A Better Way In 2022

The media looked back on the top stories of 2021. While the top story of my life or yours’ in 2021 didn’t make the national or local news we know what it was. Perhaps it was an event, an encouraging word, a memory, a celebration, a disappointing loss, or a lesson learned?  Maybe you learned more about your limitations and in the midst of it, you became more aware of God’s gracious provision.

The New Year provides an opportunity for pause
This time of year many look back by getting out their mental calculators keeping scores of their victories and losses. Most of us hope this year will be better than last. Others approach the New Year with mixed emotions hesitant to let go of the past. Others make overly optimistic and unrealistic plans of how their New Year will look.

Some believe that a good intention means a new beginning, that on their own they can make a new start whenever they want. That would be nice if it was that easy.

What treadmill are you on?
Change is inevitable, but what kind of change? Maybe we need to look at the treadmills we’ve been on? Do we need to change our perspective from ‘this is the way things ought to be according to me?’ Or, look at how we measure success, or maybe it’s living for the approval of others.

These treadmills don’t just distract us from a satisfying life they can consume us
These perspectives can unknowingly trap and rule us. They can suck the energy right out of us and leave us utterly empty. It’s not easy to let go of all the mental stuff we insist we need for our tomorrow along with all the stuff we continue to haul with us from our yesterdays.

One thing that we can all count on this New Year is change
Some changes we gladly choose and others we don’t. Yet, more often than not, despite our high hopes and best efforts we fail to change in the ways God desires. We can’t just grit our teeth and force ourselves to act with compassion. It’s not about trying harder on our own.

Yet, many of us have become far too passive in our pursuit of change and wholeness, and peace. Could in our therapeutic age we have fallen into the passive mindset of “talking through our problems” or “dealing with our issues” or “discovering the roots of our brokenness in our family of origin?”

But I see a more non-passive approach to change in the New Testament. Namely, set your mind.
“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:2

Jesus isn’t interested in us being changed into people who only become nicer and more agreeable. God does not ask us to accommodate Him but to live for Him. He has something far more different in mind for us this New Year. God can change your life story this New Year. There is a better way.

Live for what matters to God
All of us who have attempted change and failed to know if this year is going to be any different, we need a new approach. Becoming what God desires of us is not a quick-fix formula. It’s a heart change.

There are certain things and people we cannot change, but there are changes we can make that can leave a lasting impact on other people’s lives if we choose to live for what matters to God. God has been changing the hearts and minds of people and nations for thousands of years and He desires to change yours’ and mine too.

Here’s the deal: God significantly changes our lives when we live out a heart's cry of, “Not my will, but thy will be done. What do you want me to do for You Lord?”  And that will be enough.

The God that changes not, changes everything!
Be grateful that His love for you will never change! That’s one thing you can count on today and forever!

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness. Psalm 26:3; 33:22

After We've Blown It

In Redefining Failure, “Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.”Acts 7:25 Moses’ impulsive self will lead to the death of an Egyptian. When it became know he feared for his life he frantically fled into the Midian wilderness.

Running and exhausted, when Moses arrived in the Midian desert he ‘sat down by a well.’ There at the well, he had the time to reflect on his epic failure and perhaps asked himself, “What did I just do? I can’t believe it. Now, what am I going to do?”

Unlike Moses, many of us do not sit down long enough to process our failings? As Lincoln said, “My great concern is not whether you’ve failed, but are you content with it?” Have we thought it through and accepted it? Do we learn from our failings or are we destined to repeat them?

For the next several decades Moses had another kind of education, one of obscurity in the dry and barren Midian desert. He settled in as a foreigner and learned what it was to be a shepherd and had two sons. During those seemingly forgotten years, God remembered Moses! God still had a plan for him.  Another observation that we can learn from Moses’ life is that…

God Is with You During and After Your Failings
After forty long years, God gave Moses another visit. God had heard the cries of His oppressed people in Egypt (Exodus 2:23) and now He was going to deliver them from their bondage by the hand of Moses. God spoke to Moses and told him that he would, “Tell the Pharaoh to let my people go.”

Moses’ response was, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” After failing so miserably last time it was understandable that Moses was so insistent that he wouldn’t have anything to do with delivering Israel.

Then God said to Moses, “I will be with you.” You see now Moses, last time you did it your way and I wasn’t in it, but this time I AM! You got that Moses? Don’t miss this, “I will be with you!”

Moses continued his adamant reluctance with excuses (Ex.4:1, 10-13). “Not me Lord, I’m not qualified, I’m not a good speaker. Remember Lord, I’m a loser?” O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”Over the years Moses had become preoccupied with his past failure. He couldn’t forget it. His failure became his ball and chain. The second observation is that…Cross references:

Failure Can Lead to a Lack of Trust in God and Yourself
But it doesn’t have to! Unfortunately, some people can’t accept their failure and move on. They’re stuck in their own self-imposed prison cell. It doesn’t have to be that way! Everyone experiences failure, but the biggest failure is not trying again. You can start over!

No matter what we’ve done, know that no one has failed too greatly or too much for God! God doesn’t waste your failures. He uses them to remind you how desperately you really need His presence and guidance. Thankfully, when you do fail God’s acceptance is always available.

God can work your failure into His plans! He knows exactly what to do. He has a long history of redeeming failure. As he was with Moses, God will be with YOU!

As Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Join us for the next blog as we learn how the radical turnaround in Moses’ life can help you too!

A New Kind Of Year

Welcome to 2021. With all the chaos in 2020 many have asked, “What’s most important in life?” How do you answer that? It’s so easy to get worked up about the way we measure things in life. What new unexpected experiences or changes will come our way this new year?

Some resolve, “From now on I will…” How many “from-now-ons” will come and go? Some believe that a good intention means a new beginning, that on their own they can make a new start whenever they want. That would be nice if it was that easy.

One thing that we can all count on in 2021 is more change
Some changes we choose and others we don’t. The theme of change is a constant in the scriptures. What does the nature of that change look like? God has changed the direction of millions of lives and the apostle Paul lays out the kind of change God desires for His people.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14

Yet, more often than not, despite our high hopes and our best efforts, we fail to change in the ways God desires. We can’t just grit our teeth and force ourselves to be better. Trying harder on our own won't lead to change, it leads to frustration. 

Yes, Jesus, I'm all in, but maybe not entirely
Jesus isn't at all interested in our being changed into people who simply become nicer and more agreeable, all the while maintaining our own little kingdoms. God does not ask us to accommodate Him, but to live for Him. He has something far greater in mind for us this new year. That is to choose to…

Live for what matters most to God
Any of us who have attempted change know if this year is going to be any different than before we need a new approach, a change of perspective. Living out what God desires of us is not as simple as changing a tire. It is not a quick fix. It’s a heart change. The question is not if we will change, but how we will we change. Change is inevitable. What kind of changes do you want to make this year? You do have choices.

For a Christ follower we are called to a new way of life, to a different kind of kingdom, to a faith filled life
As difficult as this can be, we need to leave our own little kingdoms behind. Maybe a part of our own little kingdoms is having a perspective of ‘don’t you see, this is the way things ought to be!’ Or maybe it’s how we measure our own success, or maybe it’s trying to control people or circumstances. Or maybe it’s living for the approval of others.

These things don't just distract us from a greater kind of kingdom, they can consume us. They can control us. They can suck the life right out of us. They can be so utterly empty and meaningless. There is a better way.

There are things we cannot change, but there are changes we can make that can leave a lasting impact on other people’s lives if we choose to live for what matters to God. God has been changing the hearts and minds of people for thousands of years and He desires to change yours’ and mine too.
If you desire lasting peace and contentment throughout this new year may your heart’s cry be…
Father, not my will, but thy will be done…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. What do you want me to do for You?

The God that changes not, changes everything! Be grateful that His love for you will never change! That’s one thing we can count on this year and forever! Pray and encourage each other that you will surrender together to the prayer above.

What to Do With An Unwanted Gift?

 

Today even before we open a gift often the giver will say, “Don’t worry I have a gift receipt. If you don’t like you can return it.” For many Christmas can have a way of intensifying our highs and our lows. We can celebrate our highs yet our lows can seem lower.

Part of the Christmas story is one of an unwanted gift|
There is not much mentioned about Joseph. There are no recorded words of Joseph, but he was not a passive bystander. He was faced with one of the most unwanted gifts anyone could ever imagine. His response changed his life and has the power to change yours’.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was ‘pledged’ to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.  Matthew 1:18-25

Joseph was ‘pledged’ to Mary, in other words, they didn’t meet on Match.com or dated to see if their relationship would develop into something more serious. Their marriage was arranged by their families. It’s possible they didn’t know each other all that well. Their betrothal period lasted six months before the consummation of their marriage.

We read that Joseph was a ‘righteous’ man. He was consecrated in his Hebrew faith. He faithfully attended the synagogue, he knew, memorized, and kept the Torah and observed the Jewish feasts. Being called a righteous man meant he was well respected in his community.

Joseph could have heard rumors about Mary’s pregnancy before Mary told him the father was the Holy Spirit. It would be understandable that Joseph was deeply disappointed in Mary and hearing the news from the village gossip. His parent’s dreams for him and his own were absolutely shattered at the news of Mary’s pregnancy. Joseph was heartbroken and dismayed.

The consequences for an adulterer would be a public stoning. After hearing the news no wonder Joseph was considering divorcing Mary, but to save her from public humiliation and disgrace he kept his vow to marry her. He was a good man. There was no requirement for Joseph to bring Mary on the long difficult journey to Bethlehem. Could it be that he took her to protect her?

Before the angel confirmed Mary’s explanation Joseph was afraid of what would happen next. Why was he afraid? His mind was racing knowing his decision would be extremely costly in taking on a wife that was thought to be an adulterer. He knew that his son was not his and would be constantly called nasty names growing up.

Perhaps Mary’s family and friends would shun her and or worse yet disown her? Maybe their families would not attend their eventual wedding day? Would his good reputation be mired forever in scandal?  There was a lot on the line for Joseph. He was in a place of, ‘I don’t understand God, I’m afraid, what are you doing here? I really need to hear from you.’ Have you ever been there? Most of us have.

Three Ways We Can Respond to this story 
Don’t be afraid
“and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”)
God did address Joseph’s fears through the angel that God was with Him in his overwhelming situation even though it would continue to be very hard for him. God promises that He is with us in whatever situation we’re facing no matter how long and despite how difficult.

Take a risk
Joseph took an unbelievable risk in taking Mary as his wife. To choose to love Mary knowing that the future would be hard for both of them, but somehow God would make a way. Joseph’s love, faith, and perseverance deeply mattered to God. So does yours’ and mine.

Commit yourself to God

Do you think Joseph regretted his decision in taking Mary as his wife? He didn’t have a gift receipt to return the gift he didn’t want or ask for. Despite all the tribulations Joseph would endure because of his decision do you think he regretted seeing his son grow up and teaching him his carpentry trade?

Do you think he regretted the long walks and conversations with his son? Do you think he regretted seeing his son’s gracious wise counsel to those he met? It was hard to hear the slurs about his son, but do you think he regretted seeing his son redeem people’s lives? God rewarded Joseph’s commitment to Him.

What about you? Like Joseph will you trust God that He will be ‘with you’ in your difficult circumstances? Trust that whatever is on your plate God is more capable than you expect. 

Although you might not see it now if you take a risk to commit to love someone God will reward you in ways you never imagined. Perhaps like Joseph, you’ll see your commitment bear fruit that will change people’s lives forever.

Getting Clarity in Decisions

A young naval Ensign had proven his skills to his Captain and was looking forward to the day when he would successfully take the giant destroyer out of the dock and out into the open sea. Finally, the day arrived, and Ensigwas enthusiastically and quickly barking out orders to the crew with a flurry of hurried activities.

Another officer came to the Ensign to give him a radio report from the Captain. The Ensign thought it was kind of odd to receive a radio report from the Captain when he could have just come to him personally. Here was the radio message:

Congratulations on your excellent departure from the dock in record time. You did everything according to proper procedure and in fact, you broke a record, but there is one thing I want to bring to your attention, and that is, always before you depart make sure the Captain is on board.”

Sometimes our lives are like that. We got the procedures down, but we forget to make sure our Captain is on board. There are a lot of smart people who have a lot of knowledge but have a hard time applying it to their lives.

The speed of information today is utterly mind-blowing. With a simple click, we can know something anywhere in the world within seconds. We hear a lot of voices and have plenty of information about a lot of things, but what do we do with it?

What is knowledge and what is wisdom?
Unfortunately, there is not a direct correlation between knowledge and wisdom. Webster’s definition of wisdom says ‘Wisdom is accumulated philosophic or scientific learning, the ability to discern inner qualities and relationships.’

We all need wisdom. Wisdom is meant to be practical, not theoretical. Wisdom doesn’t mean you know more, but it’s what you do with what you know. 

The Hebrew word for wisdom is used to describe a skill to work, expertise, experience. The Apostle Paul said the Athenians prided themselves in their ‘deeper’ Greek philosophy of superior wisdom by saying, “They spend their time doing nothing, but talking and listening to the latest new ideas.” Acts 17:2

Wisdom does not necessarily have anything to do with age.
The book of Proverbs tells us that wisdom is developed by the choices you make and is dependent upon our heart’s willingness to grow. If you want to grow and make the wisest decisions in your life then seek God’s wisdom. Peter tells us,

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  2 Peter 1:5-8

Do Not Leave Your Bag Unattended

Have you ever planned a trip and it didn’t go as expected? You took things with you that you didn’t need or even use. Before 911 we were asked at the airport, “Did you pack your own bag?”

In the journey of our lives our parents or ourselves, not terrorists, have helped pack our bags for us with things we definitely didn’t need. Our bags became too heavy. If your suitcase is too heavy at the airport you’re going to pay more fees.

We used to hear "Do not leave your bag unattended.” You and I can benefit from attending to our bag and seeing how we can pack lighter so we have a more enjoyable trip.

When Israel went on their long Exodus trip they took some excess baggage with them as well. The Bible says the mixed multitude (the Egyptians who saw the miracles) went with them along with their beliefs and idols. At that time Israel had yet to receive any written revelation from God, but they had heard the stories about their forefathers all their lives.

They took their difficult experience of 400 years of slavery that impacted their perception of who God was and their expectation of what their journey would be like. A land flowing with milk and honey.

God told Israel, 'I will be your God and you will be my people and I will lead you and provide for you along the way, you just got to trust me.' (Ex.6:2-5). It was not just on this trip alone that the Israelis got involved in things that got them stuck on their journey.

Over the millennia Israel has had a long history of following other lovers and the allurement of alternatives to Gods’ way and it’s no different for us. We have the same human tendency to follow our own way.

Like Israel, there’s a time in all of our lives when we must learn to let go of loved ones, our possessions, our own expectations, or the control of people, places, and things. I’m afraid that too much of the time our lives are about what we want when we want it and how we want it. Israel desperately needed to let go of Egypt's false security. Their constant favorite theme song was, “I want to go back to Egypt,” even though God delivered them from bondage. Go figure.

Like the Israelis have you ever thought, “I’m tired of wandering around and waiting for my inheritance. How long oh Lord must I wait for that some kind of wonderful person or thing to come into my life?”We are constantly being told about a lot of things that just aren’t so, like this smoking ad.

It would help us to accurately understand what letting go means. Letting go doesn’t mean that we forget, ignore or deny that our past trauma or relationship didn’t matter and we can simply move on.

None of us are absolutely free from our past. While we cannot change the past we can experience freedom in the way we respond to it.

Your future can be better than your past.
Like the Israelis, we need to know that letting go is accepting your circumstance and your part in it, no matter how unfair. God intended the Israelis to go the long route to the Promised Land and not the seemingly easier route along the Mediterranean Sea, but just not for forty years. They got themselves into that mess.

Letting go is learning how to let go of your past relationship or if it’s ongoing, not controlling the other person. That’s hard even with the best intentions. Although we should not give disproportionate power to our past the past is not our enemy.

Understanding and acknowledging our past is not a meaningless exercise. While we can’t change the past, but we can learn from it. Like it or not our past can become our identity inventory. It can be good or bad. God asked the Israelis to REMEMBER their past in the celebration of the Passover feast every year for thousands of years.

Being aware of the dynamics of a broken relationship is one thing, but understanding what our part was in a broken relationship is never easy, but extremely helpful for our future relationships. Your past doesn’t need to be a ball n' chain. Don't let it be, it gets heavy and is not very attractive.

Join us next time for part two of this blog as we explore three impacting relational dynamics that can help us have the best possible relationships. Your comments are welcome and appreciated.

How Long Is Too Long to Wait?

One of the biggest frustrations with waiting is how long things seem to take. We’ve all waited for justice, recognition, that long-awaited letter or call from a loved one or for a relationship to heal. Whether we recognize it or not, waiting is a constant in our lives.  At any given moment we’re all waiting for something or someone.

Waiting patiently is hard, especially in a culture with a microwave mentality and an on-demand urgency in everything from meals to work to traffic even our relationships. We want what we want and we want it yesterday. In this climate of instant gratification, we can easily feel as if we’ve been waiting forever for something, even if it’s only been a relatively short time.

Tolstoy said, “The strongest of all warriors are these two, time and patience.” Yet so often we give away our strength in favor of immediacy. Perhaps instead of asking “How long should we wait”, the more important question is, “Can we wait?” Or more specifically, “What happens if we don’t wait?”

Like Abram, we can get pretty tired of waiting for that something to happen. Ten years after God had promised Abram that he would be the father of many nations he was still childless and he lamented to God about his situation. In Genesis 15:1-6 God told Abram, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Now, that’s an amazing promise.

Yet, it wasn’t too long after this promise that a bewildered Abram lapsed in faith with a little help from his wife Sarai. What’s going on, how on earth is God going to fulfill his promise? There must be a way God, it’s been years of waiting with no visible results. 

As was the custom of the day and certainly not God-inspired, Sarai suggests a short-cut and adamantly begs her husband, “Go sleep with my handmaiden and we can build a family through her.”  Maybe Abram thought, that sounds good to me, sure why not?

Sarai made her own plan that seemed good to her and plus it was acceptable to her culture. Sound familiar? Abram could of, should of, but he didn’t. If Sarai thought Lot gave them a whole lot of problems, she had no idea the radical impact of her decision would have upon her own family and centuries to come.

They couldn’t wait and took matters into their hands. Gosh, that sounds way too familiar for all of us.

For 13 years both of them told everybody that God blessed their decision. The child Ishmael was the promised one, the heir apparent, and the fulfillment of God’s promise. Then something happened that rocked their world that changed their names and lives forever.

Twenty-five years after God’s promise in Genesis 12:1-4 God visits Abram and tells him that He is now going to fulfill His promise. (Gen.17:1-18) Abram can’t believe it, are you kidding me, we’re in our nineties? Abram cries out, “Oh that Ishmael might live.” Can you hear the pain in that statement? Don’t you see God I want this so bad I’ve been telling everyone in my family and friends… Don’t you see this is how it’s supposed to be? This looks really bad for me now.

God’s responded, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” (Gen.17:19) Aren’t you glad that despite our many failings God faithfully fulfills His promises! They are not dependent upon us, but upon God’s faithfulness to keep His word!

Waiting on the Lord is essential to growing in our faith journey. May we learn from Abraham that running ahead of God and creating and trusting our own resources can create problems for us and those we love and we can miss God’s best. God helps us. We need His help! 

The good news is that there is more to Abraham’s life journey than this lapse of faith that we can learn from and apply.

Questions for personal reflection and conversation:
Like Abram and Sarai have you been waiting for something for such a long time that you are taking matters into your own hands? Was that effective and where has that gotten you in the past?

What or who can help you to know that God loves and cares about you and has only the best in mind for you?  It’s never too late to change course despite your circumstances and deepen your trust in God’s faithfulness! 

Read: Psalm 62:5-8; Isaiah 64:4; I Peter 5:7

Is Normal Just Around The Corner?

Is normal just around the corner? What is normal? Is it when you can extend a handshake or hug someone again? Depending on where you live, when you can get back to work. Take off the mask and attend a concert, sit on the beach, attend a major league baseball game? When the economy comes back? Regardless of your perspective things are going to be different.

Is back to normal when you get your job back? When you can pay your bills or your kids get back to school or you can see your elderly family members. When you can go to a restaurant or take a vacation. Fill in the blank.

Hopefully, as a result of COVID millions have had time to think about their lives and what’s important. Some hope their lives will change in some significant way. Maybe we’re hoping for something different, maybe even an adventure, but we end up settling with the usual. 

No one planned on COVID or any other personal tragedy. Things happen that are out of our control. In the middle of adversity we can develop a different perspective. Recently some of us have or are going to discover a roller-coaster adventure that we didn’t plan on. We need to hold on.

Thousands of years ago God asked Abraham to leave all the things he was familiar with and go to a land he had never seen and winds up wandering for years. Jacob and his sons go to Egypt looking for groceries and four hundred years later Israel pulls up stakes and heads for home. 

The fishermen Peter, James and John heard the master’s voice and threw their nets aside to follow Him. Get ready, the old is past and the present and future are going to get interesting. Saddle up your horses.

Is an adventure a thing we make happen or something we choose or does it choose us? 
An adventure is, by its nature, a thing that comes to us. It is a thing that chooses us, not something we choose.” C.K. Chesterton

Abraham was not looking for the one true God, but God showed up with an invitation. Many of us can miss God moments so easily because our plans and expectations can become our hindrances to seeing what is and what can be.

As a result, we can get stuck in perpetual discontent and think, “This is the way things ought to be!"
We can get so committed to arranging our happiness that we miss precious moments right in front of us. We don’t think of what might be around the corner because we think we know what’s coming. We seek our happiness in temporal things because our hearts have nowhere else to go. Sad, it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Could it be that we’ve missed something along the way? Has trivial distractions and the tyranny of the urgent clouded our vision of what is important?  Do we make so little of eternity by magnifying the significance of our own lives and diminish the reality of the next life to come?
                     
                       We make nothing of eternity and an eternity of nothing.  Blaise Pascal 
          
Embrace what God has said about the life to come and how it impacts us today
Set your affections on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2
If you read history, you’ll find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were those who thought the most of the next world. CS Lewis

He has set eternity in our hearts. Ecclesiastes 3:11

No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human mind has conceived the things that God has prepared for those who love him. I Corinthians 2:9

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth...but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Matthew 6:19-21

Even though eternity could be just around the corner for you and me it is to be lived today!
I saw a big frontier in front of me and I heard somebody say let's go. Saddle up your horses. We've got a trail to blaze. Through the wild blue yonder of God's Amazing grace  let's follow our leader into the Glorious unknown.

This is the life like no other. This is the great adventure. So come on, get ready for the ride of your life. Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind and discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored. This is what we were created for.   The Great Adventure - Steven Curtis Chapman

The Land of In Between

Millennia ago Moses asked the Pharaoh, “Let my people go!”  The situation was out of control, intolerable, and they were fed up. I’m guessing you’ve felt the same way at some point in life. Inevitably, through a series of traumatic events, the Pharaoh let the Israelites go. They got their freedom! Free at last! Okay, now what?

Things are not always as they seem or at least what we had hoped for
The Israelites finally got what they wanted, their freedom. After they experienced their miraculous deliverance they were on their way toward a much better place.  Time to celebrate and dance to the music! And so they did.

Ah yes, we’re on the way to the Promised Land, the land of our forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey! Wow, that sounds nice. Yet, now more than ever, things were radically different. No longer in Egypt, no longer in slavery. Not where they used to be, not where they want to be, but somewhere ‘in-between.' Sound familiar?

Now in a very dry desert place, it’s also a very fertile place for complaining. This is not the Israelites’ finest moment.  Within a few weeks after their deliverance they were unsatisfied with where they found themselves; wandering in the desert.

They missed the green fertile plains of the Nile and forgot what they were delivered from. They were sick of three meals a day of manna. The scripture says they started wailing, “Where’s the beef?” (Num.11:4) It sounds like an old commercial to me.

After graduating from high school a friend and I hitchhiked and backpacked around the US for a summer and quickly got real sick of Top Ramen noodles. The same thing day in day out for almost every meal. Outside of the Tetons National park I started craving a hamburger and I wanted it now!
Maybe you want it now too?

We might find fault with the Israelis, but are we any different given similar circumstances? Sooner or later we will be in our own place of ‘in-between’- out of our comfort zone. The ‘in-between’ place is where the attitude of our heart becomes painfully clear. Our heart’s response will determine if we grow from these times or just merely go through them.

We all have choices
When we’re stuck ‘in-between’ it can be a fruitful place. A place of true change, a heart change, a change of perspective. OR, a place where our hearts can become hard, dull, bitter and caustic.

OR, what if that situation that you can’t stand or even hate could produce that which you need the most? Yes, we all get discouraged from circumstances that we can’t control and wish we could.
Yes, it’s easy to cave into the lesser gods of our culture that cater to our complaints, but God has something better for us

God desires to develop a faith in Him that’s worth having. When we allow Him to do this we discover that He does His best in our ‘in-between’ times.

When You’re At The End of Your Rope

When you’re at the end of your rope where do you go? Hopefully, you have ‘go-to’ friends like Daniel did. When Daniel met with his friends it was not to discuss options or to whine, hold a pity party or plan their escape. For many of us, that’s what we would have done.

We are told they met to pray and wait on God.

Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.  Daniel 2:17-18

Some of us think that our desperately needed answer to our dilemma is out there somewhere on YouTube, a counselor, a seminar, a test tube or someone. God can use all that, but at the end of the day, He ultimately provides the answers we need.

Prayer is our most effective source of strength and direction
For far too many, prayers are our last resort.  I might look for a good book that has the answer to my problem or make a list of pros and cons and depend on my own independent decision-making abilities. Being honest, a fair question to ask ourselves is, ‘Why don’t I pray first?’  Maybe it’s because we don’t believe that God is going to answer or we don’t want to wait for an answer. Prayer involves waiting, doesn’t it?

 The Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. Isaiah 30:18

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:1-2

Daniel and his friends waited on God and got their answer. The answer would save their lives. Daniel could have immediately put on his running shoes and made a beeline to the king when he got the answer. He didn’t.  He thanked God for his answer.

It’s so easy to pull out our list of the things we want God to do for us that we can lose sight of who God is. Some of us unknowingly reduce God to being unable to do what we cannot do on our own. 

When Daniel got the answer to the King’s dream and it was only natural that praise would fall on Daniel. You’re the man. He knew that, so he intentionally makes the point of saying to the King, ‘Don’t give me any credit, I’m nothing special, the spotlight should be on God, not me!’ Don’t you just love that?

When we see a beautiful painting that takes our breath away, we don’t say, ‘We want to see the brush used for the painting. We ask who the painter is? God is. He is the artist! When our heart’s desire is to make Him known, we point others to him, not ourselves. Daniel said, ‘Don’t give me any glory, I’m just the brush.’
  
As a result of the interpretation of the King’s dream, Nebuchadnezzar praises the God of Daniel and, ‘Makes Daniel ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. God honors those who honor him.

Daniel tells the king, ‘There’s just one more thing King, I’ve got some close friends who helped make it possible. They waited on God with me. They contributed to my success! Would you please honor them as well?’ Wow, how refreshing, good leaders don’t ever forget to recognize the people that contributed to their success.

At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon.

With God on your side, there’s always a way out from between a rock and hard place. With God in your life, he’ll provide light at the end of the tunnel! With God on the throne of your life there will always be enough rope to hang onto, so don’t give up on Him because He will never give up on you!

Standing Strong When Life's Impossible

Often in everyday conversations, we use colorful clichés to describe how we’re doing. When things are going well, we say things like, 'I’m on a roll, I’m on the top of the world, my head’s in the clouds.'  When things are not going well, it’s 'I’m down in the dumps, I’m hanging in there, I’m burned out, stressed out, wiped out, bummed out.'

When we’re in dire straits we can say things like, 'I’m in hot water, I am in over my head. I’m coming apart at the seams.'  

Three common clichés 

I'm between a rock and hard place - a predicament with no apparent solution.

There’s no light at the end of the tunnel – feeling like there’s no hope for the future. 

I’m at the end of my rope - we’re running out of options.

Some of you can relate to one or more of these clichés as you think about some aspect of your life. If any of those clichés describe you continue reading.  

In chapter two of the Book of Daniel, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream which is more like a nightmare and cannot sleep. Maybe you can relate to that? You have a dream you can’t remember, but you want to remember, but can’t you can’t get back to sleep. You’re bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and can’t sleep.

Because the King’s astrologers and fortune-tellers cannot tell the king the dream nor interpret it the king is furious and decrees that he will destroy them along with all the other wise men of Babylon including Daniel and his friends! They’re between a rock and a hard place; there’s no light at the end of the tunnel; they’re at the end of their rope.

At this point, Daniel did not know the dream or its interpretation. He was clueless about the dream, however, and it is a big however Dan was confident ‘where’ he would find the answer. Here we see Dan’s faith. He made a decision to trust God that put him out on a limb.

Faith is a decision to trust God 

Dan made a decision to trust God for the answer. Faith is not a feeling or some state of spiritual consciousness. Faith is nothing when there’s no action or response involved. Faith is making a decision to trust God for the outcome.

Sometimes we make faith so complicated, but it’s not. We express faith every time we make big and little decisions to trust God for the outcome, in getting out of our comfort zone. Faith is all about stepping out and making a decision to trust God when we don’t know or can’t control the outcome. 

I’m guessing some of you need to make a decision right now that you don’t know the outcome of? It’s risky because you know that if you might get shortchanged, but you’re going to have to trust God! 

The first thing Dan does is go to his three trusted friends to explain the dire straits they’re in. Can you imagine the conversation, 'If we don’t interpret his dream we’re toast!' 'What, are you kidding me?' 'I told the King NO problem.' 'You said what, what are we going to do?' We could miss this, but something significant is going on here.  

We need support in times of trouble!

Some people think they’re weak if they need people to support them. Dan was a man of incredible personal strength, yet when he finds himself at the end of his rope he goes to his friends and includes them in his and their dilemma. 

Daniel is not the only one who understood this. The Apostle Paul was a rugged tested man who had been in prison, shipwrecked, beaten, stoned and left for dead. While in prison in the final days of Paul’s life he asked that a young man named Timothy would, “Make every effort to come to me soon and bring Luke and Mark with you.”

No matter who you are or how strong you are you need others. Even Jesus during his greatest trial in the garden of Gethsemane he asked Peter, James, and John to be with him for support and prayer. Jesus had three, Paul had three and Daniel had three friends. Who are 3 or 4?

When you’re at the end of your rope who do you call for support? In such a hyper-individualistic world many think they can make it on their own. I can pick myself up by my own bootstraps. I’ll make it alone. I’m self-sufficient. I’m good.

Really? Is the best way to go it alone? God provides friends for our support in times of trouble. Ask yourself, practically speaking, whose list are you on? Who could you call or turn to? Dan had his list, Paul had his list, Jesus had his list of friends. Every one of us needs a list. To be on one and to have one of your own. 

Join us for the continuation of this blog next time.