This blog has been combined with DavidmStanley | Kinetic Life

 http://davidmstanleykineticlife.blogspot.com

THE SERMON...

Blessed are the... blessed are the... blessed are the...
-- Matthew 5:3-11

It is the greatest sermon ever preached. Spoken on a hill long ago by the greatest preacher to ever live. The words of THE WORD (who became flesh).

As I begin to write on the Beatitudes, I am struck by everything written and said up to and following this past Tuesday's election. So a brief aside...

I do not believe the election season created a divide in our country. I believe it further revealed a divide in our hearts. I won't slide into the political because frankly, I do not think politics are the problem or the answer.

Jesus said, "Blessed are the...

     poor in spirit...

     mourners...

     meek...

     ones hungry for righteousness... 

     merciful...

     pure in heart...

     peacemakers...

     ones persecuted for righteousness..."

Neither political party can create anything resembling the kingdom Jesus describes. But the Kingdom of Heaven is a reality to be experienced. Though, on this side of eternity's door we see only glimpses; real and powerful, but fore-shocks of the earthquake of love, peace and joy to come.

In the eight Blessed's..., Jesus describes the heart that both experiences and is formed by his love. A President, Congress, or Supreme Court cannot usher in a kingdom. Nor can they ultimately bring healing to a fractured culture. People are divided and broken because we are not meek or merciful, we are not pure or poor. And only THE WORD can speak the words that reform hearts and bring healing.

Blessed are the...

God, let these words form and describe my heart.

For now...
D

TEMPTED

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted... and the tempter came...
-- Matthew 4:1,3

The life of faith is not necessarily an easy one. Some might propose it to be. Their doctrine is Christianity-light. Worse, they may expound that the true person of faith should not know pain, sickness, loss, or crisis of belief. And if he or she experiences these, it is due to lack of faith. This is not the real world. And this is not true Christianity. Some feel-good prophets go as far to claim they are above (or beyond) temptation; and that this is a goal of the Spirit-filled life.

Only one whose feet have touched the dust of this earth has lived perfectly. Yet none has more deeply known rejection, slander, or loneliness.

He was despised and rejected by men, 

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

-- Isaiah 53:3

And none who has come since (or before) has known temptation to the degree that Jesus was tempted. His ministry began with temptation - in a lonely wilderness; and it ended with temptation in a garden. (I don't think I am reading too much into the spiritual, emotional and physical battle that produced bloody sweat drops.) 

Jesus taught us to pray that we not be led into temptation (Matthew 6:13). Yet he was. Why? He didn't, with his wilderness victory, win the right to be Messiah. That is who he was. He was the Word become flesh, the Creator become creation. He had nothing to prove. No, I believe his temptation was for our benefit. 

Through Jesus' temptation we understand:

• Temptation is not a mark of failure. It is not sin to be tempted. We all, he included, know temptation. As long as we breathe we will face temptation's subtle allure.  
• He understands our weakness. We have a ...high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses... (Hebrews 4:15). And though he never failed, he loves us in the midst of our failures. 
• We too can overcome. We can overcome because Jesus overcame - not just temptation, but death, sin and hell. And the Great Overcomer stands with us in every circumstance. 

Much later, Jesus' brother James wrote:

Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee. --James 4:7

That is exactly what Jesus did in the desolate wilderness. And it is what he calls us and empowers us to do still. 

Temptation is inevitable. And that is a good thing. It means we are alive. It means our spirit is alive and struggling daily to follow our Creator. 

Two final thoughts:

• Though temptation is inevitable, failure is not. 
• However, when we do fail, we never fail beyond the reach of God's grace.

God, lead me away from temptation. But I won't fear it when it comes. You are with me. And you have overcome.

For now... 

D

NEAR

...for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
-- Matthew 3:2

The people gather on the shore to hear a wild man. There is truth in his words - a compelling passion, a call to something higher. They are drawn, but oblivious. Drawn by his words... oblivious to the one standing among them listening (in my mind, with a knowing grin). He is the giver and the focus of John's words.

The message of repentance is startling. It does not feel-good (and if you read further, it gets harsher for the self-righteous crowd). This makes it easy to miss an important element - actually the most important - of the message. Why should we repent? Why should we change our minds and attitudes and actions? Why should we rethink the direction and trajectory of our lives?

...the kingdom of heaven is near...

Nearer than we can imagine.

That day one walked anonymously among the crowd. He is the maker of the crowd. He built eyes and ears and noses. He wired brains. He created emotions. He wrote and implanted the script of love. (By the way, ask the atheist someday, "Why did evolution produce empathy, why is there love?" I don't think he can provide an adequate answer.)

...the kingdom of heaven is near... because He is here. Powerful but unnoticed. Immanent yet unknown. The author of creation is here on the shore... wearing sandals.

It is popular among Christians today to discuss the end of things; in a sense, how near we are to heaven. I think a more important thing to understand is how near heaven is to us.

...the kingdom of heaven is near... 

Just beyond what we can see and touch; a breathe beyond what we can smell, hear or taste... heaven is near.

And the King of this kingdom invites us to join. He calls us to participate. He winks and motions us over to experience his presence, his life... true life.

Why would I not change my mind (repent) to be a part of something like this?

God, You are near (nearer than I know).

For now...
D

A CHANGE OF MIND

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
-- Matthew 3:1-2

The message isn't culturally sensitive. As a matter of fact it comes across as confrontational and brash. And the wild-man-messenger's delivery and outfit don't help much.

But often, what we WANT to hear and what we NEED to hear are completely divergent things.

Each of us is created with incredible capabilities. Among the greatest - and one that is often overlooked - is the ability to change one's mind. I am not talking about wishy-washy indecisiveness. I am referring to the open-minded capacity to seek, assimilate and process new information and perspective; and based on this, to make new and better decisions.

The Greek word translated repent is "metanoia" which means "to have a change of mind." (Just a note: the bulk of the New Testament was originally written in Greek.) The word carries an idea of doing an about-face - a 180*. But the change of direction begins with a change of mind. Biblically speaking, repentance begins with an understanding of scriptural (God's) perspective about a matter, attitude, action, etc. This understanding brings about decision; first a change of mind, then a corresponding change of behavior.

Now here is the truly exciting part: God's perspective is right. It is correct. It is true. It is truth. When we align our compass to the True North of God's perspective, our paths become clearer. Our journey begins to take on deeper purpose.

There is a way that seems right to a man,

But it's end is the way of death.

-- Proverbs 14:12

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

-- Psalm 119:105

Finally, what is the result of this change of mind and heart; this repentance?

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

-- Jesus, John 8:32

We may not like the message. It often comes with pain. Sometimes we detest the messenger. (And messengers come in all types: human, circumstances, events, etc.) But God has given us an incredible capacity. We can change our minds, and thus change the direction and trajectory of our lives. 

And a word of comfort to close: the opportunity for repentance is based solely in the depth of God's grace toward us. This God who formed us and sacrificed for us gives us the gift of repentance for our good. 

... the kindness od God leads you to repentance.

-- Romans 2:4

God, grace me to change my mind to agree with yours.

For now...
D

WISE MEN

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem...
-- Matthew 2:1

WHAT MAKES WISE MEN WISE?

We don't know their names. Though the song states there were three and that they were kings, we don't know that. We really don't know anything about the identity or background of these mysterious visitors. Well, we do know this: they were wise men.

Why are they identified as such?

It could be that they had deep scientific - especially astronomical - knowledge. Obviously they noticed the anomaly in the heavens on the evening of Christ's birth. They knew it was not completely natural and was worth investigation. But I don't think that's (all of) it.

It could be that they had a deep understanding of the Scriptures (Old Testament). They knew the prophecies of the coming Messiah. As scholar-philosophers, they probably had access to ancient scripts of all kinds. And in their study, they found a uniqueness in this word from God to his people. And at it's center, a promise of One who would come as a demonstration of the Creator's love. But I don't think that's (all of) it.

It could be that they were simply wise. After all, they outfoxed that fox Herod - as Jesus later called him - by rerouting their return to the East; sensing his obsessive compulsion to power. But I don't think that's (all of) it.

Why were the wise men called wise men? They certainly had background, knowledge and smarts. But I think the wisdom of the wise men is truly demonstrated in their search. They are wise because of their quest. Ultimately, the wise men were wise because they were seeking Jesus. Their wisdom is demonstrated in their unabashed, focused, unapologetic, obsessive, singular and sacrificial search for the One who gives wisdom.

It is the same today. Wise men and women still seek Him.

Will we be wise?

God, I search for you.

For now...
D

Listen & Do...

Now... an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise..." And he rose...

-- Matthew 2:13-14

I can complicate things. I am the type to buy an Ikea dresser and go it alone. Instructions are for needy. After all, what use to me is the input of the furniture's creator?

You are ahead of me, aren't you?

We often go it alone. I'm not saying we turn our back on God. I am not saying we lose our faith. It is possibly worse: we claim a faith that has no impact. We acknowledge a God with our mouths, but deny his power - or at least his nearness - in the way we live. 

Joseph was told what to do and he did it. He didn't write a song (or a blog) about it. He did it. He didn't talk about how to discern the will of God, or ask for prayer. He did it. (None of these, by the way, are bad things. Allow an old preacher to over-stress in order to make a point.) 

Here is the point: God spoke... Joseph acted. We see the same in the lives of Abraham, Hannah, Moses, Mary... and on it goes. God speaks. The faithful listen and do.  

Now it is easy to say, "But an angel appeared to Joseph..." True. But Joseph couldn't read the Sermon on the Mount. He couldn't hear the Spirit speak through the Apostle Paul. We have the opportunity, ability and responsibility to listen and do every bit as much as Joseph. I would propose we have even greater opportunity, ability and responsibility. (And Christ's words throughout John 14 would support this.) 

The deficiency in my Christianity is seldom that I simply don't know what to do. More often, the issue is that I know and don't do. Or, I struggle to simply listen. Eventually, ears can become dull.  

We have the inspired Scripture available to us in any and every media format imaginable. And we have the abiding Spirit of God with (and within) us who speaks and empowers.  

Our part is to listen and do. 

God, I will listen and do.

For now...

D

Legacy...

...and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah... Now the birth of Christ took place in this way...
-- Matthew 1:9, 18

We have the opportunity to build a legacy. We have the opportunity to break a legacy. We all play a part in legacy - for better or for worse.


It is easy to rush through the initial 17 verses of the first New Testament Gospel. It is a genealogy; lots of begats in the old King James. This guy was the father of this guy... and so on.

But there is history in those names. There is legacy, both beautiful and terrible. Love, hate, depravity and faithfulness lie in those 17 verses of begats.

Ahaz was a horrible man; think part Kim Jung-Un, part Jeffery Dahmer.  He was the scariest blend of narcissistic sadist with ultimate power. Ahaz reigned for 16 terrible years in Judah. He worshiped, and forced the worship of, pagan gods. His depravity knew no limits, even forcing his sons to pass through the fire. As a sacrificial ritual paying tribute to the bull-headed idol Molech, children were forced to walk into an inferno blazing at an alter.

Ahaz created a horrible legacy. Hezekiah changed the legacy.

Hezekiah was Ahaz' son. Hezekiah was forced to walk through the flames of his father. Hezekiah knew the smell of burning flesh. He knew the pain of a legacy of fire.

But Hezekiah changed the legacy. In place of the pain his father inflicted, Hezekiah offered grace. In place of brutality, he provided mercy. My guess is the smell of fire never fully left Hezekiah's nostrils. But he was not bound by the legacy. He created a new one. And for 29 years Judah knew the joy of his legacy.

You and I are the products of legacy(ies). Both good and bad. Both painful and freeing. The first 17 verses of Matthew's gospel give a brief glimpse into legacies. Verse 18 introduces us to the One who gives the power to change legacy.

God, give me the power and guts to change my legacies of pain and build legacies of grace, freedom and joy.

For now...
D

PERFECT TIMING

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise...
-- 2 Peter 3:9

I'm still waiting for a pony. (I think I recall as a five or six year old being promised a pony. It could be I fabricated the memory.)

There is a difference between desire and promise. Our desires can often be selfish, or at least misguided. We may even talk ourselves into (or allow professional preachers* to talk us into) believing we've been promised something by God that turns out to be a fabrication. To reiterate the point, if our promise is self-serving, ethically questionable, or the like, it is a fabrication.

The result can be damaging: We wait for a pony that never comes. And in the end, we blame God for not delivering.

When however, promise and desire meet, powerful things happen - in our lives and through us, in the lives of others. And here is some good news: God's promises to us (both general and specific) surpass our wildest imaginations.

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, 

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined 

what God has prepared for those who love him."

-- 1 Corinthians 2:9

And more good news: What God has promised, he will deliver. Always. And always on time. I should note that it seems his universal hour-glass perspective and my Casio G-Shock understanding don't always sync. But his timing is never wrong. The fulfillment of his promises is never early, nor late. 

What is our part? We must discover his promises. He has given innumerable general promises to us through Scripture. For example: Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest... (Matthew 11:28). So many more flood to mind, but at risk of writing a novella, I'll simply challenge you to dive in with an open mind, a willing heart and a highlighter. Mark it, pray it, believe it! 

God also gives specific promises. (And this is where we must be discerning.) These are not specifically lined-out in Scripture. These promises come usually as impressions and they grow into purpose, mission and calling. These specific promises, though not explicit in Scripture, always align with the Scripture. 

Delight yourself in the Lord, 

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

-- Psalm 37:4

Our heart's desires are shaped and molded by our relationship with Christ. (Never the other way around.) As we grow deeper into a relationship with God (which sounds pretentious - a relationship with the Maker - but pretentious or not... it is promised), our minds are aligned with his. Our hearts begin to desire what he desires. And when our desire and his promises meet, powerful things happen. 

Jesus took 12 common men with completely different backgrounds, goals and desires; and with them, he changed history. He gave them promises and shaped their desires. And where the two intersected, powerful things happened.

They still do. 

God, mold my desires, fill me with your promises, and turn me loose (but never let go)... 

For now...

D

*By professional preachers, I am not referring to all - most, or even a significant portion of - preachers. Most are hard-working, caring, under-paid people who do what they do with passion for God and others. I am referring to others who soil the role of pastor for selfish gain and who, worse, alter the gospel to fit their purposes. And, by the way, there are many who pastor massive churches and have huge followings that fit the former category rather than the latter. Their integrity is solid, having stuck to the promise rather than bending to their desires. (Soap box dismounted.)

RESCUE

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials...
-- 2 Peter 2:9

My son and I just returned from a guys trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. One of our adventures was rafting the Poudre River. The river level was down a bit, being late summer. However, there were still several Class IV rapids along the route.

Another product of the late season water level? Rocks! Rocks normally safely under the water were exposed. They were route-changers. To my flat-land, still-pond mind, they were raft-eaters. Paddle-breakers. Trip-enders.

There were six people in our boat: Three from Amarillo (more flat-landers - one of whom apparently liked to swim through some of the rapids rather than stay in the raft), my son and me, and one other. It was this one other that made all the difference.

His name was Guide - though I think that is not what was on his birth certificate. And his job matched his name. Guide knew the river. He knew the rocks. He knew the rapids and the eddys. And Guide knew the route through the turbulence.

Guide told us our job was to 1) Listen to his commands; 2) Paddle hard; 3) Work together; and 4) Stay in the boat. However, Guide said that someone would more than likely leave the boat somewhere along the way. The word he used was ejected.

Prior to hitting the water, Guide walked us through the process of rescuing the ejected. Depending on where we were in the river, Guide might do the rescuing himself; or Guide might position the raft to have someone else do the rescue. Either way, the swimmer became a rafter once again at Guide's direction and positioning of the boat.

Today there will turbulent rapids. Guide knows the route.
Today there will be rocks. Guide knows each one.
Today some will be ejected. Guide has a rescue plan.

Listen to his voice... Paddle hard... Work together... Stay in the boat.

God, you are my Guide.

For now...
D

WINNING!

The caption on the photo read:

Winners focus on winning... losers focus on winners!

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...

-- Philippians 3:13-14

For now...
D

(Photo from Imgur)

EVERYTHING...

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness...
-- 2 Peter 1:3

We have everything we need.

That is a simple statement, but a hard truth to comprehend.

As I write, I am sitting on the couch in my air-conditioned house, drinking coffee. I am about to head to an air-conditioned church and sit in a padded chair - and drink more coffee. Most who read this will be in similar comfort. My point: I've never known extreme poverty or the desperation of searching for a meal. I can only imagine how foreign the statement, we have everything we need, might sound to a family who is being evicted, having just buried a father, or to a mother combing scraps in the Matamoros Mexico dump to feed to her toddler (which I've seen).

Trite answers don't work. And American Christianity seems to often boil down to triteness and self-focus. I'll take it a step further (since it's my blog), trite and self-serving Christianity is not Christianity. And in my Christian journey, I am often guilty of "unchristianess." (Again, my blog, I can invent words.)

When we read Peter's words above, we often miss some important depth.
His divine power - Whose power? God's. (As in, "God's, period!" Not yours, not mine.)
...has granted - past tense, with continuing and ongoing results. (It's a Greek grammatical tense thing.)
...to us - This promise is given to the community of faith. And though it has individual impact, it is us, not me. (More on this in a moment.)
...all things - we have everything we need (keep reading).
...life and godliness - to live as God intends for us, (for our calling and purpose.)

This statement may sound trite, but it is true: We have everything we need in Christ. 

I have often heard it said that God will never allow me to face more than I can bear. I struggle with the statement, though the fact that I am alive and well (and writing), sings the melody of its truth. That stated, I'd like to amend the platitude: God will never allow us to face more than we can bear... together and through his strength and presence.

The Christian life is a life lived in community with others from whom and with whom we share strengths, weaknesses, joys and pain. And it is a body (Paul's analogy) that is completely interconnected drawing its strength and power from Christ.

So, with all these concepts in mind I can confidently state: We have everything we need.

I, for one, tend to want more... to look for more. A blog post I wrote in davidmstanleykineticlife.blogspot.com quotes Bono from U2, whose lyric cries, But I still haven't found what I'm looking for. 

But here is a truth I've learned and am learning: The real and worthy search in this life is not about looking for more. The worthwhile search is not the constant desire for something else, something other. The better journey is one that leads us to deeper understanding of WHO IS this one who provides, and who he has made us to be for ourselves and others.

That for which you search is not out there somewhere. It is instead found in a God who is a whisper away.

Keep searching... deeper.

God, I have everything I need... in you.

For now...
D

THE ARROGANT ANXIOUS

...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

-- 1 Peter 5:7

Here is an uncomfortable modus ponens.* (Yes, I do remember something from my junior year Logics course.) Think of it as a word equation of implications.

Anxiety = Lack of trust

Lack of trust = Belief we are in control

Believing we are in control = Arrogance

Therefore, if we are Anxious, 

it is due to our Arrogance. 

Ouch.

Choose to apply (or not) my experience with anxiety:
When I am anxious, I project into the future. Though I am in the here and now, my thoughts are in the there and then. And in some way I feel that I can change it; that I can be there/then... that I have power in the future.

But I don't.

In fact, anxiety is not only fruitless, it is also counterproductive. When I attempt to live in the future, I am robbed of life in the present; which, in reality, is the only place I have the power to live. (And I am not negating the importance of preparing in the now for the then - this is also a scriptural principle).

It is no coincidence that just before writing, casting all your anxieties upon him..., Peter writes:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God...

-- 1 Peter 5:6 

Humbling ourselves precedes - or is at least an element of - true faith. God is not bound by your past. By the way, neither are you. And God is the only one who knows the future.

So here is another logical equation:
If God cares for us (and he does)...
And if God is the only one who knows the future (and he is)...
And if this God who cares deeply and knows all, is completely powerful (and he is)...
Then I can trust him.
Wait... allow me to rephrase:

I must trust him.

I have always had a distaste for Christian cliches, (you know, bumper-sticker theologies). One of these is LET GO, AND LET GOD. Cliche or not, there is truth to the idea. Faith is a letting go; a total dependence; a leaning on God.

God, help me to let go, and to lean on you... my arrogance has made me anxious.

For now...
D

*Disclaimer: I vaguely remember my Logics concepts. I take no responsibility for the misuse of Modus Ponens -- after all, it made my point.

THE FURNACE...

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
-- 1 Peter 4:12

TV preachers who talk of happiness and abundance as the true results of faith, tell only part of the story. We cannot appreciate abundance without knowing lack. We cannot be happy unless we've known joy in the midst of pain.

Through $30,000 smiles and caked makeup, they tell a half-true story. But where there is half-truth, there is falsehood.

I've always wondered how their message would sit with the Apostle Paul. "Paul," they might say, "if you truly have faith, you should be on a yacht and not in a dungeon. God wants you to be rich and happy." Paul might smile to himself - or cry - and continue writing the words:

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. 

In any and every circumstance, I learned the secret 

of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 

I CAN DO ALL THINGS 

THROUGH HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME.  

-- Philippians 4:11-13

Yes, God does want us to know joy. Jesus is the embodiment of joy. His presence is the fullness of joy. As one (non-makeuped) preacher put it... KNOW JESUS, KNOW JOY. NO JESUS. NO JOY. 

Yes, God does want us to experience abundance. And sometimes with that abundance comes wealth. But wealth measured in only stuff and money is not true wealth. 

When we buy what the half-truth-tellers sell, we pay the consequences. We are surprised by trial. Worse, we feel deceived or defeated by trial's mere presence.

If you will allow an old preacher to preach for a moment (through morning-coffee teeth and with a new blemish on my cheek (who gets those at my age anyway?) - in other words, no $30K smile or makeup)... 

The fire of trial will not defeat you. It may burn away some things that, though painful, ultimately hold you back. But it will not consume you. The fire of trial will REFINE you. It will FORGE your character. It will make you who can be. And in the midst of the heat, you will find the presence of JOY. 

I can't say that I have learned to look forward to trials. I don't necessarily embrace them (before or during). But I am better for the pain. And I bear the scars with an odd joy (and almost pride). I don't look forward to my next fiery trial. But I fear it less. Because within every furnace I've walked, there has been one who walks with me.

God, you have always been with me through the fire of trial, refine me. Forge me...

For now...

D

Explain yourself...

... 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 3:15

Explain yourself.

When necessary use words. 

There is A HOPE within you; and within me. This hope is a person, and everything he is, stands for, has done, and promises. Peter calls it a LIVING HOPE.

Others should take notice of this hope within us - if it is there. I do not mean to imply that we are to drum it up in some way. Theatrics repel. Authenticity draws. And if the hope is real, there is no need for theater. If hope is authentic, it will demonstrate itself.

How? In what we do (and how we do it). In what we say (and how we say it).

LIVING HOPE within produces actions (and behaviors) that match our words; and words (and attitudes) that match our actions. The Christian life is an equation that must be balanced on both sides of the equal sign (=).

WORDS = ACTIONS

ACTIONS = WORDS

(If I recall 8th grade algebra, I believe it is the Communicative Property... kind of. Maybe it's part Associative, or Distributive. I don't know. What I do know is I've now led you WAY off  track.)

Peter tells us to ...always be prepared. Prepared to DO good... prepared to SAY good. (Not good grammar, but I think you get it.) To do so, we must train. We must train for actions and train for conversations.

This little blog is not a "How To..." In reality, we know "how to." Our problem is usually less a problem of "how to," but of "want to."

Prepare yourself. Today you will have opportunity to present hope... to reveal the living hope that is within you. Act on it. Speak about it. In doing so, you will find joy. In doing so others my find life.

God, you are my LIVING HOPE.

For now...
D

What we do...

For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 
--1 Peter 2:15

What we say matters. What we do matters even more. 

How can a mind be changed? How can a heart be won? How can a culture be healed?

Right words are important. Right ideas expressing truth, spoken with right attitudes, are vital. But without right action, words fail.

Doing good pleases God. Doing good builds our character. Doing good brings light into darkness. And a by-product: doing good silences ugliness.

There is enough ugliness in our world. There is too little good. Allow me to rephrase, there is overwhelming good. But there must be more doing good. That is you... that is me... today.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
-- Micah 6:8

God, you made me good in Christ, now help me to have the guts to do good.

For now...
D

Red, Yellow, Black and White...

As you have, I've read many opinions, responses and rants on the recent tragic events in our country. The following is simply an observation from church this morning... nothing more (or less). 

This morning I was moved during worship. I often fight back tears during the music at church nowadays. I don't know if I'm just getting soft, or if it has more to do with the journey of life. Like many of you, my path has not been the expected one.

This morning, as the lights were down and during a particularly moving worship lyric I looked ahead a few rows and across the aisle. Facing me (actually not me, but my direction) was a woman signing the words to the song. Facing her was a large man singing/signing. I was struck. His worship was a beautiful thing. And I'm sure angels were moved... and the Father smiled.

At that moment, the man was not a Deaf-American or Hearing-impaired American; there was only one label that described him in the moment. He was a child of God. A brother. A worshiper singing to his King.

Like I said, just an observation. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Oh, and when the lights came up later I noticed this worshiper, this child of God, happened to have a skin color unlike my own.

It changed nothing. As a matter of fact, in the light of worship, I couldn't tell.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, 

there is no male and female, for 

you are all one in Christ Jesus.

-- Galatians 3:28

For now...
D

A Hope with Scars... (Trials... just one more)

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.  
-- 1 Peter 1:6, NLT

Perseverance has a point. Trials have purpose. In a word, it is hope. And hope is an incredibly powerful thing.

Paul writes:
We rejoice in hope... not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does put us to shame (does not disappoint, NASB)...
-- Romans 5:2-5

Rejoicing (in hope) is easy when it is easy. But there is a depth of hope that comes through fire. It is an unshakable hope. Hope with muscles. Hope with scars.

Persevering through trials deepens and refines character. Who we truly are - and are becoming - is both forged and revealed in the furnace of difficulty. And the hope that is easy in the easy times becomes an experienced commodity. It becomes a part of who we are. It IS who we are.

The hope of (and in) God NEVER DISAPPOINTS!

God, I will hope in you.

For now...
D

The Joy of Trials

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.  
-- 1 Peter 1:6, NLT

We tend to think of enduring as not only a means, but an end. It often seems the best we can muster. But this is not enough. Surviving and thriving are vastly different things.

Peter writes that we are to be truly glad because, there is wonderful joy ahead. Jesus' brother James put it this way, Consider it pure joy... when you face various trials (James 1:2).

There is art and faith necessary to thrive even in the midst of trials. Required is a steely-eyed willingness to acknowledge the reality of the giant standing before us; mixed with a childlike - almost silly - belief that the giant will fall.

It would be inauthentic and possibly damaging to dismiss our trial. It is real. But just as real, realer if you will allow me, is the joy beyond. And the One who stands behind the giant of our trial is gianter.

We must learn to look to the far side. Christ himself endured the trial of the cross by focusing on the joy set before him (Hebrews 12:2).

And here is the key: the joy beyond, is our joy in the midst. If I were preaching, I'd pause, then slowly enunciate those words again. The God who stands behind the giant also stands beside us as we face the giant. His shadow overshadows every giant. (Yep, I'd repeat that one too.) And, in his presence is the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). So as we face the trial, we recognize the joy on the other side and we realize (as in experience) the joy of his presence even in the fog of trial.

I saw the movie Everest the other day. It is the story of the catastrophe that surrounded the May 1996 expedition attempting to summit the highest pinnacle on the planet. There are many analogies and lessons that I will save for later. It is one statement made by Doug Hansen that impacted me. "Suffer a few more days, and for the rest of your life you'll be the guy who got to the top of Everest."

Endure because you must. Survive because you can. But thrive because because there is a joy... a joy on the far side... a joy that is also here, now.

God, as Nehemiah said, "The joy of the Lord is (will be) my strength."

For now...
D

Trials

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.  
-- 1 Peter 1:6, NLT

It has been a bit since I last wrote. A little funny, the topic I was working on was that of trials.

We all have trials. They are inevitable. I've heard preachers quip (and have been guilty of such myself), "You are either in the storm, have just come out of the storm, or are about to enter the storm."

For many of you, like me, it's been a little stormy. But in the immortal words of Donna Summer (and a loose transliteration of the Apostles Peter and Paul), I will survive! And so will you.

To do so, we need the imminent presence of the Holy Spirit, the support of the community of faith, and some old fashioned guts.

At times we cannot move forward. We feel like we cannot advance. Paul writes, ...having done everything to stand... stand firm... (Ephesians 6:13-14).

So stand.

The words simply haven't come the last week or so. But words will return.

More to come on trials.

Since I've already broken all reverence with a disco quote, I'll end with an 80's Elton John lyric: I'm still standing!

For now...
D