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

There Will Be A Better Day Coming

We try to hold on to people, places, and things with everything we have. We do our best to heal divisions within our families, resolve conflict with friends and do what we can to be a peacemaker.  We do our part to encourage others and hope others will do the same.

We pray and hope for family and friends’ physical, emotional and spiritual healing.  We hope for peace, reconciliation, and restoration in our communities and relationships.  We see the tears of disappointed people we know or just met and feel their pain. 

We hear the stories of people at the end of their rope.  They are rich and poor, young and old who are weary and undone.  Speechless. Words can’t even express their sorrow. Take this pain away God or take me home…

Hoping for a better day and a better tomorrow.

In this age of social influencers and celebrities selling immediate gratification for their benefit at our expense, it just adds to the mix of frustration, apathy, and indifference.  As Bob Dylan sang, “I used to care, but things have changed.” All this gets downright discouraging and many have become disengaged and completely isolated. COVID hasn’t helped…

In this crazy mixed-up world where wrong has become right and right has become wrong we all have one thing in common, the need for hope. What we believe about our hope directly impacts how we are experiencing our present. We are irreducibly hope-based creatures. As Christ-followers God’s Word declares that one day we will enter into a glorious rest with indescribable wonders.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” I Corinthian 2:9

On the one hand, we can't possibly comprehend or imagine what heaven will be like. Yet, the Bible gives us so much information about heaven that it is right for us to think about what the future holds. Revelation 21 provides some of the best and most beautiful insight into our future resting place.

We can hold on to our hope and promise that there will come a day when “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4   Songwriter Jeremy Camp put it this way:
 
“We’ll see Jesus face to face, but until that day we’ll hold on to you always. I know the journey seems so long you feel you’re walking on your own, but there’s never been a step where you walked out all alone. Troubled soul don’t lose your heart cause joy and peace He brings and the beauty that’s in store outweighs the hurt of life’s sting.”

Are you looking forward to that day when the One you’ve lived for will wipe away all the sorrows you’ve faced or are facing now? Please know that there will be a better day ahead and until that day comes hold on to the One who is your hope now in this life and into the next.

There is a better day coming!

Instead, they (Hebrews 11) were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:16

 

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

Zachariah's Song

Songs can leave an impact upon us. Songs can change things. Most of us sing when things are going great, but what if they’re not, can we still sing? In the last blog we saw that Mary could sing after receiving very overwhelming news.

When you love someone you might want to sing to them. Sometimes parents sing silly songs to their young children. I used to sing Sinatra’s ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ to my young daughter Sara as we danced and I held her in my arms. Over the years it became ‘our’ song.

Were all marked by songs aren’t we? Certain songs stand out when were celebrating or grieving. Some songs bring back memories or can bring us to tears. Zechariah sang a song from the depths of his heart that had to with his son John the Baptist and hope of Israel. 

Imagine the old Jewish priest Zechariah singing to his son John? Maybe John like my daughter would say, ”Sing it again dad, sing it again.” Maybe Jesus would tell his mom, “Sing it again mom, please.”

Maybe while John was growing up Zechariah told his son, “Your heavenly father might ask you some day to do something really hard?” We know that John’s mission “to prepare the way of the Lord” was not an easy one, especially when your diet includes eating honey and locusts.

Miraculously (both well beyond childbearing) Zech’s wife gave birth to their son John and they were both very excited to say the least! At his birth Zech broke out into his celebrative song, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:  “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and has redeemed his people.” Luke 1:67-68

Notice Zech’s three words about Israel’s long awaited Messiah, ‘He has come’ Jn.1:1-4,14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God is with us) Isaiah 7:14.

After years of waiting, God’s divine visitation had ‘finally’ come to Israel just as God had promised! Israel had been wondering when their God would speak again? After four hundred years of silence since the prophet Malachi spoke God fulfilled His promise as he said He would!

How long have you been waiting for something or someone?  

Maybe you’re in a long cold winter of waiting and are feeling kind of hopeless and losing your sense of purpose? Then, you need hear Zack’s chorus, ’He has come!’ 

He has come and revealed His Son to show His extravagant love to you! He wants to assure you that He knows everything about you and cares about you. You are His work of art that is yet to be completed!

Perhaps we’ve become cold and numb and in desperate need of a touch from God? Maybe we’re feeling guilty about something we’ve gotten into? Maybe we're worried about our future? Once again we need to hear Zack’s words, ’He has come to redeem His people’ to give us hope for today and our future.

In the midst of our winter of discontent sometimes we can’t see clearly. We might not even be able to see our own reality. We might be blinded by our own grief and tears. If so, hear the encouraging words of Isaiah.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.  Isaiah 42:16

When things seem hopeless and uncertain be encouraged that, ’He has come’ for you too! He has come to bring light into your darkness.  Jesus came to live and die for you so that you could truly know Him and be His now and forever!  Now, that is something to sing about don’t you think?

Everyone sings something. So, what will your song be? May you be reminded this winter that Zechariah’s chorus ‘HE HAS COME’ can be “your song” too!

Cultivating Gratitude

Imagine you fall off the side of an ocean liner and, not knowing how to swim, begin to drown. Someone on the deck spots you, flailing in the water and throws you a life preserver. It lands directly in front of you and, just before losing consciousness, you grab hold for dear life.

They pull you up onto the deck, and you cough the water out of your lungs. People gather around, rejoicing that you are safe and waiting expectantly while you regain your senses. After you finally catch your breath, you open your mouth and say: "Did you see the way I grabbed onto that life preserver? How tightly I held on to it? I was all over that thing!"

Needless to say, it would be a bewildering and borderline insane response. To draw attention to the way you cooperated with the rescue effort denigrates the whole point of what happened, which is that you were saved.

A much more likely chain of events is that you would immediately seek out the person who threw the life preserver, and you would thank them. Not just superficially, either. You would embrace them, ask them their name, invite them to dinner and maybe give them your cabin!
‘Law & Gospel’ (Mockingbird Ministries, 2015), page 73

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:4-5.

Kelsy Richardson, who is currently conducting graduate research on ‘gratitude’ at Fuller Seminary, named pride as a major deterrent to gratitude said, “When you believe you deserve the good things you receive, you don’t feel the need to be grateful to others.”

“Without effort, feelings of gratitude are often fleeting, passing as quickly as they come. For example, I’m grateful to have a clean bill of health but gripe as soon as a cold interferes with my busy life. I have a kitchen filled with food but complain about cooking and a closet filled with clothes but, “nothing to wear.” Tiffany Musik Matthews

Research suggests that gratitude can’t simply be grouped with other emotions, like happiness or anger, because unlike other emotions, gratitude takes a conscious effort. In order to be grateful, we must first take the time to recognize that something has been done for our benefit. The culture’s prevalent attitude, ‘of what have you done for me lately,’ reflects expectation not gratitude.

Dr. Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis says, “Feeling grateful is not the same as being a grateful person, a grateful person is one who regularly affirms the goodness in his or her life and recognizes that the sources of this goodness lie at least partially outside of themselves.” Notice Emmons says that gratefulness does not come from us or because of us.

In today’s age of entitlement many have come to expect that their lives should have less discomfort, but we are not God and cannot guarantee what we desire. Being truly grateful extends beyond our own convenience. Gratitude also goes against our need to feel in control of our environment. With gratitude you accept life as it is and are grateful for what you have.

The evidence is clear that cultivating gratitude in our lives makes us happier and healthier people. As receivers of salvation and divine grace, we should strive to be grateful in all seasons of our lives.


In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.  Brother David Steindl-Rast

Letting Go

No matter what we hold on to letting go is a painful process
God asks Abraham to let go of what he deeply loves and at first glance it’s a horrifying request.
"Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Genesis 22:2

How utterly strange for God to promise Abraham that he would be the father of many nations and then to ask him to sacrifice that promise, especially after all he went through to see his son’s birth.

Imagine the heart sinking feeling that Abraham felt about saying his final goodbye to his beloved son. How difficult it is to say a final goodbye to a loved one at a hospice bedside or goodbye to a broken relationship that mattered, a marriage or a dream. Saying goodbye doesn't mean its forever.

Saying goodbye is hard
Picture a dad’s tearful goodbye embrace to his son at the airport after a great week of fun with dad after a recent unwanted divorce.  Inevitably, we all will experience difficult goodbyes.

There are times when life seems to hang on a single decision. For Abraham there was no mistaking Gods’ voice, there was no plea bargaining, he simply obeyed. Can you imagine the excruciating sadness Abraham must have felt on that three day journey to Mount Moriah? How would he say goodbye? In Genesis 22:4-5 we read that, on the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.“

Abraham was assured that in some miraculous way God would intervene. Now, the ultimate sacrifice was ready, but the puzzled young Isaac asked his dad, "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering dad?" Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Genesis 22:7-8  When Abraham was about to take the life of his son the angel of the Lord intervened saying,

Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Genesis 22:12-13

“When darkness seems the deepest, the most radiant light is set to emerge. At the end of our hope, we find the brightest beginning of fulfillment.” CW Cowman

God didn’t want Abraham’s son He wanted Abraham’s heart.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. Hebrews 11:17-19

Have you ever been stripped of all props and securities that you thought were essential and there was no way out of your situation and nothing you could do? Nietzsche said a man can undergo torture if he knows the why of his life. What’s far more significant is in knowing the who of my life. Who do I live for and who loves and cares for me?

We might think that once we let go of that something or someone we’ll have nothing. When we do we let go of that which God asks us to, He will give us more of Himself.

CH Spurgeon well said,  “Whoever you may be and wherever you may be, remember –God is all you may ever want, is everywhere you need Him to be, and can do everything you could ever want Him to do.

“When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw, and what he couldn’t do, but on what God said he would do…  But it’s not just Abraham, it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless.” Romans 4:18, 20, 24-25 

Who Can You Trust?

Who can you trust? Hopefully, most of us would not trust someone we do not know unless we’re being rescued from a burning building or they’re handing out cash. You can increase your relational trust in your life and have more rewarding relationships by knowing...

We can trust God
I know that seems cliché to some of you, but it helps us to trust others by trusting God. The concept of trusting God has been so trivialized, overly simplified and misunderstood that many have a skewed perspective on what it means to trust God.

Contrary to some, trusting God and others is not easy. Unfortunately, some have even stigmatized God by the bad examples of his followers. They’ve been given an inaccurate spin and developed their own presuppositions of what God is like or even if there is a God.

It’s not surprising that trusting God is a common theme of the Bible with the words trust, faith or belief used interchangeably from cover to cover. The Bible makes it very clear that trusting God is a response to who and what He does. 

To trust Him with our life is the result of his revealing Himself to us through creation, his mighty deeds, his Word, and his faithfulness to keep all his promises. God is not a man that He should lie (Heb.6:17-18) or repent. What a refreshing reminder considering the lack of truth telling today.

God never needs to make an excuse for what He has said or done.

The Bible goes on to say that it’s impossible to please God without faith (Heb.11:6). So, the Bible is clear that we cannot have a relationship with God without trust or belief (John 3:16). Who needs a dead religion when you can have an intimate trusting relationship that matters and will last forever?

Now hopefully, most of us would not trust someone we do not know unless we’re being rescued from a burning building or they’re handing out cash…Yet, God is all-together different, transcending the boxes we put Him in. God desires us. God has and still is relentlessly and passionately pursuing us even if we think otherwise.

God has initiated trust with us not the other way around. Trust implies a relationship. From the Hebrews’ backs against the wall at the Red Sea, to Daniel in the Lion’s den, to David and his slingshot, to Job’s suffering, God has not deserted His people and He never will. God has proven He is trustworthy.

Grappling and understanding God’s unfathomable love for us enables us to not only trust him but others as well.

“The great spiritual task facing me is to so fully trust that I belong to God that I can be free, to be free to receive love from people and be grateful for all the signs of God’s presence in the world. I am convinced that I will truly be able to love the world when I fully believe that I am loved far beyond it’s’ boundaries.”  Henri Nouwen

Join us next time about trusting others.

The Free Fall Of Trust

When Gallup first asked Americans about their trust of newspapers in 1973, 39 percent said they had a great deal of trust in them and by 1979, that number reached a high of 51 percent. In 2016, only 20 percent of Americans said they trust newspapers. Trust in television news has charted much the same course, and it fares only slightly better in 2016, with 21 percent trust.

In a poll we did a while back on this website we asked how you would define trust. Many of you said that it’s hard to believe that someone will actually do what they say they will do. According to most polls virtually every institution has lost public trust, especially Congress and current Presidental candidates. 

Mistrust Is Everywhere

These days, less than one-third of Americans say most people can be trusted. Half felt that way in 1972, when polls first asked the question. A record high of nearly two-thirds say "you can't be too careful" in dealing with people. Americans are suspicious of each other in everyday encounters.

From Israelis and Palestinians, politicians, the News Media, corporations and institutions of every kind to even to telling our kids not to trust strangers, mistrust is everywhere.

Broken Relational Trust
One third of the 40 million people looking for a date online are married, but they don’t put that in their profile. So, it’s understandable that people struggle with who to trust.

“Generally speaking, a loss of trust created by a violation of character (integrity or intent) is far more difficult to restore than a loss of trust created by a violation of competence (capabilities or results).”  Stephen Covey

Lets’ face it we all have trust issues, yet we all want to say, ‘I trust you.’

All of us have been wounded by a lack of trust from an institution or more importantly a person and it’s impacted how we perceive people and our relationships. I’ve told my kids regarding their social world to trust the people who prove they’re trustworthy.

Now, that is reasonable, but what does that look like? What is the basis of trust and how can I develop trust without having a cynical perspective? Especially after having been lied to and hurt as a result? Though it may be difficult, in most cases, lost trust can be restored and often even enhanced.

If you want to increase your relational trust in your life and have more rewarding relationships then there are a few things to consider. Join us for the continuation of this blog series on trust.

Don't Miss the Moment

German theologian Martin Buber said, “There is something that can only be found in one place. It is a great treasure, which may be called the fulfillment of existence. The place where this treasure can be found is the place on which one stands.”

Yes, the treasure of being present and alive today.
And yet, why do so many of us feel there is some kind of deficiency in us? Like, we’re not where we should be, or even wish to be or we’re not achieving or doing enough.  We’re not successful enough. We’re not smart enough. We’ve haven’t done or gone to ________yet.

Blaise Pascal wrote, "By means of a diversion we can avoid our own company 24 hours a day." But it's not just diversion. It's a kind of relentless pursuit of something elusive as if life is always just around the corner from where we are NOW. Many don't know what they want in life, but they’re sure they haven't got it, at least not yet. Maybe it's a new location, a new job, a new relationship?

Jackson Browne talked about this "empty pursuit" in a song "The first time I went on my own, when the roads were as many as the places I had dreamed of and my friends and I we’re one."  Yet in a later song called "Running on Empty," he says, "I look around for the friends that I used to turn to, to pull me through; looking into their eyes, I see them running, too."

If we can just find ‘IT’ or that relationship then we’ll be happy. It is as if we live with an expectation that life should be a certain way or we should… I'm all for living in the present moment, just not this one.  And yet, as Buber said "The great treasure of a fulfilled life is in the ground where we stand."

Martin Buber asked,“Where is the dwelling of God?" Then he answered his own question,“God dwells wherever man lets Him in.” This is the ultimate purpose: to let God in. We can let Him in not only as our God, maker, savior and friend, but in where we stand today in the moment.

Have we lost the ability to savor the ordinary moments? A few days ago due to a temporary handicap (crutches) I was riding an electric shopping cart in the grocery store with my son who suffers every day with chronic pain from Crohn's Disease. That seemingly insignificant experience brought a joyful and grateful heart for the simpler things in life that we take for granted every day, like good health.

You can be in the present moment when you let God in. For millions the hope for better health and healing can mean a whole lot more than several trips to your favorite vacation place.

We can easily miss divine opportunities that come our way.
They can be in the most unexpected places and times. Those great ‘treasure moments’ can be in the simplest encounters. In a conversation with the grocery store checker or the person you’re sitting next to in the doctor’s office or with a stranger at the DMV.

This world is a pretty messed up place and it can mess with our expectations we have of life. We all know that. We need to slow down and appreciate the people right in front of us.   

Today, more than ever we need sanctuaries of care, places where we can feel safe and loved. But, we also need to be that place of refuge for friends, families and strangers. That treasured place is YOU where God can dwell and be seen by others.

               

Showing Mercy

How can we show mercy when we want justice? Last week we looked at how compassion and humility can help bring peace and build bridges in a very divisive world. There is another significant heart posture that can help restore broken relationships and improve our current ones.

Showing Mercy

Mercy is giving more kindness than justice demands. Intentional or not we all hurt each other deeply, it’s just reality. Because of this we need massive doses of mercy to get back on track.  When were hurt there can be a tremendous amount of emotional energy stored up and we have a choice to use that emotional energy for retaliation or restoration? Which do you lean towards to?

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9

How do you do this when someone has insulted you or damaged your heart? We might feel, Lord, help me I don’t want to even talk to them. I want to get back at them, anything but to show mercy. Ask God for a calm spirit and refrain from harsh retaliatory words that you'll regret later.
Remember that God’s way is far different than ours’or the culture.

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

Things can get really dark given the right circumstance. Words can attack the very core of our being, our abilities, our accomplishments, even our worth as a person. There are times when a wound goes so deep that we say to ourselves, ‘I can’t forgive you.’ God says to us you’re never going to forgive that person more than I’ve already forgiven you. 

Love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:5

Some not only keep a record of wrongs, but they got a whole mental closet of every wrong someone did to them. They’ve cataloged and characterized those offenses and they’re ready to pull one out at the right moment to get their emotional payback.

That’s not God’s way! It may not be easy at all, but we need to lean into forgiveness and show mercy. Forgive as he has forgiven you. Forgiveness is not a one-time event, it’s an aerobic exercise.

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. I Thessalonians 5:15

How would you rate yourself on the mercy scale 1 to 10?  Do you stockpile hurts for ammo for later, and keep a scorecard then give yourself a one. If you’re quick to offer forgiveness and quick to let go of grudges give yourself an 8 or 9.

Joins us in the next blog for another heart attitude that can make all the difference in the world for you and those you care about.

Is The American Dream the Promised Land?

We all have dreams and over time our unrealized dreams can seem distant and unattainable, maybe even impossible?
 
The long wait can bring us to a place of desperation and we may wonder does anyone care about my situation or about me? Although our dreams might be altruistic to us, but where do our dreams come from or for whom are our dreams for?

For a variety of reasons many have been confused between the biblical ‘Promised Land’ and the ‘American Dream.’ Over the centuries many have thought that America was the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a place of fulfilled promise, a place of opportunity. For many it has been and can be.

The biblical Promised Land narrative is often related to the immigrant story in the founding of the United States.  Our forefathers rightly envisioned America as a land of religious freedom, opportunity, hope, and the pursuit of happiness from which we benefit today.

The idea that America is a kind of Promised Land is understandable, yet many people inside or outside the church have mistaken America for the biblical Promised Land. For many the view that America is the Promised Land of ultimate opportunity has become a pretext for the American entitlement of happiness.

If we think that we are entitled to happiness then we should get what we want when we want it and maybe for free. 
Could it be that this perception of the entitlement of the American Dream has shaped American's identity, lifestyle and vocation more than anything else? Our consuming habits can be just another step toward the Promised Land.

As Mark Labberton said, “The intertwining of Promised Land assumptions and consumer opportunities easily becomes a powerful economic, social and spiritual engine. Promised Land hopes fires American consumerism, and puts the “buyer” in the controller’s seat with expectations and demands, largely for personal ends.”

This approach makes pragmatic sense if you believe you’re in the Promised Land and assume it exists merely for your benefit, so you simply take what’s available, which is what you see everybody else doing. This can be seen in the cheapened view of relationships today in discarding a relationship for a new and improved one. It's my right to have... 

The concept of the Promised Land is a strong narrative in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The premise of the Promised Land defined Israel’s identity, but it was not meant to be a place to simply pluck God’s benefits. It was rather where God’s people were to thrive in the grace of ‘living out the call’ to be God’s people. Israel’s blessing from ‘the land flowing with milk and honey’ was the encouragement along the path of living according to God’s ways, not because they were entitled to it.

Our lives are not lived out in the midst of idealism, but in the midst of the real world as it is.A secular Promised Land spirituality expects it all and expects it now. Another Promised Land mythical assumption is to avoid hardships and separate ourselves from experiences of pain and leave suffering behind and move into our rightful blissful place. Escaping pain is neither reality nor God’s way.

Jesus says to all His disciples, “Take up your cross and follow me.” If we want to truly follow Him we need to start where we are, not where we wished we were whether it’s at work, home or in our neighborhood. As Christ followers we are to follow Him and live according to God’s ways regardless of what that may include.

Rest assured in knowing that there will ultimately be a Promised Land for Christ followers when, "There will be no more pain and no more sorrow and He will wipe away every tear."
Revelation 21:4

A New Open Door in 2018

I’m looking out the window in the early morning on a very cold 3 degree Colorado day thinking about the New Year. Who can tell what we will find? What new experiences, what changes shall come, what new needs shall arise? The TV networks look back at the top stories of 2018. While the top story of my life or yours’ in 2018 didn’t make the national or local news we know what it was.

Perhaps you experienced the loss of a loved one, an encouraging word, a lasting memory, a celebration, health issues or a lesson learned? This time of year some have the need to look back by getting out their mental calculators keeping score of their victories and losses. Most of us hope this year will be better than last.

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. Sometimes despite our high hopes and our best efforts things don’t turn out the way we hoped.

What kind of treadmill are you on?
We may not realize it, but maybe we need to look at the treadmills we’ve been on? Do we need to change our perspective of ‘this is the way things ought to be according to me?’ Or, look at how we measure success or living for the approval of others.

These treadmills don’t just distract us from a satisfied 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 tomorrows. Some have been stuck in a maze of decidophobia this past year with no end in sight. 

This New Year we all have choices to make that will impact our lives
Like bible characters we cannot predict where our lives will take us. In the scriptures we see God’s unmistakable guidance through a burning bush, a fleece, a voice, a dream, an angel. God can also lead us in no less significant ways, like doors.

For some of us a door has been locked or hidden or a door has meant rejection – ‘They shut the door in my face.’ OR an ‘open’ door can be a choice of boundless opportunities to learn, to do something worthwhile or discover purpose and satisfaction.

In Viktor Frankl’s book The Meaning of Man he tells about how Nazis imprisoned him in a concentration camp. They took away his profession, confiscated his possessions, mocked his dignity, and killed his family. They locked him in a cell with no way out.

Frankl found a door that his guards knew nothing about.
Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Frankl discovered that doors are not just physical. A door is a choice.

Author John Ortberg said about Frankl. “Frankl found that when his circumstances had closed every outer door to him, they revealed to him the doors that matter far more—the doors through which a soul can leave fear and enter into courage, leave hatred and enter into forgiveness, leave ignorance and enter into learning.

He discovered that his guards were actually more imprisoned – by their cruelty and ignorance and foolish obedience to barbarism—than he was imprisoned by walls and barbed wire.”

There is always an open door for you to choose during this entire New Year!  You just need to be able to see them. God provides open doors for you to make wise choices especially when you are assured that your Heavenly Father cares for you.

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

A Song of Hope for You

Were all marked by songs aren’t we?
Some songs bring back memories or bring us to tears. Songs can leave an impact upon us. Songs can change things. Certain songs stand out when we’re celebrating or grieving. Most of us sing when things are going great, but what if they’re not, can we still sing?

Zechariah sang from the depths of his heart for his love for his son John and the hope of Israel. Miraculously Zach’s wife gave birth to their son and Zach broke out into his celebrative song, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:  “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and has redeemed his people.”   Luke 1:67-68

Notice Zach’s three words about Israel’s long awaited Messiah, ‘He has come’ John 1:1-4, 14 

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God is with us) Isaiah 7:14.

After years of waiting, God’s divine visitation had ‘finally’ come to Israel just as God had promised! Israel had been wondering when their God would speak again? After four hundred years of silence since the prophet Malachi spoke God fulfilled His promise as he said He would!
How long have you been waiting for something or someone?

Are you in a long winter of waiting and are feeling kind of hopeless and losing your sense of purpose? Maybe you’ve become cold and numb and in desperate need of a touch from God? Maybe you’re feeling guilty about something you’ve gotten into? Maybe you’re worried about your future?

Then, you need to hear Zechariah’s chorus, He has come to redeem His people to give us hope for today and our future! He has come to reveal His Son to show His extravagant love to you. He wants to assure you that He knows everything about you and cares about you. You are His work of art that is yet to be completed!

In the midst our winter of discontent sometimes we can’t see clearly.
We might not even be able to see our own reality. We might be blinded by our own grief and tears. If so, hear the encouraging words of Isaiah.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.  Isaiah 42:16

When things seem hopeless and uncertain be encouraged that, ’He has come’ for you too! Yes, He has come to bring light into your darkness and mine. Jesus came to live and die for you so that you could truly know Him and be His now and forever!  Now, that is something to sing about don’t you think?

Everyone sings something. What will your song be? May you join me this Christmas season in knowing that Zechariah’s chorus ‘HE HAS COME’ can be your song too!

A Very Warm Merry Christmas to you,

Mark

Receiving An Unwanted Gift

Today, before we open a gift the giver might say, “Don’t worry I have a gift receipt. If you don’t like it 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: 23“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 date 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.

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.

It would be understandable that Joseph was deeply disappointed in Mary by 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 observations we can learn from this Christmas story:
Don’t be afraid, verse 23 “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. 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.

Good News For Everyone

The recent tragic news of the SoCal fires and mass shootings has left many of us feeling weary. No doubt, there is plenty of domestic and international bad news to go around. The world has more than enough trouble. Trouble at the border, trouble in Washington, financial trouble, and relational trouble. As Bob Dylan once said, “There’s trouble, nothing but trouble.”

It was into a world of trouble when God interrupted a lowly group of shepherds thousands of years ago.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.“ But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord”  Luke 2:10-11

Unfortunately many have missed this good news along the way. The birth of Christ has been glossed over with every imaginable marketing plug, Santa, jingle bells, cute sayings, decorations and debt. Or maybe we’ve unintentionally been too busy getting prepared for the season or getting through it.

But Christmas is a story of contrasts.  

As Luke says this good news is for the ‘all the people.’ You see God intended it for all, but it only makes sense and is only accessible for those who realize they need this good news.

The good news was proclaimed in such an unforgettable dramatic way it radically interrupted the shepherd's daily routine. What does it take for God to interrupt you to get your attention? Is it an illness, a broken relationship, a broken heart or dream, the loss of a loved one?

Why did God reveal the good news to the shepherds? It had nothing to do with who they were. The shepherds were the bottom rung of Jesus’ day; they were those you didn’t want your daughter to marry. They had no position or reputation and didn’t even own the sheep. Don’t you love it? God came to those who others sized up as insignificant, but not God!

Maybe we're not aware of it, but we’re like the shepherds. Yes, you and I.
The Apostle Paul spoke to the Corinthians about God’s utterly amazing grace that was given freely to those who responded to God’s good news.

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth…He chose the lowly things of this world to confound the wise. I Corinthians 1:26, 28

During this busy Christmas season slow down to reflect upon ‘the greatest news ever proclaimed.'