estimated that 80% of moves take place this time of year?! Maybe the transition is from one life stage to the next; think of all the weddings! Or the anticipation is simply the return of a "normal" pace and schedule. Regardless, summer inherently brings a level of expectation for the future and all the emotions accompanying change (both the good and the not-so-good!). 

It's the anticipation for the future that is especially marking this summer, at least for me. Sometimes the expectation is exciting, but sometimes the hope for what's next is a bit overwhelming, partly because it comes during a time when everything slows down so that it feels like little can get done! 

Still, just as sure as summer's heat will end, I know what's next is sure to arrive. Admittedly, as is the case with this summer's temps, the expectation for the future only increases the unease of the present! So what are we to do in the draw-out transition? Besides praying "Come quickly" to God for summer's end! 

Well, for me, the Lord keeps bringing me back to Psalm 34, 

"Young lions on the prowl suffer want, get hungry, 
but GOD-seekers are full of GOD, lacking no good thing." 
(Ps. 34:10)

I've found that when I feel the future's draw coupled with the present's drag, or when I long for summer's end so what's next can begin, that's in those moments when the Spirit leads me to seek our Father. Not something from Him, just Him. And that's when I get to experience summer's restful nature. 

So, if, like me, you feel this summer is less like a break and more like a transition (with all the accompanying emotions), allow those feelings to draw you into the presence of God. Instead of letting your mind and heart wander into the future or get flustered by the slower pace of the season, allow your longings to bring you to the place of God. A place where you can ask and seek and knock, knowing the door will always open, praying not for what's next but as communion with the One who has found us. 

If it helps, I have included below what I pray when these summertime emotions rise. Feel free to join me as one sharing the sentiments or sharing a burden; both would be greatly welcomed and appreciated! 

Love you, faith family! God bless! 

Father, you meet me more than halfway! Where I am going, that's where you've come from!

What have I to fear? Why am I so anxious, so restless, in such a hurry?! It's certainly not because I haven't tasted and seen Your goodness. Oh, how good You are!

So, search me, Father who knows me and loves me. See clearly my heart and its longing for more of You, and lead me along the Way to tomorrow in You.

Through Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

Dear Faith Family,

What is it, do you suspect, keeping us from experiencing the freedom in daily life that Jesus promised (Lk. 4:18-21)? Even when we've recognized our neediness (our captivity, blindness, and subjugation), accepted Jesus' words of freedom and favor, and find ourselves on the road with Him, the movements in step with His feel difficult and awkward. Nearly every step, decision, situation, opportunity, commitment, etc., is a wrestle, like our body, mind, and soul are fighting against the motion of life with God. 

Maybe you wouldn't describe your journey with Jesus in such a way, but there are seasons when I can. And I know many (too many) who cycle in and out of faith because of similar experiences. Sadly, I am sure you have a friend or two that would agree. 

There is an old word for this misfortune: dropsy. It's an ailment when the body retains fluid at the joints, making even basic movements, like walking, especially painful and awkward. Sadly, the illness is compounding, for the very issue (too much fluid) was often a result of the unquenchable craving for liquid that accompanied the disease. When satisfied, the thirst served only to exacerbate the symptoms, trapping the person in a life-thieving cycle. 

This bodily alignment mirrors our spiritual plight; at least Jesus makes that association in Luke 14,

One Sabbath, when Jesus was on his way to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees...there was a man before Jesus in the company who had dropsy...Jesus took the man and healed him and sent him away.
(Lk. 14:1-4) 

Jesus frees this religious leader from the bondage of his physical entrapment and then diagnoses and prescribes treatment for what is inhibiting the man's companions' freedom in life with God too. A timely diagnosis and prescription for those of us suffering today as well.

While our source of difficulty and unquenchable desire might not be for liquids like those suffering dropsy, we are somewhat obsessed with knowing where we fit. The same illness diagnosed by Jesus in Luke 14.

Later, at the meal, Jesus went on to tell a story to the guests around the table. Watching their moves, how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, Jesus said,
 
“When someone invites you to dinner, don’t take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host. Then he’ll come and call out in front of everybody, ‘You’re in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.’ Red-faced, you’ll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left. When you’re invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes, he may very well say, ‘Friend, come up to the front.’ That will give the dinner guests something to talk about!
 
What I’m saying is, If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face. But if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

(Lk. 14:7-11)

Whether at home, at work, in peer groups, or within social norms, we (at least me) are constantly wondering if we are meant to be there or striving to justify that we belong. Unfortunately, such craving looks for satisfaction in others' assessment of us or our judgment of others. And for a moment, we find what we are looking for. But only for a moment. Inevitably someone by whom we measured ourselves does something we can't, we misstep and lose favor, or opinions and expectations change direction like the wind, and the entire cycle of worry and/or toil begins again. 

Jesus seems to think that our preoccupation with figuring out where/how we fit or holding on to our seat at whatever table is why we have seasons of fruitless freedom in our faith. Like the man with dropsy, obtaining what we crave does not ease the difficulty and awkwardness of daily living but only increases it. Yet the Great Physician's (Lk. 5:31) prescription for what ails us is relatively straightforward: rest in what you've received.

Jesus' doctor duties took place on the Sabbath, a day on which God's people were to rest in the covenant of His affection, provision, and purposes for them. It was a day to stop the cycle of worry and work by remembering that they were God's beloved, lavishly and sacrificially given all that they needed to flourish, and empowered to cultivate the flourishing of others. 

Unfortunately, like the religious leaders of Jesus' day, forgetfulness blinds us to the truth of our identity and purpose. And so, like them, the simple, God-given rhythm of the Sabbath becomes for us just another day to feed the cycle rather than step out of it. But it doesn't have to be. Like the man with dropsy on his way with Jesus, we too can stop, be healed, and set on a new path out of the cycle. All we have to do is be needy and willing to receive. 

If such an invitation sounds good to you, but you're unsure how the Sabbath prescription is filled, I think you'll find this resource helpful. 

May you rest in what you've received and experience the abundance of fruitful faith. 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Listen Up!

Dear Faith Family,

One of my favorite parables of Jesus was titled by one pastor simply, Manure. "put on manure," says the main character of Jesus' story, "Tend the soil and add a little stinky fertilizer, then we'll see what fruit will come."

Don't let the rather vivid simplicity of this parable fool you. This short story found in Luke 13:1-9 is profoundly revelatory. Through the words of Jesus, how we believe God acts towards us and others...and how he actually responds to our assumptions all come to light. 

Don't believe me? Then take a listen. Seriously, listen up to Chaz as he helps us enter into the words of the Word. It's well worth your time. 

After you listen to the story, let me encourage you to do one more thing this week: ADDRESS THE VINEDRESSER. 

"he said to the vinedresser..." 
(Luke 13:7)

ASK | What or whom am I giving up on? What calling,  situation, or person seems like a waste of space and energy. Whether in the unuttered quiet of your heart or in the cries of your prayers, what "fruitless fig" are you asking/believing/telling God you've given up on?

LISTEN | Once you've discovered and named the apparent fruitless and resource-sucking "tree" in your life, just as the landowner in the story does, listen to the Vinedesser's response. Then, let the Vinedresser continue His cultivation a little longer. 

May we be people who listen up, seeing the fruit of our Father's persistent patience in us and those we are ready to give up on. 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Where Your Treasure Is...And How To Find It

Dear Faith Family,

When I take the time and put in the effort to "meditate" on the words of Jesus, I am rarely disappointed in what I receive. Regardless of my familiarity with the specific passage, there seems to be in the Person whom they reveal a bottomless depth of new beauty, wonder, and majesty; as well as a never-dry well of always timely wisdom for daily living. 

While there is nothing novel in my observations, and perhaps the sentiment is a rather frustrating Christian cliche for some, the wealth of the Word is ancient truth: 

The revelation of God is whole
    and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
    and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
    showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
    and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
    with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate
    down to the nth degree.

God’s Word is better than a diamond,
    better than a diamond set between emeralds.
You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring,
    better than red, ripe strawberries.

There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger
    and directs us to hidden treasure.
(Ps. 19:7-11) 

But here is the caveat, as sure as a discovery of riches is, rarely do I uncover gold in the first shovel strike. More often than not, the wealth of a passage or parable, like ours from Sunday, comes into sight slowly and long after my scheduled "quiet time."

If I am being honest, only occasionally does a morning devo, study, or even Lectio, unveil both encounter and epiphany. Rather, the revelation of riches gradually appears in unanticipated appearances of the passage in daily living. The truth peaks out in interactions with Deedra and the kids. The signposts come into clarity while working my way through my "To Do" list. Hidden treasure paying dividends in coffee shop conversations and scheduled meetings. The better-than tasted on the commute from "A to B" and back again.

These are where the Word becomes life for me most often. It starts with a willingness to enter the words of Jesus, to open ourselves to Him in those disciplined moments. And then to enter again and again when our minds connect the current moment to the Word. Even when the glimmer appears at the least expected and the most inopportune times! 

I've come to believe that the treasure of meditating on God's word is experienced in these life moments. These moments when Jesus becomes "a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps. 119:105). 

So, for the remainder of this week, let's do a little digging. Prayerfully and slowly read Jesus' words in Luke 12:13-21. Feel free to listen to Sunday's Gathering here if you need a little context. Then, go about your day. But, whenever something from the story comes into your mind, you should pay attention to that thought in the context of your activity. Be open to insights, convictions, and connections when you least expect them by not moving too quickly past them. When appropriate, speak them. When not, hold on to them and return to them in a quiet moment. Doing so is how we delight and meditate on the Word day and night (Ps. 1:2). 

May we be people whose words from our mouths and meditations of our hearts reflect the wealth of those "rich toward God." 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Where To Go From Here

Dear Faith Family,

In every generation throughout history, there are those whose conviction and (sometimes) vocation is to speak of God to the community, to show us who God is and how we can know God. While carrying a variety of titles throughout the centuries--from priest to Pharisee, pastor to scribe, elder to counselor, professor to prophet, etc.--the influence of these revealers upon lives and understanding of faith is no less significant today as it was in the first century. Perhaps the pervasiveness and potential impact of their influence are why Jesus was regularly direct (and as his ministry drew to a close, rather harsh!) with those in this group during his day.

Imagine being someone genuinely seeking God, whose understanding and access to God are controlled by these communally responsible and respectable persons. Now, imagine listening to Jesus depose those same persons: "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven [life with God] in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in." (Matt. 24:13).

How would you respond to Jesus' grief-filled condemnation? What emotions and questions would run through you? 

What you'd feel, do, and think might vary depending on your experience with these persons--how they treated you, what sort of respect they carried in your upbringing, how much you'd bought into their way, etc. But regardless, you'd probably wonder where you are to go from here. With the foundation of faith influencers shaken, who are you to look to know God? How are you to gain access to Him? 

The straightforward answer to your questions, the answer those in earshot of the deposing would learn over the coming days and weeks, and the answer those walking in their footsteps throughout the following millennia have learned is: Jesus, crucified and alive. 

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son...He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of God's nature...After making purification for sins the Son sat down at the right hand of the Majesty of high.
(Heb. 1:1-3) 

When we wonder who God is and how we can know him, we break the bread and drink the wine (or juice!) in remembrance of God's love and His opening for us the way into life with Him. The answer really is that straightforward and clear, no matter what else has been spoken to us. When we see who Jesus is--the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of God's nature--God speaks to us of Himself. And what better foundation for faith is there? 

Not all those whose conviction and/or vocation is to speak of God to others miss Jesus. Some see Jesus clearly. Like Nicodemus, for example, who came to recognize in Jesus' life God's self-revelation (see Jn. 3, & 19). Or some of the "devout men from every nation under heaven" who came to see Jesus dying and alive again as the way to God (see Acts 2). And when, like them, our eyes clearly see God in Jesus, we too can speak of God to others. 

No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going.

Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. 

Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room so those entering can find their way too.
(Lk. 11:33-36) 

May we be persons who enter the kingdom of heaven ourselves and shine a light so others can find their way in too. 

Love you, faith family! God bless. 

Praying Like Lions

Dear Faith Family,

Certain circumstances compel us to pray. While we may or may not be accustomed to everyday conversations with our heavenly Father, two particular conditions drive us to plead our case no matter our daily habits: experience of evil and future aspirations.

We all experience the evil in our world. Whether the sin is perpetrated against us or others (like those in Uvalde, Ukraine, and in so many unnamed places), these experiences evoke a variety of responses. From fear to grief, anger to heartache, disgust to desperation. And, as we learned through Lent, in the depths of these experiences, we both cry out (i.e., pray) and find that we are heard and held.

"GOD met me more than halfway; he freed me from my anxious fears...When I was desperate, I called out, and GOD got me out of a tight spot...GOD keeps an eye on his friends; his ears pick up their cries...Is anyone crying for help? GOD is listening, ready to rescue...If your heart is broken, you'll find GOD right there; if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath...The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth."

(Ps. 34:4,6,15,17-18,16)

When we experience evil, we pray. Every one of us. But that's not the only time when every one of us prays. We also pray when we can see glimpses of our future. Clouds of complacency lift, fogginess of fatigue dissipate, and our vision is clarified with aspirations of redemption for all that life could or might or will be. Here too, we pray with hopes for tomorrow in the security of God's goodness. 

"Who out there has a lust for life? Can't wait each day to come upon beauty?...Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see--how good GOD is. Blessed [already happy] are you who run to him. GOD pays for each slave's freedom; no one who runs to him loses out." 
(Ps. 34:12,8,22) 

Whether in response to evil or in anticipation of the future, we all pray. And you know what is fantastic, praying in such circumstances, knowing you’ve been heard, your desires known, your petition accepted, your person welcomed, we learn to pray with boldness and vigor.

"Look at him; give him your warmest smile. Never hide your feelings from him...GOD's angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray...He's your bodyguard, shielding every bone; not even a finger gets broken." 
(Ps. 34:5,7,20) 

You could say we pray like young lions in search of our prey. Full of confidence and strength, there is no doubt that what we seek, we will find...and take hold of it--whether justice or success. At least that's what the psalmist in the middle of this "all-of-us-prayer" seems to think!  

"Young lions on the prowl suffer want, get hungry, 
but GOD-seekers are full of GOD, lacking no good thing." 
(Ps. 34:10)

The psalmist, not wanting to temper our passion or courage even a single degree, refocuses our zeal towards its effective goal: “seeking GOD.” No matter what compels us to pray, our aim is nothing less than life with God, God himself. And, as Jesus taught us, when our vigor and confidence are thus focused, we’ll get what we are after: 

"And don't you think the Father who conceived you in love will give the Holy Spirit when you ask him...when you pray!"
(Lk. 11:13) 

May we pray like focused lions this week and always. Tasting, seeing, and sharing the goodness of God over evil and in our future. Love you, faith family! God bless.