Where Everbody Knows Your Name

Posted on August 4, 2010 by day1of1

One of my favorite shows growing up was Cheers!  It was a fixture on Thursday nights.  I would get home from my Boy Scout meeting, finish up any homework that I wasn’t putting off until Friday morning and be in front of the television by 9:00 to watch the show.  Over time, it’s become more than a TV show – it’s an icon of pop culture and an important memory of the 1980’s for many.  Think of Carla’s brawling nature, Cliff’s moronic wisdom, Frasier’s idiosyncrasies, Woody’s ignorance, and of course Norm’s witty commentary as he walked to a barstool that now resides in the Smithsonian.

 
I was living in London, England when the finale aired in the US.  It was going to be aired in England, but not until after I flew back.  Realizing this, I made arrangements to have the show recorded.  My family also recorded the Tonight Show which aired after the finale.  I’m glad they did, because for me the lasting memory of Cheers! was something I had learned in an interview with the writers on this second show.

 
Sam Malone was not my favorite character.  As a teenager dealing with weight and esteem problems, his smooth talking, womanizing mannerisms were pretty foreign to me.  I didn’t connect with the character, and in episodes the focused on him, I generally tuned out.  Why this fascination with a guy who lacked depth and character?  Then one of the writers described Sam, and suddenly some things made sense to me.  Look at the character’s name:  Sam Malone.  If you run it together, losing one of the M’s you get – Sam Alone.

 
The writer went on to explain that this was not a coincidence.  It was done intentionally to help bring an insight into his character.  Sam – the former member of the Boston Red Sox, owner of the popular bar, local celebrity, handsome ladies man and the owner of a sweet head of hair was far from the great man he tried so desperately to be.  In truth, the bravado, womanizing and bravado were nothing more than a cover Sam used to hide the simple truth of his life.  He was alone.

 
It’s hard to feel sorry for Sam, mainly because he doesn’t let the emptiness of his life deter him from his attempts to fill it with the wrong things.  As you look at the character you can see how jokes, sex, and immaturity have become his replacement for real discovery and growth.    Of course, Sam’s shortcomings helped to bring humor to his character, but for many of us who live our lives in a similar fashion, the sitcom style happy ending is nowhere to be found.

 
What do we use to fill in the gaps of our life?  We all have sensitive areas – places needing attention, repair and growth.  Are we fixing them or merely filling them with temporary solutions to hide the pain?  What do you use?  Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, work, sex, hobbies, complaining, gossip, or simple avoidance are some of the many options we choose.  These things can dull our pain and serve as enough of a distraction to keep us going for any amount of time.  However, they do not provide an ultimate solution, nor do they align with the purpose God created us to fulfill.  Consider again the words of Proverbs 3:5-6.  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  God doesn’t intend for us to go it alone – and He has made it possible for us to never have to experience it.  The Spirit of the Lord has been sent to sustain us – to be there with us every day of our lives.  In Him, we can overcome whatever life brings us.  We align our lives with the will of God and we permanently fill in the gaps that sin and our shortcomings have created.

 
May the Lord of All who desires us to live our lives in the fullness of His promises keep us ever mindful of the joy that comes from seeking Him above all things, now and forever.

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Lead Me

Posted on August 2, 2010 by day1of1

On the surface, I seem to be the least qualified person around to speak on this topic, and I have spent a long time asking myself the question: Am I a man worthy of being followed?  Am I a leader?  I’ve held a number of positions and titles that imply leadership – Teacher, Coach, Director, Principal, Coordinator, Husband, and Father just to name a few.  So how have I done? 

 
The answer is a bit of a mixed bag but more often than not, I have failed.  Every position listed points me to disappointments and shortcomings that can easily be considered my destiny.  As a teacher, I didn’t reach every student I needed to.  As a coach, I didn’t prepare my players as well as I should have.  As a director, oversights were made.  As a principal, the school did not fulfill all of the expectations placed upon me.  As a coordinator, I have been passive in pursuing the things I needed to pursue.  As a family man, I am a divorced, single father of two.

 
Some of you may read that and say I’m being too hard on myself, but I’m not.  This is my past – the track record that precedes me.  Yes, I know that mistakes are our best teachers, but they are also one of the few things in life of which we can take full ownership.  This is my truth and as a man of God who wishes to take the roles of leadership in his life more seriously, I must begin my search for the solution here.

 
Sanctus Real has a song on their new album that speaks specifically about the marital difficulties that one of the band members went through a few years ago.  It speaks not only to men in struggling relationships, but I think it gives us insight into the responsibilities we have in every relationship we pursue – especially in those situations where we have been cast into the role of a leader.  Notice how the song presents a sense of reality that many don’t see on the surface.  The lyrics are provided along with a link to YouTube.

 
Lead Me by Sanctus Real  –  Click Here to hear the song via YouTube

 
I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying…
 
“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can’t
Don’t leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?
 
Show me you’re willing to fight
That I’m still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”
 
I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They’re just children from the outside
I’m working hard, I tell myself they’ll be fine
They’re in independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying…
 
“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can’t
Don’t leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?
 
Show me you’re willing to fight
That I’m still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”
 
So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I’m called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won’t You lead me?
 
To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can’t
Don’t want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up
 
I’ll show them I’m willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, ’cause I can’t do this alone
 
Father, lead me, ’cause I can’t do this alone

 
It’s a classic contradiction, but once again we see that in order for men to be the leaders we were called to be, we must first be led.  I want the students I serve to have the best educational experience they can have.  I want to be the best father I can be to help raise my children so that they might fulfill their Kingdom destinies.  And when given the opportunity, I want to be an effective leader of my household, bringing blessings and honor to the Proverbs 31 woman God has called me to lead. 

 
So Father, Lead me.  Make me the coordinator, teacher, worker, writer, son, brother, father, husband, and man you have destined me to be.  I will surrender to You, Lord.  I will follow wherever You lead because as the song says, I know that I can’t do this alone.  I’ve tried things my way, it’s time to do things Your way.  In big ways, in small ways, always…I love you.
This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. – Isaish 48:17

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I’ll Be Seeing You

Posted on July 31, 2010 by day1of1

A while back, I had the chance to list my some of my favorite movies on Facebook.  Of course, if you know me, or if you’ve read the postings on my blog, you already know many of the movies on that list.  There’s classic “guy films” like Braveheart and Gladiator.  There’s comedies like The Princess Bride and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  There’s dramas like The Shawshank Redemption and The Passion of the Christ.  And of course, how can I forget – The Notebook?

 
Did he just say what I think he said?  The Notebook?  Yup.  Isn’t that a chick flick?  Yeah, I guess it is.  Isn’t that different than most of the other movies on my list?  And again, the answer is yes.  Why is this movie even on my list?  Well, that’s what I wanted to tell you.

 
The story behind the Notebook is simple and predictable, but the plot isn’t what makes the movie stand out.  The appeal of the story comes in the love shared by Allie and Noah.  The movies often show love at first sight turning into a lifetime of happily ever after.  After all, isn’t that the fairy tale, the dream above all dreams that drives us forward, that makes our lives complete?  It’s a great Hollywood plot line, but rarely a reality to be found in other zip codes.

 
For Noah and Allie, there was an element of love at first sight.  He was smitten by her from the beginning.  Of course, she was a strong-willed girl who wouldn’t simply fall for a handsome face or an act of daring.  She made him work for their relationship, but once she fell, she fell hard.  Their love grew over the summer, but like so many things in life, summer ends.  With pressure from her family and the obvious separation that would have to come, they broke up and went their separate ways, leaving both of them confused and looking for what would come next.

 
Noah reached out to her by writing her letters – one a day for an entire year.  Of course Allie never knew of this because her mother’s disapproval of Noah prompted her to hide the letters.  The lack of communication left each of them believing that the other had simply walked away.  The moved on, but not before Noah penned one last note.  The end of it reads…

 
“The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that’s what you’ve given me. That’s what I hope to give to you forever. I love you. I’ll be seeing you. Noah.”

 
And so life went on.  She met somebody and got engaged.  He met somebody, but couldn’t commit because of the love her still held out for her.  Finally, they come face to face in an attempt to put the past behind them once and for all.  Of course, the truth comes out and they rekindle their love.  Now the battle isn’t their past, but their present.  They have a choice to make, follow the life they have laid out before them, or follow the love that they’ve never been able to fully develop.

 
Maybe you’ve found the love of your life.  Maybe you haven’t.  But either way, you have experienced a similar struggle.  You see, God made us in His image so that we might be able to share our lives with Him in the fullness of His love.  But like Allie and Noah, the road has not been smooth.  Sin entered into our lives, creating a separation between us and God.  Like Noah, God reaches out, making it possible for us to love Him again through the death of his Son, Jesus Christ.  And so now as we stand before Him, we too have a choice to make.  Do we remain where we were headed, or do we submit ourselves to the Father, allowing His love to fill our lives like nothing else can?  After all, consider what God has done for us through the words Noah wrote to Allie.  God’s love does awaken the soul, leaving us wanting more.  It sets our hearts on fire, and puts our minds at peace.  But this is not surprising.  God has loved us from the beginning of time, even when we were lost in our sin.  This is confirmed in Romans 5:6-8, where Paul writes…

 
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 
And so the two young lovers do find their way into each others’ arms but their lives together, while never fully explored, are far from happy ever after.  This is made clear in the present day scenes of the movie.  Allie is suffering from a mental condition that causes her to forget who she is, who Noah is, and everything about their life.  The story of their love as written in the notebook is what always brings her back.  Noah completes the story and the love of his life returns, but not long before she fades back into her condition, leaving him all over again.  Noah lost her once as a young man, but now he loses her time and time again.  In spite of this, he remains diligent and faithful to the love that he holds for her, refusing to leave her side or live life without her.  Why is this so important to him?  He explains it in this…

 
“I am nothing special; just a common man with common thoughts, and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who’s ever lived: I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul; and to me, this has always been enough.”

 
We are the love of God’s life.  He didn’t need to stick by us. He didn’t really need us.  It is His incredible love from the beginning of time that caused Him to create us.  That same love caused Him to sacrifice Christ to redeem us and to send His Spirit to sustain us.  We have known the greatest love imaginable from the moment creation began, and that love will never be lost, will never disappear.  Set your heart to return to Him every day of your life.  He’s there – in all those old familiar places.

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The Feast

Posted on July 29, 2010 by day1of1

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalm 23:5-6

 
Bishop-Elect Gibert spoke on this passage last night.  To write about everything God revealed to me in His word would take hours, so allow me to share one application that occurred to me as I reflected on this message.

 
Ever been invited to dinner at someone’s house?  Dinner invitations can be enjoyable or stressful.  There are certain variable that come into play.  A big factor in our appraoch comes down to who’s preparing the meal.  If you don’t trust the cook, you scramble for alternatives.  Admit it – you’ve fallen into one of these three categories when eating at someone else’s house.

  1. Politely pick at the meal, eating out of courtesy, not enjoyment
  2. Eat very little and then stop for fast food on the way home
  3. Enjoy the meal so much that you eat until you’re filled

 
Each of the three options have ramifications that I’d like to explore…

The first is hinged on being polite, but at its core we are rejecting the food.  I’ll do it, but only because I have to or because there’s no other choice.  God has set a feast before us, but how often do we look at what He has given us only to turn our noses up to it because it’s not what we wanted.  The food is good.  It is nutritious, and more importantly – it is exactly what we need.  But unlike your mother back when you were five, He’s not going to force you to eat it.  It is your choice.  Make the right choice, be healthy, be strong, and grow in body, mind, character, love and faith.

 
The second option is worldly because it’s hinged in compromise.  We are finding our own best case scenario that will let us have our way without offending the one who prepared the food.  Of course, by going our own way instead of following God’s way, we receive less, it’s lower quality, it ultimately hurts us, and it costs us more.  You think you didn’t offend your host, but they realized how much you didn’t eat.  Then you stop in the drive-thru, pay extra money for the value meal filled with fat and calories.  You eat the food in addition to what you ate before leaving you stuffed with the food now sitting in your stomach like a brick.  Think about it – you’ve offended your host, wasted money, eaten junk, deteriorated your health and now feel lousy and yet you think this was smart?

 
The third scenario is the one God has called us to do.  Imagine being invited to the house of that member of your family who is hailed as the cook of the clan.  She is making your family’s favorite meal.  She will spend the day in the kitchen, carefully preparing the food so that her love will be evident in every bite.  Once you realize what you will be eating, you begin to prepare yourself for the meal.  You eat a light breakfast early in the day and skip lunch altogether just to make room in your stomach and place a stronger desire in your mind to eat as much as you can.  Seconds, thirds, coffee, and dessert will all be part of the evening.  You will hover over the table just to absorb more of the total atmosphere of the meal.  Even as the table is cleared and the kitchen cleaned, you will snitch extra bites and lobby for the leftovers.  You will linger, leave reluctantly, and reflect back upon the meal for days to come.

 
God has prepared a table.  The feast has been placed before us.  The choice is ours…

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Are You There?

Posted on July 27, 2010 by day1of1

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. – Deuteronomy 4:29

 
Every now and again my five year old daughter will wake up in the middle of the night and crawl into my bed.  Not an uncommon thing – my son went through a similar phase when he was younger, and I’m sure many of your kids did the same.  For most kids, this is just a security thing – being with a parent as they sleep makes the night shorter, the room is not as dark, and is a total buzzkill for the monster living under the bed.  Kids love it. 

 
On the other hand, parents are often far less enthusiastic about it.  More often than I care to admit, I have been roused from a peaceful night’s sleep by a little, squirming frame jostling for position like a Greco-roman wrestler in pursuit of Olympic gold.  I’ve been kicked, punched, head butted, and boxed out.  Any chance for a good night’s sleep is gone, Advil sales and chiropractor visits soar, and the child wakes up in the morning happy and content, wondering why you look so tired and in pain.

 
My daughter is guilty of many of these nighttime attacks upon my health and well being, but there’s another element that she brings that is noteworthy.  Throughout the night, she will lie in bed, totally zonked out.  Without waking, without fussing or moving any more muscles than is absolutely necessary, she will reach out her arm to touch me.  Why does she do this?  To make sure I’m still there.  She’s not ready to wake, doesn’t need to talk to me, isn’t scared or wigging out, just wanting the reassurance that her Father has not left her.

 
And that got me to thinking…

 
As Christians, we can learn a lot from our children.  In this instance, she needed the peace of knowing that her Father was near.  For too many of us, we only seek the Father at the peak times of our life.  When a loved one dies or a new member of your family is born, we don’t need to be reminded to pray.  Wedding days are filled with prayer.  So too are days spent in marriage counseling.  These peaks and valleys are easy reminders to us to give thanks and seek help from our heavenly father.  But are we doing this enough?  Like my daughter, do we ever just reach out and connect with our Father, making sure that He’s still there, even when we don’t have fear or celebration driving us to do so?

 
The Bible is filled with reminders for us to seek the Lord with the sure knowledge that we will find Him.  He is there, always within reach, waiting for us to come to Him with anything and everything we desire – even if all we need is to just make sure that He’s still there.  So thank Him that you woke up this morning on time and feeling refreshed, and if you didn’t then thank Him for the cup of coffee that helped you overcome it.  Just find random times today to check in with Him.  Keep it simple:  “Help me Father,”  “Thanks,”  “Be with her,” “You are awesome.” 

 
He’ll hear you, because He’s there.  Just reach out and see.

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Thunderstorms at Sunset

Posted on July 24, 2010 by day1of1

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. – Psalm 46:10

 
It’s 9:00 p.m. and I am sitting alone, quietly working in my living room.  As dusk begins her trek across the sky, dragging the veil of night behind her, the colors of the evening begin to glow.  But tonight my senses detect something different.  The colors which signal the escape of the sun seem different – unsettling and intense.  The sky is aglow with oranges and yellows filling the atmosphere.  Why is dusk so angry?  It’s because a storm is brewing, and begrudgingly, she must share her sky.

 
If you live near me and saw tonight’s sky, you know exactly what I am talking about.  If I were a poet, I might try to do it justice with words.  If I were a photographer, I might try to capture the moment in a picture.  The first paragraph and the picture that goes with it demonstrate my limitations in those fields.  What I am, however, is a writer and a man who seeks the face of God in all things.  Tonight, I had the opportunity to see Him in a new and wonderful place.

 
The colors of the sunset combined with the humidity in the air and the approaching storm to produce an eerily beautiful scene.  As I watched, I was struck by the incredible irony of what I was seeing.  In this brief moment, two of nature’s most amazing and contrasting forces came together and put on a show.  They are amazing because of their beauty and the way they both demonstrate the power of their Creator.  They are also contrasting by design.  Sunsets are warm, soft and romantic.  Thunderstorms are dangerous, filled with power and fury.  Bringing them together only enhances these characteristics, accentuating their differences with an aura only God could produce.  I stood outside, absorbing this breathtaking scene, wishing I could take a seat and gaze at the sky with a glass of wine in one hand, and the hand of a loved one in the other.  Having neither, I opted for safety and returned to the house.

 
Friday night’s sky describes our God in a way unlike any I’ve ever experienced.  Our God is a God of irony.  He demonstrates power in weakness.  He provides freedom through submission.  We feel His strength most when we are at our lowest points.  We stand tallest when we fall to our knees in prayer.  And it is by the horrific death of Jesus Christ that we receive the most beautiful of gifts – eternal life.

 
It is the love of God that makes it possible for us to experience the fullness of life and all of its ironies.  So whether we’re feeling the fury of the tempest or the serenity of the sunset, may we never forget to celebrate all of the gifts God gives us in every moment of our lives.

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Cast Away

Posted on July 22, 2010 by day1of1

At the risk of solidifying my role as the Christian Devotion Writing “Siskel and Ebert,” I am looking at another film today.  Actually, this is a direction I am pursuing with some direct purpose as a theme for future publication purposes (thanks for the idea, Jeff).

 
I remember going to see the movie Cast Away at the Court Theater in Saginaw back in the fall of 2000.  Specifically, what I remember most about the experience was walking out of the theater thinking how glad I was that I only spent $2.00 on the ticket but still wishing I could have those couple of hours back.  No – it wasn’t my favorite movie, and I hope that when Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks read this devotion, they won’t hold it against me.

 
One thing stood out in the film for me – the relationship between Chuck and Kelly, played by Hanks and Helen Hunt.  I was intrigued by the connection that these two had, the love they shared that was so comfortable, compatible, and complete.  I recognized immediately that this couple blended well together – that they had begun to effectively develop the higher levels of love that so many marriages never find.  I remember the sting that came from the realization that I had never known something that two actors were able to portray as merely an engaged couple (as I said, I didn’t like the movie, I just never fully explained why).

 
So Chuck and Kelly are building a life together, only to have it torn apart by the plane crash.  Chuck survives and is stranded on an island for four years before finally escaping through a daring voyage out onto the open seas.  Fast forward to his return to civilization.  He has come home to find that Kelly has moved on.  She has come to grips with Chuck’s “passing,” and married another man with whom she has started a family.  Chuck and Kelly meet at the airport – they have that formal, awkward meeting that always happens when couples experience trauma within the relationship.  Nothing comes of it because neither of them know what to say.  It isn’t until their second discussion that they open up and reconnect.  Cinematically, the scene is well done because it leaves the audience hanging for a moment.  Will she leave her family for Chuck?  Ultimately she does not.  Moments later, we see Chuck talking with a longtime friend, sharing his emotions over the ordeal of being stranded, losing Kelly, and starting over.  Here’s what he says, taken from imdb.com.
 
Chuck:  “We both had done the math. Kelly added it all up and… knew she had to let me go. I added it up, and knew that I had… lost her. ‘cos I was never gonna get off that island. I was gonna die there, totally alone. I was gonna get sick, or get injured or something. The only choice I had, the only thing I could control was when, and how, and where it was going to happen.

 
 So… I made a rope and I went up to the summit, to hang myself. I had to test it, you know? Of course. You know me. And the weight of the log, snapped the limb of the tree, so I-I – , I couldn’t even kill myself the way I wanted to. I had power over *nothing*.

 
As I take this and apply it into the life of a Christian, there is an easy parallel to be seen.  The island represents the sin that is in our life.  As it did for Chuck, it confines you, preventing you from living in the fullness of life as God intended.  It leaves us isolated – alone with only our own power and abilities to sustain us.  Ultimately it is going to lead us to certain death.  Chuck’s attempts at rescue, his hope that he could be saved by the actions of others, even the suicide attempt he describes are all indicative of the failures we experience when we try solving our sin problem on our own.  We are reminded of this in Romans 3: 23-24, where Paul writes, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

 
This is an important revelation – one that every Christian must understand before they can truly receive the full manifestation of their blessings from God.  We can do nothing to receive this gift.  God has created us, redeemed us, and sustains us.  And so just as Chuck realized on the island, we must see that we have power over nothing.  How curious, but by recognizing something that would seemingly point to the end, we actually arrive at a new beginning.  And so we continue with Chuck’s soliloquy…

 
And that’s when this feeling came over me like a warm blanket. I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that’s what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail.

 
Once he came to the realization that he could not control the situation, that he wasn’t the master of what was to come, things changed.  On the island, he realized that fighting circumstance was counterproductive.  Instead, he simply needed to stay alive, to keep breathing, to keep going in that walk until something happened that would otherwise change the situation.  There was no guarantee, no blueprint and no reason to know that something would happen, but he opened himself up physically, emotionally, and spiritually to that possibility once he stopped fighting and submitted to where he was and what he needed to do.  As Christians, we see the true power of the living God at work in our lives when we stop fighting it and just submit.  This is hard for some of us.  Most people like to be in control – some insist upon it in every situation.  For all of us, and especially for those people who must be in control, we need to understand that every attempt we make at taking control of our lives is doomed to fail because our lives are not our own.  It’s very much like trying to steer a tandem bike from the back seat – it just won’t work!  Walk in the place He has called you to walk, learn the lessons He is providing you, and take comfort in knowing that the lessons you learn are going to benefit you at the time when God is ready to present you with your opportunity.

 
For Chuck, opportunity was a sail which freed him from the island, returning him back home.  But as previously noted, happily ever after didn’t happen.  Here’s the rest of the quote:

 
And now, here I am. I’m back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass… And I’ve lost her all over again. I’m so sad that I don’t have Kelly. But I’m so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?”

 
Every person who reads this blog, including Tom Hanks, has experienced a loss.  We’ve lost loved ones, relationships, jobs, money, possessions – things big and small, valuable and sentimental.  Over time, we learn how to cope with loss, but it never gets any easier.  Thankfully, we have a God who demonstrates His amazing love for us through reconciliation and restoration.  As we seek His glory, we also seek His will for our lives that in it we may align ourselves with His plan so that we may receive a maximized portion of the blessing He has set out for us.  In Him, there can be no loss – all we have to do is keep breathing.

 
These words ring true to me.  For many years I fought battles focused upon gaining and maintaining control of my personal life.  Unable to achieve it, I threw myself into my professional life, hoping to find purpose and a release from my pain therein.  Once I recognized that work couldn’t sustain me, I sought a release from the pain I was feeling in any way I could find it – buying things, trying things, giving up on things, destroying things.  Ironically, everything I did to hide the pain simply added to it – like an interest rate on a credit card purchase.  Unfortunately, the bill came due and I found myself morally and spiritually bankrupt.  My need to control led me down a path that was certain to leave me desperate, damaged, and dead.  I had forgotten how to breathe, and I was suffocating.

 
The last few years have brought about changes.  God has led me to new and amazing places, but yet I still find myself battling – holding my breath as I wait and hope for things to happen.  These momentary lapses have cost me considerably and have proven effective barriers to me arriving at the destination that God has shown me.  I realize that I must let go, simplify things, and walk where He leads in order to move beyond this place and to receive God’s full manifestation of blessings for me.  And with His help, I am living my life by that same confession…

 
“… I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?”

 
Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” “The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the LORD.  – Zephaniah 3:14-20

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Paths

Posted on July 20, 2010 by day1of1

Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. – Psalm 25:4-5

 
A search of the word “path” in any concordance will find multiple listings.  What’s interesting about this is that in most cases, the path is not talking about the literal road on which we walk.  Instead, it refers to our lives.  The path we’ve traveled is our past, the places we’ve been, the experiences we’ve encountered.  We can look back fondly, or with regret, but in either case we are doing just that – looking back, without any want, need, or desire to return to places we’ve already been.

 
The real value of the path comes in what lies ahead.  Every step taken, every lesson learned is designed to prepare us for our future; a future that God has meticulously crafted for us.  The mere thought of this fills your heart and lifts your spirit unlike anything else.  So with a past that prepares us to follow a path that God wants us to follow, how can we possibly fail?

 
What we must remember is that God describes our lives as a path, not a set of railroad tracks.  If it were, we’d be all set – just move forward.  The path would be assigned, giving us with no opportunity to venture away.  Paths are laid out, but they are optional.  You can step off and back on at any time.

 
Now this might not make sense, but go with me on this.  I have watched my kids play cart and driving video games for years.  The games have paths marked out for you, but you aren’t required to stay on path.  Go on and off as you’d like.  Go faster, go slower, and you will still get to your destination.  So what’s the point of staying on the road?  Ask any child who plays the game and they’ll tell you – there are things on the road (coins, power-ups, extra life) that you need to be successful.  You can still get to the finish line by driving off the road, but if you miss the treasures on the path, you can never go back to get them. 

 
In the same way, God leaves things on our path for us to get.  Positive experiences, tough times, successes, mistakes, joys, sorrows – they are all gifts given to us to make us who God wants us to be.  So while our path is given and directed by God, we must recognize the importance of the choices we make.

 
It’s the path He laid out for me.  He guides, directs, and helps, but I must choose to walk it.

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I Dreamed a Dream

Posted on July 17, 2010 by day1of1

I walked out of Target tonight, and as I got into my car I heard the radio of another car in the parking lot blaring music.  Now this is not uncommon, and usually I don’t even pay any attention (unless the bass has me bouncing off the shaking ground).  But the person playing the music was a woman in her sixties and the song she was playing was I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables.

 
Les Miserables is my favorite musical – bar none.  I’ve been privileged to have seen the show four times, including once from the third row in London.  If it were in town this weekend, I would go see it again.  This puts me into a tremendous minority.  Most people have no idea what Les Mis is, or what it’s about.  Others would just rather go see a Phantom or a 70’s TV icon portray a Biblical character in purple socks.  But for me, Les Miserables is the one.

 
The show did get a bit of an interest boost a few years ago, thanks to the media explosion of Susan Boyle.  You know her story; a frumpy, awkward, and unimpressive woman who walked onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent as an unknown and walked off a worldwide phenomenon.  The song she sung that night was the one I heard tonight – I Dreamed a Dream.  The lyrics follow.
 

I Dreamed a Dream  Click Here to watch the song performed via YouTube

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high, And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he’ll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

 
The song introduces us to the character of Fantine – a tragic soul caught in a circumstance that has left her reeling.  Her husband abandoned her and their daughter, Cosette.  In order to survive, she has to leave the child with unscrupulous landlords who take advantage of Fantine to line their pockets with money needed for “doctors” and “medicine.”  Just prior to singing this song, Fantine was fired from her job because she angered her foreman by refusing his unwelcomed advances.  Faced with prostitution as the only option to save her child, she is beginning a downward spiral that will leave her empty and eventually take her life.  But before this happens, she shares the song – filled with the images that have bolstered her while she struggles to overcome her hardships.

 
What catches my ear and my heart in this song is the element of the dream.  She has held onto her dream for a very long time – so long that she has allowed it to become the driving force in her life.  Who knows the cause?  Perhaps she was naïve and immature, refusing to see the reality of her situation.  Perhaps she was hurting so badly that she had to hold onto something better, even though she knew deep down that it was impossible.  I tend to balance my thoughts between those two ideas.  I think her dream was born at a time in her life when she felt confident, comforted and safe; a time when her needs were met, her hopes were high, and as Gary Chapman might say it, her love tank was full.  That abruptly changed.  Her tank began to empty, her hopes diminished, she fought to meet her needs until finally her dream was all she had left.  A sad tale, but it has yet to come to its tragic crescendo.

 
Life is filled with hardships and pain.  The Bible tells us to expect it as a part of life here on earth.  Sin has brought this into reality, for Fantine and for us as well.  It is here that the decision gets made that will not only define our immediate actions, but our destinies as well.  It is here where triumph or tragedy will have its reign. 

 
Fantine’s decision is shared in the final lines of the song.  After surviving all of this, after clinging to her dream through thick and thin, she stands here now – alone, defeated, confused and afraid.  Her response is to give up on her dream and ultimately her life.  “I had a dream my life would be so different from this hell I’m living.  So different now from what it seemed; now life has killed the dream I dreamed.”

 
What is your dream?  What is it that you hope to have?  What has God called you to do, to accomplish, to create?  Have you gotten there yet?  Why or why not?  If not, have you given up on achieving it?  I pray you have not, because this is not what God has created and called us to do.  The going will get tough.  There will be storms that will wreak havoc on our lives.  Our resolve will get tested.  Our faith will be stretched.  Will you go it alone like Fantine?  Will you seek out your own solution, for better or for worse?  Or will you seek the face and favor of the God who brought you here in the first place with a reason and a purpose that will prepare you for the full realization of every dream He’s given you?  It is at these moments in our life, when our dreams are fleeting, our confidence shaken, that we must run to the Word of the Lord.  At times like this, we need to have the Word living within our hearts and governing our lives.  They hold the key that unlocks the power of God in our life.  God’s simple words to Jeremiah speak a powerful truth that we should all hold close to our hearts. 

 
“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” – Jeremiah 32:27

 
God gave us dreams to gain a vision of what He has in store for us – for what is to come in Him.  May we have the strength to realize our dreams in their fullest measure by living our lives in total agreement with the One who authored them.

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Courage Daughter

Posted on July 16, 2010 by day1of1

Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can just put a finger on his robe, I’ll get well.” Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.” The woman was well from then on.  – Matthew 9:20-22 (The Message)

It’s a story set into a story, one which plays out so quickly that it could easily be missed if you weren’t looking for it.  That’s too bad, because it is an amazing story that is never fully told.  Perhaps God leaves it to our imagination to help us to appreciate it on our own.  For twelve years this woman was hemorrhaging.  That is unimaginable, especially in today’s world of modern medicine and twenty-four-hour clinics.  But for years, well before Jesus began his ministry, this woman suffered from her affliction.  There had to be struggles, down days, bouts with depression, and despair with no end in sight.  I have no doubt that she decided to quit on more than one occasion with only one thing left to keep her going – hope.  Her hope was that God was with her and wouldn’t abandon or forget this faithful woman.  So, she carried on, struggling to live in spite of her condition.  It had to be uncomfortable, both mentally as well as physically, but she maintained her hope.  Imagine the prayers she must have offered to God, pleading for an answer: Why am I going through this?  When will You deliver me?  How can I make this stop?  But then also imagine how in her prayers she also thanked God for His love, for His mercy, and for the hope that He would not forget her but would in His time and by the method of His choosing make good on the promise He made her.

Then it happened; the Son of God made man walking among His people to heal them from their sin, their guilt, and their pain.  It had to be something inside of her that made her get up and go to see Him.  Was it the excitement?  The desire for healing?  Perhaps in the flesh these things were there, but in the depths of her heart, it was faith.  Faith is what got her out of the house that day to walk where Jesus walked.  Faith moved her to fight the crowds of men and women who surrounded Jesus; all wanting to be near Him.  Faith drove her past that point of cowardice – where the logic of her flesh may have convinced her to give up and go home.  “If I can just put a finger on his robe,” she thought.  She didn’t need a show.  She didn’t crave the spotlight.  She came into the presence of God, not wanting a face-to-face confrontation which would make her the center of attention.  She didn’t need it.  She only desired to touch Him; to humbly accept what God desired for her to have because in spite of her tremendous suffering she had obediently held fast to her faith.  So, with that in her heart, she stretched out her hand to receive her blessing from the Lord.

Robe

He knew it immediately.  Jesus stopped walking and turned to face her, to respond to her faith-filled boldness.  You can imagine how time must have stopped as the fear and excitement of that moment filled her heart.  What would happen next?  Would Jesus be angry with her?  Would merely touching his robe work?  If summoning the courage to touch Him was hard, just imagine how difficult it had to be to face Him after being “caught.”  It must have taken every ounce of strength within her to stay put, to stand firm, and to come face to face with the One who not only healed her body but saved her soul as well.  His reaction was exactly what you would expect from the One who came to bring forgiveness and salvation to the world.  He stood before her, gazed into her eyes, and with words of love that no poet could match revealed to her the true source of her healing.  “Courage, daughter.  You took a risk of faith and now you’re well.”

The comparison to our own lives is obvious.  Since the day we were born we have set out upon a journey that has brought us ever closer to the heart of God.  Our travels have not always been smooth.  The pressures of life have taken aim at our hearts, trying to drive us away from the faith in which we stand, trying to steal the hope in which we live.  But just like the woman from Matthew 9, we have chosen to stay strong in the faith that the Spirit has built inside of us.  Through the times of struggle, worry, and doubt, we turn to God and ask those same questions in a desperate search for clarity, direction, and relief.  But we also guard our faith so that our hope will remain unshaken.  Be strong, because in all of this there is one thing of which you must have no doubt.  The day is coming when Christ will be standing before you.  On that day, your faith will move you to seek Him, to touch His robe, and to be delivered from a lifetime of pain.  At that moment, as you stand alone before your Savior, He will greet you as a friend, gaze into your eyes and speak those words you’ve longed to hear:

  “Courage ________.  You’ve taken a risk of faith and through Christ you are well.”

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