“Heavenly Father, reveal anything that is diminishing the fullest expression of faith in my life. I release to You all I have been, all I am, and all I have wanted to be. May Your good plans replace all I am releasing to You. Thank You for leading me forward from here. In Jesus’ name, amen” (Allen Jackson). At this point in my life, I should have grasped this concept. Every single time God has taken away a dream or a plan out of my life, He has replaced whatever it was with something better. Every. Single. Time.
And yet I am afraid to let go? Am I scared to unclench my fists that white-knuckle that dream that I don’t want to lose? What is it that I think will satisfy me more than what God has for me?
Letting go is hard. Holding on to what I’m not supposed to have and what can never really bring me peace is harder. Trusting God is always best, yet every time I have to count my blessings like sheep to remember the goodness of God. It’s never second nature because of my sin nature.
So I come with open hands palms facing down, ready to let go of my plans and aspirations. I turn my hands palms facing up, ready to receive Kingdom-sized dreams and plans where I get a front row seat to God at work in the world.
I’m letting go now.
Brennan Manning
Happy Leap Year Day
2024 is a leap year, and today is leap day, February 29, that only comes around in a blue moon. Actually, it comes around less than blue moons, only showing up every four years.
I think it’s because the actual rotation of the earth is 23 hours and 56 minutes instead of 24, so somebody smarter than me decided to add an extra day every four years to catch up on the difference.
I wish someone would add an extra day to the week, so I could catch up from all the craziness. Or maybe just have a 24-hour nap marathon. I mean a 23 hour and 56 minute nap marathon.
I also have a connection to this day, as I was very nearly born on February 29. According to the people who were there, I was born in the afternoon on February 28. If I’d been more obstinate, I might have been born a day later and instead of turning 52, I’d be 18.
Isn’t that how you count leap day birthdays? Since their actual birth day only comes around every four years, they only gain another number to their age on one out of every four years, right?
Unfortunately, that would mean they’d only have birthday parties about twice every decade. That wouldn’t be as much fun, now that I think about it.
But whatever the case, I hope you had a Happy Leap Year Day. Don’t forget to spend all your $2 bills and to go hug a unicorn.
The Birthdays Keep Coming
At some point, I wish the birthdays would just stop.
I don’t mean I don’t want any more birthdays. I definitely don’t mean that I don’t want to live any longer.
What I do mean is that I wish that I could get to a comfortable age number and stop there. I think 35 would have been a good age to remain for a while. Maybe now I can stay 52 for a few years.
But then I remember people like my friend Nathan or my cousin Timothy who won’t get to see 52. They never got the opportunity to grow old because they left so young.
So I’m thankful for another birthday. It means I got to live. It means I got to experience God’s world and especially God in the world for another 365 days. I got to take for granted that I would wake up every morning.
As much as I enjoy opening birthday gifts, the biggest gift I get every single year is the gift of being alive and being loved. I’m reminded that I have a physical birthday on February 28, but I also have a spiritual birthday on which I prayed the sinner’s prayer and invited Jesus into my heart.
That was the day that I went from being lost to found, from being dead in sin to being alive to God. It was the day that I became a new creation and a follower of Jesus, not because I was especially deserving or good. It was because God is good and full of grace.
I think my friend Nathan or my cousin Timothy could have the chance to say some final words, they’d say that the most important gift anyone could ever receive is the gift of knowing Jesus and receiving what He did by taking our punishment on the cross, dying, and then being raised from the dead.
If anyone reading this wants to know more about following Jesus, I’ve included this link that shares the plan of salvation:
Known by the Scars
I had one of those wow moments when I was flipping channels recently. I came across a discussion group involving Ann Voskamp, Sheila Walsh, and a few others. One of them said that so many of us base our identity on the wounds that others have inflicted on us rather than on the wounds that Jesus bore for us. That was a WOW moment that left me Without Words.
I think it’s telling that in one miracle, Jesus asks a paralytic if he wants to be well. You would think it would be a Captain Obvious question with the inevitable answer of YES, but then so many of us have built so much of our identities around our pain and our hurt that we wouldn’t have anything left if our affliction were suddenly taken away.
A better way is to be identified with the Suffering Servant who was wounded for our transgressions, who bore scars on His hands, feet and side from taking the punishment that we deserved on Himself. This is the Jesus who still bears those scars even in Heaven.
All of us will be called at some point to suffer for the cause of Christ. Some will suffer physically. Some even to the point of death. One of the greatest honors I can think of is to bear wounds and scars from following Jesus faithfully through opposition, trials, suffering, and pain. Maybe too some of us will bear scars in heaven.
I do know for sure that Jesus was willing to lay down His life for each and every one of us. Your and my identity rests in the fact that God so loved us that He gave His only Son, Jesus, so that we should not be lost but have real, abundant, and eternal life in and with God. We are no longer strangers and aliens, outcasts with no hope or future but children of God, the Bride of Christ, and beloved.
True Strength
If that’s strength, then I’m as weak as a baby. Or I would be if babies ate chocolate, which I’m not sure if they could or should.
When it comes to chocolate, I have no willpower. Especially if it’s one of those king-size Hershey bars with just the chocolate and no almonds or other contaminants (as I call anything that interferes with the pure joy of chocolate).
I also have the willpower of a dead slug when it comes to chips and queso, but that’s really for another post on another day.
A Prayer for the Church
I found this prayer for the Church that spoke to the state of the American Church and its great need for renewal and revival. In my opinion, so many of the churches in America have lost their way by either tying the gospel with politics and candidates or by becoming so much like culture that they no longer have a distinct message of hope that actually offers hope.
There’s a warning in the book of Revelation to the church at Ephesus that if they don’t repent, Jesus will come and remove their lampstand. That means that either they will cease to be an actual church or that they will continue with no authority or influence. I think some churches (and some denominations) in this country are already there. Many of them are what Jesus called the church at Laodicea in that they think they are alive but they are actually dead.
What we need isn’t the right candidate to win the election or for our side to be proven right and the other side shown to be wrong. What we need is to get back to the whole gospel that Jesus and the disciples proclaimed.
This is a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer written in 1662 that just as well could have been for 2024 (with little update on the old King James English):
“Most gracious God, we humbly beseech thee for thy holy catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all peace. Where it is corrupt, purge it; where it is in error, direct it; where anything is amiss, reform it; where it is right, strengthen and confirm it; where it is in want, furnish it; where it is divided and rent asunder, make up the breaches of it, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
A Prayer for the Anxious Heart
I am currently reading through Every Moment Holy Volume III: The Work of the People. It’s part of a series of liturgies for all the parts and moments that make up our lives. There’s something for planting a garden, going on a trip, celebrating birthdays, and all the other activities and occasions that fill all the days we are given.
I read one a day as my devotional. This particular volume has spoken deeply to me. One in particularly that hit home was entitled A Prayer for the Anxious Heart. Here it is:
“God, I confess that there are moments when I cannot sense you near, times when anxiety and frustration overwhelm, and I find no help or consolation. I wish that I dwelt in a state where my hope and my confidence were always rooted and certain, my thoughts unclouded. But it is not always so.
Here I drag my heavy heart to see if you will meet me in my place of doubt and fear. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. For where else but to you will I go with my worries? You alone have the words of eternal life.
This I know to be true, my Lord and my God: You are not angered by my worries and my fears, for they have often been the very things that lead me to press closer into you, seeking the comfort of your presence.
In your presence, I can offer my anxieties knowing you are never threatened by them.
They do not change your truth.
My doubts cannot unseat your promises.
You are a rock, Jesus.
You alone are strong enough to carry the weight of my troubled thoughts.
O Lord, let these fears never compel me to hide my heart from you. Let them rather lead me to begin holy conversations with you, make them into invitations to be present with you. Let me despair of my own knowledge and control and instead seek your face, knowing that when I plead for security and for answers, what I most need is your presence.”
A Mind Blowing Act of Service
I went to the movies again. This time, I watched The Chosen episodes 4-6 of season 4. As usual, it was incredible and moving. I won’t post any spoilers in case those reading haven’t made it to the theater or are waiting for the episodes to hit streaming.
One fascinating character that had increased prominence in these episodes was Judas Iscariot, masterfully portrayed by Luke Dimyan. He captures all the nuances of the disciple most known for betraying Jesus.
I know I just said that I wouldn’t post spoilers, but this one is in the Bible, folks. It’s not like anyone who has had even a passing knowledge of Scripture and the Gospels doesn’t know who Judas Iscariot is. I know you know the phrase “Judas’ kiss” referring to the act that identified Jesus to the ones who arrested Jesus.
I was reminded of the night where Jesus instituted Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, and started off by washing the disciples’ feet. The part that struck me particularly was where Jesus washed the feet of Judas Iscariot.
It blows my mind that Jesus washed the feet of the very one who was to betray Him, knowing full well that Judas had it in his heart to betray his Rabbi and Messiah. I remember the quote that said that the true test of discipleship isn’t as much about loving Jesus as it is loving Judas.
Jesus wasn’t speaking in abstract theory when He talked about loving your enemies. He had very specific individuals in mind, including some of the Pharisees and Scribes and Judas himself. Jesus spoke from a very real place where people were actively seeking to destroy His ministry and end His life.
Jesus never calls any of us to do anything He was unwilling to do. When He calls us to forgive those who hurt us and love our enemies, we can remember that Jesus forgave the very ones who killed Him as they were in the very act of murdering Him. And now we have the Spirit of Jesus living in us to enable us to live out everything that Jesus commands of us.
My mind is officially and completely blown.
Gimme that Jesus Chicken
This is a bit of a throwback post. I wrote this one on August 26, 2021 about the tasty goodness of Chick-fil-A, where the chicken flows like wine and no matter how many chicken biscuits I eat there, they never lose their magic flavor.
I admit that I love me some Chick-fil-A. My reasons have very little to do with the personal beliefs of their owner or any of their employees. It’s their magical wonderful chicken that has some sort of addictive chemicals added to it to make me crave it constantly.
I know that if I ever go to an event where they’ve catered those trays of Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets, the night is going to be lit. I mean, it’s going to be a P-A-R-T-Y. I myself could eat at least my weight in those delectable nuggets. Especially if they come with the sauces.
During the summer, they always bring out the peach milkshakes. As sacrilegeous as it sounds, I think I prefer the peach milkshake over the chocolate, and I’m usually all about chocolate anything and everything. Also, they have this delightful concoction called a frosted lemonade which to me tastes like one of those lemon ice box pies blended into a shake. I think I’ve gained five pounds typing all this and thinking about all the food.
They have some of the best customer service at most of their restaurants. They’re known for it. Most other businesses would do well to emulate the Chick-fil-A model of customer service. And the fun part is getting the employees to say “my pleasure” as many times as possible in one visit.
If you are a fan, let me know what your favorite items from the menu are. I myself am partial to the Spicy Southwest salad with the creamy salsa dressing and the spicy deluxe chicken sandwich. As far as beverages go, I really like getting half unsweet tea, half lemonade. And it comes pre-blessed.
The Struggle Is Real
I remember I went through a bit of a professional dark night of the soul after I got downsized from my job in 2012. I remember thinking at some point during that season that I was essentially unemployable — that I was never ever going to find another job ever ever again.
Looking back, I can see that was fear talking. That was my perspective looking solely through the lens of anxiety. As much as I know in my head that the voice of fear lies, sometimes it’s hard to discount because that’s also the voice that speaks the loudest.
But volume doesn’t always mean veracity. Louder doesn’t make it more true any more than might makes right. I’m learning to pay attention to the right voice this time. I’m remembering that the voice that calmed the storm didn’t have to yell to get the attention of the wind and waves.
As easy as it is for me to type the words about placing faith over fear, it’s a bit more difficult to live it out in the real world of jobs being eliminated and the economy being in a slump. My default setting is worry. I don’t have to work at worrying, but I do have to make a conscious effort to seek peace.
But sometimes I need to remember that even thought I may fall into the category of ye of little faith like that disciple Peter, that little mustard seed of faith is all I need for God to step in and do amazing things.
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