Loving the Fearful

My older daughter has a strong affinity for scary movies. This fascination may have started early in childhood as she and her grandpa used to sit and watch medical documentary programs on The Learning Channel for hours on end! The rest of the family would nearly be yackin' up dinner, but she was right in there watching the surgeons slice and dice their way into someone's eventual recovery. Now for her, the scarier the movie, the better.

Her younger sister on the other hand can often be found head under blanket or in another room completely when the scary movie has barely begun. As a famously popular TV show would suggest, "apparently fear isn't a factor" for one and not the other.

Spending time in Psalm 18 this week, I've grown to appreciate David's love for the Fearful. He begins this Psalm benignly enough expressing his love for the Lord...

"I love you, Lord, my strength."

David continues on for a few verses expressing how the Lord is strength, deliverance, refuge, protection and salvation. He relates occasions in his life when he was in deep distress and the Lord was his provider and help in times of trouble. And then the Psalm takes an interesting twist...

"The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him --
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning."

Quite the scene, isn't it? Like the opening of a really good scary movie. One kid would be on the edge of her seat, the other under a blanket!David appears to be like the one on the edge of her seat. He's taking in the scene and can't get enough of it!

I think the reason many people don't pursue a deeper relationship with God is because they have an unhealthy fear of God. They've never spent enough time in His presence to really appreciate His infinite power, might and majesty. Power enough to destroy even the greatest of us? Of course! But isn't that the point? He doesn't destroy us because while He is all those "scary" things, He is also grace, mercy and love.

Consequently, the awesome relentless power of God becomes a refuge and a strength for those who really know Him. Maybe there is something to spending a little time every day in "fear" before the Lord? Maybe it will transform how you know Him?

What do you think?

Take Time to Make Time

"To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." (Is. 40:15-26)

Do you find yourself standing in front of a microwave oven urging it to "hurry up?" Is your car floorboard filled with crumbs from weeks of breakfast "on the go" during your morning commute? Do you find yourself drumming your fingers on the steering wheel waiting for a red light to change? Is your cup of "instant" coffee after you hit the office just that much too slow? If so... you might want to loosen your schedule up a little bit!

More and more Americans are becoming addicted to "busyness." If you don't believe it, command the attention of a room full of people and then just be quiet and see what happens. In less than 120 seconds, people will begin to fidget and get uncomfortable. Withing about 3 - 4 minutes inevitably, someone will break the silence or leave the room. It is indicative of a culture that has trouble sitting still for very long! The thing is we like being "busy" though busyness may not be the best thing for us!

Are you busy? Are you too busy? If you were to rate your busyness on a scale of 1 to 10 (1o being most busy) how would you score on a typical day? Do you take time to make time to simply be quiet and still? The more hectic we allow our lives to get, the more difficult it is to "take time to make time." When we find ourselves too busy to take time to make time, it is then time to pull back and gain some perspective.

Too often we live in an illusion we are so important that our "busyness quotient" somehow speaks of our intrinsic value. We pride ourselves on tight schedules and may "tip our hats" to those who are even more busy than we are. We justify ourselves by daytimers and chalk our self worth by appointment calendars. And then... perhaps when we are least aware of the bane of busyness... we may "lift up our eyes and look to the heavens." And then we see...

I've never created a star. I've never called the stars by name (even though for less than $30 I can have one named after me -- name one here) and I certainly can't tell you if one is missing or not. Can you?

When I'm so busy that I'm keeping track of all the stars in the universe, my opinion is then I can put God on hold or not take time to make time to spend quietly in His presence. Until then... I'm just not that busy!

How about you?

Has it been enough?

Sitting in front of my office window is a beautiful three foot tall Corn Plant that was part of a collection of gifts my wife gave me to celebrate our 20th anniversary earlier this month. Each gift she gave was an expression of love and a variation on a consistent theme she crafted... "2o years has not been enough..."

Each gift carried tremendous sentimental and poetic value to me, most of which I won't share here. But since arriving in my office, "Mr. Corn Plant" (so called I believe, because the stalks of beautiful green leaves resemble corn stalks -- see picture below) seems quite content and has already shown some growth. I hope we have a long and prosperous relationship together (I have a Golden Pathos that is nearly 10 years old). I water him when his soil is dry to the touch and have placed him in the "perfect" indirect sunlight. I think we're off to a good start!

This is the first plant my wife has ever given me and each time I see it, it brings her quickly into my heart and mind. It is my favorite plant, ever! Still sitting beside this potted plant is the basic card which came attached to it... it simply reads... "20 years has not been enough..."

Each day I realize how much this saying is true. Our time together as husband and wife has gone so quickly. We've shared both really great times and some real challenges along the way. Now it seems each day is such an amazing gift and we both want to live it to the fullest potential. I realize more and more that, for us together, 20 years really isn't enough. We both want so much more!

I was talking with a sweet couple in our church this past Sunday. In a short while, they will celebrate their 60th anniversary! Three times as long as my wife and I have been married! As I talked with them, I observed they are still having as much fun as they did 60 years ago -- maybe even more! What a great example they are to us for the power of matrimonial love!

Today I've been thinking about my relationship with my God as a "bride" of Christ (Rev. 19:7). When He created me and saw to it that I'd take my first breath, He knew exactly how many days I'd be around this planet (Ps. 139:16). I have wondered about how much time I have left. He knows, I don't. He has placed me at this point of history for a specific purpose and has associated me with an incredible group of ministers who collectively dream of changing the world! I am blessed beyond my ability to express -- I am simply humbled to even be alive, let alone serve with such incredible people.

I've had a nagging thought today... "Is 44 years enough... or is there more?" Our church buried a 17 year old young man last week who lived his faith in a special way. Attending the funeral, I wrestled with the thought... "Was 17 years enough?" His death was accidental in a car crash in which his flesh simply couldn't survive. I have to conclude that for him, 17 years was enough. What determines "enough" anyway?

I'm realizing more and more these days that I have to live my life at "full-throttle" for God. Full-throttle can get me in trouble on my motorcycle, but it can only be blessed in my relationship with God and with my family and friends. There have been many things in my life that have kept the throttle at less than full... but I believe that is changing for me. God is churning something deep within me. I want to be sure and live to the maximum of my days!

How about in your life? Whatever the number of your days to this present moment, has it been enough? Like you, I want to live my life in such a way that when my number runs out, there will be no questions... just an acknowlegement of fact... "it was enough."

Another way to fall...

"The Lord is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made.
The Lord upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down." (Ps. 145:13b-14)

By God's very Sovereign and Supreme nature, all creatures are subject to Him. He is God and Father over all and through all and in all (Eph. 4:6). The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made (Ps. 145:17).

Having grown up enjoying adventure sports and just playing hard in general, I've been known to take my share of spills as well a thrills. One particular Halloween night, the Trick-or-Treaters were retiring from their swarm across the neighborhood and there was still time left to go down the street and see what Mr. Woodson had done to "spookify" his house. Each year he created an elaborate scene to make the Trick-or-Treaters "earn" their goodies. I think sometimes kids were so scared, they often lost more than they gained!

This particular year, Mr. Woodson was apparently in rare form and I wanted to be sure and catch the full impact of the experience. My parents urged me to walk down the street since it was well past dark, but I chose to ride my bike instead. Ignoring a second urging from Dad, I bounded down the street peddling as fast as I could and jumping curbs along the way to try and mediate my excitement. That year, I never saw Mr. Woodson's "haunted" display... I never made it there.

The little I remember involved flipping over the handlebars, hitting my head on the asphalt street and eventually standing in our garage bloodied enough I could have been featured in Mr. Woodson's neighborhood horror show, only my injuries were real!

Moments later, sitting in my bathroom, Mom started to attend to my wounds and then, for the first time in my life, I nearly passed out. Thankfully, Dad was right there to steady me. In an instant he was splashing water in my face to keep me alert. Things in my vision would turn dark and looking at myself in the mirror, I could see myself turning various shades of white. Dad would shake me back into consciousness and splash more water. Not my idea of fun and I still bear some of the physical scars.

When I think of the Fatherhood of God, I know He has been there to pick me up when I've spiritually fallen down, injured myself and nearly "passed out." The fact I ever healed at all is testimony of His loving care. God has always been careful to lift me up in His love and righteousness and get me back on my feet.

I am finding another way to fall and avoid such painful injury is to voluntarily bow down before the sovereign God. This is best done before flying "over the handlebars and banging one's head on the asphalt." Yet, when we do take those head over heals tumbles, God is still there to "lift us up." But when I choose to voluntarily bow before God's throne, the pain of the process is greatly reduced. There may be some pain in acknowleging my humility before His perfection, but God is still ready to "lift me up" (James 4:10).

I'm thankful today for our Heavenly Father who, like many of us fortunate enough to have a caring earthly dad, is loving and willing to lift us up when we fall either by reverent choice or by painful accident.

Seen Harder Days

One benefit I'm finding in growing older is the power of painful experiences. Whether of self-induced pain based in mistakes and/or poor judgment or pain delivered from outside sources, there is a reasonable level of spiritual sobriety that comes with hard days. As the late Christian songwriter Rich Mullins sang, in our younger days "we are not as strong, as we think we are."

Alannis Morrisette featured a song on her Jagged Little Pill CD called You Learn which speaks of living life and learning life and the difficulty that comes with accepting hard life lessons. Though not a real fan or frequent listener of her music, I will say as a relatively young songwriter she has apparently lived some "hard times" and is able to transfer those experiences into her music ( lyrics).

Wisdom is typically the product of age, but not necessarily. While growing older is inevitable, growing wiser, isn't. True wisdom is a gift from God (James 3:13-18; James 1:5) but the gift often comes through difficult circumstance. Perhaps this is why James can begin his letter to scattered followers of Jesus with these words... "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds..." (1:3).

I've never been the kind who goes around looking for trouble, though I've created enough of it for myself and others in my lifetime. If I had known then, what I know now, I would have certainly done things differently. Perhaps this is the birth of wisdom, but only the birth.

Wisdom isn't really wisdom until we're facing circumstances that are strangely familiar to those from the past. How we navigate through those current circumstances is the real test of whether we're gaining in wisdom or not. If, by the power of God's Spirit and the informing of our experiences, we navigate safely through the current troubled waters, it is then we can begin to see the fruit wisdom is growing on our tree of life -- but not before.

When we arrive on the other side of trial and tribulation resting secure in the power of God's leading and in the wisdom that comes from heaven above, it is then we can acknowledge we've "seen harder days."

Off the Grid

If you are not currently living in the DFW area you're likely not aware of the streak of consecutive days of over 100 degree weather we've been blessed (okay, more like challenged) to experience. This heat wave has only added insult to injury as we are in the midst of a serious drought. Our lakes are drying up, our city governments are putting all their residents on extreme water conservation schedules and our plants and yards are showing the effects of the heat. These are some hard days in Dallas.

Plant life isn't the only thing stressed by the hot weather. Record consumptions of energy have been reported recently in the DFW area as air conditioners attempt to offset the oppressive heat.

Last weekend our neighborhood had several "brown outs" (the power dips enough that all the lights go "brown" and irritatingly enough, it is just enough drop in power to make it necessary to reset all the electric clocks!) as a result of the extreme heat and record power consumption. There must have been six or seven "brown outs" through the course of only a couple days last weekend. As the power would begin to drop, it was evident that some other source of power was kicking in to take up the slack. The lights would dim... stay that way for a second or two and then power right back up again.

After several of these occurrences, I really began to appreciate the benefit of being "on the grid." Apparently numerous power companies are networked throughout the country and when one particular area's power is threatened, another member of "the grid" kicks in and takes up the slack. Though our power interruptions were irritating, I was thankful we weren't knocked completely out. It is amazing how quickly a large house in the humid South can heat up on 100+ days. Some friends recently went out of town for a few days and inadvertently left their air conditioners off. When they returned, they found their upstairs thermometer reading 99 degrees! That was nearly as hot as it was outside!

All this power grid stuff got me to thinking about how dependent I am on my brothers and sisters in Christ. God has blessed me with some amazing Christian friends. Specifically, some of the Christian men God has placed in my life in the last year or so have blessed my life in ways I could never imagine. We are a band of brothers who not only look out for one another, but hold each other accountable to the life God calls us to live in Christ Jesus. Grace runs deep, and the levels of trust we share are unlike anything I've ever known before. There is true spiritual power in the grid of brothers with whom I'm blessed to live and learn.

God has designed the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:11-31 for more info) to be like a power grid. None of us are to live our faith independently, but rather we all lean on each other for support, strength and understanding. Judgment belongs to the Lord, offering God's support and strength is something we share with our Creator. What an amazing experience to share God's power with fellow believers! The lights don't have to stay dim long!

I'll confess there have been times I've tried to live my life "off the grid." Either from the pride of thinking I could pull my own spiritual weight along or from fear of judgment and rejection, there have been times I've tried to maintain spiritual power on my own. The result: eventually the electricity goes out and nothing runs like it is supposed to. The effects are much more irritating and frustrating than having to simply reset your clocks. There is a considerable amount of spiritual repair that is involved in getting the "power" back on again. What can take only months to turn off, can take years to get turned back on again. Spiritual power is something to protect, not neglect or abuse.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are all "on the grid" and when the stress of life is upon us, we need to send a signal to our trusted grid members that we need some backup and help. Yes, we may "brown out" for a short period of time, but we don't have to watch all the power shut down leaving us sitting completely in the dark.

If your system is being stressed today don't move off the grid, more closer to it. I encourage you to rely on the grid and take the help God has supplied through those believers who are close to you and really do care.

Growing...

Spiritual growth is an interesting enterprise in light of the fact it is typically not easily quantified. Unlike physical growth where we are measured against a scale and national percentiles, we don't have a quanitifiable standard by which to evaluate our standard deviations for spiritual development... other than standing next to Jesus Christ himself. Even then the quantifiable measures comparing to Jesus will generally fall into subjective categories.

We might consider how we compare to others as a measurement. Is this even a valid measure to stand one Christian up against another? Jesus might, in fact, argue it is not. Instead, He would suggest such spiritual measurement ought to be accomplished in the privacy of one's own room, behind a closed door and that we ourselves should not even know what one of our own hands is doing in relation to the other (Matt. 5:6; 6:3).

While the measurement of spiritual growth may appear somewhat illusive, it most assuredly is not. Spiritual growth is measurable and when it is measured, it can bring tremendous benefit to the child of God.

Spiritual reflection is an excellent (likely even essential) means to observe spiritual growth. It is deeply personal and individual in nature as no one can stand in the face of another human being and declare, "You aren't growing spiritually," for numerous reasons. One is that no other human has the ability to judge another's heart, only God (and perhaps the person themselves) knows who they really are on the inside. Another reason is that spiritual growth is deeply relational, between the person and God Himself. Others may see the "fruit" of that spiritual relationship, but they will not be able to quantify the essence of the relationship. Consequently, we realize the full measure of spiritual growth is relational -- how deeply commited to relationship with God our hearts have become.

I read recently that the original concepts of "belief" and "truth" were more deeply rooted in relationship than in cognitive process. To "believe" in something meant you "invested" in it, you "embraced" it, you "bonded" to it and were willing to lay your life on the line for it. Since the 14th century, Christians have tended to affiliate spiritual growth with increased knowledge of Biblical fact. While the Biblical text is critical to establishing and maintaining relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, processing truth is not spiritual growth.

The way to measure spiritual growth is to know one's thirst for God. The understanding that distance from God is darkness and peril and nearness to God is good is true test of spiritual growth.

"But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds." (Ps. 73:28)

Growing... how I long to be growing...

Of Bigger Ears...

I've heard it said that though the rest of our body stops growing into adulthood, our ears and nose keeps right on in their generative processes, getting bigger and bigger. A little research on the topic will yield mixed opinions. Some say "yes" our ears and nose continues growing while others contend "no" they do not. Science is conflicted on the topic.

If you begin to actively take notice, you may become persuaded that older men in particular seem to have bigger ears! Some "old man ears" are largely quite impressive. Perhaps this comes with the wisdom of being slower to speak and quicker to listen? Not quite rivaling Dumbo, the flying elephant's status, some older men's ears become a distinctive point of their appearance. It is possible "old man = big ears" is based on the general principle of the thinning of older men's hair which gives the illusion of larger ears. Women who wear heavy earrings are thought to stretch their ear lobes over time, thus giving them the illusion of "growing" ears. But do they really "grow?"

The thought of it is somewhat disconcerting. If, in fact, they do continue to grow, are they growing from the top up or the bottom down? If I'm blessed to live to be 100, will my ears make a baseball cap sit weird on my head? Will I gain an increasing affinity for old StarTrek reruns and have particularly strong connections to Spock? Will my great, great grandchildren want to play with my really big ears? This could get really perplexing!

If the typically "growing" things like hair (it does continually keep growing, but for many of us there is simply less of it to grow) and fingernails ceased in their growth processes, we'd likely seek medical attention and consider something to be "wrong" with us. Some things are meant to be in constant growth mode regardless of age, health or emotional disposition.

Our spiritual maturity is one of those things that should be in constant growth mode. From the time disciples of Christ are first called, a careful Bible reader can track the development of a disciple's spiritual growth. How disciples react to circumstances of adversity, how they rely on God's leading and how some eventually even give their earthly lives for the sake of the kingdom of God are indicators of certain levels of spiritual growth.

Are you still growing?

Spiritual growth is sometimes difficult to gauge. We are so "in the moment" of life, it can be confusing and even frustrating to try and determine spiritual growth. But, when we pause long enough for reflection and take a good look over our "spiritual shoulder," we can see the progress we're making in our walk with the Lord.

Steady growth requires times of intimacy and silence before God. It requires making room in your life for Him to stretch you and feed the parts of your spiritual being that need to conform more to the image of Jesus. Though it takes some effort on our part, it is largely a function of time.

Whether your ears are still growing may be a matter of opinion. Whether you should continue growing spiritually isn't. Spiritual growth is essential and needs to be something we all appreciate as God continues making us into more of what He would have us to be.

Water and Life

Seven consecutive hours of yard work in 100+ degree heat will either teach you or break you -- maybe both. Today, in the last hour of my best professional landscaper impersonation, I realized I was running a little low on hydration. I'd been drinking water all morning long, but nearly stumbling behind the mower and having trouble focusing my eyes made me realize I was entering the dehydration zone. But only five more passes across the lawn and I'm done...

Somewhere near the last pass across the backyard, I saw visual evidence for the value of life that water brings. From the edge of the house out about 20 feet toward the back fence the grass was lush, thick and deep green (a strange sight these days in North Texas with our drought imposed water restrictions) and the grass the rest of the way to the fense is brown and struggling merely for survival.

"What could account for the difference?" I wondered in my nearly halucinate curiousity. Then it hit me. Last week we had a couple rain storms (brief, but appreciated in light of the drought) and I realized all the rain that fell on the roof had run into the yard and likely doubled or tripled the amount of water that had fallen in the back of the yard just off the house.

On the last pass across the yard, I remembered an event with Jesus and his encounter with a woman at a well. A Samaritan woman had come to a well to draw water and Jesus asked her for a drink. The woman protested on the basis of improper social interactions between Jews and Samaritans, but Jesus replied, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water" (John 4:10).

After a brief exchange, the woman said, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." Of course she didn't fully grasp what Jesus was saying, but then I wonder if we do either?

Access to "living water" is there for the taking. Like a storm shower producing downpours of water on a large roof, all the living water we need is right there! All we need to do is step into the source and enjoy more spiritual nourishment than we can handle. But, if you're like me, too often I find myself out in the deeper part of the yard, struggling to even stay "green" (pardon the pun). I will take just enough nourishment to stay alive, but to be deep and lush and beautifully green is far too infrequent for me.

It has taken until early evening to recover from the day's dehydration. I ate a little, drank nearly a gallon of water and took a nap. I'm starting to feel normal again, but not without the water that sustains physical life. I want the same desperation for nourishing spiritual water to stay consistent in my spiritual life as well.

How about you?

A Better Way to Fall

For whatever reason, last night at a church gathering, several of my brothers and sisters in the Lord independently asked me why I ride a motorcycle and why I'm so fanatical about it. Given half a chance, I'll expound ad nauseum on the joys of riding. But last night I simply replied... "It's fun!"

Quite unintentionally, the limits of "fun" were challenged this morning on my commute into the office. Two things are constant threats to the urban motorcyclist: 1) a vehicle crossing immeditately into your path (statistically most often a left turn), and 2) slippery, slimy stuff on the road. It was the latter that took some of the "fun" out of today's otherwise delightful commute.

Riders are trained (either by experience or formal motorcycle education -- I highly recommend both) to constantly be on the lookout for both intrusive vehicles and road "snot." An intruding vehicle typically "cues" its potentially fatal move many ways, i.e. the drivers eyes, head tilt, inattention due to cell phone usage, the angle of the front wheels, slowly rolling forward, etc. are all clues a driver may cut us off. (Yes, a motorcyclist can see your eyes better than you can see theirs).

The other road peril is usually evident by a change in the appearance of the road surface... a sheen, a reflection, a change in color, etc. are all potential indicators something slippery may loom ahead. There are occasions however, when the slip is altogether illusive and hidden. Such was the case this morning... no warning!

Making a slightly aggressive left hand turn, as I struck the apex of the turn, without notice the back tire instantly gave way and I began a rear wheel slide that would have made a MotoGP racer proud. I've never slid that far on a street bike and still kept it upright. Adrenaline was flowing, heart pounding as I wondered if I would pull this one out. (Time almost stands still when riding through one of these moments -- that alone is fascinating to me). I realized one more tick of the throttle and I would have been picking myself up off the middle of Jupiter Rd. Was that "fun?" Not at the moment, but now in retrospect... it was pretty cool! (The longer I ride, the more I think one has to be a little "crazy" to do it... but, the "fun" still outweighs the "risk.").

Here's the point: when riders ride, they are always looking out for the fall. In fact, there is an adage in motorcycling that goes, "Don't dress for the ride, dress for the fall." Morbid? No, I don't think so. Rather, I believe it is a realistic understanding of the risk and being as responsible to that risk as the rider is willing to be.

On our spiritual journey, there are countless perils that may bring us down. We can get cut off by the big heavy intrusion that threatens to cut in front of our path and present our certain doom. Generally speaking, on these occasions we can see caution indicators and have fair warning of the immediate danger. However, we can choose to keep riding, become increasingly indifferent about the warning signs and soon find ourselves "T-boned" and in a spiritual hospital bed or worse. I've been there and know what that recovery curve looks like. It is a long hard road back to health. If you see the signs, heed the caution.

Then there is the slippery stuff that we might not even see coming that will spin us out before we really know what happened. We may not even know much about what it is, but all of a sudden we feel the whole thing coming apart in an instant. One more tick of the throttle and we may find ourselves coming to an abrupt halt and feeling the pain of impact.

Our spiritual journey is something of an adventure and there is some risk and we will fall at times. If we exercise wisdom and don't ignore the available warning signs, there are incredible rewards that far, far outweigh the risks. Staying alert and keeping our eyes on the One who illuminates the path (Ps. 119:105) will ensure a better way to fall.

Ride safely...

Giving Beyond Pain

I have heard it said that the more righteous way to give is to "give 'til it hurts" and I have, quite frankly, always had a problem with that phrase and don't find much righteousness in it.

When the apostle Paul writes to Corinthian Christians about financial giving he makes a profound point. He writes, "This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God" (2 Cor. 9:12).

When creation expresses "thanks to God" I find it difficult to embrace that the giving of thanks is painful. If there is any pain associated with giving, I believe the "pain" of giving comes only when an individual is not willing to give sacrificially and find themselves giving only begrudingly. When it is painful to give, it must be due to not having enough integrity to completely withhold a gift or not having the Christlikeness to freely give with complete abandon and sacrifice.

Rather than suggesting that we "give till it hurts," perhaps it is more appropriate to suggest that we simply give until it feels "good and thankful."

What do you think?

Rooted Generosity

A couple months ago, it was announced that billionaire Warren Buffet is planning to give a sizeable donation to a charitable organization founded by his friend and bridge partner Bill Gates. The size of the donation will eventually reach... $37 billlion (US currency). That is a chunk o' change by anyone's standards (even by most nation's GNP's). For more info, click here...



Buffet's donation doubles the current value of the Gates Foundation, already one of the world's richest charities and will help support work with HIV, malaria and tuberculosis in the Third World, and with education and library technology in the United States. To say the donation is "generous" would be an understatement.

At 75 years of age, and in excellent health, at the end of the donation, Buffet will still have approximately $7 billion in assets. Buffet is the second most financially wealthy individual in the US, surpassed only by Gates himself who is worth an estimated $50 billion. Buffet's donation is regarded as the largest single-person philanthropic donation ever given in American history, dwarfing such names as Rockefeller and Carnegie to name only two.

While such generosity is beyond the reach of nearly all other Americans, its dollar volume should not be the most impressive quality of such generosity. It should be the "root" of such generosity that impresses.

In his second recorded letter to the Christians in Corinth, the apostle Paul writes, "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God" (2 Cor. 9:11). In that statement, Paul indicates the often missed truth that wealth essentially comes from God. Now, it may be argued that wealth through dishonest gain is not of the Lord, but in light of intended generosity, it should be noted God supplies so that mankind might be generous.

At what point do humans begin to think wealth is intended to be used for their own selfish interests? Are we born with it? Is it a developed trait? Perhaps since the beginning of time, with the two brothers Cain and Abel, we were determined to miss the true root of generosity wherein one brother's sacrifice was acceptable because it was generous, while the other brother's was unacceptable because it was grudgingly given (Gen. 4:1-8).

No matter your level of prosperity, it is righteous to realize whatever wealth humans do have, supplied by Perfect Design, it is intended to be used for "generosity in all occasions." When we are generous, we are tapping into the very root from which generosity grows. Generosity belongs to God and when we do give, the result should always result in "thanksgiving to God."

In appropriate response... "Thank you, God, for the generosity of those who easily part with their riches for they are realizing the words of Jesus, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).

A Million Dollars...

May I be honest and simply say that I'm really tired of million dollar game shows? A few years ago, a million dollars seemed like a bunch of money, but now game shows that come and go like the wind are giving away a "million dollars." What with inflation and all, I guess a million doesn't go as far as it once did! I remember when I was a little kid, if someone were (even singularly) a millionaire, they were set for life! In fact, my first roommate once said, "I wish I had a million dollars. I'd put it in the bank, draw only the annual interest, and still have a descent income, " he said it more than once that I can recall. Maybe those "interest only" days are gone?

Today, it seems like everyone wants to get their "million" in a hurry -- quick and easy. "Talent shows" (I use that term loosely) are promising the "quick" million to the best new talent (after taxes that's still only about $600,000 or so). And all the "talent" seem to act as if they are entitled... as if their talent "deserves" a million even before they are discovered! Take then, all the poker shows (when did that become a broadcast sport by the way -- most of these guys don't look like they could run around the poker table, let alone run a race) promising the next "million" to the guy with the best hand and the best poker face. (I'm rooting for the dude in the sunglasses and the baseball cap -- if you don't watch, most of them wear glasses and ball caps).

Okay, I may not have my "million" dollars either, but I'm just tired of all the glitz, glam and promotion of being a "millionaire." Somewhere along the line, can't we simply be content, and maybe even thankful, for the money we do have?

The richest guy who ever lived (no, not Bill Gates... a guy named Solomon) once wrote, "Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow" (Prov. 13:11). You might question his wisdom... but Solomon could see the matter from both sides and I think he knew what he was saying. There is wisdom in gaining your money, "little by little."

The first Survivor winner of $1,000,000 has been sentenced to prison as I write. Richard Hatch, convicted of tax evasion, will spend years behind the bars of a state prison and will have nothing remotely close to a million dollars to show for it when he gets out. The money is gone and the tax bill awaits. I wonder how many other million dollar winners will meet a similar fate? It is really sad when you think about it!

Perhaps rather than constantly chasing the potential of our next million dollars, we should simply be content with working hard, living within our means and pursuing a deeply meaningful relationship with God. Nothing we can desire compares to what can come from time spent with the Lord. Make your investment with the Lord, today. It only increases in value!

Treading Lightly...

On this journey of faith we all travel (even if we don't acknowledge "faith" as it is, I believe we all still walk the path together) the potential for danger and peril abound. There is no small number of things we can do to get off path and find danger in short order. The path is narrow, but it is well lit (Ps. 119:105). However, darkness does loom precariously close to the path's edge. Staying "in the middle" of the path isn't always an easy task.

Having done my fair share of hiking and even more off-road motorcycle and mountain bike riding, I appreciate the value of "treading lightly" (staying on the designated trail). If you spend much time in nature, you will consistently find evidence of people "cutting" the trail. They'll jump switchbacks, swerve wider and wider through the turns and cut back the radius of the turn deeper and deeper into the preserve. If the ground is wet, those scars can remain for months, even years. Blazing these kinds of trails adversely affects drainage and accelerates soil erosion. Things get messy in a hurry and the result leaves unsightly stuff for travelers coming behind.

On the journeyed path of faith, a similar dynamic exists. We "jump switchbacks" on life's trail and the result is real damage. What concerns me is how there have been times in my life when I've actually cared more for nature trails than I did for my own spiritual path and for those who would travel after me. Spiritual myopia can easily distort our perceptions and direction. Occasional trail markers and spiritual warning signs are there, but we neglect them or disregarded them entirely. I know I certainly have.

One "trail" marker stands Supreme. The biblical writer of a letter to a group of Jewish believers in Jesus makes a sobering statement about folks who deliberately stray off the path of right living after they have received the knowledge of how to live on the path. The sacrifice for that knowledge that is intended to bring life necessarily gives way to a fearful expectation of judgment and raging fire that consumes enemies of God (Heb. 10:26-27). A very sobering and alarming word picture, to be sure.

The author goes on to instruct that, before Jesus came and died for the "trail cutting" of humanity, if people rejected the law before Him they would die without mercy at the witness of two or three witnesses. But how much more severely would a man deserve to be punished who has "trampled the Son of God under foot" and has treated the blood of sacrifice as unholy and insulted the Spirit of grace (Heb. 10:29). At this understanding, I have to pull over to the side of the trail, in a cold sweat, and catch my breath.

I am guilty of "cutting trails" and I can't take those things back. Switchbacks were jumped, the scars are there and I can only try to live life back in the middle of the trail, now having been brought to my senses, broken and moved to repentance. Sorrow doesn't cover the damage, it only reflects the weight of the offense. How many times could someone say they are sorry to make the pain go away? We can't say I'm sorry enough. Only one thing makes the offense go away, namely, the blood of the perfect Savior, Jesus Christ.

The letter writer to those Jewish Christians delivers hope to them and to us saying, "don't throw away your confidence... persevere... we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved" (Heb. 10:39).

Now, as I put one foot in front of the other on life's trail, I'm being very careful about where I plant my next step. I'm resolved to not flirt with the edges, but stay in the middle of the path. Some godly fellow travelers are committed to helping me stay there. We journey together, and offer encouragement and a hand when any of us get tired or discouraged. A band of brothers staying on the trail and constantly being reminded of what is truly at stake when we stray off the path. To trample the Son of God underfoot should remind us all that we must "tread lightly" on the trail of life and tread not on the Savior who makes the pathway clear. We must journey onward, continuing to take each step with great care.

Peace to you, on your journey...

Defenseless Praise

Beyond the historical reference, we don't know much of the circumstances surrounding Isaiah's vision of the Lord but what he saw was nearly his undoing. Isaiah saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs -- six winged creatures likely far beyond anything Isaiah had ever comprehended with his physical eyes. These creatures consistently call to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

The seraphs were creatures of magnificent proportion and strength. The mere the sound of their voice shook the doorposts and the temple filled with smoke. Their awe and splendor alone must have been a magnificent sight... but there was one encounter Isaiah knew he quite likely would not survive.

"Woe to me!" Isaiah cries. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." Instantaneously, Isaiah's position is defenseless. He realizes it is foolishness to run, and where would he go anyway? He is caught, captivated by the magnificent, holy presence of God. He has seen the Lord Almighty and immediately his own sinfulness is exposed and he is aware of his ruin.

As a people, we don't take much to being defenseless. We are a defensive people, a people of power and might who live among a people of power and might and if there is domination in any equation, we want to be in the position of power. How ridiculous this is when we come into God's presence. "Woe to me," I cry!

Sin is a power we can't overcome alone. We try, even in the name of righteousness, but ultimately speaking, sin has our number and we are ruined because of it. When our sin finally is exposed in the face of God's righteousness, we melt like wax. We find ourselves on our backs -- knocked unconscious in the center ring of life -- and the referee is calling the count... 4, 5, 6, 7... "Stay down... stay down... you can't get up!" is the cry of the demonic crowd around the ring... you are defeated! Some never want to see you get up -- they'll cheer or shame your loss.

I am sinful. If there is any righteousness in me, Isaiah would agree that it is as "filthy rags" in God's presence. We are all like diseased people and we shrivel up like leaves and our sins sweep us away (Is. 64:6-7). This is our reality. It is our consciousness when we enter into the presence of God. We can't escape the reality of our sin. We're fallen people before our first breath. Our sinfulness makes us defenseless. We are on our backs, down for the count...eternally.

As Isaiah was ready to breathe his last and accept the destruction of his sinfulness, one of the mighty seraphs flew to him with a live coal from the altar of the Lord and touched his lips with it saying, "See, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." What an amazing moment... will Isaiah rise up from the mat? It is almost as if the referee starts a new count... a count of resurrection from the dead... The sinner begins to rise up from certain defeat, from death itself.

This amazing encounter with God is not reserved for Isaiah. Every believing person in Jesus Christ accepts by faith that "we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2).

Perhaps we won't ever fully accept the atonement of Christ, until we begin to fully understand the depths of our sin. "I am ruined!" I cry. Who will save me? Forgive God for all I've been and all I even pretend to be! Who will saved me? I am ruined! Death is my reward! Who will save?

Praise be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. I am defenseless before Him and to Him I offer defenseless praise.