Ragamuffin Gospel

Your Narnia Fix

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Here’s a sample out of my favorite of all the Narnia books. You may have a different book that you prefer, but this one is the one I love to read the most when I make my yearly visit to The Chronicles of Narnia.

Enjoy.

“‘And where are we heading for?’ asked Edmund.

‘Well,” said Caspian, ‘that’s rather a long story. Perhaps you remember that when I was a child my usurping uncle Miraz got rid of seven friends of my father’s (who might have taken my part) by sending them off to explore the unknown Eastern Seas beyond the Lone Islands.’

‘Yes,” said Lucy, ‘and none of them ever came back.’

‘Right. Well, on my coronation day, with Aslan’s approval, I swore an oath that, if once I established peace in Narnia, I would sail east myself for a year and a day to find my father’s friends or to learn of their deaths and avenge them if I could. . . . That is my main intention. But Reepicheep here has an even higher hope.’

Everyone’s eyes turned to the Mouse.

‘As high as my spirit,’ it said. ‘Though perhaps as small as my stature. Why should we not come to the very eastern end of the world? And what might we find there? I expect to find Aslan’s own country. It is always from the east, across the sea, that the great Lion comes to us.’

‘I say, that is an idea,’ said Edmund in an awed voice.

‘But do you think,” said Lucy, “Aslan’s country would be that sort of country—I mean, the sort you could ever sail to?’

‘I do not know, Madam,” said Reepicheep. “But there is this. When I was in my cradle, a wood woman, a Dryad, spoke this verse over me:

Where sky and water meet,

Where the waves grow sweet,

Doubt not, Reepicheep,

To find all you seek,

There is the utter East.

“I do not know what it means. But the spell of it has been on me all my life.’

From The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Compiled in A Year with Aslan

There Will Be Days

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“How fortunate are those You discipline, O Eternal One,
    those You train by Your divine law;
You relieve them in times of distress,
    until a grave is dug for evildoers” (Psalm 94:12-13, The Voice).

There will be days when you’re not at your best. You won’t be 100% and you might even feel a bit fuzzy-headed.

There will be days when all the old fears and anxieties that you thought you had mastered come rushing back once more to haunt you.

There will be days when it feels like two steps forward and roughly about 9,998 steps backward.

There will be days when the lies seem so much easier to believe than God’s promises and God seems so very far away.

There will be days that you start off already feeling weary and worn even before your first cup of coffee.

God uses even these days to mature you and prune you and refine you. God works even these days for your ultimate good.

You can still find blessings and gifts on days like these if you know where to look and how to look in anticipation with joy and thanksgiving.

These days still only last 24 hours and not one second longer.

You will get through. God will see to it.

 

What I’m Up To These Days

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So I’m sure that many of you are dying to know what I’ve been up to lately. You know, like what amazing music I’m listening to and what great restaurants I’ve been frequenting. Because I am such the trend-setter.

I’ve continued my old-school trend. In the car today, I listened to a Steely Dan retrospective and Miles Davis’ Miles Ahead (another fantastic collaboration between Miles and Gil Evans).

I tried out a new (to me) Thai restaurant on 8th Avenue South called the Smiling Elephant. It was as good as the hype had led me to believe it would be. If you go there, be sure to order the Pad Thai. You will be wanting to slap yo momma.

I picked up a classic devotional at Goodwill called Come Away, My Beloved. Think of it as a kind of early version of Jesus Calling. And it was only $2.99. Win.

I’m still trying to figure out how to slow down and savor more when I’m reading God’s Word. I’m ahead of schedule on my plan to read through the Bible in a year (I’m working through Isaiah as of this writing) and I don’t want to speed-read through and miss out on what God might want to say to me.

Oh, and I could use a couple extra hours in the day, solely for the purpose of getting more sleep. I find that 5:15 comes ridiculously early these days, though it is nice to see the sun already rising when I wake up.

Every day of life is still a miracle not to be wasted on bitterness, regret, anger, fear, or envy. Every set of 24 hours is unique and precious and will not come again, so make the most of each day like it might be your last. Don’t die wishing you could have a second chance to do what you never got to do the first time.

 

 

Blinded by the Light

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I’ve been thinking quite a bit about something I heard recently about the Apostle Paul. Hopefully, you’re familiar with the story of how Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and how he was blinded by the radiance of the risen Christ.

The gist of what I heard was this: Paul’s subsequent blindness wasn’t from the absence of light but from too much of it. All Paul could see for the days and weeks that followed was the brilliant light of Jesus’ countenance. Even after, his sight was affected by this encounter (I think) to the point that he called it the thorn in his flesh.

That’s what I want. I want to be so captivated by the radiance of Jesus’ face to the point that He’s all I see. To the point where it changes the way I see everything else. To the point where everything else grows strangely dim in the glory of His resurrected presence. To the point where all the trinkets everyone else seems to be chasing lose their luster for me.

I want to be like Moses whose face literally glowed from the effects of his encounters with God, speaking face to face as with a friend. He was so transformed by his time with God that it unnerved people and they asked that he cover his face because it bothered them so much.

I don’t want people who meet me to say what a great guy I am or how witty or intelligent I am. I hope and pray they will remark on how wonderful Jesus is in the way He can take a single life and completely transform it. If they completely forget about me and remember that they encountered Jesus in a real and lasting way, I will have done what I was put on this earth to do.

Making Every Day a Sabbath

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“There are days when we seek things
for ourselves and measure failure
by what we do not gain.

On Shabbat, we seek not to acquire
but to share.

There are days when we exploit nature
as if it were a horn of plenty
that can never be exhausted.

On Shabbat, we stand in wonder
before the mystery of creation.

There are days when we act as if we
cared nothing for the rights of others.

On Shabbat, we remember that justice is
our duty and a better world our goal.

So we embrace Shabbat:
day of rest, day of wonder, day of peace” (Mishkan T’Filah, Shabbat service– borrowed from 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker)

You can argue all day long about whether Sabbath belongs on a Saturday or a Sunday. I personally believe the day isn’t as important as what you do with it.

Sabbath is a day of rest and restoration. Not necessarily a day of doing nothing. Perhaps it’s a day when you step back from the rat race and let yourself breathe in and out and just be.

Sabbath is a day to remember that it’s not up to you to get it all done. In fact, the most vitally important work has already been done. God in Jesus did it through Calvary.

The universe does not revolve around you and all your drama. You aren’t the point of the story God is writing but you still get to play a part in it. You do matter very much to the same God who never lets a sparrow fall to the ground.

The world will go on just fine if you step out for a moment. Contrary to popular opinion, the universe will not cease to exist if you take a break from your hectic 24/7 schedule. Go and take that nap.

Sabbath is about trusting the Maker of the Universe to keep it going. To keep you going. To keep you safe. To keep you sane. To get you through and get you home.

 

 

My Life Four Years Later

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Four years ago today, I got called into a meeting with two HR reps at my old job. They sat me down and let me know that my job was being eliminated and that I was no longer needed– effective immediately.

That day started off as most work weekdays do. I showed up and started doing my job with not even the slightest inkling of something fishy. I never suspected the company was about to let 50 employees go that day. I don’t think too many people had a clue of what was about to happen.

I’ve found out that day and every day since that God is bigger than my employment status. He’s bigger than what’s in my checkbook. He’s bigger than any amount of bills that are coming due.

God is bigger than anything I’ve yet faced or will ever face. More than that, God is enough. For whatever still lies ahead for me to face, God is enough.

Looking back, I see that perhaps I was getting a little too complacent with my life at that point. Maybe God needed to shake things up a bit.

I can’t say that my faith has grown by leaps and bounds. I do know more than ever that it’s not a big faith in God that counts but faith in a big God– even if that faith is as minuscule as a mustard seed.

It’s not that I have such a stranglehold on God. There have been days when I know that I’ve been carried, too helpless to hold onto much of anything. God has been holding me.

I repeat what I said earlier– God is enough. God is sufficient. If I ended up with everything I could ever want in this life time and don’t have God, I have nothing. If all I have at the end is God and nothing else, I have everything.

 

FOMO?

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“And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there” (1 Corinthians 7:17, The Message).

I was the walking definition of FOMO long before such a term ever existed. Back in my college days, I went through a period where I would wander the Union campus in search of the exciting event I feared I was missing out on. There had to be something great with lots of people involved– almost everyone except me– that if I found it and participated would drastically alter my life for the better.

I probably wasted more than a few nights chasing after these mystical and mythical moments that never materialized.

Now, FOMO (or Fear Of Missing Out) is the prevalent excuse for a lack of commitment by so many– why tie yourself down to someone or something when the possibility of something better still remains?

It seems to me that with FOMO, you do miss out. You miss out on the beautiful ordinary moment you’re in while you’re searching out the elusive and illusory moment. Wherever you are, the grass will always appear greener somewhere else.

It’s like in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe where Eustace spurns good ordinary food in hopes of getting more of that magical Turkish delight from the White Witch. He ends up with neither and with nothing but regrets.

The opposite of FOMO is celebrating the moment God gives you and finding the gifts in it. FOMO says that God is holding out on you but faith says that God is true and trustworthy in all circumstances.

The antidote to FOMO is giving thanks for what you have over fretting over what you don’t have or working about missing out on what might have been. The cure is to see every moment as part of God’s plan to work all things together for your good. Even those ordinary moments.

 

Friday Eve (Also Known as Thursday)

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It’s Friday Eve, known to most of the normal folks of the world as Thursday. For me, it’s the one day of the week where I don’t have to be anywhere or do anything.

As usual, I was very deliberate in my choice of musical accompaniment for my daily trek to and from work. I chose Miles Davis, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Van Morrison (along with WAY-FM and Mornings with Wally).

As usual, the best day of my week lasted as long as the worst (and I really didn’t have any bad days– I’m just making a point here). The very worst day you’ll ever face still only has 24 hours. As much as it may feel like it some days, the horrible no-good very bad days do not last forever.

I still need God as much on my best days when all my traffic lights are green and the commute is light as I do when I seem to hit every traffic light just as it’s turning red and everything I touch implodes. My need for Jesus hasn’t diminished with any spiritual growth or maturity. In contrast, all my growing up has shown me with increasing clarity my increasing awareness of my total and complete dependence on God.

That’s not a bad thing. As Jesus says in His beatitudes, blessed are those who know their own poverty of spirit and desperate need, for God’s Kingdom belongs to these people. Those are the ones always with open hands rather than closed fists who ask and receive in such abundance that the overflow touches the lives of those in their circle with whom they live, work, and play.

I find myself praying a lot more in traffic, especially on that one part when I have to cross over four lanes to get to my exit. I’m always relieved to get that part out of the way.

I doubt I’ll ever reach a point in my life where I’m not grateful for Friday. It’s automatically awesome for being the last day of the work week.

Oh, by the way, TGIF in advance.

 

Cherishing the Moments

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It’s 10:43 and I am just about to call it a night. At this point, I feel like I could sleep straight through to next Wednesday. I’m that tired.

But it’s a good tired. I put it a full day’s work at my job, went to the last night of a fantastic Bible study class on the book of Revelation, then joined some friends for a birthday celebration dinner.

I had some classic music in the car as my soundtrack on my trek to all these places– first, I had Miles Davis’ E. S. P. Later, I put in Van Morrison’s Moondance. Nothing like going old-school. Not even annoying road construction could dampen the good vibes brought on by this good music.

I love that for the past few days, the weather has felt more like fall than spring. There’s even been a hint of chill in the air. I almost feel the need to bust out my flannel. Almost.

My old boss where I used to work would often say to me when I asked how her day was going, “Any day without a toe tag is a good day.”

Any day that I get to wake up and join in this business of living is a good day. Yet, as good as life is when you appreciate and give thanks for all those 1000 gifts and blessings, this is not as good as it gets. I got reminded again in the last chapter of Revelation. My best day here pales in comparison to what’s to come. My best day here doesn’t even come close to my worst day in heaven. Sure, any day without that toe tag is a good day.

The day that I wake up in the presence of Jesus will be an even better day.

 

What Are the Questions?

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This is a post by a surprise guest blogger. Actually, it’s a quote from one of my favorite authors, Frederick Buechner, that I posted on social media a year ago today.

I may not always 100% agree with everything he says, but I like most of it. Plus, I appreciate good writing, and he is a very good writer.

Here is what he said that impacted me so much back on May 17, 2015:

“On her deathbed, Gertrude Stein is said to have asked, ‘What is the answer?’ Then, after a long silence, ‘What is the question?’ Don‘t start looking in the Bible for the answers it gives. Start by listening for the questions it asks.

We are much involved, all of us, with questions about things that matter a good deal today but will be forgotten by this time tomorrow—the immediate wheres and whens and hows that face us daily at home and at work—but at the same time we tend to lose track of the questions about things that matter always, life-and-death questions about meaning, purpose, and value. To lose track of such deep questions as these is to risk losing track of who we really are in our own depths and where we are really going. There is perhaps no stronger reason for reading the Bible than that somewhere among all those India-paper pages there awaits each one of us, whoever we are, the one question that (though for years we may have been pretending not to hear it) is the central question of our individual lives. Here are a few of them:

• For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? (Matthew 16:26)

• Am I my brother’s keeper? (Genesis 4:9)

• If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

• What is truth? (John 18:38)

• How can anyone be born after having grown old? (John 3:4)

• What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun? (Ecclesiastes 1:3)

• Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? (Psalm 139:7)

• Who is my neighbor? (Luke 10:29)

• What shall I do to inherit eternal life? (Luke 10:25)

When you hear the question that is your question, then you have already begun to hear much. Whether you can accept the Bible’s answer or not, you have reached the point where at least you can begin to hear it too.

~originally published in Wishful Thinking and later in Beyond Words