Jesus showed up...i probably wouldn't have noticed

Luke 8:40-42  “Now when Jesus came back to Galilee, the crowd received and welcomed him gladly, for they were all waiting and looking for him.”

If I had been there, I would have never noticed. I would have not been around. Most likely I would have been busy doing something else…busy doing ministry…so much so that I would have never even noticed Jesus’ arrival. Jesus could have called me on my cell phone; but I would not answer because I was busy telling other people about him. He could be showing up to give me what I need, what I am most looking for, and what I most want, but I would be somewhere too busy trying to get it done or provide it for myself. I would be in the midst of neurotic activity. I would be busy playing ‘god’ and being in control of my own life. The one with living water stands right before us to give us a drink, yet, though we want it so badly, we neglect to accept it, for we are watching for waters…waiting for the stirring of the waters so we can get into the pool first.(John 5)

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters…” Isaiah 55.1

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” John 7.37

when i grow up i want to....

The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or, perchance, a palace or temple on earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them.—Henri David Thoreau

We all, at one time or another had a dream. For many of us, that dream has long been put away, packed up with the toys and memories of childhood and replaced with the responsibility of growing older and more “mature.” And put away along with these dreams is our sense of wonder, our imaginations; and the grand expectation of the future as we stared out at the horizon and tried to envision the path that lay before us.

Remember when the phrases that was once before us?

          When I grow up I want to __________

          When I grow up I want to be a ____________

What did you fill in once, when you knew how to dream; when your life was full or passion and busting with expectation?

Hunger

There is a growing number of people that I get to know who are marked by a hunger for Jesus; a hunger for intimacy with him. They aren't interested in a far away, theological theory, idea, or doctrine, but a near, compassionate, available, loving Father. An "Abba" not a doctrine, though there is a place for that--but further down on the list.  We hunger for a loving Father who will not give us a rock or a snake when we ask for bread or fish. Who will call us by name and dine with us over a charcoal fire on the lake shore. A Father who will break bread with us. This is what we want and are hungry for: to be in his presence and to hear about the primary things, so we can remember that there is only one thing needed (Luke 10:38-42). And to remember the first and only question that matters: "Do you love me?" (John 21)

Jesus and Tight Jeans

There are times I look around and it seems that we have lost Jesus in all of our stuff. It is as if the crowd has gathered to see this big Christian show, and all the while Jesus is standing in the back of the crowd wondering what all the lights, smoke machines, entertainment, and commotion is about. And he’s wondering what’s up with the tight jeans.

Indeed a crowd had shown up, but nobody was sure why they were all there. Most of it is driven by celebrityism; to see a certain worship band or hear someone speak who has enjoyed the success of his latest book and everyone wants to know the secret of his success.

Others show up out of routine. They are there because they are supposed to be. Since they were little, the idea has been drilled into their minds that you are supposed to do this and look like this as well as don’t do this and don’t look like that. These people continue to do it all, follow the routine, without question. All the while they are there, but they are lifelessly disconnected to the central idea of what it’s all about.

The compass needs to be pulled out so we can once again know true North; step back and ask ourselves why we do the things we do.  What’s it all about anyway? Is it driven by our own insight? Have we all shown up because of the wrong reasons? Is what I have made it what it was intended to be? Have we molded Jesus into a tool; simply formed and fashioned out of the clay of our own reasons, wants, or ambitions? Would Jesus recognize the Jesus you have made him into?

John 13.2-3

2During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,

If I knew what Jesus knew, and I was about to give my life for the world and about to die for the sins of all who would believe, then I would have been doing my best to let everyone know what I was about to do, and emphasizing it, sucking up as much attention and glory as I could, right then and there. I would be saying and thinking, “Look at how much I am serving you? Look at what I am doing! I am going to die on a cross! I am doing all this for you! Look how much I am serving.”

Why wait to receive the glory that is due you? Yet Jesus knew that his only desire was to glorify the Father. He had no desire to seek the applause and glory of men. Jesus seems secretive and kept hidden the extent of what he was doing, which was giving it ALL up. He showed what it means to give ALL of oneself, he didn’t only talk about it. Many talk about giving and serving, but rarely do people show it like Jesus did; a combination of both word and deed.

Saying Goodbye--John 13.1

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (13:1, ESV)

I hate goodbyes. We spent the week of Christmas in Chicago with my wife’s family. Her sister has kids that are the same age as mine. Landon (9) played 24-7 with his cousin. The night before we left, Landon cried because he didn’t want to leave. In fact, the next morning, he didn’t want to get in the car and come back home to Auburn. He was desperately against leaving. He said he was going to miss his cousin and it ripped his heart out to leave. He asked why we can’t live in Chicago. He exclaimed, “Why did we have to move to Auburn, why can’t we live here!”

It broke my heart. It’s hard to watch others when they are broken hearted. I remember when I was younger, leaving friends when I moved. I remember missing my high school friends when I went off to college and I remember my college friends when I graduated and moved to Atlanta. Goodbyes are tough. But as believers, we know that no goodbye is permanent. No goodbye is forever, it is merely a temporary absence.

Thinking on this section of John 13-17, Jesus’ final gathering with his closest friends: Jesus was God with skin on; fully human and fully God. And if he is God, which he is, then he aligns with the character of God: being a relational God. Jesus is relational. If this time before the crucifixion was the end; if death is the end of all, like many non-believers hold to, then it seems Jesus would be more panicked, more remorse, more saddened to depart from this life; from his closest friends--and even his family. If this was goodbye forever, then Jesus would have been more reluctant to leave. He would have fought a harder fight. He may have run from the cross rather than towards it. Jesus might have let Peter continue to swing away with his sword when they came in the night to arrest him.

Jesus knew, though, that death was not the end. He knows of another kingdom, one that is everlasting and has no end. Paul wrote, “Can anything separate us from the love of Jesus? Can death? No! Not at all! Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus.”

WAKE UP O SLEEPER

WAKE UP O SLEEPER

“Why are you sleeping? Get up…” ---Jesus

Humanity is in search of a story; not just any story, but the real story; the true story. We are looking to join in on a story that will outlast our years here on this earth. We are a group of words wanting to be formed into a sentence so that our lives might make sense, say something, and become something worth reading long after we are gone.

History is one grand story with each generation having the chance to write a unique chapter with a unique message. Our lives are what form the pages that fill the space between the covers. We long to become part of a greater and much bigger story.

Stories are from old. Everything since the beginning of time has been wrapped up in story. It’s the primary way information has been passed on. Long ago, telling stories was a way to help those who listeners remember how we got here and why we are here. They have been used to teach, entertain, or simply pass the time. Before the internet, television, radio, or movies ambushed us—there were storytellers; people who could bring words to life and draw listeners to the edge of their seats; draw them ever closer towards home, their true selves, and their more exact identity.

We long for story. And we need story. It’s who we are; the fabric of our being. It’s the reason we go to movies and read books. Stories take us to a place far away from the present moment and let us enter into something larger than ourselves. It’s why you may find yourself turning pages deep into the night even when you know you should be sleeping. A good story will pull you in and not let you down. The reason you are drawn to story is because we find ourselves in it. We identify with the story; with characters; and with the action. It inspires us towards life.

Story reveals our lives and exposes the depths of our being and who we are as human beings. It turns over rocks and digs through the surface of things. It helps us see things we don’t know about ourselves and others. It flips the light on in a dimly lit room.

The drama of it all helps us see and hear. There is no one who knows themselves completely; who knows all that lay in the hidden recesses, crevices, and cracks of our being. There are things that have been put away, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and have subtly, over time, crept and crumbled down into the hidden places of our lives and no longer remembered.

Stories help us remember because we are a forgetful people. Ancient civilizations told stories and passed them on from generation to generation. Children would not refer to history books to learn about the past, they would hear older ones tell it over and over. Children, through the repetition of hearing stories would begin to memorize these stories and know them by heart. They would be etched into the core of their souls. In turn they would, in years to come, tell these same stories to those who would come after them; passing them on to their own children.

Stories force us to act. They are loaded with obstacles, challenges, and conflict that stand between us and our deepest desires and the dreams which are being held hostage by fake life and the lies of the darker world.

Stories push us up and over the wall and into the embrace of redemption and rescue waiting patiently off stage. The curtain opens to reveal a new chapter; a new beginning. Then we are nudged by the stage manager that we must act and live our part of the story. We are moved from being merely a spectator and bystander to entering in and becoming a participant; a character in the truest story that is unfolding in front of our eyes.

And we can’t help but enter in. There is no time to analyze, question, or formulate a strategy. We are instantly called to drop our nets and come and follow after the Author of the story.

The Author searches out the forgotten corners of our souls. He finds these things, exposing them, and then makes them new. For we all know that there are paragraphs and chapters and possibly the whole book—our whole story—that have been torn out and wadded up and thrown into the corner because they are too painful to read. And whether we realize it or not, these broken sentences lay out the foot of the Author, who wants to rewrite them and put them back in the original condition and then place them in between the covers of the one true story.

Unfortunately, some of us, the actors, have fallen asleep. We have been lured to sleep by the boredom, routine, and monotony of our days. Possibly, we have been distracted by the noise, hurry, worry, busyness, and other voices. Our big dream in life has become merely to survive, to get on to the next thing; make it to the next day or the next stage of life.

Right now, this very moment, if you listen, you can hear the Author. He, the stage manager, is calling you out from behind the curtain. This is your part in the greater play. No more being a bystander or only a half-involved spectator. Get up, on your feet. Awaken to your life. 

“Cheer up! On your feet! He is calling for you.”– (those who stood next to the blind man on the side of the road as Jesus was passing through town)

Death

I sit here at Sharptop with 200 of my high school friends from home. They are hearing about Jesus. I am floored every time. Because here, for some reason, kids get real and kids get honest. They dump thier pain...and there is a lot of it. That's the way it seems these days...more so than I remember when I was in high school. The questions they are asking: Do I matter? Does anyone really love me for who I really am? Does anyone notice me? Am I beautiful enough?

And there is a kid here with us whose dad took his own life two weeks ago. And he is hearing about Jesus. I wonder what the questions are he is asking?  I don't have the answers. And sometimes I don't think it's about the answers. I think it's about being with others in the midst of pain and brokenness...and pointing them to the one who brings dead things to life. Jesus.

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

In a flash
In the twinkling of an eye
At the last trumpet
the dead will be raised imperishable.
and WE WILL BE CHANGED!  1 Corinthians 15:52-55

A Prayer For Today

Jesus, you have delivered me from sin, you have justified me in your sight and the sight of the Father; and Lord you are at work in the world but also, even in me. And I am confident in this: that you who began a good work in me will carry it on until completion until I am with you forever and made perfect and whole and new.

Jesus, be my refuge from the storm and a be a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10), a protection and shield from the arrows of the devil (Ephesians 6). Keep me from sin. Keep me with you strong right hand on your path with a light lit at my feet to guide me. (Psalm 119:105)

Grant us always to know that to walk with you makes other interests a shadow and a dream. (Philippians 3:7-8)

Help me to be intimate with you and not be interested in being excelled in religion. Help me to be changed and not merely only knowledgeable of you and of information about you. (John 5:39-40) Keep me from being only zealous about ‘ministry’ but never knowing you and never sitting at your feet to listen to you and to be loved. (Zephaniah 3.17 / Luke 10:38-42)

Keep me dependent on you alone and never myself; on my experience or my own insight and wisdom. (Proverbs 3:5-7)

Give me a real, intimate relationship with you. Keep me attuned to your spirit and your voice. Keep me from hearing or listening to the voices of strangers. (John 10:4-5)

Keep me from worry, anxiety; from being harsh, quick tempered or angry, or short of patience with others. Keep me from not paying attention to the ordinary common and incredible gifts and treasures you give me every day.

Don’t let me take my life, my family or others for granted. Help me to remember and know and realize how temporary we are; how fleeting is this life on earth. (Psalm 90:12 / Psalm 119:37)

Jesus, to you be the glory. Psalm 115:1

I live my life for you.

Amen

God and Schedule

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.  God will be constantly crossing our paths and cancelling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions.

We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks, as the priest—perhaps reading his Bible—passed by the man who had fallen among thieves…

It is a strange fact that Christians and even ministers frequently consider their work so important and urgent that they will allow nothing to disturb them.  They think they are doing God a service in this.

But it is part of the discipline of humility that we must not spare our hand where it can perform a service and that we do not assume that our schedule is our own to manage but allow it to be arranged by God.

Calling and Vocation

Vocation comes from the Latin vocare, ‘to call’ and means the work a person is called to by God. There are all different kinds of voices calling to all kinds of different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than of society, say, or the superego, or self-interest.

By and large a good rule for finding out is this: The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need to do and (b) that the world needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you’ve presumably met requirement (a) but if your work is writing cigarette ads, the chances are you’ve missed requirement (b).

If, on the other had, if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you have probably met requirement (b), but if most of the time your bored and depressed by it, the chances are you have not only surpassed (a), but probably aren’t helping your patients much either. Neither the hair shirt nor the soft berth will do.

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.

---Frederick Buechner

The Purpose of Your Life

2011.10.29

John 1.22…

What do you want?

 John 1.22…

The religious leaders asked John: “Who are you? Tell us. Give us an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

“If someone is honest enough to say what they really want in life, they will give you an intimate window into who they really are. What you want is what will reveal your character.” Neb Hayden, When the Good News Gets Even Better

What you love the most is what you secretly desire to be and is where your heart really is. No matter what you say or tell me you know what it is you truly want. And for myself, what I actually say and how I often spend my time is different than what I say I want to be about. There are so many distractions that take me away from my one thing, the things that are most important to me; those things I really want.

Usually when someone asks us the questions: “What do you want? What do you want to be about?” I will tell them what I want them to hear so that they’ll think of me in a certain way. We often give others half-truths. If you really want to know what I am like and what I am about, then go ask those who live closest to me. They’ll be truthful.

If someone asked those closest to you what you were about; how you spent your time; what are those things that are most important to you, what would they say? Would it line up with how you answer those questions?

A friend of mine led a father/son weekend and they separated the sons from the fathers. They asked the sons to write down, “What is the purpose of your father’s life?” They also asked the fathers to write down the answer to the questions, “What is the purpose of your life? What are you about?”

 The fathers put what you normally hear.
The sons put, in most cases, that the purpose of their father’s life was to work.

How would you answer these questions? Give it some honest thought. Read how John responded to the religious leaders and how he answered them.

Where Sin Is Not Felt

Where sin is not felt at all, nothing is done; and where sin is little felt, little is done. The man who is deeply conscious of his own guilt and corruption, and deeply convinced that without the death and intercession of Christ he would sink deservedly into the lowest hell, this is the man who will spend and be spent for Jesus, and think that he can never do enough to show forth His praise. Let us daily pray that we may see the sinfulness of sin, and the amazing grace of Christ, more clearly and distinctly.

---JC Ryle, Commentary on the Gospel of John

Intimacy

Intimacy

 
Currently, I am understanding more and more that it is all about intimacy with Jesus. It is Jesus; nothing more than that. So I long to make Jesus the focal point of my life with all other things being an outflow of that relationship.
 
And when I’m in his presence there is no cause for hurry because when I am with him, his timing his perfect and he is faithful. Jesus has promised to finish everything he started by in me and in the world. His arm is not too short to save, nor is anything too difficult for him.

It is about following Jesus. It’s always been about Jesus, nothing more. I have discovered it is simpler than I once thought. Once I realized that all Jesus wanted was me and not what I could do for him, I became free to love him. Frustrated with myself, I thought of my past years spent trying to give God what he already had; or possibly and perhaps even unintentionally, trying in some hidden way, to impress him. My life felt like it had been spent trying to offer water to a fish that existed in the depths of the ocean’s infinite waters. It is terrible that so many of us who are believers spend our time and energy trying to impress God with our trinkets and offerings.

Am I Being Led or Am I Being Driven?

Am I being led by the Shepherd or am I being driven by an ambitious desire to be known or successful? Am I driven out of my need to do something great and world-changing or am I content with being a Nobody who is in love with Jesus.