Entrusting Love

When my daughter's husband-to-be asked me for her hand in marriage, I said, “My answer is ‘yes.’” I told my future son in law my "yes" was because I could entrust my daughter to him to love and care for her now and long after I am gone. Entrusting someone you love to another person is the highest affirmation you can ascribe to another person. May we be that kind of person in all our relationships.

 

 

I See You

I remember reading about a young woman who was part of a team of noted researchers who accomplished a major scientific breakthrough. Her research produced the amazing results being celebrated by others yet her name remained hidden and unrecognized. Everything changed when another young woman who had risen to public notoriety from a place of personal obscurity noted her valuable contribution and made her name known on social media. The young woman was finally honored because someone noticed her.

We need to ask God to help us see the unnoticed ones who work behind the scenes. We live in a culture where those already standing on the public platform receive most of the praise and acclamation. Without the pivotal contribution of these unnoticed ones, the great accomplishments being celebrated would never have taken place.  

When you see these hidden gifts let them know you see them. They may be that one person who is the glue that holds an entire family together. They can be someone who introduced two people who formed a critical relationship that led to a powerful alliance or someone who gave of their limited finances to help an entrepreneur get started. They might lead a Sunday School class in a small church out in the middle of nowhere who led a great revivalist to the Lord. These people are all around us faithfully fulfilling their calling in life.

Noticing the unnoticed is something Jesus did very well and it is a skill all of us need to develop. Jesus saw apostles in fisherman and a future disciple in a tree. He saw an undiscovered evangelist in a Samaritan woman drawing water at a well. Destiny is discovered when someone is noticed. Seeing someone values them as a human being created in the image of God and that is the most beautiful thing to notice. 

The Return of Prodigal Dreams

Jan and I take a daily walk together. Normally, we walk at mid-morning after our writing schedule is finished, but on this particular morning, we had to be on the road early so we walked just after sunrise. I’ve walked past the home in the photo hundreds of time but because our walks are normally during daylight hours, I never saw the light inside the cupola depicted in the photo. We live in an older neighborhood with few streetlights so that little light must be visible for a great distance during the night hours.

For a few days, I wondered why I felt drawn to take the photo. This morning, the Lord said, “Prodigal dreams are returning home.” When I think of the word “prodigal” I typically think of returning children or loved ones, never a dream. The longer I thought about the Lord's words the more they began to make sense.

Some of you have dreams you abandoned because you did not understand the timing or content of the dream or something took place in your personal life that stalled and distanced the fulfillment of the dream. When those things were taking place you had a dream, but not the heart of the Father. A work more important than the dream itself had not yet taken place in your heart. As a result, the dream wandered away and you moved on with life thinking the dream was lost forever. 

In the intervening years, as the dream wandered, your heart has changed. A healing and maturing have taken place. You now have the heart of the Father. That heart is the light that now sits atop your life – a cupola of hope welcoming the dream back home. When you see the dream at a distance coming home run to embrace its return with joy. Prepare the equivalent of the fatted calf. It is time to celebrate. You now have the heart to carry the dream through all its future stages of development and bring it to the fulfillment of its original intent.  With God and with hope, nothing is impossible, even the return of a prodigal dream.

Warmth - The Environment of Success

I met a friend for breakfast at one of those establishments where the waitress calls everyone “honey” and the food is down home. The smells coming from the kitchen and the overall ambiance of the place let me know that a plate of biscuits and gravy was somewhere in my near future.

When the meal finally came it looked great. I went to adjust my plate and it felt cold to the touch. The food had been sucking up the coldness from the plate and what looked like a killer breakfast was growing more and more lukewarm with each passing minute – not something that helps gravy remain appetizing.

In college, I worked as a fry cook at the original Elmer’s restaurant in Portland, Oregon. In fact, Walt Elmer the founder of the restaurant chain hired me on the first day of school when I stopped by for breakfast and he offered me a job as I paid my bill. The rule at Elmer’s was to always serve a customer’s meal on a warm plate. This allowed the food to retain its heat to remain appealing and tasty.

The cold plate metaphor applies to a business, a church and our personality. We can have a great product, a unique place of fellowship or a life filled with valuable experiences to share with others, but if we serve these offerings with a cold demeanor it really doesn’t matter how great the product, the fellowship or the experience we have to offer, we probably won’t get repeat business. 

Rarely, will someone be honest enough to let us know the first time around that the presentation of what we offered was less than appealing. This speaks not only to our presentation it also applies to the overall environment where we do business and the attitude of those we work alongside in the execution of our shared mission. Everything in life must be evaluated to make sure that all the parts are working together to create a warm presentation that lets people know we have anticipated their needs. This is the heart of a servant. It is also the heart of the Father.

That day in the diner was an isolated event. I let them know about the problem. I am guessing the cook got to the kitchen late that morning and didn’t turn the grill on early enough to heat his workspace. In his rush, my plate was not up to a proper temperature for serving food. I have gone back to that restaurant many times after that one morning and the plates have always been warm and the food outstanding. They will always have my business because not only do they serve great food, but everything is warm from the waitress who calls me honey to the great food served on a warmed plate. They will also have my return business because they are willing to listen to their customer's input. 

You Are What You Drive - Really?

Years ago, I was on a long, cross-country flight across America. For the duration of the flight, I sat next to a film producer who created television ads for Nissan. As we talked about her assignment and how she creates ads, she made a comment, “You are what you drive.” She said that comment was the message of her current ad campaign. I was shocked by her statement. At the time, I was driving a car that gave lots of impressions, none of which I wanted to represent.

The logic of the producer is not just the bedrock of a slogan-driven advertising campaign it can even seep into the thinking of people of faith. God likes to shake up this way of thinking by bringing people and unusual manifestations of His Spirit into our lives to confront these foolish mindsets.

Think about Isaiah the prophet who was called to prophesy lying on his side for over a year or John the Baptist dressed in camel hair and eating meals of insects dipped in honey. On the Day of Pentecost, some observers thought the people under the influence of the Spirit were hitting the bottle a bit too early in the day. What about the Azusa Street Revival when the fire department was repeatedly called because flames of fire appeared on the roof where the meetings were taking place?

When we allow the culture or even the church culture to define what we think we need, we put ourselves in a place of jeopardy. It is the kind of jeopardy that distances us from the voice of God requiring another person or group to bring definition to our life. Once a created need is believed we will go into all kinds of debt to drive the image we think we lack. It can take the form of unreasonable financial debt, spiritual debt, relational debt or emotional debt. 

None of these forms of debt-bondage can ever accurately define us. We enter this life already defined by God. We entered this life as a completely loved and fully accepted child of God. We become vulnerable to manipulation when we forget the greatest debt in our life has already been paid by the One who knows us best. We have no other debt in this life except the debt of love.

I would like to introduce a new ad slogan – “You are what you believe.” If we believe that God is a good, merciful and loving Father, we will not be vulnerable to the presentation of a glossy ad campaign from the marketers in the world or sadly, at times, in the Church. 

Spiritual Fathers and Mothers

One of the most unique and fulfilling seasons in life is when we become spiritual fathers and mothers. This happens at about age 50 or so. That number is not absolute, but this assignment in life does require the accumulation of years. By this time, hopefully, we carry a measure of proven wisdom and insight that only comes from decades of living and believing. 

The wisdom gained over a lifetime becomes a gift a spiritual parent freely gives to their children in the faith. You can see this in the relationship Paul had with Timothy. As you read the Pastoral Epistles, you sense in Paul’s words the depth of his desire for Timothy to become a trusted man of God in all aspects. Paul wanted his investment in Timothy to bring the highest return for the glory of God.

There is another side to being a spiritual parent that is not discussed much. You come to realize something when you enter this stage in life. There is no one older than you looking out for you and your needs. The younger ones are looking to you for provision and assume all your needs are met. This statement is not meant to be fodder for a pity party. It is just the reality of life. For example, in a natural family, kids don’t head off to school in the morning asking, “I wonder what mom and dad need today?” Teenagers don’t ask this question when they are hitting dad up for the car keys. It is only when children become older adults do they begin to consider the needs of aging parents.

By the time you arrive at spiritual parenthood, you should have developed a relationship with the Lord where you trust Him to meet your needs – the obvious ones and the ones only you, and the Lord can see. Trust allows you to rest in God’s faithfulness knowing He understands what you need and will be faithful to supply those needs. It also keeps you from moving away from a place of dignity and assuming the motives of a relational beggar subtly dropping hints of your needs, or worse, creating a platform where you attempt to self-honor and demand from others the provision you feel entitled to. 

As a spiritual father and mother, the greatest gift you will leave behind is a life that became a living advertisement of God’s faithfulness and goodness. This kind of parent has learned to trust God and trust God in their spiritual children to such a degree that worry and manipulation are nowhere to be found in the testimony of their life. 

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

They

The word “they” has been used to distance people from each other ever since the first tribe went to war with a neighboring tribe. The problem with the word is the separation it creates between people. I have used the word in negative tones and so have you.

Here is what “they” sounds like:

“They are all the same.”

“They have no idea.”

“They are all crooks.”

“They are all ungodly.”

“They need to just go away.”

“They are the problem.”

And so on.

When Jesus stopped at a well in Samaria, he met a Samaritan woman. She was part of “they” according to Jewish tradition. Jews and Samaritans did not get along. They despised each other.

A Jew might say;

“They are Samaritan dogs.”

“They worship in a detestable way.”

“They have no place in our lives.”

“They need to be avoided.”

“They are unclean.” 

And the Samaritans had similar slurs to sling back at the Jews.

Jesus stayed clear of defining any people group as “they.” His disciples were shocked that He crossed their imposed cultural divide when they returned to find Jesus at the well with the woman. Jesus lived his life and mission beyond the restrictions of “they” He was willing to take a drink from a water vessel that had the saliva of the Samaritan woman on its rim. That request for a drink turned “they” into “us.”

Jesus was on a mission from the Father that did not require Him to align His allegiance to any demeaning and dishonoring mindset or group no matter how heated the topic. That is also our mission. We have been sent to all people and that “all” includes every individual or group we might be tempted to define as “they.”

When we quote John 3:16 about God loving all the world, it is always good to include the next verse because its inclusion puts to death any thoughts of “they.” 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

Your Double Portion

The situation you have been forced into through no fault of our own is not your final destination and condition. God always has a plan to prosper His people no matter what their circumstance may seem to indicate. Joseph, who was sold into slavery and unlawfully prisoned, rose to an unimagined place of authority to rule Egypt second in command only to Pharaoh. 

During the time of his restoration, Joseph had two sons and named one of his sons Ephraim, and declared, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering” (Genesis 41:52). The name Ephraim means "double land”, “double fruit”, and, “I shall be doubly fruitful.” These are names and definitions that can seem impossible to imagine in the dark and dank enclosure of an imprisoned season of life.

Begin to live in expectation that knock will soon be heard on the door of your prison cell. You have not been forgotten or abandoned. You have been hidden away for such a time as this. God has a plan to bring you out to receive a double portion of blessing, honor, and provision. This double portion is not just for you. It is to be shared with those who sold you into this place of sorrow and abandonment. You will be released to become a redeemer in partnership with the Redeemer. Your willingness to love and forgive will be evidence that your heart still belongs to God.

Give It Away

This week, in a conversation with a couple of pastors I respect, I was asked by one of the pastors to share something that would help him finish well in his life calling. I said, "Identify your greatest gift and give it away." A spiritually and emotionally healthy person is not one, who in the end, has held on to what God had given to them, but one who learned how to release what was only entrusted to them as a gift of grace.

Always The First Time

I remember the first time I kissed Jan. It was 47 years ago. We drove from Multnomah School of the Bible (now known as Multnomah University) in Portland, Oregon to the Eagle Creek trailhead in the Columbia Gorge. I had to borrow a car to make the trip. After a long hike we returned to the parking lot. Just before starting the car, it happened. I can still remember that first kiss. I have been kissing Jan’s lips several times each day ever since. Kissing Jan is always special like it was the first time. As I recalled that first kiss, the Lord began to speak to me about worship.

Over the years, I have found myself critical of some forms of worship. Pick the judgment. I have done it. I have judged worship as out of date, too flashy, not sincere enough, too controlled, sloppy, corny or too professional with lights and smoke rising. You name it I found something I did not like about how people worshipped when my heart was not in a healthy alignment with the heart of God. Finally, God said to stop it. It was an intimate experience between Jesus and His bride, and it was none of my business. It would be akin to someone peering through the window of the car I borrowed 47 years ago and saying to me as I kissed Jan for the first time, “Dude, somebody needs to show you how to kiss that girl.”

What I did not understand in those times of judgment was this one fact, for God, every time He engages with someone in worship, no matter the style, method or skill level, for Him, it is always the first time. It is like the first time two people in love experience the first kiss. For God, worship is always a tender and passionate experience. It takes His breath away. It never becomes routine.

Maybe the next time we get together with others believers, we should listen for the breath of God being taken away instead of any words of judgment or criticism being offered.

For many of us who have been in the Church for a long time and think we know it all, it would be good to go back and rediscover the first blush of our passion for God. It can be lost. It can also be rediscovered. Those first attempts were a beautifully clumsy and exploratory kind of love so filled with passion we did not care if we did it right.

The Church can become predictable week in and week out meeting with the same people doing the same form of worship. Ministry came become an industry of continually promoting the product of self. Our most intimate relationships can become drained of feeling. When worship and life in the Spirit become void of innocence and tenderness, we lose something beautiful. Only the passion of first love has the power to interrupt predictability, self-promotion and the absence of the emotion of love and replace it with the newness of a young love.

The next time you gather to worship, ask God to help you taste the first kiss of worship once again. If you do, you will be so taken with the lover of your soul that nothing else taking place in the room will matter. That is what passionate worship is looks like to those who are in love with God.

A Sleigh Bell Christmas

When Jan and I pastored our first church in Kalispell, Montana, we experienced a lot of firsts. We had our first Sunday as pastors of a new church with only one visitor attending. Our first real Rocky Mountain winter was a new experience, and so was the view from our living room window looking out across the Flathead Valley toward Glacier Park.

One of our most memorable Christmas firsts was a sleigh ride in the snow with our church family. A man in the valley owned teams of Belgian draft horses. He used these massive horses for logging in the forest. The Belgians reminded me of the Budweiser Clydesdales you see in the beer commercials. He also owned two large flat top sleighs that could hold lots of people. 

At Christmas time we gathered after sunset in a large meadow at the edge of the forest to begin loading onto the sleighs. Once everyone found a seat, we would ride through the forest to an awaiting bonfire where hot chocolate, hot cider, and fresh-baked brownies were prepared for our arrival. Kids began to giggle in excitement and couples pulled each other extra close in the cold night as the rays from a full moon reflected off the brilliant white snow making the illuminated night seem magical.

When the sleigh drivers shook their reins signaling to the team of Belgians to begin their pull everything changed. It was at that moment we first heard the bells. Attached to the harness of each horse were bells that jingled whenever a horse hoof hit the snow. The sound of ching, ching, ching punctuated the silent night as plumes of exhaled breath shot out into the cold night air from the nostrils of the horses.

After a long ride through the trees, we began to see in the distance the glow of the bonfire where our outdoor sanctuary was prepared. The remainder of the night was filled with cups of hot chocolate and cider and the sound of a solo guitar leading our church in worship as the bonfire cracked a popped sending embers skyward as its own expression of joy. We sang Christmas carols under the stars and in the moonlight as our voices filled Creation with awe at God’s goodness.

Most of you are not in a forest setting like the one I just described. Neither is my family this Christmas, but the same joy at the core of that first Rocky Mountain winter sleigh ride is still present no matter where we find our lives at this time of the year.  In the middle of whatever you are experiencing choose to discover that joy. It awaits your recognition in every situation of life. It can be wrapped in the noise and clamor of the inner city, experienced during a break on a lonesome shift at work on Christmas Eve, while on a deadly patrol in Afganistan or if you find yourself alone this Christmas because someone you loved is no longer present. That joy is a Person. He is always present in whatever condition this Christmas finds you. Discover Him. Celebrate Him. He is your Joy.

Merry Christmas!

When God Tries to Get Our Attention

My pastor, Roy Hicks, Jr., told a humorous story about how his wife Kay got his attention late one night. After many years pastoring the Eugene Faith Center,  Roy became the Director of Missions for the Foursquare Church. It was a demanding job. Roy spent many hours at work on his computer connecting with churches in the United States and abroad. During one busy season, Roy was bringing his work home more than usual.

One night Roy did not go to bed at the normal time but stayed up glued to his computer screen trying to complete some last minute work. This late to bed scenario was trying to become the norm in their home. As Roy was typing yet another email, Kay walked into Roy’s study without saying a word and draped her lingerie over his computer screen turned around and walked into their bedroom. Roy smiled, turned off his computer and wisely followed his wife. Message delivered.

There are times when the people we love will send us a message that they need us more than they need our faithfulness to a job or a calling. Roy thought he was being faithful to his calling and as a provider for his family when in reality the greatest measure of both of those roles was his ability to rise from his computer and follow his wife.

In the middle of all that you are faithfully doing, the people in your life have a greater priority than your calling or your life-assignment. Look up from what is currently occupying all your time and has created a place for you to hide behind its demands to see what you are missing. It might be the smile of a child needing the physical presence of a parent. It could be co-worker needing some counsel for a challenging life-crisis or maybe it is the Holy Spirit trying to get your attention to deposit a fresh word of revelation. 

There are important messages orbiting around us every day. Most of the time those messages are delivered when we look up from what we thought was so important to finally see what is truly significant.

The Delivery of an Unexpected Inheritance

This morning, I sat down in front of my laptop computer to begin writing. I wanted to update a document I was working on by synchronizing the font style of the various files I had imported from different sources that don’t use my preferred font. I randomly placed my cursor in the file and hit “Select All”. I  noticed the font box on my word processing program identified the imported font style as, “Inherit”. I have been writing for a long time and never knew such a font existed. I checked my own word processing program font choices and Inherit was nowhere to be found. I was wide-awake having just downed two cups of coffee, so I was clear-headed and not seeing things. Then I asked, “Lord, what was that all about?”

Initially, I did not sense a message was going to come from this strange occurrence, but after asking the Lord the above question, a word did arrive. Some of you reading this have entered a season of faith where God will deliver to you an unexpected inheritance from an unimagined source. This is not intended to be interpreted as a “You are about to win the Lottery” kind of word. It is written to simply make some of you aware of what is coming and to prepare your life for its arrival.

We all carry the same overall spiritual inheritance given to us by Jesus. That inheritance makes us rich beyond any natural measure. The inheritance I am referring to is more practical in nature. This will be an unexpected delivery of a real and tangible inheritance from unknown sources in your family lineage. If you become the recipient of this kind of blessing, ask God for the wisdom required to possess what will be given to you. Yes, the delivery of this inheritance could upgrade the places of lack in your life, but there is a greater assignment for the blessing.

This inheritance will be delivered to impact the world for the good of God’s Kingdom. If you sense a connection with what I am sharing, begin to prepare yourself by studying what it means to steward a blessing. Allow God access to the places in your heart controlled by a fear of lack and any place where a greedy or a stingy spirit has set up a place of residence in your thinking. Even if the actual inheritance defined in this word is not for you, the work you allowed God to do in your life in preparation for its delivery will become itself, a treasured inheritance you can pass on to those you love.

Living Like Royalty

This week, I was driving between meetings in Oregon. Just before checking into my hotel, I filled up my car in anticipation of a morning departure. Oregon is a state where you are not allowed to pump your own gas.

When I pulled into the station the attendant came to my window to get my credit card. He did not look happy. He carried a heavy presence of hopelessness. I greeted him and asked him to fill my tank. Normally, when someone fills my gas tank, I tip them as a point of blessing and connection. When the attendant returned to my open window with my receipt in hand, I handed him a tip and said, “Grab yourself something cool to drink.”

The attendant’s face went from heavy and hopeless to a childlike expression of joy. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning. Through his wide smile, he said, “Thank you!” He was truly amazed at the gesture. I thanked him for serving me and drove away to check into my hotel.

I wrote this to remind us how powerful our presence can be if we make the choice to deposit in each circumstance of life an encounter with kindness. Kindness shifts atmospheres. 

I was having lunch with Graham Cooke and some pastor friends a couple of years ago. Graham told us a story about his calling to extravagant tipping in his hometown restaurant where he eats breakfast each morning. He wanted the tip he left behind to be such an unusual blessing that it literally changed the environment of the restaurant. He takes it a step farther. He actually sends the restaurant staff daily tips in the mail when he is on the road. He does this even when he is gone for weeks at a time.

There is nothing routine or normal about your life if you are a child of God. You carry God's presence wherever you travel during your day. Since you are heaven’s royalty walking on Earth, you are called to love and honor people in a royal way. 

Do something unexpected the next time you are served by a waiter or a gas station attendant or by anyone in a serving capacity. By living this way, you will help someone know they are seen as a person of value and worthy of recognition for their service. If and when the time comes for you to talk about the things of God, it will all make sense because they were able to see a tangible expression of the extravagant love of God at work in your life. 

Pressing On

Last night, Jan and I watched the new version of the classic movie, Ben-Hur. One scene touched me more than the others. It was when Jesus was carrying His cross while wearing a crown of thorns stumbling through the streets of Jerusalem toward His crucifixion. 

As I viewed that painful scene I thought, “What do I have to offer this God in the flesh if He were to walk by me like He did when He passed Ben-Hur?” Would I offer Him my books, my website, my blog? Would I offer Him how many times in the coming months I am speaking somewhere? Ben-Hur offered Jesus a cup of cold water to ease His suffering. I thought, “Where is my cup of cold water?

When Paul wrote to the Philippians about what truly matters in life he said, “ I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.  Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him” (Philippians 3:7-9). The things we do for and in the name of God are not worthless, they are simply worth less than we realize compared to knowing Jesus.

Jan and I are in the process of downsizing. I am not talking about our house. It is 1047 square feet. I am not talking about our lifestyle. It is already simple. What I am talking about are those things we are doing in the name of God. We are reeling some of them back in to take a second look. We want to make sure they are not things that get in the way of a simpler expression of our faith and our calling. We are “pressing on” as Paul said to something more that is really something less – something simple yet as profound as offering a cup of cold water to a thirsty soul. It is not easy to press on when so many things compete for our time and our energy at the expense of offering a cup of cold water.

“If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded” (Matthew 10:42).

Wheelbarrow BBQ

My father was a contractor. He built houses. Most of my summers were filled with manual labor on his job sites. My brother and I were my father’s backhoe. I spent many a hot summer day down in a ditch with a pick and shovel.

Our crew was a constantly changing group made up of men who had recently arrived from Mexico and white guys from the wrong side of the cultural tracks in our community, all who needed a job and a fresh start. We were a unique blend of humanity. After a long hot week, Friday was a day that carried the hope of a paycheck and a couple of days off.

Every so often my father would surprise his work crew on a Friday. He would tell the men he was making lunch. About 10:30 he would leave the job site and reappear with groceries. He rolled out a wheelbarrow and lined up bricks to elevate a BBQ grill off the bottom of the wheelbarrow. then he would dump in some briquettes and start a fire. In a few minutes, steaks, Van Camp beans and bread would be prepared. The smell of the BBQ put smiles on our weary faces. As lunch was served, dad would pull out a couple of six-packs of ice-cold Olympia beer and hand them out to the men. It looked like the scene from the Shawshank Redemption where the inmates were drinking a beer on the prison rooftop. After the men had their fill of steak dad would hand out their paychecks and call it a day and send them home.

Around those lunches, I heard the stories of the lives of these unique men. They became more than just my co-laborers. They became a human with value and a story. Everyone who worked for Charlie Elkins loved him because they knew he came from a similar rough beginning as the one they were currently navigating. When they shared his lunch they were also sharing his life.

I learned a lot about life from my father. He always saw the overlooked people, the ones in need, the marginalized. He called them out of the shadows and affirmed them by giving them a chance and a job. Maybe what we need in our nation in this moment of our history are more experiences like a wheelbarrow BBQ where people from different life experiences and ethnicities take the time to find out that we are all the same in the most important ways. And in that discovery give people something they deserve as a fellow human being, an affirmation, and recognition of their value in our life.

The Sound of Love

“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” (I Corinthians 13:1).

Overlooking the city of Corinth is a mountain called, Acrocorinth. Atop the Acrocorinth was located the Temple of Aphrodite. Aphrodite was the goddess of love. 1,000 prostitutes worked in the temple compound servicing the “worshippers” who would come to pay tribute to Aphrodite. Corinth was known as a city of sexual perversion. To be “Corinthian” meant a lack of morality and license.

In the evenings, after finishing their work in the temple, the prostitutes would descend the mountain and walk into the city. Many of these prostitutes wore small cymbals on the inside of their ankles. As they descended into the city with each step they would strike these small cymbals together to announce the arrival of their perverted version of love for sale to anyone. When Paul penned the words of I Corinthians 13, he would have had this practice in mind.

The Church has been called to make the sound of love spoken with truth in each sphere of cultural influence. It will be a very different sound from the cheapened substitutes being offered to people. This is not limited to our sexuality. It can apply to any area of life where we settle for something less than the true love of Jesus Christ.  

As the Church walks in the cultures of the world we have the profound opportunity to announce the arrival of Jesus Christ by making the sound of love spoken in truth. We have no problem with the sound part. Each of us has an opinion about all matters of life.  The content of our sound is where the challenge comes.

A personal interpretation of love without the defining element of God's truth is not love but a prostituted compromise. Truth spoken without love carries the brutality and control of a religious spirit. Both love and truth must work together to create the message of Jesus. This sound is not for sale. It is a grace-gift given to all who are willing to receive the beauty of its message.

The Door of Goodness

The Lord revealed a picture of your life. Behind a doorway and standing in line are answers to forgotten prayers, unexpected blessings, new relationships, and fresh opportunities.

As I continued to watch the developing image, all of these deliveries of God's goodness were pressing against each other in joyful anticipation like a crowd waiting in line to enter a long-anticipated concert event. When the door finally opens a rush of fulfillment will flood your life. You will be overwhelmed, mobbed and blessed beyond comprehension as each good thing sent from God enters your life and vies for your attention.

Something wonderful is about to take place. Believe, trust and expect the goodness of God.