SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Author: J Brad Mitchell

  • The hidden message that was in front of me

    In a recent devotion, the scripture reference was in Genesis 32-33.  This was a familiar story to me, so I read over it fairly quickly.  This time was different, though.  This reading caused me to stop and reflect on what was happening.  The words were the same.  The story was the same.  Somehow, the meaning had changed.  The meaning had not changed for the author but for me, as the reader/hearer.  That’s the joy of reading the scripture.  My life has changed since the last time that I read this whole story.  I have gotten older and see the world a little differently.  My circumstances have changed.  Things that once meant so much now seem petty.  This reminded me of one of the many lessons I learned in Seminary.  I studied World Religions and one of the religions that I really wanted to know more about was Judaism.  I spent some time with a wonderful person that offered so much insight and passion into the faith.  Rabbi Solomon and I were talking about how the Jews read the Torah through every year.  He taught that it was important to read the Torah again and again because we change.  Our life situation is different and what the Torah means to us is often shaped by those situations.  I found that true in this text of Genesis 32-33.

    What I discovered: 

    Jacob has been a liar and deceiver.  God has instructed him to return to his father’s home.  The only problem with that is Esau is there.  Esau, his older brother, was extremely angry the last time he saw him.  Esau even had plans to kill Jacob.  It had been several years since then, but the facts had not changed.  Jacob had taken Esau’s birthright and his blessing.  The other fact is that Esau was a skilled hunter/gatherer.  Jacob was not.  Jacob’s chances of winning any dispute, other than through deceit, are slim to none.  Jacob was terrified to return – even though God had told him to.  He had an elaborate plan – filled with droves of gifts and a whole lot of begging/groveling.  What Jacob didn’t know is that Esau was changed.  When Esau finally got to Jacob…the scene really blew me away.  Here is the reunion…

    4 But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the maids drew near, they and their children, and bowed down; 7 Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down; and finally Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. 8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor with my lord.” 9 But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.”

    Esau wasn’t just glad to see him…he ran to meet him and embrace him.  It was completely NOT what Jacob was expecting or deserved.  Esau didn’t even want the gifts.  He told Jacob he had enough.  I LOVE that.  Esau knew he had what he needed…it wasn’t gifts that had changed him.  He didn’t need what Jacob HAD.  And Jacob says this…

    Jacob said, “No, please; if I find favor with you, then accept my present from my hand; for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God—since you have received me with such favor.

    He told him that to see his face was to see the face of God.  That was IT!  Jacob received from Esau what he didn’t deserve – forgiveness, reconciliation, love and GRACE.  Wow!  That’s what God does for us.  I am blown away by God’s love, forgiveness, and grace – none of which do I deserve.  I am thankful that I was able to see read this.  I am hopeful it blesses someone else as well.

    What have you been skipping over in the scripture because you have “read it before?”  I encourage you to slow down and listen.  God has a powerful message to share if we will only pay attention.

  • The Night the Clock Stopped

    I was at a basketball game recently when something happened.  A stunt the cheerleaders were performing went wrong…a girl fell and got hurt.  I think my heart stopped and my daughter wasn’t even the cheerleader that was hurt.  It was during half time.  They always have the clock running during half time so the teams can know when to begin warming up again before they start the second half.  But not today…as all of this was going on, I look up at the clock and…it was stopped.  There was no countdown…for that moment, time seemed to stand still.  Those are the moments that become forever embedded in your mind.

    Time seems to stand still on a few occasions…like watching a car accident…or seeing something tragic happen right before your eyes.

    Or, like sitting at the bedside of someone as they take their last breath…People say that life flashes before their eyes when they experience something tragic or life-altering.  There may not be another time to say what needs to be said to people.  We may not get another moment to love on those that mean something to us.  I understand that may sound cliche.

    For me, though, I don’t always stop to really see people until the clock stops.  I don’t consider what I should or should not be saying until there is no opportunity left to speak.  I don’t often reflect on what I should or shouldn’t be doing until it is all said and done.

    What might our lives look like if we started seeing what really is around us…without the clock stopping?  What should we say or do or not say if the clock was to stop right now?  What do you need to change, even if the clock keeps on counting?

  • A Time For…

    What a day!  I’m sure we have all had one of those days that we could not wait for it to end…where nothing seems to go right and we feel like if the day doesn’t end quickly, it may actually all fall apart.  Today was one of those days for me.  But, after lunch, things began to take a turn…for the better.  My afternoon appointments didn’t work out.  I still had a whole list of other things to do…but it was 65 degrees on a winter day.  I had been inside too long and was anxious to get some fresh air.  Emma and I decided it was time for a hike at the Cliffs of the Neuse…

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    The trail was calling
    The trail was calling

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    As I walked through the trail, I began to feel better.  I enjoyed hearing the songs of the birds.  It began to notice the beauty of the trees.  My eyes were opening to the creation that was all around me.  I began to breathe…

    I noticed how different all of the trees were.  There were some tall and majestic…

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    Others were small but alive with potential…

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    Still others appeared to have been at the end of their usefulness…yet contained a beauty that was indescribable…

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    They were everywhere…as I walked to the lake, they surrounded the water in beauty…protecting, shielding, and accepting nourishment from the water…

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    All of these trees…in all their specialness and uniqueness…in all their splendor…are beautiful.  Whether they were just beginning or their time was completed, they are a part of God’s creation.  Not many people know much about the book of Ecclesiastes, but if people know anything, they know this found in chapter 3:

    For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

    2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
    a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
    3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
    a time to break down, and a time to build up;
    4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
    a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
    5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
    a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
    6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
    a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
    7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
    a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
    8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
    a time for war, and a time for peace.

     Today, this writing began to speak to me as it never has before.  I began to see this come to life.  As I looked around at the planted…and the stones…in silence, I also considered that which had died…which had been plucked up…which had been gathered. In all of God’s wisdom, he has blessed us with signs and wonders all around us…if only we will pay attention.

    I will leave you with one of my favorite poems by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

    Earth is crammed with heaven

    And every common bush aflame with God

    But only those who see will take off their shoes

    The rest sit around and pluck blackberries

    Maybe, just maybe today was one of those holy moments..

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  • Sabbath? Who me?

    What I am still learning about 1 of the BIG 10…

    I really enjoy reading, I find it peaceful and it seems to take some of the stress out of an ordinary day.  The list of books I want to read is long…I have been accumulating the list while in Divinity School.  So far, the books I have chosen are books that I heard about in seminary but didn’t get a chance to read or are by authors I read excerpts from.  I began with NT Wright’s Surprised by Hope.  This is a book that I used in research so I knew just enough about it to know I wanted to read the whole thing.  Wright speaks about a topic that has become very important in my own spiritual walk…creation care and Romans 8.  The book did not disappoint and creation care continues to be an essential part of my walk.  I decided to continue on this same path, but from the perspective of seeing God through what he has made.  I came upon An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor.

    There are so many lessons that I have learned from reading this book.  One of the greatest takeaways, though, is the idea of Sabbath.  I know what the Sabbath is.  I have studied the Sabbath.  I even know its importance.  I have studied the Sabbath as a part of creation and as a command from God.  And, there is this:

    “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.” Exodus 20: 9-11

    Yep, that’s from the “Big 10″…you know, the Ten Commandments.  We know it.  Many of us memorized it.  We learned it in Sunday School right along with the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer.  There it is…the Sabbath.  In the book, Taylor points out that the Lord blessed and consecrated the day.  It was more than “good” as the other parts of creation were.  This was something extra special.  Now…I knew this.  This is not something new.  What was different is that someone who has served in parish ministry is writing about it.  She wrote about how she never really got it while she served…it wasn’t until she was no longer in parish ministry that she discovered the Sabbath.

    I have used every excuse I can come up with to show why I do not honor this commandment…and feel good about my excuses.  I am a minister and I am called to work on Sunday.  I am bi-vocational which means I also work another job that I can’t just take a day off.  There are things to be done around the house.  I have a family.  I…blah, blah blah – you get it.  I have as many excuses for not celebrating the Sabbath as Moses had for not doing what God called him to do.  Several years ago, Dad and I had an ongoing “conversation” about the Sabbath.  He would always tell me that I had to take a Sabbath…so I would ask him how his was going.  Neither of us did really well at it.  I’m still not doing really well at it.

    This week, I found myself craving a Sabbath.  I told Wendy I was going to have to take a day and rest.  Not only did God command it, but my body needed it…bad.  I felt myself being snappy with my girls, frustrated at work, and generally angry.  That’s not me.  So – today is my first attempt at taking a Sabbath.  It is Saturday…the day of rest for me.  It has not been easy because there are a million things that need to be done.  I did attend a prayer breakfast at church, which presented an opportunity for worship.  I spent time with a friend on the trails outside…an opportunity to walk in creation and just talk.  I finished the book I was reading…so I could start another.  I even planned out my garden and spent time outside with the dogs in my yard.  I have prayed and I have enjoyed some great coffee.  I must say that although my house needs attention and there are so many things to be done…I am THANKFUL for this Sabbath.  I already know that God is right…but this just confirms it.  That commandment is not to punish me or make me feel guilty…that commandment is for my good – just like all of them are.  

    I’m looking forward to the next Sabbath…and hearing God speak…and just resting.  How are you doing on your Sabbath?

  • Making Time to Breathe

    As this new year begins, there are quite a few changes.  I do not have to return to school this semester, which is probably the biggest change.  Because I spent so much time studying and reading and going to class, you would think I would have so much extra time.  You might even think I would have so much free time I wouldn’t know what to do.  I have already had many people ask what I was going to do with all my extra time.  The interesting thing is that there isn’t much free time…and I’m not sure how I survived with all I had going on.

    Last semester, I often thought of what I would do when I didn’t have to go to school.  The only answer in my mind was…breathe.  I can’t remember taking too many deep breaths in the last five years.  My schedule was so overloaded that I really don’t even remember relaxing at all.  Don’t get me wrong…it is not in my nature to relax too long.  I have to be on the move, doing something.  I loved what I did and wouldn’t change anything.  My experience in Seminary has been priceless.  But I had the desire to…just breathe.

    I looked at my schedule yesterday and it is packed.  I am doing things I wasn’t able to do when I was in school, but the calendar is still full.  I thought to myself…how did this happen so soon?  If I just had more time…or if I could just make the time to do what needs to be done…and…

    And then I heard Jonny Diaz’s new song, “Breathe.”  God has an interesting way of reaching us, doesn’t he?   I have to learn to slow down and just breathe…rest at the feet of Jesus.  His presence is in me…around me…if I will just take the time to…breathe.  He can bring rest to my overstressed life if I will just let him.  I don’t need more time.  I don’t need to “make time” even if I could.  Sometimes, I just need to stop, breathe, and listen to God speak…feel his presence…see his creation.  May I learn to…breathe.

  • Fear in the New Year

    Fear…it is one of those interesting emotions.  Fear can be good.  It can keep us from danger.  It can also be debilitating.  Fear can stop us from doing anything and keep us trapped.  All too often, our fears simply keep us frozen…unable to move forward into the future.

    Tomorrow is New Year’s Day.  That is a day known for new and fresh starts.  It is a day known for resolutions, and getting started with a “clean slate” and on the “right foot.”  Often, the start is great.  We might actually begin doing something that we have wanted to do for a long time.  Or, we may find that we stop doing something that is causing us harm.  Somehow in all of that, fear creeps in.  Actually, fear was always there, but we find ourselves ‘brave’ for a moment and start heading in the right direction.  That direction, though, is not our norm.  It is not what we are use to…not what we have grown accustomed.  So, eventually, we find ourselves back into the old habits and routines – where it is comfortable…even if it is bad.  Fear wins again.

    This doesn’t just happen in our exercise, dieting, or healthy new starts.  It doesn’t just happen with our jobs or our relationships with others.  This happens even in our relationship with God.  We have this desire to follow.  We really want to do what we are called to do.  With all our heart, we want to be more like Christ.  And…then…it happens.  We start following and the path is unknown…unfamiliar…untraveled.  We are scared.  We begin letting our fears take over.  My fears begin something like this…”What if this happens…what if that doesn’t work…what if God hasn’t really called you…what if you heard it all wrong…what if you make a big mess of things…what if…what if…what”  And, I back down.  I want out.  I begin thinking that there has to be a better way…something else I could do for God…something that is…well…more comfortable.

    Then, I read the Bible, and the calling of the disciples.  Jesus says things like take up your cross, leave everything behind, sell all you have, forsake all others…come follow me.  Jesus didn’t say that following would be easy or comfortable.  He actually said the opposite.  BUT WHAT ABOUT MY FEARS?  What do I do about the fears that keep me up at night, that cause me to feel sick to my stomach, that cause me to be irritable and snappy, that cause me to…quit?  Jesus has something to say about that too…I am the way, the truth and the life…I leave you peace that goes beyond your understanding…Fear not, I have overcome the world…and most importantly, I LOVE YOU.  It quickly brings to mind what has become my slogan for life…”God’s Got This”

    If I am serving Christ, he will take care of me.  He will show me the way.  He will be my light.  He will guide my feet.  He will provide for my needs.  He will never leave me.

    That doesn’t mean I won’t fear.  It doesn’t mean all of that anxiety goes away.  It does mean, though, that as I walk with him, I learn to trust him.  As I learn to trust him, I learn that he really does have this taken care of.  As I learn that he has it taken care of, I learn that I have nothing to fear.  I can have peace…even when things are very scary.

    As I walk into this New Year, I pray that fear does not debilitate us…it does not stop us…it does not overtake us.  I pray that God shows us what it means to walk…one step at a time…with him.  I pray that God begins to show us that when we walk with him, those fears…subside.  I pray that as 2016 comes, God’s children will begin to follow like never before…into the unknown.  And, I pray that it begins with me.

  • Merry Christmas!

    Christmas is almost here!  It is rainy and stormy and predicted to be over 70 degrees for Christmas.  I can’t complain about the temp…that’s just right for me.  So many have said that it just doesn’t “feel” like Christmas.  I wonder what Christmas really does feel like.  I am not thinking that the manger had snow.  I am not thinking that Mary and Joseph went out and built a snowman while baby Jesus slept in the hay.  I know that because it is in December, we are expecting colder weather.  I guess what I am trying to get at is if we are looking for things to be a certain way for it to feel like Christmas, we might miss something important.  We might miss Christmas.

    As I was preparing for our Christmas Eve Service, I read the song “Little Town of Bethlehem.”  It was an ordinary time for Bethlehem.  They were participating in the census…things were going along as they normally would during this time.  I am guessing that things were fairly “predictable.”  Mary and Joseph have come for the census and they didn’t have a place to stay.  Based on their social status, I am thinking they were probably not surprised by that.  I am guessing they weren’t really expecting any place to stay.  It wasn’t like they could call ahead for reservations and even if they could, they couldn’t afford the increased rates during a “peak season.”  It was all so ordinary…and yet extraordinary at the same time.  Mary, a pregnant woman, had a baby.  That happens every day.  I’m thinking there were other babies born during this trip in Bethlehem.  Mary, though, wasn’t just having ANY baby…she was having THE baby.  It was an ordinary night, an ordinary birth, an ordinary situation…but something extraordinary was happening.  Jesus was born into the world.  What about the others who were around?  What about the people that actually got rooms where they were staying in the stable?  What about those who passed by and saw that this couple had a new baby?  Was he just a cute addition?  Did they even notice?  Was it so hectic that they just kept moving along?  Was he crying so much that they found him an annoyance?  Did all of those around MISS IT?  Did they miss the birth of a Savior?

    Too many times, I find that I am in the room next door.  I am close to Christ…but I find myself so busy that I haven’t even noticed.  Christmas is almost here…will I stop and look around long enough to notice that Christ has come…that he is at work…that he is among us?  May I not be annoyed by the baby crying…by the noises at the stable…or too busy to stop and gaze…  May I stop, kneel and worship… Christ has come.  Merry Christmas!

  • Accountability and the Christian Community

    I know in my mind that accountability is important.  I understand that someone following up with you and checking in regularly helps to keep focus.  But an even better accountability is someone who is walking along with you through it.  That takes a time, effort and a similar goal.

    This has become even more evident to me recently.  I am a runner.  I really enjoy going for a morning run and even look forward to it most of the time.  There are times when I don’t really want to get out of a warm bed and put on a bunch of layers of clothes to go running in the freezing cold.   There are times when I am tired and another hour of sleep is more than appealing.  But, I love to run.  Eventually, I will make myself get moving and will be so thankful that I did.  Accountability is good with running because it keeps me consistent.  Would I still run without it?  I would…but probably not with regularity.

    That is NOT the case with strength training.  There is not much I enjoy about strength training.  I would choose most anything over it.  I have avoided it as much as I possibly could.  The problem with that is – strength training makes me a better, more fit runner.  There has to be some irony in that.  Right now, I have a stress fracture and I cannot run.  Could that have been caused by not strength training?  There is a really good possibility that my lack of strength training led to this problem.  Now I can’t run…at least for several more weeks.  You would think that not being able to run would motivate me to get with the training so this doesn’t happen again…but that’s incorrect.  And, I need more than someone calling me and checking with me to make sure I did it…because I have no problem saying “NOPE, sure didn’t.”  I need someone to push me and walk the path with me.  I am thankful John took that on – we may want to all pray for him.

    Why do I mention this?  It reminds me of what we as Christians should be doing for one another.  I don’t mean that we should be exercising together…although that’s never a bad idea.  I do mean that we should be traveling this journey together.  There are going to be parts of this journey I will really enjoy and there will be times when I am really struggling.  If I have a Christian community that walks with me on this journey, we can celebrate together and we can help each other up when times are really tough.  I think that we, as Christians, have lost so much of that.  I think that we come together to worship a couple of times a week…we maybe enjoy a meal together occasionally – but that is where it ends.  We don’t journey together…we more vacation together.  If I understand the idea of Christian community, it is more than simply worship and an occasional meal.  It looks like walking arm in arm together, celebrating together, striving together, doing life together, and working through our differences…together.

    Church, for me, is like running.  I will show up to church because I love it.  I love to worship, praise and be with other Christians.  It helps if I am out and someone checks in on me (if I wasn’t the pastor, it might keep me attending a little more regularly).  But, in order to run well, I need strength training…we need to people to walk with us as we serve Christ, to join in on the efforts of more than Sunday mornings.  What I’m trying to say is…Christian Community is so much more than simply once a week meeting.  Maybe we should journey together rather than just vacation.

  • Without a voice

    I’m not sure I have ever been this long with little to no voice.  Funny how it happened right after I preached a sermon on Sunday, which went fine.  Not having a voice has had an interesting effect on me…

    I’ve had a lot of time to think.  School is complete and I am unable to run.  This time of thinking has been good.  As I was thinking about this really minor problem that will correct itself soon, these two important things came up:

    –Not having a voice has given me the opportunity to listen more.  I try not strain my voice to say anything unless I think it really needs to be said.  It has definitely caused me to stop and think before I speak…not something I do often enough.  When it requires effort to say something, you want to make sure what you say counts.  This has allowed me to be quiet and have the opportunity to simply listen.  It has been an opportunity to not only listen to others, but also to listen to God.  All too often, when I pray, it is me talking and God listening.  This type of prayer isn’t building a relationship, but more unloading my list of things I need help with.  It could be called my “God-do” list rather than the “honey-do” list.  If this is my only prayer, I am missing opportunities to fellowship with God, to worship, and to hear.  Being silent allows me to reflect on what God is doing.  It allows me to worship without asking for anything.  It allows me to focus on the Creator of it all and appreciate what he has made and is doing.  May God continue to work on me with this, even after my voice returns.

    -It brought to mind those in our world who have “no voice.”  There are people all over the world that truly have no voice.  I don’t mean that they cannot speak literally.  I mean that they are ignored, treated poorly, abused, abandoned and/or forgotten.  There are people who have found themselves in situations that they are screaming for help but no one can hear them…or at least no one chooses to hear them.  I thought about the often quoted Matthew 25 and “the least of these.”  Maybe God has given us ears to hear…not the things of this world…but ears to hear those shouting to be heard.  Maybe God is giving us eyes to see…to see those who have been forgotten or abandoned.  Maybe God is giving us hands to reach out…to show others that they are somebody…to bring them to the table and fellowship.  Maybe God is giving us feet to go…to those places where he leads, no matter how scary…so that we can visit those who need HIM.  Maybe, just maybe, taking care of the least of these is not just feeding…but loving, supporting, and giving voice to those who have forgotten they even have one.

    I’m praying that God will allow me to hear…to see…to serve…and to go!

  • Almost ready

    My Divinity School experience has almost come to completion.  I am so very ready to see what God has in store next.  My plan for this blog is to post regularly about my thoughts on life, theology, and living for Christ.  It has been difficult to write while reading and writing so much in Div School.  I look forward to what is ahead.