Tonight, Cameron Russell spoke from Luke 15 about the parable of the Prodigal son. I think if you polled any group of believers, that parable would almost inevitably rank as one of their top three favorite Bible stories. And with good reason, since it is one of the best examples of the limitless nature of God’s love.

Traditionally, the story is about the bad son who went away and the good son who stayed, but if you pay attention to the story, both sons were prodigal in different ways. The younger one basically told his father to drop dead, asked for his share of the inheritance, and took off to a distant country for some wild living. The older one stayed but viewed his worth in his work rather than in his sonship. Both missed the mark.

But the prodigal love of the Father was big enough for both sons. It was the love that caused the Father to run in an undignified manner toward the very son who betrayed and left him. It was also the love that pleaded with the older son to come to the family party and celebrate like a son rather than to sulk outside like a servant.

I think that in the context of Luke 15, the younger son represents the tax collectors and sinners that Jesus dined with and whom the Pharisees looked down upon and scorned, while the older brother represented the Pharisees themselves who viewed God’s favor as very much earned and not to be given away freely.

But the real prodigal in the story is the Father. To be prodigal is to be lavish and wasteful, and that’s what the Father did. He prodigaled his love on the son by giving him his inheritance early and by receiving him back as a son before the son had shown true repentance and change. As I mentioned before, he didn’t wait for the son to come to him but did something that no respectable older man in those times would have ever done — he ran to meet his son. And he was patient and loving toward the older son even after the son insulted him and cheapened his love.

That’s the kind of love that God shows both to the ones of us who ran away to a far country and the ones who stayed with hardened hearts. When we scorn the fact that God loves those sinners we look down upon, we show that we too are just as in need of that love as they are. The Father God’s love is for all of us, and all of us need it.

I ran across something I wrote a long time ago — back when I was writing notes in Facebook before I discovered the joy of blog posts and WordPress. These words were true then and they’re still true now for all those who have said yes to what God offers through Jesus:

“You don’t ever have to be ashamed of who I made you to be. You don’t have to apologize for being you. You are special. I created you exactly the way I wanted you to be and when you were hopelessly lost in sin and misery I redeemed you for My own. You have a purpose, a reason, something that makes you come alive. Even if no one else thinks you matter, I DO! Believe that I love you, not because I have to, but because I choose to. Hear the sound of my Voice singing over you tonight and know how deep that love goes. I will never change and My love for you will never change, so you can rest in it. I will not leave you as you are, but will through trial and tribulations make you who you were always meant to be– My perfect image-bearer.”

Well, it’s back. This is the time of year when we get college basketball out the wazoo and no one in their right mind complains about it. This is when many will fill out their brackets and attempt — usually in vain — to pick the winners of all the NCAA basketball tournament games. All 67 matchups.

We all have hopes of the perfect bracket. Hopes which usually last until halfway through the first round. By the end of the second round, most have given up hope of even a halfway decent bracket. But still we try.

There’s always something magical about seeing a low-seeded underdog of a team making a deep run in the tournament. I always love seeing a good upset. It reminds me that even the little guys can win from time to time.

Around this time, you’ll start hearing the David vs. Goliath analogies. There will be at least one team that statistically has no chance of beating its much bigger and higher ranked opponent. But still they play the game. Because who knows? On any given day, the underdog might get the hot hand and pull off the unexpected.

I love March Madness because it reminds me that if you get up each morning and keep showing up and not giving up, then amazing things can happen. If you keep trying when everything in you and around you tells you to quit, then you just might be the one to pull off the unexpected and surprise some people. All it takes is one more try.

Ok, remind me again why we still bother with daylight savings? Is there really a reason or is it just because we’ve done it for so long that it’s almost like an 11th commandment, like “thou shalt move thy clocks forward exactly one hour in the spring. Not two hours shalt thou move the hands of the clock, but one. Three is certainly too much, but one is just right, so thou best gettest to it while the getting is good.”

It just feels like I’m losing an hour of sleep, which I am. It also feels like I already need a nap tomorrow, because I will. And in 8 months or so, we’ll just set the clocks back an hour like it was all a mistake in the first place. Why can’t we just say we did and leave it at that?

I believe there are places that have never bothered with all this daylight savings nonsense. I stand with you, Arizona and Hawaii. Leave those clocks alone. Let’s all just go get tacos instead.

As I type these words, I can look out the window to see the falling snow. A few days ago I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Earlier today, it was in the 60s. Now it is heading toward freezing temperatures and there is white stuff on the ground. What in the actual ham sandwich?

As long as I’ve lived in this state (which is all my life), you’d think I’d be used to it by now. You’d think I would take it all in stride when we get three or four seasons in one week. But even now, I’m left scratching my head and wondering how in the world it could be snowing when it is practically spring.

I guess I can just enjoy it while it lasts and wait for the next unexpected crazy turn in the weather. Maybe a monsoon? Hopefully, it’ll just be sunny and 75.

Had I known more about what it means to be grown up, I probably wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to grow up. I think I might have savored being a kid more. But then again, who knows? I don’t feel like I was mature enough to appreciate my childhood until it was over.

Basically, being an adult means going to bed when you don’t want to so you can get up when you don’t want to. You drive to a job every day whether you want to go or not. And it’s not like school where you get spring break and summers off. You go year around.

I remember being a lot more excited about stuff when I was a kid. Now things like two for one toothpaste are what make me happy. It’s not the same. Had I known that, I’d have done all I could to stay a kid for as long as I could.

People say that you get to do all sorts of things when you grow up that you can’t when you’re little. What people forget to tell you is that more than likely you’ll be too tired to do those things and when you go places and do things, you’ll wish that you were home in bed instead.

“Joy does not come from positive predictions about the state of the world. It does not depend on the ups and downs of the circumstances of our lives. Joy is based on the spiritual knowledge that, while the world in which we live is shrouded in darkness, God has overcome the world. Jesus says it loudly and clearly: ‘In the world you will have troubles, but rejoice, I have overcome the world.’

The surprise is not that, unexpectedly, things turn out better than expected. No, the real surprise is that God’s light is more real than all the darkness, that God’s truth is more powerful than all human lies, that God’s love is stronger than death” (Henri Nouwen).

Those who look to Jesus and put their hope in Him have joy regardless of circumstances. Regardless of how the situation in the Ukraine plays out. Regardless of whether or not the gas prices continue to soar. Regardless of whether or not all our loved ones remain healthy and safe.

We know that happiness depends on what happens and can come and go and be as fickle as the weather. But joy, true joy that comes from God, will last and outlast any adversity or trial. Joy will endure beyond any suffering or pain because while suffering and pain are temporary, joy is as eternal as its source, God.

I don’t normally do long-winded posts, but this one is a good one and came from one of my absolute favorite people in the world, so here goes:

“Forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do: We are told to live forgiving one another, after the pattern of Jesus’ forgiveness towards us. Understanding the way Jesus forgave us will always make us more generous with forgiveness, and never less generous.

i. When we consider the staggering debt Jesus forgave for us, and the comparative smallness of the debts others have toward us, it is base ingratitude for us to not forgive them (as in the parable Jesus spoke in Matthew 18:21-35). “The forgiveness they have received is used to enforce the duty of forgiving others.” (Peake)

ii. When one thinks of how Christ forgave you it should make us much more generous with forgiveness.

· God holds back His anger a very long time when we sin against Him. He bears with us a long time, even when we sorely provoke Him.

· God reaches out to bad people to bring forgiveness to them; the habit of man is to not reconcile if the offending person is a person of bad character.

· God makes the first move towards us in forgiveness; the habit of man is to only be reconciled if the offending party craves forgiveness and makes the first move.

· God forgives often knowing that we will sin again, sometimes in the exact same way. It is the habit of man to forgive only if the offending party solemnly promises to never do the wrong again.

· God’s forgiveness is so complete and glorious that He grants adoption to those former offenders. In the habit of man, even when forgiveness is offered, he will not lift again the former offender to a place of high status and partnership.

· God bore all the penalty for the wrong we did against Him. In the habit of man, when he is wronged, he will not forgive unless the offender agrees to bear all the penalty for the wrong done.

· God keeps reaching out to man for reconciliation even when man refuses Him again and again. In the habit of man, one will not continue to offer reconciliation if it is rejected once.

· God requires no probationary period to receive His forgiveness; in the habit of man, one will not restore an offender without a period of probation.

· God’s forgiveness offers complete restoration and honor; in the habit of man, we feel we should be complimented when we merely tolerate those who sin against us.

· Once having forgiven, God puts His trust in us and invites us back to work with Him as co-laborers. In the habit of man, one will not trust someone who has formerly wronged him.

iii. “Suppose that someone had grievously offended any one of you, and that he asked your forgiveness, do you not think that you would probably say to him, ‘Well, yes, I forgive you; but I – I – I – cannot forget it’? Ah! dear friends, that is a sort of forgiveness with one leg chopped off, it is a lame forgiveness, and is not worth much.” (Spurgeon)

The following was penned by an African pastor shortly before he made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life as a martyr for the cause of Christ:

“I am part of the ‘Fellowship of the Unashamed.’
The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.
The decision has been made. I am a disciple of
Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down,
back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present
makes sense, and my future is secure.
I am finished and done with low living, sight walking,
small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,
chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position,
promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by
presence, lean by faith, love by patience,
lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace
is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my
road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few,
my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought,
compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,
diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy,
ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander
in the maze of mediocrity.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until
Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know,
and work until He comes. And when He comes to get
His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.
My colors will be clear.

I am not ashamed of the gospel . . . Romans 1:16″

“A seed only flourishes by staying in the ground in which it is sown. When you keep digging the seed up to check whether it is growing, it will never bear fruit. Think of yourself as a little seed planted in rich soil. All you have to do is stay there and trust that the soil contains everything you need to grow. This growth takes place even when you do not feel it” (Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love).

Sometimes, you end up in a place that’s not ideal. It’s easy to daydream about what it would be like to quit that job, move to another city, and start over. In fact, you can obsess over possible futures to the point where you miss out on what God is teaching you in the here and now.

The theme for you is to bloom where you’re planted, doing everything to prosper the place where you are until God moves you elsewhere. It helps to be thankful for what you have instead of complaining over what you’re missing out on or lacking.

You might find out that where you are is where you’re supposed to stay and it was you that needed adjusting. Or maybe you’re only called to endure for a season and when you’ve learned all your lessons God will move you to the next chapter of your life.

Either way, it’s better to be still and trust God than to try to move ahead of His plans for you (which is never wise and never works). Keep calm and bloom where you’re planted.