We Wish you a Merry Birthday

A couple of weeks ago I sent an e-mail to an old friend from high school. Logged onto my computer Monday morning at work, first thing a reminder popped up for his birthday. So I sent a quick message with warm birthday wishes. In a few minutes he called me. Seems he had forgotten it was his birthday, and to tell the truth wasn't altogether thrilled to be reminded he was getting older. Like a true friend, I assured him that this was indeed a sign he is getting much older and should start taking vitamins immediately.

I have another friend who's birthday was last Sunday. (On a strange side note, it seems like all my friends have birthdays. I haven't checked with every one of them but it would be quite a coincidence if they ALL did.) My wife and I have known her for a while, long enough to know, I guess, when her birthday is. But I don't remember it ever coming up in a conversation, and like most guys I'm not the sort to seek it out and try to remember it. Usually I'm doing good to remember any birthday other than my wife and kids. I didn't have a card or present since we were at church when I found out it was her birthday. I told her I hoped she had a great birthday and remarked on many ways that her life was really, really good. She could tell my comments were true and from the heart, which made for an appropriate and I think appreciated birthday gift.

My sister's birthday is also right near Christmas. Like my friend at church, her birthday is often overshadowed by Christmas. I will not join those who rant and rave about the commercialization, etc. but things can get very busy with all the extras on the calendar and to do list. My parents always made a special effort to make her birthday memorable and to make sure it didn't get lost in the shuffle (plus she was the only girl so always got special treatment anyway).

All this birthday stuff right near Christmas started me thinking about another friend who's birthday is on Christmas day. That would be really tough, I suppose, but I've never heard him complain. He is the sort of guy who gives without any strings and instead of being offended that you forgot his birthday, would look for an opportunity to strengthen the friendship. One year when he was little some potentates threw him a surprise party with some really expensive gifts, but much of the time I suspect his birthday too gets lost in the shuffle of Christmas.

This year I'm going to make a point of telling him happy birthday and giving him a present. He's pretty well off so there's nothing I could buy that he needs (or wants, for that matter), but I suspect that like my friend at church, a gift from the heart would be appropriate and just the sort of thing He would appreciate.

In the Know

My church The Branch has a monthly corporate prayer meeting. Last month during the prayer time the Lord spoke some specific things to my heart. Most of those were for me personally but there was one thing in particular that I wanted to share here. It applies to everyone because it is true, it will benefit anyone willing to embrace it. When I think about my last couple of entries, this one seems like it is going exactly opposite to what I just said about rambling on trying to make sense of things. Maybe the difference is this morning I have something to say. Maybe I shouldn't have laughed at Al Gore when the Republicans shouted "Flip Flop" at him, accusing him of changing his mind. Only God does not change, the rest of us do. And the rest of us need to. I remember one day as a young single man, fervently calling out to God for His will to be done in my life, hearing His voice in my heart, gently correcting and directing me:

"It is my love that demands you change."

Thank God He loves us too much to leave us alone. He has promised to finish the good work He started.



So here is the promised formula to help you gain understanding. This secret is so powerful it doesn't even have to be applied perfectly, just start in on it & keep at it & I expect you will see significant progress in whatever area of your life you use it. I'm not even sure this is a secret, it seems so plain and obvious. And yet when we look at our lives, and at the world around us, there obviously are principles being broken.



TO GAIN UNDERSTANDING

Wisdom herself speaks this out in Proverbs 9:4-6.

"Whoever is simle, let him turn in here! As for him who lacks
understanding, she says to him: Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the
wine I have mixed. Forsake foolishness and live. And go in the way
of understanding."

Here are the four steps:

Come

Eat & Drink

Forsake

Go

I will share a little more of my thoughts on these going forward, but if you're reading this you may want to give them consideration on your own. And by all means, share your insights with me. I have made a deep commitment to gain understanding in my life, and welcome you as the avenue for it.

Comin' Up

Comin' up - How to gain understanding about anything in every circumstance. Do you know the four steps to unlock unlimited growth in understanding? You will after reading this (and I'm not kidding).

The Blank revisited

Often our internal conversation is an effort to make sense of our lives. Or maybe I should say mine is. Something inside says that your life really matters, or at least ought to. There should be justice, and truth, and (oh please) mercy. Mostly we search for meaning not by writing it all down, but by talking to ourselves internally. I wake up this morning & sit here with a cup of coffee and a blank page before me.

A true picture of the day. My day is blank before me, waiting to be created. There are some things about the day that are not so much totally blank as waiting to be filled in. But the truth is that God has given us the power of choice in our lives and we decide how to fill in the blanks. My job, my home, my spouse, my church, the city I live in, the clothes in the closet, much of my life is the result of choices I have made. Choices I make today powerfully influence the range of choices I will have available to me tomorrow.

Choose well, my friends. And to myself, I say, Choose well!

The day is just beginning.

The Blank

NOTE: This was written a couple of months ago, I didn't publish it at the time but I just read it again this morning & decided maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought it was.

One thing about writing is that you start with a blank page. There are all kinds of thoughts about writer's block, getting started, how to turn a thought or idea into a written work, etc. When I started this blog it was just a way to process some of the thoughts & emotions I had. Then a friend, then another, mentioned that they had read it, and somehow that changed something for me. It was like I wanted to say something of value to whoever happened upon this blog, and a new dynamic was introduced. Gradually it seemed as if the blank page was waiting to receive words of wisdom, or insight, or whatever could be of benefit. Then it became something to do, which wasn't quite as fun as it had been to write it. So I suspect it would not be as fun to read. Not that I really expect the early morning musings of someone who's daytime identity is a CPA to be really fun anyway.



So I'm going back to the blank page. Just me and the morning. Cup o' Joe, laptop, and a few quite moments before the kids wake up & the race begins. It's quiet now. I can hear my wife upstairs, moving around quietly so as not to wake Jack. Once he's up the house is a different place. My next door neighbor is a single man, his house is no bigger than mine but I imagine it is roomy for him. With 3 active kids I am sometimes wishing for more square footage. But there are some real advantages- you do spend more time together, in part because you are physically closer together. And my kids don't seem to mind, not in the least. When Jack gets up, he climbs out of his bed & heads to the hallway. I keep his bedroom door closed for his own safety - he can open it but at least the sound wakes me up so he's not wandering around the house all by himself. He will stand at the top of the stairs with his wonderful 2 year old smile and announce: "Jack's awake!" Let the games begin. Can I make a confession? He usually watches Curious George on PBS in the mornings. It is one of the few reasons on earth he will sit still for 25 consecutive minutes. He is very curious himself and it can be disconcerting to step out of the shower to find his sister's pet frogs in the sink instead of their aquarium or to find all the silverware on the kitchen floor. Many times I've heard people talk about what a negative thing the tv is, or how horrible it is to use it to "baby sit" your kids. But I think the truth is in the middle- this is a powerful medium for good or bad. Alan Ladd would put it like this, "A tv is a tool, Marion. It's no better and no worse than the man that uses it." (A quote from the western "Shane"). If Jesus chose to physically be on the earth today, he would be on tv. Maybe he would purchase airtime to get his message out, maybe not. But he caused enough of a stir that there would be no way for Him not to be on tv.



Well, I have really enjoyed this little chat. Not sure if there is anything of value here, to tell the truth. Just some early morning ramblings of some guy waking up and considering his life. The wisest man who ever lived did that a lot, of course his writings about it are of value. So if you're looking for something of value, I would recommend the Bible. If you're just curious, thanks for taking a minute to let me ramble. And to you I say, Ramble on. Keep considering your life until it makes some sense. My page is no longer blank, and my little Jack is awake.

Not a harvest grain lost

You will hear them preaching it on tv, but you heard it here first. You will see it happen in God's people, but you'll see it here first.

How do I know? Because I see it in the Word and I believe it in my heart and I confess it with my mouth and that is the pattern God set for how things work. That is how He operates and He is teaching His people to operate like Him.

2 Kings 8 tells the story of a woman going home. She lived amoung the Philistines for 7 years because of a famine in the land of Israel. She didn't run away, she left at the word of the Lord to her. When she came home she went to see the king about getting back what was hers.

The Lord prepared the way for this woman. As she walked into the king's presence, they were talking about her! The king was speaking with Elisha's servant about the time Elisha raised her son to life. She was going to see the king, and at that moment the king was thinking about her and talking about her. Mere coincidence? Don't think so.

God prepared the way for her request to be answered, and then some. She wanted to get back her house and land. Because the Lord prepared the way for her, the king immediately answered yes to her request. He commanded that everything that belonged to her was returned. Done.

But listen to this - here is the part that flashed out at me: In addition to her house and land, the king commanded that she be given the value of any crops that had been harvested during her absence! God cares about your harvest. The Lord has not forgotten about the seed sown, and he watches over it. He wants you to have the harvest. God is a restorer of lost harvests. He is a King who knows the value of the harvest. He is the Lord of the Harvest.

In this instance, the woman's harvest was a literal, physical harvest of crops. There was no way to give her the physical harvest. What was restored to her was money, income, the equal value of her lost harvest. One reason God uses money so much is that we can understand it. God cares about our physical harvest and wants us to understand how things work. The harvest Jesus spoke to His disciples about was of people.

We are entering a season of harvest. I am prepared to receive the restoration of my lost harvest, the value of what God gave me that I was not able to receive and enjoy. What appeared to be lost or stolen is now restored! In one day, the Shunammite woman went from homeless to owning a house and lands with seven years worth of income in the bank. Our God is a God of restoration, and He is Lord of the Harvest. He wants to restore the harvests that have been lost. If you look at the king's command, not one day's worth of harvest was lost- "from the day she left until now." I am receiving the value of my harvest, because the King has declared it so.

You've got to show it

This morning I'm out the door to have coffee with one of my very good friends. We try to get together one morning a week. Doesn't always work because of our schedules, and for a while there it seemed like we were both either out of town or on the go a lot. Recently we changed from Thursday to Wednesday, but this week it's Friday. Sometimes I buy the coffee, sometimes he buys, usually we just get our own.

I usually bring my Bible, and he mostly does too, but don't necessarily open them every time. At one point in my life it would have bothered me to say that, but now it does not. The things that we discuss are things that are important in our lives- our families, our church, our work. Sometimes we discuss things that are not important at all, like all the beautiful chrome on my Harley. Sometimes he will ask me what I've been reading, which I love to do but is kind of a luxury since my children are 13, 6, and 2 years old. He and his wife don't have kids so in some ways our lives are very different.

We share a lot in common, but the main thing is I trust him. I trust his heart and I trust his head. I value what he has to say, and I know he cares. We don't always have the same perspective on everything, which is good. We all need that. He's my friend. I am thankful to say that I have been blessed with some close and supportive relationships. Many of them have been formed at the Branch Family Church.

Proverbs says that if you want friends, you've got to show yourself friendly. A friend loves at all times. There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. A friend listens. A friend tells you the truth, when it feels good and when it doesn't. A friend watches your back and supports you when you're not there. If we want to have friends like that, we've got to be a friend like that. If you want a friend, you've got to love and you've got to show it.

The Keys and a blank check

Last night something powerful happened. More on that in a minute, but first let me lay some groundwork.

Jesus told his followers, "If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." When I was in Bible college I studied Greek. I am not a Greek scholar (as Dr. Bagwell would attest) but I learned how to use the reference materials and dig into the original language. For one of my assignments I chose this particular passage in John 14. I parsed the verbs, looked for nuances in word selection, reviewed the derivation of each word for further insight, considered the verse in the context of the overall passage, and whatever else budding Greek scholars are instructed to do.

After a couple of hours with all these books spread out around me, I came to the conclusion that what Jesus really said, what He truly meant, goes something more like this: " If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it." What was Jesus saying? It sounded like Greek to me. Then I realized, He was saying what He meant!

Suddenly this familiar verse took on a life of it's own. Could Jesus really have meant that? Imagine this- your boss calls you into his office. "You're doing a good job," she says. "You know me, and you know this company and where I want it to go. You start any project you want, and I'll back you up. Make any changes or improvements you think necessary. Enter into any contracts you want, hire new people, whatever you need to get the job done. You have worked for me for a while, and I know you well enough to expect you wouldn't do anything I would be uncomfortable with." Wow. The phone rings, "Mr. Henry. Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Her Royal Highness asked me to convey to you that she has seen that your way of life and the decisions you make are having a wonderful influence on the world around you. She would like to encourage you to carry on in greater fashion so she has created an account in your name at the Bank of England. You may withdraw funds as needed to carry on the work you are doing. My office will monitor the account and deposit additional funds as needed. The Queen simply requests that you continue in the same vein that you are presently on, albeit more forcefully and on larger scale. Have a nice day."

There in my dorm room, it seemed like Jesus was saying to his followers, "Here is the checkbook of Heaven. I have updated the signatory card, and your name is on it. Don't worry about a check bouncing, I'll cover any check you write. Just make sure that you spend it on the same things I would." That idea seemed crazy, nobody gives a bunch of signed, blank checks out.

But then in John 16 Jesus tells them the same thing again! "My Father will give you whatever you ask for in my Name." At another time, Jesus told them the same thing from a different angle, "I am giving you the keys to the Kingdom."

Last night something powerful happened. God's people from The Branch gathered together for corporate prayer. Could it be true that prayer changes things? That it changes me? If it is true, then watch out because we asked for the very presence and power of God to invade our lives and the city of Charlotte! Change is on the way!

Life under The Son

I started at a new workplace this week and so of course I've spent some time thinking about what the Word says about work. The Lord does not spend time (or maybe waste it) on those philosopical sort of questions that don't really have an answer. The Bible is a practical guide for life. It seems to me that all the oppositions people have with the Bible generally are an excuse to avoid responding to its truth.

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon records the greatest wisdom of the human experience. One of the key phrases of the book is "under the sun." Solomon's conclusion for life under the sun is that it is all empty or meaningless. That is the only logical conclusion, looking at the facts from the perspective of a purely physical existence.

But the Holy Spirit graciously revealed more than that to Paul. Maybe it was when he visited heaven. Okay, I'm taking some liberties here. Paul never says he visited heaven, he simply says there was a man. My opinion is that the man was him, but I'll admit I was proven wrong on at least one occasion and rumored to be wrong on several others. Whenever it was, the Holy Spirit provided Paul with a glimpse of life beyond what Solomon observed, of life lived under The Son.

Solomon said, "Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all you have, for the days are coming when you will be dead and cannot enjoy work anymore." True, if this life is all there is. Paul said to the Colossians, "Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your heart, for you know that you will receive a reward from the Lord. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Later Paul said, "If our only hope is in this life we are of all men most miserable." He admitted the same conclusions Solomon had come to, up to a point. But Paul had seen something more. If' this life is all there is, if the only basis for judgement is "under the sun", then it is all meaningless and the joke's on us. Paul's concludes that there is more to this life than meets the eye. Further, he concludes that the unseen part, the part after "under the sun," is by far the most important.

So we take heart in difficulties, knowing that our present and light affliction is working for us a far exceeding weight of eternal glory. When the battle hits close to home, it's good to remind myself that I are already have the victory in Jesus! He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.

follow me

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose follows a group of young paratroopers from bootcamp into combat during WWII. Just after D-Day, Lt. Winters is tasked with attacking an enemy artillery position with a small group of men. In the HBO produced series based on the book, he issues instructions then makes sure everyone understands. Then Lt. Winters begins moving toward the guns, calling over his shoulder "Follow me!"

Leadership is not about telling others what to do. It's about doing. I'm not going to get into what leadership is and how to do it - if you want that you have a choice of 219,317 books on Amazon.com (as of about 5:30 this morning, there are probably more by now). There are also countless videos, classes, seminars. Let me tell you, you can even google "leadership pill" and get results! (Ok, it's another book.)

This morning I wrote a note to my pastor. I wanted to tell him how much I have appreciated working with him for the last year and a half. By his choices and conduct, he has qualified himself as a leader in the Body of Christ. None of us can choose our place in the Body of Christ, God Himself determines that. We can however conduct ourselves in such a way that we become all He wants us to be.

Paul said "Follow me as I follow Christ." There are a lot of ideas about leadership, but to me this sums it up pretty well. That is the kind of leader I am willing to follow. And that is the kind of leader I want to be.

See the way

Zacchaeus was shorter than most. I can relate. He lived in Jericho, which I don't really relate to but that's okay. One day Jesus was walking through town. There was a crowd & Zacchaeus couldn't see over the top. He was looking for Jesus but all he could see was shoulder-blades. Or maybe knee-caps, depending on how wee of a man was he.

Sometimes it seems like you're looking for Jesus but there is something in the way. You want to see Him, you want to go the right way, do the right thing, make the right choice, but its hard to see the way. Sometimes like Zacchaeus, it seems that the hindrance is me, or something about the way I am. That's just the way I am. Why do I always do that? Etc., etc., etc.

Zacchaeus didn't let that stop him. He got to a higher place. He ran ahead & climbed a tree. Now he was well above everyone. So much that he attracted the attention of Jesus.

In our hearts, that higher place is often the place of praise. When I can't see Jesus, I need to lift my voice in praise, let my song be heard, lift my heart in thanksgiving. Speaking in faith the goodness of God, thanking Him for everything He has done, gets my eyes off the problem & opens my heart to receive His Word.

Need a path through the Red Sea? God can handle it (just ask Moses). An entire army chasing you down to kill you? No problem (Moses again. Or David. Or Hezekiah. I could go on). The devil himself against you? Already defeated. God does not have challenges, and even if He did, it would have to be something way bigger than the issue I'm facing today.

Praise lifts my heart to the place I can see Jesus, where my heart is open to hear His word. Looks like the Bible says it attracts His attention to me. As my friend Scott says, "Praise Him!"

Please turn to Song #116

When you first meet someone, you are looking for common ground. That's why I have to work to avoid the question "What do you do?" What do you mean, what do I do? I do the same things you do- get up, go to work, hang with the guys, check the weather, bring home the bacon, pull for the team, help clear the dishes, give the kids a bath, try to keep my nose clean, keep it between the ditches, keep the ax to the grindstone, kiss my sweetie goodnight, try not to think of all the things undone when I finally lay my head on the pillow. Oh, you mean what's my job? If I'm pressed for time I usually answer "I do taxes." This is kind of a dangerous answer because 98% of the time that stops the conversation like a brick wall but the other 2% can lead to lengthy discussions on home office deductions and the like. (Side note: In my opinion, if you are legally entitled to a deduction you should take it. No charge for that one, but you should consult your own tax advisor.)

This morning I found a lot that I had in common with a man I've never met. And I don't know what his job is. Or was, I should say. He's been dead for a while now. But something he wrote has become one of the most famous pieces of literature in history. Hopefully someday we'll have even more in common than we do now. Not sure if it was a song or a poem, but it's included in the book of Psalms right before the shortest chapter in the Bible.

Psalm 116 is an expression of heartfelt gratitude that is as relevant and encouraging today as it was several thousand years ago. Our friend recorded the difficulties of his soul, something everyone can relate to. I wish everyone could also relate to the answers he found: that God is gracious and righteous and full of compassion.

When we call out, "O Lord, save me!" we open our situation to the same loving power that caused this guy to declare "When I was in great need, He saved me."

Wait, it gets even better. Not just help for the immediate need, but guaranteed success in the future. Too good to be true? In verse 8, my guy says not only has his soul been delivered from death (and his eyes from tears) but his feet have been delivered from stumbling. Where do I sign? My feet delivered from stumbling? I'll take it! Help for today and hope for tomorrow.

"Be at rest once more, O my soul." Why could he say that? Because God was good to him. Now that's something that I want to have in common.

The Tip of the Scepter

"Now it happened on the third day," the ancient Eastern story goes, "that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace."

Chances are you are very familiar with the story. You know what has transpired up to this point. You know that Esther's life (certainly), and the lives of her family (most probably), and even the future of her entire nation (quite possibly), hang in the balance. You know that it is unlawful to enter the king's presence without an invitation, and that there is only one punishment: death. Unless, of course, the king extends the royal scepter.

Remember the moment you stood on the edge. That moment on the bridge, or the ledge or the edge of the cliff. It takes your breath away. Your body backs away of its own volition. Your stomach is in your throat. Maybe you didn't physically stand on the edge; you were on a different edge. The car hydroplaning or sliding on ice. Or any of a thousand other situations where danger is imminent.

Esther felt it. She walked right to the edge. Then she stepped off. The Bible does not say how Esther felt at that moment, but I have tried to imagine it many times.

There is no way to know for sure, but I do know how Esther felt when the king extended the royal scepter to her. I know what Esther felt as she walked across the throne room, as she looked into the eyes of the king and placed her hand on the tip of the scepter. I know because I have felt it too. I too have known the sentence of death for breaking the law. I too stood condemned, no recourse and no appeal. No hope save one, the favor of the King. I know the relief, the overwhelming joy, the gratitude from the deepest part of the soul, the desire to express something for which there are no words.

I know because I too have touched the tip of the scepter.

The King of Heaven has extended the royal scepter to us in Jesus Christ. Sometimes when my life is busy and my mind becomes consumed with other things, I do not remember. But I remember now. I am so very thankful to God for His love and His grace to me. So freely given, at such great cost to Himself, how can I not give my life to Him and live for Him each day? There is only one refreshing, and everything else is a picture of it. Come with me this morning to say thank you again. Come with me today to touch the tip of His scepter.

Wait for it...

Dark house. The only sounds I hear are a few crickets outside and the occasional random sounds of a coffeemaker that just got done. There is something about the early morning, a sense of expectancy for the day. Maybe our hearts know the dawn is just on the way.

Refreshing. Renewal. The dawn. A new day. Here in the dark and the quiet, I am waiting for it all to happen. Waiting and watching. Hoping. Expecting. Believing.

Sometimes our hearts need a moment with no external demands. Sometimes the heart needs to just be. It is a way of acknowledging God. I embrace humility, quietly seeking God's face.

Waiting, if done right, has good results. "Wait upon the Lord," Isaiah said, "and you will renew your strength." I am waiting to see His goodness. He will renew my strength. A new dawn impends... what does this new day hold? I wait to see what the Lord will do for me.

Beauty on a stick

I'm still thinking about refreshing. I was recently on a trip which was thankfully refreshing. I was outdoors a lot in a wild and beautiful place. Being in touch with nature does something very good for the soul. It is refreshing to view God's handiwork on display, to stop and reflect that our days are few and the only things that really matter have a lot to do with how I treat others. It is refreshing to come to the end of the day exhausted with honest effort and to appreciate God's handiwork displayed in you. It is good to lay down the accumulated cares of the day, and to never take them up again.

One thing that struck me as I was away from my daily routine: I and the members of my party took a lot of pictures. The setting was visually stunning - towering mountains, rushing waters channeled by boulders and cliffs, alpine meadows, forests with wild flowers and fauna. (Including wild trout. I am happy to say I saw a lot of wild trout, but not all of them were as happy to see me.) All recorded with the touch of a button, immediately saved on my camera's memory stick. As I thought about it, I came to realize something deeper was going on.

More than the impressive visual display, we were trying to capture the moment. I didn't so much want to record the view as to record the feeling the view created in me. I wanted to capture the beauty, and I wanted to experience again (when looking at the picture later) the feelings that beauty stirred deep within me. I wanted the beauty on a stick (ok, my camera's memory stick) so I could take it out and feel that feeling again and again and again.

Sounds kind of funny when I say it like that, being so open about something so private. I guess that's the power of a blog. You can bare your soul to another without looking into their eyes. God's creation is a masterly display. Our souls respond to beauty. True beauty refreshes. It's like our eyes have taken something in and, having communicated everything they have seen, they tell us that there are truths they comprehend beyond this material world. In honest and quiet moments we can hear our hearts agree.

All longing for beauty, and all longing for refreshing, are echoes of our hearts crying out for God.

The Big Three

The most famous Christian thinker must be a man named Paul. Paul was not content to simply mull things over, he was a man of action. He had concluded that the early followers of The Way were not only wrong but a danger to his society. He actively opposed their belief and way of life, working diligently to stop them.



Paul tells about an experience he had which changed his life and caused him to reconsider everything he believed. As Paul tells it, Jesus appeared to him in a blinding light. Ironic, isn't it, that as Paul's physical sight was taken away his spiritual eyes were opened. He later wrote: "To be physically minded is death, to be spiritually minded is life and peace."



Paul taught about Christian virtues, finishing with the big 3: faith, hope, and love. As I've considered what he said, and about the life of Jesus, here is how I think about these big three.


Hope sees it



Faith grabs it



Love gives it away

Lord, may I grow in these virtues. May I become more like Jesus.

Create it again

Sometimes you have the luxury (as I think of it, though many would disagree) of focusing on one thing at a time. Personally, I really enjoy it when you're doing something and get into the zone. You know what I mean, that place of concentration where you have pushed past the distractions and your whole self is focused on _______.

Fill in the blank with the objective of the moment - making the putt, finishing the painting, printing the tax return (ok, maybe not that), presenting your dry fly so well that a wild trout actually believes it's a bug instead of a feather-covered hook on a string.

Think about that last example. Of course it is more fun when you actually catch the fish. And that's the part everyone asks you about. But that's the external part, the physical part, the measurable result. Losing yourself in the pursuit of the goal is in some ways more deeply refreshing than attaining the goal. (So is the true refreshing the art of thinking about something other than myself? My pastor might say yes - I need to think about that part some more.)

When we think of refreshing, we tend to think of recreation. Recreation certainly is important, most would agree. After all just look at the word. Re-create, or literally, "to create again". Nothing wrong with refreshing the body, ought to be done. Probably much more often than most of us actually do it.

But I think God has been better to us than we realize. True refreshing is available all around us, every day. We don't have to go anywhere or buy any equipment or tickets. Refreshing has more to do with attitude, reorienting our internal equilibrium. An important part of refreshing of mind and of spirit, for me at least, is somehow tied to concentration. Getting to the level of focus that alters my experience of time. All of a sudden you come back to earth and realize you don't know what time it is because you have been so focused on _______. You're not sure if it has been 3 minutes or 30. To me, this brings refreshing.

The best is when our whole body, and mind, and spirit are unified in the chase. This is the ultimate place of refreshing. Interesting that God's word teaches us to live every moment like this, fully focused on loving God with everything that we are.

I would like to think about this some more, and truthfully have enjoyed the earliest moments of the day here by myself. It has been refreshing. The house is dark and I have a steaming mug of coffee. But upstairs I hear 2 year old Jack, out of bed early and embracing the day. My moments of focused concentration at an end, it is time to focus on the needs of others. Let me take this refreshing and share it with others today. Time to lay down my own agenda, time to embrace my son.

Lookin' good

This morning I'm thinking about Jesus. Not a bad place to start. Jesus is such a paradox. Fully God, yet he laid it all down. Our natural tendency is to constantly strive and work, trying to grow, to increase, to get more, have more, be more. Jesus had it all, and He laid it all down. That constantly challenges me.

Apparently it challenged Luke as well. Luke was a doctor, well-educated and presumably in the upper class of his time. Somehow Luke's attention got arrested by Jesus. Whatever plans Luke had for himself evaporated like steam from the tea kettle. Our own strivings are like that- lots of heat and energy, insides boiling, making lots of noise and demanding attention from others. But it all just evaporates as soon as it's out the door. No lasting results, nothing of value produced.

Luke records a dinner conversation Jesus had with some up and comers (Luke 11), Pharisees and experts in the law. These were good people to know. They were like Senate staffers today- maybe not the people making the speech, but the people writing the speech. Some of these people will be making the speech soon. Important people. People you would want to impress.

Jesus did make an impression on them. His words have made an impression on me. He scolded them and corrected them. These people loved to give it out, but it stung them to be on the sharp end of the stick. Jesus pointed out that they majored on things other people notice but left their own hearts untouched. They gave a tenth of their herb gardens to God but, Jesus said, neglected justice and love.

Here's what gets me: "You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone." Imagine this- you're riding in the front seat, your friend is driving. Suddenly you notice that your friend is no longer checking the road but has her nose glued to the dash board, completely focused on the speedometer. What are you doing?? "I don't want to go over the speed limit." Jesus was saying, "Hey guys, you're only watching the speedometer but you're about to drive into a bridge!"

"Keeping the rules" is fine and necessary, absolutely ought to get done. But it is the result, the by-product of a heart on fire. These guys were doing it because it was required to advance, because it would hurt their cause to be seen as not doing it. They were practicing only those things that others would notice. Jesus challenged them give their heart and attention, their full energies - to practice - something much deeper.

All too easy to focus only on those things that make us look good. Esse quam videre.

What grows?

"What you give attention to grows."

Not today, but years ago in the early morning I heard these words whispered in my heart. I began to consider, wondering about experiences I have had which would either confirm or deny the proposition. The more I considered, the more settled I became that they are true.

Is our own experience important? Absolutely. But there is a higher measurement.

The Bible says what we give our attention to is very important. Our internal state is to a great extent governed by where our attention is directed. "Stop listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge." Proverbs 19:27. Our financial affairs will flourish or fail based on the attention we give them. "Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds..." Proverbs 27:23

The apostle Peter considered attention one of the most important aspects of ministry. He learned ministry from paying close attention to Jesus, devoting years of his life to be with Him. Give attention to Acts 3: "And fixing his eyes on him, Peter said, 'Look at us.' So he gave them his attention..." Then "all the people saw him walking and praising God.

Consider: (1) Peter focused laserlike attention on the man he was ministering to; (2) Peter commanded the attention of the man he wanted to touch; (3) others paid attention to the miracle.

What commands our attention today? Is that something I really want to grow in my life?

Attention is the sun, our thoughts the plants. What we give attention to grows.

What's a "musing"?

Musings are defined as thoughts, contemplations, meditations. When one is musing, it can be said, you are deep in thought or contemplation.

What are our musings? The raw material of our internal conversation is not something we often spend time, well, musing over. It's early in the morning and already a parade of thoughts have presented themselves: practical considerations, the needs of those around me, work to be done, projects to be completed, threats and worryings demanding a home, ideas, reminders, hopes, dreams, possibilities. And yes, the desire for a good cup of coffee.

Our thoughts are multiple and varied, lightning bolts across our mind's horizon. Usually, we're not even aware of the millions of decisions we make regarding our thoughts. Which do we accept? Which to reject? Which do we build and pursue? It has been said that the human mind processes thought at the speed of about 50,000 words per minute. What is it that we are thinking about?

The Apostle Paul encouraged his friends at Phillipi to give their mental energies only to those things worthy of attention, thoughts that were uplifting, encouraging, and strengthening. This is not a PollyAnna approach to life; it requires the discipline of an Olympic athlete. Lord, help us to be the ruler of our musings. As a man muses, so is he.