High Above the Fray

(Picture courtesy of Sam Segar.  www.freeimages.com)

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." --James 1:17

To be swallowed whole in wonder-thought -

Gazing deep and free.

Ancient light pierces night,

Upon a starry sea.

To tread upon a scented path -

High above the fray.

A rolling sea to infinity,

Sun melting clouds away.

To hear a crystal voice raise clear -

Lifting hearts and souls...

To Love's strong beams and deeper dreams,

Where God's laughter rolls.

To sleep on downy warmth and touch -

Embraced by little hands.

A cherub sweet, a house complete...

A gift greater than our plans.

To sink into cerulean eyes -

Falling higher up and deeper in.

A fearless heart. The wisest part...

Wrapped-up in beautiful skin.

The sun sets true on the African plain -

A deep bass booms into the world.

Front row seats as calling meets,

And God's plan is ever unfurled.

Today, we'll struggle and we'll dance -

And we'll run out of time.

But I won't let go for I know,

These riches are divine.  

Less doing. More being.

True Confessions

(picture courtesy of Chris Collins/www.freeimages.com)

"Be still and know that I am God."  -- Psalm 46:10

I have not been very good lately at keeping the Sabbath.

I have not been very good lately at writing.

This is painful for me to admit because I know the importance of both.  I know that if I don't take time to take a break, I am tired and stressed and no good to anyone for the rest of the week.  If I don't take time to write, my very full life begins to seem very empty.

It hasn't always been this way...

My wife and I used to be very good about Sabbath-keeping. This was before family, at least before the two-footed kind.  Our dogs always insisted we stop.  They were always eager to go to the Mines of Spain Recreational area on the edge of town, take a romp in the woods, and be free. My wife and I had an opportunity to reconnect with one another,  with God, and we were free to dream big dreams.  Because we were in school, there was always writing to be done.

Soon, however, our lives became fuller and fuller, the way that all lives tend to do, like a hard-to-reach mosquito. Now, instead of dogs leading us into the wild, we are being led to baseball games, and band practice, and careers.  Sometimes our family of five feels like stowaways on a ship.  We are excited about the destination, we love the things that we are doing, but sometimes we forget to enjoy the journey. We forget to stop and look out at this vast sea and be reminded of the One who placed us here together.

My hope is that summer will yield a moment or two to breathe deep and be still, maybe even write a little.

And in these mercurial moments of summertime stillness, my deepest dream is to reconnect with God.  Over the years, I have learned all the right answers. I have been blessed with a beautiful family, a healthy marriage, and a second shot at life itself, but in the last two years, I have let the gift of a full life come between me and the author of life. Writing it all down, these true confessions, is (hopefully) the first step towards reconnecting to the One who first loved me.

Now, off to baseball practice...

Stronger: Part Two

(Multnoma Falls in Oregon...not the creek in which I was wading!)

When I look at thy heavens, the work of they fingers, the moon and the stars which thou has established; what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?  Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:3-5)

"The dark night is when (Christians) lose all the pleasure that they once experienced in their devotional life. This happens because God wants to purify them and move them on to greater heights." -John of the Cross

I remember the moment I slipped off that rock that I was sitting on with my sister.  The excitement of the creek rushing all around me did not last long.  And I don't know if it was a bump from my sister or simply a misplaced step on that mossy rock we were sharing...but soon, I slipped and found myself bobbing down stream just under the surface of the rolling water.  I remember holding my breath, looking up, and watching all the trees and the rocks on the bank of the creek pass by.  I don't remember being scared.  After all, I knew my father was not too far off and I knew that he would rescue me.

He remembers the moment that he saw my head of hair floating through his fishing hole.  That was all that he could see, but it was enough.  At that time in my life, I didn't enjoy getting my hair cut and my hair was probably a little too long.  However, it was a good thing because my father dropped his pole, ran along the bank, and then plunged his hand into that rushing water, grabbed my longish hair, and with one mighty heave, pulled me out of the brink and raced me over to the picnic table where my mother stripped me of my dripping clothes...including my Husky jeans...and placed them on a nearby branch to dry.

The same is true of our faith. We may slip, and it seems that all that is left of our spiritual life is hanging out to dry, but we aren't far from our Father's grasp. 

In these moments, John of the Cross encourages us to hold our breath and take a look inward. There are dangers as we grow in our relationship with Christ. Sometimes we crave the experience of our faith more than the Author of our faith. John of the Cross called this, "Spiritual Greed."  Sometimes, we become spiritually lazy.  Once upon a time we had that moment on the rock in the middle of the creek when our relationship with God was young and exciting and rewarding, but somehow other things have become more important. We quit praying and reading God's word. We skip church and don't study. John of the Cross called this, "Spiritual Sloth."  Or, maybe, we see that someone else is experiencing God in an exciting way and it just doesn't seem fair because they are a new Christian and we have been at it a lot longer. John of the Cross calls this state, "Spiritual Envy."  

When you enter that Dark night, hold your breath.  Look in. Be honest, but also be gentle with yourself.  God loves you and He isn't far off...

And keep looking up.  Preferably, look up far from town on a clear night. Consider the innumerable stars and the vast reaches of space and then remind yourself of God's power.  He will save you.  This too shall pass.

The Dark Night will happen. It's normal. No one is to blame, not even my sister.  When it happens, remember to hold your breath and remember God's love, but also look up and remember His power. He will come for you and He is stronger than you know.  Amen

Church stopping. Less doing. More being.

Stronger: Part One

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven - whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. I know that this man was caught up into Paradise-- whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, God knows - and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.(Paul the Apostle, 2 Corinthians 12:2-3)

"The dark night is when (Christians) lose all the pleasure that they once experienced in their devotional life. This happens because God wants to purify them and move them on to greater heights." -John of the Cross

When I was growing up, our family would spend Memorial Day in the small town where my mother spent her childhood. We would visit family, than stop at the park for a gourmet picnic lunch.  My mother is a pro at picnics. While she set about transforming the rustic table into a beautiful setting fitting for a delicious meal, my father would race over to the creek tumbling off the hillside for some much-anticipated fishing while my big sister and I would get busy exploring.

I remember on one occasion, when the creek was swollen with spring, my sister, who is three years older than I am, managed to work her way out on to a rock that sat in the middle of that roiling water.  It looked amazing and I simply had to join her there on that magnificent perch.  It wasn't easy for me. My father told me at the time I was about three years old and, at that stage of life, I was short and round.  My mother always told me, "Husky", was just the brand of jeans that I wore...but I made it, and for a few wonderful moments, I joined my sister on that rock as the water rushed by.  It was thrilling, and a little bit scary.

Sometimes are spiritual lives are like that.

We know that it was for Paul.  Most Biblical scholars believe that Paul is being humble here in this passage from 2 Corinthians, and the "man in Christ" that Paul knows and that was caught up to the "third heaven" was Paul himself.  And, in the Biblical understanding of heaven, the "third heaven" and "Paradise" was probably very similar to Isaiah's vision in Isaiah 6:1-5.  Paul is recounting a time in his life where he felt as if he was in the very presence of God. It was thrilling, and a little bit scary.

Perhaps you have has such an experience.

You have felt the presence of God in worship or in prayer. You feel that you are in the very presence of God.  And, when you read the Bible, you are amazed that even familiar passages come alive and God speaks to you in new and exciting ways. I hope you have experienced the "third heaven"; the love and power of God. This experience is one of the most exciting seasons in a Christian's life.

But it isn't always like that.

Sometimes we experience what John of the Cross in the 16th century called the, "Dark night of the Soul."  Even in the 21st century, the dark night is still something that Christians should be familiar with.  While it is true that God will never leave us or forsake us, sometimes it seems like God is distant.  We feel far away from that third heaven, the seraphim, and the shaking ground (see Isaiah 6:3-5).  We feel like we are just going through the motions of worship and prayer. God's word, which once felt so alive, now seems thick and dry. But don't despair.

Such experiences are normal. When we go through them, hold on because we are about to discover that God's love and power are stronger than we could ever imagine.

(...to be continued.)

Church stopping. Less doing. More being.

No Fear

Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. - Proverbs 23:18

(A guest post my my beautiful wife, Jennifer.)

This is us...winning the Disney vegetable car race.  Well, OK, we didn't win the race but they gave us a medal for best team name..."Corn-fed." But these medals might as well have been Olympic gold because I like to think they were hard-fought and won.  This time last summer, fear came knocking at our door.  Actually, fear broke the door down and started hauling off our personal belongings. Things like our future, our joy, our life as we knew it.

But that was silly. 

Fear wasn't, and isn't, welcome.  So let me bear witness to what Cancer and fear cannot take...they can't take true friendship and the depth family will go to lift you up. They can't take the ability to respond to suffering and pain with dignity and courage. My heroic husband went through fire and was not burned. It was hell. That's all there was to it, but I stand firm in a faith that believes hell has been defeated.

So stick it, Cancer. Stick it fear.

Those pictured here are stronger, healthier, better people than we were a yer ago.  I am forever grateful for all of those who prayed us through the last year. Geoff is feeling great. Everyday he gets stronger...and funnier...and more himself. He's on no medication and has no pain.  For all the bad news on social media let us be bearers of some good news. Hope is stronger than fear and cancer doesn't get a voice.

Church stopping. Less doing. More being.

Christian Man: Courage

From the 2011 movie, Courageous.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

In the above clip, the importance of strong Christian fathers is emphasized.  Of course, there are strong Christian men...firefighters, police officers, teachers, and businessmen..who are not biological dads, but they are fathers.  

Jesus himself was not the Father, but millions of people have seen the Father's love reflected in Him. This is also what it means to be a Christian man; to show the love of the Father to others.  After all, we know through Jesus, the love of a God who would die for us.  It is on the Cross that Jesus not only revealed the Love of the Father, but the courage required to follow Him.  

Somebody once said that courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to face it. Because sometimes we are afraid. We are afraid to make that presentation at work or lead worship at church. We are afraid we might fail at a new job or in caring for a loved one who is sick. We are afraid that we might not be able to finish our degree or be strong enough to ask for forgiveness and a new start.

But we face our fears, because the Lord is with us wherever we go.

In addition to facing our fears, being a Christian man means that we have the courage to invest in something other then our careers and our hobbies...which aren't bad, by the way. A beautiful lawn; a shiny car; a job promotion; a perfectly grilled steak, all are good things, but eventually we realize that these things are never enough.  There is always something more to have or more to experience. And if these things are everything, then we always seem to be lacking something. The world is a tempter that eventually requires that we sacrifice the very things that God has called us to sacrifice for.  

So we must stop. 

We must stop pursuing things and start becoming present in our homes and start being faithful in our marriages. We must stop giving into fear and start taking responsibility for spiritual leadership among friends and coworkers and family members and start getting involved in ministry to people even if we don't know them that well or seem to have that much in common.  

And these things take courage.

And they certainly aren't what the culture, especially other men, expect.  Many men don't think it is something that they even want. But it's time for Christian men to have the courage to live differently and for different reasons; to have the courage to answer to God first, even if it is scary; and to remember the commandment to be strong and courageous.

Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.

The Christian Man: Humility

A chess movement is afoot in Franklin, Mississippi.
"Father, glorify Thy name." (Jesus)

John 12:28

It is a rare quality among men these days; humility.  But even so, we know it when we see it.

Take the example of Franklin, Mississippi. Some of you may have seen the recent special on 60 Minutes.  It is a small, rural town and, up to a year and a half ago, many of the children had never seen a chess board. Most had never played a game of chess before in their lives.  Then, Jeff Burlington from Memphis showed up. He taught chess to the school children. They loved it. They were very good at it. Now, Franklin, Mississippi has a state champion chess trophy for their trophy case and a new confidence in what they can accomplish in life.

It is an amazing transformation to witness, but there's even more going on that can't be seen.

Behind the scenes, we are told, there is an "anonymous benefector" that has hired Dr. Burlington to teach chess to these rural kids.  I wonder about that individual...seeing all this happen...hearing the reports...rejoicing in the success and celebrating the excitement.  And no one knows who it is! At least, no one who watches 60 Minutes. 

Maybe this mysterious benefactor is so fascinating because it is a such a rare quality these days among Christian  men; humility.  We see lots of hubris.  We strut for attention. We hoard our toys and hide our treasure.  And instead of celebrating the success of others, there is a desire to be more successful than they are.

But Jesus was different. He didn't pursue the accolades of His admirers. His miracles were never about Him.  And, in the end,  He desired that His greatest glory be given to His heavenly Father.

Therefore, the question for us, as Christian men, is not how many people notice us, or work for us, or recognize our work...but, how much of what we do can be a gift to others?  To begin, maybe we should just stop; stop striving to impress our neighbors and start celebrating with them; stop seeking the applause of strangers and start glorifying the Father.

It couldn't hurt. Who knows, we too might change lives; maybe it's the lives of our spouses or our children. Maybe it's our very own Franklin.    Maybe it's the world.

Church Stopping. Less doing. More being