god

Contentment Isn’t Just for Cows

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“I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am” (Philippians 4:12-13,  The Message).

Contentment is the new counterculture. It flies in the face of every ad and billboard and commercial that screams that in order to be happy, you need to buy this one thing or eat at this one place or drink this beverage. Contentment says no thanks, I already have enough. Contentment is a radical idea. If you really want to annoy people, especially the ones who always seem to be in a hurry, practice contentment. It’ll drive them nuts.

 

I’m content because I’ve learned that God is enough. It’s true that God plus everything you’ve ever dreamed of is really no more than God plus nothing else, because all your deepest desires and dreams find their ultimate fulfillment in the person of Jesus.

Contentment comes from realizing that the best things can’t be bought or sold or even possessed. They can only be appreciated and loved and cherished. They aren’t even things, but relationships and people and memories. You are not the sum of your possessions and your wealth but of your relationships and experiences and memories.

If you want to be radical, learn to be content. It’s definitely the least stressful way to live that I can think of (aside from being comatose, which I imagine is fairly stress-free).

“Be content with what you have;
rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
the whole world belongs to you” (Lao Tzu).

I Will

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I heard something good from a friend of mine and I just might try it someday soon.

She opened up her Bible, turned to the book of Isaiah, and highlighted every occurrence of the phrase “I will” as spoken from the mouth of God.

Notice that God never says, “I might,” or “I hope someday to,” or “I think I could possibly.” He always says “I will.”

As I’ve heard a pastor put it before, God’s promises are so certain that you can write them down in the past tense as already done. Whatever it is, if God has tacked an “I will” to it, you can count on it as certainly as you can count on the God who made the promise.

God’s promises are most often not what we originally thought we wanted or what we expected, but always better. They are always ultimately what we would have asked for all along had we been able to see the big picture.

So, the next time God asks you to trust Him in the middle of your circumstances, whatever they may be, the best answer is always “I will.”

 

Some Positives for your Post-Election Weekend

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In case you missed it, there was an election this past Tuesday. A few people showed up. Some are elated at the result, while some are ready to jump off the nearest bridge or building they can find.

I thought I’d share a few positives on this Saturday evening because everyone probably needs a little more positivity in their lives at this point (regardless of whether your candidate won or not).

  1. Finding almost the entire series of one of your favorite sitcoms at Goodwill (in my case, it was the BBC sitcom As Time Goes By).
  2. A day with perfect fall weather.
  3. Hot chocolate on said day with perfect fall weather.
  4. Waking up in the morning.
  5. Not being dead.
  6. Pets that love you no matter what.
  7. Random acts of kindness all around us.
  8. The hope of the Gospel that still saves people like you and me.
  9. Time traveling back into the past via the Turner Classic Movie Channel and their old movies.
  10. A good mystery novel and a piping hot cup of tea.
  11. Just a piping hot cup of tea.
  12. Sleeping under the covers under a ceiling fan, even in the dead of winter.
  13. Those 50% off Criterion movie sales at Barnes and Noble.
  14. That feeling after you take your socks off.
  15. Sleeping in on Saturday mornings.
  16. Seeing your life as an adventure and living it that way.

Take as many of these as you like and leave the rest. Not everyone will agree with me on everything on the list (like those weird people who only like weather that is ridiculously hot and humid).

I’ve heard and found to be true that you pretty often find what you’re looking for, so if you only look for the negative and depressing, you’ll very often find it. The same goes for positive and uplifting. So maybe turn off the news and go outside for a change.

That’s all.

 

A Beautiful Borrowed Prayer

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“In me there is darkness,
But with You there is light;
I am lonely, but You do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with You there is help;
I am restless, but with You there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with You there is patience;
I do not understand Your ways,
But You know the way for me.”

“Lord Jesus Christ,
You were poor
And in distress, a captive and forsaken as I am.
You know all man’s troubles;
You abide with me
When all men fail me;
You remember and seek me;
It is Your will that I should know You
And turn to You.
Lord, I hear Your call and follow;
Help me” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison).

I’m too weary to think of something original, so I scrolled through the quotes of Dietrich Bonhoeffer until I found this. It’s a beautiful prayer penned by someone who knew what it meant to fight against real evil.

Sometimes the biggest fight of all can be against your own frailty and sinfulness. It’s easy to get discouraged when all you see is failure and fear within yourself.

Yet God Himself doesn’t see any of those things. He sees beyond potential to your future realized self, that self that He is working toward.

If you feel the most hopeless in your most darkest place, try praying this prayer and remember that God is a God who knows the way out of the grave, who knows where you are, and certainly knows how to get you where you need to be. Failure will not be your final word.

Ok, so I lied. I did add an original thought or two. I want to end by reminding you that God will never leave you alone. Never ever ever.

The end.

 

 

Approaching Advent

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I should just drop the proverbial mic and walk away after this. That sums up everything I wanted to say tonight.

I do want to add something. If you really and truly want to be Christ to your family and friends and neighbors, here’s what you don’t want to do:

  1. Don’t shame those who think and vote differently than you. Not everyone who voted for the “other” candidate is a close-minded racist or a bleeding heart baby-killer. No, the opposing candidate is not evil. Just because you dislike them doesn’t make them Hitler. Above all, love your enemies. That’s what Jesus taught us to do.
  2. Don’t pledge your allegiance to a political party. Your allegiance belongs solely and completely to Jesus.
  3. Don’t disengage from those who have differing opinions. We all win when both sides can learn from each other instead of throwing barbs at each other from a distance.

Here are a few dos to consider in the weeks approaching the Advent season:

  1. Do forgive early and often (even if the person needing forgiveness is you).
  2. Err on grace rather than judgement (even when it comes to people like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, because they too share the image of God and need grace as much as the rest of us).
  3. Cultivate a grateful and generous heart toward others, not because they deserve it but because you too have been the recipient of love and mercy from God Himself.
  4. Do something for someone who can never begin to repay you and discover the reward simply in the giving.
  5. Pray for those you love. Pray for those you hate. Pray as often as is humanly possible and then pray more. Just pray.

Advent is coming and hopefully it will bring out the better angels of our nature. Remember that your hope lies not in a conservative or a liberal platform but in the Savior whose birth we’re about to celebrate.

The end.

The God of the Underdog

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Some of you are absolutely elated. Some of you are crushed in spirit. After this latest Presidential race, there are a lot of mixed emotions. So be kind. Remember that people who think and vote for you aren’t ignorant or evil. They probably have very legitimate reasons for thinking and voting the way they do, so don’t stereotype and dismiss them. After all, they too are created in the image of God and have value and worth.

But enough of that.

I’m thankful again tonight that I serve a God of the downtrodden and oppressed.

I’m thankful that my God has a special place in His heart for the orphan and the widow.

I celebrate that God is with the outcast and the forgotten, and God is with us if we are with them.

Yes, God can work through Presidents and Congress and Senators.

The way God chooses most to be visible on this earth is through your hands and my feet.

That’s the way God chooses most to reach out to the poor in spirit and to those who hunger and thirst for something better.

Remember that real change comes not from the White House or the Supreme Court. Real change comes from God working in and through people of no account like you and me, people who are out there in the trenches doing what others said was impossible. People who may not have a great big faith but have faith in a great big God who knows how to bring life and hope out of the ashes.

Instead of bashing those who think and vote differently than you, seek to be a positive influence on those around you and strive most of all to be the change you wish to see in the world.

Above all, seek to be the face of Jesus to those on the outside who desperately need a word of hope and light.

 

Who Will You Serve?

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“If you decide that you’re not willing to serve Him, then today is the day for you to choose whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors bowed to in the land beyond the great River, or the gods of the Amorites whose country you possess. But as for me and my family, we will serve the Eternal” (Joshua 24:15, The Voice).

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last year, there’s a Presidential election happening as we speak.

Some of you are in an increasingly festive mood. Some are growing more and more despondent as the numbers continue to roll in. Just about all of you are ready for this whole mess to be over and done with, regardless of the outcome.

But as I mentioned in my last post, no matter how this election plays out, Jesus will be the Sovereign King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That will not change. Not now, not in four years, not in eight, not ever.

The question that will arise in the morning (and every morning after that) is this: Who will you serve? Will it be the gods of political parties and platforms? Will it be the gods of success and power? Will it be the gods of relationships?

Even good things like marriage, family, and children can become idols if they become the “be all, end all” reason for your existence.

Bob Dylan got it right when he said, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody.” Who will it be?

The beautiful part about God is that He will not force you or anyone else to serve Him. He will not coerce you to bow down before Him in this lifetime.

Today, I choose to serve Yahweh. I don’t profess perfect service in the past. I don’t promise to hold fast in the future. I know myself too well for that. But for today, I choose to serve the Maker of heaven and earth.

Tomorrow, whether I did well or failed miserably, I get to choose again. So will all of you.

So again I ask, who will you serve?

 

One Last Bit of Voting Advice

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By this time tomorrow, we will know who the 45th President of the United States is going to be (God willing). All the votes will be in and counted and one side or the other will have a majority (again, God willing).

I have one last bit of advice for those of you still yet to cast your ballots (and for those who already have): Remember that both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are human beings created in the image of God and died for by Jesus.

It’s easy in the heat of battle to dehumanize the opposition and make them evil monsters with no trace of humanity or feelings. It’s equally easy to do the same to those who follow said opposition.

I seem to remember what Jesus told us in regard to those we consider our enemies– He told us to pray for them. He did not mean pray for bad things like hemorrhoids or infinite paper cuts. He meant pray for them like you would want to be prayed for.

That’s it. That’s all my advice. Remember that both Hillary and Donald have worth and value because they bear the imago dei (the image of God). Remember that you do, too. All of us do.

Also never forget to pray for both of them, whatever the outcome, regardless of where you cast your vote. Pray for those whose ideologies are different than yours, who see the world differently than you. In case you missed what I’m getting at, just pray.

Oh, I almost forgot to remind you of one more thing. The day after tomorrow, when we know who the President-elect is, Jesus will still be in charge. He will still be on the throne of the universe. I believe that trumps whoever is the next President.

 

Just a Reminder: November 2016 Edition

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I wanted to pass out a quick reminder before I pass out for the night: err on the side of grace, especially now during this intense (and ridiculous) election season.

No matter who they voted for, show grace. Even if they voted for the “enemy”, show grace.

Remember that you were once the enemy that God so loved and that Jesus died for so that you who were far away and without hope could be brought near and shown mercy.

For good or ill, the election ends in 6 days. We still have to live with each other. Even politics is no excuse for disobedience to Jesus in terms of loving each other.

If you’re a sports team and your team wins, show grace. If your team loses, show grace. People remember what you said and how you acted long after the games and scores have been forgotten.

So in case you missed the main point, here it is again: err on the side of grace.

That’s it. Short and to the point.

Good night out there. May God’s grace keep and sustain you in these coming days.

 

Slouching Toward 3,000 Blog Posts

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I had all these amazing and wonderful ideas for blog posts earlier in the day, but then sleepiness happened and here we are. I’m essentially making this stuff up as I go along tonight. Don’t expect too much inspired genius from me on this Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at 10:37 pm.

First of all, I can’t even believe it’s November. Especially when it’s in the upper 80’s outside during the day. Dad-gumit, I want some authentic fall weather!

I read something that made me chortle out loud. It basically said, “Some days I feel like I’m in shape, and some days I feel like a busted can of biscuits.” I’m sure 99.9% of you just related to that last sentence. The other .1% are lying to yourselves. Both of you.

I’ve decided that while I consider myself an orthodox believer, my ideas about God have been too small and too narrow. For me, that hasn’t been so much on the theological side of things but rather in the experiential arena.

Often, I don’t pray big enough because I don’t really believe big enough. Do I really believe that God is bigger than what I’m facing? Do I really believe God wants what’s best for me? Do I believe God can accomplish what’s best for me?

If I’m honest, I might profess it with my mouth but deny it in day-to-day living, day-to-day worrying, day-to-day doubting.

God is more than a benign teddy bear figure or a crazy older relative or a cosmic law enforcer or a celestial genie in a bottle. He is the Lord Almighty that caused Isaiah both to see himself to say both, “I am a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips.” and “Here I am. Send me.” I’m still trying to wrap my head around all that God is (and probably will for the rest of eternity).

As far as feeling like that busted can of biscuits, might I suggest more celery and less Halloween candy? Just a thought.