A New "Do"

Someone has defined New Year’s resolutions as a to-do list for the first week of January. After a week it seems most folks are back to the same same-old, same –old. “One and done.”

On the other hand, there are at least a few who will decide that the turning of that page on the calendar offers an opportunity to do some serious growing and they will begin something in January that leads to real change. In my experience these are people who understand two things.

God in Diapers

What I will share with you today first appeared in a magazine article I wrote almost twenty years ago. I believe it is all still true.

At the heart of the New Testament faith is a God who does almost nothing the way he is supposed to. Who would have ever expected he would show up on our planet? The God of the logicians and the philosophers would never do that. Even if we thought he might appear, who would have ever expected him to come…in diapers?  To think that God who is by definition limitless, would choose to take on the greatest limits that we know, can certainly trip all your circuits. And yet, that is the message of the New Testament.

SAD and BET

Here in North America it is that time of the year when the days are at their shortest. It is supposed to be a joyful season, but some people have what is called seasonal affective disorder or SAD. This is a generalized depression that seems to be brought on by the reduced amount of light. Many of us are probably affected by this phenomenon, but for some people it is a serious challenge requiring professional help.

Unchanging Truth

Psychologists and psychiatrists have a big book called the DSM. It is sometimes called the bible for mental health professionals. This week the committee that revises the DSM announced that the new edition will no longer include narcissistic personality disorder.

The Choice is Yours

“Do you believe in God?” Steve Kroft asks J. Craig Venter on a recent edition of 60 Minutes. “No,” answered Venter.  He is a world famous microbiologist.  After a lackluster time in undergraduate school he somehow went on to get a Ph.D. and now is considered one of the leading scientists in the world, having described the first genome, mapped the complete human genome, and now having created the first synthetic cells with man-made DNA.  Kroft goes on to describe Venter as one known by his peers as a brilliant man with an out-sized ego.

Thanks and Giving

I have always loved the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States. For many years it meant having dozens of college students and single adults in our home from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. More recently, it has been a quiet day with my Mom and Dad and any of our children that could make it. Absent all the hype and commercialism of Christmas, it is just a good day to relax, relate, reflect and, of course, be thankful.

God's Timing

I received an email this week and was surprised to see the name of the sender. We had not had contact for probably eight years, when for several months we were meeting most every week. Another friend and I were seeking to help him overcome his doubts and return to life as a disciple of Jesus. While he seemed to appreciate the time we spent, our visits ended without him making any changes.

The Three Stages of God's Work

A friend of mine likes to send me text messages with encouraging quotes. This week he sent one by Hudson Taylor, the famous missionary to China. It said:


"I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done."


Sometimes a brief statement says something so well, and this one immediately connected with me. I found myself more inspired than I have been by full-length sermons and well-written articles.
To participate in the work of God is to face and then accept a daunting challenge. That is true in the case of certain specifics but it is true of kingdom living and the kingdom mission in general. “Mission impossible” seems to apply. We accept it and embrace it not because it seems so possible but because it is the work of God.

Even in "This"

One night this past week I woke up with a doozy of a case of heartburn, officially called acid reflux. Ouch, those tasty ribs I enjoyed at dinner came back to bite me. New rule, I guess: no more ribs for me. Another ouch. On top of that, I had a bad dream, maybe related to the heartburn, who knows. So a pretty tough night, but, here is what I have learned: even in that, God can work, or at least in spite of that, God can work. My tough night did not  have to define the new day.

Treasure in Jars

 First, I want to thank all of you who have been so encouraging and supportive during this time after my father’s death. Your words have been much appreciated.

This week I want to let the words of our good friend Linda Brumley encourage us. Linda has a new book titled My Beggar’s Purse, and as you read it, you find that God has filled her purse with lots of wisdom. Today I want to share with you this gem from Chapter 2.

Thank You, Dad

This has been a difficult week. After a number of years of failing health, my father died on Monday night. Knowing this day would likely come, I had tried to prepare myself  for it. To some extent I had done that, but, then one can never fully prepare.

New Heaven and New Earth

With this week’s episode we will wind up our moments related to our new book on the Kingdom of God. One of the key truths about the Kingdom is that it is both now and not yet. It broke into history in Jesus. It is being lived out in history by the disciples in the church who pledge alliance to King Jesus. But while it is now, it is also not yet. It is not yet in its ultimate fulfillment.

As exciting as it was to explore the meaning of the Kingdom in our lives today, it may have been even more amazing to write about the consummation of the Kingdom in the new heaven and new earth. Some of our concepts of heaven are sadly influenced more by Greek philosophy than by Scripture leaving us with vague ideas not much related to experiences we find meaningful.

The Unshakable Kingdom

 Those who have entered the Kingdom of God now have their citizenship in heaven. They pledge allegiance to Jesus as King and Lord, but because the Kingdom of God with its age-to-come quality is so different from this world, its citizens will be, in Peter’s words, aliens and strangers in this culture. It’s like they will be from another planet.

But that brings us to our mind-changing, even mind-bending, thought for today and it comes from Hebrews 12:28-29:

The Kingdom and the Church

The foundation of our new book is that the kingdom of God was Jesus’ main message. Interestingly, he hardly mentions the church in the Gospels, but it is prominently discussed in the New Testament letters. So what is the relationship between the two?

Ain’t Gonna Study War No More

In our book on the Kingdom, Steve and I spend considerable time looking at the prophecies of Isaiah that describe the coming Kingdom. To give you just a taste, we note that Isaiah 2 predicts a kingdom where its citizens, famously, will beat their swords into plow shares or farming implements, and their spears into pruning hooks and learn war no more.

The Kingdom of God Is Here

First copy--nice feeling

A couple of days ago my wife Sheila appeared in my office doorway and said with a smile “The Kingdom of God is near.” She was not trying to be a female version of John the Baptist. She was letting me know that the first copy of our new book on the Kingdom of God had been shipped.

I Pledge Allegiance to...

The Kingdom of God in the Scripture is a kingdom totally different from all the kingdoms of this world. In chapter three of our new book we address the fact that every kingdom of this world operates by the world’s wisdom and not by the wisdom of God. While there can be, and are, governments that are more morally repugnant than others, there are no godly nations that carry on business, seeking the will of God. All 192 of them “have in mind the things of men, not the things of God.”

Grace to Go for It

There is no question about it: Jesus' kingdom teaching about age-to-come lifestyles is challenging. Sometimes it stops us in our tracks. Because of this, we say early in our book that all through this study, we must keep a clear view of God’s grace.

Into a Different World

In chapter three of our new book on the Kingdom of God we note that we cannot enter it without repentance and without new birth. It is our great concern to understand why this is true. These are not two hoops to jump through, two doctrines to believe, two ceremonies to go through or two items to add to a check list.

How Do You Feel About the Priesthood?

Imagine that you are a first century Jew looking forward to the coming of the Kingdom of God. You believe that when it comes the mighty Roman army will be driven out. How would you feel if you were told that what is coming will not be a kingdom of warriors and freedom fighters, but a kingdom of priests? You know we really don’t have to guess.

The Kingdom and Mind Change

As summer comes to an end, we have concluded our run of Mind Change Encore Moments and are turning to some new thoughts. My good friend, Steve Brown, and I are looking forward to the release of our new book in a few weeks. Titled The Kingdom of God—Volume One: The Future Breaks In, it is the product of study and teaching the two of us have done together the last two years.

When Jesus came preaching the good news of the Kingdom (which, by the way, was his main message) the word “repent” was usually right there at the beginning. The Greek word for “repentance,” of course, most literally means “change your mind.” In the last twenty years I have talked a good deal about the subject of “mind change,” and used that term to help me and others shift our thinking. But the fact is that there is no mind change like that which Jesus called for when he called us to the Kingdom.

The Panic Button

This last week I heard someone describe a difficult situation and then say, “But it is not time to hit the panic button.” Immediately I thought “When is it time to hit the panic button?” There are definitely times to hit the urgent button, but since panic has to do with overwhelming fear and anxiety, there aren’t many right times to hit the panic button.

The Second Mile

In marriage, there is sometimes divorce. In other relationships we have less formal but, often equally final, endings to all efforts to communicate and heal something that is broken.


Things reach a point where one or both parties decide that the gulf between them is just too great and that further efforts to connect will only add to the pain.

Not In Advance

For years a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer was on my office desk. It read: “God will give us all the power we need for any situation, but he never gives it in advance lest we depend on ourselves and not him alone.” Can you support that statement from Scripture? I don’t think so. But, I found his comment helpful because my own experience tended to verify his thought.

It Is What it Is

Item one: The Dow Jones Index plunged 400 points the day I wrote this. That means our retirement fund that we will some day need (before too long) just lost a chunk of its value.

Item two: I just finished teaching a class of college students about the philosophies at work at the time of Jesus. We looked at Stoicism which taught its adherents to accept whatever comes.

Always a Choice

Some people just have a naturally optimistic and cheery attitude toward life. They don’t seem to have to overcome much of anything to get there. It just seems to be in their DNA.

If you aren’t really acquainted with the Psalms, you might read some of the statements of David and assume that he was one of those sanguine happy souls.

Hope for the Simple

In Psalm 116:6, the psalmist writes:

The Lord preserves the simple;

I was brought low, and He saved me. (NASB)

Life can be very challenging and I can wonder sometimes if I am up for it.  Actually “sometimes” is not the best word. If I look back at things I have felt over the years or read through some old prayer journals, the word “often” is probably a lot more accurate.

Enjoy Others

Last week I spoke to you about remembering to enjoy God, taking seriously David’s call for us to delight ourselves in the Lord.

In writing to Timothy Paul said something else we need to hear. In the midst of a challenge to those who have wealth, he spoke of putting our hope in God “who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

Enjoy God

In Psalm 37:4 David makes this statement

Delight yourself in the Lord

        and he will give you the desires of your heart.

David's statement here in Psalm 37 literally means it is God's will for us to take great pleasure in him. It is not his plan that we just obey him and trudge along the road of faith, grimly trying to hold on until the end. Yes, we need to fear, honor, obey, serve and glorify God and at the same time, enjoy him.

God Does Not Tire of Us

Those of you who have listened very long to this Web cast or read my book, Mind Change, know that I find in the Old Testament Psalms some of my greatest encouragement and inspiration. I decided at the beginning of this year to read one psalm each day and make some notes as I went along. I am almost finished with the 150 readings.

God's Nearness

Because of my study of the kingdom of God (as in “the kingdom of God is near”—Mark 1:15), I recently studied the way the word “near” is used in the Scriptures. I quickly found that in various places it is not used to mean that something is close but not yet here.

Take Heart

I am writing these words on a day when physically I am quite depleted. Two physically and emotionally challenging weeks have taken their toll. A good night’s sleep hasn’t done much to relieve the fatigue. My legs are stubbornly refusing to work. The pain is persistent.

Trump Card

Welcome to a Mind Change Summer Encore

Trump Card

According to The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, here is the definition of a trump card: “the suit designated as having precedence over the others. In general, it is something capable of making a decisive difference when used at the right moment” as in ‘The prosecutor played her trump card by calling a surprise witness.’”

There have been more than a few times in my life when I did not like the hand I was dealt. It looked like there were too many things against me, and I found my unreliable emotions taking a dip. But in those times, I have learned something. I have learned that God has given us the ultimate trump card.

Without using the term, I think I was getting at this in several of the power thoughts in my book, Mind Change.

Number 13 says, “Relax. Your God Reigns.” Number 15 says, “In all things God works for your good.”  Number 19 says “ Be ‘unreasonably,’ ‘illogically’ joyful because your name is written in heaven.”

You see no matter what hand we are dealt, how ugly it looks, or how challenging it feels, God still reigns. He is still at work for our good, and we can still rejoice because our names are written in heaven, no matter how illogical such joy might appear to someone looking at us in our trial.

If the hand you are dealt looks pretty crummy and the opponent across the table thinks he has you, just remember that you have something from God capable of making a decisive difference. Use it in those defining moments.

Filled, but with What?

Some of you probably saw the animated movie Up where the old gentleman and his unintended young passenger flew to South America in a house lifted by helium-filled balloons. Well, this weekend a North Carolina man sat buckled  in a chair as a colorful bunch of balloons that looked like they belonged at a party (picture to the right), pulled him up and over the While Cliffs of  Dover, on across the English Channel to a landing in France.

Fill balloons up with the right stuff and they provide quite a lift. Fill them with heavy gases and they go nowhere. It is the same with you and me, and so the Scripture says, “Be filled with the Spirit.”

That statement in Greek is in the imperative mood: It is a command we can obey. But it is in the passive voice: we cannot fill ourselves; we have to allow God to do it. It is in the plural form: as with balloons, we need to be filled along with others—not by ourselves. Finally, it is in present tense: which means in Greek, continuous action. It is something to be done again and again.

Now, just so you know: I wrote this because I needed it.. If you can use it, all the better. But, I see my need to be filled with the lifting Spirit. I have had other heavier stuff trying to fill me up this week: stuff like discouragement, weariness and frustration, which is probably just a nicer word for anger. You get a lot of attitude but not much altitude from those guys, and they seem to come in only black and gray.

 We can choose what will fill us and  I am choosing God’s Spirit. And I am buckling up for the ride.

Ephes. 5:15-20

15Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. 18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Picture in the heading this week taken from the movie Up by Disney-Pixar
http://adisney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/up/

For Their Sake

For today’s Mind Change Moment I have asked my wife, Sheila, to share a thought from her book entitled  My Bucket of Sand.

Do you have special and clear memories of Bible studies that you did years ago? A verse or a phrase that was emblazoned on your consciousness, to stay for a lifetime?

One such study for me was in the book of 1 Thessalonians…thirty years ago. I can see myself in the house with the 70s kitchen, complete with harvest gold appliances—the house that I almost burned down by leaving oil heating on the stove in anticipation of frying some breaded shrimp.

The sentence that has lodged with me all these years is at the end of verse 5 from chapter 1: “You know how we lived among you for your sake.”Paul’s heart called me higher. How natural it is to live among others, and be more aware of ourselves than of them. How unnatural it is to be more aware of them than of ourselves. It is the “unnatural” that is also the “spiritual.”

Paul lived among the people for their sake, not for his own. He was focused on what was good for them, not what was good for him. He sacrificed his life to make theirs richer.

Do I live among my family for their sake? Do I live among my neighbors for their sake? Do I live among my coworkers for their sake? Do I live among my brothers and sisters in the church for their sake?

I want that heart. I want to live among others for their sake. What a blessing that will be to their lives…and to my own.

Focus Scripture:

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 1:4–6)

O-P, and O-K to Kingdom Living

Let me see if I can summarize what we have looked at the last four weeks. If I want to have a mind change and start living the kingdom life, that is living heaven on earth right now, there are four key words.

First, I must be open—open to all kinds of new ways of thinking, being and doing.  Having a strong resistance to change will pretty well kill kingdom living.

Second, I must see the importance of prayer. This kingdom life is such an out-of-this-world kind of life that trying to live it with just ordinary human resources is about like trying to fly to the moon on a 747. Someone’s resources may look pretty impressive but they will be humbled by the task. This kingdom life will only be lived by kingdom power that comes from prayer.

Third, I must have a heart eager to obey. One learns more and more about the kingdom by obeying the king. I must not wait until I get items 11 and 12 figured out before I obey items 1-10 which are crystal clear. Obeying what I know will lead to clarity with things I didn’t understand.

Fourth, I need what in Greek was called koinonia. That is I need to be involved in other’s lives, learning from them and letting them learn from me, them supporting me and letting me support them. By definition the kingdom life is communal life or, if you please, the community life. We don’t grow in kingdom attitudes apart from the koinonia.

Openness, prayer, obedience, koinonia. Don’t forget them. If you need a memory device, just remember “O-P and you will be O-K.” He who has ears, let him hear.

Fourth Word: Koinonia

Openness, prayer and obedience. Those are the three words we have talked about. They are all things needed to grasp and live the kingdom life. But now for our last word we leave the English language and turn to Greek. Our final word is koinonia. No one English word really translates it. It is rendered "fellowship" in Acts 2, "partnership" in Philippians 1, and "participation" (or "communion") in 1 Corinthians 11. The nearly extinct New English Bible may have it best when it renders it as "sharing together in the common life" in Acts 2:42.

As we seek the kingdom, that is, as we seek to live the kingdom life, that is as we seek to live the Sermon on the Mount and other kingdom teachings of Jesus, let us say it loud and clear: we need one another. We need to be involved in one another’s lives and doing this seeking together.

Jesus never intended us to try and live God’s will on earth as it is in heaven by ourselves. Such an effort is self-contradictory.  In the age to come we will not be by ourselves. There will be no hermits, monks, Lone Rangers or rugged individualists. So, when the age to come breaks into the present age right now, what you see is people “sharing together in the common life.”

This koinonia plays several key roles: (1) It embodies and demonstrates kingdom concepts like those in Isaiah 11:6-9 where natural enemies love one another. (2) It provides a fellowship of encouragement for those living as strangers in this world. (3) It creates a synergy where we are able take kingdom living higher and deeper, ever learning from one another. (4) It is the group that heralds the gospel of the kingdom to the world. Without koinonia there will be no kingdom in our lives.

For more reading and study see: One Another: Transformational Relationships in the Body of Christ by Thomas Jones and Steve Brown, available from www.dpibooks.org.

Focus Scriptures:

John 13:34-35

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Acts 2:42

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship [koinonia], to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Philip. 1:27-28

27Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God.


For the latest reports from the Greater Nashville Church regarding flood recovery visit www.greaternashvillechurch.org and clicking on "breaking news."

Third Word: Obedience

We have talked about how important openness and prayer are to finding the depth of the kingdom of God. Now we come to our third word: obedience.

No one of us learns everything about the kingdom life before we begin it. We get a good glimpse of it even as we get a clear summons to it from Jesus; but after we answer the call, there is much to learn.

We certainly learn by praying for openness and for greater insights. But we also learn by obeying. When we obey Jesus’ kingdom teaching, we demonstrate the new life, but we also take a step that opens up to greater obedience.

Like a budding basketball player must first learn to dribble before he can learn to execute a fake, and other skillful maneuvers, we must obey in small and basic ways before we will have the eyes to even see the larger ways.

Kierkegaard described people who go down to the beach, watch people swim, take careful notes and do scientific calculations on what they observe.
But such people, he said, do not know what swimming is. They will only know what swimming is if they plunge in, committing their bodies to the water.

Obedience is plunging in. For example, it is plunging into loving one’s enemies. At first we may be awkward and do lots of things wrong. But as we seek to obey the kingdom call, we will grow and see more clearly the reason for the call, the depth of the call and even more ways to demonstrate that call.

Decide this: as soon as I hear Jesus’ words, I will plunge in and obey them.

Focus Scriptures
John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
John 15:9-11
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Second Word: Prayer

To understand and live the life of the Kingdom of God requires a radical openness to thinking in entirely new ways. Openness: that was the first word we looked at last week. Today we consider a second word: prayer. Everybody who is religious, and many who are not, seem to pray. But we are talking here about rarely found kingdom-seeking prayer.

It all starts as we are confronted by this man Jesus. We hear him proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. We are open to his radical idea of living life on earth according to the principles of heaven. Then several things may happen to us.

We see that we will be strangers in this world and we may feel afraid. We may feel this is way above our pay grade. We may wonder how his teaching can work or just how to put some of it into practice. For a normal human being to contemplate living life by the age to come, not in heaven, but right here and right now, is something akin to an ant contemplating how he will get dressed up, drive a car to work and do a PowerPoint presentation. It is overwhelming. Seems impossible.

And then maybe we understand why Jesus said so much about prayer. “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find” or “Pray like this, ‘our Father who is in heaven.’”

For Jesus himself, who was the very embodiment of the kingdom, prayer was not so much something he did; it was the air he breathed. We can find and live kingdom life, but never without prayer.

Focus Scriptures

Matthew 6: 9-13

9"This, then, is how you should pray:

" 'Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10your kingdom come,

your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today our daily bread.

12Forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.'

Matthew 7:7-12

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

April 19

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First Word: Openness

Last year I identified four words that I found to be keys to grasping the height and depth and length and breadth of Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God. This week and for the next three, I want to focus on these words.

The first key is openness. Since the kingdom is best understood as “the age to come” breaking into the present age, kingdom concepts are so counter-intuitive and counter-cultural. So many forces within us object to the life that comes from the age to come. All this means that if we are going to let the kingdom life take up residence in our hearts, we have to make a decision to be radically open, and then reaffirm that decision again and again.

Our minds are full of beliefs and agendas. To live a kingdom life, we must surrender all those beliefs, enter a state where we are being transformed and then be open to thinking in totally new ways—even ways that will likely seem crazy to an old mindset schooled in the ways of the world.

If you are tempted to think, “I have been through that stage; I have been in the church 20 years; or I have been a disciple for 15 years,” be careful. Most religion is some kind of synthesis of the world’s wisdom and biblical ideas, with the world’s ideas often being the tail that wags the dog. If you are certain this could not be true of you, you are most at risk. We must humble ourselves at the feet of Jesus and be deliberately open to allowing the other-worldly kingdom to come and for God’s will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Focus Scripture

Matthew 18:1-5

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.

Critique of Complaining

I recently attended a funeral service for a long-time friend of my family. As in other such services, I heard him described as a man who never complained even though he suffered in many ways in the last years of his life.

Each time I have heard that comment about someone living or deceased, I know that this could not be said of me. Until a day I well remember more than thirty years ago, I would say I had become a chronic complainer. On that day I let my wife and then others know that I was repenting of that nasty habit that does nothing good for anyone. That was part of a larger effort to seek a new heart.

Since then I have had lapses, but have not lost my conviction that complaining is something I don’t want in my life. It just doesn’t fit with sharing in the kingdom of God, with having tasted the powers of the age to come, with having a Heavenly Father who promises you his “much more.”

I understand that there are times when it seems helpful to vent our pain and frustration, and I wonder if some of those who are honored for never complaining may have stuffed when they needed to be more open. I am thankful for my wife and brothers who have allowed me those times of catharsis. However, apart from such “exorcisms,” I want the tenor of my life to be one of gratitude and anticipation and not one of complaining. The kingdom calls us to nothing less.

Focus Scriptures

Philippians 2:12-18 (NIV)
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out[c] the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Philippians 2:12-18 (NLT)
12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. 13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
14 Do everything without complaining and arguing, 15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. 16 Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. 17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God,[e] just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. 18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

Ephesians 4:29-32 (New International Version)
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 5:4 (New International Version)
4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving

Shabbat Shalom

From sundown last Friday to night fall last Saturday, Sheila and I observed a Jewish-style Sabbath (Shabbat) to give us time to prepare our hearts for Easter. We read about Shabbat from Jewish and Jewish Christian writers and as novices to Sabbath observance, we sought to follow as many of the guidelines as possible.

At 6:48 Sheila lit the candles, waved her arms and said the blessing. After sundown at 7:09 I said the Kiddush to bless the wine. Since we were not attending a service, we soon enjoyed a “festive” meal by candlelight, using no electrical lighting the rest of the night.

After dinner, we read more articles on the meaning and value of Shabbat, read a section of a new book titled Distracted, and let all these writings guide some special conversation. The television and computers were shut down. No phone calls were allowed to interrupt. Most Jewish writers describe Shabbat as a blessing, and we understood why.

Just to keep it real, this quiet time to focus, eventually found us discovering some hurt we both were feeling. As we explored these things, it seemed that our time of renewal had taken a wrong turn. But as has been so often true over our forty years of marriage, prayer remarkably brought us to a good place.

Somewhere, sometime I will write more about what we experienced that Friday night and the next day until nightfall, because like creation itself, it was very good. We came away from this island of tranquility fully refreshed.

In my younger years, I was taught that the only thing we need to know about the Sabbath is that we Christians don’t have to observe it. I now want to teach others that we are free to observe it and that we might be surprised at what a gift it can give us.

Remembering Resurrection

This week is called Holy Week in many churches. I just finished reading a long article describing the history of Holy Week and the different liturgical elements that one tradition includes in its services this week. Honestly, it was bit exhausting trying to retain all the rituals, symbols, genuflections and prostrations.

When I read the New Testament, I am struck by the simplicity that characterizes the way we are to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul describes the church together taking the bread and then taking the cup and remembering the Lord’s death. In so doing they declared that he will return as the resurrected Christ.

And, of course, this wasn’t done just one day during the year, but again and again as the disciples came together. While I never want to leave this simplicity, I have thought about what I can do to prepare myself for a special time to remember the resurrection this Easter.

Sheila and I have decided to observe Shabbat (the Sabbath) before Easter, treating it as a Sabbath day of rest (which means, for one thing, staying away from the computers!). We will follow the traditional Jewish times, from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. Having more time to pray, one of the needs we will focus on will be those who we know are considering Jesus and could soon be united with his death and raised with him from baptism.

This week should not really be more “holy” than any other for Jesus’ followers, but I would encourage you to think about what you might do to have a special week, remembering the most mind-changing event in history.

God's Problem?

I heard a distinguished author being interviewed on radio. He stopped believing in God because the Bible didn’t answer his questions about the problem of human suffering.

As I thought about his words, they seemed to raise an interesting question for the author and others. Do we only believe in God if he answers all our questions? What kind of God would he be if we can put him on trial and reserve the right to banish him if we don’t hear from him what satisfies us? Am I missing something or doesn’t giving our conditions to God and saying “I expect you to meet them,” lead to a god who couldn’t possibly be spelled with a capital “G”?

Recently a man told me he wanted my help in overcoming his arrogance. He sees something the famous author seems to be missing. Sure, many of us struggle with the suffering that comes from earthquakes, storms, drought, poverty, disease and the like.

But we have crossed the line from honest questions to arrogant posturing when we say to the Creator we are considering, “You won’t get my trust unless I decide that you have done the right thing.”

I am reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 11:

"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
35"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

From reading the Book of Psalms I would say God has no problem with our questions. From reading the whole of Scripture I would say he has a big problem with our arrogance.

Focus Scriptures

Job 38:1-7
Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
2"Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?
3Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

4"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone--
7while the morning stars sang together

Job 42:1-3
42:1Then Job replied to the LORD:
2"I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
3You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

God's Book of Poems

Last week, I told you that we were able to hear John Ortberg talk about Christians being “God’s workmanship,” making the point that disciples are never mass-produced; they are handcrafted by God, with each of us being uniquely formed. The word for “workmanship” in Ephesians 2 is the Greek poiēma, from which we get the English “poem.”

With this in mind I have asked Sheila to share with you something she blogged about on “My Bucket of Sand.”, following up on these thoughts…

-----

As I reflect upon the fact that all poems are completely original and individual, just as people are, I am encouraged in two ways.

First, it reminds me that I am special to God. He loves me, quirks and all. And as I yield myself to him, he is handcrafting me into the “me” he has prepared me to be.

Second, it reminds me that every person is special to God. Think about another disciple whom you find it difficult to like, maybe one who really gets on your nerves. Now think of a person you genuinely like and are eager to spend time with. Each one is God’s poiēma. Each one is being handcrafted by the God of Creation to be exactly who he or she was born to be.

I know what it feels like to share poems I have written. There is a certain vulnerability, a fear of rejection and a flush of victory in the risk.

As God shares his poems with each of us, every day, in our interactions with others, let’s remember to listen to the heart of the poem, and not to judge its style or delivery. Let’s try to look more through the Poet’s eyes and less through our own.

Psalm 139:1-16

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

    O Lord, you have searched me

        and you know me.

    [2] You know when I sit and when I rise;

        you perceive my thoughts from afar.

    [3] You discern my going out and my lying down;

        you are familiar with all my ways.

    [4] Before a word is on my tongue

        you know it completely, O Lord.

    [5] You hem me in--behind and before;

        you have laid your hand upon me.

    [6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

        too lofty for me to attain.

    [7] Where can I go from your Spirit?

        Where can I flee from your presence?

    [8] If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

        if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

    [9] If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

        if I settle on the far side of the sea,

    [10] even there your hand will guide me,

        your right hand will hold me fast.

    [11] If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me

        and the light become night around me,"

    [12] even the darkness will not be dark to you;

        the night will shine like the day,

        for darkness is as light to you.

    [13] For you created my inmost being;

        you knit me together in my mother's womb.

    [14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

        your works are wonderful,

        I know that full well.

    [15] My frame was not hidden from you

        when I was made in the secret place.

    When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

        [16] your eyes saw my unformed body.

    All the days ordained for me

        were written in your book

        before one of them came to be.

   

Uniquely You

Have you ever heard someone talk about some spiritual practices such as getting up every morning at 5:00 to pray for an hour, or reading three or four chapters in the Bible each day, or keeping a daily spiritual journal, and then you feel guilty and unspiritual because some of those things just don’t seem to work for you?

A few days ago I heard author John Ortberg give three messages, and his point each time was that God is not into mass producing disciples, but instead he handcrafts each one of us. He quoted Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The Greek word for workmanship is “poiēma” from which we get our word “poem” which refers to something created.

Just as every poem is uniquely designed, so each of us is uniquely designed. We will not all learn the same way. We will not all grow the same way, and we set up something harmful if we decide there is one way to be spiritual and that everyone must be poured into that mold.

This doesn’t mean that Scripture leaves us without give us direction. Everyone needs to listen to the Word, pray, be devoted to relationships, pass on the message and care for the poor. But the way I do those things may not be the best way for you to do those things. However, if both of us seek first the reign of God in our lives, he will shape each of us according to his will, and the “you” he makes will fit very nicely with the “me” he makes.

Focus Scripture:

Ephesians 2:4-10 (NLT)

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Eyes that See

In teaching about the relationship of a Kingdom person to money and possessions, Jesus says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23).

        How are your eyes? How do you see life? Is it (A) about doing well financially, saving for your dreams and then getting to a comfortable place where you can buy what you want and travel where you want to go?  On the other hand, maybe you look at life and (B) you see the supremacy of family and friends. You believe that relationships are what matter and make your decisions accordingly. Or maybe you have chosen (C) a mixture of A and B.

        Any of these choices would put you in the human mainstream and a little shockingly, in the group who Jesus says have eyes that are bad. You would surely feel your vision is clear, but Jesus says your eyes are not as right as you think.

        What life is really for is seeking the rule and reign of God. It is about lining yourself up with what he created us for. Now, he is not against possessions, although they can be as dangerous as they are temporary. And he certainly is for relationships as long as we understand they cannot be put before our loyalty to him. But our eyes are never good and our bodies are not full of light unless we are praying, “Your kingdom come; your will be done” in all aspects of our lives.

Matthew 6:19-33

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.