Ravens, Ants, and the Unemployment Line

 If you look closely at our family's gathering of gourds, you might recognize Chewabacca/Rafiki, Woodstock, and Larry Boy...in additon to your standard Jack-O-Lantern and creepy cat!

"Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; yet God feeds them: how much more valuable are you than the birds!" - Luke 12:24

"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer or ruler, provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest."

Perhaps the most terrifying hour in the day is dusk, when we see the light receding and we are faced with looming darkness.  Like so many across the globe during these dark times, I find myself at dusk facing the additional darkness of losing my job.

It has been a time when I must lean on the promises of God. Surely, a God who has brought me this far...through serious injury, illness, grief, and disappointment, will also see me through this present darkness.  I am not always able to do that, however, on my own...rest sucurely on the promises of God. And when I can't see the way forward, I lean on the faith of those around me who speak those words of encouragement I long to hear, "God has this."  "You will be okay."  And of course, my favorite, "You are an amazing person and somebody will be very fortunate to have you."

I don't always feel amazing, though. It is easy to doubt and it easy to despair when I have had two interviews with no job offers in seven months.  It is easy to be afraid as I sit across from my wife and three growing boys and watch with amazement at the volume of food that they eat and then marvel at the carefree way that they move through life.

For most of my adult life I have been the ant. Not a raven.  I have performed my duties faithfully and never wanted for anything to eat.  At the same time, I also know that my well-being is not ultimately dependent on my labor but on the providence of God.  Children, like ravens, are an important reminder of the One who is in control.  

So, this week, I am taking a break from the job search and I am not searching. I am not looking at Indeed, or pestering my, "network."  As much as I can, I am going to trust in the Lord of Ravens and Ants that has brought me this far, through thick and thin, floods and droughts, health and sickness, and joys and sadness.

I don't know what God has in mind as dusk gives way to darkness.  But I believe that God is with me and leading me through this valley even when I can't see Him. And I believe that in middle of the darkness it will be easier to see God's light and then it won't be so scary.   Until then, thank you for your prayers and thank you for reminding me of the promises of God and thank you for reminding me (and those around you that may be going through their own valleys) that I am amazing and that God does have this!

Chruch Stopping. Less Doing. More Being.

Enthroned

 

(Above picture is our son, Will, at the Monument Rocks south of  Oakley, KS. Yes, really Kansas!)

"And after He had said these things, He was lifted upwhile they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight."  --  Acts 1:9

It hit me like a class IV rapid on the Snake River outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, "It is an enthronement scene."  My seminary professor said, looking up from the Novum Testamentum Graece.  The class welcomed the respite from the precision of the Greek and was reminded of its power to pierce the heart. "Compare it to the enthronement scene in Daniel 7:13-14.  Jesus isn't leaving the disciples...Jesus is taking His throne as the long-awaited Messiah! The book of Acts is about the Kingdom entering into the world!"

At that moment, a wave of enlightenment washed over me and my worldview shifted from vaguely pre-millenial to vividly post-millenial.  Since that time, my life has been a thrilling pursuit to find signs of the Kingdom springing forth in the midst of these troubled times, "Jesus is on the throne!"

I know how easy it is to miss and that sometimes it seems far away...like the notion of a great inland sea inundating the vast Kansas prairie.  But the evidence is there when we know to look.  

There are marine fossils out on the Kansas prairie, where you would least expect them, hundreds of miles from any existing sea.  There are sharks' teeth.  The gigantic Tylosaurus.  Fossils of fish and swimming birds.  Likewise, there are also moments of joy and scenes of wonder and seasons of peace to be found in the midst of the pain and uncertainty of this age, where you would least expect to find them, great reminders of who is on the throne.

I pray that you might find hope and strength this day as you look up at the clouds in your own life. Like the clouds floating up above Will's head on the Great Plains of Kansas, high and lifted up, may they be a reminder of this enthronment scene in Acts: the Nazarene carpenter who hung out with fishermen and forgave sinners and died on a cross is also the Good Shepherd who has been raised and has ascended to His throne!

Church Stopping. Less Doing. More Being.

Worship When it Doesn't Make Sense

 

"But about midnight Paul and silas were praying their songs of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them..." - Acts 16:25

It doesn't make sense to me; trying to go over an elevated bar with a pole...upside down!  But if ever there was someone that would not be bothered by this prospect, it is our middle son, Isaac, pictured above learning the pole vault.  There is a lot to learn, but he loves it!

And if ever there were a time that didn't make sense to worship, it was Paul and Silas in the deepest, darkest, and smelliest part of the prison, feet in stocks, hands in chains, backs lacerated from a previous beating, the darkest part of the night, watched by a jailer!  Their situation was precarious at best. Why were they, "praying their songs"?  It just doesn't make sense.

I'll admit that in today's world, it still doesn't make sense. I often feel like many others who believe in a loving, powerful, and present God (head knowledge) but are dealing with massive uncertainty when it comes to employment, health, and racial tension and isolation from the church. Many current events don't compel us to worship (heart expression).  We feel like it is dark, and it is hopeless and we are trapped in prisons of anxiety, fear, and even abuse.

However, maybe it is more important than ever to worship in the middle of these current events at exactly the point when it doesn't make sense.  After all, worship is the way that connects our head to our heart.  We see this for Paul and Silas as they pray (head knowledge) their songs (heart expression). There is no separation of these events, it is one act of worship! Worship is a way that God connects what we know about God (in our brains) to what we feel about God (in our hearts).

Singing our prayers has less to do about our circumstances as it does about the one who infuses our circumstances with peace and even joy to the point where our lives become a witness not only to us of who God really is, but also to others who are listening to us just as they were listening to Paul and Silas pray their songs. Now more then ever, the world needs to hear the good news of our Lord and Savior!

Worship is the way we can once again connect our brains and our hearts to the the love and the power and the presence of God and it is a way for others to be encouraged to do the same in their lives.  Certainly, we should praise God when we experience joy in our circumstances, but we should also pray our songs when our circumstances don't make sense.

 

God, do you see me?

(Praiano, Italy September 2019)

"As the hart pants for water, so my soul thirst for Thee, O God!"  - Psalm 42:1

Last year, my wife, Jennifer, and our three boys took a trip of a lifetime to Rome and the Amalfi coast.  The picture above was taken outside of our hotel room overlooking the Mediterranean sea.  It is a stunning place with beautiful food and we would all love to go back someday.

And someday, we will.  These events are fun things to look forward to because they don't happen everyday. However, everyday, we need to be reminded that God sees us wherever we are and whatever we are going through.

We can look at beautiful places in the world and be reminded that God is powerful.  We can read in Scripture that God is loving. We can look back at events in our lives and know that God is always with us, but we need to know everyday that God sees us. It is how we are made, "My soul thirsts for Thee, O God!"  We know it in our brain...we just don't always feel it in our heart.  "God, do you see me?"

Two weeks ago, we had our trusty 2000 Yukon stolen right out of our driveway.  It is old, but it is also big and safe so our son drives it to school. And I was mad that it happened. I was mad at the people who took it and I was mad at God for allowing it to happen. I remember my prayer, "Really, God? Nice." After a couple of days, I gave up trying to find  it.  I was resigned to somehow finding another vehicle for our son that was both reliable and affordable.  But on the third day (!) police officer O'Brian called me and said, "I found your Yukon." I drove to the address, and there it was.  The thieves were gone, the keys were gone, the right rear tire was shredded, and I am still waiting for the shop to tell me that the new tire has come in. "Really, God?" was about all I could muster for prayer. "Nice."

Then, on the next day, I was doing a spiritual exercise that I heard about for the first time this summer. We were at Gull Lake Ministries in southern Michigan and our speaker was Rev. Marvin Lewis from Chicago. He was talking about our need to be seen by God and taking time to look at each day for ways in which God showed up because, indeed, God does show up. God sees us, we just sometimes miss it.  Pastor Lewis called it the, "Expectation" or, "Anticipation principle. There are just a few steps.  This exercise can be done in the evening or in the morning on the next day depending on whether or not you are a morning person. The idea is to get the head knowledge of who God is into your heart so that you begin to feel noticed by the One in whose image you have been made. Here are those steps:

1. Preparation: Acknowledge God's presence. 

2. Give thanks to God for the day.

3. Ask God for His perspective

4. Review my day: (You don't have to answer every question every day. Pick one or two.)

    a. For what am I thankful? For what am I least thankful?

    b. When did I give or receive the most/least love?

    c.  What was the most life-giving/life-draining part of my day?

    d. When did I connect/disconnect with God and others?

    e. When did I experience/not-experience the fruit of the Spirit? (Gal. 5:22-23)

    f. When did I cooperate/work against God?

Look forward to the day to come! (The Lord has something more for you than this! 2 Chronicles 35:9)

It was during this reflection on the day that the Yukon was stolen that I remembered looking up from where I was sitting on the curb as I waited for the tow truck to come. I looked up and across the street from the Yukon was a little neighborhood church. I had seen that church before, but in that moment of reflection I felt that knowledge God's love being transferred from my brain to my heart...like God was saying, "Don't you see, Geoff?  I see you." I would have missed it if I didn't pause to reflect and work through the above questions.  

So, if you struggle with intimacy with God, I encourage you to use this tool and be amazed as you begin to feel all of that head knowledge that you have accumulated of God through the years transferred to your heart!

 

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.