AUGUST 16, 2017

“God's definition of what matters is pretty straightforward. He measures our lives by how we love.” 
― Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth.” 
― William W. Purkey

PSALM 105-106

1Praise the Lord.^a

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

2Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord

or fully declare his praise?

3Blessed are those who act justly,

who always do what is right. (106:1-3)

ROMANS 15

1We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”^a 4For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

5May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews^b on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.

JOURNAL 

I wake up this morning to my second day of school. After a long first day and feeling and knowing that I am where I need to be it is still hard to accept that the reward for my work and effort will not be monetary. It is hard to be excited, because in the end there is so little hope of a financial payoff. In our world and in the school I am working this just seems so backward. It is so tempting at times to place my hope in "worldly" success and security. Believing that if I just live my life the way God asks then I will be protected from heartache and rewarded with security and good times and "noodle salad". 

The reality is that this just isn't true. While I know that there are "good things" that have happened in my life that demand divine intervention as their explanation. I still look around and look back at my own life and realize that there are also times when divine intervention seems glaringly absent. Why? What is the formula? What do I need to do to ensure safe delivery of all those I love to a blessed tranquil life and an eternity of peace and joy? 

The answer is that I can only live the life I'm given. I can only embrace the moments I am blessed to receive. That's it! Nothing more! I fear turning that over, I fear letting go and trusting. My mind ventures to an almost panic to protect and control. 

So why hope? Why trust? Why put my hope in a God that cannot be depended on to fulfill my earthly hopes and dreams? I can only look at scripture and realize that there is something greater...It is the hope that drove Paul and the disciples forward despite the warnings. It is the voice that comforted Elijah. It is the courage that moved Moses to stand up to Pharaoh.  It is the peace that filled Stephen before he was stoned. It is the dream that guided Joseph through prison. Ultimately it is love that guided Christ to the looming Cross and it is this love that wraps it all in the goodness of God...regardless of the earthly outcome...there truly is something greater!  

Oh wow...I am a mess...I am delusional and fearful...yet God you are still there. It is the only thing that can pry my hands off the illusion of control. You give me hope despite my fear, you give me joy in the midst of my panic, you even forgive me after callous, careless sin. Why? The answer is right here in the pages of this ancient book...because you love me.

1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,^a

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

PSALM 23

AUGUST 15, 2017

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

PSALM 103-104

13As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

14for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

15The life of mortals is like grass,

they flourish like a flower of the field;

16the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

17But from everlasting to everlasting

the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

18with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts. (103:13-18)

ROMANS 14

 7For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

JOURNAL 

God created us to live in community. We are just wired that way. God actually exists in community. So it makes sense that to live isolated and alone is something that would absolutely serve to destroy the human spirit. There obviously is a healthy and an unhealthy version of this. I myself have fallen victim of being included in the unhealthy version. Over time I have learned that it is when I become dependent on people, things etc in a desperate need for my identity that the ugly side rears its head.  

I have also come to learn that God is always safe in being dependent upon him for identity. This is truly the only safe place to find my answers.  It seems that the closer I draw to God the better I understand myself...flaws and all. I can then see clearer that his intentions for me and life only make sense when I stitch my soul in permanent concert with his love. 

This then becomes the anchor that I need to weather storms and also to enjoy the  peaceful moments of life. For without that anchor I would be in danger of drifting from myself and attaching to people, places and things that can never give me identity. With this anchor I am able to live and love in ways that bring life instead of consume it. Oh this seems so simple...I am thankful for the grace of God that covers me when I fall short.

16So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,

a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;

the one who relies on it

will never be stricken with panic.

- ISAIAH 28:16

AUGUST 14, 2017

“And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.” 
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

PSALM 99-102

 1Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

2Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

3Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his^a ;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. (100:1-3)

ROMANS 13

8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”^aand whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^b 10Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

JOURNAL 

First full day before kids come in my new venture.  Right in the midst of such uncertainty...It is sometimes hard to wrap my brain around all the goodness in my life. I have been so blessed with family and friends...yet there are those times when for whatever reason I forget...

Life and its struggles have a tendency to take over...thoughts of loss and hardship too often win the day. Yet to be able to thank God and praise him for all the goodness, all the opportunities to serve him and the power and privilege to serve others..this is an incredible gift. It is the greatest gift. I pray Father that you continue to remind me today of the precious gift of life and that your power and love flow through me in all that I do.

13You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^a ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^b

- GALATIANS 5:13-14

AUGUST 13, 2017

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” 
― C.S. Lewis

PSALM 96-98

 10Let those who love the Lord hate evil,

for he guards the lives of his faithful ones

and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

11Light shines^a on the righteous

and joy on the upright in heart.

12Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous,

and praise his holy name. (97:10-12)

ROMANS 12

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

JOURNAL 

Living sacrifice...this is really putting it on the line. This line lays it out completely. That this is the true way to worship God. Not by lip service or just showing up at church or tithing 10%. To dedicate my entire being...mind, body and spirit in obedience and service to God.  Paul further clarifies that this means to not conform to the ways of the world. By doing this he says we will then know what God's will truly is for our lives. 

Later in the chapter he goes on to state that this then leads the believer to love

 9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

This is a chapter I could read every day of my life...it really lays out what being a believer is all about. Paul goes on to also state that each of us have gifts and if we are to live as living sacrifices then we are to use those gifts.  

23Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
- LUKE 9:23-25

AUGUST 12, 2017

“Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate.” 
― William Arthur Ward

PSALM 93-95

1Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

2Let us come before him with thanksgiving

and extol him with music and song.

3For the Lord is the great God,

the great King above all gods.

4In his hand are the depths of the earth,

and the mountain peaks belong to him.

5The sea is his, for he made it,

and his hands formed the dry land.

6Come, let us bow down in worship,

let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

7for he is our God

and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care. (95:1-7)

ROMANS 11:22-36

33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom andⁱ knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments,

and his paths beyond tracing out!

34“Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?”^j

35“Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay them?”^k

36For from him and through him and for him are all things.

To him be the glory forever! Amen.

JOURNAL 

Coaching is such an honor. To see kids learn, develop and then implement what they have learned is so rewarding. It definitely is one of the greatest blessings. Equally as important is watching a kid fail miserably and then come back and correct a mistake.  It reminds me that God sees me the same way. When I trust him and work to get better and do things that are hard...I know and feel that it warms his heart.

This morning I am a bit overwhelmed as I contemplate that the creator of all things, all people, the mountains, the valleys, the rivers, the oceans, all the smallest details of our amazing world...the laugh and tears of a child, the miracle of a created being...he is the author and creator of all and yet through it he whispers and pronounces his love for me, for all of his creation. It is in these moments that I both realize how small and insignificant I am, but at the same time how grateful I am to be a part of it all. I realize that he is all things...Father, Coach, Friend. He finds joy in his creation living, breathing and doing what he designed it to do...I experience that same joy when I cling to his instruction, his direction and know that he smiles on me, no matter how often I fumble, blow it or lose my way. He is always waiting, always hoping, always calling me back to him. 

What an honor to serve him and obey him as I am called to live this life to the fullest.

9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^a They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
- JOHN 10:9-10