SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Category: God Speaking

  • Grounding in the Chaos

    Things sure have changed a lot in a short amount of time.  Our secure, comfortable schedules have been displaced and torn to shreds.  The rhythm of our days has become a page of staccatos without the usual flow of the masterpiece.  What we have always relied on has been altered and changed.  And let’s be honest, some of us handle it better than others.  Some are angry at everything…waiting anxiously to lash out at anything that shows up.  Some of us appear a bit lost…wandering around aimlessly trying to find a sense of direction.  And some of us are simply trying to adjust to the new rhythm, trying to find a new sense of normalcy in a chaotic piece of art.  It is scary and enlightning all at the same time.  Every time we think we have this new rhythm down pat, the whole piece changes and we are required to re-adjust.  And some of us are not great at the re-adjustment.  Our world is different and we are not okay with it.  So we might blame anyone we can and yell at anyone who will listen.  We may even find ourselves lost in the mess of it all.

    This isn’t the first time the world has changed in the blink of an eye.  It has been happening since the beginning.  There have been uproars and wars.  There have been times of peace and contentment.  There have been times when things are going well and all seems to be in place.  And there are times when many worried there would never be peace again.  This isn’t the first time.

    I have been thinking about the Israelites in all of this.  What we are encountering is nothing compared to their struggles.  They were slaves in a land that was not their own.  God sees and hears them.  But that meant they had to leave their homes in the middle of the night and run…and keep running.  They kept running until they reached…the wilderness.  That’s right…not the Promised Land they would have liked to have seen.  They reached wilderness – vast dryness and nothingness.  They were there with no food, no water and little supplies.  They reached the end of their lives.  And in their honesty, they found a longing for their days in captivity…at least they knew what was expected there.  Here, everything was unexpected and variable.  They didn’t know about their next meal.  They didn’t know what they would do or where they would go.  They didn’t understand that God was working to rescue them.  All they knew was this place wasn’t what they thought and they just wanted to go back.  Only…they couldn’t.  They had come too far now.  And they were scared.

    What did God do to help them in their fears?  What did he do to show them that this was not the end?  He provided for them.  They were given food and water.  They had tents for shelter.  Their basic needs were cared for.  They were not left alone.  God saw them.  He heard them.  He was in the process of providing rescue.  Along with providing for them, he gave them a visible sign of his presence.  God let them know that he was with them always.  There was a cloud…there was fire…God was there.  They only had to look around them to see that he had not left them.

    And then God gave them a new rhythm.  He gave them something to hold onto.  He gave them something that they could grasp and know he was in this.  It wasn’t what they expected, I am sure.  It wouldn’t be what we would expect either.  But it was God’s response to their human need.  He got that they needed direction and guidance.  He provided the 10 commandments.

    Now before you roll your eyes and dismiss what I am going to say…stay with me.  We have come to view the 10 commandments as an archaic set of rules that should be made into statues or monuments, but not so much followed.  We have viewed them as a list of do nots and a way for punishment.  They are not often seen as God’s answer to the needs of his people.  He gives them these commandments as a guide to help them in their dismay.  They have lost their way.  They do not know which way to turn.  They are looking for stable ground.  When wilderness is all you see, you need direction.  And this was his answer for his people in their time of great need.  It was not for their harm or a way to keep them under control.  This was a gift of protection and love.  This was a reminder that in their great distress, God had not left them.  These words were meant to help them when they didn’t know what else to do.

    So if we read them in a different light, we might hear something different.

    We have the commandments recorded in Exodus 20.  I want to focus only on the first few of the commandments this morning because it is the basis for the rest.  If you get these, the remainder seems to fall into place.  And it seems to me that the first is the first for a really good reason.  I do encourage you to go back and read the remainder.  They all have something powerful to teach us.

    Exodus 20:1-6

    20 Then God spoke all these words:

    2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me.

    4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

    I hear…God brought you here and he hasn’t left you.  I hear that God has brought us here and God has not left us.  This may not be a place we would have picked but this is not the end.  We may only see wilderness, but this is not the end.  God is God and we are not.  And he expects and commands us to keep him first.  To keep him first in all things is the guide.  There should not be competition between God and other things in our lives.  God is first and stays that way.  When we are lost, he is our grounding.  When we are scared, he is our security.  When we feel empty, he takes care of our needs.  His presence is with us…just look around.  While our world is changing, God is not.  He is with us.

    If God is with us, whom do we fear?  Why are we so angry if God is our guide?  Why are so filled with rage if the God of love is our salvation?  Why do we hold so tight to our things on this earth if our treasures are not here anyway?  Why do we fight to have things our way if what we really want is God’s way?

    We are told that God did not give us a spirit of fear…but instead a spirit of power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).  We are given a spirit of love.  That doesn’t leave room for our selfishness.  It doesn’t leave room for our desire to have things our way.  It does give us reason to look at things quite differently.  What would it all look like if we lived in love?  How might it look differently if we found our solid foundation in the commandments to guide us?  We might just find that we are wrong on some things.  We might find some of our fears are not justified.  We might see that those fighting for justice are onto something.  We might realize that God is working and it is a matter of opening our hearts and minds.  We might find a different rhythm and it might be freeing.  It may be a masterpiece God is preparing.  Can you feel it?

    May we find grounding in the commandments…and may they be the guide for our lives in times like these.

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  • We Need a Shepherd

    Our world has many that claim to be shepherds, leaders, deals, bargains, attractions…we are asked to hear me, follow me, buy me, see me, believe me.  It can be overwhelming.  Some leaders appear to be taking us in one direction, but their lives reflect another.  Some claim to be on the right track and want others to follow, but you have to wonder why God only gave them the right track.  Others try to attract us with fancy shows, big promises, and even material wealth.  Just follow me, they say, and all will be well.  Everyone seems to be searching for a follower, a buyer, a student, seeker.  And so many feel as though they have the answer.  They call…be rich like me, be smart like me, be free like me, be judgmental like me…or whatever.  Whether it is religion, politics, sales, or the like, it all seems to scream, we are the right way!

    So what is the right way?   You are reading or worshiping this morning and so I am sure that you feel like you know the answer.  But there are many in spaces of worship trying to give us a way that is not true, is not valuable, is not right.  I am not going to tell you what to do…I am simply going to point out what I choose and why.

    John 10:1-18 (full scripture below)

    My sheep know my voice and they follow me.  This is the voice I want to follow.  I want Jesus to be my shepherd because Jesus is leading me to a life of love.  He is guiding me to a path of peace and grace and forgiveness.  He has a plan that is good and joyful and full of abundant life.  He offers life…real life, true life.  But in a world full of voices, how do we know the voice of Jesus?  How do we know if it is really Jesus?

    There are a few ways that I think we can detect the voice of Jesus.  And for me, it begins with more than just a feeling.  Sometimes we get caught up in what feels the best, what is the easiest, what seems to be the most attainable.  Unfortunately, nothing about the way that Jesus leads indicates this is the way.  While Jesus promises us peace and love, joy and grace, he doesn’t promise it will be easy.  Actually to love is one of the most difficult things he calls us to do – as he calls us to love everyone.  The way of peace will often make others upset because it isn’t what they wanted to believe.  Grace is such a gift some will not want to accept it – feeling completely unworthy.  It is beautiful but I don’t find it easy.  It also isn’t full of earthy belongings.  Following Jesus isn’t about getting the biggest house or the nicest car or holding in what you have so tight that you are financially secure.  It is about giving and sacrificing and letting go.  So if we are simply looking to our feelings, we might want to dig a little deeper.  Jesus will give us peace, but our abundant life may not feel like we would want it to feel.

    So how does it begin?  I think Jesus speaks to us when we use all of our senses.  He calls in the wind, the songs of birds, the laughter of children, the growth of vegetables, the smell of fresh flowers, the taste of fresh produce, the embrace of a loved one, the eyes of a stranger.  I think he speaks to us in those that do not speak our language and we do not understand except through love.  I think he speaks to us in those that have no food and those that need to know they are worthy.  He speaks to us through a home cooked meal and a fresh baked pie.  He speaks to us in the most unusual ways that we often miss.  But we don’t know it if we aren’t learning about what it means to follow.

    All too often, we have our ideas of what it means to follow.  We have defined how we think Jesus would call, how he would lead, what he would want us to have, what we think it means to love, and how we have the right to judge.  But if take the time to study how Jesus lived and how he led, we might find something completely different.  We just might find we are following others and not Jesus.  We might find we are following leaders rather than Jesus.  We might find we are worshiping people and not Jesus.  It is so easy to do…to slip in behind the magnetic personality…to be drawn in with the promises of wealth or goods…to be enamored with the glitz and glamour.  But that isn’t Jesus at all.  That isn’t how he led or what he taught or how he called at all.  But don’t take my word for it.  I want you to experience it for yourself.

    Maybe it is time that we took the opportunity to study God’s word…took the time to read the teachings of Jesus…see how he lived and what he actually did…find out how he lived.  Maybe we read it with open eyes and an open heart – without judgment or trying to decide how it fits in our lives.  Maybe we just read and learn from the shepherd.  I think when we do that, we begin to hear him, we begin to see him at work, we begin to understand who we might be following.  We need a shepherd…and Jesus is calling us to follow him.  He is, after all, the good shepherd.  We don’t need all those other things that seem so valuable, we simply need to follow.  Let’s follow Jesus together.

    John 10:1-18 (NRSV)

    10 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

    7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

    11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

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  • Feasting at the Table

    One of the most difficult parts of our current situation is the lack of physical community.  Online community is fine and needed and welcomed.  But this is a short term fix.  In the long term, we crave community, the time together to fellowship, socialize and just enjoy the company of others.  It is built into us, even for those of us that are introverts.  To work alongside of others, to strive together, to build together, to serve together is crucial.  We are stronger together.  One of the most essential parts of community is fellowship around the table.  Sitting at the table with friends, neighbors and strangers helps to develop bonds that far outlast any meal.  The ease at which we share, the peace at which we feast, and the joy of the blessings of the meal are priceless.  There is nothing that really replaces that need.  It is something that our bodies were built for.  We are missing it, but it will return.  I can only hope that it returns with such expectant joy that we spend many valuable hours around the table with others.  May our homes be filled with new friends, may we build relationships with those we have not gotten to know, and may we feast with our community in such joy that our lives are forever changed.

    Now, that may sound a bit idealistic.  It may feel like I am asking a lot of a meal and maybe I am expecting too much.  How would a simple meal actually change anything?  Why would this activity of which we can participate at any point becomes so pivotal?  Meals really can change things when God is present.  And I think that is most evident in the scripture for today.

    Luke 24:13-32

    13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[f] from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.[g] 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth,[h] who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.[i] Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah[j] should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us[k] while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 

    These two people were forever changed.  Their hearts burned and it was not from indigestion.  Their lives had been renewed as their hope was refueled.  They had a reason to keep moving forward.  They had a joy that was unmistakable.  They were different and it happened around a table.  It all happened at a meal, that one unforgettable meal…not because the dish was the most outstanding dish they had ever tasted, but because of the presence of those around the table.  Table fellowship changed them and it changes us.

    They have traveled with this man, this man that didn’t seem to have a clue about what had been going on in Jerusalem.  He actually had missed the chaos of Passover and all that had occurred.  But then he began to speak.  He opened up the scriptures as they had never heard before.  He explained Moses, the Exodus, the prophets…the mysteries were not so mysterious any longer.  He helped them to understand what had been so challenging.  This Messiah wasn’t so hidden – all they needed was right there in the Scriptures.  If they were just willing to listen, to hear, to allow the words to fill them…then they could find what they needed for life, for hope, for a future.  This was fascinating and motivational.  But this was not the pivotal point that they experienced.  This was important – the Scriptures helped them to realize the works of the Messiah, they were guided by the word in faith and action, they were given hope where they had lost all hope.  But their pivotal moment came around the table.  The man was planning to move right on, but being hospitable, they encouraged him to come and sit at the table.

    They did not have to invite him.  They had spent all day with him.  They could have just let him continue on his journey.  But if they had not invited him, they would have missed the experience.  If they had hesitated to have him around the table, they would have missed the one that loved them more than they could imagine.  They would have had a lesson, they would have gone through life understanding more, they would have had the Scripture explained…but they would have missed the personal fellowship with the man if they had not welcomed him to the table.

    When it was that they sat at the table with him, enjoying the meal and the fellowship, their eyes were opened.  They realized that the man they had traveled with was actually Jesus.  They were given the privilege to see, to truly see for the first time ever, that Jesus was right there before them.  And they saw him at a meal.

    I wonder what we might see if we spent time with people around the table?  What might we miss when we decide who is worthy to sit at the table and who is not?  Could it be that we miss seeing Jesus when our table is reserved for those that are like us?  Jesus shows up in the most unexpected ways at the most unexpected times.  It just might be that he shows up for us when we welcome others to the table.

    When this stay at home order ends, when we begin to gather, may our tables be full of joy and laughter.  May our meals be with those we don’t know and those we can’t wait to know better.  May our stomachs fill with good things and our hearts burn from the experience of being with other children of God.  And may God fill our experiences with glimpses of him. May it happen around the table.

    The Family-Style Dinner Table in the Woods_.

  • Restoration

    I sit on my back patio this morning working remote and considering how our world has been turned upside down in just a few short weeks – just craziness.  After a while, all that’s going on begins to beat us down and make us weary.  Our souls can just be so very weary and tired.  There are signs of hope that pop up – I find just enough to encourage and motivate.  There are loving notes being sent, positive thoughts being shared, and kind texts floating around finding their way to just the right person at just the right time.  There is food being shared and face masks being made.  There are so many good things.  But those seem so small if we get caught up in the overwhelming weight of it all.  They can get lost in the darkness of these times and the depth of the troubles (at least if you watch the news).  But this morning, the birds still sing their beautiful song, the sun shines extra bright and the breeze is a welcome refreshment to the craziness we call life.  I lay my head back in the sun and these words echo in my heart… “He restores my soul”  Yes!!  In the middle of the turmoil, chaos, and unknowns…God restores my soul.  So we soak in the love and allow God to do what God does best – restoration.  May God restore your soul today.

    He restores my soul

  • I’m not done yet

    I am amazed at how a picture can tell a story with just a glimpse.  This picture, the moment I saw it, caused me to pause.  It wasn’t because of the background of the beach, although I absolutely love the beach.  It wasn’t the sunset with it’s beautiful orange glow, even though orange is my favorite color.  It wasn’t even how the person pictured seems to be walking into the light, which is really fascinating.  It was the feeling of opportunity that encapsulated the picture.  It said to me, “I’m not done yet.”  David Cain had posted this on his social media page and it remained in the back of my mind for quite a while, always there speaking to me.  As I finished my oral defense for my Doctor of Ministry degree, I felt a sigh of relief and a sense of completion.  I had finally reached this pinnacle, a mountain which I had climbed but had slipped more than I would like to admit – beaten and battered.  It was a climb I found great beauty along the way, but many rough patches that proved quite painful.  For my graduation present, I told Wendy I wanted a copy of this picture.  As you can see, she talked to David and got it for me.  Today, as I hold it, I hear the same message, “I’m not done yet.”  I may be finished with school.  I have achieved the degree.  But this is not the end.  God has so many more adventures planned and I can’t wait to see what’s next.  I am not walking into the light as a completion, but I am walking towards THE LIGHT in order to follow God.  I am captivated by the beauty of God’s creation.  I am overwhelmed by his all-encompassing love.  And I am surprised that he still invites me to come closer.  I want to simply walk in the light.

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  • Hope in Uncertainty…God breathes life

    The uncertainty continues…we have definitely reached a time of the unknown.  With the announcement of the stay order that begins tomorrow afternoon, it brings an extra level of awareness to the seriousness of our situation.  I am grateful for the opportunity to worship with you through online means.  It may not be the same, but we are able to worship a Holy God from where we are because he is with us in our worship…he inhabits the praises of his people…may he inhabit our praises today.

    Since everything is so unusual, it can be a bit disheartening.  We tend to lose our perspective when we are constantly seeing four walls or our own property…when all we hear about is the number of people with the virus or how quickly it has spread…when we see the stores empty that once were overflowing…and when we are not able to interact with others the way we always have.  These tend to bring us down, distort what is going on, and make us fall to the situation.  But I want you to hear today that there is hope.  There is life.  There is joy.  Just when you think it is the end…God is not done yet.  He is still working.  And God sees a completely different perspective…he doesn’t rely on the news to get the facts, he doesn’t need the rumors to know what is going on…he is not afraid of the situation…and he isn’t done yet.

    When I think of God seeing things completely different than we do, I am instantly pulled to the passage in Ezekiel…the one that most of us know well.  It is a passage that has been spoken about, taught, and continues to be an interesting perspective to a very dire situation…actually a completely hopeless situation if we are honest.  And I think it speaks so very loudly to us today.

    Ezekiel 37:1-5, “37:1 The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.

    37:2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.

    37:3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.”

    37:4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

    37:5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.”

    I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live.  It is a picture that most of us can only imagine.  The driest of dry…nothing but a barren landscape of bones…dry bones deep in a valley…bones that have lost their usefulness…bones that are becoming a part of the land as they lay there having sand blown over them…to be an archeological find one day for someone…the dryness of the situation gives an overwhelming feeling of loss, of finality…this is the end.  In this landscape, there is nothing to look forward to…nothing to reach for…a whole land of nothingness…it is a sad and beyond desperate situation.  It leaves a feel there is no more.

    But that is not what happens.  That is not the reality of the situation.  That is the perspective of the viewer.  Ezekiel looks out and sees hopelessness…he sees despair…he sees that there is nothing separate or collectively in these array of bones.  What he doesn’t understand just yet is that God is in the midst of the bones…and when God is in the middle of something…things can change.  It is not the end when God is a part of it.  What God saw and what Ezekiel saw were not the same thing.

    God asked Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones…to hear the word of God.  And God says to the bones…I will give you breath and life…I will breathe life into you…God is not done with these bones just yet.  And that is what happens…God breathes life and those bones do live.  In the scripture, we are told in verse 11, “37:11 Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’”

    We are reminded that God is speaking to the hopelessness of his people.  He is speaking to the desperate situation that they have found themselves in.  God is speaking to them in their most difficult places…and he is speaking life.  He is speaking hope.  He is speaking a future.  God is not done with Israel and God is not done with us yet either.

    God breathes life…and it is good.  His breath revives even the most dry, desolate places.  His spirit ignites even the most hopeless lives.  God is not done yet.  God can breathe life into our most hopeless places as well.  He is speaking hope into your life and you may not even notice because all you see are dry bones.  God sees an army rising up…you see an archeological dig.  God has plans that you haven’t even seen yet.  God has plans you can’t even imagine.  It doesn’t mean it will be easy or quick or according to your plans.  But it does mean when he breathes life, it is good.

    I can almost feel God breathing life into our world when I feel the gentle breeze of a spring morning.  I feel like God is breathing life when I hear of a new birth or participate in a beautiful wedding of a couple focused on God and each other.  I feel God breathing life when I hear of someone recovering from surgery or making it through one more round of chemo.  I feel God breathing life when people are feeding each other and sharing their resources and supporting one another in an otherwise stressful difficult situation.  I see God breathing life when we do not let physical separation hold us back from worship.  God is breathing life into our world…may our dry bones live.

    I do know there are so many that are hurting…so many that are scared…there are those grieving losses that are unimaginable…there are those that are dealing with deep depression and insecurity…those are those that are unsafe in their own homes and this just magnifies that…I know there are those that are dealing with health issues that cause great pain and anxiety…I am not dismissing or ignoring you.  I hear that you feel the dry bones.  I get that you don’t feel the breath of life because you are in the valley of death.  I hear your struggle and your pain.  This separation for so many is one of the most painful and difficult times of your life…I hear you…and so does God.  He hears your struggles…he feels your pain…and while I may not be able to understand…God does.  I pray that he breathes on you in a mighty way today.  My prayer is that you find hope, even if it just a glimmer, and you are reminded that God is breathing life into your situation.

    Friends…I pray that you feel God breathing life today…that you feel his presence…that you are guided by his love…that you are revived by his hope…and that you are reminded, you are not alone.  He has not left you.  May these dry bones life…Breathe life God…Breathe life.

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  • Sacred Spaces

    We know we have encountered a sacred space when we arrive there…it has happened to me before.  I am always surprised and joyful when I know I am there, as if I have been invited by the One who loves me.  The space this time was discovered while spending a week in retreat at Mepkin Abbey.  The week was the gift of breathing, rest, and worship.  It ushered in solitude, grace, love, and warmth…healing my weary soul.  The sacred space was revealed in the garden, in the most inconspicuous of places among it all.  The beauty of the gardens overlooking the waters of the Cooper River invites the visitor to come and sit, listen and pray.   But it was on a set of steps leading up to a cemetery that I felt washed over with love…in a ravine with lush underbrush and beautiful random flowers.  The most amazing songs were sung by the symphony of birds, songs that were the most welcoming and joyful I have ever encountered.  They stole the silence of the grounds and my heart invited their song. My heart needed their song.  The beauty of it all was indescribable.  I wanted to stay in that place, in that moment, forever.  Or, at least to return often, to know I was close enough to capture the sacredness of it all, again and again.  But that isn’t how some sacred spaces work.  Some are given to us for just a glimpse, a season, a breath.  They are a momentary vision of God’s amazing beauty and grace wrapped in greenery and song, and my heart was full.  But at some point, I had to move…to move on, to move forward, reaching ever closer to the call.  I am grateful to be given the space, if just for a little while.  I was reminded of God’s Presence in the songs of his small but powerful creation.  While I can’t stay forever, I can carry the joy, the love and the peace with me as I serve.  May God continue to give sacred spaces, if just for a moment…and may I stop to hear his still, small voice that changes everything.  Until next time…

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  • I am…

    (This is the message delivered at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, Sunday March 10, 2019.  The equipment was not working, so this is the manuscript)

    “I just don’t get it!”   These words can be expressed from most any student that has tried to solve an equation, anyone trying to learn something new, facing the challenge of fixing a broken piece of machinery, or simply reading a difficult passage.  It can be frustrating to search and dig and try to discover only to find a complete loss in the end.  Some things are just difficult to understand.  Not all of life comes with easy answers or quick fixes.  I find that the most valuable lessons I have learned have come from difficult times when I have had to keep learning, keep asking, keep exploring, keep asking “and”…until finally, the lightbulb moment occurred.  It can be so rewarding to either see the light or help someone else to see it.  The “I don’t get it” turns into an “ah ha!” moment and it is priceless.  In today’s reading, I find myself in the position of searching…and listening…and exploring, trying to uncover what Jesus is teaching.

    John 8:31-38

    Jesus is talking to a group of Jews – those born and raised in the faith…believers in God…Jesus’ own people, these are people that were searching and trying to put all the pieces together.  They didn’t get it.  They had not turned away…they had not given up…they were still struggling through Jesus’ teachings.  And if we are honest with ourselves, we should find ourselves in this position a lot as we read and study the teachings of Jesus.  He presents some difficult teachings on loving and following and serving. He does not sugar coat or spoon feed. With Jesus, he is teaching and leading from the ultimate place of love…but this love convicts us that we are not who we should be…nor do we do all that could… His love challenges us to become more like him and less like the world…and it changes us into the people he has created.

    In today’s teaching, Jesus is explaining what it means to follow…to be a disciple…a real disciple.  In this, he explains that being a disciple is continuing in his word, the truth.  This truth will make the disciple free.  This sounds great and we often speak this verse…you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free.  Mostly we speak it when we have remembered a Bible verse or trying to prove we are right. But this verse also insinuates something.  If the truth makes free, then the opposite is to be a slave…to be oppressed…to be held down…to be not free.  The opposite of free is captured and contained.  For a Jewish person, this means something.  If we reference back to the Old Testament teachings, there are many indications of freedom from oppression.  Indicated here…being a descendant of Abraham means that they are God’s chosen…and as a child of God, not slaves.  They may have also thought about Passover and how Moses had led God’s people out of slavery, to be set free.  For Jesus to speak about needing to be free is a difficult and possibly offensive teaching.

    While we may not find that immediately difficult, the application hits a little closer to home for us, as non-Jews. Jesus answered them that the slavery he is talking about is a slavery to sin.  Sin is holding them as slaves and due to the sin, they are unable to see an opportunity for sonship…the chance to be a child of the King.  They are missing a place at the table because they don’t understand there is something better for them.  They are happy being slaves because they don’t realize that there is more to this life than where they are.  They haven’t seen the master’s table, where the children of the Master sit. And they don’t see it because they don’t understand how Jesus fits into their picture.  God, they get.  Abraham, they understand.  Moses, they have learned about.  The Law, they have expounded.  But Jesus…they do not have a place for.  They don’t understand how God has shown them who he is because it is easier to stay like they are, than move forward with Jesus.

    They are not the only ones that didn’t get it. There are so many of us that are held as slaves to sin because it is easier than living in the light.  There are many of us that would rather live in sin because that is a life we understand.  The truth may set us free, but we have to see how enslaved we are to see how free we could be…  When we are slaves of sin, we are held back.  We are under oppression of sin.  We are not free to be as we were created to be.  We don’t see that there is a place at God’s table for us.

    Sin seeks to destroy, and eats away at us from the inside out.  Sin tells us who we are not.  Sin whispers that we are losers, defective, failures, bad people, worthless, unclean. Sin says that we have no way out…that we are the way we are and nothing can change that.  Sin steals our joy and our hope.  Sin…missing the mark, not seeing who we are as God’s beloved…takes the life we have been given and crumples it up like the paper we have written and erased on way too many times.  Sin says we can try but we will never succeed.

    And the waters become even more muddy because we really are sinners.  We make mistakes.  We can try so very hard and still mess up.  We can make every effort and still find ourselves at a loss…still not good enough…still not succeeding.  Sometimes, it seems the harder we try, the more we fail.  Sin…those things which hold us back…that keep us from living…that take our eyes off the One that loves and created us…that tells us we are failures…they can take a toll on us.

    But Jesus has overcome all of that.  Jesus is our way out of all of that.  Jesus seeks to reclaim us, to remake us, to reshape us…to mold us into the people we were created to be…free.  To be free reminds us that we are God’s beloved.  We have a place at God’s great big table because he calls us his own.  We are loved and chosen.  We are a disciple when we follow Christ.  We are a disciple when these words begin to seep into our being and take over our world. We are a disciple when we allow Jesus to consume us.  We are disciples when we answer the call of Christ…come and follow me.  Drop it all and follow.

    To become a disciple…is as simple as following. A disciple is a follower, a learner, a discoverer.  It is not about being perfect or getting it all right.  It is not about always being successful or receiving any physical gifts. It is about finding peace and hope and joy in the journey.  When we are disciples, we find that we are the beloved…we are beautiful creations of a God that continues to mold and shape us into exactly who we were made to be…we are good and chosen and free.  To be a disciple is freedom…we choose to follow the One that calls us his own. Do you have a place in you to follow?

    It begins with answering the call to follow…Jesus says, come and follow me and I will make you my disciples.  Once we follow, he guides and directs where we should go.  This is not in a slave situation, but in a freedom situation…we choose to follow the One that created us and gave us life…and he leads us into a life that is free and abundant and where we are loved.  When we begin to follow, we begin to listen and learn and grow…to become the people God knows we can be.  We hear his Word…we see him at work…we receive a hope that there is so much more. Sin does not have a hold on us any longer.  We are free. Will you follow?  The cost is everything…the reward is even more than that…the gift is being a child at the Master’s table.  Come take your seat…you are one of his beloved.  He has been waiting for you.

     

  • I saw you…

    To my Dad…

    I saw you the other day at a funeral.  It was just a glimpse, barely caught your image as you walked by.  It took my breath for just a moment.  I wondered if I could continue with what I was saying…would the words continue to come without being able to take the next breath?  Your presence was felt, known, experienced.  It was as I feel the hot summer breeze…not really seeing but feeling the presence.  It is the first time in the last 3 years I have caught that glimpse.  It was not scary…but comforting.  It was right where I would expect to find you…at a graveside service.  Not because it happens to be the same cemetery that your body was laid to rest…but because it is a place you spent many hours providing words of comfort…stories of joy…love for a hurting family.  It was the place you have stood so many times and proclaimed the good news of God even as your time was drawing shorter.  It was the place you found yourself at home…doing what you loved…giving of yourself for others.  I am thankful for your passion that you lived out on those plots of land where so many loved ones find their final resting place.  I am grateful that you taught me that this is not a place of despair, but a place of hope.  It is a place where tears are shed but peace abounds…a place where families say “goodbye” and God says “welcome home.”  I do not step on those grounds without thinking of you and all you meant to so many when you walked those very same steps.  We carry on…but your presence is missed.  So today, I am thankful for just a glimpse of you.  I’m so glad I saw you at a funeral the other day.

  • What are you looking at?

    There are many things I do not understand.  I realize just how much I really don’t understand the older my children get.  I do not understand teenage girls…and I’m fairly sure teenage girls don’t understand teenage girls.  It’s one of those mysteries I am okay with remaining a mystery…I just pray for endurance to make it through…

    I also had a difficult time understanding verses that I think are actually quite important in the Bible.  Verses like…”forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead”…and “so do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”  These bother me.  Okay…so a lot of the Bible bothers me – which is good.  But, these have been bothering me recently.  Why?

    Well, let’s take the first one.  Why would would I want to forget what lies behind?  I know…the past is the past – we can’t change it.  But, what about those valuable lessons learned.  I don’t know about you, but I learned some of my most important lessons through the big mistakes I made…and I have made more than my fair share.  I don’t really want to repeat them, so I need to remember.  And then I am leaning in towards what lies ahead.  I like that, but I would like to lean in with the lessons I learned so my leaning doesn’t become tripping and I just fall right into what lies ahead…it could be smelly crap ahead.  It would be better to lean than to dive head first into that.

    And then, there is the not worrying about tomorrow verse.  Yep, I get that too.  I know I’m not to worry about tomorrow because I can’t do anything about what hasn’t happened yet.  But, the part that bothers me is that it says tomorrow will have worries of its own…and that today has trouble.  Really?  Can’t it say that tomorrow might just be great and today might just be worry and trouble-free?  I know…I’m might be missing the point – but it doesn’t mean these don’t bother me.  It’s probably because I tend to be anxious about tomorrow and I end up face first in poop as I lean too far.

    This week, though, I had a revelation.  I won’t say it was divine…although I definitely think that God speaks so loudly if we will only listen.  I will just say that God made it a little more clear to my simple mind something about these lessons from the Bible.  I decided on Thursday to go run at the Cliffs of the Neuse.  It was a beautiful warm January day – so why not?  These are rare and I really enjoy the change in scenery.  The Cliffs are full of God’s handprint.

    As I was shuffling along through the trails, I realized first that I am not a really good trail runner…but, it’s still fun.  But most importantly, I learned that I had to keep my eyes  constantly right in front of me.  If I look ahead down the trail, I will definitely trip and end up face plant right on the trail.  Yes…I know from personal experience.  If I look behind me, I tend to veer whichever way I am looking.  Veering off a one way trail means you end up hitting a tree or worse yet, falling off the trail.  No…I haven’t yet had that experience…although I’ve had close calls with the tree (a new definition of a tree hugger). Anyway, I have to keep my eyes right where I am.  I can glance around.  I can stop and enjoy.  But ultimately, to keep moving forward, my eyes have to be right where I am.

    And, that is it!   I might forget where I have been, but that doesn’t mean the experiences from my past are gone.  The lessons continue with me, even when I forget exactly where my feet have stepped.  I can glance forward to see what is ahead, but I can’t stay fixated on it…I can’t worry about it.  If I do, I end up falling – and then I’ve made it even worse.  I have to keep my eyes right where I am…one step at a time…trusting that God is with me…knowing that I am God’s beloved…and understanding that no matter what, it will all be okay.

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    The trail was calling