Grace Notes

2007-05-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

How's Your Attitude?

We all have tough days, don’t we? Some of those tough days vary by intensity.

There’s the tough day when we run over a nail and a tire on our car goes unexpectedly flat. Tough day.

There’s the tough day when we go into work and the boss is unhappy because a project isn’t done when he expected you to have it done. Tough day.

There’s the tough day when we go in for a check-up and the doctor looks up at us and says, “I think you have cancer.” Tough day.

There’s the tough day when we answer the phone and the voice on the other end says, “I’m trooper Jones with the State Patrol. I have some difficult news to give you.” Tough day.

It’s one thing to have a great attitude when things are going well for us, but when our days are tough, how’s our attitude then?

That’s why Paul is so amazing to me. Sitting in prison, having been through shipwrecks, being beaten and left for dead, and having his enemies dogging his every step, Paul wrote these words in Philippians 4:12. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty, I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty of in want.”

Isn’t that amazing? Paul said that he had learned how to be content in any situation, no matter how tough it was. How did he do that?

Well, it’s the next verse that tells us how.

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

No, Philippians 4:13 isn’t saying that I will be able to compose a wonderful cantata like Handel. It doesn’t imply that I will be able to shoot a round of golf like Tiger Woods. This verse doesn’t say I’ll be able to invest in the stock market and become as rich as Warren Buffett.

What Philippians 4:13 is saying is that by God’s sustaining grace I can be content whatever the situation that may come my way.

That’s the type of attitude that Paul had.

How’s your attitude?

2007-05-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Are You Perfect?

No, it’s not a trick question. Are you perfect?

Now, before you answer, consider another question: How do you define perfection?

That’s a thought-provoking question and one I want you to take a few minutes to consider…

Done yet?

With your definition in mind, consider the following passage about Jesus found in Hebrews 10:14.

“Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (NIV; emphasis added).

Take a look again at the words I’ve emphasized in the above text.

Hebrews 10:14 doesn’t say “he will make perfect.” It doesn’t say “we make ourselves perfect.” Nor does it say “he may make perfect.”

If I take scripture seriously—and I do, by the way—then I can’t get around the fact that this scripture is saying that I have been made perfect by Christ!

Now consider this: Who should get the credit for my perfection; Jesus or me? Again, if I take scripture seriously, I have been made perfect by Christ. He’s the one who deserves the credit for that. This isn’t something I get any credit for whatsoever.

Let’s also pay attention to the last part of Hebrews 10:14.

“…who are being made holy.”

I may have been made perfect in Christ, but I still have lots of room for growth in my spiritual journey. There’s much that needs to happen on my way to holiness.

But again, the question is: How do I become holy and who, in turn, gets credit for this?

Hebrews 10:14 is crystal clear on this as well. I don’t make myself holy. I am made holy. My role is to cooperate with Jesus in that process of Him making me holy. Consequently, He’s the one who is to receive the credit for my holiness as well as for my perfection.

Do you see why Christians should be the most joyful people on the planet? Christ takes responsibility for my perfection and for my holiness. I don’t have to worry about it!

Because Christ takes responsibility for both my perfection and holiness, He is, therefore, deserving of our unreserved passionate worship!

When I “get” that Jesus takes responsibility for my holiness and for my perfection, it brings me a freedom that can only come as I trust Jesus wholly and completely to do these things on my behalf.

So, let me ask the question again. And will your answer be different this time?

Are you perfect?

2007-05-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

Stay Focused

In the early 90’s when I was still living in the Seattle area I enjoyed riding my bike on a regular basis. I wasn’t what I would call a serious rider—just a recreational rider who used riding to stay in shape.

One Sunday I had agreed to ride with a couple of other guys who were members of my church. We arrived at our meeting point and it was quite windy, but we decided to ride anyway.

The wind was at our backs as we headed north on the bike path and we rode easily. We had ridden probably 10 to 15 miles when we decided to turn around and head back to our starting point.

Now heading south, the wind had picked up dramatically and it was gusting in our faces. The ride back was going to be dramatically different.

At one point I remember thinking, “Let’s just get off our bikes and walk them back.” But Chuck and Tad, being younger and stronger riders than me, insisted that we could ride back.

We each took turns in the lead creating a draft for the two other riders. When the lead rider would get tired, he would drop to the back and draft off of the other two guys.

Most of the way back I kept my head down, not only because it made me more aerodynamic, but also because it was so discouraging to see how slow our progress was. It was difficult to look up and see how much farther we still had to ride. So to keep my spirits up, I simply focused on the rear tire of the bike in front of me.

Tired, sore, but not too much worse for the wear, we slowly but surely arrived at our destination.

Have you ever felt like your Christian journey is like that? It seems that at times the headwinds slow our progress as Christians to a crawl and other times it feels like the headwinds are actually blowing us backwards. Progress is minimal at best and the temptation is strong to just give up and throw in the towel.

It’s at time such as these that I recall the advice of Hebrews 12:2, 3.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross…Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

The next time you’re tempted to give up on your Christian journey, focus on the example of Jesus and let His life inspire you to never, ever give up.

Stay focused!

2007-05-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

How Much Do You Love?

There’s something that is attracting about passionate people. Their passion may be for their career, their kids, their hobbies, or their views. Passion is compelling and we’re often drawn to those whose passion is evident.

And yet…

Sometimes passion bothers us, especially if from our perspective that passion is out of balance or goes too overboard to suit our own sensibilities. Then passion becomes, at the very least, mildly irritating.

Passion. It’s what’s behind the story found in Luke 7:36-50.

Jesus is invited to a dinner party by one of the religious leaders of His day, a man named Simon. While Jesus was at the party, a woman described as “sinful” comes to the party and breaks an expensive container of perfume and poured it on Jesus’ feet. She was crying as she did this as well and she used her hair to dry Jesus’ feet of the perfume and her tears.

Simon looked at this woman, and knowing her past, said to himself, “If Jesus really was who He says He is, He would know about this woman and wouldn’t approve of what she’s doing.”

The Bible says Jesus then told a story. Two men owed money to a lender. One owed ten times as much as the other, but neither had the money to repay the lender. The lender decided to cancel the debts of both men. Jesus concluded the story with a question for Simon.

“Which of the men would appreciate the lender the most?”

Seems to have an obvious answer, doesn’t it? So Simon replied, “The man who had the bigger debt cancelled.”

Jesus approved of Simon’s answer. Then he told Simon that the woman who was passionate in her display of love for Jesus stood in stark contrast to Simon’s lack of public passion for Christ.

The story in Luke 7 contains this punch line: “Her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

Jesus tells us in this story that there is a direct correlation between our perception of how much grace we have received from God—how much we’ve needed His forgiveness—and how much we demonstrate our love for Him.

Frankly, some of us as Christians fall into the trap of thinking we’re pretty good people who aren’t in as much need of grace as other “sinners.” The tragedy of falling into that trap is that like Simon, we won’t be as passionate then in our demonstration of love for God.

Again the correlation is straightforward: Lots of grace received, lots of love returned.

So I close with a simple question: How much do you love?

2007-04-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

Covered With Grace

When I was about 12, my dad worked as the Service Manager at the local Chevrolet dealership—Wright Chevrolet—where we lived in Columbus, Wisconsin.

One summer day my dad needed to go to Milwaukee to do some training at General Motors. It was decided that the whole family would go to Milwaukee. While dad was busy, we would go to the Milwaukee Zoo and then to Lake Michigan.

The zoo was a favorite place of mine to go because I loved to go see Samson the 600-pound gorilla who was the most famous resident of the zoo. So I was excited about our trip to Milwaukee with my dad.

It was one of those hot, humid Wisconsin summer days so I was also looking forward to going to the lake. My two younger step-brothers and I spent our summer in shorts or cut-offs so it wasn’t a problem to go directly from the car to the water. My three-year-old step-sister joined us as we ran on the beach and into the water.

My brothers and I were playing in the water when I decided to get out and warm up a bit on the beach. Then I spotted her—there was my little sister on the beach completely naked. She apparently had stripped off her clothes to enjoy the beach.

For a 12-year-old boy who was just getting used to having a girl in the house and was just on the verge of becoming a teenager, this was a mortifying turn of events. I hurried up the beach, informed my mom of my little sister’s state of undress, and kept on walking as fast as I could away from the scene of the crime!

I thought of this childhood incident when I read the story of in Genesis 3 of the aftermath of the fall of Adam and Eve.

Adam and Eve had succumbed to the tempter by eating the fruit offered to them. What followed was the realization that they were naked. Genesis 3 tells us that “they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

The narrative of Genesis 3 goes on to tell us that God came looking for the fallen pair. Finding them, they confessed that they had been hiding because they were afraid due to their nakedness.

A conversation ensues in which Adam and Eve try to place the blame on their fallen state on someone else, refusing to take personal responsibility for their predicament. Typical.

After telling them of the future that faced them because of their fateful decision, we come to verse 21, a verse that is easy to skim over quickly and miss its significance. But take some time to digest the implications of this verse.

“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”

Did you notice anything of importance as you read this verse?
Consider just a couple of points.

First, something had to die in order for these garments to be made for Adam and Eve. The text doesn’t say which of God’s recently created animals had to lose its life on behalf of Adam and Eve. Regardless of which creature died, this whole incident points forward to a day when God the Son would die on the cross for you and me.

Second, while Adam and Eve had made garments to cover themselves, God let them know that these garments weren’t good enough. The only thing adequate to cover them would be what He Himself provided for them.

These two points tell us something important about grace, don’t they? Grace comes at a high cost—the very life of God the Son. And it is grace and only God’s grace that is adequate to cover our need.

As you consider those areas in your life where you’re inadequate to provide for yourself, remember there is a God whose love for you is so great that He has made all the provision necessary for your needs.

Remember, you are covered with grace!

2007-04-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

No Greater Love

Born in Romania, this Jewish teenager was interned in a labor camp during WWII when Romania joined forces with Nazi Germany. He, along with his family, was then sent with thousands of other Jews to a central ghetto in the city of Foscani. Fortunately, he survived the Holocaust while hundreds of thousands of other Romanian Jews did not.

In 1953 he graduated from Romania’s Polytechnic University with a degree in mechanics and aviation construction. Sixteen years later he received his doctorate from Romania’s Academy of Sciences.

He found work at a government aerospace company. However, in the 1970’s his career was stymied because he refused to swear allegiance to the Communist regime in Romania. When he requested permission to move to Israel, he was fired.

In 1977 Prime Minister Menachem Begin intervened to get his family an emigration permit. He and his family moved to Israel in 1978 where he became a citizen.

He took a sabbatical in 1985 in Virginia and eventually made the move permanent.

His specialty was composite structures and aeroelasticity. He published extensively and had received numerous awards for his work. He was internationally know for his work in aeronautical engineering.

For 20 years, Liviu Librescu taught as an engineering professor at Virginia Tech University.

On April 16, 2007, Israel’s Holocaust remembrance day, Librescu was teaching a mechanic’s class in Norris Hall on the campus of Virginia Tech. Shots began to ring out in Norris Hall as a gunman began to shoot and kill fellow students. The gunfire began to come closer to Librescu’s classroom. Realizing what was happening, Librescu urged his students to open the classroom windows and jump to safety below as he braced himself against the door. Student after student jumped to safety, but Librescu stayed behind. He died protecting his students.

Librescu lived through a period of history when so many stood by silently and did nothing during the Holocaust. But on a day when he came face-to-face with evil, this Holocaust survivor refused to be a silent bystander and he willingly gave up his life so that his students might live.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NIV)

On a day of great darkness the light of God’s grace shown even brighter in contrast.

As you reflect on what Jesus did for you on Calvary, may you understand this simple truth about God’s grace: There is no greater love.

2007-04-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

The Red Chair

The first church I pastored was in Morton, Washington, a small logging community south of Mount Rainier. It had an average attendance of 40-50 people for worship services.

I was 26-years-old when we moved there and I was enthusiastic about pastoring my first church. Unfortunately I had more enthusiasm than common sense.

In the spring following my arrival we decided to take a Sunday to clean the church. Stuff had accumulated throughout the church that simply needed to be tossed out. The baptistry had even become a place for storage. That would have to change.

As the day wound down, I had to make a decision about the red chair. The red chair sat in the back of the sanctuary at the doors leading to the lobby. Every week our deacon Lee, a retired gentleman, sat in that red chair. He gave bulletins to folks as they arrived. He kept the temperature in the church comfortable for folks. He could quickly oversee anything that needed attention from that red chair.

The red chair had made its way to the church following a remodeling project at a local medical office. It was old, it was worn, and it looked out of place in the sanctuary.

I thought the chair needed to be moved, but I was reluctant to toss it out entirely, so I made the decision that it would be placed in another room in the church.

The next week when Lee arrived at church he discovered that the red chair had been moved. He didn't say much about it--he didn't have to--because the hurt was evident on his face. For a couple of weeks after Lee wasn't in church.

About that time I was getting ready to go to summer camp for a week as the camp pastor. I packed up the car and along with my wife, my two-year-old son, and my two-month-old daughter headed north out of town toward camp.

Just a couple of miles out of town, my '79 Pontiac Sunbird began to occasionally lurch. I had had the same problem previously with this car and knew it was undoubtedly a clogged fuel filter. The prospect of my car breaking down on some lonely stretch of highway on National Forest land didn't intrigue me, so I decided that I'd turn around and take a more-traveled highway to camp so that if I did break down, help would be easier to find.

So we headed west on Highway 12, knowing we'd be late to camp, but with an increased likelihood of actually getting there.

We were west of Morton and had just passed Mossyrock when the car completely stopped. What to do? Fortunately, I had several church members who lived in Mossyrock so I went to a nearby home and asked to use the phone (remember, this was before cell phones). One call after another produced no results as no one seemed to be home. I knew only one other person to call in Mossyrock, but I wasn't real keen on calling him--my deacon, Lee.

I finally called Lee and he threw his tools in his vehicle and met me at my car. With the hood up, Lee took a wrench and with a few turns was able to pull out the offending fuel filter. He tapped it, blew on one end of it, and with a smile told me that while it wasn't a permanent fix, at least it should get me to camp and allow me the chance to get my car in to have the fuel filter replaced.

That Sunday afternoon, more than a car was repaired. A relationship was repaired also.

I learned an important lesson about grace that day, too.

Jesus said, "Do to others what you would have them do to you." That's what grace is all about, isn't it?

Lee chose to treat me graciously, in spite of the fact that I hadn't treated him with the same grace.

I pastored that church for almost four more years. Guess what found its way back to its rightful place and stayed there as long as I was the pastor?

You're absolutely right--The Red Chair!

2007-04-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

Hide and Seek

You remember playing this game as a child, don’t you?

One of my earliest memories of playing this game was before I started school, so I must have been about four or five years old. We were playing the game inside our house so good hiding places were limited. At some point my dad decided to help me find a good spot to hide.

We had a hall linen closet with several shelves. My dad found a spot on the top shelf where I could hide (only a preschooler could have fit there!). Dad lifted me up and placed me on the shelf. I curled up on my side and kept quiet as he shut the door to the closet.

Now, you also need to know that as a child I was afraid of the dark. Frankly, being alone in the dark creeped me out. But I didn’t want anyone to know this, so I did my best to stifle my fears as I hid in the dark closet. As time crept by—hours it seemed—without being found, I started wishing that someone would, in fact, find me. I wanted to be found.

I thought of hiding in that closet as I read the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3.

Adam and Eve had fallen prey to the wily deception of the serpent. When they did, something dramatically changed in their relationship with God. Notice Genesis 3:8,9.

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ ”

When sin came into the world, instead of welcoming the sound of God coming to meet with them, Adam and Eve hid. But I wonder: Was there something inside of them that yearned to be found?

The key part of this story to me is that though Adam and Eve were hiding from God, the Bible says that God called to them “Where are you?”

God was so in love with Adam and Eve and was so intent on this relationship continuing that God went looking for them.

Now let’s be honest. If God is God, He already knew where Adam and Eve were hiding. He wasn’t looking for His sake as if He didn’t know where they were. God went looking for Adam and Eve for their sake. They needed to know that even though they had fallen prey to temptation, they still mattered to God. They needed to know that God still loved and cared for them. They needed to know they were still His beloved creation.

And so God went looking for them. That’s the essence of grace, don’t you think?

The next time you’re tempted to hide from God in shame because you’ve fallen prey to the devil’s wiles, remember that God’s love and grace compels Him to come looking for you. And He will always find you.

God always wins at hide and seek!

2007-03-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

"How Graceful Are You?"

A few weeks ago I was driving just west of Wadsworth on Quincy (one of the main streets in Denver) when I spotted it—that familiar white hood on the bald eagle. He was perched in a large tree on the south side of Quincy looking over the large open space east of the federal prison. I always marvel when I see these majestic birds and I slowed down so I could spend a little more time admiring this beautiful bird. I continued on my way, grateful for the rare opportunity I had to spot one of these birds.

Imagine my delighted surprise then, when on Tuesday of the following week I was driving east on Quincy in almost the same spot and saw what was probably this same bird wheeling through the sky over the open space below. I was in absolute awe as this large, beautiful bird majestically circled through the sky scanning the field below. Once again I slowed down and noted as I did so that another car had completely pulled over to the side of the road to witness this breath-taking sight.

As I spent a few too-brief seconds watching this scene played out in the sky above me, I wondered at the grace that this eagle displayed as he soared through the heavens.

A question came to mind after I had witnessed this display. How graceful am I?

No, I’m not thinking of agility—that seems to be lessening as my age increases! Instead what I wondered was simply this: I want to experience grace in my own life, but how much grace am I willing to extend to others who have hurt me? Thus the question: How graceful am I?

May I just admit up front that this is an area of my life where I sometimes struggle. The struggle seems to be in proportion to the extent to which I sense I’ve been hurt. The relatively small wrong is easier to forgive than the great wrong that I feel has been foisted upon me. It’s in times such as these when I have to ask myself a very tough question: How much do I truly believe in grace?

Oh, I believe in grace as it applies to my wrongdoings. I’m happy to revel in the knowledge of God’s grace extended to me for my weaknesses. But the story takes a different turn when I have to think about extending grace to one who I perceive to have wronged me.

Take a few minutes today to read the story found in Luke 7:36-50. Reflect on the point that Jesus makes in this incident and then answer the question: How graceful are you?

2007-03-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

"How Do You Handle Failure?"

Failure. Not a word we like to talk about. But it’s a part of our reality. We’re human and a part of being human is experiencing failure.

Some of our failures are relatively minor, such as failing to signal when you decide to change lanes on the freeway (one of the failures my wife likes to remind me of!). Other failures aren’t quite that minor, but they’re not particularly life-changing either, such as the disagreement you had with someone close to you. Then there are the failures in life that you agonize over. You know the ones—they’re so awful you don’t want to discuss them and frankly, would prefer that no one knew about them.

How do you handle failure?

That’s not a throwaway question. How you handle failure is critical to your life. Will you allow me to illustrate from two well-known characters from the Bible?

Matthew 26 records events in the hours prior to Jesus’ crucifixion. Threading it’s way through this chapter are the stories of two men who handled their similar failures in completely different ways.

Each of these two men—Judas and Peter—were disciples of Christ. Each of these two men committed a horrible betrayal of their Master. Each of these two men came to see the awful enormity of their actions.

Similar men. Similar sin. Similar realization.

But that’s where the similarity ends.

Judas realized he couldn’t live with guilt.

Peter realized he couldn’t live without grace.

And that made all the difference.

Judas took his life, while Peter gave his life to God.

Judas’ life ended in tragedy, Peter’s in triumph. Why? Because of how they chose to handle their failure.

Peter used his failure as a springboard to realizing the necessity of God’s grace in his life. That experience became a turning-point in his life that thrust him into a leading role in the spread of Christianity in the first century. Peter’s failure was only a temporary point on his journey of grace.

Parents today still name their baby boys “Peter.” I’m not aware of any that call their newborns “Judas.”

How do you handle failure?

2007-03-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

"Where East Meets West"

Columbus. It’s the name of a famed explorer and the name of the small farming community in Wisconsin where I was born and raised. It’s one of many communities throughout the United States named in honor of the intrepid sailor.

You remember him from your history classes, don’t you? An Italian who, backed by the royal family of Spain, was determined to reach and India and return its treasures to Europe. It was his proposed route to India that raised eyebrows. Columbus intended to reach the east by sailing west.

And to paraphrase a line from Paul Harvey, of course you know the rest of the story.

Columbus’ intentions remind me of my favorite Psalm—a Psalm of grace—Psalm 103.

Notice a few selected passages written by David about grace in Psalm 103.

“Praise the Lord…who forgives all your sins…He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.”

Majestic words. Now think about what David writes in verse 12.

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Catch David’s point—just as there is no point where east meets west, so you cannot find the place where your sins can be found once God has forgiven you. That place simply doesn’t exist!

God’s forgiveness for your sins is so complete, so perfect, so gracious, that you need never worry about them ever again. Your past is past and you are left to live in the joy of forgiveness.

So the next time you’re tempted to go exploring for your past sins, remember Columbus and remember the gracious God who says the place where your past sins are cannot be found.

Where east meets west.

2006-09-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

Who is the Real Christian?

It was one of those perfect autumn days here in Denver yesterday. The sky was clear blue, temperatures in the upper 70's and just a hint of a breeze in the air. Along with a friend we met another of our friends downtown to walk the 16th Street Mall. This wasn't simply an escape to downtown or a shopping excursion. We were there to connect with over 100 non-profit agencies here in Denver that meet the needs of the community. We wanted to discover what opportunities exist for people to become involved in volunteer service to the community.

We met some wonderful people and had engaging conversations with a few of them. What was so impressive to me was how many organizations serve the diverse needs of our city. We discovered service opportunities for tutors, mentors, quilters, alcohol and drug treatment centers, rape hotlines, single parent support services, animal therapy for troubled teens, food banks, etc...

Well, you get the picture! What was so astonishing to me was that there is no end to volunteer service in our city. If there is a need, there is probably an non-profit organization that is designed to meet that need.

All this got me thinking about the passage in Matthew 25:31-46. You know the one--the sheep and the goats. It pictures Jesus dividing people at His coming into two different groups. One group of people are those who did deeds of kindness to those in need around them. Jesus commends them and tells them that as they were serving others, they were in fact serving Him. The other group--the goats--were those who saw the same needs but did nothing about meeting those needs. And in not meeting those needs they missed a golden opportunity to minister to Christ Himself.

Now my question is simply this: Who is the real Christian in your community? Is it the "saint" who adheres to the right beliefs, attends Christian services faithfully, and offers regular financial support to the church? Or is it the non-attending "sinner" who is active in his/her community faithfully volunteering time to serve the needs of the community through various agencies.

Based on Matthew 25, I think I know, and I believe you do too, what the answer to that question is. But again I ask the question for you to consider: Who is the Real Christian?

2006-09-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

What a Celebration!

There they stood, the bride and groom, exchanging vows of commitment in front of family and friends. As I looked around the scene before me this past Monday, I could sense just a wonderful sense of joy and happiness for the bride and groom. It was a fantastic ceremony that was an accurate reflection of who the bride and groom are. The children were cute, the music was heartfelt, and the bride and groom were stunning!

Then the fun began as the wedding party and guests moved into the reception area. What a wonderful evening it was as all the guests enjoyed delicious food, the kids hovered around the candy table, toasts were made to the bride and groom, and folks laughed and celebrated well into the evening. What a wonderful celebration to honor Steve and Jodi!

As I reflect on this grand occasion, my mind can't help but wander to these words in Revelation 19: "Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' "

Some of the most wonderful moments of my life in the past few years have been spent in celebrating the weddings of people I love and cherish. Yet, as fantastic as these celebrations have been, they pale in comparison with the grand celebration God has planned for us when the marriage of the Lamb and His bride takes place. Can you just imagine the feast? I wonder what the heavenly music will be like. How long will we party and what will the celebration be like?

There's a lot I enjoy about my life here on earth, but I can hardly wait to particpate in that heavenly wedding that God has planned for us to enjoy. What a celebration!

2006-09-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

He Understands

I love Lucy! Lucy is my Westhighland White Terrier. There's a number of reasons why I love her. She's energetic, she's feisty, she's small enough to sit on my lap, she's a good watch-dog, she's gentle with my granddaughter, she's...well, you get the idea. I love her.

This week reminded me of another reason why I love Lucy. In the middle of the night (early Tuesday a.m.), I got hammered with a flu bug like I haven't had in years. My wife had to work on Tuesday, so I was left alone in my pain and misery. It was so bad I was only out of bed for 45 minutes on Tuesday--to feed the dog and to open the sliding glass door so she could go in and out. Other than that, Tuesday was a miserable day spent alone in bed. Except for Lucy.

For those of you who have pets, you will probably agree with me when I say, I believe Lucy understood that I wasn't feeling well. She acted different than she typically does. She curled up on the bed beside me and snuggled close. She didn't beg for attention or to be petted. Lucy simply seemed to understand that I wasn't feeling well and that since she and I were the only ones in the house, she was the one who was going to have to provide me with some comfort.

Lucy understood me. I love Lucy.

Lucy's understanding reminds me of Hebrews 4:15,16. Notice what it says.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Jesus understands. He understands our temptations. He understands our weaknesses. He understands that we fall and fail. He understands that we need His help. He understands how important His mercy is to us. He understands how desperately we need His grace. Jesus understands.

Because Jesus understands, He has provided the mercy, the grace, and the help that we need. And so He invites you and me to come confidently to the throne of grace. We don't come haltingly or hesitatingly to the throne of grace. We come in humble confidence to receive His mercy, His grace, and His help. Why? Because Jesus understands!

When you are tempted to despair, when you're tempted to give up, when you're tempted to think you have to go through life alone, remember: You are invited to come to the throne of grace with confidence because He understands!

2006-06-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

On His Right

Three weeks ago I attended a high school commencement of a former student. The commencement exercises were held at the Colorado Convention Center to accomodate the 200+ graduates and their family and friends. I took the light rail downtown, got off at my stop and found the graduate's family.

The commencement speeches, honors, and remarks were somewhat interesting, but I've been to other graduations so there was nothing highly unusual.

Then came the time to hand out diplomas. Student after student went up on the platform to receive their diploma and congratulations from the assembled dignitaries. About the only excitement was one young man who fell down the stairs after receiving his diploma. But he immediately sprang back up and raised his hands in triumph--he had survived both high school and his fall!

I thought they were finished (I was having trouble following all the names being read) when students began to appear from off the side of the stage. But these weren't simply regular students, they were special students. There was a boy who was autistic, there were two young ladies in wheelchairs, there was a young man who was blind, and there were others who were deaf.

As I watched these young people go across the stage to accept their diplomas something began to dawn on me. All the applause and hooting and hollering that had been done for previous students could not hold a candle to the ovations these special young people were receiving. In a culture that far too often only gives recognition to the best, the brightest, and the most beautiful, my heart was truly touched by the outpouring of support given to these special students by their families, their friends, and their classmates.

On my way home on the light rail I sat across from a teacher who went to that school every day to help a deaf young man with his studies. That young man was now headed to a very prestigious school in New York to study animation.

As I reflected on this experience I thought of Jesus' words in Matthew 25 to those who He welcomes into His kingdom for the kindnesses they did to those in need, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

How often is my ministry motivated simply by meeting a need rather than what political points can be gained by being nice to the correct people? How often is my ministry done in obscurity instead of where people will take notice? How often do I minister to those who cannot possibly do anything for me in return as opposed to doing ministry in hopes that they will do something for me in return?

Jesus puts it very simply in Matthew 25: We will either be found "left" out, or we will be found having done the "right" thing for the "right" reasons. Let's live to be on His right.

2006-06-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

Misplaced Priorities

In early April I had to fly out of town for a day to make a presentation. Rather than parking my Jeep Cherokee in the infamously expensive Denver International Airport's parking lots, I chose an off-site lot that is less expensive and has a shuttle to take its customers to the airport.

One of the features of this particular lot is that for a slightly more expensive rate you can park your vehicle under covered parking to avoid the nasty hailstorms that sometimes strike Denver. Again, being the frugal (read: "cheapskate") person I am, I opted to leave my '98 Jeep in the uncovered portion of the lot. It's not that I don't value my Jeep, it's just that it's not that valuable or nice to warrant that type of special protection.

I made my presentation, flew back into DIA, caught the shuttle back to the lot along with about 15 of my closest friends (OK, they were total strangers), and then began the trip through the lot to locate everyone's vehicle.

Again, being the frugal (read: "cheapskate) person I am, I had never ventured to the covered portion of the lot. I suspected that vehicles parked there would be luxury SUV's, sports cars, etc. Sure enough, one of the shuttle passengers had a vehicle under covered parking, and I got to see just how the other half lives. As I guessed we pulled up to a beautiful, new SUV. If I owned a car like that, I suppose I would park it there too. As we continued under the covered parking, my suspicions were confirmed: new, luxury SUV's, expensive sports cars, top-of-the-line vehicles were parked everywhere.

Then I spotted it. There under covered parking, was a broken-down, rusted-out Toyota pickup. My Jeep is nothing special, but this pickup made my Jeep look like a truly expensive vehicle. I couldn't believe that someone would pay a higher price to park a truck like that in covered parking.

That pickup truck makes me think about misplaced priorities. For the pickup owner, it would appear that his/her priorities were somewhat misplaced. But truth be told, don't all of us have certain misplaced priorities--things we think are of absolute importance to us, but in the end aren't really as significant as we like to think. Some of those misplaced priorities may show nothing more than a silliness on our part to imagine that these things were so crucial to us. But some of our misplaced priorities, at their worst, may cause an eternal downfall for us.

Listen to this brief story recorded in Luke 12.

"The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

A critical case of misplaced priorities. For some its possessions, for others power, for others position, for others it's pleasure. All perhaps good things in their proper place, but if they take the place of God, then what?

Elsewhere in Luke, Jesus asks this searching question: "What good will it be if you gain the whole world, but lose your soul?"

Good question. Do you have your priorities straight? Have you made the pursuit of a relationship with Jesus Christ the number one thing in your life? Or are you figuratively parking a jalopy in covered parking while leaving something far more important without the attention it deserves?

Let's not get caught off-guard by misplaced priorities.

2006-05-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

I Surrrender

I've been involved in coaching basketball for almost 10 seasons. As a head coach, one of the characteristics of the teams I have coached is that they have never been intimidated by another team and they've never given up. They always fight to the end. Not a bad quality to have for a basketball team.

It's probably an apt reflection of who I am as an individual. I tend to be somewhat hard-headed about certain things, especially things that I strongly believe in. I don't give up easily. Some of that is driven by an intense hatred of losing, which in turn is driven by my own past and some of the painful losses in life which I've experienced. I'll go to almost any length not to lose something that is precious to me.

However, that same strength--not giving up--can be a corresponding weakness when it comes to an individual's spiritual life. Paradoxically sometimes loss can actually be gain. Notice these words from Philippians 2:5,6: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped..." (emphasis added.)

Honestly, as I assess my own life, I must admit that this verse seems strange to me, because for all the losses I've experienced, I want to grasp and hold on tightly to what I perceive to belong to me. I don't want to give up. I don't want to surrender. But Jesus "did not consider eqaulity with God something to be grasped..." That's mind-boggling to me.

As I was considering this verse this past week, and Chuck Swindoll's comments about it, he went further and suggested that we surrender in four areas: possessions, position, plans, and people. That hit me right between the eyes. For the past 12-15 months, God has been trying to help me learn to surrender these very things--my possessions, my position, my plans, and my people. However, instead of surrendering them, I've been holding on to them for all I'm worth. It's beginning to dawn on me that surrender is all about trust: Do I trust my possessions, position, plans, and people to bring fulfillment, or do I trust that God and God alone can fulfill me?

First, I have to acknowledge that in truth, none of these are really mine to begin with--they're simply gracious gifts given me by God. As such, God can choose to do with them what He pleases and what He sees will ultimately be best for me. Which leads me back to the question of trust: Do I really trust that God and God alone can fulfill me?

I sense this issue of surrender is going to be an ongoing one in my life. It's one that I'm going to have to address day-by-day and moment-by-moment. But I think I'm beginning to figure out that my ultimate joy in life is not going to come as I fight to hang on to what is important to me, but instead is going to come as I surrender. That goes against every natural inclination within me, but perhaps as you think about your own life, you'll sense God's call to join me as I surrender.

2006-05-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

Color Me Yellow

Forgive me while I use my blog for a little therapy. A year ago today I was laying in a hospital bed getting prepped for cancer surgery. It's funny--not in a necessarily humorous way--how life can change so quickly. One day you're doing fine and the next day life throws you a curve that you never anticipated. I remember having a mixture of feelings last year. In some ways I was calm and figured I could handle whatever came my way thanks to the example of my wife who handled her breast cancer so wonderfully. But I also recall laying in bed wondering if I'd make it to the end of 2005. I'm not normally into bargaining with God, but I did ask Him if it would be all right if I could live long enough to see my granddaughter be born. I just didn't know what the future held at that moment and it was eery.

But in the midst on anxious feelings, God was at work to graciously bring some peace. My primary care doctor was out of town that weekend my cancer diagnosis came and a surgeon I didn't know was assigned to my case. I had hoped to have Beth's surgeon, Dr. Smith, do my surgery, but he had also been out of town that weekend and my surgery was scheduled for Monday at 1:00 p.m. The morning of my surgery, my doctor, Dr. Aikin, showed up early for rounds and he humorously chided me for being a difficult patient to diagnose. Then he told me that he had called Dr. Smith and Dr. Smith had cleared his schedule because he wanted to assist with my surgery. When I heard that, a sense of relief poured over me, because I knew I would be in good hands. What a wonderful answer to an unspoken prayer!

Just before I got wheeled into surgery, my brother-in-law came and prayed with me which was so encouraging because I knew his prayer represented a lot of prayers that were being prayed on my behalf. When Dr. Smith came by I couldn't even begin to express my gratitude to him for his gift to me of assisting with my surgery.

Then I got wheeled into surgery, and as they say, the rest is history. The next three days are blank for me (aren't drugs wonderful?!), but the next few weeks were a time of deep reflection for me.

One of the things that struck me was this: For years as a pastor I've talked about the conflict between God and Satan taking place against the grand backdrop of the universe. Now it struck me that it not only takes place on that stage, but it takes place on the cellular level as well. My body was the stage on which good and evil would wage war to see who would win. I don't know why that thought had never struck me before, but now it hit me in a way it had never before that sin penetrates and affects us at even the microscopic level.

For now, God has won the battle for my physical body. Should time last long enough, even that battle will be lost. But ultimately, though an occasional battle is lost, God won the war on the cross of Calvary when Jesus gave His life for you and me.

Tomorrow is LiveStrong Day, a day to honor cancer survivors by wearing yellow. I don't have much yellow in my wardrobe, so I'll settle for wearing a LiveStrong bracelet. Would you join me in honoring survivors tomorrow? But even more, wear yellow for yourself, because Jesus died on the cross to wipe out the cancer of sin from this world so that we can all count ourselves as survivors. I don't know about you, but color me yellow!

2006-05-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Lost and Found

This week I had to travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to make a presentation for a group of pastors. I don't always appreciate the trip to Lincoln (roughly 8 hours by car), but this time was different--I got to fly. Spending 55 minutes on a plane as opposed to 8 hours in a car is a no-brainer in my book.

So it was that on Tuesday morning I flew out to Lincoln. I spent the afternoon in my hotel room getting some work done on a wedding service and on a graduation talk. That evening I got to take some of my former students out to dinner and finally closed the evening by going to Starbucks with another former student. All in all, a day well-spent.

Wednesday morning I made my presentation, caught up with some friends, and then headed to the airport to come home in time to celebrate my son-in-law's birthday.

I got to the Lincoln airport and proceeded to check-in. I took out my PDA wallet which held my credit card and driver's license for photo ID purposes. I inserted the credit card in the appropriate slot, followed all the directions on the touch screen and in short order had my boarding pass and my luggage checked.

I still had about 45 minutes before my flight left, so I took the escalator up to a little spot to eat in the airport. There weren't a lot of choices, but it took me a couple of minutes to decide what I wanted. I reached down to take out my PDA wallet so I could pay for my lunch when my stomach suddenly seized up--my wallet wasn't in my carry-on bag. After a brief moment of panic, I realized I must have left it on the check-in counter.

I hurried to the escalator to head downstairs. Slowly (way too slowly in my anxious state!), the escalator made its way downward. As I passed a certain point, I could see the check-in counter from the escalator and I spied my wallet. I hurried off the escalator, and headed to grab my precious wallet and PDA. When I was about 50 feet away I spied a TSA worker who had also spotted my wallet. Just as she reached up to take it, I called out, "Ma'am!" She turned and said, "I was just wondering who this belonged to." She handed my wallet to me and I breathed a sigh of relief.

On reflection, I thought of the story of the lost coin that's found in Luke 15. Luke records three stories that are all somewhat different, yet have a similar theme. The first is about sheep who is lost, knows it, but can't do anything about it. The second is about a coin which has no idea it is lost and is dependent on someone to come find it. The third story is about a son who knows he's lost, can do something about it, and ultimately does.

My wallet didn't know it was lost and couldn't do anything about it. I had to go looking for it. I suspect Jesus told this story because there are a lot of us who are lost and don't even know it, and subsequently are dependent on someone else's help because we don't realize we're in need of help.

Often I suspicion we read this story and apply it to someone else. May I suggest that our very smugness in applying it to someone else demonstrates we're more like the lost coin than we care to admit. Many of us are smugly lost. It doesn't really make any difference how it happens. The end result is the same--we're lost, we don't even realize it, and so we're dependent on someone else to come and find us.

That's why I like these three stories that Jesus told. While the religious elite look down on "the lost," Jesus doesn't waste time, He goes out in search of the lost because they are so valuable to Him. And when He finds the lost, what does He do?

Notice Luke 15:9,10. "And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

I know how I was feeling about finding my wallet. Now just multiply that by a thousand times and you'll just be scratching the surface about how God feels about you! Am I ever thankful that I have a God who loves me enough to come looking for me when I'm lost.

So let's throw a party! Lost--and found!

2006-04-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

The Master's Voice

Does anyone remember the old RCA commercials featuring the dog listening to the phonograph entitled "His Master's Voice"? It showed a pup named "Nipper" with his head cocked to one side as he heard his master's voice coming out of the speaker.

Have you ever noticed like "Nipper" that when you spend time with someone you very quickly can pick their voice out of a crowd? Several weeks ago I was in a noisy, crowded gym helping to coach a basketball game. I was sitting on the bench talking with one of the players when I heard a noise and I said to Kristin, "That's Eloise!" I looked across the court and there was my daughter and son-in-law with their daughter, Eloise. She had cried out and I was able to pick out her three-month-old voice out of a crowd.

The same thing happened when my daughter was six weeks old. My wife came into an auditorium of about 2,000 people and when our daughter cried, I looked down from where I was seated and immediately knew where my daughter was.

In John 10, Jesus talks about this phenomenon of recognizing another's voice. Notice John 10:4. "His sheep follow him because they know his voice."

The Bible is filled with the stories of people who followed Jesus because they recognized His voice: Noah, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Esther, Daniel, and Paul are just a few examples of people like you and me who recognized the voice of Jesus.

How did they know his voice? They spent time with Him. They lingered in His presence. They didn't allow distractions and "noise" to drown out the voice of the one they had come to love. And so when He spoke, they listened and followed.

The key to knowing where Jesus wants to lead in our lives is to spend enough time in His presence that we learn to recognize His voice, so that when He speaks we know it's Him.

With so many things clamoring for our time and attention, sometimes it's easy to let the time slip away that we could be spending in His presence, learning the sound of His voice.

Let's set aside time this coming week to listen to the Master's voice.

2006-04-21T14:42:00.000-07:00

The Answer

Several weeks ago I was visiting with a friend whom I hadn't seen in a couple years. As we were updating each other on things like jobs, family, health, etc., he made a comment that went something like this: "It sure is hard to live out your beliefs." I agreed without knowing that his words would have a prophetic touch for me.

Within 36 hours I had the opportunity to interact with three people who had a role in decisions about me that I didn't see as being positive decisions. My challenge? How to react to these people. Outwardly, I suppose you could say I handled myself well. Inwardly? Probably still smoldering a little if the truth be known.

Just to remind you, the name of my posts is "Grace Notes." Unfortunately I find myself struggling at times to live out the grace that I care about so very much. That troubles me. The past few weeks have brought pointed reminders to me that for all I profess about grace, too often I don't live gracefully. I hurt people by the things I say and do. That's not being gracious. And while I want to be a "champion" of grace, I want my actions to be more consistent with my words. It pains me immensely when that's not the case.

I take solace in the fact that I'm apparently not the first one who has struggled with knowing how he ought to live, yet struggling with actually living that way. Notice as I quote a rather extended selection of Romans 7 from "The Message."

"What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise...I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me?...The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does."

Paul makes it exceedingly clear for those of us who find ourselves in the dilemma of doing what we don't want to do and not being able to do what we'd really like to do, that the answer to our dilemma is Jesus Christ. Without Him and His grace the dilemma would continue to haunt us until our dying day. But by His grace and His grace alone, my actions and my words can more consistently be in alignment, and when they aren't, I can be assured that His grace covers my sin.

The dilemma--my human nature. The anwer--Jesus Christ.

May you find to all your dilemmas that Jesus Christ is indeed, The Answer!

2006-04-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

All The More

I just returned home within the hour from having a PETScan. For those of you who don't know what this is all about, let me give you a very technical (Ha!) description of what's involved in a PETScan. First you aren't allowed to eat for a period of about 12 hours prior to the test, nor are you allowed to drink anything for about 6 hours prior. Then you get the privilege of drinking this creamy liquid concoction that's supposed to have a slightly "coconut" flavor. It's a poor attempt to mask the metallic taste of this stuff that doesn't exactly go down like a milkshake. That's followed by the insertion of an IV that allows them to inject radioactive dye into your system. The theory is that the radioactive material will collect in places where there are cancer cells. If this is the case, then it should show up on the subsequent scan they do of your body. All in all, it's a 90 minute process. Fun, huh? Not!

Anyway, I got to thinking--what if something could be injected into your body so that figuratively speaking, a scan could be done to locate the cancer of sin in your life. What would they find when they did the scan of your body? Where would the cells of sin be clustered?

The truth of the matter is this--without getting into specifics, a scan of my life would find sin cells clustered in far more parts of my life than I want. Now I have to admit that this would have been a far more scary reality at one time in my life than it is now. I used to measure my spirituality by the absence of sin. Now I measure my spirituality, not so much by whether or not sin is absent in my life, but rather by whether grace is present in my life. Please understand, I desperately want to grow in grace and become all that I can be through the power of His grace, so I'm not trying to excuse sin's presence in my life. It's simply that I want to focus on grace rather than on sin. I want to focus on the positive rather than the negative.

I think this is the basic message of Paul in Romans 5. He acknowledges the presence of sin in our world and in our lives, but he also proclaims the superior presence of grace in our world and in our lives through the person of Jesus Christ.

Notice these words of Romans 5:20, "But where sin increased, grace increased all the more."

Isn't that great news! Sin may be present, but God's grace is more powerfully present. So join me in celebrating the increased presence of grace in our lives--all the more!

2006-03-30T13:49:00.000-08:00

Going Deeper

I was excitedly engaged in an activity when I felt the warm dampness seeping into the fabric of my shirt. Hestitantly, I looked down to see a deep crimson stain forming near the location of my most recent surgery. I ripped my shirt open and my t-shirt was completely soaked with blood. I tore off the t-shirt to discover that my surgical wound had re-opened and blood was pouring out of it.

Then in a cold sweat, I woke up. Thank God, it was only a dream. I looked at my 10-day old surgical wound and everything was OK. Well, OK as it related to the surgical wound.

As you may or may not have noticed I haven't posted anything to my blog for the past three weeks. There are reasons--reasons which will become evident as you read this post. By the way, this will be longer than my other posts. I have some explaining to do, and besides, I have some time to make up for!

If I believed more in the power of dreams, perhaps I could ascribe some deep phsychological meaning to this dream I had. But since I don't, I'll simply settle for calling this dream an interesting harbinger of what was on my immediate horizon.

The last few weeks for me have been a time of restlessness, ache, longing, and "dis-ease." I can attribute this restlessness and "dis-ease" to a variety of factors. I had the above-mentioned surgery at the beginning of the month. That along with the subsequent doctor's visit was a painful reminder--both literally and figuratively--of how far I am from where I want to be physically. Then as I worked on my tax returns I was reminded of how much the past 12 months have impacted me financially. As I went through my receipts, I also had to handle all the paperwork from last year which reminded me about my termination from a job that I loved and was deeply passionate about. Again, another reminder of how far I am from where I want to be. Then there were additional reminders during the month of how far I am from where I want to be emotionally, relationally, and spiritually.

Yesterday I was reading from John Ortberg's book, "The Life You've Always Wanted," when I came across the following paragraphs. Humor me while I quote them.

"One of the most basic laws of life is rhythm. Night follows day, winter follows summer, we wake and we sleep.

"In spiritual life, the traditional language for this is rhythm. There will be times of consolation and times of desolation. In times of consolation we like to pray because God seems close, the Bible seems alive, sin looks bad, and stoplights all seem green. Times of desoloation are just the opposite: The Bible seems dry, prayer grows hard, and God is far away.

"C.S. Lewis noted that at times God will send us a strong sense of his presence, a desire to be with him, the ability to withstand temptations with ease.

"But he never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws, if not in fact, at least from their conscious experience, all those supports and incentives. He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs--to carry out from the will alone duties which have lost all relish. It is during such trough periods, much more than during the peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be.

"When we forget the law of rhythm, we assume that whatever phase is current will last forever. In times of consolation I mistakenly think that I now have spiritual life mastered. In times of desolation I assume I must have done something wrong, or perhaps God is punishing me. In truth, both seasons are inevitable, and both seasons can bring unique growth."

From what I've already said, you can guess which season I've been in for the past few weeks. It's not an easy season to be in, for the one experiencing it, as well as for those close to that person. But it's not an unusual season.

St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) referred to it as "the dark night of the soul." Mother Theresa experienced this "dark night of the soul" in her own life for quite a prolonged period of time following her call to establish the Sisters of Charity. I found this poem entitled "Friend, in the Desolate Time" at the end of an article describing her "dark night of the soul."

"Friend, in the desolate time, when your soul is enshrouded in darkness
When, in a deep abyss, memory and feeling die out,
Intellect timidly gropes among shadowy forms and illustions
Heart can no longer sigh, eye is unable to weep;
When, from your night-clouded soul the wings of fire have fallen
And you, to nothing, afraid, feel yourself sinking once more,
Say, who rescues you then?--Who is the comforting angel
Brings to your innermost soul order and beauty again,
Building once more your fragmented world, restoring the fallen
Altar, and when it is raised, lighting the sacred flame?--
None but the powerful being who first from the limitless darkness
Kissed to life seraphs and woke numberless suns to their dance.
None but the holy Word who called the worlds into existence
And in whose power the worlds move on their paths to this day.
Therefore, rejoice, oh friend, and sing in the darkness of sorrow:
Night is the mother of day, Chaos the neighbor of God."

--Erik Johan Stagnelius (translated from the Swedish by Bill Coyle

I wrote the following on a legal pad this morning as I was contemplating all of this.

"Maybe the point of the past 12 months is to have me in a place where I felt this intense longing for something more; something I would be tempted to gratify in other ways, but whose only satisfaction will be when I go deeper in my journey with God."

Bottom Line: I feel this desperate urge to go far deeper in my walk with God than I've ever gone before; deeper than I can possibly comprehend at this point. As I write this I'm fearful. Why? Because I know myself far too well. Will I stay the course, or will I be easily turned aside to other things that will short-circuit my heart's desires? There are those of you who know me well who have seen me in the good times (not very good) and in the bad times (worse than I want to admit). For those who have chosen to stick with me through good and bad, I can't begin to thank you enough. My weakness frightens me, and I pray God's grace will see me through the next steps of my journey.

Thanks for your prayers as I--by God's grace and His grace alone--go deeper.

2006-03-10T08:57:00.000-08:00

The Things We Do For Love

And now for the rest of the story...Oops! That's Paul Harvey's line, isn't it?

When I left you last, I had shared with you the story of helping my son to tie his tie by using a computer cord to simulate a tie. But there are some other lessons I want to draw from this story.

After my son's dancing date with his girlfriend (my wife and I love her too!), we were sent pictures of the two of them on their date. Here's my son's beautiful girlfriend sitting next to this handsome young man (my son) wearing a tie. I looked at the picture to see how well the knot on the tie came out using simple phone instructions. Not bad! Then I noticed what a wonderful couple they are. Finally, I noticed that my son was wearing a pink tie.

Now, understand, I have nothing against males wearing pink. I have a pink dress shirt and a pink tie in my own wardrobe. But what was amazing to me was this: My son is Mr. Casual when it comes to fashion. Unlike his father who dresses more formally for occasions such as church (I love ties, by the way), my son prefers wearing jeans or khakis with an open collar. I have no problem with this. But here was my son, of his own free will, choosing to wear a tie! Why? Because he loves his girlfriend and would even wear a tie--a pink tie, at that--to please her. Now, I doubt very much if I had asked him to wear a pink tie to church, for example, that he would have done that. But it's amazing what we will do when we're motivated by love.

Which brings me to a couple of passages from the Bible. Look at what Jesus was motivated to do by love. "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8.

Paul tells us that before we were even inclined to respond to Christ positively--because He was motivated by love--He chose to die for us. Why? It was a simple choice because He loves us.

Here's how Jesus Himself described this love in John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Love provides the motivation for doing some things that we probably wouldn't do otherwise.

One final text before I wrap this up. "We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19.

Jesus loved us first, and He showed His love by His willingness to die on our behalf. And because He first loved us, it motivates us to love Him in return. When we begin to grasp the reality of how much He loves us, it's amazing what that will motivate us to do.

So during this next week, I want to encourage you to just think about how much you are loved by God. He loves you so very much, He was willing to die for you. And as you let that reality sink in, think about what you might do to show Him that you also love Him in return.

Ah, yes: The things we do for love!

2006-03-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

In His Hands

Last Sunday evening my daughter called me with an important SOS--my youngest son was desperately trying to get in touch with me. What was the emergency? He had a "hot" date of swing dancing with his girlfriend that night that required him to wear a tie and he couldn't remember how to tie it.

I had just arrived at the church for a meeting, so I ducked into my office, called him in his dorm room and tried walking him through the steps of tying a tie. I'm not sure if it was the time crunch we were both feeling to get him out the door and to his date, or whether it was because I didn't actually have a tie in my hands as I was trying to instruct him over the phone, but we weren't doing so well. I was beginning to feel the failure as I quickly surveyed my office. I was looking for anything I could use to simulate a tie so I could be certain that all my directions to my son over the phone made sense.

Then I spied it! There on a cart in my office was a computer cord. I grabbed it and placed it around my neck like a tie. It was almost the right length too! So with my cell phone balanced between my shoulder and ear I began to tie the computer cord as I would the finest silk tie. Now I was certain the directions I was giving my son made sense. Soon the computer cord was tied around my neck and my son in his dorm room assured me that now his tie was tied correctly around his neck and he could be on his way to dance with his girlfriend.

This incident reminded me of God's ability to use us, by the power of His grace, to do some powerful things for His kingdom. Notice some verses from 2 Corinthians 4. "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart...For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord...But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

You see, when we're in God's hands, He can take the most ordinary of people and do amazing things--not because we're amazing, but because of the power of His grace.

In His hands a donkey can be used to send a message to a wayward man.

In His hands a little boy like Sameul can be used to guide a nation.

In His hands a young woman like Esther can intervene to save peoples lives.

In His hands a murderer like Moses can become a great leader.

In His hands a man filled with fear like Gideon can deliver his people from oppression.

In His hands a traitor like Peter can lead thousands to Christ in a single day.

Do you ever feel somewhat ordinary and of not much use or value? That's OK, because it's not about who you are, but about who God is! Imagine what God can do through you by the power of His grace when you're in His hands!

2006-02-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

Grace In The Heartland

I can hardly wait until tomorrow night. We are honoring some young ladies who accomplished something significant, and who, in the process, reminded me of an important lesson.

Last weekend I was in Lincoln, Nebraska, helping to coach a girl's high school varsity basketball team. The girls played extremely well in this weekend tournament and went undefeated in six games to win the tournament championship. It still makes me smile just thinking about it! As competitive as I am and as much as I like to win, the girls reminded me about grace.

The eight girls on our team represent several different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. As you might imagine, sometimes those differences aren't appreciated by teens, and those differences can lead to tension. When you have tension between eight girls, it's not conducive to playing team-oriented, winning basketball.

But that's where grace comes in. Grace leads us to put our differences aside and accept each other just as God accepts us. Notice what Paul says in Galatians 6:2. "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

Grace leads me to be aware of, and care enough, about your burdens that I'm willing to help carry your burden rather than simply thinking about my own burden. That's the essence of teamwork. Paul says when we cooperate with each other in this way, we are fulfilling the law of Christ.

This past weekend, when these eight young ladies set aside all those differences that our culture say should divide them, but instead helped each other out, then they were successful. And isn't that really what grace teaches us--that ultimately when we carry each others burdens, our own burdens become lighter because someone else is helping us too!

Too often, however, I become consumed with my own trials. I don't look for opportunities to help ease someone else's burdens. And in the end, I end up carrying my burden alone. What I need to learn, is the lesson these girls demonstrated on the basketball court. When I focus on what I can do to help someone else succeed, it helps all of us succeed together, and ultimately leads to my own success.

Grace is all about helping others rather than simply thinking of myself. An important lesson learned about grace in the heartland.

2006-02-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

Eyes On The Prize

As the Winter Olympics begin today in Italy I'll be keeping an eye on Jeremy Bloom, an athlete from Loveland, Colorado. Jeremy skis moguls and has won numerous competitions around the world in the last few years. In addition to being a world-class skier, Jeremy played for University of Colorado football team as a wide receiver and kick returner. After Jeremy is done competing in the Olympics, he will fly directly to Indianapolis to demonstrate his skills for National Football League scouts who will decide if he has a future in the NFL.

Jeremy's story has been an interesting one to follow because of the training and discipline necessary not simply to be a world-class athlete in one sport, but in two sports. Personally, I'm pulling for Jeremy to win a gold medal at the Olympics and then to fulfill his lifelong dream to play professional football in the NFL.

I'm reminded of how many allusions to athletics there are in the New Testament. This undoubtedly has to do with Christianity growing up in the same region of the world where the Olympics were born. Notice, for example, this passage in Hebrews 12:1,2. "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."

To be a successful athlete requires remarkable amounts of time spent in training that most people rarely see. It also requires tremendous discipline and perseverance to perfect the skills that hopefully, will one day enable them to experience the pinnacle of athletic success. For some like Jeremy Bloom, it may be the pursuit of a medal. For others such as Jerome Bettis, runnig back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it is the Lombardi trophy awarded to the winners of the Super Bowl. What enables those athletes to persevere on those days when training is just so much drudgery and pain is the realization that a prize awaits them if they persevere.

Let's go back and consider Hebrews 12:1,2. The writer of Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus. Why? First, because He is the perfect example of someone who patiently endured hardship and demonstrated what perseverance is truly all about. But I also believe that we need to fix our eyes on Jesus because He isn't only our example, He's also the "prize" to be received for persevering.

One day this race called life will be completed. If we have persevered because we kept our eyes fixed on Jesus, we will get to spend all eternity with the One who ran the race before us, and by His example showed us how to endure in spite of all obstacles.

I don't know what obstacles and challenges you face in your life today. But may I encourage you to patiently endure and persevere in spite of what may come your way. Remember--keep your eyes on the prize!

2006-02-03T09:32:00.000-08:00

Grace at Work

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." 1 Corinthians 12:7

1 Corinthians 12 has always intrigued me--in fact the first sermon I ever preached was on this chapter. The chapter's focus is Spiritual Gifts and how these gifts help to make the Body of Christ well-rounded and effective. It wasn't until I got a little Greek under my belt that I discovered that the word used for spiritual gifts in this chapter could literally be translated "grace gifts." I like that. God, through His grace gives His followers gifts that enable them to communicate His grace to others. So, for me, ultimately this chapter is about grace--receiving it from God to communicate it to others.

As I reflected on my week, I thought of the many times I experienced people using their various gifts in ways that were complementary.

Last weekend my partners and co-founders of LifePlan Ministries presented a workshop called "Live Your Purpose." The three of us have different gifts (thank God!), that complement each other rather well.

On Tuesday afternoon, I was involved in a pastoral staff meeting where, once again, different gifts were on display that demonstrated a unifying, complementary approach to the Body of Christ.

Later that afternoon, I helped to coach a girls basketball game. Each of the three coaches brings different gifts, skills, and abilities to the table, and it's fun to be involved in a precess where three diverse people can work cooperatively together toward a common goal.

During the course of that basketball game, I watched as the girls on the team used their various talents and skills to work together to achieve something that was important to them. They won the game, and I still marvel about how girls from such different cultural and demographic backgrounds can set aside all their differences and can blend their talents for the common good.

Wednesday, I was involved in a discussion with our senior pastor and the children's pastor and I left the discussion amazed at how God can use three people with different personality types, life experiences, and perspectives to help develop a project that will strengthen the local church.

But in reality, maybe these examples shouldn't amaze me. Perhaps what should be amazing is when people don't cooperatively use their "grace gifts." How sad it is when people don't get to experience God's grace because they selfishly believe that using their gifts for the common good will somehow diminish them, rather than building them up.

I hope you got to experience the joys of diversity, cooperation, and unity this week. One of the truly gratifying experiences of life is to see God's grace at work!

2006-01-28T02:49:00.000-08:00

A Gentle Whisper

It's 3:45 a.m. as I write this. It's quiet enough in the house that the predominant sound is the fan cooling my computer. About 5 minutes ago I heard the sound of a car--it was the person driving through the neighborhood delivering the morning paper. I could tell by the sound of the car slowing and accelerating as it made its way past the houses where newspapers would be thrown from car windows into the driveways of subscribers.

Why am I up at this time of day to write this? It's been a very busy week filled with people to see, appointments to keep, tasks to accomplish--one of the busiest weeks I've had in quite some time. In the hurrying and scurrying of the week, I forgot to write this on Friday afternoon at my usual time. I woke up and couldn't sleep, but people came to mind that I prayed for in my sleepless state, and I was grateful for a God who is patient enough to allow me to slow down so that I can hear his voice--even at 3:45 a.m.!

As I slipped on my robe, quietly left the bedroom, and sat at my desk in the office, God continued to speak. Finally--I was quiet enough to hear his voice--a gentle whisper.

Do you remember the story of Elijah. He has this heroic moment on Mount Carmel where God answers his prayer by consuming his gift on the altar with magnificent fire that falls from heaven. This signal moment inspired God's people to turn their hearts back to Him. 3 1/2 years of drought came to an end in drenching rains that soaked the earth.

Elijah's moment of victory, however, soon turned to a moment of discouragement. Queen Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah for turning the hearts of the people back to God, and Elijah ran. He ran into the desert until he came to a mountain where he hid. But a funny thing--you can never run far enough away to take you away from God's presence.

Then Elijah heard God's voice saying, "What are you doing here?" Elijah's reply: "I've done all these wonderful things for you, but someone is threatening to kill me!"

"Elijah, go stand at the mouth of this cave where I've found you, and let me show you my presence as I pass by."

First, a powerful wind that tore rocks from their foundations. But God was not there. Then came a tremendous earthquake that shook the earth. God was not in the wind either. Next came a raging fire that consumed all in its path. Still, God was not there. Finally came a gentle whisper. And in that whisper, Elijah recognized the voice of God.

God's presence isn't always experienced in our hurrying and scurrying. We don't necessarily see God in the checklist of things accomplished in our week. But often, we recognize His presence when we slow down enough to hear a gentle whisper.

May your weekend be filled with quiet moments--moments in which you hear God's whisper!

2006-01-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

Still Amazing

Let me say right up front that I don't listen to music as much as some do. When I'm in my car, I'm usually listening to some talk radio station. When I was a teenager and my friends were out buying records (Wow! does that date me!), I just wasn't all that interested. By the time I graduated from high school, I think I owned 3 records.

With all that as a disclaimer, however, I will also tell you that some of my most profound spiritual experiences have involved music. There have been certain artists, certain CD's, certain songs that have brought me closer to God.

Philips, Craig, and Dean is one of those groups whose music seems to consistently break through my heart and bring me into God's presence. About 5 years ago they released a CD entitled, "Let My Words Be Few." The last track on that CD is "Your Grace Still Amazes Me." For the first several times I listened to that track, it brought me to tears. It still makes me misty-eyed even when I listen to it today. I want to share the lyrics with you, knowing that the impact will be minimized without the music. But I want you to look carefully at the message of these powerful lyrics.

VERSE 1

"My faithful Father; enduring Friend

Your tender mercy's like a river with no end

It overwhelms me, covers my sin

Each time I come into Your presence

I stand in wonder once again"

CHORUS:

"Your grace still amazes me

Your love is still a mystery

Each day I fall on my knees

Your grace still amazes me"

VERSE 2

"Oh, patient Savior, You make me whole

You are the Author and the Healer of my soul

What can I give You, Lord, what can I say

I know there's no way to repay You

Only to offer you my praise"

CHORUS

BRIDGE

"It's deeper, it's wider

It's stronger, it's higher

It's deeper, it's wider

It's stronger, it's higher

Than anything my eyes can see"

CHORUS

There are several parts of these lyrics that I really like. First are the words "Each time I come into Your presence I stand in wonder once again." That's how it is for me. Whenever I really get close to God I can't help but stand in wonder of His love and grace for me.

The second section I really like are the words "Oh, patient Savior, You make me whole, You are the Author and the Healer of my soul..." I can't tell you how often when I just feel so broken, that His love and grace has pulled me back together.

Finally I like the words of the bridge where it says, "It's deeper, it's wider, it's stonger, it's higher than anything my eyes can see." I'll never reach the limit of God's grace for me and neither will you! Isn't that amazing?

After the first time I heard this song (and by the way I'm trying to hold back the tears even as I'm typing right now), I knew this was a song I want played at my funeral. More than anything, I want every breath from now until the last one to bring honor and glory to God for His grace, because His grace has made such a wonderful difference in my life.

God's grace--still amazing!

2006-01-13T17:02:00.000-08:00

The Face of Faith

Recently I was holding my granddaughter, Eloise, in my arms. Please understand that I don't hold my granddaughter to get inspired, but sometimes in those quiet moments when it's just her and me, a new way of understanding something comes to mind.

As I looked into her sleeping face, it struck me--hers is the face of faith. Eloise trusts because that is the nature of a child. She doesn't spend any of her sleeping or waking moments worrying about where the next meal is coming from, whether or not she'll have a roof over her head, or whether she'll have clothes to wear.

Quite honestly, those are things that I worry about. I wonder if I'll be able to pay the mortgage next month, if there will be too much month at the end of the money, or if I'll be able to keep up with the bills. I wish I could say that I trust God all the time to care for all my needs, but I can't say that and be entirely truthful.

That's why I think Jesus loved children so much when He was on earth. Something in children wants to trust. I think that inspired Jesus to say what He did in Luke 18:17. "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

As I get older a stark reality is dawning on me--things that I've depended on and trusted in have failed me. I think the lesson I'm supposed to be learning is a lesson that Eloise can teach me--there is one and only one who is completely worthy of my trust. And as I rest in His gentle arms, my face can become the face of faith.

May you find rest in His arms today.

2006-01-05T12:20:00.001-08:00

Grace Enough

2005 was not a year I want to repeat. Between a job losss, cancer surgery, and all the other things you can imagine that go along with those two issues, 2005 had its challenges. If you were to measure my stress level for 2005, it was probably off the charts. So I'm sure you can understand when I say that 2005 was not a year I want to repeat. And yet...

As I was listening to the message that my pastor shared this past weekend he included this text that got me thinking. "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." Proverbs 4:23 (GN) It struck me--was I choosing to think postively about 2005 or was I dwelling primarily on the negative?

Right there I began to make a list of all the positives that I had experienced in 2005. I quickly came up with a list of over 15 positive things that had happened in the past 12 months--some of which would not have happened were it not for my job loss and cancer surgery!

Doesn't God just amaze you with His ability to show us His grace even when we're facing challenging times in our lives? Sometimes it's when life seems darkest that His grace stands out all the more in stark contrast to what we're experiencing at that moment. And sometimes, I have to admit, it's in those "dark nights of the soul" that I see His grace most clearly.

I'm reminded of God's words to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12. "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...for when I am weak, then I am strong."

May you experience grace enough in 2006!

2005-12-30T10:19:00.000-08:00

All Things New

In last week's posting I made a mistake--not a huge mistake--but a mistake, nevertheless. I could tell you that last weekend my computer was having ISP problems, so I didn't get my post up on Friday night as is my goal. By the time my sons helped me get the problem resolved, it was late on Christmas eve and I really wanted to have last week's post up before Christmas. So I got in a hurry and made a mistake. An explanation, but not an excuse.

If you'll re-read last week's post you'll notice (as one of my alert readers did--thanks, Jim!) that I referred to the Mary's pregnancy as the Immaculate Conception. Major goof! For those of you who don't know the Immaculate Conception actually refers to the birth of Mary.

My point this week is not to dwell on the subtle points of the Immaculate Conception. Rather, my point is simply this--in case you haven't figured this out yet, humans make mistakes. Some of us occasionally get away with relatively minor ones (last week's posting, for example), while other mistakes we make have major long-term consequences.

The fantastic thing about grace is that God gives us a chance to start over. Notice what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. All this is from God, who...gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them."

Isn't that great?! When we are in Christ, God doesn't count our sins against us! I don't know about you, but as I reflect on 2005, God could count plenty against me. I won't bore you by cataloging all the mistakes and blunders of this past year, but trust me, there were plenty. And as the minutes count down on 2005, I'm looking forward to a new year, with new opportunities, new possibilities, and new directions in my life.

There are a lot of reasons why I'm looking forward to turning the calendar to 2006, but the biggest reason is the opportunity to experience a fresh start with God because of His grace. Join me in experiencing all things new in 2006, won't you?

2005-12-24T22:07:00.000-08:00

Christ in You

Put yourself in her shoes for just a moment. You're a teenager, perhaps only 15, when suddenly an angel shows up. That in itself might be disturbing, but then the greeting comes, "You who are highly favored." Highly favored? "I'm 15 years old, I'm a woman in a man's world, and I'm highly favored?" you might think. Then comes the stunner. "You will be with child. You are to call him Jesus for he will be the Son of the Most High." Shaking, you reply, "How could this possibly happen. I'm a virgin."

Now comes the tricky part, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the one born to you will be called the Son of God."

It's beginning to sink in. You have been selected to be the mother of Messiah. But how is it supposed to happen again? That's right, the Holy Spirit will impregnate you and the child you carry will be the Son of God. Preposterous, right?

The notion is so amazing we refer to it as the Immaculate Conception--a miracle of the human and the divine.

But isn't that what grace is--the intersecting of divinity with humanity?

Listen to Paul's words in Galatians 2:20 in the midst of his discourse on grace. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

One of the miracles of grace is that as surely as the virgin Mary literally carried Christ within her for nine months of pregnancy, just as surely He can live within us by faith. In Colossians 1:27, Paul refers to this as "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

As you celebrate Christmas, the miraculous birth of Christ, may you also celebrate the ongoing miracle of the human and the divine--Christ in you!

God bless and have a Merry Christmas!

2005-12-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

Coming Home

Our two sons will be home for Christmas. One is in the air right now on his way home from college. Our older son is taking a few days off from work to come home with his girlfriend. My wife and I are anxious to have all 3 of our children home at Christmas. It's been a couple of years since that's happened.

As you can imagine, the Christmas tree is up, the lights have been hung outside, the house is decorated, cleaned, and smelling like a pinewoods forest! But best of all (have I said this already?), our children will all be home for Christmas.

As thrilled as I am, I can only begin to imagine how another father felt when his son came home. The story in Luke 15 tells of a son who became discontented with life at home and left his family behind. We don't know exactly how much time elapsed, but eventually this son came to his senses and decided to return home, admit he was wrong, and face the consequences.

But a funny thing happened when he arrived at home; instead of the expected reprimand, his father greeted him with a hug and a kiss (remember, he had just left a pig pen), put a wonderful robe on him, sandals on his feet, and gave him access to the family wealth (the significance of the ring). What was expected was supplanted by the unexpected.

That's what grace is all about. What we deserve is not what we receive. But what we do receive is, in fact, a reflection of a Father who, more than anything else loves it when His children come home.

I don't know where you've been or what you've done--the fact is, that makes no difference. What matters is that we each have a Father who wants us at home during this Christmas season. Won't you plan to spend the holidays with Him? There's nothing better than coming home!

2005-12-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

God Works in You

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Philippians 2:13 (NIV)

Do you remember learning how to ride a bicycle? My older brother had a small red bike that he rode and one day my dad decided I was ready to accept the challenge of riding that bike. We lived on an acre of property in the country that had a downhill slope, so the first thing my dad did was to have me coast on the bike down the hill on our property. Once I'd mastered the art of keeping my balance by coasting, my dad took me out to the gravel road in front of our house and ran along with me as I attempted to both balance the bike and pedal at the same time. Again there was a slight slope to the road, so eventually as I pedaled slightly downhill it became easier and easier to both pedal and maintain my balance.

Maintaining your balance is as crucial in your Christian life as it is in riding a bike. Lean too far one way or the other and soon you find yourself laying in the gravel with all kinds of scrapes and cuts (I speak from personal experience in both areas!).

Paul wanted to make sure the new Christians in Philippi maintained a sense of balance in their lives. In Philippians 2:12 Paul encourages them to continue to obey. But notice this encouragement to obey comes after Paul has talked about the obedience of Christ in verse 8. Our obedience is never designed to earn God's favor, but is always in response to God's favor.

Then comes a phrase, that taken out of context, has tripped up many a person. Notice: "Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..." Now taken alone, this makes it appear that our salvation is up to us, and unless we clench our fists and grit our teeth and work really hard we'll be in danger of not being saved.

But notice verse 13 which is a continuation of this phrase. "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Did you catch that? God does two very important things for us according to this verse.

First, He gives us the will, or the desire, to obey. Now be honest: Haven't you faced a situation where you really wanted to do something you knew wasn't what God wanted you to do? Paul says God has the ability to help us want to obey.

Second, He gives us the power to obey. Again, how many times have you been in a scenario where you knew what was right, but you also knew you didn't humanly have the power to what was right?

That's the incredible thing about the gospel of grace: God calls us to obey (in response to what He has first done), He gives us the desire to obey, then He gives us the power to obey. All we have to do is cooperate by tapping into the desire and power He gives us.

Grace is absolutely amazing, isn't it? God not only works for us, but God works in us!

Keep your balance this week, OK?

2005-12-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

As High As the Heavens

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him." Psalm 103:11 (NIV)

When I was in elementary school Time/Life published a series of books about nature. My favorite was the one entitled "The Universe." I was fascinated by space and the utter immensity of the universe. When I went to summer camp for the first time, I took a class called "Stars." I can still remember the night Mrs. Johnson, our teacher, took us on a walk and pointed out various stars and constellations to us. My love for astronomy didn't go very far, but I still enjoy going outside on a clear Colorado night and looking up into the heavens and seeing the hundreds of thousands of stars and planets that appear in the night sky.

Thus my attention was caught this week as I read about the world's largest telescope that is under construction on Sierra Negra, a dormant volcanic peak int he Mexican state of Puebla. This telescope, which is the size of major-league baseball infield is reported to have the capability when finished of peering into the universe for a distance of 13 billion light years. Isn't man's quest to see to the "edge" of the universe fascinating? With tremenous advances in science, however, we still haven't seen that "edge" of the universe where it theoretically ends.

Now consider the psalmist David, looking up into the night skies over the Middle East one evening thousands of years ago and writing these words, "As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him." For David it was impossible to conceive that God's love could ever be fathomed. And so he did the best he could at describing the greatness of God's everlasting love.

David continues in Psalm 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Where does East meet West? It doesn't! And that's David's point. God loves us so much that when He removes our sins from us, they can't be found!

Both of these verses come after this passage in Psalm 103:10, "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." For those who would suggest that grace can only be found in the New Testament, let me present Psalm 103 as Exhibit A in my case that grace permeates the entire Bible--both Old and New Testament. David had experienced God's grace in amazing ways (remember the story of Bathsheba?), and in Psalm 103 describes grace just as surely as Paul in the New Testament.

Bottom line: I'm grateful God doesn't treat me as my sins deserve, but instead favors me with unconditional love and grace. By the way, if you ever reach the upper limits of heaven or find where east meets west, let me know. But in the meantime, I won't be holding my breath waiting. I'll be basking in a grace that is as high as the heavens!

2005-11-25T16:12:00.000-08:00

"Yes, but..."

"You have been saved by grace because you believe. You did not save yourselves. It was a gift from God. You cannot brag that you are saved by the work you have done." Ephesians 2:8,9 (NCV)

I was talking with a friend several days ago about grace when he told me about a conversation he had had some months previous with someone who is a Christian. In their conversation, my friend said how wonderful it is to be saved by grace. This other person's reply went something like this, "Yes, but..."

Have you ever had a similar conversation about grace with someone. They appear likewise to be thrilled by God's grace, only to respond, "Yes, but..."

Now normally I don't have a fascination with "buts," however, in this instance I'll make an exception! What's with the "but?" Are we saved totally and completely by God's grace, or aren't we? I think that's what the "but" is all about. On the one hand, God does call Christians to live exemplary lives through His power. But do our exemplary lives lived through His power save us? Absolutely not! They bring Him glory, but they don't save us.

For those Christians who would suggest that we are saved by a combination of God's grace and our works, what is that formula? Where would you draw the line? Where does the "but" appear?

Grace Alone l_____________________________l Works Alone

As human beings, we seem to have a natural tendency to protect ourselves--to make ourselves look OK. And we try to do that in the spiritual arena by our "but."

"I'm saved by grace, but isn't it wonderful how much I give to charity?"

"I'm saved by grace, but look at all the nice things I do for others."

"I'm saved by grace, but isn't my church attendance record outstanding?"

"I'm saved by grace, but look at how well I've adhered to Biblical health principles."

Charity, being nice to others, church attendance, and healtful living are all fine and good, but none of those things contributes one iota to our salvation. We are saved solely and completely by God's grace and His grace alone--no ifs, ands, or "buts" about it!

2005-11-18T15:31:00.000-08:00

A Perfect Gift

"Every perfect gift is from God." James 1:17 (NCV)

Yesterday my daughter and son-in-law had their first baby (my first grandchild!) and named her Eloise Grace. Those of you who are parents and grandparents understand me completely when I say that these precious babies are miraculous gifts from God.

Isn't that what grace is really all about? It comes to us as a miraculous gift from God who loves to give His children wonderful gifts. Those gifts may be as simple a supportive note from a friend, the beauty of a crisp autumn morning, or the unconditional companionship of a family pet. Sometimes those gifts though may be a bit more complex. The recovery from an addiction, the unexpected job offer at just the right time, the promise of a relationship with Jesus that will never end, or a beautiful granddaughter. All gifts of grace.

Between now and Thanksgiving look at the world and all that is good in it as the gift from God that it is. The runny-nosed child that wakes you in the middle of the night is a gift from God. The paycheck that enables you to take care of your family is a gift from God. The neighbor who rakes your leaves for you is a gift from God. The internet that helps you stay connected to friends and family around the world is a gift from God. As James says, "Every perfect gift is from God."

So on Thanksgiving day, give thanks to the Gift Giver for all His perfect gifts to you. There are so many for which to give thanks that if you talk about them all as you gather for dinner next Thursday, the food may be in danger of growing cold! Remember, though, to say thanks for His gifts.

Whatever you may be giving thanks for, I'll be gathered with my family to thank God for a perfect gift--Eloise Grace!

2005-11-11T19:57:00.000-08:00

Receiving Grace

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)

I celebrated a birthday this week. Friends and family showered me all kinds of gifts--some wonderful, some practical, and some whimsical! But I can assure you I accepted each and every one of them with gratitude.

It hasn't always been easy to accept gifts from others, however.

Seven years ago my wife had surgery for breast cancer. It was a stressful time and I wanted everything to be kept as normal as possible so that our children would be able to cope with the trauma we were facing as a family. Friends and family generously offered to help us in a variety of ways, from bringing us home-cooked meals to ironing our laundry. I was overwhelmed by this outpouring of generosity, but I resisted at first. I wanted to be seen as strong, and capable, and the anchor that was holding the family together.

Then one day a friend said something that really got my attention. It went something like this.

"Gale, we need to be blessed by the opportunity to be able to give to you, as much as you need to receive."

All of a sudden it hit me--they were offering me their gifts of grace and I was hesitating to receive them! And then another thought hit me--a very troubling one. Was I finding it just as difficult to receive the gift of grace that God was trying to offer me? I had been in a profession where it was my job to meet the needs of others (or so I thought), and I was not accustomed to receiving help from those who wanted to meet my needs. Was I shutting out God's grace by the same hesitancy to receive it?

Rather than teaching about grace, I learned a powerful and valuable lesson about grace that day. Grace is a gift to be received.

I hope that today, and every day, you'll be able to receive grace.

2005-11-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

First to Last

One of the great texts concerning grace is Romans 1:16,17.

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.' "

This particular text changed the life of Martin Luther, who in turn, changed the course of history. Tormented by the thought that he could never be good enough to please God (anyone else been there?!)--in spite of his best efforts--Luther discovered this text to be a breath of fresh air to his soul. He had been led to believe that grace could only be received from God in response to a prescribed list of activities and duties that he must perform to demonstrate that he deserved God's favor. But on reading this text, Luther understood for the first time in his life that righteousness does not come as a result of trying, but of trusting.

Let me highlight some of my favorite parts of this passage.

First, Paul makes it clear that the gospel is God's power. It's not my power, it's not your power, it is God's power. No human being can take credit for the gospel--only God can. He alone is deserving of our gratitude and thanks.

Second, the gospel is inclusive. Have you ever felt marginalized in some way? Too young, too old. Too rich, too poor. Too smart, too dumb. Too tall, too short. Too large, too small. Too light, too dark. Too female, too male. Our society has perfected the art form of lauding my characteristics at the expense of yours. Value and worth is assigned to having the right traits. But the gospel cuts across all of that. It is truly radical in declaring that the gospel is for anyone and everyone who chooses to believe. Who you are, what you've done, where you're from does not disqualify you from being a recipient of the gospel. That is indeed, Good News!

Third, God is the source of all righteousness. No matter who we are or what we do, we cannot manufacture nor can we take credit for righteousness. It comes from God to us as a gift--grace! Some of us have busied ourselves trying to produce righteousness and have only worn ourselves out by our working. Others of us have known that we aren't good enough to be counted righteous and have worn ourselves out by our worrying! Here's the one and only solution--we must simply accept that righteousness is God's gracious gift to provide for us what we cannot provide for ourselves--salvation.

Fourth, those who are righteous live by faith. This was the part of the passage that gripped Luther's heart. He had tried with all his might to live to please God by the things he did, yet he did not have peace. Peace only came to his heart when he realized that he simply had to trust God for his salvation rather than trying to work for it.

Understand that living by faith can be a humbling experience. Why? Because we have to admit that we can't receive it in any other way. Our best efforts aren't good enough. And who of us likes to acknowledge that? Do I see any hands of those who enjoy admitting that you can't do something? I didn't think so! Further, as Paul will discuss later in Romans, not only are our best efforts not good enough to qualify us for righteousness, but in fact, our best efforts disqualify us!

Paul emphasizes by quoting the Old Testament--Habakkuk 2:4 to be specific--that God's plan for receiving righteousness has always been by believing. There never was any other way. The righteous have always and will always live by faith.

Finally, I want to come back to my favorite part of this passage: Righteousness is by faith from beginning to end. There is never a point where we mix some of our righteousness with some of God's to get just the right proportions. Absolutely not! Or as Paul himself might say, God forbid! You see, when we try to stir in some of our "goodness" to an already perfect recipe, all it does is create a recipe for disaster--it spoils the whole thing! If we could add some of our "goodness" to the mix, then we would be deserving of some credit. That would deflect credit from the One and Only who is worthy of all praise for our salvation--God and God alone!

There is another aspect of this portion of the passage that has had some practical implications for my own life. As righteousness is by faith from first to last, then every step of my journey with Christ is a step of faith. I don't take one step forward by faith and then a next step by works. No! Every step of the Christian journey--from the time I acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior until the day I see Him face to face--is a step of faith. No more and no less. And that has given me great peace.

Like Martin Luther, I've discovered that peace is not something I do, but is something I receive as a gift from God. I'm not good enough to deserve it. I'm not strong enough to achieve it. I'm not smart enough to earn it. Righteousness is only possible in my life as I trust in Jesus at every step of the way in my Christian journey--from first to last!

2005-10-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

The Beginning of a Journey

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life."

This is my life verse--the verse that started me on my personal journey of discovering God's grace. I've decided that God's grace has been so significant in my life that I want to share my musings and meanderings along this pathway of grace.

God has interesting ways of revealing His grace to us. During 10th grade I had a friend who was interested in working on a youth evangelism team in Portland, Oregon for the summer. He asked me if I'd like to do this with him. I could envision him doing this--after all he was a pastor's son. I wasn't. But the more I thought about what I was going to do for the summer, the more I figured it beat getting up at 3:00 a.m. to milk cows (my previous summer's job). So I said "Yes."

We were among a group of high school, college, and seminary students who were brought together for the purpose of sharing Jesus with people in Portland. I'll admit up front this was intimidating for me because, quite frankly, Jesus and me had issues.

One issue was that in a span of 18 months my paternal grandparents were killed in an automobile accident on their way home from church, my maternal grandfather died of Huntington's Chorea, and my mother died of the same disease. That 18 month span had ended when I was 12.

The second issue was that the religious environment in which I had grown up had not left me with a very positive picture of God. Maybe I failed to hear the message, but the unspoken message wasn't one that made God attractive to me.

Third, I was struggling as a 16-year-old with the issues of being a part of a blended family. I had enough on my plate simply being 16, let alone trying to re-find my place in my family.

So, here I was, expected to share Jesus with others, when I wasn't quite so sure how I felt about Him on a personal level.

As part of our training that summer we were trained in the principles of "Evangelism Explosion." We were encouraged not only to mark key verses in our Bible, but to memorize these verses as well.

One afternoon I went outside to begin the memorization process. I came down to the final verse to memorize, 1 John 5:13. "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that may know that you have eternal life."

I couldn't remember ever having heard that verse before, but as I read it and tried to memorize it, it was like a light coming on to penetrate the darkness that had overshadowed my life.

First, I didn't realize that you could know that you had eternal life. I hoped maybe I'd be saved if I was lucky, but I certainly didn't know I could have assurance of my eternal destiny.

Second, I was shocked at what was the basis of this knowing--all I had to do was believe in the name of Jesus! This was shocking because in the religious environment in which I had grown up (thankfully not my parents, who have been good models of God's grace), I was led to believe that in order to please God, I had to do the right things and act in the right way. If I missed something on God's checklist then any hope I had was gone. I knew I wasn't good enough, and I knew I didn't always think, let alone do the right things. This was an entirely new and different way of looking at God. And since it was in the Bible, it had to be true.

I'll never forget that day as long as I live. God graciously intervened in the life of a mixed-up 16-year-old kid and showed me grace.

That's how it all began for me. In the days and weeks ahead I'll be sharing more about what God's grace means to me and how the journey continues.

Remember, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life."