It’s dandelion season again. Truth be told, in some places and hearts, they never go out of season. And here this year, for some reason, they’re back with an attitude. Deep roots that say, “I’m here to stay.” Those big, ugly leaves that just invite themselves to your next salad. The bright yellow blooming heralds of spring. And of course, the seed head that remains the fascination of children of all ages and life stages.
Here’s a cure for all kinds of blues and blahs: The next time you see a dandelion in all its glory, pick it up and free those windborne seeds to sail into the breeze. So what if you’re holding a briefcase, wearing a business suit, and late for a really important meeting? Let it fly! I don’t care if you’re still snared by the pursuit of an immaculate lawn. Pull the roots if you must – but be a kid again for a few seconds in the process.
You see, dandelions are God’s version of a helium balloon or a birthday candle. [click to continue…]
We don’t wear veils much anymore – certainly not in this culture. Unless, of course, “we” are a bride on her wedding day. Nobody from Paris or New York sends skinny models down the runway wearing the latest veil fashions. And chances are, you won’t find them in Macy’s or Chico’s or that fabulously French discounter Target either.
But make no mistake about it. We still wear them – sometimes for good reason, sometimes not.
Veils are for hiding. For creating boundaries and secret spaces. And sometimes that’s a good idea. Ever meet somebody at a bus stop or party and ask the customary “How are you?” and they tell you? In detail? Sorta makes you wish you had a veil (or a gag) in your back pocket.
At other times veils are symbols or expressions of something else. They are reminders of how broken, how sinful, how messed up we are. The veil dresses up on the outside what is ugly or painful on the inside. [click to continue…]
Tucked inside a rapid-fire to-do list in the Bible is a simply-carved roadmap into the hearts of other people. After Paul suggests how believers can get along with their persecutors, and before he suggests how we can get along with other believers (that’s a much longer suggestion), he gives this encouragement:
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep”(Romans 12:15).
A simple phrase. But a world of meaning packed in these simple instructions. [click to continue…]
As long as people have searched for direction, worshipped their Creator, and looked for language to express their passion and warmth, we have returned again and again to stand by the fire.
The fire was an agent of God’s guidance and an ongoing expression of worship in the days of the tabernacle. And we kept returning to stand by the fire.
A refiner and cleansing agent of the hearts of men, the fire was a symbol of God’s hatred for sin and an affirmation for the prophets who spoke His truth. And again and again, we kept returning to stand by the fire.
The fire was a weapon of God’s voice, a light in the darkness, and an expression of hospitality and welcome. And from the dark places and lonely spaces, still we kept coming to stand by the fire.
The fire revealed a passion for God’s word in our bones, the baptism of the believer, the instrument of God’s testing, and the piercing gaze of the risen Christ. And out of desperation or terror, love or longing, still we kept coming to stand by the fire.
And even today the Spirit and Bride invite you to come. To be warmed and convicted and cleansed and restored and pure as you stand by the fire. [click to continue…]
Way past the appearances and impressions we try to leave,
Behind the masks and attempts to please the critical and excite the vain –
Beyond the insiders’ lingo and bless-to-impress,
There rests a true heart.
Your heart. My heart.
Authentic, insofar as we can know it without being deceived by it.
Wiser, it seems, than we often give it credit for being.
More terrified at times than we would ever let on.
More prayerful than we often realize…
More ruthlessly demanding that we care to admit in polite company.
Gloriously free from what we used to be – yet humbly aware of how far we have to go. [click to continue…]
(Sort-of-random thoughts at 30,000 feet with a lot of free time on my hands…)
It takes minutes to make paper fly; to build something capable of carrying you long distances takes months, and a lot of helpful, smart people. The same is true with your important dreams – and your character.
You were created with the language of Forever in your heart, and nothing else will satisfy.
“I will” spoken with resolve has power, but your resolve will be tested and the limits of your willpower will be exposed.
You were not born with the wisdom and capacity to wait, but wisdom and reward waits for those who learn to.
God created the world for you, not you for the world – but He does hold you accountable for leaving it better than you found it.
A thousand opportunities dance before those whose eyes are open to see them. Ten thousand chances pass by those too lost in fear or consuming to notice them.
Summers are God’s way of showing that you don’t have to be in a classroom to learn.
I just saw a man express his gratitude by giving up his first class seat to a woman… who happened to be wearing a United States Army uniform. I wonder how I can say thank-you to somebody today.
I will always respect the one who can wait (there’s that word again) with discipline, but then decisively act with courage.
I’m not so sure that God has a plan for you so much as God has a plan period and invites you to participate joyfully in it… Or bruise yourself on it. [click to continue…]
They were two branches off the same Vine.
Designed in the Vine’s image, each a was unique expression of the nature of its Creator. One was tender and sensitive, with stunning intuitive wisdom. The other was strong and masculine, with a compelling view toward the horizon.
They loved being branches of the Vine. And they loved each other. But they’d cut themselves off from the flow of the Vine’s life. They believed the lie that they could thrive on their own. The result: An odd combination of life and death in the same form.
Form without flow.
Image without reality.
As they dreamed of a future together, they asked one another, “How can we shape ourselves so our offspring can know our love and be fruitful?” [click to continue…]
What’s that look in a mother’s eyes? What’s that gaze that reaches past surrender and wonder… past the promises and the warnings, the family reunions and the local gossip? Away from the comforts of home but aware of the God of all comfort? What’s that careful attention to every detail, that thoughtful meditation on every experience?
It’s just love shining…
in a soul that’s mining the heart of God for the truth.
What’s that invasion into this man’s only mental refuge – his sleep? What’s that dreamy interruption – not once, but three times – of this man’s thoughts? A man who has come to the end of his own understanding? A man lost in futility who, when he peers dimly at a dark future, believes that no matter what he says or does, it will end badly? [click to continue…]
As I give thanks to You at the end of the day or greet this day with hope, the one thing lately that I want above all else is to live with a full heart. The one thing I fear most is passing through what’s left of my days with sterile laughter, superficial comfort, or counterfeit gladness.
I don’t want to say, “I love you” and not mean it. I don’t want see your handiwork in all its glory and not be moved by it. I don’t want to chase a life of ease and catch up to an empty heart.
So I come to You, knowing there’s no one who can fill my life with that kind of love, or free my soul from that kind of passionless bondage, like You do. And I pray that just as the morning sun fills the earth with light even on a cloudy day like today, that You would do what only You can do: [click to continue…]
I grew up in the Deep South in the 60s and 70s. There, when my African American friends wanted to know my address, they had a unique colloquial way of asking. They would ask, “Where you stay?”
I don’t know where the phrase originated. What I do know is that the question – Where you stay? – resonates on a much deeper level than just my physical address.
Had we lived a century earlier in Great Britain, the question may have been something along the lines of, “Where do you abide?” Or “Where is your abode?” Again, the question has to do with a physical house, but it communicates something much deeper.
It’s a question of the heart, not just the body. It’s a question of your dreams, your company, your vision, your love. It’s a question of what you hang on to and what you let go of. Of who or what touches you for a moment, versus who or what changes you for a lifetime. Of where you turn for security and where your heart finds its permanent places.
Where you stay?
When Jesus Christ invaded history, one of the possibilities He brought with Him was a whole new way of relating to God. [click to continue…]
