“I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking Him not to forgive me but to excuse me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. Forgiveness says “Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology, I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before.” But excusing says “I see that you couldn’t help it or didn’t mean it, you weren’t really to blame . . . .

Real forgiveness means looking steadily at the sin, the sin that is left over without any excuse, after all allowances have been made, and seeing it in all its horror, dirt, meanness and malice, and nevertheless being wholly reconciled to the man who has done it” (C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory).

So very true.

“The Lord did not say, ‘I am going up to Jerusalem.’ He said, ‘We are going.’ It is this ‘we’ that we have to emphasize. For it does not apply only to those first disciples; it also applies to us insofar as we want to be his followers. For us, too, the way to glory passes through suffering and death. To suffer with Christ for sin in the obedience of faith; to give up all foolish wishes and vain hopes with our eyes fixed on him; with him and in love to him to give our old self up to death; to die with him in quiet confidence in a blessed resurrection when our last hour comes; and then to be with him forever in the heavenly Jerusalem – this is our task” (Johann Ernst von Holst, The Crucified Is My Love).

I went to a funeral for my brother-in-law’s mother today. It was sad, but also joyful. We grieve for the loss of a wife, mother, grandmother, and godly lady, but we don’t grieve as those who have no hope.

We believe that because of the resurrection, we will see her again. Death is not the end, and the grave will not have the last word. We hold fast to the promises of Jesus in the midst of a beautiful but broken world.

For us, the best is yet to come. For her, the best is right now.

Source: The Crucified Is My Love

Recently, I was watching a Gilmore Girls panel from 2015 with the cast and creators. It’s always fascinating to me to see the inspirations behind shows and movies and where the ideas came from.

Amy Sherman-Palladino, the brainchild behind Gilmore Girls, talked at one point about getting her start on the Roseanne TV show. One of their philosophies that she took with her to Gilmore Girls was “Make the small things big, and make the big things small.”

I like that. That’s a good motto for life.

You think life is all about the big dramatic events that alter the course of your life, but really it’s the thousands of small moments that shape who you are and who you’re becoming. It’s the 10,000 steps you take every day– for some, more figurative than literal– toward your eventual destination.

Every day is filled with all sorts of minor inconveniences and frustrations, small joys and heartaches, and a multitude of minuscule blessings that so many miss because they are in too much of a hurry to notice.

God is often in the details and when we slow down enough to notice details, we find God in the ordinary moments of our days. God is in the early morning sunset that takes your breath away. He’s in the smile of a stranger you pass in Target. He’s in the random song on the radio that catches your attention and speaks to you.

Learn to celebrate those small moments. Slow down and pay attention to the details. Remember that God is working through every little thing for His glory and your good.

Today, I went to Goodwill. I came away with a t-shirt, a CD, and a small fan. I feel that encapsulates the weirdness that has been 2021. It’s not nearly as much of a dumpster fire as 2020, but it’s also not quite up to the standards of 2019 (if I can even remember that far back).

Thankfully, this is a vacation week, so tomorrow is my Friday. Sometimes you just need to get away for a bit. Sometimes a change of scenery is what you need.

So goodbye Nashville and hello Gatlinburg. Until Sunday. Then it’s return to “normal.” Good luck with that.

I went on my first hike at Radnor in a very long time. The weather was pitch perfect. Everything was just right.

Halfway, I saw a girl who got my attention. I don’t mean in the sense that she was pretty (she was), but it was something else. I caught her in a moment when she was completely un-self-aware, if that’s even a word. She was so completely captivated and enchanted by a deer she was watching that in that moment she was selfless.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been around someone like that– someone who is so focused on others that they’re hardly aware of their own existence, or whatever the opposite of self-absorbed is.

That’s so rare these days. Social media has turned us into narcissists. So much of the time so many of us are self-obsessed and self-centered. It’s hard not to be in a culture where all the advertising and media is about getting what you want and gratifying your own desires. It’s all about selfies and posting about me — even spouses and children are a reflection of me.

Yet when you see true selflessness, it’s a beautiful thing. Like the old saying about humility goes, it’s not about thinking less of yourself, but thinking less about yourself. It’s not false modesty where you want praise on your own terms. It’s not self-effacing when refuse to take a compliment at all.

I’m not sure I can describe it, but I know it when I see it. Maybe the best example of pure selflessness is found in Philippians 2:5-11:

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father” (The Message).

Maybe what I find so enchanting about selflessness is that it is a reflection of Jesus. It points me to the perfect sacrifice He made for me and how He took my mess and gave me His perfection. It’s that kind of sacrificial love that I long for but fall short of so often because I am so often selfish and self-serving. It’s what I hope and pray Jesus is transforming me into.

May we always seek the kind of selfless agape love that comes from God and may we reflect it to everyone, but especially to those who need it most and deserve it least.

“That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him.

He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”

They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”

“What things?” Jesus asked.

“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago” (Luke 24:13-21, NLT).

But we had hoped. Those are some of the saddest words in all of the Bible. There are few things worse than dashed hopes and crushed dreams. I think most of us know from experience what it’s like to have hopes disappoint.

When you said “I do” in a marriage, you had hoped that it would last forever. When you started dating that special someone, you had hoped it would lead to marriage. When you had taken the job, you had hoped it would be fulfilling and challenging while utilizing your gifts and talents.

In this case, these disciples were in the presence of the fulfillment of all their hopes and dreams without realizing it. They didn’t recognize that the Messiah they had hoped for was standing right in front of them.

I have found in my own life that disappointment leads me to redirect my vision and reset my hopes. Not all hopes and dreams are bad. Most of them are good– in fact, some are very good. But ultimately, if my hope is in anything less than Jesus, I will be disappointed. Even if I get what I wanted, it will turn out not to be my heart’s true desire.

Those two disciples eventually recognized Jesus for who He truly was and worshipped. May we find in Jesus the ultimate fulfilling of our own hopes and dreams, knowing that every other good gift comes from Him and finds its ultimate fulfillment through Him.

“To really thrive, human beings need embodiment and community: rooms echoing with shared laughter, shoulders to cry on, hands to help move boxes or to deliver casseroles after a birth or a death. At best, the virtual world provides a hollow imitation of these goods; at worst, it offers us a panicked and solitary clutching at validation that leaves us feeling ever more alone” (Cassandra Nelson).

I love me some social media. I also love the ability to communicate and do stuff via texting and the interwebs. But I think it’s a poor substitute for real interaction with real people. These days, so many people spend all their time on their phones and other devices that I wonder if they experience anything that happens in real life.

I look forward to Lent every year when I take that much needed break from social media and have the extra time to do real life stuff. I don’t ever want to be so beholden to the virtual that I can’t function in the real world.

I wonder sometimes when I see someone glued to their phone instead of paying attention to their kids or their pets or their parents. I imagine some of them will look up one day to find their kids have all grown up and gone away, their pets have passed away, and their parents aren’t around anymore to tell stories and give advice. One day they’ll wish they had all that time back to use more wisely.

My advise to you and me is to use that time wisely now. Make time for people without phones involved. Make room in your life for sunsets and sunrises, gazing at stars, people watching, reading books, conversations with friends, and living your life. Above all, make time to spend time with God because that is time that is never wasted.

Pretty much yeah.

Lately, the way these posts works is like this. I don’t have a clue about what I want to write about, so I will go and check out my Facebook memories to inspire me. I think this one just about says it all.

In a social media culture where we can hide behind our keyboards and devices and rip others to shreds, I think we need to rediscover kindness. Being right is important, but it doesn’t do anyone any good if you’re a jerk about it. I think the Bible talks about how if you do all these marvelous deeds and speak lofty mysteries but don’t have love, it’s worth nothing. What counts is speaking and acting the truth in love.

I’ve come to realize that people don’t need you to tell them what’s wrong with them. 99% of the time they already know how messed up and broken they are. If you’re honest, you will confess that you’re just as messed up and broken as they are.

What they– what we need is someone who listens not to gather material for a retort, but who truly listens to understand and to empathize and to share your burdens. You earn the right to speak into people’s lives by showing compassion and demonstrating care, by loving people in the way that God has loved you.

As much as I love the Red Sled, I know that it won’t last forever. It has over 380,000 miles and it’s still going strong, but eventually it will break down at some point.

So my next car could be the Nutmobile. What do you think?

I get that it’s big and bulky and probably difficult to drive, but think about this: I could always find my car in any parking lot. I may not be able to park in most places, but when I do, I would have no trouble finding where I parked.

Does a car like this come with a lifetime supply of peanut butter? That would be awesome. If not, it’s still a stellar ride. You can probably set it for a smooth ride, or if you go off-road, it might get a bit crunchy. Ok, that was bad, but you get the idea.

This is me at 10:16 pm, up later than I should be on a work night, dreaming out loud again. Maybe it’s time to go to bed.