For the last few days I have been helping a friend roof his house. Each night I come home completely wiped out, sore in every part of my being. I would like to say it is worth it, but the truth is it is way too much like work - way too much.
I'll be honest - I am way too tired to really blog about much tonight. It has me pretty stretched to just stay awake.
Roofing is one of those reminders of how un-powerful we are. Every time I get up there I get my butt kicked. I realize that I am not so big, that I am not the next best thing to sliced bread, and I have some limits to what I can do - limits that I thought didn't exist 20 years ago when I got on a roof. Back then I thought, like every 20 year old, that I was invincible, that I was bullet proof, and that I could do the work of 6 people. Today I feel like I got beaten up by 6 people. Seeing myself clearly is a humbling experience.
Not being superman anymore makes me have to trust God a lot more than I used to - for my health, for my ability to provide for my family, for the courage to hang off an eave 20 feet in the air. Suddenly I find myself not so self sufficient - forced to live in Papa's provision and love.
I am learning that the roof is rough work, and that Papa is far more trustworthy than I have ever known.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Voting for McBama
This will be my first and last post ever talking about politics. I absolutely hate the whole system, but this year it invaded my home too many times. For the last 3 weeks we got at least one call a night from the McCain campaign telling us how bad Obama was. Every call slanderous and negative, not telling me much about McCain, but just ripping on Obama.
I think this past summer I was intending to vote for McCain. And if it wouldn't have been for the calls, I probably still would have. But after so many harassing calls and fliers in the mail, I would have voted for Bill Clinton (heaven forbid) rather than anyone who uses tactics like McCain did. It made me sick.
If any candidate builds a campaign on slander, gossip, and bashing someone else, they will steer my vote to anybody else. What was worse in all this is that there was a toll free number to call at the end of the messages. I called two different ones to have my number removed. When they continued calling I left messages inviting them to talk to me about why they had lost my vote, but obviously no one called.
What happened to the simple concept of integrity? You bad mouth others and it will ALWAYS come back on you. McCain dug his own grave. I voted for Snoopy.
I think this past summer I was intending to vote for McCain. And if it wouldn't have been for the calls, I probably still would have. But after so many harassing calls and fliers in the mail, I would have voted for Bill Clinton (heaven forbid) rather than anyone who uses tactics like McCain did. It made me sick.
If any candidate builds a campaign on slander, gossip, and bashing someone else, they will steer my vote to anybody else. What was worse in all this is that there was a toll free number to call at the end of the messages. I called two different ones to have my number removed. When they continued calling I left messages inviting them to talk to me about why they had lost my vote, but obviously no one called.
What happened to the simple concept of integrity? You bad mouth others and it will ALWAYS come back on you. McCain dug his own grave. I voted for Snoopy.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Returning the Jesus
My bride woke up pretty sick last night. It is always hard to see a loved one not doing well. As I go about my day, it is like half being here. We are together all day, every day, and you'd think we would get tired of each other, but it doesn't happen much. It is still early, and I miss her sitting next to me in the office and typing away on her computer.
As I sit here, I realize she has become for me the body of Christ. Her presence, her encouragement, her listening ear, and her laughter all bring life into my day. In more ways than one she literally is Jesus to me.
It strikes me that ultimately I am missing Jesus in her. And it also strikes me that that is the way it should be in the body of Christ - that we encounter Jesus when we meet, and that we are longing for more of Him when we are apart.
I know that I let the dysfunction of people get in the way of the Jesus in people. I want to be the kind of person that draws the Jesus out of even the most unlovely of folks. I want to call them to their best, not illicit their worst. Maybe I could go even one step farther and actually expect Jesus in them, not like a standard that they should meet, but as a belief in them that is better than their own belief about themselves. And maybe in doing so, I can return the Jesus.
As I sit here, I realize she has become for me the body of Christ. Her presence, her encouragement, her listening ear, and her laughter all bring life into my day. In more ways than one she literally is Jesus to me.
It strikes me that ultimately I am missing Jesus in her. And it also strikes me that that is the way it should be in the body of Christ - that we encounter Jesus when we meet, and that we are longing for more of Him when we are apart.
I know that I let the dysfunction of people get in the way of the Jesus in people. I want to be the kind of person that draws the Jesus out of even the most unlovely of folks. I want to call them to their best, not illicit their worst. Maybe I could go even one step farther and actually expect Jesus in them, not like a standard that they should meet, but as a belief in them that is better than their own belief about themselves. And maybe in doing so, I can return the Jesus.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Hangin with the neighbor
I have this neighbor. He really is a remarkable guy. He will do anything to help us out. If we need something, he'll lend it, pick it up at the store, tell you where to get it cheap, or make one for you. He's just that kind of neighbor. And his wife is even worse. She tells me today they need a favor - she is making sweet potato/pecan pie and she's afraid there will be to much for the two of them to eat alone, so she says we could help her by eating it with them. I know - tough job, but someone has to do it. It will be quite the act of service, but we'll manage. Maybe they have some ice cream they are having trouble with too......
I don't know exactly what it means to love your neighbor. I know as Christians we are supposed to do it. And truth be told, Les and Nancy are better at it than any Christian who ever lived. And they aren't Christians. What does that say about the rest of us? Do we really have an excuse? All I know is that when I am around them I am humbled by their selfless acts of love. More than their acts is their attitudes. They are never inconvenienced to help out. They never say no when you need a hand. They would literally give you the shirt off their back. I know that phrase is way over used, but these folks really would do it.
Maybe its time for us followers of Jesus to live like we are following. Maybe we need to be the neighbors loving better than other folks - not because we are Christians, and that is what Christians are supposed to do, but because we are God's kids in love with His creation.
I don't know exactly what it means to love your neighbor. I know as Christians we are supposed to do it. And truth be told, Les and Nancy are better at it than any Christian who ever lived. And they aren't Christians. What does that say about the rest of us? Do we really have an excuse? All I know is that when I am around them I am humbled by their selfless acts of love. More than their acts is their attitudes. They are never inconvenienced to help out. They never say no when you need a hand. They would literally give you the shirt off their back. I know that phrase is way over used, but these folks really would do it.
Maybe its time for us followers of Jesus to live like we are following. Maybe we need to be the neighbors loving better than other folks - not because we are Christians, and that is what Christians are supposed to do, but because we are God's kids in love with His creation.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Lonliness and Connection - being the Body
There have been two topics making themselves known frequently in my life. They are both in an area of growth that I see necessary in the body of Christ. The first is loneliness. It's funny (not really very funny) how many people will share that at the very core of their being they feel profoundly lonely. They don't sense anyone in their corner, or any person that really sits with them there. The other area that I see needing attention is the opposite of that - connection. People are deeply longing for real and authentic connection with another human being. On one side connection, on the other a deep loss of connection.
I wonder why it is that we are supposed to be a family, and yet we are so divided. Maybe the answer is in the question - that we are not good at being family because we are so divided. I have to be honest - I am really tired of that. There is no excuse in the whole world for the state of the church. We have misdefined it as a place to go. We have misdefined it as an event to do. We have created a monster from what Jesus left us. I am ashamed by what we have become.
And yet there is always that remnant of hope. There are always a few who haven't gotten caught up in the machinery and the entertainment, and really love Jesus. There are some who don't really get distracted by the bright, shiny objects that contemporary Christianity dangles out there, but who passionately and simply just want to walk in relationship with God. Now how do we bridge the gap? How do people who are lonely find the people who are connecting?
I am thinking that it needs to be the other way around - that those in connection need to look for the lonely and be their friend. I think maybe we ought to bag stewardship campaigns and mission campaigns and offering for the food pantry, and just do this one thing. I think that if people were to get in and get their hands dirty serving and connecting with another human being - and that's all we did - we wouldn't have need of all those other things.
What could you do today to connect with another human? What simple step could you enter into that might make the real body of Christ happen? How could you be Jesus today?
I wonder why it is that we are supposed to be a family, and yet we are so divided. Maybe the answer is in the question - that we are not good at being family because we are so divided. I have to be honest - I am really tired of that. There is no excuse in the whole world for the state of the church. We have misdefined it as a place to go. We have misdefined it as an event to do. We have created a monster from what Jesus left us. I am ashamed by what we have become.
And yet there is always that remnant of hope. There are always a few who haven't gotten caught up in the machinery and the entertainment, and really love Jesus. There are some who don't really get distracted by the bright, shiny objects that contemporary Christianity dangles out there, but who passionately and simply just want to walk in relationship with God. Now how do we bridge the gap? How do people who are lonely find the people who are connecting?
I am thinking that it needs to be the other way around - that those in connection need to look for the lonely and be their friend. I think maybe we ought to bag stewardship campaigns and mission campaigns and offering for the food pantry, and just do this one thing. I think that if people were to get in and get their hands dirty serving and connecting with another human being - and that's all we did - we wouldn't have need of all those other things.
What could you do today to connect with another human? What simple step could you enter into that might make the real body of Christ happen? How could you be Jesus today?
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Double Drivin
The last couple days I have been driving to Denver and back. Actually, I have been driving to Denver and back two different times. It is a little over 5 hours one way, so that means I will have been on the road almost 22 hours when I get back home. With that much time on my hands, it has been interesting to find things to keep myself occupied. Of course with the massive brain power I wield, a Red Bull and a cigar serve to entertain me for hours.
Actually, it has been good being on the road. It has given me space to move into something new with Papa. I found myself entering territory previously unventured into, and liking the larger size of the space I was discovering. Being captive in a car with only Him forced me in some ways to draw close. It has been good.
I suppose I should have some big revelations having been cooped up with God for that long. But as I walk this journey I find that God isn't really about the big events as much as He is about the journey - the walking together through whatever comes down the tube. These last couple days we have traveled into some places I hadn't anticipated - imagine that! I see Him leading me into resurrecting some dreams that I thought had gotten lost in the tidal wave that consumed me a few years back. But He is bringing them back to light, and holding them before me, and I find myself deeply humbled and greatly hopeful again. It is good to be alive.
It strikes me that it is just like Papa to turn this great adventure in ways I didn't see coming. He is so very creative. And He is showing me for the hundredth time that He is still writing the story of my life. I think back to all the fatalistic views I have held of life and the hopelessness that has so many times overwhelmed me, and I see myself with such little faith. But I am convinced that He doesn't really care about my faith. It doesn't keep Him from being everything He wants to be in my life. I feel like a paint brush (okay, one without many bristles on his top side) that is being used to paint a picture that I can't see yet - one that is more beautiful than I could ever imagine. And it's a painting with His thumb prints all over it. I'm so glad Papa is a messy painter, and people can see His marks all over the picture.
Praise be to the God who is, who was, and who ever will be!
Actually, it has been good being on the road. It has given me space to move into something new with Papa. I found myself entering territory previously unventured into, and liking the larger size of the space I was discovering. Being captive in a car with only Him forced me in some ways to draw close. It has been good.
I suppose I should have some big revelations having been cooped up with God for that long. But as I walk this journey I find that God isn't really about the big events as much as He is about the journey - the walking together through whatever comes down the tube. These last couple days we have traveled into some places I hadn't anticipated - imagine that! I see Him leading me into resurrecting some dreams that I thought had gotten lost in the tidal wave that consumed me a few years back. But He is bringing them back to light, and holding them before me, and I find myself deeply humbled and greatly hopeful again. It is good to be alive.
It strikes me that it is just like Papa to turn this great adventure in ways I didn't see coming. He is so very creative. And He is showing me for the hundredth time that He is still writing the story of my life. I think back to all the fatalistic views I have held of life and the hopelessness that has so many times overwhelmed me, and I see myself with such little faith. But I am convinced that He doesn't really care about my faith. It doesn't keep Him from being everything He wants to be in my life. I feel like a paint brush (okay, one without many bristles on his top side) that is being used to paint a picture that I can't see yet - one that is more beautiful than I could ever imagine. And it's a painting with His thumb prints all over it. I'm so glad Papa is a messy painter, and people can see His marks all over the picture.
Praise be to the God who is, who was, and who ever will be!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Starting fires
My favorite theme verse for years has been the St. Irenaeus quote "The Glory of God is a man fully alive". I still love it. I hunger more deeply than anything else to help ignite an unquenchable fire in the hearts of the people I work with. Christianity is way too full of boring Christians who obey the rules, but do little to start fires.
Everything that matters is stored in our hearts. It is the center of the fire that burns inside, and it is from that heart that we learn to live authentically and passionately. It never surprises me when people talk about their struggles. I think struggles become a clever distraction from really living the adventure of faith. We struggle with sin or self or purpose rather than stepping boldly into the future taking a necessarily tight hold of Papa's hand, daring to trust that He IS, that He leads, and that we are not powerful enough to completely screw our lives up if we are walking with Him.
For many years I guess I bought into the whole 'Its about living a righteous life' thing. Now I find myself irresistibly drawn to starting fires - igniting the tinder of all that I believe God calls us to be. I don't think living righteous is ever an appropriate goal. Jesus needs to be our goal - knowing Him , walking with Him, daring to trust Him, learning to know His voice and His leading. If we focus on Jesus, righteous living follows. But it doesn't work the other way around. Pursuing being righteous doesn't get us Jesus. The fire has to be about Him, not us.
I love a quote from Ray Bradbury's book Fahrenheit 451. I will modify it here to make a point.
"I hate a Roman named Status Quo. Stuff your eyes with the wonder of Jesus, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world, walk with Jesus every step in that adventure. The journey is more fantastic than all the good works could ever buy. Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal. And if there were it would be related to the great sloth which hangs upside down in a tree all day, sleeping its life away. To hell with that - shake the tree and knock the great sloth down on his ass."
We need to live our faith that way - radical and ready to go wherever He might take us, more interested in being alive than we are in being right or secure or accepted. We need to light a fire that ignites others to the way of Jesus. We need to live unquenchable lives that seek Jesus at all costs, even if that cost is making mistakes or being wrong or being totally consumed in the process. There is simply no excuse for boring Christianity!
Everything that matters is stored in our hearts. It is the center of the fire that burns inside, and it is from that heart that we learn to live authentically and passionately. It never surprises me when people talk about their struggles. I think struggles become a clever distraction from really living the adventure of faith. We struggle with sin or self or purpose rather than stepping boldly into the future taking a necessarily tight hold of Papa's hand, daring to trust that He IS, that He leads, and that we are not powerful enough to completely screw our lives up if we are walking with Him.
For many years I guess I bought into the whole 'Its about living a righteous life' thing. Now I find myself irresistibly drawn to starting fires - igniting the tinder of all that I believe God calls us to be. I don't think living righteous is ever an appropriate goal. Jesus needs to be our goal - knowing Him , walking with Him, daring to trust Him, learning to know His voice and His leading. If we focus on Jesus, righteous living follows. But it doesn't work the other way around. Pursuing being righteous doesn't get us Jesus. The fire has to be about Him, not us.
I love a quote from Ray Bradbury's book Fahrenheit 451. I will modify it here to make a point.
"I hate a Roman named Status Quo. Stuff your eyes with the wonder of Jesus, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world, walk with Jesus every step in that adventure. The journey is more fantastic than all the good works could ever buy. Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal. And if there were it would be related to the great sloth which hangs upside down in a tree all day, sleeping its life away. To hell with that - shake the tree and knock the great sloth down on his ass."
We need to live our faith that way - radical and ready to go wherever He might take us, more interested in being alive than we are in being right or secure or accepted. We need to light a fire that ignites others to the way of Jesus. We need to live unquenchable lives that seek Jesus at all costs, even if that cost is making mistakes or being wrong or being totally consumed in the process. There is simply no excuse for boring Christianity!
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