Peace in Our Time

I will continue to pray for unity, peace, understanding, and patience, in my country. I will pray for more diversity in my life. I will not be offended by those who oppose my prayers. Just as I did for my previous President, I pray that my current President has a face-to-face meeting with Jesus and is blinded by God's mercy and goodness. And I will continue to believe that all the poop we are wading through will eventually become fertilizer for a more hope-filled world.

Close the Distance

As kids, we were taught to distance ourselves from bad company.  People who do bad things will corrupt us.  And there is always that threat of guilt by association.

Yet when I read the Bible, I see Jesus disrespecting the distance.  He loved to close gaps.  Instead of walking away, He would walk towards the company of so-called bad people.

Perhaps this is nowhere better illustrated than when a woman caught in adultery was brought to the church-house.  While Jesus was teaching, religious leaders interrupted him.  In an attempt to shame a sinning woman and, at the same time, put Jesus in a difficult situation, this woman was forced into a circle of shame.  She stood there alone, guilty, embarrassed, frightened, and ashamed.

Instead of joining the mob, Jesus embarrassed the mob.  He pointed out their own lack of perfection and challenged their authority to carry out her sentence.  After those who attempted to shame here were gone, Jesus closed the distance.  He stood near her and reminded her that she was created for more than that.  He literally told her to “go and sin no more.”

He was not afraid of her.  He did not run from her.  He closed the distance and stood up for her.

This was not the first time and it would not be the last time.  Jesus was always speaking to someone he was not expected to speak with.  He ate with the wrong people.  Walked with the wrong people.  Befriended the wrong people.  Even touched the wrong people.

While we have to be wise and hold tightly to our identity as followers of Jesus, we have no choice but to close the gap.  We cannot show mercy and give life from a distance.   We must draw close.

Our reputations may take hits.  Our limits may be tested.  But Jesus was accused.  And Jesus’ second chances were sometimes abused.

And…

Jesus said, “As I have been sent.  So I send you.”

Unreachable or Untouchable?

Year ago, when someone was stricken with Hansen's Disease, or what was then known as leprosy, they were deemed untouchable.  When they walked into a crowd, the people parted like Moses had just walked in.  They ate alone.  They sat alone.  They lived alone.

One day Jesus was approached by one of these untouchables.

When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”  Matthew 8:1-4

It was an amazing day for sure.  An untouchable had been given a second chance at life.  The miracle itself is a beautiful picture of hope.

But the part that sticks to me is the touch.  

Jesus "reached out his hand" and touched him.  Then He healed him.  Those acts seemed to be independent of one another.  

In other words, Jesus didn't have to touch him.  He chose to touch him.  He chose to touch a man who had been declared untouchable.  Jesus could have simply spoken His healing into being.  Instead, while the disease was present, scary, repulsive, and horrific, Jesus put His own hand on the man's shoulder.

God's plan for us is to be healers.  We are to let Him work through us to embrace the world.  We can not be the people we were created to be, if we avoid contact with those who are considered untouchable.  How can we reach people if we are afraid to touch people?

Our cities are filled with people who appear to be unreachable only because we have labeled them untouchable.  

As it turned out, "leprosy" was not as contagious as everyone thought.  It just looked that way.

We live in a culture of protection.  We spend our lives trying to avoid contact with danger, fear, disappointment, and even dirt.  Jesus embraced it all.  

He embraced us.  

Talented or Gifted?

Love is what turns your talent into a gift.

If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.  1 Corinthians 13:1-3

There are many impressive things we can do.  Lofty goals we can accomplish.  Noble services we can provide.  But when our motivation is selfish, it is nothing but a talent.  

The world has enough talent shows.  

It needs more gift displays. 

A talent can draw attention, produce applause, and bring fame.

A gift will change a life.  

Talented people ask, "Who will notice and how can I build my brand?'

Gifted people ask, "How can I honor God and build up people?

Talented people are called performers.

Gifted people are called servants.

God has created us all with abilities.  What's in our hearts will determine whether these abilities turn into talents or grow into gifts.

Love is what turns talents into gifts.

Shark Week

Crashing waves create the most peaceful sound on earth.  The deep blue ocean is the most beautiful sight on earth.  And sharks are the most fascinating creatures on earth.

My dream is to spend time in a shark cage.  I want to know that adrenaline rush.  I wan to experience the adventure.  I want to take the risk.  It is a bit costly but one day, somehow, it is going to happen.

The irony is that I have yet to conquer the enemy of motion sickness.

The thought of sitting in a boat, rocking up and down, and up and down, and up and down, well makes me want to vomit.

So, as long as I am moving towards the goal, preparing to dive, or in the cage descending to the depths of a lifelong dream, I’ll be fine.

But the moment the boat stops moving, I’m in trouble.

Drifting makes me sick.  Floating makes me miserable.  Letting the wind determine direction turns me green.

God created us all to be on mission.  To move with purpose and direction.  To set our sights on risk and adventure.  To remain focused and take initiative.  When we neglect that purpose, it is as if we are floating in the middle of the ocean.

Our souls get sick.

We abandon our missions for a lot of reasons.

We get tired.  We get discouraged.  We get angry.  We get jealous.

Whatever the reasons are, we allow them to put an end to our quest.

When the mission ends, we drift.  And our souls get sick.

You were made for mission.

There is more to you than even you know.

So rediscover what moves you, where you are strong, and most importantly, what mission God has placed on your heart.

Stop drifting.  Start diving.

#SharkWeek

WHO'S YOUR BOO?

We fear what we don’t know.  What we can’t see.  What we can’t explain.  The great thing about a mystery is the freedom it gives us to speculate.  It gives us permission to hypothesize and imagine.  But our minds tend to wander away from us.

And lie to us.

Boo Radly is a fictional character.  His real first name is Arthur.  He was dreamed up by Harper Lee for the sake of her novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

But we all know a “Boo.”

The original Boo Radley was a young man who lived most of his life in the shadows.  He was different.  He was misunderstood.  He kept to himself.

But because he lived in the little town of Maycomb, everyone knew him.  Well, they knew of him.  No one really knew him.

He was rumored to have bitten off one of his mother’s fingers.  He supposedly ate squirrels and cats.  It was believed that Boo’s teeth were yellow and rotten, his eyes were bugged, and he drooled most of the day.

With each passing year that people chose not to know Boo, the tales grew taller and taller.

You know “Boo” don’t you?

Boo is that one to whom no one speaks, but about whom everyone talks.  Boo is rumored to support a particular political candidate, eat a certain kind of food, and listen to a unique style of music.  Boo is believed to lack compassion, hold grudges, and drink too much wine.  Boo must have some kind of past that follows him.  Boo must have perfected the filter function on his iPhone.  But no one really knows.  And, sadly, no one cares to know him.

The truth might damage the legend.  No one wants the facts to get in the way of a good story.    

So we stay away.  We whisper.  We gossip.  We fear.

In the novel, one of the children who perpetuated the myths of Boo eventually came face to face with him.  On a dark night, someone tried to hurt her.  In her time of need, out of the shadows, Boo appeared.  And he saved her life.  

There he was.  Their own boogeyman was standing in front of them.  And he wasn’t so bad.  He wasn’t so big.  He had his teeth.  He even had a grin.

It’s sad to think of all that wasted time.  They could have been friends.  They could have made memories.  She could have helped the people of the town see the real Boo.

There are scary people all around us.  They seem to live in the shadows.  Because we haven’t taken the time to know them, we fear them.  We criticize them.  Out of our own guilt, we marginalize them. We attack them from behind.

The truth is that often these hard to figure out mysterious individuals are good people.  Potential heroes.  “Boos.”

They just need someone to believe in them.

The Story of God: Daniel

There is a story called "If You Give a Pig a Pancake."  I used to read it to my kids.  The premise is pretty simple.  If you give a pig a pancake, he'll want syrup.  This means he will get sticky and then need a bath.  If he takes a bath he will see the rubber duck in the tub and it will remind of life on the farm.  Then...well you get it.

If you pick up the story in the end and you see a house destroyed by a pig, you won't realize that it all began with a pancake.

Daniel was a young man when the Jewish people were taken away and exiled to Babylon.  Daniel lived his life as an outsider.  He lived in a place that did not recognize, much less worship his God.  This strange place did not honor his heritage or even speak his language.  But read this:

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.  Daniel 6:28

Daniel had personal success in a time of collective disappointment.  The entire nation of Israel mourned its loss of identity.  Many gave up hope.  But Daniel thrived.

So maybe I should ask the question, "What’s my excuse?"  I may have all kinds of reasons that I'm not successful right now.  But when I look at Daniel's situation, it seems that my reasons are really just excuses.

In fact, Daniel became such an influential person that after one miraculous experience, the king actually turned his nation to God.

Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly! 26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. “For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.  Daniel 6:25-26

Daniel changed a nation by being himself!  He simply took advantage of the opportunities in front of him and made a difference.  Could there possibly be areas of influence in my life that I'm neglecting?  I may be waiting to be crowned king but God is waiting on me to honor the influential moments He has already given me.  I don't have to be king to shake the kingdom.

So what happened that allowed Daniel to have this moment?

Daniel was given a choice. He could bow to His God or he could bow to the king.  A law had been issued that outlawed prayer to the God of Israel.  If anyone bowed to anyone or anything other than the king, he would be thrown into a pit filled with hungry lions.

Daniel chose faithfulness to God.  He was thrown into the pit.  But God was with him.  The morning after he was given over to the lions, the king looked into the pit and saw that Daniel was alive!  The king said, "What happened?"  Daniel responded.

"My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”  Daniel 6:22

Daniel experienced miracles because of his faithfulness.  It makes me wonder where I have given up. In what area of my life have I thrown in the towel.  The truth is that everything is possible.  There are no lost causes.  Maybe I will see a miracle if I can muster the strength to believe and to stand.

But how is this possible?  How does someone find the will to walk with God in the face of opposition like that?  It's not normal.  What was the secret to Daniel's success?

Daniel's "pancake" moment was at the beginning.  Back at the start, Daniel set things in motion.  He set himself up for success with a simple decision.  Back when the banning of prayer was first announced.

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.   Daniel 6:10

The key is in the phrase "just as he had done before."  Daniel disciplined himself to pray and depend on God long before there was opposition or trouble.  He did not wait until the storm came to develop his shelter.  Strength is not developed on stage.  Strength is developed in the quiet private moments that no one else sees.  It is forged in small decisions to honor God and chase faithfulness.

My strength for tomorrow is being determined by the decisions I am making today.

Everybody gets religious in the lion’s den.  But if I wait until then to strengthen my faith, I miss the beauty of Daniel's story.  It all began on a boring Tuesday morning (perhaps) when he made the simple choice to fall on his face before God.  Not because of impending doom.  Not because his life was on the line.  But out of obedience and a desire to know God.

The result was that he changed the world.