I'm still here...

I know there are still a few who visit this site on occasion.  

Although blogs have lost their following for the most part there are still a few of us who will continue to write.  

I have much stored up to write here, but we are in the midst of chaos and a move.  Once that is done I'll be back.

Here it is....

In just 9 words-

all you need to know,

all you need to do

to live out your faith.

In a world filled with fear,

selfishness,

greed,

and selfies,

here is our

mandate,

our model

for how to

imitate Christ.

That's it.

Because if you love

others

it means you will

see them,

care for them,

tell them about

your hope,

your savior,

your faith...

because 

that is what

love does.

Have a great day.

Early morning thoughts

It's Monday morning again!  I'm always up early, but this morning I had some time to read, think and reflect.  I'm watching the sun rise out the window amid the clouds.  What a beautiful morning.

I'm also watching the morning begin as neighbors leave for work, coffee in hand, to begin a new week.  Once more we begin the cycle of a new week and the crazy lives of a busy city. In the madness of all we are busy doing it's easy to forget why we are doing it.

Our lives spin up to a crazy pace and we never take a moment to ask, "What am I living for?  Why am I here?"  It seems, as I look around, the enemy has weaved a wonderful tapestry of busyness to keep us from thinking about why we live in the first place.  

This is not about the meaning of life, I'm just aware of the chaos that has created the lives we live.  In this chaos we have a moment to think, a second of quiet,  a time to ask.....why?

It's rare to find a place or a moment to think and when we do have that moment our culture reaches for the phone to occupy themselves with something that doesn't matter.

Lord,  help me find moments, quiet,  time to be still and listen, time to hear you.  In the midst of a world gone mad you are still speaking for anyone who would be bold enough to step away from the noise and simply be still.

Quote of the day

"Sin births ugly children."

The age of Athaliah

We are in one of the strangest times in history.  For a way to describe it I call it "The age of Athaliah."  

Athaliah was the mother of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and after he was killed in battle she took the kingdom by force, killed all her direct decedents and became Queen. Imagine the evil in a woman who would kill her own children and grandchildren to be able to rule a country, to be able to do as she wished.  

Once more, we come to a time when many have hardened their hearts to the point they are able to kill their own children and feel no remorse.  "Their rights" come first and even their own children are not safe.  

What a terrible day we have come to when a women can kill her own child and feel no sorrow.  We are, sadly, once more in the age of Athaliah.  

This kind of paganism demands God's people pray for the country and help those poor women who have fallen for the lie that the child in them is victim to their own desire.  

And now we come to leaders who believe as she did.  God will deal with this kind of lie.  Pray for those who have believed it.  

Pray

In a world like ours

there is nothing you can do

more important

than

prayer

When you pray

you invite

the 

sovereign

God

of creation

to be part

of

the answer

to your

problem

And when you pray

he said

he would act,

work,

move,

change hearts,

change lives,

change events

Prayer

at a time

like this

is the most

important

thing

we can do

Life is short!

This morning I'm doing a funeral for an old friend.  Over the years I've spoken at hundreds of funerals and each time I'm keenly aware of how short life really is.  Life is a moment in time, a tick on the clock of eternity and then it's over.  It happens in moments, not years.

The authors of scripture repeat this theme often and in different ways,

Life is just a vapor that is gone as the sun rises.

It's still dusk this morning.  The sun will rise soon and I'll get ready for a funeral.  In the hours ahead we will talk about a life, cry, remember, hug and then walk away.  We all know death is coming, but we do all we can to not think about it, to not dwell on it.  We imagine death is many years away.

But it comes so quickly! Life is short!  In just a moment you and I will be gone.  How will we spend these moments?  How will we live and touch the lives of others?  How will we be remembered?  What will be the impact our lives have on the eternity of another person?

In this moment of eternity called "life" how  shall we live?  Many great men have spoken on this topic.  But the bottom line is this-

You live is a moment of time with eternal results.  How are you living?  Are you living for God and eternity or are you living for you and the things of the world?  It's one or the other.  You won't choose both, you can't choose both.  Jesus said, "make your choice, it's one or the other....

how will you invest your moment of eternity?  

Because, in just a moment, you will be gone.

All in!

Are you "all in?"  It's a term I've heard recently in church circles around me.  As I visited with a friend about it this morning we both had to laugh.  It is an interesting concept, but I have to admit I have never been "all in."  

Frankly, it's not for lack of desire, but the truth is I can never be all in.  From one moment to another, at my best, I might be 30% "all in."  The desire is there for sure, but the ability is not.  If you were to ask me if I'm "all in" I would have to reply, "What moment are we talking about?"  

This term, "all in", paints a picture of something I do that I have never ever been able to do.  That's why I needed a savior!  

It's an invitation to frustration.

Neither Jesus nor the authors of scripture to follow him invited us to be "all in."  Instead, the invitation is simple, "walk in the spirit and you will not do the deeds of the flesh."  It's a step by step relationship, a moment by moment commitment.  A growing in grace and maturity.

All in?  No, never, but it's not for lack of desire.  

But when you raise the bar for me to an impossible height I soon weary of trying to jump it and simply walk away.  If this is what the Christian life is about it's simply too hard.

But it's not!  Grace says come as you are and walk with me.  I will carry you as you grow until you can take a step or two.  It's grace, all grace, and for that God never requires I be "all in" because he did that for me.

Thoughts on a Saturday

When Peace Like A River Hymn

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
it is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control,
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and hath shed his own blood for my soul.
(Refrain)

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
(Refrain)

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
even so, it is well with my soul.
(Refrain)

This evening I am thinking about issues we face ahead of us.  They feel much like a storm that won't let up, but it's really just a small thing.  In the middle of the storm I know the Lord is with us and we will come through.  We will see his goodness in the land of the living.  We will celebrate his care and provision.  It's easy to get overwhelmed.  There is so little we can actually take care of on our own.  Our smallness is easily revealed and we see how much we need God.  Those experiences are scary, but delightfully life giving because we are forced to rest in and trust God.  And so we do.  And as we rest we find his peace.  Once more I think of his invitation in Philippians 4:6-7,

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Foundations

We are having foundation work done on our house.  It's very unsettling and very expensive.  But, it must be done.

This morning, as we wait for them to come back for the work inside the house I'm thinking of a few proverbs that speak about foundations.  For example,

When the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?

Without a good foundation for a house, a life, a country collapse is the inevitable outcome.  

Jesus spoke of foundation building as well.  He described it as a contrast between a wise man and a fool.  The wise man digs down to the rock to build.  The fool builds on sand.

Foundations are essential.  Without them we find a house, a life and a nation will shift and crack, settle and fail.  But where do we start?

As we spend tons of money on our house and invest in its stability I realize this must be individual first.  I must build on the rock personally before I can help someone else with their construction.

What is the foundation?  What do we build on?  That is the critical question, isn't it?  One man will build his life on success and money.  Another will build it on fame.  Some are betting it all on politics.  

But for me and my house we will build our foundation on the God of the bible.  The God who made heaven and earth.  The God who loves us and became man, died and rose again to prove his love.  That's my foundation.  So far, in my spiritual house, my life of 65 years, I've found no cracks from building on that foundation.

Quote of the day

"Man is born mad and rarely reaches sanity before he reaches sanctity."  -G.K. Chesterton

Victims of grace

Do you realize

if you have trusted

Christ

You are a victim of grace

What a great thing

to find 

in a life

without hope

Grace

It stands against the utter

hopelessness 

of a world without God

It offers

the weary soul

peace

forgiveness

love

acceptance

mercy

while the world offers

none of these

Oh that all men

might be victims

of Grace

and discover

the God who loves

them more than they will ever know

Simple life

Simple life

It's a fantasy idea

To live a simple life

means to live

life with the basics

and enjoy every moment

Simple life

is a dream that eludes us

We have so much

taking our time

our energy

our attention

But

imagine...

Imagine

a life

where

in each moment

we

simply live

Breath in, breath out

enjoy the smells

celebrate the colors

thanks God

for his care

Talk to him

as you walk through

each moment

A simple life

is easy

It's

a life

simply lived

in the moment

in God's presence

in thankfulness

in peace

in faith in a great God

The real blessing

"In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."  Gal. 3:14

As I read the bible I'm often forced to slow down, reread and reflect on a passage.  There is so much in each sentence that it's easy to skim over magnificent truths and miss them completely.

As Paul is explaining the blessings and promises of God in Galatians he finishes this passage on Abraham with this verse.  In it is this-  

the blessing of Abraham = the promise of the Spirit

In other words, the one thing promised to Abraham's seed was that one day God would give them his Spirit to dwell in them....in us.  

Jesus talks about this in reference to prayer in the gospels when he says, "if you give good gifts to your children don't you think God will give the Spirit to those who ask?"

The prize is the Spirit's presence in our lives.  It is the essential thing that must be true about a person who believes.  Why does it matter?  

Because the Spirit of God is the guarantee 
that I'm a child of God, 
he is the down payment for more to come, 

he is my comforter, 

my guide, 

he gives me peace, 

I'm never alone because he is with me, 

he convicts me, 

helps me, 

guides me, 

and teaches me.  

He always points me to Jesus.  

He is my adoption seal that I'm a child of God!  

And he will never leave me!  

He is the answer to the question, Can a Christian lose his salvation? And he would reply, "NO! I'm never leaving, this one is a child of God. He's mine!"  

The rich blessing of God is not a car, money, a house or even a nice family....it's the presence of his Spirit in the life of the believer.  

That's the real blessing!