Jesus Knows

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This past Sunday, we celebrated Palm Sunday. On this day, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey while people laid palm branches on the road before Him and hailed Him with hosannas.

Five days later, these same people were calling out for His death.

Jesus knows what it feels like to be deserted in a time of need.

Jesus is with the woman whose husband walked out on her, saying he didn’t love her any more.

Jesus is with the boy whose friend suddenly acts like a stranger when the cool kids are around because he doesn’t want anybody to think he’s friends with a nerd.

Jesus is with that one whose friend who he counted on suddenly disappears from his life and he can’t for the life of him figure out why.

The beautiful part is that Jesus can do more than feel the pain we feel. He can actually do something about it.

That death Jesus faced on the cross was more than the murder of an innocent man and the hands of a mob.

It was God in the flesh laying down His own life for the ones who deserted Him, the ones who mocked Him, the ones who spit in His face, the ones who drove the nails into His wrists and feet. the very ones who killed Him.

Ultimately, it wasn’t sin that killed Jesus. It wasn’t the pain. In the end, He gave His life up willingly, a choice He had made from day one.

That means that no one need ever be alone again. Jesus’ death and resurrection means that one day every wrong will be made right and all the hurts and wounds of the world will be healed.

I love that Jesus never turns down anyone who earnestly seeks Him in faith. You and I didn’t find Jesus, because it wasn’t He who was lost. We were the ones who were lost, and Jesus is the One who found us.

And Jesus still knows.

 

 

Waving at Promises from Afar

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“Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16).

In my quest to read through the Bible in 2015, I’m currently in 2 Chronicles 32, and it reads like a tragedy. It seems almost from the start, the people of God fell short of expectations, rebelling against God and worshipping just about anything and everything but God. Even having the Kingdom split in two and the Northern Kingdom (Israel) taken captive and deported to Babylon didn’t help.

If the Bible ended there, it would be about the most depressing book I’ve ever read. But I’ve cheated and read the end of the story. I know how it ends. When you know that ultimately God and His people prevail, it makes the dark parts easier to stomach.

Sadly, I can relate too much to these people. They started off with brash promises and the best of intentions, but these promises and intentions lasted about as long as my New Year’s resolutions. Not long.

At this point, they’re coming to the end of a series of vicious cycles where 1) the people are living well, 2) the people forget God and try to be like all their neighbors, 3) God gets angry and punishes them by famine, war, and hostile takeovers, 3) the people repent, 4) God forgives them and restores them.

By this point, God has had enough. They’ve pushed Him too far. There’s no sign of the people wanting to change and God is totally just to write them off as a lost cause.

But even now there’s a plan. There’s always been a plan. There’s a Messiah in the works, promised all the way back in Genesis 3:16 to come and deliver His people. There have been prophecies and stories passed around for generations and the faintest glimmer of hope even in the bleakest moments.

That’s what Easter is all about– that long awaited and eagerly anticipated promise coming true at last.

 

You Are Not: A Reminder

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I’m about to repeat myself. Again.

I find I keep returning to the same themes in my writing over and over, probably because I keep needing to hear them over and over. Here’s one more reminder for the road.

You are not your worst fears about yourself– that you’re essentially unemployable and that you will never find out what you’re good at and be able to make a living with it.

You are not your spotty employment background or your so-so credit score or your monumental mistakes in the past.

You are not your history of relationship failures (or your history of failure of relationships).

You are not your failed marriages or your broken relationships with your parents (or children).

You are not who you were and you are not yet who you will be.

You are the Beloved of your Abba Father, the apple of His eye.

You are Forgiven, with a blank slate as clean as if there were never any bad marks on it.

You are a child of the One True King, despite your questionable family history and your own long list of personal quirks.

You are exactly where God wants you to be and He knows where you are and where He’s taking you. And trust me, you will get there one day.

 

My Bracket’s Got a Hole In it (But It’s Not Busted Yet)

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So far, so good. Not great, but good.

The last time I checked, I picked 72.6% of the winners correctly on the best bracket out of the ten I filled out for ESPN. The worst? Lagging behind at 1.4%. I couldn’t have done much worse if I had picked blind-folded or settled the games by flipping a coin (which I actually did for one of my brackets).

At this point, my chances of taking home the top prize for best bracket are the same as my Tennessee Titans winning the Super Bowl next year. Not good. But I still had fun and hopefully learned how to pick better in the future. And I found out yet again why I don’t need to pursue professional betting as a career.

But you will lose on 100% of the brackets that you never fill out. The guy whose bracket had 16 seed Hampton winning it all did better than the guy who had all the right teams picked in his head but never committed to pen and paper (or mouse and keyboard).

In life, you will miss out on 100% of the chances you didn’t take. I’ve found out the hard way more than once.

If I could go back, I’d probably make a few changes. But I’m satisfied with my brackets (none of which have officially busted as of this moment, 10:40 pm CST on March 27, 2015). I also believe that it’s never too late to start taking those proverbial leaps of faith and risks. Just because you were timid and afraid in the past doesn’t mean that you have to be that way in the future.

Just out of curiosity, what’s the best upset pick you’ve ever gotten right? I seem to remember once picking a 15 seed to knock off a 2 seed back in the day, but I can’t remember who it was and I have no proof that it happened. I recall it might have been Coppin State over South Carolina, but then again, I may have dreamed that episode.

 

SMiLe

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Back in 1967, the Beach Boys recorded an album that never got released. That is, until 2011. It was the love-child of Brian Wilson, who was (and presumably still is) one one of the most brilliant (and eccentric) artists out there. And I mean out there.

Aside from Good Vibrations, Smile isn’t the most radio-friendly record ever made. From my understanding, what finally got released in 2011 is a not-quite-finished product that hinted at what might have been. It’ll probably take me listening to the whole thing at least two or three times before I can come to any kind of informed opinion.

That said, my advice for you today is to smile. God’s got this. You don’t have to worry that somethings going to pop up on the radar screen and catch God off guard. He knows it all and He’s in control, both of your life and of everything else in the universe.

It’s easy to fall into a state of anxiety over all the possible outcomes and all that could go horribly wrong in your life. But that does no good. Plus, worry dethrones God and puts you where only God belongs in the center of your life. That’s a scary place to be.

It helps if you  have two kinds of friends out there: those who will encourage you and see more in you than you see in yourself and those who will call your B.S. and not let you settle for less than your best. You need both. I know I do.

For me, music has been a great antidote to anxiety at those times when I felt overwhelmed. Art and beauty can do that. Most of all, I’m thankful that God is composing the symphony of my life and He alone knows that when it’s done, it will be a masterpiece. For that I’m most thankful.

Remembering

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“I slew him—this right hand struck the dagger to his heart. My deeds slew Christ. Alas! I slew my best beloved; I killed him who loved me with an everlasting love. Oh eyes, why do you refuse to weep when you see Jesus’ body mangled and torn? Give vent to your sorrow, Christians, for you have good reason to do so” (adapted from “The Tomb of Jesus” by Charles Spurgeon).

Every time I think my sin is no big deal, I should read this. Every time I think that I can keep sinning and God’s grace will cover it, I need to remember that my sin always costs something. It cost God everything.

Although I may be free from the penalty of sin, I’m not free from its consequences, one of those being the inability to sense God’s presence in my life. Plus, I’ve found that when I give in to temptation and sin, I become very me-focused as opposed to others-focused and God-focused.

So this Easter season, I’m remembering that even though my salvation was free for me, it was not free for God. It cost Him Jesus. That sin that I take so lightly required a payment of blood and death. It should have been my blood and my death but Jesus took that penalty, not so that I could continue to take sin lightly, but so that I might finally have the freedom to walk away from it.

Better still, I can claim the promise that no matter how far down my sin takes me, God’s grace is deeper still. Even with all my best intentions and even despite my endeavors to take sin seriously, I will still stumble and I will still have bad days and bad weeks. But God is still faithful when I am faithless and He will still finish what He started in me.

 

 

 

More Good Conversation

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I was talking with a friend of mine at Kairos tonight.

We’d both gone through long stretches of unemployment.

Both of us expressed how before we had days where we might tend to grumble and complain and gripe about our jobs and possibly even “mail it in” (meaning give less than absolutely 110%) on a given day.

If you were to poll the average American worker, the vast majority would probably say they don’t like their job. Most would say the only reason they show up to work each day is out of the daily necessity of paying bills and mortgages and putting food on the table and supporting families.

My friend and I have a different perspective now. Both of us know what it’s like to not have a job. Both of us know what it’s like to feel purpose-less and discouraged, wondering if we truly have anything the job market wants.

I’m working another temp job, but I’ve purposed in my mind to make it my act of worship. I’m going to show up and do my very best, as if I’m working directly for Jesus. Because in a sense, I am.

The Bible says that whatever you do, you should do it to the glory of God. That means writing songs and presiding over large corporations as a CEO. That also means cleaning houses and toilets, punching in numbers into a computer, organizing and filing massive amounts of medical files.

Whatever you do, do it as if Jesus were watching. Do it because you want to please Jesus because He gave so much for you. Do it not because you have to, but because you get to. Do it because someone else may be watching you and you may be the only Bible they will read all day.

Make your job your ministry and your mission field. Do whatever you do whenever you do it to the best of the abilities God has given you and leave the results to God.

See if that doesn’t change your perspective.

 

 

 

Tim

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It’s one thing when you look at the statistics about homelessness in America, but it’s an entirely different matter when you get the chance to talk with someone who’s homeless. Putting a face on any issue automatically changes how you see it. 

I met Tim tonight at Room in the Inn. He’s a gregarious and friendly fellow who has probably never met a stranger. 

He also found out recently that he has stage 2 colon cancer.

He’s the one who can cheer up just about anybody with his off-the-wall, zany brand of humor. He can make anyone forget about their problems for a while. But who will be the one to cheer him up now that he’s facing an uncertain future?

I’m fairly certain that my 3-year old niece has more teeth in her head than Tim does in his. He won’t grace the cover of any GQ magazines anytime soon. But I’d rather hang out with him than with any superstar I could think of, because Tim is the real deal. 

 When you look at numbers on a page, it’s easy to say that people are homeless because they’re lazy and undisciplined. But when you meet someone and see that he or she’s not that much different than you, then the issue becomes a bit more complicated. 

I bet you’ve probably met some without realizing it because many of those who are homeless may look and act and talk just like you or me.

If you want to make a difference, you can never go wrong with a little compassion and a listening ear. 

Most of these guys want more than anything to be heard and to be acknowledged. And boy, do they have some good stories to tell if you’re willing to listen. 

 It’s only by the grace of God that I’m not sleeping outside tonight. Before I close my eyes on my soft pillow in my cozy bed, I’ll be saying a prayer for Tim and thanking God for another example of how His blessings so often come in disguise.

 

My 1,700th Blog (Ta-da!)

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I hit another milestone today with blog #1,700. It all started on July 25, 2010, almost five years ago, and has been a fun ride ever since then. I’m still surprised that people actually read these things. And I still don’t like the word “blog.” Here’s my very first blog if you want to see where it all started way back when.

https://oneragamuffin.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/hello-world/

I also figured out today that it’s been 1,059 days since my last carbonated beverage. I googled that bit of information, in case you’re wondering. And no, it’s not out of any kind of religious or moral beliefs. It’s mostly a health-conscious decision. No, I don’t miss them (even though I still dream about them from time to time).

I can look back and see a trajectory of grace in my life. I have done and said more than my share of really stupid stuff. I’ve gone through whole days and weeks of being in a not-so-healthy place, head-wise. Yet God still loves me as if I’d been perfect the whole time. That still amazes me.

I’m trying to be more health-conscious in my diet as well, cutting out breads and sugar (for the most part) and drinking more water. I’m down nine pounds so far and I feel better.

I’ve decided that not every one of these blogs will be Pulitzer-prize material. That’s okay. My aim isn’t perfect prose and I’m not trying to reach a million people. I just want to put me out there for someone to read and be able to relate to. Maybe even someone will find hope and healing in these (web)pages.

So for the 1,000th time, I say thanks to all of you both past and present who have read my posts. Although if you’ve quit reading them, you’re most likely not going to see this. Still I thank you anyway.

I hope to still be writing and blogging and posting my unique brand of zaniness five years from now.

God bless,

Still a ragamuffin trying to tell other ragamuffins where to find the Bread of Life

 

Lent Update for 2015

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I have two more weeks to go for my Lent break from social media. So far, so good. More than having extra free time, the best part has been clearing my head and getting my perspective readjusted (again). As much as I love all things social media, it can mess with your head if you let it.

You know it’s time to step away for a bit when you start valuing your self-worth based on social media. I should know, being a recovering approval-addict. I’ve been there, done that, bought the t-shirt and worn it.

I’ll confess that not everything God has shown me during this season of Lent has been fun or easy. I’ve seen just how much I’m addicted to worry and stress and doubts. My faith is smaller than I thought, but I’m also finding out that God os much bigger than I ever imagined.

It’s been a long journey from that day on May 22. 2012 when I got laid off from my job. It hasn’t gone nearly the way I thought it would. But I have seen God’s provision and felt His nearness more in these past three years than ever before.

Lent is a way of me reminding myself that 1) God owns it all and controls it all, not me; 2) if I have God and nothing else, I’m better off than if I had everything but God; 3) it truly will be fine in the end because God said so, and if it’s not fine, then it’s not the end (to borrow a line from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

I think that covers it.