The Substitute People

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 3 Comments

In my favorite movie of all time (insert shameless plug here), Elizabethtown, there’s a scene where one of the characters, Claire, tells another that they are substitute people. They fill in when the person you really wanted to be with isn’t around.

I know that feeling. I’ve felt like that in the past. Like the only reason someone would talk to me was because the person they really wanted to talk to was AWOL. I felt like I wasn’t anybody’s first choice.

I bet you’ve felt like that. It’s like being a part of that dreaded kickball selection process and it comes down to you and one other. It’s the humiliation of having the team captain pick the other person, which leaves you unpicked but automatically sent to the other team. Ahh, the agony and ecstacy of the glory days of kickball!

The good news of the gospel is that you are not a substitute person to God. He picked you, chose you before you were born, because He wanted you. Not because the person He really really wanted wasn’t available. He wanted you.

He had you on His mind when He went to that cross. He decided He’d rather go through hell for you than be in heaven without you. He thought you were worth dying for.

And the part that gets me every time. If if had only been you, He still would have gone through it all, just to win your heart. If it had been me, He would have suffered through Calvary.

Christianity shouldn’t be a somber occasion. It should be a joyous remembrance of how the Father is crazy for you. It should be day after day of unbroken gratitude that Jesus thought you were to die for.

Remember this always. You may not matter to some people and you may not think much of yourself some days, but you matter a whole lot to God every day. He’s got you tattooed on His hands and on His heart.

Thank you, Abba, that you really are very very fond of us!

The Name That Matters

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 1 Comment

“You’re not who the world says you are. You’re not even the name you call yourself. Over and over again in the Bible, God gives people new names. You are who God says you are: beloved, chosen redeemed, ransomed, bride of Christ, people of God, family of God, little brothers and sisters. Children of God. Did you forget that? Remember who you are” (Mike Glenn, In Real Time).

Maybe you’ve taken on a name or two in your lifetime. Maybe a parent gave it to you. Maybe a so-called friend or acquaintance. Maybe it was you. Whatever the case, it’s how you define yourself.

Loser. Reject. Underachiever. Waste. Nobody. Killjoy. Stupid. Coward. Failure.

The list could go on. There are names on there that would make Martin Scorsese blush. The names that you carry with you like the infamous scarlet letter, the badge of shame for all to see.

I love the way Jesus doesn’t call you or me by those names. He gives us new names. When He calls, the names He gives us aren’t a reflection of the past and all we’ve screwed up. It’s a future God has promised for us that’s as good as done.

Victor. Overcomer. Overconqueror. Child of the King. Blessed. Beloved.

My favorite is Beloved. That’s the one I claim the most. I who was once unloveable am now the Beloved. I’m known for being loved supremely.

Let the new name Jesus gave you define you. Speak it over yourself. Believe in faith that the new names are who you are now. Not the old names.

If you forget who you are, Jesus will remind you gently. So will I. If you live out of your old names instead of your new ones, Jesus will whisper the new name in your ear until you hear it again for the first time.

After all, He’s not about to quit on you. If He went to all that trouble to have your name tattooed on His hand and on His heart, He’s sticking with you to the end. And beyond that.

His name is the name that matters.

I Am Mephibosheth

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 2 Comments

I am Mephibosheth and I know what it’s like to be rescued.

I was born as a grandson to the enemy of the King. I was orphaned at a very young age and crippled when my nurse dropped me in her haste to escape. In other words, I had next to nothing to offer anyone.

But the King called me by my name and offered me a seat at his table. He offered it to someone who could never fight for him or protect him or be of any use to him in anyway. Still he wanted me at his table.

I know what it’s like to be picked last in the games. In fact, I know from experience what it’s like to not be picked at all and left on the sidelines watching. But this King picked me first. Me with my two damaged feet that can’t run or jump.

Sometimes he asks me to pray before the meal and I am so overcome with gratitude that no words will come. My heart is so filled up with joy that it leaks out from my eyes in the form of tears of happiness.

I who once was an orphan have been adopted by this King, who now calls me son. I am not a stranger anymore. I am forever family.

 

Hollywood Endings

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

I am a sucker for a good movie. I freely admit that. I have probably seen way too many in my time, a product of having a sad social life. Tonight I watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a movie I have seen countless times, and still loved it. Even though I knew how it would turn out.

There’s something about seeing a story well told with dramatic tension and conflict. The best part is always the happy ending where everything ends up neat and tidy. No loose ends.

I’m talking mostly about the classic TCM-type movies made back in the golden age of Hollywood when the studios ruled and movies were mostly shot on a backlot. I like newer movies, too, but for the most part they miss the magic.

I sometimes wish real life were like the movies. I wish all my turmoil and conflict could be wrapped up into a nice, Hollywood ending. The guy gets the girl, they find the missing cat, etc.

But when I read my Bible, I get the best possible happy ending of all time. The story goes like this:

We were dead in our sins, alienated from God and without hope. We were estranged not only from God, but from each other and from ourselves. We were completely and utterly lost in every sense of the word.

But a Hero showed up. This hero didn’t act like a regular Superman-type hero. He willingly bore punishment for a crime He didn’t commit. In the midst of all the injustice, He never opened His mouth to complain or criticize. He took it and even prayed for their forgiveness while they were in the very act of killing Him.

The best part of the story is that He did it for you. He did it for me. Because of what He did, all us nobodies are now beloved children of God. All us that nobody wanted and no one had any use for are now sons and daughters of the King of Kings, with lives that shine as testimonies to the greatness of our God.

This happy ending is one where every single injustice, every wrong, every evil act is made right. This is where those who have given up dreams and lost loved ones and made sacrifices will have everything restored a thousand times over.

Love wins. Jesus reigns and we get to see the ultimate happy ending of all time, one that is so perfect because it is so real.

I hold on to that hope when my own story doesn’t seem to make sense and a happy ending is the furthest thing from my mind. When surviving to see the next chapter is all I can do.

Jesus is not only at the end of your story, but He’s everywhere through it, with you every moment. This Jesus who authored the ultimate ending has promised to not only make sure you get there, but to personally bring you there.

That’s what I call a happy ending!

 

My Prayer For You

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 1 Comment

I pray for you, my friends, these things tonight:

That you can pray the prayer that asks for nothing but instead thanks God for what He’s given.

That you know deeply at the soul level how much your Abba really is fond of you.

That you can rest in the night and hear the voice of the Father God singing joyfully over you.

That you are baby-content as you feel the Everlasting Arms underneath that won’t ever let go.

That you will let go of all the shame and guilt that weigh you down and leave them at the Cross where they were paid for once and for all.

That you never stop being amazed and astounded at what God is doing in and through you.

That whatever God speaks to you and whatever He asks of you, that you’re only reply is “Here am I, Lord. Send me.”

That you forever declare your dependence on God and remember that His strength works best in your weakness.

That you know that you are in Good Hands.

When the Lights Go Out

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 6 Comments

lucynarnia

I was en route from Memphis recently, listening to a book on CD, as all well-seasoned travellers do. It was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, book 5 of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. It was read by Derek Jacobi, by the way, in case you were dying to know.

In the book, the Dawn Treader sails into an island of darkness. It’s a place where fear rules and all nightmares come to life. Lucy is at the top of the ship, watching as the crew tries vainly to escape. In her desperation, she says, “Aslan, if you ever loved us, help us now.” The answer to her prayer is an albatross who, as he flies by her, whispers, “Courage, dear heart,” in Aslan’s voice. He then leads them out into the sunlight.

I bet you’ve been in some dark places in your life. You’ve felt trapped in the valley of the shadow of death, where no light or hope can get through. You’ve been searching for a way out, but all you find is more darkness, more despair, more hopelessness.

You feel your circumstances will never get better. You fear that nothing will ever change. You come to believe that your worst-case scenario is due to come true any day now. Your faith is at a low ebb and your fears are cresting and crashing waves that swamp you.

There’s a voice, if you are still enough to hear it, that whispers the same words what it whispered to Lucy. “Courage, dear heart.” It says, “Hold on. Trust in Me in the darkness even when you can’t find Me there. I am with you, with My everlasting arms underneath you. I will never ever let go.”

Don’t believe that you feel or what you think, but what you know. Believe the same God who has proved Himself over and over and Whose word is true. Know that He is with you and for you in your darkness. Darkness may prevail right now, but joy is coming with the morning.

God is Strong

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 2 Comments

“Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did tha…(tharr be more)t, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10, The Message).

When I am weak, then God is strong.

When I have come to the end of all my willpower and promises to stop this one bad habit and I say, “God, I can’t, but you can,” then God is strong.

When I see my weakness as an opportunity for God to come through big time, then God is strong.

When I see everytime someone abused me or made fun of me or ostracized me as a way for God to make me who I am today, then God is strong.

When I can boast in the fact that I am helpless and weak apart from Christ but in Christ I can do all things, then God is strong.

When I look at a track record of fear and failure and still believe that the next morning is a new day with new mercies, then God is strong.

When people see my life and say not, “How great Greg is,” but “How good God is,” Then God is strong.

When all I can pray is “God, help me” and nothing else, when even words fail and all I have are tears and sighs that cry out to God, then God is strong.

When those same people look at me and think that if God could use someone like me then God could use them, then God is strong.

When I see over and over where God picks nobodies and outcasts and throwaways to change the world (think of the 12 who turned the 1st- century world upside down) and see myself as one of those, then God is strong.

When my song though endless ages isn’t, “I did it my way,” but “Jesus led me all the way,” then God is strong.

There are two things I know (and that I heard in a song) that God loves me and He is strong. So tonight I am clinging to that Strong Love with everything that’s in me.

God is strong.

To My Bestest Friend from Childhood

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

Nathan, I don’t know if you will read this or not. I hope so, because there are some things you should know.

First of all, I’m so grateful that we were friends at Ridgeway Briarcrest. Those were good days and having you for a friend was part of the reason why. I remember playing video games on our Commodore computers (I always envied you because you had a Commodore 128 while I was slumming it with a Commodore 64).

I still remember those field trips and slumber parties and hanging out at your house back when we were both still living in the Fox Meadows area. I especially remember my 4th grade birthday party at East End skating rink. I made the announcement that I was having my 10th anniversary. I think Andy set me straight when he informed me that aniversaries were for married people.

I’m sorry that I didn’t make more of an effort to stay friends with you when we both got to high school. It seems we ended up hanging with different crowds and lost touch. I wish we could have reconnected and shared all the good memories. It’s something I regret even today.

I hear you’re sick and don’t have much longer. It hurts my heart to hear that. To me, you will always be one of my best friends. I want you to know that.

I hope you’re at peace. I hope you know Jesus and know how much He loves you. I hope and pray that I’ll see you again in heaven. Maybe then we can tell stories about the old station wagon days.

I will always miss you,

Your friend,

Greg.

It’s Who You Know

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 3 Comments

I’ve always thought it would be awesome to hang out with a celebrity. Maybe have a deep conversation with Bono or have tea with C.S. Lewis (this is my fantasy, so I make the rules and I can talk to famous dead people if I want to).

Since I moved to Nashville, I have had a few celebrity sightings. Heck, I even held the door open for Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman when they were walking out of Borders one time. She even said, “Thank you.” I think I spent the next 30 minutes walking around in a daze.

That’s good and all, but how about this? Who could I possibly meet or know that could ever be more important than the King of the Universe? Who could I ever talk to that would be higher up than the Creator of everything?

The beautiful part of the story is not that I know Him, but that He knows me. He knows my name. He knows absolutely everything I’ve ever done, good and bad. He knows the secret thoughts I keep that no one else knows about. He knows how many hairs are on my head.

Better still, He wants me. He wants me to talk with Him and to tell Him everything. He looked down and saw scrawny little me, destined to be the last one picked for kickball, and chose me. Not because He had to, but because He wanted to. He wanted me.

He loves me. He’s in love with me. He’s crazy for me. This God who has everything gave up everything to win my heart. The Great Romance of the ages is how God Almighty has wooed and won my affections.

He wants you, too. He sees you in your brokenness and bad choices and bitter thoughts and wants you. He knows those things you’ve done that you would give anything to undo and He wants you. He sees into the deepest, darkest part of your heart where you keep your secrets and lies and He wants you.

Christianity is not about avoiding bad sins. It’s not about not drinking or cussing or sleeping around. It’s not even about being moral and having godly habits. Christianity is simply that when you and I could not get to God, God came to us. Not to condemn us, but to change us by the most powerful element in the universe– love. It’s that God wants us to know Him.

The next time you’re tempted to fantasize about meeting celebrities, remember this. You can know the Greatest Person who ever lived. His name is Jesus and He loves you. Yes, as I’ve said many times before, your Abba is indeed very, very fond of you.

20 Years Later: Thoughts on Another Reunion

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

Recently, I had my 20-year high school reunion. I guess that makes me old, huh? I don’t feel like I’m 20, much less that I’ve been out of high school for 20 years. Maybe it’s denial, but I don’t care.

I’ve been thinking about the whole weekend and I’ve had some thoughts I’d like to share.

1) No one should be defined by how they acted in high school. I know that I for one was ruled by fear and insecurities in high school and never really took any chances or got out of my tiny comfort zone. Sometimes meanness is just someone acting out of hurt or fear.

2) Grace is still a good thing. I know I need it, so I try to show it as much as I can. It means giving people the benefit of the doubt and believing that who you are isn’t always what you do. So I try to give a person a break when they don’t treat me right. It may be one small act of kindness that can change that person’s outlook.

3) I’m finally comfortable in my own skin. I feel a lot like Joseph when I look back on how I was picked on and made fun of. God used it to shape me into who I am and I am not sorry it happened. If that’s what it took to get me to where I am, I am thankful for it.

4) People really do matter. Friendships matter. The only things that last aren’t what we’ve accumulated, but what we’ve sacrificed and given away. I’ve heard that the only currency on heaven is love.

5) 80% of success is showing up, or so I’m told. I think it’s higher than that. To be brave enough to show up and be yourself, warts and all, is success, no matter what happens after that. And to all those who missed out on the 20th reunion, I hope you are doing well and I hope to see you in 5 years.

6) Forgiveness is still a beautiful thing. Forgiving someone means that you are freed from the power they had over you by what they did to you. Forgiving means that you release that person from the expectation that they can fix what they did wrong. Sometimes the person you most need to forgive is yourself.

7) At the end of the day, only the love of God can get you though. It’s not being clever or resourceful or smart or crafty enough, because all those will fail. Only the arms of Jesus are strong enough to carry you through.

I hope to have more thoughts five years from now to share. Until then, I am thankful yet again for friendships that last and for memories that remind me of how good my God is.