Time

Early this morning I met with one of our guys. We were talking about priorities, what's important, how to use our days. It was a great visit, but what was clear was his frustration with simply not having enough time for all the things we discussed. He didn't say so, but I could tell I was frustrating him and he was kind enough to smile and nod as I spoke of using our time well for the important things.

What I know, having been in the business world myself, is the reality that we simply don't have enough time! Life is simply insane! We acknowledge the need to read God's word, to pray, to spend time with family, but how do we fit it all in? We can't, and sadly we don't.

After my friend left the man at the next table turned to me and asked, "You're a pastor, aren't you? I was listening to your visit and......."

He then proceeded to talked about how busy his life is, how hard it is to do the things I was talking about. I didn't realize I was speaking to two men, but I was. I told him I understood, having been in his world for many years. He admitted that it's hard to fit it all in and I know that is a reality.

I think the best victory of our enemy is to keep us so busy that we have no time for the truly important things.

Paul wrote these words, that fit best in the world we live in today, "make the most of your time, because the days are evil" Ephesians 5:16

The days dictate a different approach to time, a different way of dealing with a clock spinning so fast that we feel out of control. How do we slow this thing down? How do we recapture our lives, our time? We all have to work, but in those moments that are ours how do we live, how do we use the seconds that we claim as our own and use them well?

It demands clarity about what is most important to us. What do we want to invest our lives in? In twenty years will you be glad to say, "I am so glad I spent those hours watching The Bachelor." It demands we decide what's important to us and act like it!

I'm a chronic couch potato. When I get home from the day all I want is my chair, some ice tea and some time to do nothing, but is that how I want to be remembered? I think my grand kids will remember me best in my recliner. Without thinking I've used my moments and communicated what's important to me. In the warp speed days we live in, at least for me, I think I need to be more intentional about how I use my moments. Might I invite you to join me in this different look at our use of time in these last days?

Fasting

This afternoon I was online with a pastor friend in Uganda. He's preparing for a 40 day fast and time of prayer for their ministry there.

I am humbled by his commitment to this kind of prayer and pursuit of God. I have never done such a thing and am more than a little impressed by my friend's upcoming fast. Oh, and did I tell you he does it every year?

Waiting....

Waiting. It's one of the hardest things we do. Waiting for answers, waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for someone to arrive. Waiting is loaded with expectations and anticipations. We are waiting for something, someone and things will change when the waiting is over.

Waiting is a pause in our lives, as if the picture is frozen on the screen and we wait for someone to once more push the play button. Waiting is hard.

Waiting involves the passing of time as we anticipate the thing, the one we wait for. Anticipation. Expectation. Frustration at times are all part of this thing called waiting. As I read Psalm 37 this morning, one of my favorite Psalms, it's clear that God invites us to wait....to wait for Him. Several times in this chapter the invitation is given to wait for the Lord. There are good reasons for this. We conclude God is late, has gotten busy somewhere else, has forgotten us, but the truth is that we have simply missed God's ways and timing and so we find we wait for the one who is never late.

"Wait for the Lord and keep his way" David writes. In this short phrase are the instructions for those of us waiting, while you wait walk with God until he arrives. The truth is he is always with us, never leaves us, but waiting involves a patience with God's timing, God's plans, God's ways. It involves my choices to walk well while I wait.

"But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land." There is a reward for waiting. The reward is God's business, but the waiting is ours.

There is a reason for the waiting. We may not always know what that is, but wait we must and trust God to work while we wait.

There is a rest in waiting. It means I have someone I'm trusting for what's ahead and I dare not proceed until he arrives. It's an awareness that I must not walk alone the road ahead, but wait for God to walk with me, to lead me and guide me.

There is a peace in waiting. It's the realization that I wait for one who will accomplish all I wait for. The God who made heaven and earth asks me to wait for him. Why wouldn't I? How would I dare proceed without him? Waiting for God is the most logical decision of all!

What are you waiting for? Direction? Answers to prayer? A job? Healing? Peace? God's response to your waiting? "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret...." In other words, don't worry. God's coming. He will sort it all out for you. Rest in him, relax, don't worry, he's coming....he's never late.

Wait for the Lord.

Part of the plan

I just read Exodus 3, the call of Moses to free Israel from Egypt, and it is fascinating to see how God orchestrates the events of our lives to accomplish his work. Moses had no plans to ever see Egypt or his people again, but a burning bush, the voice of God and a plan he knew nothing about changed everything. I still have a lot of questions as I read this passage, a lot of thoughts about this partnership with the God of the universe, but all through the bible I see it...God working in and through men to accomplish his plan. For those in the middle of the process they can only see what is happening right now, but as it unfolds there are a series of "Ah-ha moments" as we see God work. I think I'm seeing a few of those things now. It's very exciting to be part of the plan of God on planet earth.

Saturday's cartoon

Quote of the day

I just this morning reread The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis. I've read it several times and continue to work through his thoughts. As I read his words I realize, if I'd ever had a chance to visit with him, I would have sat speechless as I listened to this amazing thinker. I'm grateful for men like Lewis, but also quite humbled by his brilliance. So, today, from C.S. Lewis comes the quote of the day,

"Man's final conquest has proved to be the abolition of Man."

Wandering

I'm half way through the biography of Brennan Manning. It's a delightful and sad work all at the same time. He is honest to the point of pain as he describes his life.

As I read his story I began to think about my story, my life. I will probably never write a biography, it would be far too boring, but I began to think about my walk with God, my own odyssey, and wondering about a word, a thought to describe it.

Like everyone I know it has been an odyssey with unknown destinations.

I never dreamed I would....

I didn't plan to.....

Life is a series of surprises we never planned for. Places we never dreamed we would be, jobs we never wanted to do, lives we never expected. As we look back on our lives, as I reflect on mine, I see a wandering odyssey mostly taken without a plan, purpose or destination. Planning for this, but doing that. Hoping to be here, but ending up there. Wanting to marry one, but falling in love with another. How can we know the course of our lives, how can we plan our lives when we have no idea what will unfold tomorrow or even this afternoon?

Life isn't lived with destinations in mind. It's lived with moments to experience. Right now I can choose this, do that, go here and from that moment other moments happen. Where will we end up? How will it all unfold? Honestly, only God knows. Will I be famous, successful, happy, fulfilled, rewarded, content? Add in a hundred other things we search for and the answer to each is simply this, "I don't know." All of that sounds rather depressing, doesn't it?

As I read Brennan's biography I see a series of decisions that, for him, end in a series of regrets. And yet, in the regrets of our choices we see the amazing grace of God working on our behalf. There are choices to make, that's clear, but the results of those choices are not always clear to us in the moment. All we can see right now is the moment. For me this all comes down to a simple idea that I think describes my own odyssey- wandering.

For that reason I'm so glad for this simply little verse in Proverbs. Without these thoughts to set it up you might read over it, but knowing this truth makes my wanderings bearable.

Proverbs 20:24

A person’s steps are directed by the LORD.

How then can anyone understand their own way?

So, as I wander, as we each wander through the twists and turns of life and choices, know that God is directing our destinations. You won't figure it all out, simply trust him to get you where he wants you to be. That's a great comfort to those of us who sometimes feel like we are just out wandering around.....

Rejoice in the Lord always....

Heavy rains today in Texas. We woke up to a garage full of water! I hate when it floods.....so the sump pump is working, check. Mike is all wet, check. Rejoicing anyway, check. God is good even when things don't work out, check.

Evidence for God- the beauty of creation

Yosemite HD from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

Knowing God

Knowing God. Where do I start? Honestly I feel inadequate to even talk about this topic, but it's the focus of my attention right now, so I will do my best to dig up a bit of the riches of this idea of knowing the creator and God of the universe.

When I see the world around me it's clear that knowing God is not the quest of most of the human race. Yes, we want to be saved, go to heaven, be forgiven, but to know God is not on our list, not on our bucket list. Most Christians can tell you about God, but it's not from firsthand experience, it comes from a Sunday School class, a sermon or time with other Christians in bible study. To personally know God is the highest goal of the Christian faith and yet it's rarely the focus of most Christians I know.

The reason I'm thinking about this is because I am working my way through Ezekiel. Ezekiel is a prophet in captivity in Babylon. As he writes and speaks the words of God one theme repeats itself over and over again....it's this- "Then they will know that I am the Lord." More than 63 times in the pages of his book God's goal is that his people would know him. It's the goal of God from Eden on....that his man would be in intimate relationship with him. God wants us to know him. That's the number one thing, it's God's #1 goal for us- to know Him.

John writes these words from Jesus as he teaches his disciples for the last time, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, ad Jesus Christ whom You have sent." Did you see that? What is eternal life? Knowing God! That's God's goal. Is it mine? I want to want to, but I don't even know how, where to start, how to know this awesome God who made me. Since it's God's #1 desire for me it must be mine as well. To know God....where do I start? How do I begin?

Over the years I've found that my walk with God, my knowing of him comes from hanging out with Jesus in the gospels. Each day, as I spend time in His word, I read something from the gospels. It's there I most clearly discover what God is like, how he thinks, and so I hang out with Jesus. I walk with him, watch him, listen to him and in that fellowship with him and the disciples I get to know the God who wants me to know him. In Jesus I see the face of God. In being with him I experience the very heart of God...because Jesus IS GOD!

And so, I pray, as Paul prayed in Ephesians 3, "When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."

Knowing God. It's God's desire for us. Is it #1 on your list?

Lord, I want to know you. I know you want me to know you. Show me how to know you, to really know you. Give me a hunger, a passion to know you. Reveal yourself to me, help me to know your heart, your thoughts about me and transform me because of those encounters with you. Make me like you because of my time with you. Let others see you in my life and desire to know the one I know because they see you in me. Lord, I want to know you.

Eyes on eternity

Frankly, we all need glasses. Most of the people I know are badly near-sighted. Our vision is only able to focus on "here" and "now". Our decisions and desires are all based on this life....taking care of retirement, saving for "the future" and making decisions to "make me happy." Our vision is on an amazingly small part of eternity we call "my life." Everything we do, every decision we make and even how we spend our time is based on our near-sighted focus on "my life" and "now."

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In the grand scheme of things, to be honest, "your life" is not even an event on the timeline of eternity. But, because our vision is so limited, we only see "now" and fail to focus on some amazing things that are important to our lives. Here's a short list of the important things that are blurry to our vision as a near-sighted race:

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1. God. Our vision of him is blurry because we rarely squint our eyes to try to focus on him. It's hard for us to get this most amazing God in focus and so for most of us our vision is quite blurry about who he is, what he's like, what he thinks about me. Not having God clearly in focus will make it hard for me to focus on everything else beyond my near-sighted world. It will make it hard for me to see my life and my situations clearly as well because if I can't get God in focus then I won't be able to see clearly what he's doing in my life.

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2. Eternity. One of the things we have trouble with is eternity. It's just so....eternal! Forever and ever and, well, you know where I'm going with that. Imagine we roll out a piece of paper that would go from coast to coast, 3,000 miles long in all, and we use this chart to try to get a glimpse of eternity. Let's begin in California to mark our chart in 1 inch increments. Here's our legend- 1 inch=1,000 years. Basically each inch will break down to 10 lifetimes. Your whole lifespan would be one of the 1/16 inch marks on the chart. Each mile would basically cover a million years. Here's how amazing this is....if we start at the water's edge in California and walk 30 feet we have covered the entire 6,000 years of recorded history that we see in the bible. 30 feet, did you get that? Now, as we move across the country, a million years per mile, we cover a period of 3,000,000,000 in our imagined timeline. Only 30 feet of it was man's recorded history, and only 1/16th of an inch was your life. Here is the amazing thing- That whole timeline we drew as we crossed the country is only a small dot on the timeline of eternity. It's amazing how big this is. I think that's why it's so blurry to our vision. We simply can't imagine it.

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3. Here's the part of this that must come into focus for us- what we do with Christ in this life will determine our eternal destiny. We have this "1/16th of an inch" of life to make decisions about him and those decisions will determine our eternity ahead. The very reason Jesus became a man was to provide a solution for our eternal problem. He said, "God loves you so much that he sent me to die for your sins. If you will believe in me I will give you eternal life." The implication is clear- if you don't beleive in him (trust him for salvation) then you have what every man has apart from faith in Christ- eternal death. It is the most important thing we could possibly do with our lives, the most important decision we will ever make and yet our focus is on "now" and "happiness" and "my needs." Sadly, the enemy of our souls has done an amazing work to keep our vision on the NOW to the eternal loss of many.

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I know, in my own life, I live most of my days with the distant horizon out of focus, but I'm praying for a vision for eternity, eyes that look into the days ahead and make decisions today because they will affect me for billions of years to come. I so wish we had our eyes clearly focused on eternity. I'm praying for eyes to see, so that I can make decisions for eternity and not just for today. I'm praying the same thing for you as you read my thoughts. Eternity awaits, your decisions today are important.....

Thoughts on the day

I'm up early this morning, much to do today....a bible study to attend, a memorial service to do, a book to read, and I have to help Joye with Christmas clean-up. Yes, the tree is still up. I told her to just leave it up, Christmas is only a few months away, but that didn't work, so that's on the list too. But really, it's just a normal Saturday, like so many, and like everyone else I fill it up with things to do. Early this morning I read through a few blogs and checked Facebook just to see what's going on. Checking on new babies arriving, problems people are having, friends who have died. It never stops, does it? Life is busy! I read a post this morning from a friend who has a chance to step away from the craziness of the days to look at what he wants to do next. I pray he will find God's best for his next years and walk with God. He's an amazing guy and I can't wait to see what God does with him. I'm also thinking about a class I have to teach in a few weeks. I'm going to do an apologetics class and am really looking forward to it, but there's a lot of prep to do. And just ahead is a trip to Kenya. 50 pastors to teach and a team to prepare. I think I thrive on "crazy" and look for it if I don't have it. Maybe it's the sense of feeling worth in activity, not sure about that, but it feels good to be overwhelmed. Don't tell anyone I said that....ok? All right, on to the next thing. I don't even have time to put this in paragraphs, just wanted to get it all on "paper." Have a great Saturday.

Saturday's cartoon

Some days it takes more than one cup to get the engine going. This is one of those days!

Fame

Media has made these strange days indeed!

Now, more than ever, world-wide fame is possible for a select few in our cultures. For the most part 6 billion of us will live our lives out of the public eye, but a few are known well by everyone. See if you know these faces and then let's talk...

Did you recognize them? Pretty easy, wasn't it? Here's the interesting thing about fame- it's fleeting, it doesn't last, in just moments we are forgotten and the mass of humanity continues on down the timeline of history. Soon the famous are only remembered in history books or are simply forgotten completely. Fame doesn't last.

And yet, in spite of that reality here on planet earth there will be a day when those around us unknown to a watching world will be celebrated for their lives and their walk with God. Fame is uncertain, but God doesn't forget. God rewards, he celebrates the unknown ones and crowns them with glory.

You may not be famous to the world, but God knows who you are. Fame here is short-lived, but being known by the God of creation is eternally rewarding. As I write this I think of Jeremiah's words to Baruch, his scribe, as he said to him, "Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them." The truly famous people around you may be completely unknown to the media of this world, but their fame will be known to all one day. Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don't bother, let God sort it all out. He will promote you, he will make you truly famous in a way that will last beyond the next 15 minutes.

Thought for the day.....