Disposable Options

As a young man, I heard Richard Wurmbrand speak.  I sat in awe as I listened to his testimony.  Richard was held captive in horrible prison conditions in Romania because of his faith during the time of Communist rule. He was separated from his wife and family and everything familiar.  He was tortured in mind and body. In one particular moment of deep despair he could only process two realities – there is a God and love was a better way - nothing more, just those two concepts remained in his mind.  All else had been stripped away. Richard Wurmbrand had discovered his bottom line.

In our Western culture we have many options and little understanding of what it means to possess a bottom line.  Even the very poor in our nation have the option of receiving some form of assistance for their basic needs.  In Romania those options were not available if you openly professed Christ.  In the West we have options because most of us possess disposable income, disposable time and disposable relationships where we can discard people because they fail to live within our narrow definition of reality.

We are entering a time in human history where coming events will take us to our bottom line.  What is yours? It cannot be found in the disposable things where we seem to be the most critical and self-confident because we still think we are in control of our lives.  The bottom line of spiritual things is only found when everything is stripped away and we finally find out we can bring nothing more to the table. This is a desperate and lonely place without the options we previously used to make life work without a deep an abiding trust in God alone. This is the place where we can make our most profound discoveries about God and life. This is the place where we begin to discover our greatest freedom.

Changing Seasons

The older I get the less I like changing seasons. To some this sounds like emotional heresy, but that’s my reality. I prefer life to resemble a perpetual spring – the latter part of spring when the rains wind down and things begin to dry out.

Spring means new life and new beginnings. Spring is a time of unfolding – a season of blossoms and fresh scent. Summer brings with it the sagging days of warmth that hold on to the life spring first birthed. Summer is a gallery that hangs fruit-art for us to admire and taste. Summer is my second favorite season.

The longer summer goes on the more a lingering feeling tries to rise up in me and say, “This will be over sooner than you think.” As a boy, the most dreaded thing I remember seeing in print were the words, “Back to School Sale.” At age 64 those words still set my emotions on edge. I realize my response is so male and disconnected from the reality experienced by the other half of the human race. Late summer is the time of year when summer-frazzled-kid-overloaded moms begin to smile and think of coffee dates with girlfriends drinking espresso together in the coolness of a fall morning while the kids are safely – and finally - back to school for another year.

Fall has become the most challenging season for me. Fall used to mean other things, but it is different now that I am getting older. At my age there is a future date with my physical death that resembles a coming winter. I am living in the fall season of my life and my winter season is an approaching reality. Fall has become to me the preparatory season for winter’s death. The bright colors of dying fall leaves are a disguised reminder of something trying to perpetuate the illusion of sustained life.

Now, when I am caught in the grips of a real winter’s knuckle, my mind begins to vault forward in anticipation to late February with its first hint of a coming spring blossom. This is actually a healthy place for older people like me. Wishing, thinking and focusing on a coming spring season of life that may or may not be there to welcome us depending on how many seasons we have left. This isn’t as dark as it sounds because I always have spring on my mind. Aren’t you glad I turned this all around and ended on a positive note?

Surprising Your Enemy

You are in a spiritual battle and you need to let your enemy win.  This tactic will make no sense.  Jesus said to bless your enemies.  He instructed His disciples to forgive 7 times 70.  This crazy kind of cheek-turning love only happens when becoming the victor is no longer your goal.

Within each enemy is a potential ally who is only discovered when you employ the battle tactics of Jesus. Those who know this secret of Kingdom warfare choose to see their enemies this way no matter how down and dirty the battle gets.  This level of revelation is hidden from those who live by the tactics of payback and vengeance.  This is a childlike love and approach to conflict that ushers in the truest form of victory.

Place you enemies before you in your mind.  Prophesy hope to them.  Declare on this day that you have chosen to set them free from judgment and punishment. If you do this God will be free to turn this relational conflict into a place of potential fellowship, friendship and alliance.

The Myth Of The Good Old Days

There never were any “good old days” for some people.  If you were a person of color the good old days had sunset laws that would not allow you to be out after dark.  If you were a woman you took your calling and went to the back of the line while a male-dominated clergy kept you in your place.  If you were a young person you were told that you were the Church of tomorrow and to stop raising questions today about things you could never understand until you became “mature”.

The “good old days” are an illusion held by those who many times feel confused and afraid of the present.  Have compassion for those held in this crippling mindset. They live in a mental prison that does not allow them to see the goodness of God in each generation of history.

Scripture tell us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.  If this is true then there never will be a season of life that takes preeminence over another because the fullness of Christ is always available each and every day.  Those who are led by His Spirit will look for the good in this moment and declare this is the day the Lord has made and rejoice because of it.  This is what makes every day we experience a good day.

Heretical Homies

This morning, I read a Facebook post from a pastor who hosts a radio program. He shared how this had been a challenging week for him because he had some people call him a heretic. Along with a few other pastors, I responded to encourage him. I shared that I found out I was on a “heretic” watch list along with Jack Hayford, Billy Graham and Glenn Burris, Jr. I told the pastor he was in good company.

Some people armed with a computer, too much time on their hands and a very narrow perspective on life and faith can too easily condemn other people who fall outside their very limited viewpoint.

You will never cleanse the Church of rabid people who disagree with everyone outside their small, sandbagged intellectual compound. What you can do is not join in with their foolishness by assigning labels to people. Pause before you hit the “like” button. Research that tantalizing tidbit of gossip on social media to see if it is only a demeaning urban legend unworthy of sharing. We owe this to the world as our testimony of love.

Silent Worship

Over the years, I have come to realize that silence in the presence of God can be one of the highest forms of worship we will ever experience.  In our highly energized church culture we can begin to think we always need to make a sound to express our worship of God. Recently, God reaffirmed with me the need for silence in worship.

While on vacation, Jan and I were able to spend a week in a cabin on the edge of Lake Wallowa near the small town of Joseph, Oregon.  From our cabin deck we looked out across this idyllic lake up into the Eagle Cap Wilderness.  Words like stunning, surreal and beautiful fail to describe what we were able to view each day.  The different wind currents and positions of the sun upon the surface of the lake provided a constantly changing tapestry of God-art.

One morning, I went down to the boat dock and sat in the early morning sun.  As I tried to pray, the strangest thing took place - I couldn’t.  This moment with God required silence if I were to receive what was to come my way. I didn’t give up easily.  My religiously devoted side tried to motivate me to make some kind of noise to verify that I was having a private time with God.  The request for silence from the Spirit finally won out.  I sat there in the warmth of the early morning sun and watched as the canvas of the lake changed once again before my eyes. I was with the Presence and He wanted to be alone with me in the silence, just the two of us sitting together looking over the beauty He had created.

On the shoreline of Wallowa Lake, when I was in visual overload at the beauty of God’s creation, I experienced a profound moment of worship only discovered in the gift of silence that surrounded me. There comes a time when our lives can only be healed and restored when we yield in silence to God’s presence.  This experience will become one of our highest acts of worship as we simply wait in silence and receive.

The Trail Of Your Regret

You have experienced the visit of past regrets. These regrets were produced because of a relationship you had with someone that took a wrong turn and you regret what happened. 

Yes, you and the other person could have handled life differently, but you didn’t and there is nothing either of you can do to rewrite history. Over the years you asked God to forgive you for your part in how things worked out yet a sorrow still lingers in your heart. God is about to show you what He wants you to do with these regrets.

Use your regrets and the emotions surrounding them to create prayers of blessing for the other person. Like a highly trained tracking dog these prayers will follow and discover the other person delivering to them the content of your prayers as an unexpected gift. The knowledge of this delivery will begin to transform your regret into a place of peace. God never wastes a sorrow.