AUGUST 30, 2017

“You can avoid Jesus as Savior by keeping all the moral laws. If you do that, then you have “rights.” God owes you answered prayers, and a good life, and a ticket to heaven when you die. You don’t need a Savior who pardons you by free grace, for you are your own Savior.” 
― Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

PSALM 142-144

7Answer me quickly, Lord;

my spirit fails.

Do not hide your face from me

or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

8Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

for to you I entrust my life.

9Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,

for I hide myself in you.

10Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God;

may your good Spirit

lead me on level ground. (143:7-10)

1 CORINTHIANS 10:14-33

31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

JOURNAL 

One of the benefits of serving as an aide in different classes is that in some respect it is as if I'm going going back to junior high. In first period we have been reading through King Arthur and discussing the concept of chivalry. Chivalry comes from serving a cause and something greater than yourself. It comes out of the base of our faith which is a belief that God is greater than our own immediate welfare. Serving God then becomes more important than getting what we want in the moment.

This is the core of what makes a great society, this is the core of sacrifice, courage and ultimately love...for love is the ultimate expression in giving of yourself for the benefit of another. In scripture it is stated that God is love, so that if we serve God, we ultimately serve the concept of love. If we give of ourselves completely to God then we give of ourselves completely in love of God and others.

An individual, team, group, organization, community, nation and world that collectively serves a God of love becomes a world that truly is Heaven on earth. This is the hope that we should aspire to realize. This is the Epic story that God has weaved into our mind and heart. This is the sacrifice of Christ and the guiding light of all of scripture.

Yet despite the power of this in our lives there lives a darker presence that draws us to seek immediate gratification first. This darker force compels us to lie, cheat, manipulate and allow self to be more important than love. This darker force can be found at the core of abuse, addiction and all forms of selfishness. This is the daily battle fought in every human that lives upon the earth. This is why story and literature and history is so important...for it helps us to confront this battle for our own hearts and minds.

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.- 

1 JOHN 4:7-8

AUGUST 29, 2017

“Masculinity grows not out of conquering the woman, but only out of conquering the man—and not another man, as in war, but oneself.” 
― Gordon Dalbey, Healing the Masculine Soul: God's Restoration of Men to Real Manhood

PSALM 139-141

1You have searched me, Lord,

and you know me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4Before a word is on my tongue

you, Lord, know it completely.

5You hem me in behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain. (139:1-6)

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13

12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13No temptation^c has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted^d beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,^e he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

JOURNAL 

What is the temptation in my life? What is it that I must be careful of and that will serve to pull me away from trusting God. I don't know that it is one in particular but I do know that overall the temptation is to go my own way, seek immediate gratification and not be disciplined to God's wisdom and commands.

This rebellion is subtle and many times is not detected outwardly, because it is an inward struggle. It is my private war...

Recently I have faced many ways in which my plans and hopes have not panned out the way I wanted. From losing our home, to business taking unexpected turns, to taking a job as a special ed aide and coaching football. None of these things were in my plans or hopes for life...yet there are so many blessings and ways that I can see God is caring for me and fulfilling my purpose. It reminds me that the best I can do is to trust God everyday and not get carried away in visualizing and planning the future...especially when those plans become demands and expectations to fulfill me and my purpose.

21Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. 

PROVERBS 19:21

AUGUST 28, 2017

“When Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to the believers as “the Helper,” the text uses the Greek word paraclete, which, as John Sandford has explained, is an ancient warrior’s term. Greek soldiers went to battle in pairs, so when the enemy attacked they could draw together back to back, covering each other’s blind side. Your battle partner was called your paraclete.6” 
― Gordon Dalbey, Healing the Masculine Soul: God's Restoration of Men to Real Manhood

PSALM 136-138

1Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

2Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.

3Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

4to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.

5who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.

6who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.

7who made the great lights— His love endures forever.

8the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.

9the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever. (136:1-9)

1 CORINTHIANS 9

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

JOURNAL 

A thought came over me yesterday and then this morning. The gift of life is such a trivial thing to me and it is such a shame that I don't live in absolute wonder at my life. I don't mean from the worldly perspective...I mean simply from the reality that I have life, that I have a functioning body and a mind and an ability to think, contemplate and create. That is an amazing gift. That in and of itself is a miracle. Yet more often than not I dismiss this, more often than not I take all that for granted.

In taking it for granted, my mind wanders and drifts to things I don't have, ways I don't measure up, comparing and contrasting my life to others. While this ability is one of the gifts of being human, it actually can become a curse. Instead of using this ability to serve God and in obedience to him...it becomes a means by which I degrade myself and my life. It becomes a measuring stick that serves to shame me instead of encouraging me.

Here though is where God saves me. His word and scripture assure me that he loves me, will never leave me, forgives me and has gone to death to save me from myself. What a miracle, what comfort and joy.

I can rest in this because you have given me a spirit that calms my mind, that assures my worries and my anxiety. Thank you Father for life, for your word, for your spirit and for stripping away all the doubts, and pulling me close to your heart.

23Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25“All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. - JOHN 14:23-27

AUGUST 27, 2017

“If we are deeply moved by the sight of his love for us, it detaches our hearts from other would-be saviors.” 
― Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters

PSALM 132-135

1How good and pleasant it is

when God’s people live together in unity!

2It is like precious oil poured on the head,

running down on the beard,

running down on Aaron’s beard,

down on the collar of his robe.

3It is as if the dew of Hermon

were falling on Mount Zion.

For there the Lord bestows his blessing,

even life forevermore.( 133 )

1 CORINTHIANS 8

We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3But whoever loves God is known by God.^a

JOURNAL 

Love is the essence of God. Love is God's calling card, it is his chief defining characteristic. In all things throughout the Bible it is God's love that comes through in the end. Not his anger or his wrath...but his love.

When I think about this in my own life, I can see God moving and working but I can also see other things...fear, jealousy, anger, greed, sloth. It is in these things that brotherhood is sacrificed. It is here that I must repent. It is here that I surrender my pride and renew my hope in God and his love.

I am realizing more and more that love is given through intentional actions. Many times it is in the little things...not the big public ones. Putting my phone down to really listen to my boys. Turning the TV off and reaching out to someone. Getting off the couch and exercising and experiencing God's creation. Resisting the urge to wallow in self-pity and instead giving in sacrificial ways. This is when I feel God the closest...this is when his presence overwhelms me.

Father forgive me for my arrogance and selfishness and laziness. Forgive all the ways that I have run from you and then tried to justify myself and my actions. I realize that I have sought refuge in other people and things rather than in you. You are the one true God and obeying you is the only thing that will soothe my anxious soul.

9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 

2 CORINTHIANS 12:9-10

AUGUST 26, 2017

“It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?” 
― Henry David Thoreau, Letters to Various Persons

PSALM 128-131

1My heart is not proud, Lord,

my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters

or things too wonderful for me.

2But I have calmed and quieted myself,

I am like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child I am content. (131:1-2)

1 CORINTHIANS 7:25-40

23You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 

JOURNAL 

This morning listening to soundtracks and it just reminds me how much I love movies. The reality is that I just love stories and the journey of he human heart. The drama that fills movie screens is the same that plays out in the hearts and minds of every human who has ever lived.  It is what connects us all. It is what brings about strong emotions and millions and people flocking to theaters to watch it play out.

All movies fall more or less into a similar theme...Things were good, then they turned bad, an unlikely hero was called and through his sacrifice the day was saved. This is the story of our faith and the human condition. It is what God uses to bring us together. It is what he uses to draw us to each other in love and sacrifice. Story brings understanding and connection. Jesus used it to help us understand God, his mission and our place in the bigger story.

I wish I could have a soundtrack playing in my head all the time. When I am connected to a story and understand my place, I tend to have much more courage. I am more focused and am able to make better decisions. I wonder in some way if this is why God continues to call us into story and the story that he is telling. The question is how do we find our place? How do I know and embrace my place in the story God is telling? I think it comes in the following ways...

1. Realize and embrace that I am part of God's story
2. Believe that the story is good
3. Accept that God loves me and that I am a valuable part of the story
4. Embrace the gifts and talents that I possess 
5. Receive the call to go on mission
6. Surrender to the call
7. Live the rest of my life devoted to the story and my place in it. 

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whoⁱ have been called according to his purpose. - ROMANS 8:28

AUGUST 24, 2017

"Night and the spirit of life calling...

And the voice with the fear of a child answers...

Wait, there's no mountain too great

Hear these words and have faith

Have faith

He lives in you, he lives in me

He watches over everything we see

Into the waters, into the truth
In your reflection, he lives in you"

- THE LION KING

PSALM 120-123

1I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

2My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth. (121:1-2)

1 CORINTHIANS 6

 19Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

JOURNAL 

I absolutely love "The Lion King". The movie, the play, the soundtrack. I connect with the story on so many levels and as a result the soundtrack has a way of undoing me emotionally...especially the tract from the play "He lives in you".  I think it's because there are many times when I have experienced and felt the safety and warmth of God's spirit in the midst of circumstances that threatened to undo me.  To feel and know that "he lives in me" has calmed some of the stormiest seas in my mind and heart.

It is in the dark moments that I question my faith the most. When my very existence seems to not matter. It is as if I am just a meaningless grain of sand, that is not needed.  It is easy to get lost in this space...

Here though is the miracle of God. Again as always, in these moments and in these feelings of meaninglessness, he shows up. The spirit of God truly defies explanation, it is mysterious in it's movements and it's arrival always surprises me and leaves me unable to explain it's existence. The calm that comes over me when I dwell on his acceptance, love and power is priceless. It is greater than anything in this world.

I need these today more than ever and reality is that I always need it.

6Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” - DEUTERONOMY 31:6

AUGUST 23, 2017

“I think if I've learned anything about friendship, it's to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don't walk away, don't be distracted, don't be too busy or tired, don't take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff.” 
― Jon Katz

PSALM 119:105-176

145I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord,

and I will obey your decrees.

146I call out to you; save me

and I will keep your statutes.

147I rise before dawn and cry for help;

I have put my hope in your word.

148My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,

that I may meditate on your promises.

149Hear my voice in accordance with your love;

preserve my life, Lord, according to your laws.

150Those who devise wicked schemes are near,

but they are far from your law.

151Yet you are near, Lord,

and all your commands are true.

152Long ago I learned from your statutes

that you established them to last forever.

1 CORINTHIANS 5

6Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

JOURNAL 

One of the toughest things as a parent is to lovingly discipline. It is hard, and requires a disciplined dedicated response to really do it the right way. The worst thing I can do as a parent is to ignore my child...ignore destructive behavior, pretend it doesn't exist, live in denial and hope it goes away by itself.

I think this is what Paul is warning the church about. It has been said that the opposite of love is not hate...it is apathy.  To discipline is loving to ignore is the worst form of insult. It's all about communication. Paul is communicating to the church and he really gets into some tough subjects. His warning is about letting someone who is a believer continue in obvious outright sin. 

Paul could just as easily be speaking about true friendship. For this is what it really comes down to. Between friends and even in a marriage. It is hard to fight for someone, to deal with their issues while also grappling with your own. Friendship, marriage, family...to really do it right is hard. It is messy and when I think about it...it is also the same in my own life. 

These are the tough deep struggles of the Christian Life, yet they are also where we meet Christ, who loves us through all of the mud and mire and is willing to step in, wipe our eyes, and restore us to relationship with the God of the Universe. This is our story, this is our hope, this is our joy...and to wade into it all with others committed to the same God, honest in their same struggles and dedicated to the best in each other...this is the Kingdom come. 

It is in these times that I cling to this hope...on the brink of change and uncertainty, I cling to hope in you Father, rather than the things of this world. Yet this is hard and difficult, for this world is where I reside. Although I have my moments of doubt, I trust your love for me and your promise of joy and redemption. I see this through those that are willing to walk this difficult road with us, you made us for each other and in this you are glorified. 

17A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

- PROVERBS 17:17

AUGUST 22, 2017

“Believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it.” 
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

PSALM 119:49-104

89Your word, Lord, is eternal;

it stands firm in the heavens.

90Your faithfulness continues through all generations;

you established the earth, and it endures.

91Your laws endure to this day,

for all things serve you.

92If your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

1 CORINTHIANS 4

 11To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

JOURNAL 

There are these certain moments when I feel God's presence so strong. As I think back it so often is in times when I need something extra...these last few weeks things have begun to mount in a way that have threatened to sour my heart and soul. I sit here with out definite answers to problems that seem daunting and yet on the way in to work I feel God speak to me through a song on the radio. The message is clear. "Don't fear, don't shrink back...I love you more than you can ever imagine. I am the God of the Universe and nothing escapes me. I have a plan for you and it is full of joy and triumph."

I don't know the details and when I look at the days before me it seems illogical yet something is alive within me that defies the odds. His presence is strong and it bolsters me to have courage and hope and faith.

When I look at the stories in the Bible I see the same thing...God showing up and defying the odds. I don't know the rest of my story or how today will work out, yet I know that I have a God that is not determined by the world's circumstances. Therefore I take hope and courage and believe that whatever comes he will give me the strength to conquer.

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^k neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

ROMANS 8:37-39