god

God’s Inner Circle

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Perhaps you’ve been around an inner circle or two. You know what it feels like not to be included, not to have the inside information. No matter how long you’ve been around, you never get invited to said inner circle.

The good news of the gospel is for outsiders like you and me. The hope that Jesus offers is for those who never quite fit in or say the right things.

God has an inner circle and guess what? You’re invited in.

God’s inner circle is big enough for all of us. It’s for all the misfits and losers and has-beens out there.

Jesus said to His followers, “I don’t call you servants any longer; servants don’t know what the master is doing, but I have told you everything the Father has said to Me. I call you friends” (John 15:15).

You get to be a part of what God is doing in the world. You don’t have to know the password or the secret handshake. You don’t have to wear the right clothes or know the right catch-phrases. You don’t need a hipster haircut or facial hair.

All that is required is that you say YES to God in Jesus. All God wants to be able to use you is you.

This is a repeat but worth repeating: God chose you because He wanted you. He didn’t pick you because the people He really wanted were already taken. He saw you and chose you because He wanted (and still wants) you. He made you with a unique combination of talents and passions and a calling that only you can fulfill.

You get to be a part of God’s inner circle, a circle that’s wide enough for everyone who wants in. No one who truly seeks Him in faith ever gets turned away.

 

 

Refiner’s Fire

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I can think of no better illustration of what it means to be refined under God’s hand until we start to resemble our Maker than the following:

“One day we took the children to see a goldsmith refine gold after the ancient manner of the East. He was sitting beside his little charcoal fire. (‘He shall sit as a refiner’; the gold- or silversmith never leaves his crucible once it is on the fire.)

In the red glow lay a common curved roof tile; another tile covered it like a lid. This was the crucible. In it was the medicine made of salt, tamarind fruit and burnt brick dust, and imbedded in it was the gold.

The medicine does its appointed work on the gold, ‘then the fire eats it,’ and the goldsmith lifts the gold out with a pair of tongs, lets it cool, rubs it between his fingers, and if not satisfied puts it back again in fresh medicine.

This time he blows the fire hotter than it was before, and each time he puts the gold into the crucible, the heat of the fire is increased; ‘it could not bear it so hot at first, but it can bear it now; what would have destroyed it then helps it now.’

‘How do you know when the gold is purified?’ we asked him, and he answered, ‘When I can see my face in it [the liquid gold in the crucible] then it is pure’” (Amy Carmichael, Gold Cord).

When God sees His face in us, then we shall be pure.

“Like a refiner of silver,
    He will purify the descendants of Levi—
Until they are pure, unalloyed gold and silver.
    Then they will draw near to the Eternal One,
Presenting offerings with righteous, clean hands” (Malachi 3:3, The Voice)

 

Going Before

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I drove home with the windows rolled down for the first time in months. The night air on my face felt like a caress. I had Lori McKenna’s Numbered Doors playing. It was a perfect summer moment.

I’ve been thinking about what Audrey Brooks, the speaker and wife of Kairos Pastor Chris Brooks said. The Good Shepherd will never lead us to a place where He has not already gone before and made a way.

The more I as a sheep learn to hear and recognize the voice of my Shepherd, the more I know that His heart for me and His plans toward me are good. The more I know that I can trust Him without reservation, knowing He will not lead me astray. The more I can trust Him with my loved ones.

Being called a sheep isn’t a compliment. The more I learn about sheep, the more I realize that left to themselves, they won’t end up anywhere good. They can be easily led astray by enticing voices. I find that too often I can relate to stupid sheep.

I’m thankful for a patient Shepherd who keeps calling after me, who keeps reminding me of my identity, who persists in guiding me in the right paths that lead to rest and healing.

There’s not a valley so dark that I will go through where He has not already been through and come out on the other side victorious. He can and will lead us safely through.

“Experience has taught me that the Shepherd is far more willing to show His sheep the path than the sheep are to follow. He is endlessly merciful, patient, tender, and loving. If we, His stupid and wayward sheep, really want to be led, we will without fail be led. Of that I am sure” (Elizabeth Elliot).

 

Fall Preview? Almost

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As I sat on the patio at Athens Family Restaurant, eating my delightful lamb bacon burger, I noticed that for a few brief moments it almost felt like fall. Almost.

It was still too warm to really be fall-ish weather, but when the sun hid behind the clouds and a friendly breeze was blowing, I could almost imagine leaves changing colors and bonfires blazing somewhere in the distance.

As eager as I am to get to Autumn, I am not as eager to throw away the last days of summer. I know that there are no rewind or pause buttons on the remote control of life. Once a part of your life is over, you can never go back.

That’s why I am learning to cherish each and every day. Even the ones in August where the heat and humidity leave me feeling like I stepped into a sauna every time I step outside. I don’t do hot weather as well as I used to, or maybe the humidity is worse than I remember. Either way, I’m not a fan.

Still, I know that I can find the hidden joys even on the hottest days and that giving thanks still unlocks the miracles even in the midst of the humidity. After all, any day that you’re still breathing and full of purpose is a good day, regardless of circumstances or the weather.

So as I type this, I have a snoring geriatric cat on the pillow next to me. It’s just another reminder to take time to enjoy the simple pleasures of this life, the little God-winks of each day.

Thank You, God, for the day and all it holds. Thank You that no matter what comes my way, You are more than sufficient to handle it and no matter how much I hold in my hands at the end of the day, You will always be enough. Amen.

 

August and Everything After

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It seems like it should be later in August than it is. I don’t know why that is. Maybe it’s because I spend so much of my working day thinking ahead a week or two. Maybe it’s the not so subliminal desire for cooler temperatures  and less humidity.

One thing I’ve learned is not to waste away the present while pining for either the future or the past. The past is passed and can’t be altered. The future is unknown (and yet known to God). The best choice is to live fully in the present and to be present to each moment as it comes.

I know that I’ve complained about the heat on more than one occasion. I also know that the best way to receive the present as a gift is to live out of thanksgiving and gratitude rather than out of complaining and bitterness.

A friend of mine marked the anniversary of her dad’s passing by imploring those who read not to take their loved ones for granted. Tell the ones you love that you love them. Don’t assume they know and never presume that they don’t want or need to hear it from you.

I saw where John Saunders passes away suddenly at age 61. He was one of my favorite ESPN personalities who made watching sports fun. I hope his family members were able to tell him how much they loved him before he passed. I’m sure they will spend the next few days wishing they had told him more.

I don’t mean to be overly morbid. I do believe it’s good every now and then to be reminded of our own mortality. None of us will escape death. None of us will escape seeing those we love pass away.

The question isn’t how we will avoid it but how we will live in such a way that when our time comes we have no regrets about things we said and left unsaid, things we did and never got around to.

Jim Elliott, a famous missionary who sacrificed his life for the gospel, once said to live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God. I think that’s a very fitting way to live your life and I hope people will say that about me when they remember me after I’m gone.

A Great Definition of Repentence

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“Repentance means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged” (J. I. Packer).

That’s it. I think for the longest time I figured that repentance was turning away from what I was doing wrong. It was ceasing to sin.

That’s only half the story. As a friend of mine once told me, you turn away from a sinful behavior, but you also turn toward something positive to replace the old bad habit.

Otherwise you end up like the man in the parable told by Jesus who had been possessed but did nothing to fill the void. He ended up worse off than he was before.

If you don’t replace the sinful behavior with a good and godly discipline, you will simply replace it with another bad or worse habit. The best example that comes to mind is the people at an AA meeting who are chain-smoking. They gave up one habit only to replace it with another.

As my pastor says often, repentance isn’t beating yourself up. It isn’t feeling bad about what you’ve done. It’s like driving in your car one way, doing a 180, and driving the other way. You turn from sin to God.

The older I get, the more I see how much I need to repent from. I also see that even my repentance is a gift from God. I see that God isn’t hovering over me, ready to berate me for my foolish behavior and poor choices. He’s wanting me to claim my true identity not as a sinner but as a child of God.

The more I see myself the way God does, the more I live out of victory instead of defeat. The more I live out of grace and obedience instead of sin and despair.

 

Things Everyone Should Have (or Do)

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I’ve decided there are a few necessary things everyone should have in order to make their lives better. No, you won’t cease to exist without any of these, but they do make your existence (particularly on Mondays) more bearable:

  1. Everyone needs a place to escape. My place is Radnor Lake State Park. It’s as close as I’ll probably ever get to Middle Earth this side of Heaven. It’s hard to believe this panacea is probably about 10 miles from where I live.
  2. Everyone needs a geriatric pet who loves to cuddle. I’m partial to my 16-year old feline, but I love older dogs as well. It’s nice to have a furry friend to come home to.
  3. Everyone needs some good music for the road. You may let the radio do the picking for you, but I prefer the path less travelled. I have my vast CD collection and (on occasion) a considerable playlist on my iPhone.
  4. Everyone needs a good novel. Right now, what I’m reading doesn’t technically fall under the category of novel, but it’s worthwhile reading nonetheless. I’m working through Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
  5. Everyone needs a good shower. I prefer mine in the morning to help me wake up, but I’m all for those who like a steaming hot shower just before bed. Either way works for me.
  6. Everyone needs something bigger than themselves to believe in and hold on to. I choose Jesus because He’s the only one strong enough to keep all the pieces of my world in orbit and hold me together.
  7. Everyone needs chocolate. Or vanilla if you’re one of those weird people who don’t like chocolate. The end.

Thinking About Joseph

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My church, The Church at Avenue South, started a new series on the character Joseph from the book of Genesis (along with all the other campuses of Brentwood Baptist Church).

It’s a very familiar story that I’ve heard literally all my life, yet there are new lessons I can learn from the story about how God redeemed one man’s misfortune to bless and save an entire nation.

Joseph didn’t start out so well. He had dreams about being in power over his father and brothers. His decision to tell his father and brothers about these particular dreams was not a wise one. He choose rather poorly.

Can anyone else relate? I know I can. There have been seasons in my life where I’ve been poor decision-prone and where I kept sticking my foot in my mouth in conversations.

The good news is that God is for all the Josephs of the world, even during those seasons of poor decision making. There’s not a mistake or even a fiasco that God can’t redeem and turn into good in the grander scheme of His unfolding story.

Like I said before, God took every negative from Joseph’s life and used it toward His purpose of saving a family and a nation through which would later come a Savior who would save people from every ethnic group and nation.

Did that excuse Joseph’s initial arrogance? No. Will it excuse mine? No. Will it defeat God’s purposes for me and for the world around me in which I live, work, and play? No.

I am never given an excuse for disobedience, but at the same time, God can take my bad decisions and weave even those into His overall redemptive plan. While my sin will still have consequences, it doesn’t have to mean the end of my story or God’s plans for me.

God is stronger than my weaknesses and my fears. I don’t have to be perfect to be useable. I just have to be available and willing.

 

 

Another Saturday in August

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I’m going on record to officially state that I am over summer. I don’t mind heat as much as I mind the humidity that seems to never go away. Lately, even the rain doesn’t help much but only serves to make things even muggier.

I still managed to hit up all my favorite Franklin places on this wet evening. As it turns out, wearing sandals was not the wisest decision I’ve ever made in my life. My feet ended up getting a bit wet due to the constant rain that fell during my whole time in Franklin.

I still managed to spend some quality time in my favorite church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. I’m up to 20 minutes of silence with no interruptions by phones or tablets or anything else electronic. When you’ve grown accustomed to constant stimulation by social media, 20 minutes of nothing can seem like a really long time.

I still think that if I win the lottery or come into an unexpected windfall, I am moving to one of the houses on Fair Street. The whole street is like something out of a fairy tale or a George MacDonald fantasy novel. I’m not picky. I’ll take just about any of the houses there.

I almost forgot to mention that today was Serving Saturday for The Church at Avenue South. I’m not a gardener and I do not have a green thumb by any stretch of the imagination, but I got in some yard/landscaping work in, trying to unravel a tangled vine growing on one of the walls in the Room in the Inn courtyard. That was sweaty work.

My geriatric cat is on the pillow next to me as I type all this. She was snoring softly a little while ago but something woke her up for a bit (and she had that annoyed look before she went back to sleep).

I’m not too far behind her. I think I’ll send myself off to sleep with a little Gordon Lightfoot. See you all tomorrow night.