Traveling the Crooked Path

More of a Mystic

2012-01-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

“Have you commanded the morning since your days began,

and caused the dawn to know its place,

that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,

and the wicked be shaken out of it?

It is changed like clay under the seal,

and its features stand out like a garment.

From the wicked their light is withheld,

and their uplifted arm is broken.

Have you entered into the springs of the sea,

or walked in the recesses of the deep?

Have the gates of death been revealed to you,

or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?

Declare, if you know all this.

“Where is the way to the dwelling of light,

and where is the place of darkness,

that you may take it to its territory

and that you may discern the paths to its home?

You know, for you were born then,

and the number of your days is great!

Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,

or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,

which I have reserved for the time of trouble,

for the day of battle and war?

What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,

or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?

(Job 38:12-24, ESV)

The term “mystic” has fallen on some hard times in Christian circles. Some would limit its use only to describe people who look to God as some sort of magic force and spend most of their time pursuing and contemplating something other than the material world. The term does get connected, historically, with certain individuals who may have held to those positions, but in my reading, I’ve seen a bit of a “revival” of sorts in using this term. And it’s along those lines I see my heart trending in my pursuit of God.

When I think of “mystic”, it makes me think of the similar root word “mystery”. And, as I’ve contemplated those thoughts, the authors I’ve read over the past few years, and the Bible, I was drawn to the simple highlighted phrase from God’s answer to Job from the passage above. I believe, in the purest sense of the word, God was challenging Job to become more of a mystic than he had ever been. He was asking this man who He allowed to be afflicted and whose “friends” had laid into him harshly to consider that he really didn’t know everything in the first place. They’ve told us forever that no two snowflakes are exactly alike … I can only imagine what a “storehouse” of them might look like under a microscope.

So, as I ponder the wonders and mysteries both around me and that God has yet to reveal (not to mention the ones He won’t ever really explain), I find myself drawn to the label of a “mystic” more than ever. And I like that label when I consider the majesty and awe both that I see and that I don’t see. I like it when I consider the incomprehensible love of a Father who would, quite literally, mortgage Heaven in order to pursue me. The mystery of it all is something I pray will never grow stale.

As I travel my Crooked Path, I want to respond like Job did when God took a breath and let him speak. He took back all the questions, all the comments and didn’t seem to worry that they weren’t answered like he originally desired. I’d like to think he sat down and let the mystery of who God is and what He was doing wash over him and wrap him up. I’d like to think Job became a completely confirmed “mystic” as I’ve described it … and I’d like to believe I am headed in that same direction.

Fortune Cookies and Magic 8-Balls

2012-01-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:10-17, ESV)

If you really want to dig into the meaning of this blog title and the impact of this passage deeper, I strongly suggest you carve out about an hour of your time and listen to this message from Scott Wildey of Flood Church in San Diego. Download the MP3 and play it while you workout or just relax - I guarantee it will challenge your thinking about how these verses (verse 16 in particular) have been explained before. For now, I’ll give you my thoughts on the challenge to my heart and how what Scott said plays into other things I’ve been thinking about for the past couple of years.

The division of our Bibles into verses, chapters, and even books is a wonderful thing … up to a point. These formats make it easier for a writer, preacher, one who memorizes, and even a reader to share a particular word from God or any of a host of other practical applications. Yet, they also provide an artificial barrier to what the story as a whole is trying to tell us. For example, I was part of a team teaching a class a few years ago that focused on the “fruit of the Spirit” from Galatians. During my preparation, I took the opportunity to listen to the entire letter Paul wrote multiple times so I could understand the context of that little list. What struck me is that the “list” itself is pretty much an afterthought to the rest of the letter. That event and several other things cemented the whole concept in my mind.

God didn’t write “individual verses, chapters, or books”. God spoke through individuals who related their part of His story and great people through history preserved and translated it so we can read it for ourselves today. And, while we might find practical application in any part of it (just like the verse above says), we can’t lose sight of the bigger purpose of Scripture as one massive story - a story that always points toward redemption because of what Jesus did. To view it as less, which was Scott’s main point, is to reduce it (and God) to the trite sayings of a fortune cookie or the “magic” of that liquid-filled 8-ball we played with so long ago. And, if you are doing only that, you are missing far too much.

The Crooked Path takes us on an intensely personal journey that has been walked millions of times by others just like us. We tread the same ground, the same ups and downs as so many others did and many more will. The one constant in our journey is the Divine Brother who the Father provides to walk the path along side of us. He gives us His Word as a story of how to live and grow, and He gives us Himself as the way to learn and apply it. Paul, in his “last will and testament” that is our book of Second Timothy tells his protoge this exact thing - search the Story and find yourself a part of it … then let God use you as He would.

Stretch Your Faith

2012-01-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

After this, Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee (some call it Tiberias). A huge crowd followed him, attracted by the miracles they had seen him do among the sick. When he got to the other side, he climbed a hill and sat down, surrounded by his disciples. It was nearly time for the Feast of Passover, kept annually by the Jews. 6When Jesus looked out and saw that a large crowd had arrived, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy bread to feed these people?" He said this to stretch Philip's faith. He already knew what he was going to do. Philip answered, "Two hundred silver pieces wouldn't be enough to buy bread for each person to get a piece." One of the disciples—it was Andrew, brother to Simon Peter—said, "There's a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But that's a drop in the bucket for a crowd like this." Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." There was a nice carpet of green grass in this place. They sat down, about five thousand of them. Then Jesus took the bread and, having given thanks, gave it to those who were seated. He did the same with the fish. All ate as much as they wanted. When the people had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples, "Gather the leftovers so nothing is wasted." They went to work and filled twelve large baskets with leftovers from the five barley loaves. (John 6:1-13, The Message)

It’s a story we learn in Sunday School from a very early age. It’s one of the most memorable miracles Jesus performed - and he did it two different times. But there are some lessons within this story that deserve more than just a “Sunday School” look because they cut to the very heart of how I should and do believe.

Jesus is asking His disciples for some input on a very practical problem - hungry people. He already knows what He is going to do (I just love that part), but He wants His men to think about the challenge, perhaps even think “out of the box” a little. And, as we see so often, they fail to see beyond their noses. They miss the point of His questions because of their pre-conceived notions about how things work and the way they believe they ought to happen. Philip says they can’t possibly buy enough. Andrew finds a small lunch, but then notes it wouldn’t provide even a crumb for everyone present. But at least there is that lunch …

Now, we don’t know anything about this little boy. We don’t know if he offered his lunch up or if Andrew spotted it. I’d like to think, given the way Jesus and children interacted, that the boy was open to the possibilities of what might happen. He was willing to accept that Jesus would do something not normally expected. And, as the story unfolds, that is exactly what happened.

But, Jesus doesn’t just tell the Disciples to “Stand back and let Me handle this.” He begins by thanking His Father and then He enlists their help in passing out the meal. He involves them, gets them to participate in what is going on so they can stretch their own faith and see first-hand the lavish abundance God provides to the crowd. Jesus took the small faith of the disciples and that one tiny lunch and made a picnic in which nobody walked away hungry.

As I face this New Year on the Crooked Path, I want to pause and ask myself a single question. Am I willing to give up what little I hold and stretch my faith?

At the Stable Once Again

2011-12-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

This would not be considered your “typical” Christmas story, but if you can bear with me, I assure you I will tie it all in before I’m done.

They must have looked like an unassuming family to most everyone else. Their immigrant background and their less-than-perfect command of English probably made many think they were uneducated, despite the fact that both were trained professionals. Still, none would have suspected their life was about to change so drastically on that day now several decades past. No one would have foreseen a wicked, premeditated act that would snatch one of their children from them and leave their world, effectively, standing still for oh so long.

The subsequent years brought false reports of a girl who might be the one taken - but they never turned out to provide the happy ending. Still, even through difficult family times, Ed and Liz never truly gave up hope. And, at the center of that hope, was a faith that God still knew them and would not abandon them to all that had happened. That faith was fulfilled a few short years ago when mother, father, and daughter were reunited - never having been far from each other geographically for so many years. In the end, the “rescue” continues as family ties that despair could not break are strengthened and rebuilt.

Over 2,000 years ago, a young peasant couple on the brink of marriage received some startling news as well. She was found to be pregnant before the marriage had been consummated. This was a terrible scandal for the small town and both families, as one might imagine. Yet, the couple maintained hope because of their faith in a couple of rather strange and spectacular messages. So, when the order came around that a census (and tax) was to be enacted, Joseph and Mary went to the ancestral home of Bethlehem along with so many others who could trace their lineage back to King David. That tiny town just on the outskirts of Jerusalem was overflowing with a mass of humanity who were very likely tired, hungry, ill-tempered, and looking for a place to sleep.

It seems so odd to me that this supposed “no account” couple, pregnant out of wedlock and without a proper room for the night, are the human parents of the Messiah. Odder still is the fact that the first announcement outside the family was to simple shepherds on a nearby hill. But then again, God’s heart always is pitched toward those who realize their own spiritual poverty, isn’t it? So, perhaps, we should expect to see these common people at that stable, peering into a hay trough at the newborn King of kings.

Brennan Manning frames it this way:

“The Bethlehem mystery will ever be a scandal to aspiring disciples who seek a triumphant Savior and a prosperity Gospel. The infant Jesus was born in unimpressive circumstances, no one can say exactly where. His parents were of no social significance whatsoever, and his chosen welcoming committee were all turkeys, losers, and dirt-poor shepherds. but in this weakness and poverty the shipwrecked at the stable would come to know the love of God.”

And so, this Christmas, as I linger a bit longer at the manger, I am happy to count myself as one of the “shipwrecked”. I’m in good company with those shepherds, the humble couple who would raise a Savior, and with people like Liz and Ed. When I’ve seen my own poverty for what it truly is, then I know how great a Rescue God provided for me from such obscure beginnings.

I leave you with this song and trust that you will find strength and hope in the One who was given to us so long ago. I hope you can come to Him again at the stable and rejoice with the rest of the shipwrecked.

All is Well

2011-12-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

“All is well, all is well. Angels and men rejoice. For tonight, darkness fell into the Dawn of Love’s Light.”

What an incredible thought on this fourth Sunday of Advent. I had the privilege of conducting the choir for one song in this morning’s presentation while the director and his wife did a duet. The core of the song for the choir was Wayne Kirkpatrick & Michael W. Smith’s All is Well, the words of which I quoted above. As we ran through this in previous practice sessions and then again today, I was struck by the simplicity yet boldness of this statement. These are exactly the words God spoke that first Christmas over 2,000 years ago first to the shepherds and then to the world. Despite over 400 years of silence from His prophets, the “fullness of time” had finally arrived and God told the world in that very strange way that, “All is well and I am still in control.”

A young peasant couple, traveling to a tiny, back-water town simply because of his lineage and a governmental order, find themselves camped out back in the only space available. Ordinary shepherds, just a hillside away, get the first announcement to go see this child. And there, among the animals and the most common of common people, God whispers His greatest message to mankind …

“All is well … I’ve sent you My Son as Messiah - just like I’d planned all along. May you find peace and rest in Him. All is well.”

Extra note - to hear a beautiful rendition, head over to a post my friend Grant Lewis made on his blog two years ago.

Unexpected, Ignored, and Disregarded

2011-12-10T16:31:00.001-08:00

Our living room has an Advent wreath on the coffee table. On Sunday, we’ll light the third candle which happens to be rose in color based on traditional liturgy. It is specifically known as the Prophet’s Candle and stands for “Joy”. Those prophets, in the midst of their messages of warning, pointed to a time when God’s Great Joy would come into the world. Now, many a scholar had read the words over and over, but when it came down to the actual event, it wasn’t at all what they expected. In fact, it was so outside of their self-made system of religion, that they ignored and disregarded it … that is to say Him … until the point where He annoyed them enough they sought to kill Him. But that’s getting way ahead of the story my Advent wreath tells and I’d rather focus on that part of the story this time around.

While multiple scriptures pointed to Bethlehem, that was definitely a town to be ignored and disregarded. Think of the small, sleepy village bursting at the seams with grumpy people who only went back there because the authorities wanted to count noses. Then along come this simple carpenter and his pregnant fiancée late one evening and there isn’t a bed to be found anywhere. They finally settle with an innkeeper on the use of his stable. And there, in the most unexpected of places, God places Jesus into humanity to unfold the greatest, if most brief, part of His Master Plan. To add to the “wrong side of the tracks” feel of it, the only witnesses are some local shepherds - and they weren’t members of high society by any means.

You see, the religious of that day some two thousand years ago, were no different from the ones we see so often today. They all have some image of who God is or what He demands and it’s just not the truth. No, the truth is usually unexpected which leads to it being ignored and disregarded. Sadly, it still happens that way today by the same “religious” people who refused to accept the Humble Jesus in that stable. It’s just the way thing happen in this fallen world when people make God out to be something He isn’t and never will be.

But the Truth is that we are loved, we are accepted, and God will never ignore or abandon us. He’s never what the religious ones expect because they can’t fathom He would be that humble and human by nature. The journey on the Crooked Path is filled with fellow travelers who know the True Jesus and are actively spreading His Story. It’s almost as if there is a fresh Advent out there that is pointing back to the First Advent and the Second in new ways. And that’s something I think is worth celebrating this year as I light those candles in my wreath.

May the Joy of the Father overwhelm you and may you also come to see Jesus in a new way this Advent Season.

Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love

2011-12-02T07:17:00.001-08:00

The obvious signs of Advent season have arrived at my house. There is the calendar with the growing Nativity scene (you put something new up every day), the Advent wreath complete with the high-tech candles sits on the coffee table, and the chosen book is there ready to be read each evening. Even as the girls have grown older, we still love these traditions because they cause us to stop and reflect on the season. This becomes more important as the world around us seems to move at a faster and faster pace - increasing almost daily in its ability to overtake and overwhelm.

As I did last year, I find I don’t want to rush past the wonder and majesty of an Infant Jesus lying humbly in a stable feed trough. This is the gateway to the Story of Redemption God is unfolding. The humanity of Jesus is absolutely critical to the plot and the First Advent is all about His humanity. We can’t fall for some theological thoughts about his Divine nature being only slightly veiled in the midst of that crude cradle. We need to understand that He willingly set aside a great portion of his Divine nature so He could go through the complete human experience. He had to in order to complete the work on our behalf.

My challenge to you is to reflect on the First Advent this year. Consider the important part it plays in God’s Story. Seek to understand the impact of the humanity of Jesus. And perhaps light the weekly candles for Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love as a part of your reflection.

Reflections

2011-11-20T14:46:00.001-08:00

Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. (Ecclesiastes 7:13-14)

As I reflect on the celebration and sorrow this weekend holds, I ask myself, “Am I marking the passage of time, or am I looking to mark the time of my passage?” There truly is a difference and the two events ever entwined in a single day of my life eleven years ago. The verse from Ecclesiastes really took hold on that day, the nineteenth of November in 2000. Many of you know the stories either because I have told them or because you were a part of them. But this year, based on where the journey has taken me, I’m pulled back through this lens once again.

It was a Sunday afternoon with the celebration only a one-year-old birthday can entail. And then the phone calls started coming. In the middle of our joy, we reached out as Mike slipped from this life into the next quietly and in the company of family. My sister-in-law Bobbie graciously held the memorial service on a Saturday so we could all make our travel arrangements more easily (it was Thanksgiving weekend and I would fly out there on a Friday). As we hugged and said goodbye when I left her house a couple days later, she told me, “You need to finish Mike’s book.” I sat on that request for several years until this blog (and the books I’ve drawn from it) were born.

This past week, I’ve taken the challenge of listening multiple times to a message from author Donald Miller that is the primary reason for my revisiting the origins of the Crooked Path. Miller speaks candidly about the story of Joseph and uses the literary device of a story line to describe the positive and negative turns our life stories take. In the midst of that, he draws attention to our God who is in the business of redeeming even the most negative of the turns and bringing glory to Himself as a result. And Joseph’s life is just such a story - it is a beautiful story which is, as Miller puts it, “full of pain”.

And so, I find myself thinking about my own life and the positive and negative turns. They don’t always come in such rapid fashion as they did on that day shared with my daughter and my brother, but they do come. In considering both the positive and negative turns (but especially the negative ones), I ask myself,

“Am I merely marking the passage of time? Am I just living life from event to event without much thought to how they connect and what God is doing? Or am I marking the time of my passage, looking to make sure that God is seen and my life is remembered as one that presented a clear view of His story told through me?”

Life on this Crooked Path will be filled with joy and pain. I want to live the kind of life and walk the path in such a way that people will say, “He died too young” even if it happens when I’m 100. I want to live well for all the right reasons. I want to tell a story that people will remember. And I want to watch God redeem the negative turns because that is exactly what He does.

A Spring in My Step

2011-11-13T12:38:00.001-08:00

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. (Colossians 3:1-4, The Message)

To say that it was a beautiful wedding would be a vast understatement. It was simply elegant … and elegantly simple. Choosing an outdoor venue in early November - even when it the venue is in North Carolina - is a risk. Then again, the entire concept of marriage is a risk as well. Yet, on what was a near-perfect November Saturday, my young friends Dru and Emily threw caution to the wind and pledged themselves to one another for the rest of their lives. They stood there in front of our pastor on a simple platform, accessed by an “aisle” of Fall’s best leaves. It was just the three of them up there - neither had an entourage of attendants - with all the rest of us sitting or standing and observing.

Oh, and then there was the simple reception complete with dancing. Our church gymnasium looked equally elegant for that part and you could tell by the laughter and activity that this was a special celebration. As I hugged each of them, I knew they and everyone else enjoyed the day to the utmost. And that’s exactly as it should be, for there are few other earthly celebrations that match the picture of God’s tireless love for and pursuit of us.

It came together as my pastor gave his message from Colossians. As I often do, I looked at the other translations available to me and focused again on Peterson’s rendering of the text. The words “don’t shuffle along” leapt off the page. God wants us to put a spring in our step, to walk with a purpose. I saw that very walk when Dru and his family went up that path of leaves. I saw it again as Emily and her father took the same path. And I most definitely saw it as Dru picked up his new bride and carried her … at least for a short distance … back the same way. They had done all this with a purpose. They had made those trips because of what had happened in the past, what was happening at that moment, and for the promise of what was to come.

Paul told the Colossian church the same thing. They needed to walk with a purpose because of what Christ had done for them and the relationship they had embraced with their Savior. They needed to walk as a people with a living, active connection to their Savior and to those who had gone before them and were already “at the dance”. They were pressing on toward that future state when they would see a return not only of Christ, but of all that was.

As I travel my own Crooked Path, I need to do the same thing. I am on the path for a reason – I have a Savior who has made provision for me to be here. He is actively involved in my life so that I can be His light to those around me as I travel. And He is most definitely waiting for me at the end … He’s there to usher me into a guaranteed future for which I was designed. I need to stop shuffling and look up. I need to set my heart that which is yet before me. And I need to do it with a spring in my step.

Comfortable with My Nothingness

2011-11-06T04:38:00.000-08:00

As a week full of rather unusual things closes and the prospect of a new week dawns, I'm drawn to the following by Brennan Manning (Reflections for Ragamuffins, November 4 entry). In a world where the self-made and self-righteous abound, these thoughts offer me a center, a grounding that reminds me once again of how much God has done for me and how I bring absolutely nothing to the table myself. That, friends, is the pure definition of Grace ...

"The gospel declares that no matter how dutiful or prayerful we are, we can't save ourselves ...

"Maybe this is the heart of our hang-up, the root of our dilemma. we fluctuate between castigating ourselves and congratulating ourselves because we are deluded into thinking we save ourselves. We develop a false sense of security from our good works and scrupulous observance of the law. Our halo gets too tight, and a carefully disguised attitude of moral superiority results. Or, we are appalled by our inconsistency, devastated that we haven't lived up to our lofty expectations of ourselves. The roller-coaster ride of elation and depression continues.

"Why? Because we never lay hold of our nothingness before God, and, consequently, we never enter into the deepest reality of our relationship with him. But when we accept ownership of our powerlessness and helplessness, when we acknowledge that we are paupers at the door of God's mercy, then God can make something beautiful out of us."

And the Path Goes On

2011-10-24T18:35:00.001-07:00

Do you see what this means - all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running - and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (Hebrews12:1-3, The Message)

I started the first collection of thoughts I titled "The Crooked Path" over two years ago. Since that time, I've written thoughts that have connected with my past, my present, and even some looking toward the future. It started out as a kind of memorial to my late brother Mike who chose the verse about this them from Ecclesiastes 7 during his battle with cancer. All this has given me pause to think many times in the eleven years since we said our final goodbye to him.

But, as I write this, there are other milestones I encounter. It happens to be my forty-eighth birthday today. And, while that means well wishes, gifts, cards, and such, it also marks the coming of another milestone ... tomorrow (October 25, 2011) marks twenty-five years since we sent Dad on ahead. As I consider the weight of those years - so distant and yet still so heavy - I am also reminded that the Crooked Path still has miles for me to travel.

So, how does one go about remembering the past but not letting it weigh you down? What really does lie ahead? The writer in Hebrews had a few thoughts along these lines. In that letter, after the wonderful section about the heritage of faith that has gone before us, he comes to what we know as chapter twelve and opens it with the thoughts above. In those verses, I find two themes on which to set my heart.

First, I am to lay aside anything that holds me back. All the trappings of this present world, the sin and fault that always seems to try and hold me back, anything that would keep me from what is ahead. And, second, I need to refocus on Jesus and take to the Crooked Path they way He traveled it.

There is no problem I cannot bring to Him. I will find not one square inch of my path where He has not gone before me. He is the seasoned Guide who knows how to make it through. He is my Divine Older Brother, encouraging and lifting me every step - at every turn. I do not travel alone, regardless of how isolated I may feel at times. Plus, I can walk with Him in the courage and strength of those who have gone before me, knowing I am not the first to take this journey and I will not be the last. They line my path and call out from the finish in an echo of God's message to me.

Yet in another, mysterious way, Jesus is also at the end of the Crooked Path. He always has been, ever since the day the Father received Him back into His presence and seated Jesus at His side. It is a place of honor I can think of when the way gets especially weary. I can close my eyes and think about my Lord and Savior waiting at the end of my journey as well.

Oddly enough, the thoughts that speak to me most clearly are those exchanged by a wizard and a Hobbit. The exchange, which happens as the gate is about to be broken down, goes as follows:

Pippin: I didn't think it would end this way.

Gandalf: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it.

Pippin: What? Gandalf? See what?

Gandalf: White shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise.

Pippin: Well, that isn't so bad.

Gandalf: No. No, it isn't.

So, when the "grey rain-curtain" that shrouds my Crooked Path finally rolls back, I can be assured of what I will see. I will see my Dad, Mike, and many others who have gone before me. I believe they will know I am coming, just like the Hebrews passage says. But most of all, I will see Jesus and I'll know this part of my journey is complete. And, as the young Hobbit said, that won't be so bad at all. The journey is temporary, you see, but it leads to a permanent home. That is a very encouraging thought for the journey.

Is the journey getting difficult for you? Can you trust the words from Hebrews that you can find encouragement, the kind only faith can bring?
Can you feel your Divine Brother both beside you and ahead of you, helping and also waiting?
When you can't hold on by yourself, can you trust God to do it for you?

Defeated with Goodness

2011-10-15T16:49:00.001-07:00

So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (Acts 10:34-43, ESV)

The news feeds on social media sites can be both a blessing and a curse. More than once, I've ended up blocking a story or a person just because the content isn't what I want to see. Most of the time, it's just something to ignore and move on. Once in a while, I get one that causes me to click and go deeper. And not just to add some inane comment either ... there is just something that draws me there. That is exactly what happened earlier this week. Here it is several days later, and I just can't stop thinking about it.

I've noted before that I like Donald Miller's writing. At least three of his books have served to help prod me along in a change of thought and sustain that line of thinking as well. I've been challenged to think about how much bigger God is than I may have been lead to believe. I've been drawn to my own story as a part of His Great Story and encouraged as I seek to raise my daughters and help them find their best part in what God has in store. But this simple feed on my Facebook account really set me to thinking. And it really wasn't the feed or even the blog post it pointed to. It was a simple phrase within that post where Miller said:

"Christ, defeat me with your goodness."

The instant I read that phrase, lights and alarms went off in the back of my head. Since that point, I've spent time processing the simplicity of the words and the depth it takes to seriously make that kind of a request. My mind has raced in multiple directions, perhaps even trying to minimize or escape the very essence of the words.

I have written so many things over the course of the two-plus years since I started to lay out my thoughts about this Crooked Path. I've shared my journey, my passion, my pain. At times I have railed against those who would seem to make God so very small and angry. I've held out encouragement because I have been encouraged. And I have always said that God is an intensely personal God who pursues us with a passion the likes of which we cannot find elsewhere. But Donald Miller's simple words, uttered in his mind at a communion service and shared on his blog, have given me cause to think about it all over again.

Yes, I still believe that God is pursuing us as individuals. But, perhaps, in my quest for Him to be so personal, I've done much the same thing as I've accused others of doing with Him - making Him out to be less than He truly is. This phrase, these simple six words, bring me back to a place where I must understand and embrace that I bring nothing to the exchange that is worth anything. I come, bereft of worth and a wanting creature, to face the Creator in the person of Jesus and ask Him to knock down all that I work so hard to stand up on my own. I ask, as Miller does, to be defeated by His goodness.

That goodness - the heart and soul of the Gospel - picks me up and carries me along the Crooked Path. Only when I try to stand alone or step away from it do I find myself vulnerable to that which stands in opposition. No, it may not always look or feel "good" as I would define it, but when it comes from the very Son of God, I can trust that it is good. May that be enough for me, for you, for all of us. And may we truly pray with a renewed heart, "Christ, defeat me with your goodness."

What are you seeking today? Or, perhaps a better question, what are you hiding from?
Have you started doing things that attempt to shape or mold God into the image you want to see rather than see Him as He really is?
Are you at the place where you want to ask, deep in your heart, for Christ to "defeat you with His goodness"? Can you trust His goodness to really be that good?

A City of Refuge

2011-10-09T06:56:00.001-07:00

Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'Designate the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood. He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and state his case in the hearing of the elders of that city; and they shall take him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may dwell among them. Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand. He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the manslayer shall return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.'" So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. These were the appointed cities for all the sons of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation. (Joshua 20, NASB)

It was an accident ... I swear before all that is holy ... it was an accident. But even as the last breath of life ebbed from my friend, I knew I had to run. Accident or no, his hot-headed brother would come for me. He never liked me in the first place, despite the fact that we were from the same tribe. And now he had the excuse he had longed for to do me in. Weighing all this very quickly, I dropped my axe right there in the grove and ran. As I ran, I breathed a prayer of thanks to the God who had provided a nearby City of Refuge - the place that would be my home for many years to come.

It had started like any other day. My friend and I had been sent off by our fathers to continue clearing trees from the grove so we could expand our community farm. We weren't alone, either. Other young men were there doing exactly what we were assigned to do. It was a way of life for us and I was happy to be working side-by-side with my friend. But, accidents happen and this particular one was tragic indeed.

How the tree shifted and fell I may never know, but it did. And, as it fell in what seemed to be a pause in time, I could not reach my friend. The tree crushed him and he died. Others around could clearly see that something terrible had happened ... and that included my friend's brother. So, as I said before, I find myself running. I have no time to stop and grieve, for to stop is to die at the hands of the one who pursues me. Oh God! How could this have happened to me?

You can imagine a story such as this playing out in ancient times. The scared young man, out of breath and out of options, arrives at the gate of one of the six cities of refuge. He quickly tells his story and is taken in by the Levites who live there. God has provided a safe haven for him so that justice can be served, in this case meaning a second life isn't wasted in some rash judgment. There will be a death, a substitutionary one.

The young man will live among the Levites in the city of refuge until the High Priest dies. Perhaps this was meant as a way to appease the family who lost their own son. Surely, we see a picture of our gracious God and His provision for our refuge in the death of Christ. We see this again and again as David writes Psalms about the theme of God being his only refuge. And we see an example of what we can be to those around us who need it. We have come to God for our own refuge and, as a result, we can be a people of refuge for everyone we encounter, pointing them to Life!

The Crooked Path offers no promises other than its final destination and the assurance that I do not walk it alone. My Refuge is not only a destination, it is a very present help and encouragement. Just like the Israelite cities of refuge, God in Christ provides it without bias or barrier. We need only to accept that provision and enter the gates. They are always open and we can live there because it is a better place and our new home. At the center we will find our High Priest who will never die again ... that makes this Refuge permanent rather than temporary. I don't have to fear or feel insecure again.

Are you running today, trying to find someplace to rest from somebody or something that is pursuing you?
Can you trust the God who provides this refuge to keep you safe? Are you struggling to make your own refuge instead?
What would it be like if you could find true rest from fear, even if things around you didn't change all that much? What is keeping you from coming in the "gate" and finding just that?

More Than a Lunch Date

2011-10-02T12:31:00.001-07:00

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:1-10, NKJV)

Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. Sound familiar to you? In my Sunday School past, that was pretty much the theme of the story Luke related in his Gospel account. A short, despised tax collector in Jericho had a desire to see the Rabbi as He passed through town. There were many people pressing in and, because he couldn't get through the crowd and was too short to see over the top, Zacchaeus found a tree beside the road where Jesus would pass so he could at least catch a glimpse of Him. That really was all it seemed he wanted at the time - just a quick look in passing to satisfy his curiosity. What he got goes far beyond this version.

As I was reading recently, I came upon a description of the Eastern practice of meal sharing, the one that would have been the prevalent standard in Jesus' day. While we may think relatively little about having lunch or dinner with somebody, such was not the case when this story unfolded. And we're not talking about offering to take somebody to our favorite restaurant and picking up the check either. This meal shared between Jesus and Zacchaeus was an intimate, extended social engagement.

Brennan Manning (in Reflections for Ragamuffins) notes that "in the East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, brotherhood, and forgiveness; the shared table is a shared life." Now, I don't know about you, but that's not something I heard in Sunday School when this story came up. Looking at it through this lens, the heart of the story is the very same as we've seen in so many others. Jesus singles out an individual, presents Himself as only He can, and a life is changed.

Jesus had already been criticized by the religious establishment for his fellowship with the common riff-raff. Knowing what we know of Zacchaeus' reputation in the town, one can only imagine nobody in Jericho looked kindly on Him inviting Himself to the despised tax collector's house. But should we find any of this surprising? Not if we really understand the heart, message, and mission of the Messiah. He knew full well the character of the man he was following down the street. He knew the back-handed deals, the lies, and the cheating. He even knew that Zacchaeus was hiding up in the leaves above the "parade route", hoping only for a glimpse of the Rabbi. And with the compassion that only Jesus can display, He did exactly what we should expect Him to do - He reached out in love and forgiveness. He shared a meal in the man's home, demonstrating that God will go to any length to win back the heart that walked away. No, this was no ordinary lunch date at all.

My travels on the Crooked Path began with an individual encounter with the Savior. Just like He did with Zacchaeus, Jesus sought me out, called me down, and told me that He must come to my house and sit down at the table with me. He offered forgiveness like no one else can provide, and He backed it up by taking on the punishment and shame that were my birthright. He offered me the security of a Shared Life both now and forever. No matter what I come across, He is with me ... and it isn't just some lunch date.

What are you looking for today - a casual lunch date, or a shared meal leading to a shared life?
Put yourself in the position of the townspeople Zacchaeus had cheated. What kind of a Rabbi would willingly sit down and offer peace and safety to such a scoundrel?
Are you keeping Jesus at a distance, offering just to "meet Him for coffee" instead of inviting Him in like He asks? If you are, what's stopping you from trusting Him enough to do what even Zacchaeus did so willingly?

Four Attitudes and a Party

2011-09-18T11:50:00.001-07:00

When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants." So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:17-24, NIV)

Once again, my thoughts have turned to this familiar story about the Prodigal. As I'm reading it through the lenses of some great authors, I'm convinced that a central theme of the story is the huge party the father throws at the end of it. It is obviously a picture of the celebration God invites us to (both here and in the future), but this week I was struck by the different attitudes presented, specifically shown in the four characters who speak in the parable. Now, I know you all thought this was about three characters, but I assure you, if you read on, I'll point out four. Here we go …

The first one invited to the party is the younger son. I see his attitude as penitent and grateful. He had come to his senses enough to consider a job back on the farm rather than slow death in the stockyards. He is shocked when his father not only takes him in, but restores his position in the household and then cranks up the party machine. He enters the feast humbled at the lavish love given to him when he realizes that he deserves to be turned away.

The second one we see (and this is the one you may not think about) is the servant who runs into the older brother. I imagine he's been sent off on some task related to the celebration and, whether he happens to run into him or actually seeks him out, his encounter with the older brother takes place. In his words, I read pure joy at what has transpired. He seems to catch the idea that the younger son was as good as dead and now is back among the living. Perhaps he was close enough to the father to see his daily heartbreak. Maybe he accompanied the old man on his nightly trek down the lane to see when the younger son would return. But whatever has happened in the past, this man shows the joy and excitement that fits right in with the party.

The third person we encounter (through the servant) is the older brother. His attitude, right from the start, is selfish and petty. He woke up that morning as lord of the manor in waiting and now has to split his already cut share with the younger brother. All because dear old dad has let the little wretch back in the house. He is bitter in the truest sense of the word that his father has not only accepted his brother back, but is throwing a huge celebration in his honor. He wants no part of it and, I would reckon, tells the servant as much. This obviously gets conveyed to Dad as we see next.

The father, so joyful in the return of the younger son, has lavishly spread out his best in expression of his love. He holds nothing back … you probably could have heard it from a mile away. The singing, dancing, drinking, and merry laughter light up the night and fill the air. It is an unbridled joy known only to one who has expected the worst but held out hope for the best. And he continues this way until he gets news of the older son's refusal to come inside. You see, this wasn't just a slap at the younger brother. It was an affront to the father as well. And in his encounter with the older son – outside the party still – we hear the pain and loss, much the same as the man felt when he considered his younger son lost or dead. With tears, he begs the older son to come in but is met with refusal and an indignant response. I can imagine that he turns, slowly, shoulders slightly hunched over, and goes back into the feast.

The Crooked Path holds many celebrations along the way, but they pale in comparison to the one they all point to. Our Father waits, at the end of the path, ready to welcome us into His Great Celebration. He wants our attitude to be that of one who knows he is welcome, who knows he has a rightful place at this part. I do nothing on my own to earn that right - it is a free gift from a loving Father who is overjoyed at my return.

So, what is your attitude about the party? Are you happy that it is going on for you and others who don't deserve it by worldly standards?
Are you struggling as the "older brother", upset to see such lavish preparations made for those who, in your view, have squandered their chances to do what you think is right?
Whatever your perspective, can you feel both the joy and pain of the Father who gives this feast for everyone to enjoy and who longs to have both the younger and older son enter and join in the celebration?

Hope vs. HOPE

2011-09-11T15:05:00.001-07:00

But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:14-15, ESV)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, ESV)

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23, ESV)

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. (Psalm 42:11, ESV)

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:19, ESV)

Hope is a good thing. It buoys us up during difficult times. It provides a positive basis from which we can view our lives. It can be the stuff of dreams. But a thought occurred to me this week about hope. All hope is not created equal ... not by a long shot.

To begin, we need to look back to a verse I found when I did a search using the word hope. I think it sets the stage well for what went through my mind this week. It comes, oddly enough, from the aftermath of the story where God told King Saul to wipe out Agag and Saul took the order under his own advisement. As a result, Saul brought back what he thought would be a "pet king" to keep in his jails. Catching up with the story in 1 Samuel 15:32, we learn that the old prophet has called for Agag. The English Standard Version says, "And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, '"Surely the bitterness of death is past.'"

In my search, I checked the New Living Translation and found that verse to say, "Agag arrived full of hope, for he thought, 'Surely the worst is over, and I have been spared!'" I find the use of the word "hope" very telling here, as it represents the kind of hope we see too often. It's a blind hope that isn't really based in trust or even longing. It isn't even a wishful hope (Paul expressed that many times when he "hoped" he would get to go back and visit a particular church or person). As I see it, it's nothing more than a Pollyanna approach that doesn't take much seriously. And I think we all know what happened to Agag right after he met Samuel.

But the good news here, is that we have a HOPE that is more than just a wishful longing or a blind hope like Agag's. It is something solid, something we can stake our life and dependence on. David knew it - he knew that HOPE could and would raise him up from the depths of depressive despair. The saints through the ages knew it - Hebrews 11 tells a long, strong story of men and women who saw HOPE where others saw none. Paul knew it - he even said if you only looked at this life for hope, you were cheating yourself (see Corinthians passage above).

And Peter knew it. Oh, I think Peter knew it best of all. The man who had seen the absolute depths of his own soul without HOPE tells the church they should not only be confident in their HOPE, but they should be ready on a moment's notice to express the true nature of it to anybody they might encounter - so that by demonstrating a gentle, confident spirit that sees something better ahead, a dark and lost world might join them in their commitment to Jesus and know HOPE themselves.

Hope - it's a funny thing. I really wouldn't want to try and get through a day without it, even if it is that wishful longing for something I might experience in this life. But as I face the twists and turns of the Crooked Path, it is not hope, but HOPE that will sustain me. I won't always know what is ahead on the journey, but I can be assured that HOPE is with me and also waits for me, because HOPE in those terms, is just another word for Jesus.

Where do you find your source of hope today? Is it the transient type, or the kind that endures?
Is your hope mainly for this life, or for something better like Paul suggests?
In your current state of struggle (if that is where you are), can you see beyond it like David and call out to the HOPE that can sustain you?

Domesticated Shelf Gods

2011-09-04T10:56:00.001-07:00

(Joshua speaking on behalf of God) "I handed you a land for which you did not work, towns you did not build. And here you are now living in them and eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant. So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God. If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you'd rather serve - and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you're now living. As for me and my family, we'll worship God." The people answered, "We'd never forsake God! Never! We'd never leave God to worship other gods. God is our God! He brought up our ancestors from Egypt and from slave conditions. He did all those great signs while we watched. He has kept his eye on us all along the roads we've traveled and among the nations we've passed through. Just for us he drove out all the nations, Amorites and all, who lived in the land. Count us in: We too are going to worship God. He's our God." Then Joshua told the people: "You can't do it; you're not able to worship God. He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He won't put up with your fooling around and sinning. When you leave God and take up the worship of foreign gods, he'll turn right around and come down on you hard. He'll put an end to you—and after all the good he has done for you!" But the people told Joshua: "No! No! We worship God!" And so Joshua addressed the people: "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen God for yourselves - to worship him."
And they said, "We are witnesses." (Joshua 24:13-22, The Message)

"We need to stop trying to domesticate God or confine Him to tidy compartments that reflect our human sentiments rather than His inexplicable ways." - Francis Chan in Erasing Hell.

That's exactly what the Israelites said they would not do in this passage. Joshua had challenged them to make up their minds, to choose God or some lesser god that very day and make their commitment. He reminded them of what Jehovah had done in bringing them out of Egypt and giving them the land that lay before them. Of course, they cried out with a fervor that they would commit to the same God Joshua had chosen. Then Joshua comes back with a pretty powerful retort.

He tells the people that they just aren't capable of choosing and following God. Oh, he knows they will serve something or someone, but he challenges the depth of their voiced commitment. He knows from his personal history that the God of Israel is not just some domesticated shelf god ... some pretty little carved image that you can set on a shelf and go visit when you want something. After all, he's just given an address to the people where God has spoken through him in a most powerful way. And he knows that choice is not just a one-time deal. The people, however, seem to see it in a different way. The history we read about them confirms that.

I don't doubt their passion in the responses they give. They too knew their history with God. But this wouldn't be the first time they or their ancestors made a passionate embrace of some ideal. The very valley they are standing in holds multiple reminders of things that have gone on before in their lives. No, they are not strangers to a challenge such as this. Yet in their enthusiasm to respond to the call that day, they overlook the basic concept that "choice" isn't just a matter of decision.

It is a matter of the heart as well. And that takes it to a whole other level in their lives. This is why Joshua challenges them after their initial agreement. He is pointing out their agreement with a shelf God rather than a wild, unpredictable God. The former is the safe choice they will make many times. The latter is the true heart of what has been presented to them ... domesticated shelf God, or the Almighty God Who has brought them this far?

It would seem that we, knowing the full history, would make the choice for the more powerful God. Yet, as Chan noted in the quote I used, we have a habit of trying to domesticate Him even today. No, we may not carve wood or stone and place it on a shelf in our house ... but does our heart choice really reflect something different than what the Israelites chose and did? Have we really embraced God as God and allowed Him to be that powerful?

The Crooked Path offers me a choice between a domesticated shelf God or a wild, unpredictable, all-powerful God. When I try to mold Him into to my ideas, I am looking for a domestic shelf God. And, in His wisdom, He may appear to me that way for a season. He may limit what He will do in and through me as a result of my choice. But that doesn't change Him in the least. It is far better that I understand God is beyond my comprehension ... and that I take Him off the shelf, letting Him be the God He really is. It's a choice I must make daily. May my heart echo along with Bill and Cindy Foote in You are God Alone - "You are God, that's just the way it is."

One question and only one ... which God are you going to choose today (and every day) - the domesticated shelf God, or the all-powerful one who doesn't have to explain Himself?

5 out of 6 Ain't Bad, Right?

2011-08-27T13:37:00.001-07:00

Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'" And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
(Luke 18:18-23, NKJV)

I didn't always turn to reading for enrichment or enjoyment (unless it was a "forced issue" based on an assignment - and even than I often skirted the real reading). However, over the last few years I've found that I want at least a couple books on hand so I can pick them up when the opportunity arises. Plane rides, time before bed, lazy afternoons, or waiting for a child during soccer practice all provide me that chance. Leisure reading provides me with a "mental vacation" and doesn't place many demands on me. When I pick up a book for other reasons, I want a highlighter in my hand far more often than not. And when I actively choose to buy a book and dive into it, that highlighter and I become inseparable.

I'm currently reading the book Love Wins by Rob Bell, but that isn't the driver for this entry. It's a small statement he makes - a perspective on an old, familiar story that sparks my thought. The story (found above) is about the rich young man who wanted "in" on what Jesus was teaching and talking about. It's another one of those that many of us have heard since the earliest days of Sunday School. Somehow, Bell brought up a perspective I hadn't ever considered before ... and I got to thinking.

The man approaches Jesus with a business proposition. It is likely (as Bell notes) that Jesus knows something about his reputation, and not because He is the Divine Son. There just aren't that many wealthy people around, and they guy would look wealthy, probably draw some whispers from the crowds, and may have even enjoyed some local "celebrity" status. All this is conjecture, of course, but I think you get the point. The way his exchange with the Rabbi unfolds is what really intrigues me.

We get the description of the introductions, and the man lays out his request. Jesus, in effect, baits him just a bit and then proceeds to recite five of the six "social" commandments. Though these are among the more famous of the Jewish laws, they only represent less than 1% of the written total we know about (well over 600). And it is important to notice that the Teacher leaves out one of those six statements ... the one about coveting.

The young man quickly offers his testimony as having kept all that Jesus stated since he could remember. Whether or not he realizes the sixth one has been omitted, we won't try to analyze. But that skipped item, left silent and yet so completely implied because it was always counted among that side of the Ten, comes back to haunt him. Jesus challenge to the man is to open his wallet and actually invest in the advancement of God's Kingdom right here, right now, and in the most practical of ways. And the man stands there with his mouth wide open, because keeping five of six commands won't cut it and he knows it. He walks away, muttering to himself, and our view into that story fades away.

In the same manner as God uses our particular giftedness to work on His behalf here on Earth, He challenges us to seek out the strongholds we keep hidden that will hinder our effectiveness and would seek to compromise our relationship with Him and with others. He asks us to come to Him and lay our very hearts at His feet so He can do the "hard work" and bring us closer. Keeping any part of ourselves back is the same thing as what we saw the rich young man do ... we seek to retain control over what God has asked us to give up.

The Crooked Path will not be set straight by my own doing and effort. God will straighten it in His time and in His way as He alone sees fit. I can't just give some lip service to doing part of what He asks. Jesus wants complete surrender of my will to His - and it really is easier than I imagine it to be. The part of me that resists shouts in my ear that I can't do it. My Savior says to me, "I already did it for you. Just drop it all and follow Me."

Doesn't five out of six sound pretty good to you? It seems like more than just a passing grade, doesn't it?
So what holds you back from giving it all up? Is there something you feel you can't trust to God in some way?
What's your choice going to be? Will you ask Him to take it from you, do help you drop it? Or will you shake your head and walk away, perhaps thinking about it more?

Uncondemned?

2011-08-20T19:00:00.001-07:00

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
(John 8:3-11; Romans 8:1-4, NIV)

I may surprise some of my friends with the content of this entry. I may also offend the sensibilities of some. But overall, I hope I encourage you to change the way you have thought and maybe continue to think about a few things. The substance of what I am writing came out of a brief exchange with an old friend. The topic is our attitude toward those around us who have committed some specific sin, the nature of which has become public knowledge within the context of a local church. Bear with me while I set the stage.

The young woman had been involved with a boy and the relationship had produced a child. They were both of legal age and decided to share living arrangements with a commitment toward getting married shortly. A person of stature within their church called them out (her specifically) and said that if she continued on to marry the young man, that God would not bless their marriage. He called her out for what she had done and wanted her to make a public apology in front of the congregation. Failing to do that and moving out, she would be turned out of the church body.

When the story was related to me, multiple thoughts went through my mind. I'm certainly not going to advocate anything that went on here between the young woman and her young man. What I will do is go back to the passages cited above in this entry and try to understand the whole picture as God sees it. You see, I'm of the opinion that Jesus didn't die to forgive our sins ... He came to remove SIN from the equation. That's a big difference as I see it. Sins (with the plural on it) are the individual actions that grow out of SIN (all caps) which is the inherent tool of the Enemy used against us. And God clearly states both through what Paul wrote and what Jesus said that SIN has been removed from the equation and with it the condemnation that seems to so freely flow from people, especially those I've seen in some sort of "spiritual" leadership role.

Sins aren't graded in God's eyes. Each event, each action, each rebellion my heart can conceive has been laid at the foot of the Cross and buried. SIN was erased completely and I now stand completely uncondemned. To force me or someone else through some sort of public display is to cheapen what Grace and Mercy are all about. Sure there are consequences, some of which may linger for a lifetime. And there may be times when a public admission is something that promotes healing and reconciliation. And I am by no means excusing some of the heinous acts we've all seen go on. But I am stating that all those fall under the same redemptive power God offers and we can all stand uncondemned.

The Crooked Path begins at the foot of the Cross. That Cross leaves me uncondemned. It doesn't leave me perfect or take away some of the temporal consequences of my actions. It does leave me redeemed because God has enabled me to accept His Gift. So before I go casting stones or demanding apologies, I would do well to remember my own condition ... and that I stand uncondemned not because of what I do or say, but because of Jesus.

Do you have a judgmental tendency in you? What makes it flare up and try to take over your life?
Do you feel condemned by people around you because of something you did or said? Does that make you feel condemned in God's eyes as well?
Can you embrace the conversation between Jesus and the woman from the passage above? Are you willing to accept His complete forgiveness that leaves you without condemnation?

Skipping the Gold Watch

2011-08-14T04:41:00.001-07:00

(Caleb speaking) "Now, as you can see, the Lord has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said."

He said to himself, "What should I do? I don't have room for all my crops." Then he said, "I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I'll sit back and say to myself, 'My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!'" (Joshua 14:10-12; Luke 12:17-19, NLT)

Once upon a time in America, men would work for a single company for thirty, forty, or even fifty years. When they had accomplished this feat of loyalty and were ready to retire, their employers would give them a token of appreciation for their years of service. Often, as portrayed in movies or books, the man would receive a gold watch. It was a symbol of a job well done, a life well lived in service to a company.

Today, we are encouraged to move around often (I've had more employers than can easily fit on a two-page resume anymore) and gain experience. We are also told to put aside for our future, to "build wealth" that we can use for our "golden years" (a throwback phrase to that gold watch). And, while there is nothing wrong with that goal ... we certainly should take care of our families and ourselves rather than rely on the government or some other social service ... I have to believe the idea of actually retiring is a little more modern in nature. And, if you take it to mean ceasing to work, then it certainly doesn't have a foundation in any Biblical principles I've run across.

Take a look again at the passages I've cited above. Caleb is a unique example of a man who approached his life with a zeal most of us can only dream about. As my own pastor reached this story last week, I glanced across at the other versions I had available and my eyes settled on the New Living Translation's rendering of Caleb's words. I laughed as I read it because it makes it sound like that particular day was Caleb's eighty-fifth birthday ... and what a present he asked for. My thoughts immediately ran to the idea of not asking for a gold watch (i.e. retirement), but asking instead for a challenge.

Caleb wasn't looking for a rest, though he was by far the most senior member of the Israelite coalition. Instead, he showed a determination to follow God with his whole heart - a principle that had guided his life since we first met him some forty-five years earlier. Everything else he does is a sub-point to his desire to follow God.

Then my thoughts circled back around to someone else I had been thinking about for some time. The arrogant farmer from the story in Luke. He is obviously prosperous and there is nothing wrong with that at all. He has taken an assessment of his business operations and determined that he needs to expand in order to accommodate all he has coming in. Again, there isn't anything wrong with doing this. In fact, I'd argue it is prudent to make such provision so things don't go to waste. But just when you might find yourself agreeing with this man, he goes a step beyond ...

"Wow, self! You've done extremely well. You deserve to sit back and do nothing but party for the rest of your days. You now reside on 'Easy Street'." His abundance has bred arrogance, which has lead to complacency, which matures into full-blown contempt. He now regards himself as the be-all-and-end-all for himself and feels he has no need and, probably, no further obligation. And, in the rest of that story, God calls him out as the fool he truly is and requires from him the one thing he cannot safeguard with his wealth. His eternal soul is lost and his fortune left behind.

Bringing this back around to myself, I began to think about my own tendency to be complacent. Even though I've been through an extended period of uncertainty, I've not been in dire straits by anyone's definition. But still, the challenge to be more like Caleb than the farmer rings true for me. As I travel the Crooked Path, with its ups and downs, twists and turns, I need to remember Who I am following and that He has a purpose for me. And, while I do need to prudently plan for today and tomorrow, I should never think about asking God for a "gold watch". It's a much better position to ask Him for the next challenge He has in store for me.

What's your vision for your future? Are you looking for a time when you can sit back and relax a bit?
How does the response of Caleb strike you? In contrast, do you see anything of yourself in the farmer?
So, what do you believe God thinks about the whole matter? Does He expect you to ask for a "gold watch" or for the next challenge? And what would be your response?

A Purpose

2011-07-24T04:48:00.001-07:00

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay;

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?" Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, "Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish." So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him. (Acts 13:36; Esther 4:13-17, NASB)

"Concretely, abandonment to the will of God consists of finding his purpose for you in all the people, events, and circumstances you encounter. If God tears up your beautiful game plan and leads you into a valley instead of onto a mountaintop, it is because he wants you to discover his plan, which is more beautiful than anything you or I could have dreamed up. The response of trust is 'Thank you, Jesus,' even if it is said through clenched teeth." (Brennan Manning, Reflections for Ragamuffins – July 18 entry)

Recently, I had the opportunity to join my wife for a chapel service at the local seminary. It happened to be the very last one for the year and their speaker was Dr. Tony Evans. I had not heard him speak, but his reputation certainly preceded him. As he began, he read the verse above from Acts as his text and began to speak to us. I'm not one for taking a single verse out of its context, but this was some remarkable insight, especially given some of the students sitting there were ready to embark on careers in various ministry opportunities. Dr. Evans plainly speaking about God's purpose for our lives was more than just a passing challenge. He spoke with passion about how God uses our individuality to fulfill what He ultimately sees fit to happen as His greater story unfolds around us.

As I listened again to the recording of this message, my thoughts drifted to the story of Esther and, in particular, her exchange with her uncle regarding whether or not she would go into the king and make a request. The story is unique among canonized scripture in that the actual name of God isn't mentioned even once. Yet the presence of the Almighty could not be more obvious. And Mordecai might has well have said, "Who knows? Perhaps God has specifically put you in this position to serve His purpose for this generation of Israelites." Knowing the story, it most certainly would fit.

Then there was my daily reading from Brennan Manning's writing. The July 18^th entry is titled "Abandoned to His Will". At that point, all three of these things converged in my heart and I knew I needed to write about God's purpose for us. Frankly, it seems hard to believe (at least completely) that God not only has a specific purpose for us, but that He takes our individuality into full account when He sees it done.

And while this may sound like some fatalistic situation, nothing could be further from the truth. God does not sit there like some cosmic dictator and puppet master … the fact that He can see all points in what we call "time" from His perspective is something that we will likely never comprehend. I quit trying to do it – it made my head hurt too much. It is just another point where I choose to trust Him to be who He said He is and leave it at that. In doing so, I place myself in a far better position to submit to His purpose for me so that I can fulfill it for my generation just like David and Esther did.

The Crooked Path will be lonely and uncertain at times, but that doesn't mean I am alone or need to lack confidence. My Divine Brother travels with me and we both walk to the rhythm of Our Father. Jesus fulfilled His purpose so that I have the opportunity to fulfill mine. I need only to turn to Him and ask for the courage to persevere until I reach my mortal end. At that point, may it be said of me that I served the purpose of God for my generation.

Have you thought much about your purpose, what God intends for you to do for the generation around you on His behalf?
What would it be like for you to "abandon yourself to God's will" as Brennan Manning suggests? Can you see past your fear to do that and embrace the possibilities God has in store?
Do you hear God's invitation to rely on Him, to embrace His purpose for your life? Can you trust Him enough to let that invitation take root?

Legacy

2011-07-16T14:01:00.001-07:00

Timothy, I thank God for you - the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again. I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:3-7, NLT)

It was most definitely a mixed marriage. Perhaps it was a broken home as well. The young woman had fallen for the Greek man (probably against her own mother's advice) and the union produced a son. He wasn't a strong boy physically, but the evidence we see tells us he had intellect, spirit, heart, and above all a great legacy of faith handed down to him.

Paul has known Timothy for some time when this second letter was written. He has helped to guide the young man's spiritual formation and has come to trust him implicitly to carry forth the Gospel when Paul either cannot or is no longer around. But the statement he makes regarding Timothy's heritage come as a challenge to me. Both Lois and Eunice are specifically tagged as having "genuine faith" and Paul explicitly states that they passed it on to Timothy. I can only infer (though logically so) that Lois passed this on to Eunice and they both participated in doing so with Timothy.

Mind you, this isn't a model family being called out here. That isn't Paul's point at all. We know the family is mixed with Timothy's father being a Greek. Since there is no mention of him participating in the legacy of faith, we can safely assume he either has ignored what is being taught by Eunice and Lois or that he simply isn't around any longer. Yet, the choices of these ladies to invest in Timothy are clear and they obviously produce lasting results.

Lois and Eunice have risen above whatever has happened in their lives to that point and embraced what God has offered in His love through the story He has given them. They have chosen to live in this better story rather than create their own. Paul sees this choice, the honoring of God in the way they have raised Timothy, and he latches on to it. He, too, will invest in Timothy's part in God's story and this second letter serves as the summation, starting with Timothy's legacy of faith. He goes on to encourage this young servant to be faithful and true to that legacy and to reinvest in others so they also might see the benefits of a personal faith in God.

As I write this post, there is activity in the house by my two daughters. It causes me to think about the legacy I provide for them, how I invite them into God's bigger and better story for their own lives. This is an intensely personal thing to be certain (meaning the choice is ultimately theirs to make), but we still have a charge to pass what we have learned on to coming generations. God has placed us in a relational world for just that reason. Timothy didn't grow up the way he did all alone and we shouldn't expect others to do so either. The legacy we leave is important.

My travels on this Crooked Path are sometimes lonely, sometimes filled with people, but they are never alone. In addition to my Older Brother who travels each step with me, I have a legacy of family and influential people who have crossed my path and traveled with or ahead of me. Some have traveled well and given me much to ponder for my own journey. Some have not traveled as well and end up being more like adversaries or stumbling stones. Some will approach and try to get me to quit the path as futile. I am the sum of the life I have lived and I need to pass what I learn on to those who follow and those I come across. We never know when a single encounter will produce something that lasts for eternity. Legacies speak volumes. What does yours say about you?

Did somebody invest in you? Was it a positive, enduring experience that shapes the way you think and act today?
Does it surprise you to know that Timothy's upbringing was as mixed as it was? Are there points in what we know about it that you can identify with?
Have you thought about your legacy much lately? Are you taking the time to invest in somebody else so they might learn and grow?

A Status Change

2011-07-09T15:42:00.001-07:00

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

As He says also in Hosea: "I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' there they shall be called sons of the living God."

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (John 15:15-16; Romans 9:25-26; Galatians 4:4-7, NKJV)

The rise of the social network has given those of us who indulge in it the opportunity to declare our "status" to anyone and everyone willing to listen. We share our changes in moods, jobs, places to eat, relationships, and a host of other things that come across our minds. Frankly, it has watered down what "status" once meant.

I recall several changes in status across my life that I might consider significant. The move from high school to college – followed a short time later with the change from college student to drop-out. I changed status from being a single man to a husband (twenty-five years ago) and then from having a living father to being without one. Two of the bigger changes turn fourteen and twelve respectively this year. And all these changes in my status marked passages of time in some way or another. But they all pale in comparison with the status change that I did nothing to achieve – it was granted me as it was granted so many others by pure Grace alone.

Imagine the confused band of students in that upper room who had watched their Teacher ride into the city in triumph. A few days later, He is telling them of His death and departure. In the midst of all this, He also tells them He has changed their status. They are no longer to consider themselves students or servants. They are to think of themselves as His friends. Paul echoes this type of thought in Romans when he quotes the old prophet Hosea. God had formerly cast away His people, but, in an enormous act of Grace and Love, He promises to call them back and make them His people once again. It's a fantastic promise that He is keeping to this very day.

Again Paul, writing to the churches in Galatia, calls out the essence of the Gospel of Christ – a legal transaction changing the status of people from slaves to sons with all the rights, privileges, and duties associated with that position. In fact, he calls them out as joint heirs with the Son of God, making Jesus our Divine Older Brother … the one who made Himself a prodigal for our sake so we could be rescued once and for all.

The books I've been reading (Keller, Nouwen, and Manning) all speak to this change in status and, at times, I'm afraid we've overlooked it. Sure, we give great lip service to the miracle of Grace, but we then go about as if we were still slaves, having to prove something or earn our way out of bondage. As a result, we live lives of fear instead of victory. We need to come to terms with the fact that we don't have to be perfect; we just have to accept that Jesus was perfect on our behalf. And, in doing so, He changed our status to friends, sons, and daughters – joint heirs with Him of all Heaven has to offer.

The Crooked Path surprises and challenges me on a daily basis. One of the most recent challenges is to look at my relationship with my Father in a different way. I need to understand just how much He gave up for me personally so that I could be counted as His son. I need to stop and thank Him regularly and call Him by the most intimate name a child can use … Daddy. That's what it means to be a son of God. That's what my status should read when people see it … Daddy's child!

If you try to call God "Daddy", does it make you comfortable or uncomfortable?
When you think of all the times Jesus has called us friends, His brothers/sisters, or God's children, does it excite you? Or do you find yourself feeling at odds with the whole idea?
Are you looking at yourself like some peripheral member of God's household, perhaps relegated to hanging around the fringes and doing the "dusting" or "cooking" or some other task of a servant? Are you looking at the family celebration going on right now and wishing you could join in the dance?

The Biggest Celebration

2011-07-02T17:22:00.001-07:00

But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to celebrate. Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.' But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, 'Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!' And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.' (Luke 15:22-32, ESV)

It's a familiar story, to say the least. We've heard it in Sunday School, listened to sermons, and even read books about it. But two particular books I've read recently (one new to me, one a re-read) have caused me to look at this parable with fresh eyes. And what I see is a portrait of the biggest celebration we'll ever know.

Recently, my wife read Tim Keller's Prodigal God and asked me to read it as well. We found a cheap copy on Amazon and I took it with me on a business trip. To say I "devoured" the small book is probably an understatement. Keller brings things into focus in so many ways I hadn't really considered before (or at least for a while). And he brings the book to a point where he describes the older son's actions as being just as rebellious as the younger son's. The younger son had overtly said (in cultural terms), "Dad, I'd like to see you dead. Give me my third of your estate now." But on his return, as he is taken back into the family he abandoned, the father restores him. This causes the older son to say, "Dad, I've slaved away without a complaint and now you are giving away a third of what is mine? I don't want any part of you anymore." And so, the younger son is celebrated in the great feast and the older son stomps away in disgust, never entering the door.

Henri Nouwen wrote Return of the Prodigal many years ago after seeing the painting by Rembrandt that hangs in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. In pouring out his heart about the parable of the prodigal and the impact this painting has on his own life, Nouwen also points to the ridiculously generous and forgiving father who throws a feast to end all feasts at the return of his previously "dead" son. The older brother is portrayed as an aloof character, watching with absolute disgust on his face. The author writes much about how the father begs him to join in the celebration, but he staunchly refuses, considering the old man as either crazy, too lenient, or both. The feast, the representation of our home with God both now and in a permanent future, goes on without him.

Both authors (Keller directly, Nouwen more subtly) talk about the unspoken older brother from the parable. In the Luke passage, this story is the "feature" told after two similar warm-up parables that both end in a celebration over recovering something that was lost. But the Teacher who is telling them is also playing a significant role, not only in the telling of the story, but in the Great Story they are all caught up in at that very moment. He is the True Older Brother who, when we younger siblings have gone off to a far land and squandered all we had, said to the Father, "Don't worry about it. I'll go bring them home again."

And that's exactly what He did. He became Heaven's Prodigal, came to us as the Perfect Older Brother, paid for our ransom, and invites us back Home to the Father's celebration feast. We have the opportunity to participate both now and, ultimately, in the biggest celebration we could ever imagine. Our invitations were delivered by hands scarred and pierced with nails yet filled with the Father's eternal love.

Don Miller (in A Million Miles in a Thousand Years) talks about a death in his family where a cousin asked where the departed relative was. Miller spoke softly and kindly about Heaven but later, as noted in the book, knew that he should have said, "He's at a celebration." As I travel my own Crooked Path, I need to check my pocket from time-to-time and pull out the invitation I hold to come celebrate with God. It is a personalized offer to join in the Eternal Dance that is going on now and will only get bigger as time rolls to an end. I have friends and family already there and my anticipation grows. There is a huge party going on … and I'm invited to join in!

What's your view of the Father who lavishly offers a celebration on our return to His House?
Do you see the part of the celebration that is happening even now? Does it call to you to join in, or do you find yourself standing outside for some reason?
Are you ready to accept the freedom and joy that the current and future celebrations express? Is your perspective of God big enough to see that is what He is doing for you?

Memorial Stones

2011-06-25T14:20:00.001-07:00

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." (Joshua 4:1-7, NIV)

I've been traveling lately (quite a bit more than I ever have) and for my flights I need to make sure I check-in electronically twenty-four hours in advance so I am assured one of the "good" seats on the plane. As such, I try to set up a reminder either on my calendar or my phone to tell me that I need to get to my computer and complete the process. It's a device much like many of you employ to ensure you remember something important.

At other times in my life, I have also been one given to "driving stakes" in the ground so I can measure progress and not forget some of the good accomplishments enjoyed or hard lessons I've learned. I also have collected some small mementos of trips or visits that help me easily recall an event and relive some of the experiences associated with it.

All of this is a kind of "memorial stone" for me, albeit in a far less significant way than we find in this passage from Joshua. Our God is a God who often has people build altars, name places something very specific, or otherwise provide a vehicle to memorialize something significant. As such, twelve rocks in a river may not seem like anything that important, but this story tells a different tale – and gives a charge to answer questions yet unasked.

If you recall from the last entry, this was the younger generation of Israelites. They had plenty of memorial markers to help keep what happened to their parents and grandparents fresh in their minds. For one, that generation wasn't around to enter the land with them. But God isn't relying on memory alone in this case. Instead, He is giving a specific instruction about erecting a stone tower on the Jordan riverbed while the flow of water was stopped.

I know some have said this crossing was during the flood season, making it all the more spectacular to see the river hold up and wait for them to cross. And, while the priests are still standing there as the symbol of God's hand stopping the current, each tribe is to send a leader over to a rock pile for a stone. Then they line up, stack the stones, head back for the banks, and the priests move out so the water starts again. But the thing here that strikes me is the future question they are to anticipate … "Hey, Dad, what is that pile of rocks in the river doing there anyway?" The answer should be swift and accurate in testimony to the time when God paved the way into the land and told them to set up the memorial stones.

I'm thinking this is a pattern of behavior that we would do well to follow today. Our generations have become so self-involved that we tend to think of ourselves more and those around us less. When we are wired for relational living (and we are), that tends to run contrary to how we function best. Along that line, it would do us some good to stop, look around us, pick up a couple memorial stones, and set them up in a way that causes others in our lives to ask, "What are those there for?" And that goes double (or even triple) for the generation coming behind us.

Along my Crooked Path, I should consider how many places I have set up memorial stones to commemorate something God has done in my life or a lesson He has taught me. They should be there not only so I can remember, but so I can pass on to other I encounter my perspective of who God really is and just how much He loves me. They can serve as reminders that God still stops rivers for me today so I can move closer to where He wants me to be.

What makes you set up memorial stones in your life? Do you even consciously set up any?
Are you doing something in your life that others will see causing them to ask you, "What's that there for?" Are looking to pass on your blessings to the next generation?
Is God calling you to go pick up some stones and make a pile even now? Are you anticipating that God will stop the flow of a river for you and call you into a closer relationship?

Does God Take Sides?

2011-06-18T18:16:00.001-07:00

And then this, while Joshua was there near Jericho: He looked up and saw right in front of him a man standing, holding his drawn sword. Joshua stepped up to him and said, "Whose side are you on—ours or our enemies'?" He said, "Neither. I'm commander of God's army. I've just arrived." Joshua fell, face to the ground, and worshiped. He asked, "What orders does my Master have for his servant?" God's army commander ordered Joshua, "Take your sandals off your feet. The place you are standing is holy." Joshua did it. (Joshua 5:13-15, The Message)

Only Joshua and Caleb remained of the people who had either seen or heard first-hand the report the twelve spies brought back about the land they were to possess. And, while Joshua brought a good report, you have to believe that somewhere, in the back of his mind, his human nature was reminding him that these cities were walled and well-fortified. Imagine that these thoughts, along with the order from God to go in and conquer the land, are running through his mind one night and he just can't settle down. He decides to go stretch his legs and breath in the desert night air, perhaps in hopes that it will clear his mind. He's in for just a little bit more, as it turns out.

Out there, on his walk, he sees a gleaming being approaching him. He stops, squints, and sees the man is holding an outstretched sword. Much like his mentor Moses with the burning bush, Joshua gets a little closer, albeit with great caution. Then he utters the words every good military man will say in this situation, "Who goes there? Friend or foe?" The answer isn't at all what he expects.

The God of Heaven, it turns out, is standing there right in front of him. And we would expect God to answer, "Friend, Joshua. I'm here to be on your team." Instead, God says (as my pastor says the most literal translations render it), "No." Then He explains Himself. He isn't there to join up with the Israelite army. He's the Commander-in-Chief of the armies of Heaven, and He's here to take over. He lays out a plan for Joshua that no sane military strategist would even give a second glance. It involves daily aerobics and a short concert – all followed by a war cry. Do that, and Joshua need only sit back and watch what happens next.

As my pastor presented this passage and message, I found myself in pretty strong agreement. It seems to me that many of us have taken the position that God is on our side, that He joins forces with us. As we see in this exchange with Joshua, nothing could be farther from the truth. It reminds me that we are called to humbly obey and to trust. And, when we do that, just look what God will make happen in our lives! A little walk, some horns, a shout, and the walls of our Jericho crumble to rubble right before our very eyes. We didn't lift a finger in the actual battle – we merely took off our shoes as the Messenger told us to.

It was that way with Jesus when He came and dwelt on Earth for those thirty-three years. People thought He should join sides, choose their team. And what team wouldn't want a star quarterback or expert player? We'd be crazy not to embrace that idea. Yet, that isn't how God works. Jesus came as a member of nobody's team – He made Himself of no account. Instead, He humbly carried out a plan He and the Father had drafted before time began and He died the most brutal of deaths with the common criminals. Outcasts all, nobody wanted Him on their team anymore. But that was OK, because He didn't come to pick sides anyway. He came to take control and change everything we thought we knew about relationship to God.

The Crooked Path brings many times when I want to cry out, "God, aren't you supposed to be on my side?" I feel abandoned and I'm sure you do as well. During these times, we would do well to remember Joshua's encounter in the night and God's answer of "neither". He has promised not to abandon us, and what He really wants is for us to trust Him completely and know that He will fight all our battles in the way He deems best. It would be far better that we seek to be on His team anyway.

So, do you find yourself asking if God is really on your side? Can you see from this account in Joshua that God's answer is "no"?
Are you tired of fighting your own battles, at losing sleep while you plot and plan how to carry out your next move? Can you set aside your pride and self-sufficiency long enough to see that's not the best approach to take?
Do you need some "fresh night air" where you can encounter God and hear Him tell you to stop trying to do it yourself? If you had that encounter, do you have the heart to listen and know how much He cares about you and wants to take control?

Rescue and Refuge

2011-06-11T15:02:00.001-07:00

I love you, God — you make me strong. God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight. My God — the high crag where I run for dear life, hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout. I sing to God, the Praise-Lofty, and find myself safe and saved. The hangman's noose was tight at my throat; devil waters rushed over me. Hell's ropes cinched me tight; death traps barred every exit. A hostile world! I call to God, I cry to God to help me. From his palace he hears my call; my cry brings me right into his presence — a private audience! (Psalm 18:1-6, The Message)

In a recent sermon, our associate pastor was charging our graduates with some thoughts from Psalm 18. The setup for this offering from David, as Dan put it, is God's view of what David had come through after being pursued by Saul and others before finally finding relief from the constant conflict. David may not have originally viewed his circumstances this way, but God inspires the king to write this reflection from His perspective. The result is an amazing testament to God's provision and sustenance.

As is often the case, my eyes drifted across the columns to Eugene Peterson's rendering of this passage. The word "crag" stuck out immediately. The picture in my mind was of a high, protected space where God brought David to safety. It isn't a large spot – you wouldn't want to camp out there for an extended time, but it has a sense of safety and soundness that can't compare with anything else.

God's rescue and protection for David is so evident in this Psalm. David records his personal plea and God responds in kind. That thought – personal – really struck me as it was presented. God is a VERY personal God and treats us like the individuals He created us to become. It comes as no surprise that David's rescue follows this pattern and the Psalmist acknowledges it that way.

The crag is not a permanent place for David. The verses that follow are basically God's charge for him to "Go get 'em!" It is a powerful response based in a swift and furious love of an awesome God. Refreshed, David strikes out from his place of refuge and becomes the mighty king we read about. And though we know he falters, his place as "a man after God's own heart" was confirmed and his legacy lead to the Christ.

God provides the same comfort for us today as He did for David. We may not be literally running from people who are trying to kill us, but no doubt we feel the same way at times. Life can be very difficult and having a place of refuge and a Gold who will rescue are amazing things. That He does so in a distinctly personal way just amplifies that. The God who personally rescued and refreshed David will do the same for you and me.

The Crooked Path takes many turns as it leads toward our Final Home. Frankly, we just don't know where it is going at times and it gets downright difficult. In the midst of that pain, we have a God who has a specific design for our lives and has promised to pick us up and rescue us. Our perspective might be quite different from His and perhaps we can learn from David in Psalm 18. I'm sure David didn't see it that way when he went through it, but I like the version he wrote better anyway. It's God's perspective on how He loves us and it is ALWAYS the best way.

Are you in need of rescue right now? Would you like nothing better than to have God swoop in and carry you off to some high crag that feels safe and secure?
If you've been taken to the crag, do you realize that it isn't a permanent place? Do you find yourself wishing you could stay there instead of heading back out to face life?
What is God's personal message of refreshment to you? Can you hear His words from His perspective like David wrote?

Powerful Secrets

2011-06-05T04:15:00.001-07:00

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus *said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:1-5, NASB)

I was listening to a reading of John's Gospel the other day, and the familiar story of Nicodemus was playing. Like many of you, I've heard this story since my early Sunday School days. We learned early how the man came at night, what his position was, and his puzzlement at Jesus saying he had to be "born again" to experience God's Kingdom personally. I even remember one of these verses being used for "X" in the alphabetical listing of Bible verses we were to learn (relying on "except"). But this time through, a different thought struck me.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus and presented a confirmation from the council regarding who Jesus was. Now, they may not have all believed He was Messiah (though Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea did), the statement made reveals that the most learned, religious men in Israel recognized that Jesus was teaching with specific authority from God. This had to have been some sort of secret acknowledgement, because any public position from the council was that Jesus was an insane heretic!

Yet, here we have a man who genuinely is seeking the truth about something he has seen but cannot explain. We may never know the exact transcript of the conversation that took place that night, but something in Nicodemus' tone or words prompted our Lord to point him to new birth as the key to God's Kingdom. Jesus goes on to describe a second birth - a re-birth of the heart that is now pitched toward God. It wasn't about religion (Nicodemus had that nailed as a Pharisee), it was about something else entirely. And then, as every Sunday School kid will recite to you, Jesus sums it all up with what we know as John 3:16.

God's heart, embodied in Jesus as a man, reached out to Nicodemus encouraging him to believe even though he didn't completely understand it. The "powerful secret" that the council tried so hard to cover up was not only true, it was so much more. It wasn't just about a new authority coming with God's blessing; it was about God blessing us all with His very presence and taking on the complete human experience to show us just how passionate He really is about His creation. That passion is so great, it requires a re-birth of our souls, a heart transplant to make us capable and fit for the Kingdom. It comes at no price to us and yet the cost was immeasurable. Ultimately, Nicodemus embraced his own inability to comprehend it all from a textbook perspective and followed Christ. He was re-born!

How about us today? What are we looking for and how are we going about it? As I see it, God is still the same (at least that's what I read that He tells us) and offers that same point of entrance. However we frame it: new birth, coming as a child, transplant of our stone hearts for a flesh heart, or connecting to the Spring of Living Water ... the call is the same. Jesus wanted a relationship with Nicodemus and He wants one with us.

As I journey by Crooked Path, I am astounded how much God looks out for me. In times of trouble or want, blessing or relative ease, and every step of the way, the God of Eternity has my best interest at heart. He continues His pursuit of me for the sake of the relationship He desires. Like Nicodemus, my only part is to come to Him in honesty and humility. He will take care of everything else the best way He can think of.

Does God's requirement for being "re-born" strike you as odd? Do you find yourself in the position of Nicodemus, questioning the logistics of it all?
Are you able to see past all the metaphors and images? Can you grasp that what God is really after is a change of our heart?
Do you find yourself comfortable or uncomfortable with this type of God? Does His passionate pursuit make you uneasy? Or can you swallow what you think you "know" in order to experience a deeper relationship and understanding of the Kingdom?

I Contribute Nothing

2011-05-29T12:11:00.001-07:00

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39, ESV)

As we wrapped up our last class of the quarter, we reflected on what we had discussed. We had talked about Lent, to which most of my friends had never given a second thought, and how we might apply that in our non-liturgical forms. We had moved through several Christian discipline subjects (Meditation, Silence/Solitude, Prayer, and Study) after our initial discussion and challenged each other how we can deepen our relationship with Christ and know God more fully. We generally agreed that Meditation and Solitude are foundational to all the rest and are not an easy thing to accomplish. And today, as we summed it all up, my friend Jim made a fascinating observation.

We aren't required, or even capable, of doing anything to enhance our relationship with God. In choosing to pursue the disciplines, whether at the time of Lent or in some other way, the goal is not to give something up for temporal, human reasons (though there isn't anything wrong with that by any means). The goal is to lay aside what I think is important so I can hear and experience God. I need to, as Jim said, let the life He offers wash over me completely. Only in doing that can I deepen the experience God wants me to have and grow in the relationship. Much like Christ said in this passage from John, the result of this connection is not an increase in me, but in the Spirit flowing from God through me.

The Crooked Path offers many opportunities for learning and spiritual growth. I have been challenged, as were those in the class, to take every opportunity provided to move closer to God. He is the constant and has already provided what will suit me best. God is the single source for it all and I, in the end, contribute nothing except my obedience and a willing heart.

A Noisy Gong

2011-05-22T13:28:00.001-07:00

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3, ESV)

We're nearing the end of the sojourn discussing Lent and the Christian disciplines. Only one more class remains and this week was the second discussion on study. I was particularly influenced by some writing by Francis Chan regarding the goal of study and how we relate to the world around us. A core question was, "When people are around you, do they get glimpses of God? Or do they just see a lot of knowledge?"

Taking this question to heart, I have to ask myself, "To what end do I do my study?" I've said all along, the practice of disciplines - whether in conjunction with Lent or not - is to deepen my relationship with God. But if I'm seeking to go deeper without any regard to what others see, then I'm doing what Paul warns about in the 1 Corinthians passage. I'm a lot of noise with no real substance.

Practice of the disciplines is a good thing. Study, the kind that digs deep and seeks to learn and apply something that will truly change my life, is also a very good aim. But if that life is changed only in a superficial way, then Paul is correct - "I am nothing." My focus needs to seek to strengthen my relationship with my Father and extend my reach to my brothers and sisters.

Along my travels on this Crooked Path, hen a dark, lost world sees me they should see Christ. As Chan says, when I encounter someone, I need ask the question, "How can I lift up this person with the knowledge I have?" Anything else, is just a noisy gong.

Knowledge Isn't Enough

2011-05-15T11:59:00.001-07:00

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:15 & 3:16-17, ESV)

Our world seems to value knowing "stuff" so much. The information age (and the accompanying overload) have given us 24x7 access to pretty much everything. Yet in the midst of our hurried and harried lifestyles, the art of true study has taken a back seat - or even worse. So many of us have lost or never even had the patience, diligence, and just plain old desire to really learn about something and experience it deeply. And even those that do study, narrow their focus to the point where the results don't lead to much more than being a knowledgeable expert on a subject which nobody really cares about anyway.

As one of the topics in his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard foster discusses the pursuit of study. He equates true study with the "thinking on these things" we know so well from Philippians 4:8. And study isn't limited to books or articles or research either. Study includes the observation of our world around us and the people we encounter. Study embraces every possible aspect of learning so that we may evaluate the lesson to be learned and see how it can deepen our relationship to God and, in turn, cause us to advance His Kingdom here and now.

In my travels on this Crooked Path, I will doubtless acquire knowledge of all kinds. I should never allow myself to think that knowledge is, by itself, sufficient as a means to an end. I need to go deeper and study ... learn. I must reach out to the One Teacher who will shape my mind so I reflect Christ, not just facts and knowledge, to all who I encounter. Only a true student of the Master can achieve that end.

A Prayer Challenge

2011-05-08T12:20:00.001-07:00

As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.' They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." (Nehemiah 1:4-11, ESV)

This week, in our class on Lent and the Christian Disciplines, we discussed prayer again. I opened with this passage from Nehemiah and we talked through it on its own and in comparison to the Model Prayer our Lord presented the disciples. We talked about Nehemiah's penitent heart and manner, his sincere humility before his God. His acknowledgement of who God is and what He had promised to His people. If ever there was a model prayer, this is definitely in the running.

The challenge here is to evaluate my own prayer life and practice. Am I investing in it the way I should so that it is as rich and complete as it can be? Or am I approaching the work of prayer as a "necessary chore" that I'd like to get over with as quickly as possible? The latter accomplishes very little in terms of my spiritual progress. The former will change my life completely.

In preparation for this topic in class, I found a couple of posts from Christianity Today (www.christianitytoday.com) by Anna Broadway. I hadn't read Ms. Broadway's work until I found these posts, but she offers some great insight on personal prayer. She talks about "prayer walking" and truly praying for those around her in her NYC neighborhood. The focus on compassion (which she noted was distinctly lacking in her prayer life) was challenging. Foster had noted this in Celebration of Discipline as well. I left the class today knowing I want to learn how to pray in a deeper, more passionate way that seeks what God wants - not merely what I think should happen.

The Crooked Path being what it is - crooked - needs to be surrounded in prayer. Those prayers should become an integral part of who I am and seek to advance God's Kingdom here on Earth. They should be compassionate prayers that ask Jesus to reign not only in my life, but in the lives of all those I encounter, even if it is a casual one. My prayers need to be more than just talking to God; they need to listen to His voice and seek out a way to be His hands and feet in a difficult world.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

2011-05-01T11:29:00.001-07:00

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." And he said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation." (Luke 11:1-3, ESV)

Such familiar words ... and so many thoughts behind them. While these might not have been the best educated of men, they were "good Jews" from their youth and they certainly had said their prayers since they were old enough to talk. Yet, here they are asking the question of their Master and it should give us pause to think. Just why did they choose this time in their relationship to ask Him that question?

I asked my Sunday School class about this today. We talked about how long they had been together (we speculated somewhere around a year or so) and what they had seen. In Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline, he offered that they had seen something in Jesus that was different. We discussed the authority and power with which Jesus prayed - direct prayer for people that resulted in lives being changed. And, it made us think a bit about our approach to prayer.

In James (specifically 4:3), the brother of our Lord says the believers of his day didn't see results from their prayer because they asked the wrong way for the wrong reasons. We discussed this a bit in terms of treating God as some "cosmic slot machine" or a "genie" of some sort. But it is more than just "asking the right way". It extends to our hearts as we approach God's throne.

Foster says, "Prayer catapults us onto the frontier of spiritual life." I think that really meshes well with the thoughts we've shared in class and on this forum regarding meditation (having our hearts in the right place to be able to hear God when He speaks) and silence/solitude (putting ourselves physically in a place away from the noise of life so we are more apt to hear God when he speaks). Prayer, in this frame of mind, is a natural extension of our hearts as we commune with God.

The Crooked Path is varied. It brings so many different things into my experience, all of which are seen by God. He wants me to seek him diligently and deepen my relationship with Him. This is more than mere "talking to God" - it is an active practice of moving closer to Him. In choosing to do that, I need to echo the words of that disciple quoted in Luke ... "Lord, teach me to pray."

Easter in Heaven

2011-04-23T16:25:00.001-07:00

When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look - I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave." (Revelation 1:12-18, NLT)

Invariably, when I hear about someone losing a loved one (or even one who has such a loss pending), I am transported back to the deaths of my father and brother. The tears come swiftly, and at times I find it hard to speak. This occasion was no different, even though I had never met Louise. I had served briefly with one of her sons on the deacon board and, though he had moved away, he happened to be there that morning when we learned that she had been brought home for hospice care. Given the calendar, I had a single thought - Easter in heaven.

She was reunited with her Savior shortly after that, and this entry began to solidify in my mind. The passage in Revelation pressed on my heart and, in some sort of fulfillment of the Lenten study I have undertaken, thoughts about Heaven came closer to the forefront. If I read this passage correctly, I'm thinking that it must be Easter in Heaven every day. Frankly, that's an almost overwhelming thought, yet it seems to ring so true.

I wonder if our loved ones are at first a little terrified when they see Jesus. John says he was, though he wasn't actually dead at the time. But the powerful image he records and the comforting words that echoed from the throne still embody the message of Easter in such a unique way. Easter is the culmination of the Incarnation and the gateway to our eternal life with God. And there Jesus stands, in all His glory, proclaiming that He is "the Living One" and holding the keys to death and the grave.

If I ever write a story about a true conquering hero, I'm thinking I should use this as a model. Oh, we've seen the images in so many ways. Gandalf's second coming to the Fellowship is as a newly risen white wizard. The Pevensie children are called from one world into the next and anxiously await the arrival of Aslan for their rescue. But even these great tales pale in comparison with the words Jesus spoke to John. There He stood - the Risen One who had conquered death and dying once and for all. Easter was more than just some event on the Christian calendar ... it was and is the reality of Heaven each and every day.

The absolute wonder and bliss of that moment, seeing the Savior face-to-face, must be an amazing thing! And while our journey here on Earth cycles through the seasons and feasts and events that seem to repeat, in Heaven, I think it is truly Easter every day. Because Easter is the symbol of the Empty Tomb and the Risen Lord that says all the Law has been forever satisfied and death no longer has its hold. We stop reverently at the Cross on Good Friday, but Easter is what really draws us forward and holds our attention.

As I travel my own Crooked Path, experiencing what God has in store for me daily, I live in hope of Easter in Heaven. I live in anticipation of Christ saying, "Don't be afraid anymore. I am the One you have been following. I am the embodiment of Easter and death no longer has a grip on you." Alpha and Omega has spoken ... He is risen indeed!

Where is your heart this Easter season? Is it only a fleeting day in the midst of your difficult life?
Can you stop just a minute and hear the words John recorded ... "I died, but look - I am alive for ever and ever!" Can you claim those as your own, if even briefly?
Are you ready to rise above the death that this life brings you and experience the reality of Easter in Heaven - every day? Can you even catch a glimpse of how wonderful that must be?

Solitude Leading to Silence

2011-04-17T12:15:00.001-07:00

The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while."
For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. (Mark 6:30-32, ESV)

šŸ›

Deliberately seeking solitude and silence ... that's a difficult thing for so many of us, myself included. Frankly, we aren't comfortable in solitude or silence. I'd wager to say most of us are even a little frightened by the concept. Our hurried, worried world rushes along at a break-neck pace and, if we are honest, we like it that way. To stop and go away is to feel loneliness rush in and cast a dark shadow over our souls. Yet the example of Jesus says otherwise ... He calls us today just as He called His disciples to "Come away ... to a desolate place."

We tend to view solitude in the wrong way. In studying writings by Richard Foster and Chuck Swindoll, they note that true solitude is quite the opposite of being lonely and alone. In fact, when we give ourselves over to the solitude God would provide, we know at the core of our being that we are not alone. And, as Foster notes, we create a "portable sanctuary" that allows us a season of rest even in the middle of our hectic world. In solitude, we find the inner fulfillment that connects us with the God who loves us so much, He gave up His own Son.

Silence often accompanies solitude. Many writing on the Christian disciplines will combine them; most will link them at the very least. As with the heart pitched toward meditation, practicing silence and solitude puts us in a position to more clearly hear God as He speaks to us. Swindoll even notes that God doesn't speak to a hurried mind.

As I continue my Lenten side trip on this Crooked Path, I am challenged to consider my approach to disciplines such as solitude. I wonder if I would take advantage even just a little of the times it presents itself, if I would truly be still as the Psalmist says, what would I hear God say? I'm certain at least part of His message would be to remind me just how much He loves me.

In the Right Frame of Mind

2011-04-10T12:36:00.001-07:00

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." (Isaiah 6:1-7, ESV)

šŸ›

In the process of working through thoughts about Lent, I was drawn to the possibilities that it could bring and how I could apply it to my own life. I was specifically thinking in a non-liturgical fashion and wasn't limiting myself to the traditional forty day period leading up to Easter. Rather, I was looking for a way to deepen my relationship with my Savior and place myself in a position where I could hear Him more clearly.

One of the books I turned to was Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. After working through the foundational material he presents, the Christian Disciplines are laid out twelve practices which we would do well to learn and implement. The first one detailed by Foster is (and not surprisingly, knowing his Quaker roots) meditation. He notes, "What happens in meditation is that we create the emotional and spiritual space which allows Christ to construct an inner sanctuary in the heart." I think that's why this passage from Isaiah came so readily to mind.

The great prophet has prepared his heart in a fashion so that he can hear God very clearly. You would expect this much of Isaiah given his charge and work. But I have to think he is especially in this frame of mind and soul when Uzziah dies and God grants him the vision described in this passage. To me, that demonstrates a meditative heart to the greatest degree humanly possible. Think of it! He sees God seated on His throne in His heavenly temple - so immense and awesome that He fills the temple and shakes the foundations of the universe. I sincerely doubt that a man who didn't meditate could stand up to a vision such as this.

As I travel my Crooked Path, specifically as I journey through Lent this year, I hope I can bring my heart and mind to the place where I can easily hear God speak. It can come in so many ways through so many people or things - I just want to be in a position to recognize it. As the Psalmist said (Psalm 77), "I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy."

Identity Crisis

2011-04-03T12:25:00.001-07:00

For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:18-20, ESV)

šŸ›

I've found myself thinking a lot this week (especially since Friday) about my current career situation. I'm in what the career coaches call "active search mode" after some business decisions left me and others with the opportunity to seek out new situations. The men who read this will immediately identify with what I am going to say. Many of the ladies will as well, most likely because of the men in their lives. I tend to identify myself in a large way by how I earn my living. I'm pretty good at what I do and there is nothing wrong with this up to a point. Most men have a similar identification with their career pursuit. It is, at least in part, how God has wired us.

But God never meant that to be our primary identity. And, while I am also a father and husband, my true identity cannot lie their either. God continually calls us to set aside our perception of identity for what He has offered. Probably the most striking example is the story of Abraham (see Genesis or even Hebrews 11 for a brief review). God called this man out of his native land, away from his family and friends. He really didn't know where he was going but, instead, trusted God to provide. And mind you, this was a God Whom Abraham hadn't known for very long.

This same God who drew Abraham out of his native element, promised him a son. And, when Abraham finally surrendered his own will (and identity) on that matter, gave him Isaac ... then asked him to sacrifice that beloved son. Abraham, again showing his willingness to lay aside his own thoughts on his identity, took the boy to Mount Moriah and willingly laid him on the altar. God intervened, as you well remember, but I think we glimpse more of Abraham's heart here than we see anywhere else in the story. In the end, when called out by God, Abraham was willing to rest the entirety of himself - his very identity - in the capable hands of the God who had lead him all the way. His trust was, at least as far as human terms can take it, complete.

During this rather uncertain part of my own Crooked Path, perhaps God has put me in this exact position and circumstance so that I can take the lesson from Abraham and re-evaluate where my identity lies. Instead of calling myself out as a professional, a father, a husband, or anything else, when somebody asks, "Who are you?" I can answer from my heart ... "I am God's child because of what Jesus did for me." That would definitely solve any identity crisis I might feel. God hasn't changed and I can trust Him completely.

Personal Cost

2011-03-27T11:03:00.001-07:00

And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded. And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. And Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be averted from the people." Then Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you." But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel. (2 Samuel 24:18-25, ESV)

If I pass along a gift to you that I happened to receive from somebody else, nobody is really harmed in the transaction. If you happened to want what you received and I didn't have much use for it, you might even say that you came away satisfied. But if I say I've thought long and hard about you when I selected some special gift - that I sacrificed because I knew you would deeply appreciate it - and you later find out that I simply re-gifted an item I didn't want, I would imagine you might think a bit less of me or, at the very least, my integrity.

Contrast David's sacrifice here with the one Saul said he intended to make as recorded in 1 Samuel 15 and I think you will begin to see the similar picture to the second example above. Saul remained arrogant and conniving right to the end (need I bring up the whole witch at Endor thing). David, when presented with a legitimate offer from a loyal subject flat out refused to take the cheap way out. He was the one who had led the transgression (counting the fighting men) and he realized he needed to lead the act of repentance. He would not offer up some second-hand sacrifice to the Holy God.

In my current Lenten reflections along the Crooked Path, I realize that desiring to deepen the relationship with my God is a good thing. And, in doing so, I need to give back to Him things that I hold of value. The giving is not so I can gain (at least not as we usually count gaining), but rather because of what He gave up for me. In the face of His sacrifice of Jesus, how could I possibly offer God something in which I have no stake? A true sacrifice of the heart comes at a cost - a personal cost. Nothing else can substitute for that.

It Isn't About Me

2011-03-20T12:56:00.001-07:00

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth." And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22, ESV)

If I am learning anything during this Lenten sojourn of mine, it can be summed up in this statement - it is not now nor has it ever been about me, my stuff, or what I can do. And, in a somewhat paradoxical statement, God's focus is entirely and specifically on me. Thinking of it that way is a bit unsettling because, like most of us, I really don't think about God loving and pursuing me in that intense way, as if I were the only one out there. Circling back to realize He does this out of His love rather than something I do just makes my head spin. But that is the way it is happening and always has happened.

The man running up to Jesus in the passage above might have been counted among the religious. Based on his own statements, he was schooled in the Law from his youth and had worked hard to keep all the commandments (or at least the ones Jesus' quoted to him). Yet he realized this Rabbi was offering something else that he didn't quite feel like he could grasp. And, learning the price of a true relationship, he walked away shaking his head. He would stick to his religiosity instead of committing to the relationship offered.

Watchman Nee, in his book Breaking of the Spirit, talks about the story of the nard inside an alabaster box. As only Nee can do, he speaks of that box being our humanity - our outer shell - that needs to be broken so that God's Spirit can flow through us. The trouble is that so many of us, in our myopic vision of what we bring to the exchange, value the intact box more than what is inside. We become, as Nee says, "antique collectors" and treasure the box too highly. Sadly, it is only when we let go of our things and our identity that we truly understand the depth of the relationship God invites us to have with Him. Treasuring our alabaster box, we miss out greatly.

As my travel on the Crooked Path continues through Lent, I am reminded of how little depends on me and what I bring, do, or say. It strengthens my resolve while humbling my spirit again in seeing that I must decrease so that He will increase through me and within me. It isn't about me - it never was. And yet He pursues me to the ends of the earth if necessary. How can I possibly keep anything back when He gives so much?

A Matter of the Heart

2011-03-13T11:25:00.001-07:00

And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king." (1 Samuel 15:22-23, ESV)

Creating and leading a class on Lent is a challenging task. Doing so when many of those participating don't have much background in the practice increases the challenge. Making real connections to what God has been impressing on my heart to the subject - now that's the fun of it all. If you strip away all the non-essentials, you are left with a personal choice that is intended to reach your heart. Lent, when observed from a position of humble gratitude, can be exactly that. It isn't about the practice in and of itself, it is about moving my heart closer to God's heart.

Saul had been given an order to completely eliminate the Amalekites. In the end, for whatever reason, his version of "obedience" didn't match what God was after. He hemmed and hawed when Samuel questioned him, throwing his own soldiers under the bus all the while claiming he had done what was asked. In addition, he was ready to offer up the spoils as sacrifice. Samuel tells him very clearly that God doesn't want the sacrifice (or the ritual, or the checklist, or the piety), God wants Saul's heart. More specifically, God wants my heart. That message to Saul is the same today as it was then. God wants your heart. The rest is fine, but if it doesn't come out of a heart pitched toward God, it's a hollow ritual at best.

The Crooked Path takes us many places. What a joy to know that I don't travel alone, that my Lord has both gone before me and walks beside me ... even carries me when I need it most. In reverent reflection of what He has done, this particular Season of Lent can be most special for me. God wants my heart and is ready to connect with me!

Seeking a Deeper Friendship

2011-03-06T10:52:00.001-08:00

You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:14-16, ESV)

As I taught the Season of Lent class today for the first time, we discussed some of the history of Lent, some of the symbolism (especially of the 40 days), and how it seems to have been buried under a mountain of legalism and ritual. As a result, far too many will enter into the season and abstain from something because they feel they have to do it. It's an annual checklist item and they will do their best to fulfill their commitment between now and Easter - even if it kills them. But they will have missed the point entirely. Lent isn't, at the heart, a season of "giving up", but rather it is a season to prepare and renew the heart for what lies ahead. And what lies ahead, what we commemorate every Spring, is the call of Jesus to enter into relationship with Him in a richer, deeper way.

While it wasn't some mandate to observe Lent or any other practice, the words of the Master to His disciples in the Upper Room on that final night were words to live by. And among the great teachings was the "turning of the tables" where the Messiah called them his friends and explained that all He had and all He had done was theirs as well. They had been called God's children before, but this was something new - a new angle, if you will. It was an invitation to live as He lived, serve as He served, and ultimately to die as He died. In becoming friends instead of pupils, God Himself was telling them the entire game was about to change drastically. And at the heart of the change was a new relationship, a deeper, richer friendship with God than they could possibly imagine.

In preparing for my Lenten side trip, I would do well to remember it isn't about the practice, but about the Person. He does not now, nor has he ever wanted my ritualistic sacrifice. He wants my heart. He wants your heart. Celebrating Lent is just one way of seeking that deeper friendship with Him. And, I believe, it will be well worth the journey.

The Season of Lent - the Discipline to Live Deliberately

2011-02-27T12:35:00.001-08:00

Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal. If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me. (John 12:24-26, The Message)

A few weeks ago, I was studying a book by Brennan Manning when God laid something on my heart. The message was pretty clear and, in fact, scared me just a bit. Manning was writing about dying to self and the cycle of contemplation that leads up to the Holy Week of Easter. I had already been thinking about our upcoming Sunday School cycle as I had volunteered to teach at least part of one adult class for the next quarter. And that's when God stepped in ...

I've not been raised in a liturgical tradition, but I have had more than a little exposure to it. In my early school years, the Christian school kids and Catholic school kids shared bus routes, so I had an understanding of at least the fundamental concept of Lent even though we never practiced it (or even talked much about it). But God, speaking through the book I was reading, several other thoughts expressed in this blog, and the prompting of His Spirit impressed on me that the class needed to center on the Lenten season, specifically the aspect where we die to self in order to more richly understand and reflect our Savior. I swallowed hard and informed my pastor and the superintendent of what happened - and they greeted my thoughts with affirmation. The challenge was on as there isn't really a set curriculum out there for a non-liturgical perspective on Lent. I would have to do my research, listen to the Spirit, and begin writing.

As a result, the Crooked Path finds itself on a bit of a detour for the next few weeks. I'll still be posting, but instead of the regular format, I will be providing the same reflections and thoughts as I will during the Sunday School class. I'm not sure how this will play out, but I do know one thing ... it will lead us again to the foot of the Cross and a view of the Suffering Savior. I hope it will instill in me the desire to live a more deliberate live - to place earthly things in their proper perspective - and focus on my relationship with my Lord. I'd love to have you come along with me and experience the same.

So join me on this little "side trip" and challenge yourself during this special season to reflect on Christ in a fresh way and determine in your heart to deepen your relationship with your Savior and God.

How God Works

2011-02-20T04:26:00.001-08:00

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He's set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. (Colossians 1:9-14, The Message)

So many of the great stories, the ones that we love, have common themes. One that shows up often, especially in high-adventure tales, has a great rescuer who lays down his or her life for the rest of the group. This is a critical story turn because it usually puts the rescuer in position to not be rescued in order for the rest to survive. We see it in Narnia when Aslan offers up himself so that Edmund can go free. We see it in Middle Earth when Gandalf stands alone on the bridge and falls into shadow, allowing the rest to escape out of Moria. Yes, the great sacrifice made by the rescuer is hailed in song and verse and always loved in the context of a story. I think we're wired to love it, most likely because that's the heart of God's story for us.

In this brief introduction to his letter to the Colossians, Paul speaks of his prayer that the believers would "acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works." Then, near the end of his introduction, he tells them exactly what God has done - He has rescued them. He has pulled them out of the dark places. He has set them up (other versions say "delivered") in His kingdom. And He has removed the sins of the past, allowing them to move forward in freedom and know Him in a deeper way.

Notice that Paul doesn't tell them they can now "turn over a new leaf" because of this. God doesn't work that way. His rescue is a completely different basis on which they can live their lives in new ways, not just try to be better. Their status as residents of Earth (and ultimately Death) has been transferred into the status of sons and daughters of God, complete with a home in His Kingdom. The change is so compelling that it leaves one wanting more of it and a greater understanding of how it all fits together. No, it isn't just a "try again" ... it's a complete "do over" with no record of the past. That is exactly how God works.

So then, why do we keep trying to work it out ourselves? The work we are called to do in His Kingdom is to be done under our new positions as children, not outsiders. But somehow, we (at least I) have difficulty getting that through our thick heads and stubborn wills. But, as Paul exhorted the Colossians, we would do well to understand how God works and how that plays out in our lives. His rescue, just like the ones in the great stories, came at a dreadful price. His rescue hung His own Son out to die for us, so that we might be counted as His very own. It seems to me that questioning that cheapens the rescue considerably. Oh, and lest we forget, the rescues mentioned resulted in a resurrection. Gandalf became the White Wizard, Aslan came back to defeat the Witch, and Christ rose again with a power that conquered Death and Hell for good. Because that's exactly how God works.

As I travel my Crooked Path, I will encounter times of doubt and fear, times that make me question what is really going on. When those time come, I need to remind myself that God's love has rescued me from it all - perhaps not a temporal rescue - but most assuredly an eternal rescue. This is something far greater than the stories that carry the same theme. This is how God works ... and I am rescued!

Have you gotten a glimpse into how God works? What have you seen and how has it impacted you?
How about the concept of "rescue" ... what does that mean to you? Do you wince when the story comes to that part and the rescuer seems to be defeated? Or do you understand it is part of something much bigger?
Are you comfortable or uncomfortable with the whole concept of being transferred to His Kingdom? Do you somehow feel like you don't belong even if God Himself says you do?

An Impulse Buy

2011-02-13T05:01:00.001-08:00

But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly. And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us." But the men of Israel said to the Hivites, "Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a covenant with you?" They said to Joshua, "We are your servants." And Joshua said to them, "Who are you? And where do you come from?" They said to him, "From a very distant country your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, "We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us."' Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly. These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey." So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. (Joshua 9:3-15, ESV)

We've all done it at one point or another. We certainly didn't mean to, but it happened. We saw it; we wanted it; we bought it. And, in more than a few cases, we were then stuck with it. There are all sorts of drivers for an impulse buy. I happen to have a perfectly good generator in my garage that has gotten a grand total of just a couple uses despite the fact that it cost me several hundred dollars and I lugged it from Michigan to North Carolina when we moved. I'd wager each one of you has your own story to tell, be it funny or perhaps a little embarrassing. But I'd also wager that none of us had the amount of buyer's remorse ultimately experienced by the Israelites because of one colossally bad impulse buy.

The local folks were running the scale from indignant to scared silly based on what they heard this God of the Israelites doing. These newcomers to their land were making inroads and destroying complete cities left and right. Some came out to fight (and lost) while some, doubtless, headed off for parts unknown. The Gibeonites got together and hatched an especially devious plan. They didn't know it at the time, but its success was predicated on the people of Israel not staying true to form - and that went double for their fearless leader, Joshua.

Imagine the scene. You are Joshua, sitting in your general-in-command tent planning the next move, when one of your trusted lieutenants comes in with a few ragged, dirty, and tired-looking men. You exchange pleasantries and they begin to tell you a tale of how they've come to be in front of you. Something inside you tells you to probe further, but they have what seems to be a plausible answer and your inner voice is quieted. You and your staff make a decision, one that you will later regret as an impulse buy. You accept their story lock, stock, and barrel and you make a treaty with them. Even if your inner voice started to speak up again, it's too late.

In retrospect, how difficult would it have been for Joshua or one of the priests to consult God? I mean, they had the two "magic" glowing stones whereby God directly weighed in on such matters. Joshua had heard God's voice before and followed it, so it isn't like it would have been a new thing to consult the Almighty. Yet, as this passage records, they bought the lie and had to live with the resulting remorse - all for the lack of enough sense and humility to do what they had been doing regularly up to that point.

Now, I'm not saying that we have to roll out a fleece or wait for some miraculous sign every time we encounter a choice. But I will say that we need to live our lives in such a manner that consulting God is a regular part of who we are and how we conduct ourselves. The travels on the Crooked Path would probably go much more easily if we would take a lesson from the story in Joshua chapter 9, or perhaps from reading about those such as Brother Lawrence. Live our lives in such a way that God is constantly recognized as present in everything we do. Taking that approach, there would be a lot less impulse buying.

So, how much of an impulse buyer are you in your daily life? Do you find you jump quickly to decisions and actions that you often regret later?
Where do you look directly to God and where to you think He's left it in your hands to decide? How do you discern the difference (or should there be a difference)?
What will it take to bring you to the point of understanding that God doesn't differentiate the way we do? Can you see yourself in a place where consulting God and hearing His heart are as natural as breathing?

Something in My Eye

2011-02-06T05:05:00.001-08:00

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho, the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, "Speak to the Israelites and tell them, 'When you cross the Jordan River and go into Canaan, force out all the people who live there. Destroy all of their carved statues and metal idols. Wreck all of their places of worship. Take over the land and settle there, because I have given this land to you to own. Throw lots to divide up the land by family groups, giving larger portions to larger family groups and smaller portions to smaller family groups. The land will be given as the lots decide; each tribe will get its own land. But if you don't force those people out of the land, they will bring you trouble. They will be like sharp hooks in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will bring trouble to the land where you live. Then I will punish you as I had planned to punish them.'" (Numbers 33:50-56, NCV)

On several occasions in my life, I've had difficulty with my eyes. I've worn corrective lenses since I was twelve (and needed them longer than that). Eventually, when I could pay my own way, I ended up in contact lenses as so many young people do. That all went along fine for years until I developed an irritation on the inside of the eyelid that forced me to toss the contacts and go back to wearing glasses. Except for when playing softball, having "something in my eye" was very uncomfortable for me.

More recently, when we moved into our North Carolina house, we thought we'd take the opportunity to be eco-friendly and place a rain barrel under one of the downspouts. I installed it easily enough, but later that evening, my eyes began to water and feel sharp pain. I flushed them out as best I could, but it took me a while to realize what was wrong. This time, the "something in my eye" was the residue from the peppers or salsa or whatever had occupied that rain barrel before I purchased and installed it. The pain in both of these cases went away, but the memory of the discomfort lives on.

Listening to the book of Numbers recently, the thought of "something in my eye" came readily to mind when I considered the passage above. Unlike the unilateral covenant discussed in a previous post, God is requiring something specific of the Israelites as they are preparing to enter the Promised Land. He is telling them, for their own good, to completely drive out the current inhabitants, tear down their pagan systems of worship, and completely possess the land as their own. They have been camping long enough, and it's time to finally settle permanently.

The warning here is pretty pointed - fail to do what God says, and you will end up with "something in your eye" that you won't be able to flush out and a thorn in your side that will devil you for your entire life. You will still live in the land, but you will know trouble the likes of which you cannot begin to imagine. Sadly, we've heard the end of the story since we had our first flannel graph lesson in Sunday School (if you have no idea what that means, go ask your parents). They found the work too hard to do completely, and they ended up with a LOT of "something in their eye" as a result.

All of this time, God would have come to their aid, flushed out their eyes, and yanked the thorns out of their sides. That is the exact kind of God we read about ... but it seems like we have a hard time experiencing Him in that degree of love and fullness. Somehow, we've duped ourselves into thinking that we've sunk a bit too far and have to correct our issues on our own before coming back to Him. Or, like the Israelites, we've attempted it all in our own strength because we've subscribed to the warped belief system that "God expects us to do the work and do it well." Nothing could be farther from the truth, at least in the Bible I read and with the God I've come to know.

Sure, He realizes we will miss the mark ... but He already made provision for that in Jesus Christ. He wants us to come in our frailty ... He absolutely LOVES it when we admit we can't do things in our own weakness. His command may seem stern (as I'm sure this one did to Israel), but He has promised us over and over that His burden is light and He will never leave us. That's the essence of the unilateral covenant in Christ.

So, as I travel my Crooked Path, I can actually take heart in knowing that anytime I get "something in my eye", I can run to my Father and He has already promised to take care of it. He still may correct me, but that is always out of love and His desire to deepen our relationship. Besides, the road will always seem clearer if my eyes don't hurt.

Does God's command to Israel seem a little harsh to you? Do you have difficulty reconciling a loving God to the command he gave them to "drive them out"?
Are you still feeling like God "expects" you to deal with your problems before you come back to Him? Does that way of thinking make you weary, sad, or even angry?
Are you ready to accept His gracious offer to get that "something" out of your eye so that you can live a more joyful life and deepen your relationship? Do you hear His heart beating for you to draw closer?

Unilateral Covenant

2011-01-30T05:20:00.001-08:00

And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?" So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates — the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."
(Genesis 15:8-21, NKJV)

As a father, I have many occasions to make a one-way promise to my daughters. It's part of the unconditional love in the parent-child relationship. And, I also make some promises that come with a condition which they must fulfill in order to receive their reward. That, too, is a part of life and the kind of contract or covenant most of us are familiar with. These covenants can cover all kinds of things from the mundane to the very important.

In ancient times, when there weren't any lawyers to draw up such agreements, people used other ways to show their agreement with each other and spell out the terms that were to be fulfilled. I recall a message my father gave (oh so very long ago) where he talked about one method in particular. When you and I were about to enter into an agreement, we would slaughter some animals, lay them out in a very specific fashion with a path down the middle, and then walk back and forth with arms linked while we repeated the terms and conditions of the contract.

I remembered this message from years ago as I was listening to the passage referenced today. The practice described by my father is exactly what God is doing with Abraham - but with one very distinct twist. Once the sacrifice is properly laid out, God sets Abraham aside, puts him to sleep, and then the Almighty alone walks through the pieces, binding Himself in a unilateral covenant with Abraham and the generations to come. This is one very special agreement, and it is a shadow of another one God made long before it and fulfilled through One who would come through Abraham's lineage. The Lamb, slain before the Earth was ever created, was God's ultimate unilateral covenant with His creation.

Sure, God made many other promises that had a "performance clause" attached to them, but they all pale in comparison with His great covenant of redemption. And, perhaps, that's where so many of us bristle within ourselves. We become so accustomed to agreements that require us to do our part, that when the God of the Universe says, "I love you and have redeemed you .. I paid the price Myself and you cannot bring anything to the exchange ... it really is that simple ..." we just can't accept Him at His word. In doing this, we make a tragic mistake and end up missing out on the pure joy that comes from the relationship that requires nothing from us.

As I walk my Crooked Path, I will have many occasions when I need to do something to receive something. But I must always remember that my security in the covenant of redemption comes completely without merit ... I didn't earn it to begin with and I cannot do anything to keep on earning it ... it was and is a Gift. No, performance clauses have their place, but not where my relationship with my Heavenly Father is concerned. I just need to trust that He means what He says about this promise ... unilaterally.

Does the idea of a unilateral covenant from God to you make you a bit uncomfortable? Are you struggling with doing "your part"?
Do you find yourself confused at the seeming paradox of "living up to God's standards" and "free from the Law by Grace"?
If you can break away from your view and see the relationship from God's perspective, how much greater would your joy be? Isn't that a much better reason to live for Him?

Signposts

2011-01-23T12:06:00.001-08:00

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Messiah." They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" (John 1:6-8 & 19-23, NIV)

Picture a time when you have been traveling to a destination that was new to you. Perhaps you have just a map, perhaps a printed list of directions, or perhaps a GPS system. Or maybe you have taken a trip through a large airport you were not familiar with (especially if you had limited time to get from one end to the other). In any of these scenarios, you would be referring to any guide you are carrying to ensure you are heading the right direction, but there would be another thing you are looking for, one that confirms without a shadow of a doubt, that you are almost at your destination. You are looking for a signpost. You want to see that little scrap of wood by the road that says, "Camp Swampy, turn right in 2 miles" or the one that reads "Gate Z75". Those markers are not the destination we seek, but they are a clear indicator that we are on track and headed where we want to go.

As my pastor (of late the most rich source of material for these posts), began his message from the passage in John noted above, I already had the title for this entry in mind. If there is any word which, in my estimation, can describe that wild and unique character of John the Baptist, it would be "signpost". John thinks so much of this idea that he interrupts his re-telling of the foundation of the Earth to introduce him to us as the one who bore witness to the Light - the signpost that would point directly to Messiah. And, apparently, John was comfortable with that role and quick to discount his being anything else.

There he was, a rather odd-looking character roaming the countryside with a message that echoed the prophet Isaiah. The religious leaders sent out their information gathering team and asked him if he were the promised Messiah. Calmly and directly, he tells them, "No." They then turn to their traditions and want to know if he is the reincarnation of Elijah or one of the other prophets they believe will show up to point the way to the Messiah. It would appear they weren't ignoring the task of looking for a signpost and legitimately wanted to know if John were fulfilling some specific role from their liturgy. Again, John tells them he is not that person. Frustrated, they ask who he is ... and here John quotes Isaiah with authority and confidence and in a manner I think shows he had complete confidence in the role God had called him to. He was a voice, calling out to others, urging them to get ready for the Promise to be delivered. He was, in no uncertain terms, a signpost.

So, how then can this apply to us today? I mean, Messiah came and already did the whole birth-death-resurrection thing as planned. And we believe He did and that's why we live with hope. But, here's the thing ... we still are called to be signposts. We are called to live in such a way that the things we value, do, say and act out declare that Jesus is alive. We are called, as was John, to point to Him.

As I travel this Crooked Path, I would do well to follow this advice. And, in being a signpost, I need to be careful not to berate or argue with others. I should not be so obsessed with winning my point that I alienate the one reading my signpost. I need to act out of humility, offering an alternative to the death and darkness that so permeates the world around me. Like the old hymn says, I need to be a lower light, always directing to the Light of the World. The signpost of my life needs to clearly say, "Jesus is alive! Ask me if you want to find out more."

If somebody were to read the signpost of your life, what would they see and to whom or what would it point?
Perhaps you are looking for a signpost yourself. If you are, what do you want to see and in which direction do you need it to point?
Are you willing to be comfortable in your role as one who points to the Life and Truth that is Jesus? If you take that risk, don't you think that others can benefit and find that you can point them to Him?

Planted with Purpose

2011-01-16T13:17:00.001-08:00

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1, NLT)

In my youth, I remember having a local man till up a large portion of our yard so we could plant a garden. And, while that meant I wasn't mowing that particular part of the yard, it did lead to other chores such as planting, weeding, and harvesting. It also lead to some tomato wars - but that's a different story entirely. That garden did produce plenty, though I wonder at what cost in the end.

In both the houses we've owned, my wife and I have planted gardens. The efforts have met with very limited success and, in the most recent case, a harvest of absolutely nothing edible. Though we did what we thought we should, the corn grew up sparse and the tomatoes less than useable. About the only creatures who had any of our "bounty" were the mice who live in the field beyond our property. We had planted with a purpose, but the results certainly weren't worth the effort and we've since ceased doing it. Where the garden once didn't grow is now an overgrown brush pile. I'm sure the mice still get the benefit.

In a recent message, my pastor used Psalm 1 and particularly zeroed in on what we have as the third verse. As he spoke, I took notes and knew another entry was forthcoming. If you close your eyes and imagine the vision of this tree, I think you will see what I see and most of what I heard. That tree, planted with specific intent, is pretty special.

It is not an accidental tree by any means. I've had those kind of trees and plants on my properties. Wild-growing Chinese Elms at the Michigan house seemed to spring up anywhere and everywhere. And here, at the North Carolina house, it's wild onions so dense it smells like a hot dog cart when I mow my yard. But the Psalm 1 tree is different - it was selected, cultivated, and placed by the river in a unique position to grow and prosper. There is nothing random about it.

Notice also the specific placement of the tree. It has been located precisely where it needs to be so it will draw strength and sustenance from the nearby river. Unlike my former garden in the far corner of the yard, it is drought resistant with its roots diving deep down into the earth, drawing nutrition from the life-source of that river. As such, it is vibrant and able to bear its fruit in time for harvest - never missing a beat; always producing as it was intended to produce. Its connection to the river brings it long longevity and durability. You will find leaves on it all the time, just as the one who planted it desired when that exact spot was selected.

As I considered the tree and the river, the obvious parallel to our lives and our Savior were clear. He is our Planter and He is also our source of Living Water from Whom we draw our strength and very life. But, as I thought about it, I saw more clearly the relationship we have in Christ. Just like the tree and the river, it becomes a symbiotic relationship that draws a rich life from the Source that has an ultimate purpose. Fulfillment and "success" as a partner of God comes to us, even if the world around us does not understand it or view it as prosperous. It is an intimate, intentional joining where in God doesn't "need" us in the classic sense of the word, but He chooses to "want" us and to use us as an extension of Himself.

As my Crooked Path winds and turns, rises and falls, I am reminded that God has chosen be with great intent and personal commitment. He has planted me so that I can draw life from Christ and never be concerned about my future. He has removed me from my past and promised life and prosperity beyond what I can imagine, even if it doesn't look like it to anybody else. He asks me to trust Him to provide, and trust is what I must do. I'm not an accident - I'm an intentional work of the Creator, planted with purpose.

Does your life feel random and out of control? Are you having difficulty seeing and understanding what is going on in and around you?
If you look at your "roots", do you find they dig deep down and find the Lift that Christ alone can give? Or do you find them to be shallow and lacking in that way?
Is your relationship with God personal and intentional? Do you believe that He has His eye and hand on you, and that you are not where you are by accident? Are you ready to give yourself over to His purpose?

Inseparable

2011-01-09T11:16:00.001-08:00

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:26-39, NASB)

Did you have a childhood friend with whom you were "thick as thieves", the kind where when you looked for one of you, you were bound to find the other? So many of us did. The successes and failures were shared experiences that almost always strengthened that bond and forged the friendship - at least through the pre-adolescent years. Over time, and with perhaps the distance that often comes from moving away, that bond changed and finally faded away. But the childhood memories continue - you couldn't imagine life at that age without him or her by your side. And just maybe, you think back on this relationship and wish it could happen again.

Well, friends, your Divine Brother has promised such a relationship - and a much richer one at that. He has promised to be such a part of you that He can even understand what you are saying when you don't have the words to say it. He is constantly holding you up to the Father, describing you in the most loving and intimate of terms. And unlike what some will say, He is definitely not accusing you! His love for you doesn't just "overlook" your faults and flaws; it doesn't ignore them. Rather, He counts it all as in the past and forgotten.

That's a great message for so many of us who are struggling day to day - so why do we miss it so often? Is it because we somehow don't really believe that He is that intimately interested in us? Do we think that somehow we've embarrassed or offended Him to the degree where He won't speak to us anymore? Do we feel like He has abandoned us, left us alone to wallow in our own muck and mire? I'm guessing it is all of these thoughts and many more like them. But it couldn't be farther from the truth.

Paul is speaking very plainly here, and we would do well to listen. He is declaring with great emphasis and power that we are "inseparable" from God and His love. Nothing here on Earth, nothing in the Universe around us, nothing we do, and nothing anyone else does can drive a wedge between us. Sure, the relationship gets damaged from time to time, but that's all a part of the fallen nature. When we feel like we are drifting (and it is we who do the drifting), we can rest in the assurance that God hasn't lost track of us and he hasn't lost interest in us. And, drawing from that strength, we can move back into the fellowship that seeks to drain every ounce of Joy from our relationship with our Father.

As I travel my Crooked Path, the ups, downs, twists, and turns will bring me through many circumstances that will both try me and uplift me. In the midst of all of this, I need to trust that God is never separated from me. Our relationship is secure at the core and can only increase in intensity ... all the way until I see Him in person. No separation on Earth, and the promise of union forever ... inseparable!

Do you feel separated right now - as if God is off at a distance and waiting for you to do something to restore the relationship?
Are you struggling with your past (or even your present) based on what somebody else has told you God expects? Do you find it hard to feel like the "conqueror" Paul says you are in Christ?
Can you begin to grasp the truth that God is in "hot pursuit" of you and won't break it off? Does it make you a bit uncomfortable that He is so lavish with His love? If you could shake that feeling and rest in His care, how would your outlook on living change?

The Guilt Machine

2011-01-02T08:54:00.001-08:00

They went each to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." (John 7:53-8:11, ESV)

I have a special machine it has taken a lifetime to build. I realize, at some level, that it really should be dismantled and destroyed, yet somehow it remains because I keep tending to it. I'm sure you have a similar one in your possession. They are "guilt machines" and they are a hold-over from a system long since abandoned by our Father because of the completed work of Jesus Christ. And so, in this first entry of a new year, I want to make a resolution - I will systematically and intentionally dismantle my guilt machine, rendering it ineffective to weigh in on and critique my life anymore. If I do nothing else, I will do this and invest my efforts and my future in the Truth that I do not stand condemned before God and I will not condemn myself.

The message to the woman brought before Jesus was clear from both perspectives. Her accusers (many speculate one of them was the unnamed contributing party) have brought her out for show with their own guilt machines in full swing. They are basing their accusation on the Law and we all know the Law has no power to forgive, it can only condemn. And the Rabbi promptly ignores their rants and doodles in the dirt. You can imagine their escalating rage and animosity.

The youngest ones, no doubt, are the most vehement because they are trying to prove their worth to their more seasoned counterparts. And then, He lifts his head up and looks as if He is about to speak ... and His words cut them to the quick, from the oldest back down to those idealistic younger members. They drop their rocks, they holster their words, they hitch up their guilt machines, and they slink off defeated by the simple thought - "Nobody's perfect, gentlemen. If one of you were perfect, feel free to throw the first stone at her."

In the scene that follows, I find the strength to fight against my own guilt and know that, while I am far from perfect, I am not condemned. The woman won't even look at Him at first. All she knows is that the men who took her are gone and she is face to face with Jesus. And then, He extends His love toward her and declares her uncondemned with the encouragement to live in the freedom of forgiveness based in gratitude for what has been done.

So many have been so afraid of the freedom of being uncondemned that they insist on keeping their guilt machines in good working order. They fear that the freedom from guilt will give license to sin and then grace will somehow be abused in the process. We're told that our heart and body are temples and we need to treat them as such out of some sense of duty. But all those thoughts are just the Law, sanded down and varnished in a slightly different shade. Those who lean this way miss the very essence of the last words to the woman from this passage - "Go, and live a life that seeks to obey God not out of some sense of duty, but out of the love that responds to redemption by wanting to move closer and closer with each moment."

As we travel this Crooked Path, we work on our hearts so that the relationship can be better, so that we can drain every last drop of joy out of it and live as a community of the redeemed. We subject our bodies to improvement so that we can have the best relationship and not be hindered as much. We live in the glow of a Love that knew no bounds and offered it all. And we dismantle our guilt machines because they have no place in this relationship. God has declared us uncondemned - who then can condemn us ever again?

So, which are you today? Are still wallowing in a state of condemnation, or basking in the glow of the extreme forgiveness of God who has declared you uncondemned in His own sight?
How's your own guilt machine functioning? Do you find you keep the gears oiled and the works finely tuned? Can you see how much this runs counter to what God has done and declared for you?
Are you willing to commit to giving it up, whether it is the New Year for you or not? Is your view of God big enough to let Him love you without the need for the guilt He has already resolved?

Clemency

2010-12-26T11:42:00.001-08:00

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
(Luke 2:8-18, NIV)

Somewhere, buried among often forgotten verses of Christmas hymns and carols, are some true treasures that we need to hear more often. One of those came out a week ago during our morning worship hour. I've been in an "Advent" frame of mind for some time based on what we've been reading at home, recent messages, and a host of other reasons. Then, we sang a verse of "Angels from the Realms of Glory" that I had never heard before.

In fact, it wasn't even the entire verse; it was just one phrase. I had to do a search on the Internet when I got home just to confirm what I had seen and sung. The phrase? Quite a simple, but powerful one ... "Justice now repeals its sentence." One word came to my mind as I thought about this verse ... clemency. It's a legal term denoting a reduced or cancelled punishment for a crime committed. And that's just what happened. The angels certainly knew it that night when they announced it to shepherds.

I find it an amazing thought. Something we rightly deserved, based on the Law, has been withheld. And not only that, it has been completely removed - repealed - never to be held over our heads again. That's precisely what the angel told them, "A Savior has been born to you." This was the message of hope they had longed for because without a savior, there is no hope. Without a savior, there is no clemency.

And so, these lowly shepherds considered what they had heard and went into the town to a stable. There, they laid eyes on their Messiah and witnessed for themselves the result of promises made long ago. In the form of a humble peasant child, God had come to Earth. In the unlikely place of a stable, somewhere that nobody would question the presence of such un-noteworthy a crowd, "Justice repeals its sentence". A baby, just hours old, lying in a feed trough and wrapped in cloths, with only the dim glow of perhaps an oil lamp is the fulfillment of the ages. He is the Christ!

I noted a few posts ago that the Great Story turns on the entrance of Christ into humanity. And, while we certainly know that the journey beginning in the manger must pass through the cross and exit at the empty tomb, we shouldn't rush away from this humble stable so quickly. Here, with no further angelic announcement, no bright lights, and no signs or wonders, we meet our Savior for the first time face to face. The warmth of a newborn conveys the love of the Father in a new and special way. We would do well to pause in reverence and gaze into His face once again.

My own Crooked Path finds life and purpose in those humble beginnings. I don't want to rush away, even to the completion of the salvation work some three decades later. I want to pause, especially at this time of year, to consider the humility and wonder that came together that night so very long ago. And I rejoice in the clemency granted by my Father. The sentence is repealed, never again to be mentioned. Now that's what I call a Savior.

Have you stopped to consider the shepherds and what they saw? Can you imagine your reaction were you in their place?
Have you taken the time to pause and reflect upon the newborn Savior, or are you in a hurry to move forward to the end (or something else)?
When you consider God coming in this most humble way, what do you feel? Can you rejoice with the angels at the thought of a Savior who has come to grant clemency?

Love Letters

2010-12-19T11:34:00.001-08:00

I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11; Galatians 4:4-5; 2 Corinthians 3:2-3, NKJV)

I date back to the day when you actually wrote letters to the one you love. No e-mail or texting; no cell phones or instant messaging to communicate. Quick notes passed in class, calls from the dorm phone (or a pay phone), and letters written on stationery. Oh, those were the days! Don't get me wrong, I'm quite fond of the speed of communication in this "modern" world. My cell phone and e-mail keep me in touch with my family and friends and the world of social networking has renewed contact and added new people to my life. But it seems to pale in comparison to the passion and thought a letter takes. And oh the stories they tell ...

God is telling us a story. In fact, He has written part of it on our very hearts. Talk about a personal letter! We don't understand the whole thing - we won't for quite some time - but the very substance of His writing is woven into our DNA. And as this great story unfolds, God continues to write (or more accurately reveal) more of the script to us.

In the fullness of time - at just the right moment - God writes Jesus into humanity, complete with all the frailty we experience and yet so very different. He wrote His very love in the most personal of ways. Paul uses the word "commends" in Romans. I've always associated that with making a special delivery. It's His most important communication to date and He doesn't want us to miss it. In the very center of Advent, we find that Baby nestled into humanity in the most peculiar way. Each year, we have the chance to be reminded about it once again as we re-read God's Eternal Love Letter to us.

And having accepted this wonderful gift, and with a growing understanding of the letter of eternity God has written on our heart, we become an extension of His love to a dark and confused world. We are God's love notes - written with the pen of the Holy Spirit - for all to read so they might be pointed back to the One for whom we celebrate and on whom we depend. We become part of His greater story for all to read. As Paul put it, we become the very letter of Christ.

I write this post as we approach the lighting of the fourth candle in our Advent wreath. We're currently reading a story during this season of a girl's journey to find that Special Baby. We've lit the candles of Hope, Love, and Peace and now eagerly await that final outer candle of Joy. But the story isn't complete without the center candle for Christ Himself. The one Perfect Letter from God to us expressing just how much He loves us. The story of eternity, taking its most important turn.

The Crooked Path promises nothing but the Hope of the One who waits at the end. And He has been there from the very beginning - throughout all eternity. My part in the story is so very small by comparison, yet it is so important to Him that He writes His Love Letter to me in the most personal way. He is my Father, my Brother, my source of Love. His letter to me asks that I join Him and let Him write more on my heart.

If somebody read your heart, what would they read? Would they see God's love, His eternal story unfolding?
Are you comfortable reading God's personal love letter to you? Can you grasp the idea that He did that - that it is that personal?
Are you willing to embrace Jesus in a fresh way - perhaps especially because it is Advent? Will you take that risk so that God can write more of His story on your heart?

The Unrecognized King

2010-12-12T13:27:00.001-08:00

Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.

And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, and the glory of Your people Israel."

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." (Isaiah 53:1-5; Luke 2:25-32; John 1:45-46, NASB)

In the great hall of the king, in a seat beside the elevated and empty throne, the man in important robes looks up at the outsider with a scowl. He scoffs at the notion this might be the important event he has supposed to have been looking for. Instead, he coldly remarks that the man is the "last of a line long bereft of honor." Aragorn is, in the addled mind of Denethor, just a no-account, itinerant mercenary. And surely, not a king. But what the near-insane steward in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings fails to understand is that his belief does not govern what is true. A king stands before him, acknowledged or not.

As the Advent season progresses toward the lighting of the Christ candle, my thoughts turn toward the words of Isaiah once again, specifically his writing about the coming of Messiah. In a nation that has not heard from God for over 400 years yet has so much writing that leads up to the moment, how can it be that so few will realize the One who is before them. Simeon, in that simple passage of Luke saw Him and knew. And, perhaps, he knew because he never stopped seeking and, while he was most likely looking for a handsome young man, was open to the idea that God would come in the form of a common baby. Whatever prompted his spirit, the old man took the baby and danced, knowing he had seen God's faithfulness. Perhaps he even recalled the words of Isaiah which said the Messiah would be rather ordinary.

And ordinary He did appear. This King of kings spent his formative years as a carpenter's apprentice in a rather remote and rural town. Nathaniel's thoughts on hearing from his brother emphasize that - nothing of any account comes out of Nazareth. Yet this One who Simeon saw and declared his own life complete was most certainly the promised King, even if they didn't recognize Him. That baby in the manger was and is Immanuel - God with us!

Yet how many of us today recognize Him when He comes to us? Just what are we expecting to see anyway? If He came once as an average baby and grew up to take on a brief ministry as an itinerate rabbi, why are we looking for crowns and jewels and swords? It's our complacency that keeps us from seeing Him as He is, just like it kept so many from seeing Him as He was 2,000 years ago. The lesson here, in my way of thinking, is to take the approach that Simeon took: Don't limit God, and never stop looking.

As my Crooked Path winds through the season of Advent again this year, I'm encouraged to know that God in Christ came to us in the most common form. Remembering that, perhaps I can recognize the King when I see Him working around me. After all, He is the Servant King, so why wouldn't He be serving?

Are you willing to set aside your complacency and open your eyes and heart to who God is and what He is doing right around you?
Are you willing to remove the limits you have placed on God so you can see His work in new and exciting ways?
Will you make the effort to keep looking for the King so that you are sure to recognize Him when you see Him at work around you? Are you ready to sing and dance with Simeon at the coming of Immanuel?

The Story Turns - the Birth of Hope

2010-12-05T06:12:00.001-08:00

Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled with glory. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor's rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven's Armies will make this happen! (Isaiah 9:1-7, NLT)

All the great stories build up to a turning point, a hinge upon which the story turns one way or another. The movies we love do this through establishing a climax (or maybe two) that builds the suspense for the viewer. The setup for these turns comes in many forms and in many ways, depending on the story being told. Each installment of The Lord of the Rings (one of my favorites) comes with crucial decisions and actions that lead to either great victory or more ill-fated themes. The tension that builds is what we love, largely because we have an inborn sense of story that exceeds the boundaries of what we know as time. And God is the author of that story.

Among the Old Testament prophets, Isaiah stands out for his vision of what is to come in the story of Israel. This passage in particular, immortalized by Handel in The Messiah rings especially true. And, as I heard it again this past week, I was reminded why the first candle of Advent is traditionally lit for "Hope". It is the "hope of the prophets" as called out here that so appropriately kicks off the season leading up to Christmas. For this passage and so many others point to the turn in God's story when Hope is born as a human and changes everything. It was Isaiah's forward gaze which gives way to our own.

Wrapped inside the hope is the promise of a kingdom, and a kingdom of peace at that. In the face of the political turmoil Isaiah and the Israelites faced, this was a significant promise. The line of kings had all but failed and to hear that the throne would one day be restored must have been a great encouragement. A Son, one Who had always existed, was to be given to them. He would enter their story as the catalyst for the turning point - the Promised Hope Himself! And yet, when He came, they were all wrapped up in other things and didn't really notice. Hope was right under their nose and they couldn't see it.

But if we step back and look at the Great Story of God, we see that just when it appeared He had abandoned us, He enters our world and sets the stage for what will become the Final Act. He takes on the very worst of our suffering so that He can conquer it and leave it behind once and for all. Our Hope of permanent and final redemption is fulfilled as a tiny baby appears, born to a peasant tradesman and his yet-to-be-wed bride. As the songwriter said, "What a strange way to save the world."

But through this all, Isaiah clearly brings us the message that God is "up to something" ... and that Something is the Hope of All Ages. As I walk my own Crooked Path and pass through the annual cycle of Advent, I need to remember why we light the candles and tell the stories. They are part of our backward glance that leads to our longing gaze toward the future. As I pass through the Manger again this year, may I do it with sincere reflection on the turning point in God's story that so impacts me ... the Hope that is Christ.

Have you taken a fresh look at the words of hope the prophets have spoken? Would you be willing to do that?
And if you're willing to do that, how about taking a look at the manger as the turning point in God's Great Story? Can you see the significance of what God is "up to"?
So, where is your heart this Advent season? Is it still stuck in a dark and disconnected world, or can you see the ray of Hope that shines as the story turns?

Neighborhood Makeover

2010-11-28T04:59:00.001-08:00

I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone." The Enthroned continued, "Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate."

The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. But there was no sign of a Temple, for the Lord God—the Sovereign-Strong—and the Lamb are the Temple. The City doesn't need sun or moon for light. God's Glory is its light, the Lamb its lamp! The nations will walk in its light and earth's kings bring in their splendor. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there won't be any night. (Revelation 21:1-5 & 21-25, The Message)

Among the more interesting reality shows (at least in my book) are the ones dealing with a house or room or neighborhood receiving a makeover from professionals with an eye for design and detail. The one show where a house is picked for the full treatment but those around receive at least some cosmetic work is especially fun to watch. The little changes that are made so often have huge impacts on the way things look. And then all the neighbors come together for a party at the end of the work. Some might even call it inspiring.

As I write this particular entry, I'm in the middle of a remodel/facelift project myself. It's fairly ambitious, but I'm enjoying the challenge of seeing what I had envisioned come to life. But, as gratifying as it will be when I finish the project, it pales in comparison with the change God has in store for our future. You might even want to call it "Extreme Makeover - the Universe."

The Apostle John caught a glimpse of what is in store when the current clock "stops ticking" and God resets everything to a new state. I've used this passage previously, but recent studies and thoughts along these lines made it come quickly back to my mind. Unlike my remodel project, where some of the outcome is based on what already existed, God has promised to start fresh. It's all "new" which means, as I interpret it, that it didn't even exist before the events spoken of in Revelation 21. In that way, it is much more than just a makeover.

There is a restoration of relationship between the Creator and the created. All of the worst we've experienced will be erased from our memories and the Comforter will give comfort to us one final time as He wipes away all tears and replaces it with pure, unbridled joy. Never again will we know sadness or pain. It's all so distant that we won't recall it. Our focus will be turned to our Savior and that will be enough for us.

At the heart of the scene is the Center of our worship - the Living Temple Himself. Just think of it! We won't have to long for His presence or seek Him out ever again. He will be right there and we will surround Him in the most perfect relationship imaginable. He will be the Light that shines out among us and no darkness or shadow will ever again be found. No more waiting through the night, we'll have visibility of 100% without restriction.

And because there is no night, the gates of the city will never close. It dawned on me as I read this passage just how significant that fact is. Walled cities were a source of protection and gates always closed at night so they could be more easily guarded and the "unwelcome element" kept out. But in God's New City, there is no night, no fear, no darkness, and no reason at all to shut the gates - ever! It is the City of Eternal Peace - Salem, if you will - and we will feel completely at home for the very first time.

As I walk my own Crooked Path, I can take heart in knowing that, when it all finally ends, my Loving Father has a plan that will blow me away. It will be a makeover beyond all makeovers and He's designed it with me in mind. Thinking about it makes my mind race and my heart skip a beat.

Have you ever thought about what comes next? How does your concept of it stack up against the Revelation 21 passage?
What does the idea of "created new" make you think of? Can you catch a glimpse of God's heart for us as this scene is unveiled?
What about the concept of the city pictured in the passage? Does a city of eternal peace sound out of reach, or does it sound like home?

A Backward Glance, a Forward Gaze

2010-11-21T04:34:00.001-08:00

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (Hebrews 11:8-10; Philippians 3:12-16, ESV)

Perhaps you can capture the image of the high-stakes jockey turning the corner with the lead and glancing under his left arm to see where the competition is. Or maybe it's the vision of an Indy car driver, briefly glancing in the rear-view mirror (small as it is) to verify his position. Even the runner, making the slightest head turn during the curve of the track, looking to see who is following and how close they are. So many things we do and experience involve a glance behind. It's healthy in many cases and it is absolutely necessary so that you can gain or verify your bearings. But the glance behind is invariably brief. If it weren't, one would lose focus of what is really important.

The jockey knows he has to cross the finish wire first. The driver is pressing on to pass under that checkered flag. The runner has his heart set on being the only one to break that tape. And all of these things have a common thread - they involve a distinct forward gaze. After all, you have to see and know what is in front of you if you are going to achieve that prize.

When God called Abraham, he picked up and moved to a place he had never been. We have record of Abraham maintaining some ties with his former home, but they appear to be limited to the times he sent back for a wife for Isaac. You may recall that Jacob ended up back there as well - but that's another story. The significance here, as I read it from the account in Hebrews, is that Abraham trusted God to be there at the end of his journey. He believed God would provide that city, even if he had never seen it before. Sure, he may have glanced behind to remember where he came from, but it was that forward gaze that really defined him. His faith, as recalled in the passage above, drove him to obey on a completely different level.

Paul certainly had this scenario in mind when he wrote to the church at Philippi. He was exhorting them not to completely ignore what came before or where they had been, but to place their primary focus on what lies ahead. He called it a prize based on an "upward calling" from God. I know Paul didn't read C.S. Lewis, but I've got to believe the thought here is similar. The past does shape us, but it doesn't define us. What we are to be for eternity lies ahead and that's where we must turn our attention. With that type of vision, what we've come through will seem forgotten by comparison.

So what about the rest of us? We're not being called out to go someplace we didn't even know existed (though we may be called to go somewhere other than our current place). We're not a struggling first-century church (though we are definitely in the same battle). For the most part (and I can only speak for myself with any level of certainty or authority), we're comfortable ... perhaps too comfortable. Perhaps what we need is a good dose of the competitive drive that Paul mentions or the forward-looking determination that served as the core to Abraham's faith. Maybe I glance back too often or do so with a lingering gaze when my focus should be on what lies ahead.

As I travel my Crooked Path, I should remember where I came from and what I've been through. Those events, people, and places serve as a basis for who I am and why I think and react the way I do. But I can't forget to fix my eyes forward most of the time. My prize isn't behind me, it's out in front. As Larry Crabb once noted, we go through our life stumbling, picking ourselves up, and pressing on until one day we find ourselves Home with a Heavenly Father, who loves us more than anyone could, and a Divine Brother, who died for us and will embrace us ... and we will break into an eternal smile.

Where is your focus most of the time? Is it behind you fixed on what is immediately around you?
If you can imagine being able to focus on what is ahead - your true prize - what would it do to you? How would it change the way you live?
Are you heading toward a city where God has laid the foundation, a prize from His "high calling"? In your vision, is there a Heavenly Father and a Divine Brother waiting to welcome you with open arms?

Dancing in the Puddles

2010-11-14T04:16:00.001-08:00

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me for I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. O my God, my soul is in despair within me; therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God my rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. (Psalm 42, NASB)

"Hope dances in the puddles 'til the sun comes out again." It was the verse from an electronic card I sent to my sister. I sent it on the day that marks the fifth anniversary of the loss of her husband. The day after that marks eleven years since we laid my younger brother's baby boy to rest. Shortly, we will pass ten years since my brother Mike left us. And, as I've noted before, this season of remembrance was "kicked off" by recalling the loss of my father just over twenty-four years ago. So the tone of David's despair rings pretty close to my heart during these several weeks. My soul definitely feels disturbed and disquieted.

But true hope "dances in the puddles" even while it grieves. It asks the same questions as others do, but it rests firmly in the answer of the One Hope on which it is built. The pain and sorrow are real - no doubt about that; but the reality also rests in a deep trust that God will bring the sun out again and has a distinct purpose in the rain. That's the reason my family hopes and knows these relationships that have been cut short on this earth will be restored once we join our loved ones. And we "dance in the puddles" even when those puddles are created by our own tears.

As has been the case for the past several years, friends and family join my brother, his wife, and his son in providing shoeboxes filled with "hope" to the Operation Christmas Child project. This year, the people that run the program have made provision for coded labels that will allow us to track packages as they zip around the globe. And as those boxes are filled, shipped, and delivered, we will watch them and "dance in the puddles" instead of turn our grief inward.

David asked the questions of God, but in the end he knew that God had not forsaken him at any moment. He faced untold moments of despair when he was being chased by a multitude of enemies. But underneath this Psalm, David knew the Source of Hope would allow him to forge ahead. It wasn't always easy and it wasn't always immediate. In other words, there were often puddles in front of him. But I believe that David knew how to dance in them - and dance he did!

My travel on the Crooked Path will be filled with bends and curves, ups and downs, and rises and dips. It will rain, and that means there will be puddles. Some of them will be shallow and some fairly deep. Many will disappear quickly, but some will linger on. In each case, when the sky clouds over and I am tempted to despair, I will have a choice. I can either give in and wallow in my own self doubt, or I can kick off my shoes and "dance in the puddles." I hope that in the midst of my own grief, I can continue to choose to dance. The sun will return, you know. If not in this life, then in the next.

Do you find yourself struggling under a weight of despair and difficulty? Do you find it hard to see the sun because your world always seems to be overcast?
Have you turned your worries and grief inward, rather than seeking for the Source of Hope and crying out to Him? Can you imagine the relief that is available if you could only do that?
Are you willing to "dance in the puddles" and trust God to see you through until the sun returns? What is your answer when He asks, "Do you trust me?"

Reflection

2010-11-07T04:03:00.001-08:00

Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.' Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people." And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth." So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name." And he said, "Please, show me Your glory." Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen." (Exodus 33:12-23, NKJV)

šŸ›

Driving to a meeting tonight, I saw one of the most beautiful sunsets I've observed in a while. The sun was below the horizon and the sky and clouds above it were layers upon layers of fiery pink, crimson, yellow, and orange. The gray-blue tops of the clouds, colored as the twilight added its own shadow, made the scene even more spectacular. As I drove, I thought about the make-up of the sunset and the timing of what I was seeing. It would not have looked like it did just 30-40 minutes earlier. At that point, the sun would still have been above the horizon and the colors would not have been nearly that brilliant. Not to mention the damage one can do staring at the sun itself. No, it had to be just out of site to make the picture what it was.

Early during the long trek through the wilderness, God took Moses up on the mountain to give him specific instruction regarding how He wanted His nation run. Through the entire time (and even before that), God had repeatedly told Moses that He would be with him through everything. Moses had plenty of self-doubt (don't we all?), but God was patient with him. Here on the mountain, Moses makes another request ... he wants to see God's glory.

In so many words, God says, "You can't see it. It would kill you." But then God makes a provision for Moses to experience as much of His glory as he can bear and still live. God hides Moses in a corner, covers him up, and then passes by very close. At the last possible second, God removes His hand and Moses sees the reflective wonder of his Lord. And, I believe, much like the sunset I described, it was a completely wonderful sight. It was a sight he could never have experienced by looking at it dead-on. That would have fried him to a crisp! But seeing it as a reflection, with layer upon layer of color and texture and sheer majesty flowing behind the Almighty presented a sight so powerful, Moses glowed for days afterward. In fact, the Israelites pretty much demanded that he wear a veil over his face so they didn't hurt their eyes when they looked at him.

How much like our loving Father to provide Moses with a reflection of His glory and me with a vision of that sunset. Both of us were enriched by the experience, though I imagine Moses a little more so than I. Still, how many times to we try to find a direct line of sight to God and overlook the reflection He so graciously provides all around us? Certainly, when we cross over our own final horizon, we will see God in His glory and will be well-equipped to do so. Until then, we need to look for His reflection in the people and things He has created.

As I travel my Crooked Path, I will have many opportunities to see the sunset or the sunrise or some other wonder. Simple beauty, the kind that truly reflects the character of the Creator is all around me. Perhaps I need to slow down at times and really look for it. Then when I'm tempted to say to God, "Show me your glory," I can stop myself and realize He already has. And through the vision of that reflected glory, I can mirror God to a lost and confused world all around me. After all, that is what He wants me to do.

šŸ›

Are you looking around you for that reflective glory of our Father, or are you trying to see him head-on instead?
What will it take to make you content with God's answer and provision when you ask to see Him more clearly? Do you think you could withstand Him coming to you directly, or is it better to see His reflection?
Have you overlooked the simple beauty God provides all around you and the wonder it can bring to your life? Will you commit today to looking for it so you can reflect God back out to the world around you?

50-20 Vision

2010-10-31T05:07:00.001-07:00

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. (Genesis 50:15-21, NIV)

I've needed my vision corrected for most of my life. I've done glasses, contacts, had corrective surgery, and now am back in glasses again (no, the laser surgery is not permanent for most of us). There were times my correction actually took my vision to 20-15, meaning slightly sharper than the standard we all strive for. My optometrist told me that the people working on the upcoming rounds of laser surgery are seeking for the "perfect" curve which would allow eyes to achieve 20-10 correction. I believe that's the very bottom line on the chart which says "If you can read this you probably got up out of the chair and are squinting anyway."

Then there is the vision we all look for that we like to call "hindsight". It's always perfect, or at least we pretend it is. We look back and declare "if I only did this or that, then I would be in a different situation now." But how many times do we look back and try to find what God was doing that lead us to this current time and place. Oh, we all claim to have seen His handiwork from time to time, but it is probably pretty rare in our lives that we actually take rest after the most difficult times to say that God was right there all the time and had a plan to use us in a mighty way ... a way beyond what we could have possibly imagined.

And that leads us to the passage above and the thought of "50-20 vision" that I'm writing about. Thanks to one of my cyber-friends, Gary, for posting this on a social network site. It immediately prompted me to look to Genesis and find out just what type of 50-20 vision Joseph had. It was a familiar account, but in light of the way God has prompted me to think about His Bigger Story, I knew it meant so much more.

Jacob was dead. He had at least died happy in his old age, having been restored to his precious son, Joseph. The ten conniving brothers had been provided for in the middle of their own crisis by the very brother they had shipped off for the most meager price, all while concocting a lie to tell dear old dad that would impress the best fiction writers. And with dad gone, the boys were deathly afraid that Joseph would give them what they truly deserved. The human conscience will do that to you, even if you ignore it for most of your life. And so they craft one more little story to try and safeguard their future. Though the text doesn't explicitly say it, I think Joseph saw right through this ruse, just like he saw through most of what his brothers said and did. And he quickly turns the tables, based on his 50-20 vision (as in verse 20 from chapter 50).

"You meant to harm me, but God intended it for good." The words had to seer like a hot iron through their hearts. They stood guilty, judged, and convicted of their own deceit. And without bragging, Joseph almost thanks them, because it allowed him to be God's agent to save not only them, but multitudes in that region of the world. Then he went one step further and spoke "kindly" to them, reassuring them he would make sure they continued to live in peace and prosperity for the rest of their days. Joseph's acute vision saw God's hand in the past and trusted in God's plan for the future.

As I travel the Crooked Path, I can rest in complete confidence that God is at work through me and around me. He has a master plan that will be fulfilled and He invites me to be a part of it. He alone will correct my vision so that I can see Him and His work. 50-20 vision like Joseph had is achievable, but only when I turn the work over to God and look through His eyes. Thinking about it, it brings me a great sense of peace.

How's your vision right now? Are you having trouble seeing what is right in front of you, or perhaps what lead to you being where you are?
Is it possible for you to get the same visual acuity that Joseph had, allowing you to see God working in you and through you?
Are you ready to be God's hands, feet, and eyes in your world? Are you ready to have an impact on others even if your life seems to be headed places you never intended to go?

Who Am I Really?

2010-10-24T11:57:00.001-07:00

For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don't know which is better.

For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. (Galatians 2:19-21; Philippians 1:20-22; Romans 8:16-18, NLT)

I've never had amnesia, nor have I known somebody who has suffered with it. I can only imagine the frustrating and debilitating nature of the disorder. In its deepest (and most rare) form, the person loses almost all links to the past and is left continually asking, "Who am I really?" It's the stuff of fiction mostly, but I think you'll agree it portrays the ultimate identity crisis and none of us would willingly wish it on another person.

I have recently finished a book about person who sought all her brief adult life to answer that golden question, "Who am I really?" Richard Schmidt compiled what must have been reams of information and spent countless hours putting together the biography he titled Little Girl Blue. The story is familiar to many, though I'd never heard all the details Schmidt brings out. The book's cover is a picture done in a shaded blue tone of pop icon Karen Carpenter. A friend of mine (thanks Mike) and fellow Carpenters fan pointed me to the book and I knew I had to read this unvarnished account of her life.

As I finished reading it, I was struck by Karen's constant search for an identity other than the one thrust upon her by her family and the music industry. She finally exerted control over one thing in her life ... and it cost her dearly. She died from heart failure brought on by her own unintentional poisoning with ipecac. Her anorexia and bulimia, which she had once used to help structure her life, had claimed the very thing she sought to preserve. Her search for her own identity had been cut short - very short in deed.

Yet control and identity are things we often seek for ourselves. Though most of us don't go to the extreme that Karen Carpenter did, we still pursue our own answers to the question of "Who am I really?" We'll try most anything, or at least consider it, and then somehow be shocked when our feeble efforts fail and we end up right back where we started. You see, the search for self-reliance must always end this way. God never intended for us to be self-reliant at all. He wants us to find our identity in His provision of Christ and the finished work on the Cross. In fact, as Paul noted, we are to consider ourselves crucified with Christ and loudly proclaim that He is the only reason for living, as it is He who truly give Life.

What an excellent promise we can claim because our identity is bound up in Christ! We have been granted the position of joint heirs ... legally declared equal in status with our Divine Brother and inheritors that Divine Treasure without any reservation. In the mystery that is His vicarious death for us, we are afforded the opportunity to cast away our own sense of self-identification and take full stock in His identity as sons and daughters of the Holy One. Never again need we puzzle at the question "Who am I really?" The Answer was shouted out at Calvary and is ours for the asking.

As I travel my Crooked Path, I know that to have true identity and individuality means to give up my own ideal and cast everything I have and am in with Christ. In doing that, I can confidently say that I am an image-bearer of God and an eternal brother of the One who gave it all up for me. No more searching; no more uncertainty. My steps quicken and my heart fills with those thoughts. I am God's child ... pure and simple!

Do you find yourself suffering an identity crisis? Have you somehow lost sight of the One in whom you will find your true self?
Have you grown tired of the constant struggle to prove yourself, the battle to assert your own will upon a difficult and cruel world? What would it feel like to rest from all that?
Does the concept of being the brother or sister of Christ somehow seem unreachable or foreign to you? What is it going to take for you to stop searching on your own and give it all over to your Divine Big Brother? He is more than capable of handling it, you know.

Searching for Help in All the Wrong Places

2010-10-17T05:13:00.001-07:00

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD! (Isaiah 31:1, ESV)

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD. (Isaiah 31:1, NIV)

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD! (Isaiah 31:1, NASV)

What sorrow awaits those who look to Egypt for help, trusting their horses, chariots, and charioteers and depending on the strength of human armies instead of looking to the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 31:1, NLT)

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD! (Isaiah 31:1, NKJV)

Doom to those who go off to Egypt thinking that horses can help them, impressed by military mathematics, awed by sheer numbers of chariots and riders - and to The Holy of Israel, not even a glance, not so much as a prayer to God. (Isaiah 31:1, The Message)

How terrible it will be for those people who go down to Egypt for help. They think horses will save them. They think their many chariots and strong horsemen will save them. But they don't trust God, the Holy One of Israel, or ask the Lord for help. (Isaiah 31:1, NCV)

Several years ago, when traveling home from a family trip, we had an incident with our camping trailer that sticks with me to this day. We were in the middle lane of the Interstate with a significant amount of traffic on either side of us. The lug studs on one trailer tire all sheared at once, causing the wheel and our vehicle/trailer tandem to go their separate ways. I can only attribute it to God that we were able to get over to the right lane, up an exit ramp, and stopped safely with no injury to us, no significant damage to the trailer, and no reports of the "dearly departed wheel" hitting anyone else. Oh, and it was a single-axle trailer, which made things all the more interesting.

Once we had regained whatever composure we could and tried to think about what to do next. We were due to stop soon, but without the trailer available to us, we'd need to make alternate plans. Part of what we did involved calling the insurance company who provided our trailer and road hazard insurance. After a series of calls, the representative arranged with a local towing company to come get our trailer - and it took two trucks to get the job done. Here, God also provided what I can only term a pair of "angels" in a couple who had the trailer deposited in their driveway, saw we found our way to a motel for the night, and repaired the wheel with the spare the next morning. Considering I never saw a bill from the towing company, we were only out the cost of the motel and a little more time than we planned on taking for that brief overnight stop.

This story came to mind as I thought of the single verse quoted in this entry. The verse was brought to my attention by someone who noted he had read it as the first verse of a daily passage and never gotten any further. The words had a huge impact on Tim, and he just couldn't continue. He shared the verse on a social media site and I began looking it up in multiple translations.

The meaning of the words - the near heart-breaking statement from God - hit home. Unlike the incident I described where I called the "appropriate" agency for assistance, we too often face life's trials without turning to God at the very first. Just like Israel when the Assyrians were knocking on their door, we look to Egypt because they appear strong, sleek, and well-positioned to help. And God weeps over His children who don't seek him, don't even give him a glance or a prayer.

As I travel this Crooked Path, I need to constantly remind myself that God wants to be my first resource. He has provided in so many ways at so many times and He is always ready to hear my plea for help. As I noted a few entries back, we have a Tireless Advocate. Our God never tires of us and will never turn us away. That's a comforting thought and very reassuring.

Who or what do you turn to when you see trouble approaching? Or, in a more basic question that might require a deeper answer, who do you trust to provide for you?
Have you found yourself trying to work out your life by yourself, or planning some route of escape without consulting God? Can you imagine how God feels when you do that?
Will you make a fresh commitment now to seek God first, to give Him far more than just a passing glance? Can you trust Him to provide the rescue or relief you so desperately need?

The "In" Crowd

2010-10-10T11:48:00.001-07:00

You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom. Not only that — count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens — give a cheer, even! — for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don't maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don't twist God's Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God. (Matthew 5:10-12; 2 Corinthians 4:1-2, The Message)

I would wager there was a time in your life when you really wanted to be part of a certain group. Whatever they did, whoever they were was something appealing to you, if only for the briefest of times. In the end, it may have even been the exclusivity that drew you far more than any other element of that group. You just wanted to be part of the "in" crowd. Nothing else would do.

I've been part of groups where admittance was only by audition or invitation. If the groups were "legitimate" ones (meaning not in existence just for the sake of their own exclusivity and the demeaning of others who were not a part of their special circle), there is a sense of pride and satisfaction that comes with being "in". The call from the choir director asking you to bring your voice to the group. The letter from that particular school announcing your admission. The call from across the room leading to a conversation telling you that you are now part of some fraternity or group.

God also has an "in" crowd, though most of us might not think of it that way. Both Matthew and Paul, in writing the passages here, speak of it very specific terms. This last grouping from the Beatitudes in Matthew tells us of the blessing that is to come because we are persecuted for our participation in what God calls "right". It draws us deeper into the Kingdom life and way of thinking, calling us to speak up even when it makes others uncomfortable. It calls us into the company of great saints from ages past who have "always gotten into this kind of trouble" and tells us that the very hosts of Heaven cry out in rejoicing when it happens. In fact, we should be expecting persecution to be the "baseline" of our existence. After all, if we are projecting God's light into a dark world, they most likely won't be very happy about it. Much to the contrary, they will fight us and even curse us because of what we represent.

And then there is Paul's perspective on it as he writes to the Corinthian church. He notes that God, in His generosity, has included us in His plan and supports us in a way that we don't have to worry about growing faint of body or heart. We are invited to be open, honest, and sincere as we call out God's message of love that leads others to Kingdom living. We don't lose heart or threaten to "walk off the job" either. Instead, we drop our masks, cease playing games, and represent God as He truly is! We reflect the Truth without twisting the message.

There is a catch, however. Living this kind of life consistently will put us in a position to be persecuted. And, while that really doesn't sound appealing to my human side, God has promised both in these verses and throughout His story that living that kind of life is the one that leads to His blessing ... both now and forever. The Crooked Path is just that ... crooked! And it is crooked by design so that I will stop worrying about it and look to the One who sustains me and orders my steps. He has included me with His "in" crowd and I should do everything I can to show others just how great that experience really is. In doing so, I don't respond in fear of possible persecution; I respond in love and service to God and those around me.

So, what have you done in your life lately that might be worthy of bringing you persecution? And odd question, but isn't that what we are supposed to be doing?
Are you longing to belong "somewhere"? Have you considered that God has an "in" crowd made up of some pretty spectacular servants?
Are you willing to drop your mask, stop playing games, and be an honest reflection of the Savior you claim to serve? Wouldn't life be far less stressful if that's the way we lived it?

A Tireless Advocate

2010-10-03T04:46:00.001-07:00

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (Psalm 121:1-4; 1 John 2:1-2, ESV)

A few times in my younger years, I attended parties that lasted all night long. They were the typical thing where we were "locked in" one of the buildings at church (though we all knew anybody could have sneaked off if he or she really wanted to do so). There would be games, competitions, food and, most importantly, no sleeping of any kind. He who was caught napping somewhere was to be awakened with a bath of ice-cold water. All great fun, but I also recall it took the entire next day or so to recover and feel "normal" once again.

I've also taken a few of those all-night drives where you press on to a destination stopping only briefly for food or gas ... and you'd better take care of any other necessary stuff on one of those stops as well. No cell phones back in the dark ages and tape decks in the car if we were lucky, so you had to keep each other awake and only take your turn napping when you were in the back seat shift of the rotation. Looking back, those kind of trips hardly seem worth missing the sleep just to get somewhere a couple of hours earlier. Let's face it, we just can't go without sleep for very long.

In my recent quest to enter into God's grander story, I began thinking about this and the two passages quoted here came to mind. I know I often rail against taking short passages and proof-texting ideas, but I think the marriage here is warranted. The Psalmist is writing a passage of great comfort for Israel. He is telling them in no uncertain terms that God, the Creator, is the source of all their health, help, and strength. And they can rely on Him not to fall down on the job or go off napping and forget about them even for a little while. It even brings another story to mind where Elijah is taunting the Baal prophets about their god going on a trip or being asleep. But the idea is very clear - the God of the Universe is active and watchful at all times.

Skipping ahead to the passage by John, we find the Beloved Apostle writing comforting words to his people just like the Psalmist. He's encouraging them to live a pure life, one committed to Christ. He wants them to live in such a way as to work against sin in their own lives. And then he gives them the great hope of an Advocate who will not hold anything against them because of the provision He made at the Cross. Our Divine Brother is ever an Advocate for us, reminding, as it were, the Just Father that He has already paid the price for everything we did or will ever do. He is our Mediator and Intercessor, the Completer of our justification. And, as God Himself, He never sleeps or slumbers either.

Think of it! A Tireless Advocate who is always working on our behalf. Never sleeping, never missing a beat, never absent even for a fraction of a second! As I began letting these thoughts sink in, I felt the rush of God's love once again, falling fresh on me. In a world where so much is missed or overlooked, Jesus has promised to be a ready Advocate at every moment. It almost makes my brain hurt to think about it.

As I travel the Crooked Path, I will stumble and fall ... quite often, in fact. That's the very nature of being human and living in a fallen world. But as I get back up, I feel the supportive hand on my shoulder of my Savior who loved me enough to die for me, and I hear Him gently say, "Forget about it. It's all been taken care of. I already spoke with the Father and We agree it's covered." Then, hand in hand, we continue the journey He has planned. Me and my Tireless Advocate - together to the end.

Do you somehow think God has fallen asleep at the wheel based on what you see going on around you? How does that make you react when you feel hemmed in?
Taking that a little farther, do you really buy into the idea of God watching over you every minute of every day? What about Jesus standing simultaneously by your side and God's being your Advocate?
Do you really see Jesus as your Divine Brother, one who has gone through everything you are experiencing, and one who is always on your side? Can you imagine the freedom if you did?

Just One More Thing ...

2010-09-26T04:25:00.001-07:00

A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. "You know the commandments, 'DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'" And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth." When Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Luke 18:18-23; Matthew 5:8, NASB)

I recently read an article (or at least noticed the headline) that talked about the TV shows and such from our past shaping things we remember and even sometimes do. The imagery of Lucy crying, Archie in his chair, or Klinger in a dress is a familiar thing. The sounds of the theme songs and catch phrases echo in our heads. After all, who among us can't sing both versions of the theme from Gilligan's Island? Among these is Detective Colombo's often heard line as he was about to exit a room, "Just one more thing." And then, he would ask the question that would pin the suspect to the wall and solve the case ... all in less than an hour!

I can hear that same phrase as spoken by the Rabbi in this passage from Luke. A young man, one of considerable wealth, has been hanging around the periphery of Jesus' ministry. He's been listening to what has been said and has heard much about some Eternal Kingdom. He has grown up in a position to obtain whatever he puts his mind to getting and has never lacked for the smallest thing. Yet, through all he has heard, he has not quite figured out what is required to participate in what this Teacher is talking about. Swallowing hard (and maybe a little pride), he approaches the Master. He asks the question ... and the exchange surprises him, and then shakes him to his very core.

Christ almost "baits" him with the obvious. Follow the law; be a good Jew. He smiles, confident that he has measured up to that standard since he was knee high. He has this in the proverbial bag, but then the hammer hits. It's that Colombo "one more thing" line and the thing isn't a what was expected. He has to give it all away - everything he's worked so hard to get (or inherit). The Master is telling him to walk away from everything he has ever known and follow ... follow like one of these common disciples. "No!" he thinks to himself, "That price is too high." And he walks away, shaking his head at the very thought of it all. Whatever he thought he had heard, the price just isn't worth what was asked of him.

But what he didn't hear is what Jesus really said. Jesus wanted him to change his heart, his very way of thinking. He wanted the man to gain a new perspective, one that would allow him to trust to the point where he could walk away from all the externals and prestige he had known all his life. The Savior wanted commitment from his soul and not his wallet or rule book. Then again, this is the same message He had been preaching since His Sermon on the Mount ... the pure in heart are the ones who are in the unique position to see God at His fullest and most powerful. And you can't buy that stuff at any price.

Then again, the message is echoed throughout the Gospels and other letters (especially Paul's letter to the Galatians). We have a very human habit of focusing on something external, be it an act or creed on our part or something we can buy or earn. Basically, we are seeking something on our terms and we think we've heard that is possible ... right up until that "one more thing" comes into view. And, if our hearts are in tune with the Spirit, we see that God wants us to renew our inside first and everything else will flow from the heart He will give us.

As I travel this Crooked Path, I need a constant reminder that God is most interested in my heart. He wants me to cooperate with His plan to renew it and let His Spirit be released through my own. He wants me to know that the "one more thing" is, in fact, the only thing that matters. If my heart is pitched toward Him, I can confidently follow His lead and know that He is in complete control. I can rest assured that He has made my heart pure and that at the end of the path, I will see Him. That is the ultimate blessing anyway.

Are you looking for some formula, some pre-defined plan that you can follow step by step in order to earn your spot in eternity?
Do you find yourself comparing what you do to what others do, or even to what you used to do? And are you a little bit proud when you can give yourself a "higher grade" than you give others?
What will it take for you to completely give in to the idea that God wants your heart and that all the externals don't really mean anything to Him? Are you longing to be that one who is pure in heart that the Savior spoke of in the Beatitudes?

A Truckload of Grace

2010-09-19T04:13:00.001-07:00

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. (Ephesians 1:3-10, NIV)

It started as I've so often seen it of late. I was talking on the phone with a good friend of mine. He's been struggling of late with some issues and trying to listen to what God is saying, trying to grow based on what he is learning. During this particular conversation, while we were talking about the common struggles we have, always wanting some predictable set of steps to achieve a specific outcome and get us out of our current state of discomfort. In the course of the conversation, he asked me to pray that God would give him "a truckload of grace" to deal with it all. And right there is when it dawned on me.

Many of us, and I'm including myself here, tend to think of grace in terms of quantity. I've prayed that God would grant "an extra measure of grace" to somebody having trouble as I'm sure you have. I've asked for "more grace" and sung songs that say the same thing. But as I talked with my friend after he'd made his statement, I began thinking differently. God doesn't increase or decrease the grace offered to us based on some circumstance or prayer. It is already provided beyond measure ("lavished" as today's passage notes) and we have access to all of it all the time. Perhaps what we really should be asking for in these cases is that God reveal the depth and wonder of His grace to us in a new and fresh way.

If we consider God's answer to Paul, when the apostle asked for his physical infirmity to be removed, is right along this line of thinking. Paul practically begged God a total of three times to be relieved of it, but God's clear and supportive answer was something else - grace. God's grace, in its immeasurable wonder was "sufficient" to sustain Paul through this current issue and through everything he was to face in the future. Paul didn't have to ask for God to "fill up his grace tank" again. No, that same grace that knocked him down on the road to Damascus, that same grace that he preached across Asia and Europe, that same grace that would be offered in lieu of healing would constantly wash over his soul and keep him. When you think of it that way, it's like trying to measure the ocean with a one-cup scoop.

My travels on the Crooked Path will take me through hills and valleys, plain paths and rocky ones, times of struggle and times of quiet. As I've said all along, God didn't promise and easy journey, He just promised to be right there with us, watching and guiding. His grace, always available beyond any possible human measure, comforts and sustains me in ways I may never quite comprehend. And while I may think about "getting more grace" at times, the reality is that God has made complete provision once and for all in Jesus. When I focus on that, I know that a "truckload of grace" isn't the point at all. It's the One who gave the grace in the first place.

Are you feeling a little "grace deficiency" right now? Is it perhaps because you can't see just how much is available to you every minute of every day?
When you see God's grace, do you find it sufficient in the way it was presented to Paul? If so, why do you go seeking for "more" instead of basking in the glow of the grace given?
Are you constantly struggling, feeling like you just can't keep up with it all? Are you willing to sit back and let grace wash over you and experience the completeness of what God has provided?

Known, Seen, Accepted

2010-09-12T13:22:00.001-07:00

O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. (Psalm 139:1-16, NKJV)

There is no game of hide-and-seek with God ... and sometimes, that can be more than a little unnerving to me. If you are at all like me, there are times you really don't want anybody else to see what you are doing. There are things we believe we have hidden away, maybe even from ourselves, because to bring them up is to remember pain, sorrow, anger, and a host of other feelings we really don't care to deal with. And, ultimately, we feel like we need to hide them from God so we can hide our shame or perhaps because we don't really feel accepted and forgiven deep down in our souls.

Yet, this "hiding from God" is not only futile, it is a little silly and even seeks to diminish His omniscience. After all, if we can hide this from Him, then He can't really know everything. One of the most profound thoughts I've ever read on this comes from A.W. Tozer (Knowledge of the Holy). He writes,

"To say that God is omniscient is to say that He possesses perfect knowledge and therefore has no need to learn. But it is more: it is to say that God has never learned and cannot learn … He is never surprised, never amazed, He never wonders about anything … No talebearer can inform on us, no enemy can make an accusation stick … since he knew us utterly before we knew Him and called us to Himself in the full knowledge of everything that was against us."

If I take this to heart, rather than finding it disturbing I should take a great deal of comfort in it. The Psalmist certainly did when he acknowledged that he could never hide from God. Tozer drives home the point that God still chooses us knowing full well who we are and what we are capable of doing. That, my friends is complete love and acceptance. And rather than drive us to use our freedom to pursue evil, it should overwhelm us with His mercy and repeatedly call us to true repentance and service.

As I travel my Crooked Path, I will be tempted at times to fall deep into the believe that God has not really forgiven me because He knows just how bad I can be. When those thoughts come, I can take refuge in the Psalms and in thoughts from men like Tozer, thoughts that understand our God-out-of-time who sees it all just as if it were happening at that very moment. And in seeing, He still pursues and forgives. I take comfort in being completely known, constantly seen, and unconditionally accepted. I can come home again, much like the prodigal, knowing my Father is waiting to take me in. He won't be surprised ... in fact, He's always delighted to see me again!

Are you hiding, or think you are hiding, from God? Do you find it to be exhausting and difficult?
Your head tells you, based on what you have heard, that you are accepted completely. Do you have trouble getting your heart to understand and accept that idea?
Does this God who knows, sees, and accepts scare you a bit? Or can you take comfort in knowing that you cannot surprise Him?

A Quiet, Confident Faith

2010-09-05T05:30:00.001-07:00

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well"—but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds." You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can't you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. (James 2:14-20;26, NLT)

I have a friend who I would describe as a man of quiet, confident faith. He doesn't teach Sunday School classes. He isn't on the Elder board. You won't find him speaking out much and if you didn't take the time to get to know him, you would miss the best part of him. To say he is loyal would be a gross understatement. If you were in a group with him and thought he either wasn't paying attention or wasn't "getting" what was being said, you would be sorely mistaken. You see, I believe he is a living example of what James was writing about. His faith runs so deep, that you can see it in the way he lives his everyday life.

That's a challenge to me and all of you who "talk a good game" at times, but don't often back up the words with sincere action. It would seem, from reading the second chapter of James' letter to the early church, that he had a particular distaste for that kind of person. Now, theologians and scholars and all manner of people over time keep wanting to carve up this message, piece it back together, and interpret it in a way that clearly states our salvation comes via grace alone with nothing added to it. And I'm not debating that at all, and frankly, that's why I chose the New Living Translation's version of this passage. It's a matter of our faith either being alive and moving or being dead and entirely useless. Nothing more; nothing less.

I suppose my real question, when thinking about this passage and my friend, is this. Have we become so programmed and busy in our practice of faith that we miss the God-given opportunities to demonstrate it in practical ways? Many of us love to discuss and debate things, but when was the last time we brought a "cup of cold water" to a thirsty person without expecting something in return? Or even worse, wouldn't think of bringing that cup in the first place. I think James was on that very track when he wrote about the hollow words the "faithful" spoke. To a lost and dying world who is living on the ragged edge, even our most eloquent words fall flat if we don't actually do something tangible for them.

My challenge, as I travel this Crooked Path, is to look around me as much as I look up and forward. To recognize that my Father has entrusted me with a wonderful gift and I should not be stingy in sharing it. It doesn't mean that I can answer every call for assistance, but it does mean I need to constantly re-evaluate how I demonstrate my faith. I need to realize that, at times, I even need to "earn" the right to share that faith based on how I've demonstrated Love in very practical ways. I must remember that I am not on this path alone ... God placed me in a society where relating to others is not only necessary, it is part of the joy that fuels my faith in Him. That quiet, confident faith of my friend will speak more loudly than anything I have to say.

How are you doing in the "cups of cold water" department? Do you even look for those opportunities so you are ready when they appear?
How would those who know you best describe your faith? Better yet, what would somebody in need who you met have to say?
Are you willing to make the commitment to shift from words into actions? Do you see how faith without it is dead and useless as James described it?