MARCH 15, 2018

"You’re cheating yourself out of today. Today is calling to you, trying to get your attention, but you’re stuck on tomorrow, and today trickles away like water down a drain. You wake up the next morning and that today you wasted is gone forever. It’s now yesterday. Some of those moments may have had wonderful things in store for you , but now you’ll never know.” 
― Jerry Spinelli

DEUTERONOMY 25-26

17You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. 18And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands..(26:17-18)

MARK 15:1-32

25It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28]^a 29Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

JOURNAL 

1969 - U.S. President Nixon authorizes Operation Menue. It was the ‘secret’ bombing of Cambodia. 

1970 - The U.S. Postal Service experienced the first postal strike. 

1970 - The NFL selected Wilson to be the official football and scoreboard as official time. 

1971 - U.S. helicopters airlifted 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers out of Laos. 

This is just a few of the significant events that happened on March 18...

In reading in Mark the crucifixion of Jesus was really not a big deal at the time. I'm sure as people passed him and spit on him and laughed about his claims...they assumed and thought that this was just another crazy criminal. There were others there being crucified just like Jesus. I'm sure they had other things on their mind...more important things. For that day and time crucifixions were just part of the culture...no big deal. Yet what was occurring was an event that would change history, the world and the future for every human, yet very few gave it a second thought. 

Today...great things are happening, today history is being made. How often I dismiss it...caught up in my own thoughts and of course "more important things". Today, this moment, is important. Be present, be grateful, be diligent and make it count. 

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.^a

PROVERBS 3:5-6

MARCH 14, 2018

“‎All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” 
― H. Havelock Ellis

DEUTERONOMY 23-25

16Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.(24:16)

MARK 14:51-72

60Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

62“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

63The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64“You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.

JOURNAL 

This scene has to be one of the most despairing in all of the Bible. The perfect Jesus, the Messiah is being accused of blasphemy. He is being spit upon and unfairly treated. As a parent I cannot imagine, sitting by and watching this occur. Thankfully I am not God for at this point in the story lightning bolts would have evaporated any and all accusers.

There are times in life when as a parent I am called to intervene, protect etc. Then there comes a time when my protection is no longer warranted. There comes a time when my protection becomes a problem and actually can make things worse. It is in these moments when I must surrender to God and stand by and watch...even and especially when adversity threatens failure. 

I hate it!!!! I have come to realize that I don't do this very well...But in following God, I at times must allow it to proceed. Why? Because that's where God works best, that's where he ultimately shows up. My boys are ultimately not my boys...they are God's. Father seeing you not intervene in the trial of Jesus shows me that letting go can be the greatest form of love. 

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.^a

PROVERBS 3:5-6

MARCH 13, 2018

“The best way out is always through.” 
― Robert Frost

DEUTERONOMY 20-22

1When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”(20:1-4)

MARK 14:26-50

27“You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:

“ ‘I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.’^d

28But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

29Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”

30“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice^e you yourself will disown me three times.”

31But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

JOURNAL 

Peter refused to believe that there could ever be a situation where he would deny Christ...yet in a few short verses later...he runs away and then denies him 3 times.  Peter completely blows it. Yet Christ knew that this was coming, he knew the daunting circumstances that all of them would encounter over the next few days. I think this was part of Jesus' angst. Yet instead of running, instead of finding a way out...Jesus faced it head on. 

Adversity is waiting...every morning that we are gifted with another day we are also gifted with inevitable adversity. In one way or another we are going to face struggle...whether that be with a situation, another human, an illness, and if nothing else...ourselves. Struggle and adversity are as much a part of life as the sun rising and setting. 

Yet I will confess, there is always this hope that maybe today I won't encounter it...maybe today it won't exist, maybe today I'll just cruise through unscathed. Yet what I learn from scripture and have unwillingly learned in my life is that wishing for the absence of adversity is futile. For adversity is a key component in defining life itself. 

The question rather needs to be...how do I confront it, how can I overcome it, what can I learn from it. When I really think about it...gravity is adversity, hunger is adversity, thirst is adversity, the weather, the elements, bills, job, school, relationships, family...all of it contains an element of problems and adversity. 

So I guess really there are two choices...face it or run from it. To face it and embrace it is to ultimately solve it. To run from it and avoid it is to be defeated by it.  Jesus faced the adversity all the way through death and in doing so defeated it. In doing so he provided redemption to Peter and the keys to life for all of us. 

 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

GALATIANS 6:9

MARCH 12, 2018

“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” 
― G.K. Chesterton

DEUTERONOMY 17-19

16The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

18When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.(17:16-20)

MARK 14:1-25

1Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2“But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages^a and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

6“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you,^b and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

10Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

JOURNAL 

Recently I read the article on Baker Mayfield's "Goodbye to Oklahoma". It was very inspiring and I had to ask why? What was it about his words that moved me? For me it is a very central thing...his passion and his willingness to not care what others think and not care that he didn't fit a certain mold. His willingness to risk it all in doing and achieving his dream of playing a key role at Oklahoma...even if that meant abandoning the safety of Texas Tech becoming a walk-on at Oklahoma. 

I think that it is easy to really get caught up in religiosity. I think it's easy to get into a certain mindset that's all about looking the part and resting in the "humility" of "God's gonna take care of it, God's gonna fix it, God's got a greater plan." I don't need to "rock the boat" or be "outspoken" I just need to do the responsible and sensible thing.  

That's definitely not a Baker Mayfield mindset...neither is it a David mindset, or a Paul mindset, or a Moses mindset or a Jesus mindset. The Bible is centrally filled with people going against the grain, doing the unconventional and rocking the boat. I think this is exactly why Jesus commends the prostitute for her action. It is a passionate display of devotion from her heart. This is the mindset of the kingdom...bold, unconventional, passionate and all heart. 

34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^c 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^d 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

MATTHEW 22:34-40

MARCH 11, 2018

“I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.” 
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

DEUTERONOMY 14-16

1At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.

7If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. 8Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. 9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.(15:1-11)

MARK 13:14-37

32“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert^e ! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”

JOURNAL 

To truly live aware and present is much harder than it seems. I think it is because as a human, I tend to want to give context to everything. My memory serves as a way to give me perspective as to why I am here, what I am doing and ultimately who I am. Otherwise when I woke up this morning I would have no idea how I got here, who I am etc. 

The brain is truly a remarkable gift. Not only are we able to remember everything from our past but we are also able to imagine, create, plan and visualize a future that does not yet exist. While this ability is absolutely amazing it is not the only amazing gift. Emotions...those chemical reactions in our system...give us feelings that guide us and help us to make sense of those memories and those visualizations and dreams. 

When they are all working well...then we humans can do some amazing things...however when they aren't we can go off the rails in pretty dramatic fashion. The real problems begin to fester when we don't see the amazing uniqueness and opportunity of today. Because that is the only real opportunity we have to live this life, to affect the future etc. But it all starts and works in the here and now. 

Being aware of what all is going on around me, the needs, the joys, the blessings, the hurts...it is critical in living this life well to fully be present and to see all that God has authored and all that he has allowed and therefore all that he will do through us humans. 

34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^c 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^d 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

MATTHEW 22:34-40