Control

Control is a word that is packed with meaning. I was thinking about it this morning. I was listening to one of my favorite songs by Kutless called "Winds of Change". It's a real good "wake-up" tune by the way. The words of the chorus are great even without the guitar.

So tell me all your dreams. Tell me all your fears and what you’re longing for the most. It’s not another way that’ll end up the same for it’s under my control

From God's perspective, our fears can be overcome by His power to carry us forward to the things that matter most. As the song goes on to say, God will "give us wings". It's a great reminder that God never feels like life is "out of control". I can recommend beginning the day by affirming that God is able to carry us toward His destiny for our lives. A great verse for meditation is Philippians 1:6

And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.

Telling the Story

Yesterday, I shared about the importance of "telling the story" of Jesus through our daily lives. The importance of "narrative" is something that we hear a lot about today. What makes a good storyteller? Last year I travelled with Nick's school class to a storyteller's festival in historic Jonesborough. It was a very enjoyable experience. I listened to "professional" storytellers, and amateurs who had won various competitions to qualify to participate. I heard stories of all shapes and flavors. The common thread among the best of the best was that they drew me into the story. I believe that everyone, everywhere is a participant in God's story. Like it or not, from the faithful follower of Jesus to the staunchest atheist, we are in the story. It is an immense blessing that God has invited us to experience the life He gives and discover His grace along the journey. As a result, my life is a unique chapter in the story which provides me with a unique opportunity to share God with others.

Memorial

This is memorial day weekend. It is the "unofficial beginning to summer". It is a three-day weekend for many employees. It is time to fire up the grill and head to the lake. Are those our first thoughts? Those are not bad thoughts at all. I am always happy to see the end of May because it signals the beginning of my favorite season. But, I do not want to fail to remember. There is one word that expresses my thoughts about memorial day: heroes. When I think about others who have served and died, I think about how valuable heroes are to me. The acts of our heroes who have died accomplish a great deal. After their deaths, their sacrifices live on. Not only did they purchase our freedom as a nation, but they inspire us to live with the weight of freedom as our responsibility. The legacy of our fallen soldiers continues to breath courage into our dreams. Pause to remember.

Sharing Faith

One of my required texts for a spiritual formation class in Seminary was entitled "Will our children have faith?" (Westerhoff). It was a great question to ask way back then and it is a great question to ask now. Children growing up in America in the 21st century face some significant challenges to their faith. The questions about faith that they confront come early and often. As a way to address some of these questions I have revisited Hebrews 11:6. Despite the fact that almost all people living in America profess some belief in God, I'm not sure how many would would profess to be actively seeking God. Furthermore, I suspect that even fewer would say that they believe God responds in a personal way to their faith. The writer of Hebrews warns that it is impossible to please God without this kind of faith. So, that brings me back to my concern. How do we encourage this kind of faith in our children? I do believe in the contagious nature of faith within the family unit. When our faith in a personal and active God is evident on a daily basis to our children, they develop some foundations that will withstand questions that come to them. Also, I believe God's desire for relationship can be communicated at an early age through healthy relationships within the family. For example, my confidence in the security of God's love for me was reinforced by the consistent love of my parents. They developed my capacity to trust. This capacity development is not restricted to the biological family. It also takes place within the church family.

Real Faith

I have enjoyed studying the life of Abraham for the past few weeks. His faith in God has been an inspiration throughout church history. His faith also helps to shape our definition of faith. After journeying with Abraham through the twists and turns of his life, I have learned about his faith and come to understand my own faith journey a little better. I have a lingering question or maybe it's a comment. It seems that much of our faith is contingent upon an outcome. By that I mean that our faith is attached to what we want to happen. We have faith in God in order to receive things. I don't mean to suggest that we shouldn't trust in God to provide blessings in our lives. It is clear that God rewards those who believe as described in the two parts to faith in Hebrews 11:6. Part One: We must believe that God is. Part Two: We must believe that God rewards those who earnestly seek Him. However, we do tend to get the proverbial cart before the horse. As a result, faith that is attached to the reward more than the "Rewarder" loses its foundation and grows weaker rather than stronger. I have seen this play out in many different ways. A faith that is anchored and deposited in a personal God is not threatened by unexpected outcomes. In fact faith in God feeds our perseverance through the unexpected.

School's out

Today is Nick's last day of school. Fifth grade is officially over. That means he is headed to Middle School. I'm trying hard not to think about the fact that the sixth grade is the halfway point in his twelve-grade journey and then it's on to college. I watched a program last night that included K-5th graders. Each grade performed a song or dance that related to different countries around the world. As I watched the grades parade by I paused to remember Nick's journey through the years. Memory is a powerful thing. Meaningful reflection is one of God's most powerful gifts. He allows us to revisit situations and challenges that we have faced in life with the benefit of living on "the other side" of those events. We have the opportunity to revist situations and places with the advantage of new perspective. This week as I have studied Genesis 22, I noticed something that I had overlooked many times. When Abraham was on the mountain being tested by God, he was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. God provided a ram for him to sacrifice instead of Isaac. As a result of God's provision, Abraham named the place "God will provide". I have often heard this referred to as a name of God, and in a sense it is a descriptive name of God. But, in the context of Abraham's story, it is the name of the place where God provided. Abraham named the place so that his memory and the memory of others would identify that place with God's provision. Whether I am reflecting on Nick's journey through the years or my own journey as a Father and husband, I have a strong desire to remember the places where God has provided - and there are many. it is a way for us to connect the visible places of life, the places we can see with the God we do not see. It builds our faith to remember.

Why?

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled. Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
Psalm 46:1-3

I was thankful for this Psalm this morning as I thought about the disasters that have struck the earth in the past few days. The death toll from the Myanmar cyclone continues to climb and over 50,000 earthquake victims are either dead or missing in China. "Why?" is a natural question to so-called "natural" disasters. Yet, it may be a question that will not likely be answered to our satisfaction. The words of the Psalm answer the more pertinent question "Where". Where can we turn in the midst of tragedy? Where is a place of safety? Psalm 46 resolves with a firm instruction to "be still" and know that God is with us and God is a refuge that stretches beyond the limits of our life on earth.

I received a forwarded email from a contact in Myanmar. His email closed with a request for prayer and the words "God help us". Simple words with profound significance. Along with aid that is sent for the immediate physical needs. Pray for God's help for the people of Myanmar and China.

Can we skip this chapter?

Well, my study of Abraham has brought me to Genesis 22. I am convinced that many people who have begun reading the Bible have stopped at Genesis 22 and decided to read Psalms or stick with the New Testament. It's a tough chapter to read. Check out the second verse where God says to Abraham "take now your son, your only son Isaac and offer him there as a burnt offering". If you haven't managed to finish the chapter you need to know that Abraham doesn't sacrifice Isaac - God intervenes. However, the happy ending doesn't erase the terror of the beginning. I can't offer a nice neat explanation, because there is none that I have been able to find. However I can share some perspective about faith. Faith is not neat. It is not easily explained. Most of the time my faith in God makes sense to me - but, that doesn't mean it makes sense to others. To be honest,initiation into a life of faith in God can be terrifying. Eugene Peterson comments on the faith of Abraham as "trusting obediently in what we cannot control, living in obedient relationship to the One we cannot see, venturing obediently into a land that we know nothing about." Now then, is that nice and neat? I look forward to sharing some more about Abraham on Sunday.

Hold the onions

I was eating at a restaurant yesterday and happened upon a conversation that occurred between a mother and her young child. It seems the child was complaining about how she ordered his burger. The mother responded to his complaints by explaining how the burger was going to arrive and that he was to enjoy it when it arrived. Now before you reach deep for your expert parenting advice, consider this event with a larger perspective. Yesterday I posed a comparison between the childlike follower of Jesus and the childish. It seems to me that the little boy's behavior provides a good illustration of how we distort our journey with Jesus. When we decide to follow Jesus sometimes we expect to treat it like an old Burger King commercial: I'll have it "my way" or I will complain. Everyday with Jesus provides us with challenges. The virtues of a childlike faith allow us to cherish the fact that we walk through those challenges with a God who holds our hand. While God is big enough to receive all our complaints (read the Psalms), we live in a day when we often expect life to be made to order.

Childish or Childlike

I have continued to ponder a few lessons from childhood. Jesus encouraged us to recongize the value of childlike faith. Obviously, there are childlike virtues that are very positive. I want to recover and cling to my sense of awe and wonder of God. However, there is a difference in "childlike" and "childish". Unfortunately, the two can be confused. When I hear the word "childish" the first synonym I think of is "selfish" followed closely by "immature". So is selfishness a problem among followers of Jesus today? For now, I will let you answer that question.

Say your prayers

God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food.
Just like many other children I learned to pray these words before meals. This past Sunday I shared some reflections on the depth of this simple prayer. Sometimes we lose the powerful words in their simplicity. God is great. Actually, my reflection of this childhood prayer was prompted Sunday morning as we were singing How great is our God. God's greatness is incomprehensible. During the time of worship I was thinking about God's unlimited power and how God is sufficient for my every need and situation. God is great. But, God is also good. God's purpose for me is a good purpose. In every challenge of life, God is able to bring about good in my heart. God's acts are good. His plans are good. Everything good in my life has its origin in the good God. So...let us thank Him. Isn't it interesting that we were taught as children to give thanks before the meal. Not after, but before. Our thanksgiving was offered up while we were still hungry. Our thanks to God was given while we were empty and in need. This powerful lesson is often lost as we enter adulthood. We fail to apply this principle in our spiritual lives. We want to give thanks to God when we are full, not when we are hungry. We want to wait to give thanks to God "after the meal" rather than before. Our thanks to God rests primarily on the fact that God is great and that God is good. So, revisit your childhood. Pause today and pray.

A good shield is hard to beat

What is the value of a good shield? When I go out in the sun, I wear a hat (please review my picture if you doubt the importance of a hat). It protects my head from the beating rays of the sun. Even though I appreciate the value of a good hat, God is the absolute best shield. Psalm 121:5 reminds us that "the Lord watches over you -- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night". These were great words to the ancient pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem. The Psalms of Ascent are believed to be songs for that journey. The message of this song is reminiscent of the Lord's words to Abram in Genesis 15. The Lord told Abram, "I am your shield". It is a message that we need to hear. God's protection is immense. Not only does He protect the outside of my head, He protects the inside which can become overwhelmed with fear. In short, His promise is for peace of mind and I cherish that.

No fear

God said many awesome things to Abraham. On more than one occasion, God blessed Abraham with reassurance of His promises. Because of the many messages that God gave to Abraham we may have overlooked the great the great treasure found in Genesis 15. God begins with the words that occur so often in the Bible: "Do not be afraid". Why do these words occur so many times? You don't have to be a theologian to answer that question. God knows us. He knows our tendencies. He knows how we are wired emotionally, spiritually and physically. Fear is the ultimate flat tire in our journey with God...and I have experience sitting on the side of the road watching the cars go by. Nothing puts a halt to our progress quite like being afraid. That's why the word of the Lord in Genesis 15 fits so well in the flow of Abraham's life. By the way, God says some great things immediately after that. (That's a tease to go back and read it again).