Author: Ragamuffingospelfan

Alien Jokesters

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Now that I’m back on social media, one of my favorite things that brings me a little joy are videos of aliens telling jokes. Actually, the jokes are from these three guys who apparently tell jokes while they’re hunting, so they’re always whispering and giggling softly.

The best part isn’t the jokes. They’re the usual run-of-the-mill Dad jokes, most of which I’ve heard before. But the reactions always crack me up. The ones hearing the jokes always act like 1) they’ve never heard anything like it in their entire lives and 2) it’s the absolute funniest thing they’ve ever heard.

This is one example to give you a taste (pun intended) of what these videos are like. Again, don’t expect the jokes to be great. Some of them are corny and some are just dumb. But the reactions are the best part.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1363953131586503

Sometimes, you just need a little laugh on a Monday.

The Sweetest Lesson

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“Spread out your petition before God, and then say, ‘Thy will, not mine, be done.’ The sweetest lesson I have learned in God’s school is to let the Lord choose for me” (Dwight L Moody).

I love the imagery of spreading out my petition before God. It comes from 2 Kings 19 where King Hezekiah receives a threatening letter from the Assyrians who are poised to invade the land. Instead of rushing into rash action, Hezekiah takes it before the Lord, literally spreading it out as a kind of offering of submission.

I also think of King Jehoshaphat who faced another massive army, but responded with the prayer, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12, ESV).

In short, they both chose to let God fight for them. They decided to let God choose for them.

In my lifetime, I have had several instances where I chose for myself and it did not go well. I was like the greedy man who took the wrong grail cup in the Indiana Jones movie only to hear the words “You have chosen . . . poorly” and basically shrivel up and die.

But every time I have been wise enough and patient enough to let God decide, I have never regretted the outcome. That’s assuming my patience lasted long enough for me actually to wait on the outcome, no matter how long it seemed to take.

Maybe it’s a good idea to literally take whatever it is that is troubling you and spread it before the Lord. It could be unpaid bills or a jury summons or some other document that gives you great anxiety. Or maybe you can spread out your hands in a posture of surrender.

Either way, you and I both need to let God choose. The old prayer still works: Thy will be done. One of my favorite fictional characters, Father Tim Cavanaugh, calls it the prayer that never fails because you truly can’t go wrong asking for God’s will over and above your own.

Thy will be done, no matter what. Thy will be done, even if it means my will is undone (with a nod to Elisabeth Elliott). Thy will be done. Period.

Of All My Posts, This Is One of Them

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Not every blog post will be a winner. Sometimes, there’s just nothing to write about. Or in my case, the ol’ noggin has shut down for the night. So you get a post like this.

I do think it’s important to fill at least part of your day with something that brings you joy. While it’s important to be aware of what’s going on in the world, it should become your whole day. Make time in your day for listening to music or going for a walk or simple sitting in silence and meditating on the goodness of God.

Also, you should periodically treat yourself to foods that you really like. And by periodically, I don’t mean periodically through the day, but every week or so. You don’t want to become diabetic (or pre-diabetic like me). As with most everything else, moderation is key.

It always helps to keep the big picture in mind. Sometimes, I get caught up in the minutae and forget that what I’m worrying over and obsessing about is finite and temporary. There’s no need to waste energy over something that you probably won’t remember a year from now.

It’s also helpful to keep a mindset of prayer throughout the day. That doesn’t mean you’re constantly in prayer, but as God prompts you through various events or people or memories, keep the conversation with God open.

And at the end of the day, it’s always nice to have a furry friend to come home to. In my case, it’s a very lovable tortoiseshell feline named Peanut, but you should have a dog or cat or hamster or something that will always be glad to see you when you walk through your front door.

Oh, and be sure to cultivate a grateful spirit. That goes a long way toward making your day better when you focus on the good and not the bad.

It Says That?

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“Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19, ESV).

How I wish the verse said “Many are the afflictions of the wicked, but the righteous will avoid them all.” Unfortunately, it does not.

There is a popular brand of Christianity that preaches a prosperity gospel. Basically, if you’re righteous, you will reap spiritual, physical, and financial blessings. You will never see hardship. Any kind of suffering is not of God and you can pray it away if you have enough faith.

But Jesus said that in this world you will have trouble. Not might. Not may. Will. As in the forecast for your life is that there’s a 100% chance of affliction and trouble in your future. That’s the part that can be a bit depressing if you focus just on that part.

But the second is the hopeful part. But God delivers the righteous out of them all. As my pastor used to say, God never gives us a way out but a way through. We may walk through some dark valleys, but our Shepherd is with us.

I’ve pointed it out before, but in Psalm 23, the first few verses talk about God as our Shepherd in the third person. He makes, He leads, He restores. But in the valley of the shadow of death, it changes. Suddenly, it’s You are with me. In that place and in that season, God becomes personal and the experience becomes intimate. Theoretical head knowledge becomes precious wisdom gained from life experience of God walking with us through the worst that hell can throw at us and delivering us from it all.

No matter what, God is with us. That, not the inevitable affliction, is the key. God will be with us and all will be well because He is making all things new.

If God Really Is for Me

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If God is for you, who can ever be against you? What is there that you will ever face that Jesus hasn’t already overcome by His cross? That said, how will you live in the light of God’s favor? How will your outlook be different because God is on your side?

Those who have hoped in Jesus should be the most joyous, fulfilled, alive people on the planet because of what God in Jesus has done for us. If not, then maybe we don’t really understand grace.

A Good Reminder from 10 Years Ago

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“God is at work. He does not slumber.
Christ intercedes. He does not fail.
The Spirit comforts. He does not forsake.
Be at rest. Be at peace.
Your name at the end of the day is Beloved” (Ann Voskamp).

I posted this quote on this day in 2015, not knowing how insanely relevant it would be in 2025. There’s still craziness in the world. There’s still so much anxiety-inducing headlines popping up all over my feed and emails.

But God is still at work. He still does not slumber. Christ still intercedes and has yet to fail. The Spirit still comforts and has not yet forsaken nor will He. We can be at rest and have peace because God’s name for you and for me is still Beloved.

I’m thankful that my hope isn’t in a party or a president or a platform. No matter which side prevails for the season, they will never truly heal the wounds or fix the underlying issues because there are no political answers to spiritual questions. Only Jesus returning can restore all that is broken and heal all that is broken beyond repair.

And should Jesus tarry, that will still be true in 2035.

New Heart > New Situation

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Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is to sit under and bear an uncomfortable situation, especially when there’s an easy out. To stay and bloom where you’re planted in a season of dryness and darkness is difficult but moving forward ahead of God is worse.

Younger me would have chosen to run and not have to deal with the growing pains. Older (and hopefully more mature) me is willing to stay and learn and grow. Not that I’m in that particular season currently, but I have been.

I think Dan Allendar said that until your desire for a changed heart is greater than your cry for relief, you’re never gonna grow up. Until you learn what it means to die daily to self and take up your cross daily, you will always be a shallow, self-centered Christian.

Is it easy? Absolutely not. Is it worth it? Absolutely yes.

You have to decide which is worth more to you.

Is He Worthy?

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“Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy of this?
He is” (Andrew Peterson / Ben Shive).

I may have found a new Easter Monday tradition. For the second year in a row, I attended the Resurrection Letters tour featuring Andrew Peterson at Belmont University’s Fisher Center. It was every bit as impactful as the Behold the Lamb of God is for the Christmas season.

It’s easy to forget the power of the resurrection when the world trends toward more brokenness and chaos daily. Things are definitely not getting better. In fact, sometimes, it seems like the universe might just split apart at the seams and come completely undone.

But the same one who spoke the stars into existence and stepped out of that tomb is the one who still holds all things together by the power of His word. He still knows each of His children by name and has not forgotten our pain.

One day, all the suffering in the world will seem light and momentary compared to the eternal weight of glory that is to be revealed. One day, it will all make perfect sense. One day, we will see God’s hand in every bit of what we went through and sing our Hosannas all the louder.

That’s why it’s good to have periodic reminders of what Easter means beyond the colored eggs and Easter bunnies. It’s good to remember that Jesus suffered more than any human in the history of the world and so obtained the biggest victory of them all over sin, death, the grave, and hell.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. Will I do it again next year? God willing. Am I tired? Mightily. Am I thankful I went? More than a little.

11 Years Later

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I figured out a little while ago that it was 11 years ago today that The Church at Avenue South had their first ever Easter service at 2510 Franklin Road, months before the official September launch of the campus. I distinctly remember we had rows of white plastic folding chairs set in front of a screen. There were maybe 100 of us with a handful of kids.

This Sunday, we had an overflow set up in the basement with just as many chairs. Upstairs in the sanctuary, we had three services to accommodate over 900 worshippers with plenty of kids in attendance. Not to mention we celebrated our first ever Easter Sunday in our new facility that probably seemed like a pipe-dream 11 years ago.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the tyranny of the urgent and forget that sometimes we are living in the answered prayers of the past. So many of those things we pleaded with God to have are now the same things we routinely take for granted in our quest to get more from God.

That’s why gratitude is vital to the life of a believer and to a community of faith. It stops entitlement dead in its tracks and keeps us reminded of God’s continual faithfulness because we like those Israelites of old are forgetful and prone to wander.

I love that we have so many new members who never set foot in the 2510 Franklin Road location. Probably a small handful are left who remember that first Easter service in 2014. But God was there. And He still shows up every Sunday at 901 Acklen Avenue.

I can’t wait to see what the next 11 years holds in store. Or even the next 11 months. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be exceedingly abundantly beyond anything we could ever ask or dream or imagine or hope for. That’s just God’s way.

The In-Between Day

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I know Easter week is full of days to commemorate the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry leading up to the cross and the empty tomb. There’s Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.

It has always struck me that there isn’t anything for the Saturday in between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I suppose maybe there’s some kind of Catholic or Orthodox service on that day, but I haven’t heard of anything.

I wonder if it’s because Saturday is a kind of in-between day. Back then, the disciples didn’t know what was coming the next day, so for them Saturday was processing the end of all they had experienced with the Messiah (or who they thought had been the Messiah).

They had seen a very disfigured, very dead Jesus taken off the cross and placed in a tomb. As far as they were all concerned, it was over. Grave dead kind of over. There’d be no Lazarus walking out of the tomb kind of miracle. Who would do the raising?

This is where I like living on the other side of the story. I know how the next day played out and how it changed how we view Good Friday and the Saturday that followed. I love how the tomb turned out to be a three-day rental instead of a permanent monument to a dead leader.

Because of Easter Sunday, Good Friday is good. Because of Easter Sunday, the worst we go through doesn’t compare to the glory that’s coming. Because of Easter Sunday, the bad is not final and defeat is not forever, but the victory has already been won.

So Saturday doesn’t mean the end but a kind of prelude to a new beginning. A beginning of hope and joy and grace and victory forever.