Coming Up for Air

"Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!" -Philippians 4:4

"We're kinda' like a woodpecker in a petrified forest.  Just keep busy and look for opportunities!"  -Bob Green

Sometimes, I feel like that woodpecker...just going from one tree-shaped rock to another.  It isn't easy working full-time, chasing after a fifth grader, an eighth grader, and a junior in high school, keeping up with extended family, working on this old house, and still try to glean some sort of work-life balance.  Sometimes, I just don't seem to be making a lot of progress.

These are all good things, And I know that there are many who long for meaningful work and a loving family.  I know.  And I am thankful for this business. However, I know that I am not alone in sometimes feeling so inundated with this flood of obligations, that I just can't come up for air.

Or won't, because that means neglecting someone you love or a task that needs to be done. But, I can't help but think that this isn't the way God wants us to live. It certainly wasn't how the Apostle Paul lived, "Rejoice in the Lord always."  That's tough.

At least, it is for me.  But this weekend, I took advantage of some beautiful weather and rented a big chipper and went to work on the brush pile that has been growing out back over the last several months.  The machine might have been a little overkill, but it worked flawlessly.  Big, gnarly branches were sucked in and chipped up.  The pile of unruly brush shortly became a manageable pile of beautiful mulch.  The chickens were happy. My neighbors were happy.  And I was happy...and I was ready to face my list and chase after the kids.

The stress of work and the list of obligations were forgotten for a couple of hours of joy.  I know, it is a strange thing that causes me joy.  However, it has always been cathartic for me to be outside working on a project.  For you, it may be working on a car or reading a book or playing an instrument.  For my wife, it is working on her calligraphy.  But do it. For just a couple of hours come up for air.  The joy you experience will give you buoyancy to carry you through deluge above water. You aren't being selfish, you are being faithful. Rejoice!

Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.

Look to the Hills

"I look to the hills, where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth." - Psalm 121

"Some places take your breath away. Some places let you breathe." -Unknown

Today, we woke the boys up at 4:15 am and drove two and half hours through the Flint Hills of Kansas (Yes, there are hills in Kansas!) to the state cross country meet in Wamego.

As you may have heard. Kansas is a place of extreme weather.  We are prone to bitter north winds in the winter. Hot, days and muggy nights in summer. There are occasional hail storms and tornadoes when the cold north winds and the hot south winds don't get along. There are torrid rains and relentless droughts.  There are spring storms and autumn snows.   

However, Kansas is also a place of amazing beauty.  On the Kansas plains at dawn, everywhere I looked, the sky met the horizon. Heaven kissed the earth. The sun brooded over the surface of an undulating sea of grass. I nearly wept with joy.  

It is what I needed. It is what we all need. A reset. A broader perspective. A reminder that there is more to life than a list. There is more to life than success, politics, and the stock market.  There is help and strength and peace as strong and deep as prairie grass and as gentle as a morning dove.

It has been a difficult couple of weeks. Difficult meetings at work. Health issues in my wife's family.  School drama.  Bad drivers.  It is easy for me to allow these things to wall me in and close me off...  All I see is what is right in front of me.  

Not this day. 

We were tipped off to a quaint little place for breakfast in a residential neighborhood across from the city park. The coffee wasn't great, but the pancakes were huge and the conversation was fantastic. I dusted off some old dreams of a little cabin somewhere out there on the infinite horizon, and my wife dreamed of Christmas parties and time in her studio.  We talked a lot about work and family concerns, but laughed and shared a leisurely moment while the little boys ran out to play in the park. 

We were ready when it came time to drive to the meet. We cheered our oldest son on as he ran and we enjoyed the fading warmth of the brilliant sun.  It was perfect....and, by-the-way, we won state!

Do What You Do

Disclaimer: This is not Martha's egg...but still big!

"I am going fishing." - Peter (John 21:3)

It was after everything he knew about Jesus died on a cross and was buried in a borrowed grave. He saw him die but he also saw him after he died.  Something was going on and he didn't understand what it was. All Peter knew was that what God was doing was different than what he had secretly hoped for.  He didn't know his place, but he did no how to fish. So that is what he did. 

In the face of uncertainty, Peter did what he knew.

When we first started with our backyard chickens, we had a mother hen and six beautiful eggs.  We soon had six soft, adorable chicks!  These cute little chicks soon grew into three beautiful hens and three handsome roosters. We couldn't keep roosters in town, so we had to give them away.

However, I am happy to say that all three found great homes. In fact, there was one gentleman that was so thrilled with his new rooster, he gave us an old, mangy, nervous hen.  We didn't really want this hen and it seemed more fair to us that he keep his ugly white hen, thank you. No thank you. But he insisted. He knew something about this hen we didn't...

We finally conceded as now the other chickens were agitated. We could tell the poor hen was scared and traumatized by the move and unfamiliar space. We  made her as comfortable as possible and couped her up with the other girls and went to bed. We still didn't know what to do the next morning, but when we went out to check on the growing flock, our new, nervous chicken had laid the largest egg we had ever seen!  

In the face of uncertainty, that hen (we soon named, Martha) did what she knew.

And she continued to lay gigantic eggs...for years and years.  She was amazing and we still talk about her. She soon settled in to the flock and grew a new set of beautiful feathers.  We loved Martha well and she continued to lay gigantic eggs.

When you are going through difficult times...it could be at work or at home or with your health...it is important to take a lesson from Martha and Peter; keep doing what you do.  I know, I usually say to do less, but sometimes the routine of something you know and are good at gets you through those difficult times.  I am not saying that you shouldn't stop periodically, but when life throws you a curve and the world speeds up, sometimes doing what you do slows it down just a little and allows you to settle in and see what Jesus is doing in a different light.

Less doing. More being.

Dig the Hole Deep

"We must not longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their crafiness in deceitful scheming." - Ephesians 4:14

"One of the greatest decptions in the practice of the Christian religion is the idea that all that really matters is our internal feelings, ideas, beliefs, and intentions.  It is this mistake about the psychology of the human being that more than anything else divorces salvation from life, leaving us a headful of vital truths about God and a body unable to fend off sin." (The Spirit of the Disciplines - Dallas Willard)

This summer, I spent many hours hand-digging a well in my back-yard.  The hole ended up being 13 feet deep and 13 inches in diameter.  I don't mean to brag, but that is an impressive hole!  The ground was wet and heavy clay.  The auger bit was hard to turn.  But the hole is done and soon it will be home to an automatic sump pump.  I have high hopes that this well will be effective in removing groundwater from our yard when the storms come...I will keep you posted!

And now as I reflect on my summer's work, I see many parallels to our faith.  Like that hole, our faith needs to be deep in order that we are not, "tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine."  After all, we live in a world that competes for our loyalties. After all, it is easy to be passionate about politics or gender equality or climate justice. This is fine, however, unless we are deeply rooted in our faith with prayer and study, our passion means nothing. Unless we dig our hole deep, God takes a backseat instead of the driver's seat in how we respond to these 21st century storms. Unless we have a heart transformed by God...a faith deeply rooted in Christ...we will be washed away when the storms come. 

However, Dallas Willard reminds us that in order for our relationship with Chist to be robust, our faith cannot just be deep; it cannot just be an intellectual ascent...it must also be wide.  In other words, we must include our physical bodies in the practice of our faith. Certainly, a wide faith involves acts of service.  However, we can't neglect worship, or fasting, or even our posture in prayer and in praise.  This is the point of the spiritual disciplines...they engage our whole (hole!) being in our relationship with God so that when the storms come,  we are able to stand.  

Blessings to you and yours as you dig your hole!

Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.

Real Men Raise Their Hands

Our boys raising the roof: Gull Lake Ministries 2019 (There is one behind the pillar, but you can see his arm!)

Faith in its celebration sometimes becomes a delirious joy coursing through our bodily being, when we really begin to see how great and lovely God is and how good he has been to us. (Dallas Willard, The Celebration of the Disciplines)

"Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.  How awesome is the Lord Most High, the Great King over all the earth!" --Psalm 47:1-2

"Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate. --Luke 15:23-24

There is an old picture I remember seing. I am one or two years old. Maybe I am wearing a diaper, maybe not, but I am holding a strategically placed balloon so it is okay.  In fact, it is amazing.  It is amazing not for the balloon, but for my expression; on my face I see utter, complete, belly-shaking joy.

In the last year, I can count the utter, complete, belly-shaking joy on one hand...with several fingers left over.

I don't know what happened over the last 50 years that chipped away at that joy.  I know life has happened; there were some low spots; heart breaks, discouragements, shattered dreams, worries and anxieties. Yes. But there were also high spots; birthdays, and graduations,  and our wedding day. There have been victories and celebrations of three healthy boys. We have seen incredible beauty and tasted wonderful food. We have seen the miraculous and mighty power of God at work.

But I seldom laugh like that any more, and it has taken it's toll. Not just on my heart, but on the hearts of those around me, my marriage and our children. "What can I do to make you laugh again?" my wife said to me recently, "You seem so sad.  Where is the dreamer who swept me away with visions of a life full of adventure when we didn't have two nickels to rub together?"

She's right. My wife gave me two tickets to see a movie together at Christmas. I still have them.

No one is to blame. There is no fatal wound. This really is on me, and I have resolved that in the next several months, I am going to grow closer to the heart of a God who loves to rejoice with me. I have been lost, but I have also been found.  And it may be a discipline at first, but I am going to connect with God and it starts in worship. I am no longer going to be bound and afraid of what others might think if I lift my hands in worship. I have never done this before and it makes me nervous.  It may not be at the appropriate times. And it is going to be intentional, at first. However, I believe that it will become natural because I believe that is closer to the truth of how God created me...like that little boy with the balloon who so reflected the heart of God.

Church Stopping. Less doing. More being.

UPDATE: I did it!  It was sweaty.  (I brought a handkerchief to blot my brow.) It was only during the refrain, but I was able to raise my hands in worship!  And though it was a bit mechanical, it helped me to focus, not on the words, but on the One the words were directed to.  I can't wait until next week!

Perspective

"I have come that they might have life and might have it abundantly." --Jesus

A Dream Within a Dream. Ravello, 2019

As a child, then as young man, I had very little idea of what I was going to do for a living, but whatever it was, I knew it would be legendary.  It was very clear to me that I would be very successful in whatever field was blessed enough to reap my obvious talents and charm.  

Then I received, "The Call" and my delusions of grandeur came crashing down around me like a house of cards. 

My wife (pictured above) called me to let me know that she was stranded in our twenty-year old Yukon on a residential street in a neighboring city.  At that moment, and in many other moments leading up to it, I realized that I wasn't really living the life I expected.  In fact, in many ways, my life was living me. 

Instead of realizing the blessings of family, good health, and a beautiful and talented wife, I had become consumed by the challenges of work, doing the dishes, caring for a family and fixing old cars.  Things break down...not only cars, but relationships at work and old plumbing.  These broken things have to be fixed. So, I had the Yukon towed to a friend and the two of us worked all day putting in a new fuel pump.  The car was fixed but in the process, the challenges of life were placed ahead of the blessings of God. A day with the family became a day with the Yukon.  I did spend some time with a good friend, but intstead of feeling abundant, I just felt tired.

It was an easy place to get to, but not a place I want to stay.  Maybe, like author Stephen Covey wrote so well, I have been caught in an, "activity trap" and I just need to put my ladder against another wall. 

There will always be something else to do on my list.  However, I don't have to neglect God's blessings just because the Yukon broke down and a passerby stopped to let me know I was blocking the street. No. I can choose to celebrate the fact that my wife and son were okay. And I can choose to celebrate the fact that God's Son came to fill up our lives with the good stuff...because those things are there, too, even when we get, "The Call".  It is just a matter of perspective. 

Church Stopping: Less doing. More Being.