religion

It’s Wednesday . . . Again

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Sometimes, you gotta count the little blessings. So, here I am typing this out on my iPad 3 (which may no be the latest and greatest but works just fine for me).

I have one very sleepy cat in my lap who is consenting to being used as a makeshift iPad desk for the time being.

I woke up this morning. I wasn’t bedridden or comatose. I was able to get out and enjoy a lovely (almost) spring day.

I didn’t go hungry and I had a roof over my head. It’s all good.

Most of all, I have a God who still loves me, who still wants me around, who still roots for me, who still has my best at heart, and who will never give up on me or leave me or stop until He’s finished making me exactly who He meant for me to be.

I may not have everything I want but I have everything I need. I have enough.

I have joy because I choose it and because I choose to see through a different set of eyes. Eyes that see blessings and not lack. Eyes that look for the good and not at what’s wrong.

I think that makes this a good Wednesday. Don’t you?

A Simple Prayer

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Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
LORD Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord JESUS Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus CHRIST, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, SON of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son OF God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of GOD, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, HAVE mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have MERCY on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy ON me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on ME, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, A sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a SINNER.
LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME, A SINNER.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Choices

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Dumbledore

“It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices” (Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets).

Yes, I know. I just quote from a Harry Potter movie. Egads.

I’ve read all the books and seen all the movies and I liked every one of them. I especially liked the magic as metaphor theme. I think that these books aren’t really about magic as much as they are about growing up, discovering who you are, and learning what truly matters. But that is a topic for another blog on another day.

I do think that it’s not our abilities but what we do with them that ultimately matters in the end. I’ve seen people with loads of natural ability bested by people not nearly as talented but far more determined. Especially in the arena of sports.

One of the most famous choices is the one Joshua made early in the history of the nation of Israel. He basically said that while the others were free to worship whatever gods they wanted that he and his family would choose to serve Yahweh and Yahweh alone. No other.

That same choice is offered to me. Daily. And daily I must choose whether I will serve Jesus or something else, which usually ends up being my own selfish desires. Sometimes I actually choose right, but more often than I’d like I choose wrong. I choose me.

Also, I think we choose whether or not we’ll give up on those who let us down or give them second chances. We choose who we let into our inner struggles and who we shut out. We choose role-playing versus authenticity and honesty.

But ultimately, it’s about who to serve. As the famous theologian Bob Dylan said, you gotta serve somebody. So who will you choose?

Being a Barnabas

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Do you have any Barnabas-type people in your life?

Barnabas was one of the first missionaries sent out by the early Church, commissioned by the Apostles themselves. His name meant “son of encouragement” and he was the one who believed in people when others couldn’t or wouldn’t. First it was Paul then later John-Mark.

When people were still afraid of Paul and wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole after his murderous past, Barnabas was the one who stood up for him and helped him get his start. When that same Paul wanted to give up on John-Mark after he had a meltdown on the mission field and deserted them, Barnabas stood by the young believer, even though it meant the end of Paul and Barnabas as a missions team.

Barnabas was the one guy you wanted in your corner who wouldn’t give up on you. Although I’m fairly certain he preferred not to be called Barney, although that is strictly my own speculation.

How many times has someone been a Barnabas to you?

Maybe when you’d messed up and felt like no one should give you a second chance, someone did. Maybe that someone believed in you even when you doubted yourself and believed for you when you couldn’t find the faith to believe. Someone who encouraged and inspired and challenged you to do more than you ever thought you could.

Have you ever been Barnabas to someone else?

Maybe someone needs your encouragement right now. Maybe someone has run out of faith and doesn’t see how their circumstances will ever improve or how they will ever be useful to the Kingdom. It could be your words to inspire that person and it could be your faith that gets them through.

All I know is that no one gets through this life alone. All of us will be in need at some point and all of us will be in a position to fill a need at some point. Just remember it’s just as wrong to refuse someone’s help as it is to see someone else in need and do nothing. Either way, your robbing someone of the blessing of giving– either yourself or the other.

Remember Who stood up for you when no one else would. Remember Who took your place when you least deserved it.

More of the Good Kind of Tired

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So, if you read last night’s post, you know I had to be back at the YEC by 7:30. I managed to arrive on time, even though I cheated on my alarm and gave myself an extra 20 minutes of sleep. It was worth it.

The whole weekend was worth it. I saw at least 1,000 students give their lives to Christ. I heard great worship music and great preaching. I was reminded of my own YEC experiences as a teenager waaaaay back in the 80’s.

I used to think most Christian t-shirts were cheesy in the extreme. I still do. But after helping to sell them for two days, I understand them a little bit better.

I know that as a teen, I wasn’t always able to articulate my faith very well. Sometimes, the t-shirt helped. Then again, if I live one way and my t-shirt testifies to another, I defeat the purpose.

My favorites were the one that had a half-bitten apple and the words “My bad. -Eve” and the one that said “satan is a poo poo head.” I also thought the one from Adam’s point of view was clever. It simply said, “Got rib?”

So yeah, I like Christian t-shirts again. I mean, just about every t-shirt out there makes a statement. So do all those labels on coats and shirts and jeans. The question is “What kind of statement do you want to make?”

Do you want people to know you wear the “right” labels or that you identify with a particular sports team? Or maybe that you want people to know that you love Jesus?

I still think the best way is still telling your own faith story in your own words, but sometimes you need a conversation starter.

So back to the YEC. A good time was had by all. The end.

I think after all that, I’ll have no trouble sleeping tonight.

A Good Kind of Tired

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I’m beyond tired at this point. But it’s a good kind of tired. A very good kind.

I volunteered to serve at the 2014 Youth Evangelism Conference. This time, I helped to man the booths where t- shirts were being sold. And man, did we sell a lot of t-shirts.

It was once again amazing to witness God moving in the lives of so many students. Especially at the altar call. I know there were literally hundreds of students who went forward to give their lives to Christ.

That alone makes the evening worthwhile. Even if it means losing a few hours of sleep. 7:30 am will feel like a brutally early start to the day after a late night. And it’s a Saturday. But I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

On a side note, every time I volunteer at the Municipal Auditorium, I wish I had a time machine. There are facsimiles of old concert tickets all across the place. Apparently, you could see Elton John way back in 1973 for the grand total of $3.50.

Lack of time machines aside, I always end up being blessed by these events and once again hopeful for the future. Most of all, I’m thankful that I can give back after once being blessed as a student at the YEC. And yes, I was a student once.

Making Today Count

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I saw an interesting movie tonight called The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, about a man who is born old and ages backwards.

His life intersects with many others as they grow older and he grows younger. He never knows when or if he will see any of them again, so he chooses to make the most of the moments he spends with them.

I may not be growing younger, but I know that I’m not promised a tomorrow. Neither are you. No one is.

The goal is to live every day as if it were your last and savor every moment as if it would not come again. Because there will never again be a moment exactly like this one.

This may be me repeating myself yet again, but I don’t care. Love the people in your life and never take them for granted because you don’t know if you’ll see them tomorrow. Never let an opportunity go by to let the people you love know how much you love them. Don’t assume they know. Tell them.

One day, the degrees you’ve earned won’t matter. The promotions won’t matter. The bank accounts and the big fancy houses and luxury cars won’t matter. Those lives who you’ve touched, who’ve touched your life, will matter.

So live that way now.

March Madness Yet Again??

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valpo

I have to confess that I’m not quite the sports fan that I used to be. Maybe it’s the absurd salaries and extreme lack of loyalty to anything other than the almighty dollar. Who knows?

I do know that when March rolls around, the sports fan in me awakens from hibernation and comes alive. Why? March Madness, i. e. The NCAA Basketball Tournament.

I’ll fill out my brackets and wait. Usually by the second round, my brackets have crashed and burned. Then I start rooting for the underdogs.

It seems like every year there’s a team that makes it further in the field than they should. A team that overachieves and who gets billed as the next Cinderella, the next David to knock off a Goliath.

I love those stories because I remember that I, too, was once an underdog with no hopes and no chance at all of winning. That’s my take on Ephesians 2.

But God who is rich in mercy (how I love that phrase) found me and rescued me and put me on His winning team.

Maybe one day one of those long-shot mid-major teams will finally win it all. I hope so. But I’m thankful to be reminded on a daily basis that in Christ, I’ve already won. I’m more than a conqueror.

So bring on those brackets this year. I’m ready.

Why I Still Love Being a Kairos Greeter

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I don’t know exactly when I started greeting at Kairos, but I figure that this fall will mark 8 years. It doesn’t seem like it, but the math doesn’t lie. At least if I did my math right.

I still love standing at the door and making people feel welcome as they walk through to Kairos. It may not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I think it’s an important role.

I may be the only smiling face someone will see all day long. If someone feels unnoticed and unwanted, I could be the one who in essence says, “I see you. I notice you. You matter to me and I want you to feel like you belong here.”

I’ve seen people whose faces absolutely light up because someone (me) saw them and took time and effort to say hi to them. That’s all. Just a smile and a wave and a hello.

I’ve been on the other side of the smile, feeling invisible and wishing someone– anyone would acknowledge my existance. I have known what it feels like to feel alone in a crowd.

Hopefully, you can take this and use it in your own lives. Who knows what person whose day you can completely turn around and revolutionize just by a smile and a kind word of greeting. You don’t have to share your entire life story or become best friends with the person. Sometimes just seeing the people, looking in their faces, and validating their existence is enough.

So I hope to continue being a greeter for as long as God allows. Not so people will recognize me and think how cool and great I am. I want to be that one smiling face that makes someone’s day a little bit better and shows a little bit of God’s love to everyone I meet.

That’s all.

Sleeping in a Storm

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I was recently reading over a very familiar passage in Matthew 8 where Jesus calms the storm. I’ve actually lost count of how many times I’ve either read that story or had it read to me.

The scene opens with Jesus and the disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat. It’s a calm sea, nothing unusual or unexpected. Suddenly, out of nowhere, hurricane winds start rocking the boat and the disciples start majorly freaking out. Like I would probably have done. I’m sure there was some hyperventilating and breathing into paper bags.

They find Jesus sleeping in the boat. I guess that’s not hard to imagine, since Jesus is likely exhausted from a very full day of ministry and teaching. Plus, He undoubtedly has been up all night praying.

What gets me is what I read today in a commentary. It said that one of the signs of true trust in God is being able to sleep in the midst of trouble. Like Jesus slept in the storm.

Jesus more than anyone modeled perfect trust and faith in His Heavenly Father. That allowed Him to sleep in the midst of crashing waves and strong winds.

I think the point of the story isn’t how Jesus keeps His children out of storms, but how He is with them during these storms. And just like the disciples, we end up finding out that Jesus really is in control of the wind and the waves and our lives.

I’m sure that if I got the easy, comfortable life I’ve often longed for, my faith would be weak and worthless. I’d never have front row seats to see how Jesus has faithfully come through for me in every crisis and storm and trial.

So I guess I’m thankful even for those storms. That’s where I learned just how close Jesus is to those who cry out to Him.