Second fiddle

Last night we had the great joy of attending a concert at our church.

The concert was performed by four amazing musicians.  It was a glorious two hours.

One of the artists was Phil Keaggy, the world renown guitarist.

As I listened and watched I realized that all of them, all four of them were world class musicians.  A flutist, a violist, a pianist and singer, and Phil.  All of them could have been the featured artist in any concert and so I watched the three who supported Phil.  Each serving, supporting, a part of a team of artists making the music wonderful, but something was happening that most did not see....there was a humbling of personal pride to achieve the glory of another.  

Each of these artists had to humble themselves and take the role of "second fiddle" to make all of this work.  It was a collaboration of each to put pride aside.  They all did it well, but it demanded humility among them all for it to work.

This is our situation in the Kingdom of God.  We are part of an orchestra whose sole purpose is support for the featured artist, Jesus Christ.  Our role is to humble ourselves, play our instruments, use our gifts in such a way that the featured artist is applauded and all praise goes to him.

It demands a humbling of pride, a setting aside of our desire to be acknowledged, to be applauded and a deference to the star of the show, Jesus, the KING.  

As I watched the artists in the shadows last night I thought how wonderful it was that beautiful music was happening as they each humbled themselves and their gifts for the glory of another.  It was fascinating for me to watch and imagine their hearts as they used their own great gifts for the glory and applause of someone else.

What a lesson!  As part of a grand orchestra of saints from all history I get to play "second fiddle" so the star of the show looks wonderful and is applauded by all.  I am doing my very best when I am not noticed at all. And, as he is applauded I find joy because the whole show is about him!  

Danger! Danger!

As I watch and read the news of the world there is one word that describes what I see all around me- danger!  And the result, the response of men and women is fear.  It's a scary world!  I don't think anyone would disagree with that.  There is no longer a safe place to be.  If it’s not war then weather.  If it’s not terror then trouble.  If it’s not drought then disaster.  If it’s not disease then dread of what might be.  

All around us the world screams "Danger! Danger!"  But as I thought about it I wondered if this is the application for the follower of Jesus Christ.  Are we really ever in danger?  Are we ever in a place, a time when dangers around us should cause us to fear?  And so, I looked up the definition for danger.  That's always a great place to start.  Here it is,

Danger- liability or exposure to harm or injury; risk; peril

And suddenly I realize that I am NEVER in danger!  I am a child of the God who made everything!  I am a son of the sovereign of the universe.  I am never in a place where the world's definition of danger affects me because I'm a son of God.

If I do suffer martyrdom for my faith it was part of God's great plan for my life and in a moment I step into eternity.  Danger is for those who fear death, but when fear of death is gone so is danger.

If I suffer financial loss and find myself homeless I am never in danger because my father will care for me.  Peril in the world may be part of God's great plan for me as I live for him.  If it's from his hand there is no danger in it.

And suddenly, as I unfold all the fears I have about life in this world, the dangers and terrible results that might come with them disappear.  When the sovereign is in charge I'm never in danger!

David, the one man who knew "fear" and "danger" better than anyone wrote these words.  Each time I read them they dispel all fear, all threats of danger in the scary world we live in,

"God is our refuge and strength,

    always ready to help in times of trouble.

So we will not fear when earthquakes come

    and the mountains crumble into the sea.

Let the oceans roar and foam.

    Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!" Ps. 46

Danger?  Never!  Everything ahead is an opportunity to see God work or an opportunity to see God in person.  When God is in charge "Let the mountains tremble".....I'm ready for anything because my Father loves me and he’s the sovereign of the Universe!

Quote of the day

"The depravity of man is at once the most empirically 

verifiable reality but at the same time the most intellectually 

resisted fact."  -- Malcolm Muggeridge

Not an accident

Today is my birthday.  Today I have been a resident of this planet for 64 years.  As I reflect on the years I have lived so far I realize one thing above any other....I'm here, in this time, at this place, in this country, by design.  God has put me here, now, in this place and time to be part of what he is doing in the world.

That idea fascinates me...the idea that my life, my race, my place of residence, the time in history when I live is all designed by God.  I'm here on purpose to be part of God's work, to be part of God's eternal plans.

I'm thankful to be part of what God is doing, but more than that I'm thankful he loves me and planned for me to be here, now, in this place to be his child.  Providence?  Yes, and it's quite comforting to know God is my sovereign and I am his child.

Our help....

These are interesting days.  Days of fear, worry, unstable governments, fragile economies.  These are days that magnify the fears we all struggle to overcome.  

In one short verse, one short sentence, David deals with all of this.  Here are his words,

"Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalms 124:8

David often looks to the heavens for his inspiration.  In many passages David tells us his trust is based on a God "who made heaven and earth."  That one fact gives us a constant visual illustration of God's ability to meet our needs.

If God can make heaven and earth, then he can meet my needs.

If God can make heaven and earth, then he can help me with my problems.

If God can make heaven and earth, then he can heal my marriage.

If God can make heaven and earth, then he can give me peace in the midst of chaos.

If God can make heaven and earth, then he can calm my fears.


If God can make heaven and earth, then he can.....

The reminder of what God can do is all around us.  Just look up at the stars, look around at the creation, look at what he has done...if he can do THAT then he can meet my needs.

"Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."  That insight is a great help for any problem you face.  If God can make heaven and earth, then he can help me!

But our world is trying its best to undermine the very foundation of our faith with a "science" that says it all just happened, just evolved, it didn't have a creator.  At the heart of modern science is the desire to explain everything we see without a God who made it. And, with that goal in mind it also undermines the source of our help.

Here's what I mean-  if God didn't make everything then how can I trust him to help me?  If he didn't make the heavens and the earth then how do I know he has the ability to meet my needs, to heal my wounds, to answer my prayers?  

Without a God who made heaven and earth I have no help I can trust, I have no one who I KNOW is able to meet my needs.  I'm left, like the world around me, in despair with no assurance of anything.  

What David wrote in this short verse in Psalms is profound.  I DO have someone who can help and it's the same one who made heaven and earth!  Because he made everything, because of his great power to do that,  I have someone who can really help me.  I have someone I can go to who can answer my prayers.  If God didn't make heaven and earth then all is lost, but....

"Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth." Psalms 124:8

A 60 second lesson for a Saturday morning

I thought you would enjoy this short video on a Saturday morning.  It's rich with implications and meaning and all done in just 60 seconds.  I hope you enjoy it.

Thoughts after an election

The big issue for me has never been about who is ruling in Washington.  Whether Republican, Democrat or any other party they are all fallen men and women who will make both good and bad choices.

The big issue for me has always been about who is ruling in heaven.  If that position is filled by the right one then whoever rules on earth is of little consequence to me.  

In America we have the strange idea that if we get the right party, the right person in office everything will be sorted out, but it's not ever going to happen.  It can't.  In the world we live in fallen men will never meet our expectations or our needs.  They can't.

So many look to the wrong seat of power for assurance that all will be well.  In this world wicked men rule, but in heaven a good king is in charge of everything and he is the one who will make all things right.  Whoever rules in Washington makes no difference to me.  My eyes are on the one who will rule well and forever and his seat of power is never up for a vote.

I look forward to the day when he rules here as Lord of heaven AND earth.  I look forward to the day when Christians no longer depend on Washington for their solutions, but on God who rules everything well.

Quotes from Dr. Henry Brandt

Last night, in a bible study I attend, we discussed a common mentor of ours, a man we had met and learned from years ago.  His teachings and quotes had imprinted all our lives.  One quote I remember and love, but don't always quote well, was "It's not my goal to get to the end of my life and compare my pile of ashes to your pile of ashes."  It was a profound statement for me, one I'm still trying to live out.

Here are a few more of his thoughts from a life of walking with God and counseling others,

"The heart of the problem is a problem with the heart.”

"You're just a prayer away from a change of heart."

"Finding relief in your problem is fine, but it will not cure the problem."

"My environment can give me relief from sin and tension, only the Lord can cure it."

"You can manage your sin, but that's not repentance."

"If it's sin, that's good news! Sin is the simplest thing in the world to deal with."

"There's no human remedy for sin."

"Jesus wants to give you peace."

"You would think that everyone would leap at the chance to get rid of sin. Not so. They want relief not a cure."

"Your walk with God does not depend on people, places, things or events."

"You don’t have a marriage problem, you have a sin problem."

"I am a victim of my own behavior."

"God's children have a limitless supply of the fruit of the Spirit."

"Biblical counseling is listening to a person long enough until you hear a violation of scripture."

"Anger is inside you, revealed by an outside source."

"What your soul needs is a check up."

Thoughts on the life of Brittany

Brittany Maynard just took her own life as she faced a painful end of life from brain cancer.  I'm sure there will be many things said about this.  Many of those who write about it will be critical of Brittany's choice.  I will not.  The whole situation is a sad one.  I feel a deep sadness for her, her husband and family.  There is no need for moralism at the moment, only grieving.

Was it the right choice?  Should she have waited for "life to take its course?"  Was there a right choice in this?  Opinions will all be voiced on the Internet.  Many will be harsh and hurtful.  The only emotion I give to this is grief.  I'm sad that this disease has taken such a young life.  I know many others suffer in the same way, but her choice to end her life in this way only magnifies the grief and sadness of her death.

We all face death.  Whatever the vehicle we will all be driven from this life to the next.  The debate over her choice is not the real issue we each must face.  Whatever we face that will one day take our lives are we ready for the life ahead?

Some will tell you that death is the end....when you're dead, you're dead.  Others believe eternity lies ahead.  I believe this life is only the beginning of life...eternal life.  We grieve over the death of someone we love in this life, but we rarely talk about the grief of losing eternal life.  100% of us will die physically, but it isn't the end.  Ahead is eternity and for some a fate much worse than a painful death here.  For others eternity means real life and a walk with God that never ends.

I grieve over Brittany's loss.  I pray she did not lose real life as well.  Sometimes I fear we argue and fret over the wrong things and focus too much on the temporal and not enough on the eternal.  I hope and pray that as Brittany made a choice about this life she had also made a choice about real life.

As you read the news and the debate about her choice remember that this choice was not the most important one....for her or for you.

God is amazing!

This afternoon my wife and I had some time for a walk in the park.  It was a perfect fall day in Texas so a walk in God's creation is a great way to "reboot" after a hectic week.  

As I look around me I've noticed something....the world we live in is beautiful and quite intricate.  The beauty and design around us screams that God exists.  And this God who exists made everything you see and made it in fine and beautiful detail.  When I see a duck like this I have to respond, "God, you are amazing!"  The beauty, the detail, the variety shouts there is a God.

One of the great themes of the book of Ezekiel is "They will know that I am Lord."  It's a phrase repeated more than 60 times in this book.  God will be known, he will be acknowledged and he will be worshipped.  The only way you could ever declare "there is no God" is to close your eyes and deny everything you know.

God, you are amazing and your work is beautiful.  Well done God!  

Quote of the day

I'm in the midst of a study on heaven and came to this quote by C.S. Lewis.  He always says things so well.

“To enter heaven is to become more human than you ever succeeded in being on earth; to enter hell, is to be banished from humanity.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

The atheist garage

Apocalyptic porn

A friend of mine, a Jewish rabbi, used this phrase to describe all the current day hype about the anti-Christ and end times events.  It's a word picture that perfectly describes what we are seeing in the "news" media daily.  

It's "news" that's meant to evoke fear and easily does so.  Apocalyptic porn describes "news" that is, for the most part, fiction and fantasy meant to create panic in the Christian community.  And, Facebook is the perfect vehicle to spread this porn.  Daily I see posts about what Obama is going to do, what the government plans, the terrible things just ahead that we need to "know."  

It would be fascinating if it weren't just so absurd!  Here's an example of a headline a friend sent to me,

"CDC Whistleblower Exposes Ebola Vaccinations Containing RFID Chips"

Not only is this article fear driven, but it plays on the fears of any Christian who believes the "end of days" are near.  What if the government is planning to plant chips in the populace?  What will we do????   Fear, doubt, and panic do their dirty work and we become obsessed with these silly stories instead of sharing the good news with those around us who aren't ready for the end of days.

Apocalyptic porn it is and it's time for Christians to put down the porn and get about the real business of trusting God and doing what he told us to do!

A prayer in the morning

Good morning Father,

It's a beautiful day today.

Thank you for making it.

Thank you for letting me experience it.

Thank you for the eyes to see all you have made,

for the ears to hear the birds,

for the smells of the fall day.

Thank you that all your work is a work of love.

The colors, the sounds, the smells all tell me

something about you.

You are an artist!

I really like your work.

I love the colors of the morning sun.

I love the praise of the birds and their songs to you.

I wish I knew what they were saying,

but it's enough to know they sing to you.

This morning I want to sing to you as well.

You are amazing!

Your kindness, your patience, your goodness are all

shown in what you have made.

Each morning we see your mercy brand new.

Thank you for being God.

Thank you for caring about me.

Thank you for making me your child.

I look forward to the day when I see you face to face,

but until that day I see you each day in your grace 

and mercy all around me.

Today, let me be a vessel of your love to those who need it.

Today, let me give grace to those who don't know you.

Today, as you rule in the world around me....rule in me.

A good God

A friend posted this photo on Facebook this morning. It's a slogan I've heard many times.  I'm sure you have as well.  We all "know" it's true, but if we are honest we would admit that sometimes it doesn't feel like this is true for us.  If we were honest we might rewrite it, "God is good all the time...but sometimes it doesn't feel like it."

Truth and reality are often in conflict in a fallen world.  What we know and what we experience are often in conflict as well. If we were able to be really honest, we...like Job...would say, "I know God is good, but...."  So what is the good we are talking about?  What does it mean that God is good?  

Does it mean that things always go my way, work out for me, that I am always healthy, always happy, always have all I need?  Are my circumstances the good we are to focus on? What does it really mean when we say that God is good?

If we don't define that simple idea we will find ourselves disappointed, bitter or worse....we will give up on this faith walk with God.  The truth is that "God is good" is not at all about my circumstances, but is all about his nature and his character.  Because he is good even my difficult days are a blessing because a good God is in charge of my life. Because he is good I can endure financial troubles.  Because he is good cancer can be part of his kind work in my life.

When I make his goodness about my circumstances I will quickly become disillusioned....but when I make his goodness about his nature and how he deals with me then even bad day, difficult problems and health issues change because a good God rules my life.  

Is God good all the time?  YES!  And even when life isn't so good, wonderful, sweet, loving and good God is working through it all for my good and his glory.