Someone once complemented a woman known for her big faith in God. Her reply: “I don’t have a big faith. I have a little faith in a big God.”
How do you describe it, slice-and-dice it, when somebody’s faith “makes the news?” The Thessalonians in the Bible were such a bunch. Look how Paul describes them:
“Wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God” (1 Thessalonians 1:8).
That gets my attention.
In the lives of these believers, as well as in the lives of people who turned Jesus’ head in the gospels, there seems to be a difference between simple faith and mountain-moving, remarkable faith.
One thing is sure. Nobody demonstrated remarkable faith by seeking to be remarkable. [click to continue…]
His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5)
A simple statement of faith mixed with obedience at the wedding in Cana: “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
It’s the “whatever” that gets us in trouble, because we like to have answers and reasons for our doing.
And just like in this story, Jesus isn’t always inclined to provide those.
He told them to fill up the water pots, dip out, and take it to the head waiter.
To their credit, apparently they did all they were told without question.
How about you?
How about today?
Try this on as an affirmation: [click to continue…]
You’re already thinking about somebody, aren’t you? As soon as you saw this title, his or her weaselly little mug appeared on your mental screen.
Maybe it’s that man in business who always seems to end up on the upside of a deal, regardless of who loses or what the consequences are.
Maybe it’s the committee of “concerned leaders” who just ambushed the latest pastor, much like they did the previous two or three, and sent him packing.
Maybe it’s the golden throat, pretty boy preacher who’s heaven to listen to, but hell to work for or deal with.
Maybe it’s the malicious gossip, who can destroy somebody’s life before sundown and never miss a night’s sleep.
Maybe it’s the boss who never has a good word to say about your performance, but takes the credit for all your hard work.
Maybe it’s the politician, who turned “public service” into private self-service.
Maybe it’s a lawyer.
(Sorry. Couldn’t resist. Please don’t sue me.)
Regardless of who you’re thinking of, we’ve all known them. They’re mean, self-centered, manipulative bullies. They’re conmen who, if they can’t take your money, can take your health by driving you batty or to the point of exhaustion. They’re never wrong – at least in their own eyes – and would crawl across England on broken glass to win an argument. And let’s be honest – in all likelihood, they’re probably more powerful than you, more popular than you, and more outwardly successful than you.
Grrrr! The scoundrels!
Hazarding Another Guess
Let me press my luck and hazard another guess. [click to continue…]
Did a face plant a couple of weeks ago. On concrete. It was ugly, and so was I for a few days.
The irony of the situation was that I was bolting from one meeting to another, with a cross-town drive in-between. And the place I was in a hurry to?
A radio interview about the mental health of people in the ministry.
I wasn’t exactly expecting to have my own tested in the process. But that’s the price you pay when you’re trying to move at the speed of light on a sidewalk designed for the speed of pedestrians.
For just a minute I thought I was seeing the light of eternity. Turns out I was just seeing stars.
Aside from the wounds to my forehead, knees, hands and pride, I did learn a few things, such as what an “orbital nerve” is. Oh, and that there is more than one kind of black eye.
But the most important thing I was reminded of is that my ability to maintain my rhythm and step in this world of the falling is no comparison to God’s ability to hold me, heal me, and shepherd me home. Regardless of how I may stumble in a temporal world, in the one that matters most, He won’t let me fall. [click to continue…]
A few months ago I was having a conversation with someone who was going through a recovery process. He sounded really healthy on the phone – sober in the best sense of the word. Then he said something really curious about his life.
“I’m so ready to get things back to normal.”
“Normal,” I told him, “was what got you in trouble in the first place. You’re ‘normal’ is being redefined, and that takes time. And as much as you want that, you are going to need to give it time to form.”
I was talking to a couple a few weeks after their first baby was born. I asked how things were going and got a predictable answer. “We love being parents, but we’re exhausted from lack of sleep,” Mom said.
Then Dad chimed in… “Yeah, we’re so ready to get back to normal.”
I guess I was a little rude, but I just laughed. In their face.
“You want what? Good luck with that.” [click to continue…]
A little parable, a little third-grade science…
Walking home from my in-laws night before last, between the row of houses that separate us… The houses were dark, but who needs a flashlight when we have our trusty smart phones?
Yet I remember thinking, “To be so dark, it sure is bright.”
Yeah, I know, but in my mind it made perfect sense.
I looked up to see that the moon in a very clear West Texas sky was exceptionally bright. I also noticed that the moon had a dancing partner – a star that appeared unusually close and bright. If that was Venus, the “evening star,” it appeared too close and too late. Certainly out of position. I had no idea what it was, and got distracted by four yapping, jumping fools when I opened the front door.
It wasn’t until the next morning that I discovered that what I was witnessing was a Jupiter moon – an unusual pass-by of the massive, gaseous planet in line with our moon – easily the brightest lights in the night sky. This convergence won’t happen again for another 13 years.
Turns out that the brightest stars in the galaxy that night weren’t stars at all. One was another planet, the other our moon. Both of these “lesser lights” lit up our night sky because of the light they reflect from our own sun.
There’s the science. Here’s the parable. [click to continue…]
Have you ever felt as though you were good – really good – at something? I don’t mean false pride or arrogance. I mean being a person with faith. Faith in God. And almost as important, faith in yourself, at least in certain circumstances.
The word for that is confidence, and without it, you’re toast.
Have you ever moved confidently into a situation and blown it? I’m not talking about giving in to your weaknesses. I mean digging deep into the well of your greatest talent, knowledge, or skillset and serving up what they call “gopher balls” in baseball.
All of us can shrug off those areas of weakness. We know we won’t be perfect at everything. (You do know that, don’t you?)
But it’s hard to know where to go or what to do when we get hammered for what we think we’re good at.
I’ve seen a lot of that lately. I’ve had a few of those experiences myself, but I’ve also come across a variety of other people who’ve faced the same thing. Their confidence has been rattled, and they’re not quite sure what to do next. [click to continue…]
We’ve seen and heard it described in myriad ways. Some are actually in the Bible. It’s a place where the streets are paved with precious metal. A place of purity and timelessness. A place of extraordinary worship and togetherness. A place where nobody worries about the safety of their children and nobody nervously waits for lab results.
Yes, I’m talking about heaven. And like the uber-hit song says, I can only imagine what it will be like. But like you, I have imagined quite a bit… some in earnest, some in fun fantasy before the Lord.
But there was one thing about heaven I had overlooked until a couple of days ago. I had read and actually preached from this verse many times and passed right over it. I’ve read this verse at gravesides and church houses countless times and never quite got it. But I think it’s an important thing to get… [click to continue…]
Imagine you are going into an office that has two points of entry. Either door leads into the same large area. It’s during office hours, so you know both doors are unlocked. The first door you come to is closed. The second, a little further down the hall, is open. Which door do you go in?
I actually had that conversation with someone who challenged me. We were going down the hallway and I passed the first door – the closed one, and walked in through the open door.
“Why did you do that?” Krista asked.
“Do what?”
“You walked past a perfectly good door to go through the second.”
“Because the second one was open,” I said, a little baffled that someone would actually question that.
“But the first one was closer,” Krista said. Krista was a high school senior, our next door neighbor, and wonderful babysitter. She was also literally a genius. We had lots of deep conversations like this back in the day.
Then I blurted out this little gem of wisdom that revealed a lot more than I planned: [click to continue…]
Here’s a thought question for you. Did Jesus have a best friend? If so, who was it?
Aunt Ruth, who was neither my aunt nor was she named “Ruth,” used to say it was Judas. “Only a friend can betray a friend,” she would say. I told her she was nuts.
You could obviously make the case for Peter, James and John collectively. He took them places the other disciples didn’t go, and let them see parts of Him the others didn’t necessarily see. He also gave each of them nicknames – something guys like to do with their friends.
Individually, Peter and John seemed to have this ongoing competition for who was going to be the closest to Christ. John even referred to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” But Jesus said more to Peter directly than any other disciple. Of course, Peter was also saying more to Him apparently.
I have another suggestion for who his dearest friend was…
…and it was a girl. [click to continue…]
Someone once complemented a woman known for her big faith in God. Her reply: “I don’t have a big faith. I have a little faith in a big God.”
