Praise, vacuum cleaners and bread

Recently, I was in a worship service where the praise was just incredible. I mean, it was not just above average but was a 16 on a scale of 1 - 10.  This worship service put the duper in super duper.

The words and the melodies absolutely pushed me into the heavenlies. I felt full of his Spirit, his love and his peace. I was not afraid of any of life's challenges. Fear had been crowded out in every sense imaginable. An image of a loving, accepting and forgiving father was front and center in my spirit.

I felt a rush of persistent joy which is only brought about by this category of worship, which I might label as 'in the Spirit' worship. Joy permeated everything about me, filling all the inner nooks and crannies that often do not get this kind of light suffused onto it.  If I were a loaf of bread, then joy would be the yeast, affecting virtually every atom in the loaf. Yeast also makes bread rise which is a perfect analogy for what joy does to us in worship.

In this worship service, I felt myself joined to heaven and the particular vision I had was of me being sucked up into heaven by a heavenly vacuum cleaner. Weird vision, huh? Yet the illustration holds in that when things go into a vacuum cleaner, they are transported from one place (usually the floor) to another (usually the bag). The analogy holds true also in that the transport is facilitated by an external power. 

In other words, I was picked up and whooshed to heavenly places. 

But isn't this just a side-benefit of worship and praise? We are lifted, elevated and moved upwards to be joined with the realm of God and his angels. 

The yeast and the vacuum were working overtime in God's kingdom.

I also feel that God shows me things in worship. I have had several very strong realizations and understandings while I was smack-dab in the middle of worship with hands raised, singing in the spirit and so on. Certain truths became clear to me that were not clear in any other context.

For example, I was worshipping in an early morning church service once and had the most vivid vision of God as my merciful Father and this truth permeated to my absolute core. Merciful was driven home again and again to me ... merciful ... not critical, judgmental or placing yoke after yoke on me. Rather a father who placed only life inside me. 

To say this was moving is an understatement. It inwardly flipped me out, in a most wonderful way.

The worship service ended and I left the gathering encouraged, peaceful, happy and unafraid. My day was changed materially. I felt the Spirit of Christ coursing through me. All of this is part of our being transformed into the image of Christ. What a wonderful thing! 

Psalm 150:1 says "Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. ... Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven!"

Hebrews 13:15 says "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise --the fruit of lips that openly profess his name." Even though the above worship experience occurred in a church service, all of the above magic happens to me when I am alone in my car, at home, really wherever I am. A nice touch when your God happens to be omnipresent, right? This is what happens to me during praise. Joy, revelation and peace.  Do you want this for your life also? I do!

Teaching Christ what he doesn't know

This is about my friend who refers to his life as a carousel… In order to read this, there are a few verses at the beginning and then my writing is midway… Click on the link below or if that doesn't work copy it into a browser

http://e2.ma/message/3xc4f/bwgg1

Rhino and thankfulness ...

I am not thankful for even one thing!!

Well, that's how it seems I go through life most of the time anyway.

About as thankful as as an obese rhinoceros who finds happens to find itself in a huge quicksand pit.

I mean, I have health, a good marriage, good skills, good education, good kids, shoes that fit, etc. I do not live in Syria, Somalia or Baghdad.  My car is not broken down. My foosball game is ok.

Yet once in a while, like this morning, I am struck anew with just how thankless of a creature I really am.  Thankless as in not thankful.  Thankless as in utterly devoid of gratitude.

The story in Luke of Jesus healing the 10 men with leprosy has always intrigued me.  I won't go through the story but only one was thankful to be healed and the other 90% apparently were never heard of again.

I guess I am in the 90% most of the time.

However I do have the Holy Spirit in me. And the Holy Spirit wants to move me from the 90% to the 10%, I am certain.

And those days, like today, when I awaken awestruck at all that God has done for me and continues to do for me, I feel thanksgiving roll out of me like lightning rolls out of thunder clouds.

It is natural ... it is borne of the Spirit ... it is healing on about 5,000 levels simultaneously.

I do not have a prescription for myself to overcome thanklessness ... I know countless books, sermons, etc have been written and preached on this topic.  But sometimes more words are just not the answer, folks.

I simply have an awareness of my condition. But a man far wiser than me once said, simple awareness is 50% of the solution.

Therefore, I'm half the way there.

You?

Buzzards, tin cans and putting your car in reverse

When I was younger, my father would take my brother and me into the forest with our guns (we were old enough to have been taught gun safety) to target practice.  It was called plinking.  We would spend Sunday afternoons just plinking.

Our targets were as elusive as tin cans and coke bottles.  We would also lie on our backs and shoot at buzzards as they circled high, high above us, looking for their next tasty meal.

The tin cans and cokes we often hit ... we never hit a buzzard.

But  it didn't matter.  We were with our father and having a great time.  

After a while, we would pack up and head home.

Completely satisfied.

My father has been deceased over 20 years.  Yet the memory of time spent with him is still satisfying, like a cool, refreshing breeze settling over my spirit.

Our heavenly father cannot be seen, touched or perceived by any of our 5 senses.  Yet he is as real as my earthly father ever was.

The cool breeze inwardly that I feel when I think of my dad and those times with him have to be available to us with our heavenly father. The only difference as I see it is that there are no memories involved, it is a continuing present-day reality.  

Persistent, viable and actual.

The outward world is often chaotic, rife with literal and figurative tornados, tsunamis and earthquakes.  

Yet our inner world can be one of a protected harbor, a placid pond, a place of cool breezes.  

Step back today from the rim of your personal volcano ... put your emotional car into reverse for just a moment today and back away from the grinding traffic jam that might be bottling your life ... close your eyes and spend time with your heavenly father.

The times of refreshing will surely be summoned to your spirit.

At least that's how I see it on this Saturday morning.

Invert the confusion, please

Never confuse God's timing with God's capability.  When the train doesn't show up according to your time-table, it doesn't mean that it isn't on the tracks.

Faith that is better than Ambien

I just finished reading the twelfth chapter of Acts this morning. Paul, as usual, is teetering on the edge of imminent death, this time at the hands of Herod.

Herod, ever risk-averse, plans an execution the next morning therefore has made sure that Paul doesn't ruin his plans by doing something sneaky like breaking out of prison. He puts many many guards everywhere around Paul. He even shackled each of Paul's arms to guards. Let's face it, this guy was taking no chances.

So, let's make sure we get the picture here. Paul is going to be killed in less than 12 hours. He also has no way of escape because he is in prison with 15 million guards everywhere.

What would you do?

What would I do?

What did Paul do?

He laid down and went to sleep. According to the Scripture, he slept like a baby.  He had deep, peaceful sleep.

Apparently not a care in the world… It was almost as if there was nothing on his mind!

And it wasn't because Paul did not know what was going down… he did.  He was a very learned  man who probably had it all figured out before he was even brought to the prison.

Folks, I don't know about you but I do not have this type of faith.

In the same breath, I must hasten to add that I want this type of faith. 

I need this type of faith. 

Faith like this comes when we experience God ... Not when we read about him ... Not when we hear others speak of how they have experienced God.

All of that is good but it seems to me that you have to be knocked down by a waterfall before you can authoritatively speak of the power of falling water. You have to actually put the fork into the cheesecake then move it to your mouth, chew and swallow before you can truthfully describe the glories of that near-divine dessert.

Override your internal censor and listen for his prompting today ... Turn the tv, twitter, Facebook, email and texting off.

I know, I know ... this is ridiculously radical ... I am asking us to look within ... novel concept ... but I want us to ask God to help us experience him today. Then sit back.

We just might fall asleep.

God just put a whew in my life

I had a pretty bad wreck on my birthday, March 24th. Two cars totaled. Whew.

I fortunately was able to walk out of the ER on my own 2 feet four hours later. Concussion. 13 stitches to the forehead.

But I have to ponder ... Why did this happen?

What was God trying to teach me?

What message was there in any of this for me?

Was it truly a random event? are there really ANY random events?

Should I ponder this event at all? Is it just a waste of time to plow through all the endless permutations?

Great questions, huh?

I'm really not able to leave all of this in the land of no ponderings, I am sorry. My DNA just will not permit it.

There has to be something here beyond a driving lesson.

Here's what I have figured out so far ...

1) life can change in the blink of an eye.
2) as an add-on to number one, God can require us at any time to be in heaven immediately.
3) the outpouring of love and support for me has touched me so profoundly.
4) people really do care about me ... You'd think I'd know this by now, right? Wrong. Seems like I am always surprised when someone gives a hoot about me. Go figure.
5) if there are things I need to do because well, they are on my heart to do, I need to do them immediately. Procrastination and eternity make for strange bedfellows.
6) I am expendable.
7) I am not part of earth's permanent staff ... I am just a temp and earth is just a part-time gig (by the way, this is true for you too)

My wonderful little car is replaceable.

My friends gushed toward me. My family was a tsunami of love and support.

God was very present with me through all of this. I felt his love sitting in the car with blood covering my face. I felt his love in the ambulance ride. I felt his love in the physician's care.

I was keenly aware of his presence as I sat on my back porch healing.

Two take-aways:

It can all change in the span of time that it takes a mosquito to hiccup.

When it all changes, he still loves you ... Internally through his spirit and extrnally through family and friends.

Whew!

Thank God that the rock is in my shoe and not in my head

There was a job that I really, really wanted, a long time ago.

And I thought I got it.  I was even notified that I got it.  I was ecstatic.  I thanked God over and over.

But I was notified about 5 hours later that the offer was rescinded. (by the way, I love it when that happens)

I was crushed.  I was angry at God.  I was confused.  Then I turned the anger on myself.  I was a loser, I told myself.   I was a joke.  I was no good.

Isn’t this the journey that disappointment takes in us?   

 This is how it works  in me and I suspect that this may be how it works in you.

Think about a bitter disappointment you have had.  Now let’s get our arms around it.

Since we profess to follow Christ, we must put this in God’s hands.  I mean, we have to ... there is really no other option.  Or else it is all a big fairy tale.

In Romans, we read that  ‘all things work together for the good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose.’

In my case, I had to believe that it was God’s will that the door to the job was slammed shut.  Perhaps I would have suffered something that was not good in the new job and God spared me from it.  Perhaps there was an opportunity that would be better for me that I would not have been available for.  Who knows?

Our Father does. Yep, he does.  He's the only one with that kind of time telescope in his backpack.

What about your disappointment?

Have you given your disappointment to God yet?  Or are you still in the spin cycle of disappointment, going round and round and round and round?

With all the joy absolutely forced out of you.

Let me challenge you to give your disappointment to God.  You probably won't have peace in your heart until you do.  

How do you turn your disappointment over to God?

You pray.  You communicate with God.  You say, ‘God, I turn this disappointment over to you.  I give you all of the circumstances, all of my hurt and confusion.  I trust you with this disappointment and ask you to help me move through this.  Help me gain wisdom from this disappointment. Amen’

It is crucial that you seek wisdom from any and all disappointments that you endure.  Let’s face it, disappointments are part of the stuff that life is made of.

Some people allow disappointments to change the course of their lives.  For the worse.  You do not want this to be you.  You do not want to be the one who encounters a disappointment so large and so persistent that it knocks your life off course.

So let’s review ... when faced with disappointment:

1) nothing wrong with feeling bad about it for a short period of time ... that is part of being congruent with your feelings and being congruent.  So don’t beat yourself up over  feeling down and confused when a disappointment comes your way - no matter the size.

2) turn the disappointment over to God

3) ask God for the wisdom that you need to glean from the disappointment.

Learning to handle disappointment as a stepping stone rather than a millstone around your neck can be a key to growing in Christ.

Oh by the way, that job offer that was rescinded ... that entire company lasted only seven months longer before it ceased operations.

Interesting, huh?

When you awaken with a headache ...

You know those days ... you awaken as if a bulldozer had decided to back over your head.

Your mood is as dark as the inside of an unopened vienna sausage can.

Your energy level has been in the minus column for so long it needs a GPS to find its way back.

In short, planet earth is not where you feel called to be on that particular morning.

Even coffee doesn't help ... much.

Just say 'help' to God.

Just say 'good grief' to God.

It almost is immaterial what you say, just communicate with God.

I find that when I am in life's landfill on particularly de-energized mornings, it is helpful to just lay out the facts to God as I see them.  He usually doesn't blink.

Not that my morning suddenly gets new and shiny again.  Not that my morning puts on a super-hero cape.

But it does get a little better.  Has something to do with the Holy Spirit blasting through my coma, I suspect.

Did I mention that I am glad he made coffee?   I believe he understands us.

The Godliness of Being One's Self - Part 4

It was the smallest of interactions.

The young man sitting in front of me was applying for a position in my department a few years ago.  He was clearly over-qualified.

I had to stop the interview and ask him bluntly, "If you weren't afraid of anything ... if fear was not your obstacle ... what would you do with your life?"

He took a deep breath and gave me an answer that was a wonderful vision for his life.  And I knew it was well within his ability to make it happen.

When he finished, I said, "Go... do that!"

I could almost viscerally discern the strength and resolve pouring into him.

He stood up and said, "I will!",  pumping my hand enthusiastically.

I later received an email from him telling how he indeed moved into this line of work and how satisfying it was.

I felt I had made a difference in his life because I had reacted candidly and authentically to him.

I felt Christ had touched him.

Through me.

I had not quoted scripture (although there's nothing wrong with that).  I had not given him a pamphlet or website address that listed church meeting times.

I was just being myself.  But ... wait for it ... the magic was that Christ lives in me.

So whoever I touch, Christ has the opportunity to touch.

Can you see how powerful this is?

As I move through life, navigating through the myriad of interactions I have each day, whether it be work or personal, I represent a potential Christ touchpoint for every single human being I encounter.

Just by being myself.

You see, God is so brilliant that he has embedded the Holy Spirit within us.  His manifestation comes out through our personality, our intelligence, our empathy, our passions, our humor and so on.

Brilliant.

As we are being ourselves.

The weakest leaders, followers, co-workers, neighbors, friends, etc are those who feel they need to pretend to be one way when they are really another way entirely.

In the kingdom of God, I believe that as you relax into your native abilities, approaches and interests, you grow exponentially stronger in Him.

Not taught much but I think it is a key and vital truth of the kingdom of God.

"So, Terry, are you saying that everyone you encounter through the day is touched by Christ by virtue of encountering you?"

Depending on how congruently I am chugging along at any point in a day, I would say yes.

Oh, I have massive chunks of the day when I am frustrated, etc that folks might not see Christ in me.  But even then, there is something about encountering an authentic person filled with Christ, even under the strain of frustration, that is redemptive.

If you are not comfortable in your own skin, somehow all this gets blocked.

Being comfortable with who God has made you at a DNA level is a life-long journey.  However, so is maturity in Christ.  And these two paths are often one.

Today ... I implore you ... be yourself!

You may find your maturity in Christ accelerating.

Seriously ... just let go

It was 2005 ... I was traveling from Nashville to a small village in France to give my daughter away in marriage.  I had my wife, son and a friend with me.

The flights were booked so that there was not a great deal of time after we were scheduled to arrive until the ceremony was to occur.  No margin for delays, in other words.

And we were marooned in DC, unable to continue to NYC where our flight to Paris awaited.

Ground stop.

Nothing taking off and nothing landing due to weather.

I remember pacing around the airline lounge saying to myself something along the lines of:

'God, how come I am going to be the only Dad on the planet to miss my daughter's wedding?"

"Why me?"

"I cannot believe this!"

"Of all the rotten luck..."

It was a highly anxious moment of time for me.  Highly anxious.  Stress was breaking the speed limit inside my brain.

I prayed ... I fretted ... I prayed a little more ... I fretted a lot more.


I checked the airline's info line 5 million times for updates.

I incessantly worried the gate attendant with my non-stop 'can we take off yet?' questions.

If she had turned a Taser on me, I wouldn't have blamed her.

The situation was so out-of-my-control that it was ludicrous.  I simply had no way of controlling the situation and that was paralyzing.

As I was reaching yet another freak-out point, in my spirit, I heard the following words ... "Just let go ..."

It was as if a piece of mining equipment that had just flattened me was immediately removed.  The out-of-control internal stress finally obeyed a stop sign.  Peace replaced chaos and fear.

You know how stories like these end ... we made the plane and all was ok.

But what made a lasting impression on me was how little control we have over anything in our lives.  Oh we may think we exert great control but it is a cruel illusion.

That's why it is so logical, wise, smart, sensible, well-advised, solid and excellent to let go.

Constantly.

Let go and cede your worries to the One who truly has control.

Can you do it?

The Godliness of Being One's Self - Part 3

... or ... To Tree or not to Tree, That is the Question


“A tree gives glory to God by being a tree. For in being what God means it to be it is obeying Him….  The more a tree is like itself, the more it is like Him….” – Thomas Merton

Are you funny?

Go with that!

Has God made you analytical?

Go with that!

Do you love entertaining in your home?

Do that!

Has God gifted you with a musical ability?

Own it!

Do you like to write?

Please ... identify with that!

Whatever abilities or personality traits God has invested in you, be that way!

Here's the funny way God has constructed the human personality: the more you own who you are and become congruent with your essence, the better you become in every way possible.

When faced with anxiety-provoking situations, I often calm myself by reminding myself of the following 3 words ... " ... just be yourself".  It produces an almost palpable calming effect on me.

Be yourself.

It is a very overlooked way to praise God.

Simply be yourself.

Combing your hair with a bulldozer

Some things you just never see.


I have never seen someone try to drink a glass of water by soaking their hair in it.


I have never seen anyone try to eat a piece of lumber, after shaking salt and pepper on it.


I have never seen anyone try to use a coffee cup as a shoe.


I have never seen anyone try to fill up their car's gas tank with tomato ketchup.


Why haven't I?


Because none of these actions make sense, in any way, shape, form or fashion.


Similarly, Luke 8:16 continues my thoughts:


“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. "


Why not?


For the same reason one does not make a parachute from lead ... it just doesn't make sense!


OK, blog-readers ... listen up!


You've been given some gifts by God ... I know it ... you know it.


And you may not have been using your gifts ... and ... wait for it ... God says that just doesn't make sense.


He gave gifts to you for a reason ... not for you to archive rather for you to put in motion.


He gave you a baseball bat not to waste away leaning in a corner but to swing at baseballs.


You wouldn't water your tomato plants with gravel ... wouldn't make sense.


Neither should you watch the special abilities God with which God has entrusted you, atrophy due to lack of use.


Just do it  ... that is what makes sense. Ya think?

The Godliness of Being One's Self - Part 2

It is godly to simply be who you are.

Carl Rogers, father of American psychology,  was once asked, 'what is the meaning of life?'

He gave one of the most profound answers I have ever heard.  Keep in mind that he is not answering in a God context.

He said, 'To be that self which one truly is.'

There is a joy in just being who you are.  There is a divine joy, if I may be so bold.  There is a heady pleasure that emanates from deep within one's spirit when one is simply one's self.

If I were the devil and God had loaded a person up with certain gifts, I surely would not want them to use them ... rather, I would dilute them by any number of methods, the chief one of which would be making them feel uncomfortable with their native abilities ... I would want the musician to become an accountant ... I would want the humorous to become 'godly somber' ... I would want the teacher to long to be a banjo-player.

I would want Beethoven to put all his effort into being the best baker he could possibly be.

Wrap God's glory tightly around you as you become confortable with yourself and your native abilities, personality, approach to life, and giftedness.  Do not long to become someone else.

You are never more strong than when you are fully yourself.

Being yourself is a strong way to reflect God's glory.  Being someone else reflects ... hmm ... what does it reflect?  Well, it doesn't reflect God's glory, that's for sure.  I suppose it reflects some strange sort of inner tangle of fears and insecurities that we carry around.

It is SOOOO godly to simply be who you are. 

Live in that reality today.

Commerce, Sleep Deprivation and the Messiah

I was reading in Luke this morning and noticed something.  I am always on the lookout for the twists, the nuances, the often-hidden aspects of the Word because, hey, that's how he wired me.

Anyway, in Luke, it says Jesus called Peter while Peter was sleep-deprived. Skeptical? Whip out Luke 5:5, then come back to me.

But the real eye-opener for me today was that Jesus performed a commerce miracle for Peter as a way to say, thanks for letting me use your boat.  He brought about an economic blessing ... it was the equivalent of a marketing campaign suddenly performing 100 times greater than it ever had, due to the Messiah's touch.

I wonder sometimes why this choice of miracle?  Surely there are many categories Jesus could have picked from ... each would have been equally astounding.

Why a commercial miracle?

Here's my take: because it would move Peter the most, the quickest, at the deepest level.  An economic anomaly.

Remember, his marketing campaign had been flat-lined all night.

Did it move Peter? Well, he ended up on his knees. You draw the conclusion.

Don't restrict God's hand to non-economic activities.  Don't be reticent to pray over your business(es).  Don't suffer a poverty of faith when it comes to commercial activities in which you are engaged.

What kind of event brought about by the Messiah will bring you to your knees?

Think about that.

Complaining 101

In reading the Word this morning, I was in the Old Testament.  The Old Testament is a fascinating place to read.

At any rate, Israel was wandering in the desert and their only sustenance was manna.

Problem is, they wanted meat.  Tired of manna.  Need meat.

So they complained.  They were sick of manna. They missed Egypt's restaurants.

Apparently, this is a side of human nature God doesn't like very much.  This is just a crazy guess on my part but my first clue was when he sent fire to consume part of their camp in response to the belly-aching.

I complain ... not a huge complainer ... but I complain about various things in life ... various people, etc

Sometimes I complain about every atom within a hundred miles of me ...

It seems to me that if you live in a fallen world, complaining would be a natural response ... you are simply reacting to the sub-standardness of it all.  My initial thought therefore is that complaining is a natural part of life.

And maybe part of that is true.  But now my task is to figure out God's view alongside my view of complaining.

Here's what I have figured out:

Once we are in the Kingdom, our context changes.  The fallen world, as it were, stays the same but we become not of the world.  Sorta like a bubble appears with the Kingdom of God in it and now we are in that bubble too.

In that bubble, we are totally dependent on him.  He uses bad for good.  We are his lights.  All our physics change and our compasses get reset.

So, inside the bubble, how can we complain?

Oh sure, I know that bad stuff happens inside the bubble.  Yet, still, how can we complain?

He has provided faithfully manna for us daily but hey, I need ribeye.

Maybe we need manna and the ribeye will kill us.  Maybe he knows what is better for me than I do.

I am going to stay away from exhorting you not to complain ...  not my niche ... too predictable an end to this blog ...

But I do want you to consider what I have said ... and next time you are tempted to complain, buy some bubble gum instead ... ok?

The Godliness of Being One's Self

One of the most profound truths I have learned as I have matured in the faith is this: you are never stronger than when you are fully yourself.

I completely understand that this thought will send many ministers running for the exit after pulling the fire alarms.

I find this reaction sad because anything else often results in a short-term intensity with a long-term slowdown, in the life of faith.  If we teach folks that they cannot be themselves when they become Christians, we set the stage for internal chaos in believers.

I will go one further and state that unless a believer fully embraces and rejoices in who they uniquely are, they cannot mature past a certain level.  Indeed, they are, in my belief, dangerous.

I have heard many a teaching through the years that all have the same message, ostensibly based in Scripture (so were the Crusades, btw) but putting the same cruel twist in them.  Here's how it goes:

'Put on the mind of Christ - quit thinking in your own natural realm and put on his mind, not yours'

Folks, can you imagine how confused a new believer would be after listening to this? Let's see ... hmmm ... I'm not supposed to think ... or am I? ... wait a minute, Christ needs to be thinking, not me ... or is it the other way around? ... who am I anyway?

God has so beautifully orchestrated the Holy Spirit inside of us that he is co-mingled with who we are and transforms who we are.  We keep being ourself because ourself is always being transformed.  We do not consciously try to be someone else - we enjoy the transformation ride internally and keep being ourselves ... that way the transformation unfolds naturally.

And that is how we put on the mind of Christ, incidentally.

Here's another snippet that I often hear:

'Die to self! God hates your self - that is why you must die to it. Instead, let Christ be reborn in you.'

Again, scripture is quoted but the like fire, it can be harmful or helpful.

Dying to self means letting the inner work of the Holy Spirit proceed and in doing so, old ways, thoughts and habits are peeled away or transformed.  The self is died to. But that is simply another way of saying the self is transformed in Christ's reflection.

Any other way of interpreting it is fraught with danger - hmmm, let's see ... my self is bad so I must be someone else in order to be good.  I like broccoli so I ... gee whiz ... I need to now hate broccoli.  I have a natural authentic way of expressing myself but now ... oh no! ... that's bad! I need to speak like someone else.  I love hiking but ... I need to die to self ... darn! I need to give that up!

This is why it is so important to teach how to walk with Christ in an authentic way, not in a way that prizes soundbites over substance.

If you were artistic before you became a Christian, you won't lose that in your conversion ... God will transform that attribute and morph that quality into a Christ-touched artistic aspect.  If you were loved the puts and takes of the business world before you became a Christian, trust me, God will not suddenly exorcise that out of you.  Rather, he will bathe it with his Spirit and it will become a transformed and ultimately more satisfactory part of your being.

Or ... my favorite ... if you had a sense of humor before your Christ-encounter, he will not require you to chuck it overboard before you proceed in the faith.  He will use it to enhance your winsomeness and approachability.  You will be even funnier.

All of this lays the foundation for a strong and persistent life in Christ.

Today, be yourself!  And God will come through in living colors!

Starting the Day in the Midst of Torrents of Doubts

They rain down like cats and dogs.

They flood you like a super-sized firehose turned squarely at your face at full force.

They attack you like 10,000 bees are incensed that you inadvertently knocked down their hive.

They try to spiritually suffocate you, drown you, choke the life out of you, stop your heart and cripple you forever.  They are uninvited and you hate them yet they show up for dinner.

What are these wretched things I am speaking of?

Doubts.

In particular, doubts about God, Christ, the Bible, etc etc.  Is it all true? Am I a fool for believing all this?  How can I be intellectually honest and follow Jesus simultaneously?

And, quite frankly, Christian church history doesn't help a whole lot.  The institutional church has consistently opposed science.  Generations later, when the science was accepted, the church caved in and said, 'Oh ok, it was a correct world view all along ... sorry!'

But only after killing tens of thousands and upheaving societies.

That is another writing however, not this one.

I have personally had doubts about every aspect of my Christianity.  From A to Z.  Nothing excluded.

It seems that when I am in the midst of these, God somehow always provides a sign or a thought or a further enlightenment to rescue me.  He reminds me of something that has occurred to me in times past or arranges my present circumstances in such a way that my doubt lessens.

I have come to believe that it is part of the human condition to have doubts about our Creator's existence.   Or Christ's existence.  Or the Holy Spirit's existence.

Mainly because they are all invisible and we are all visible.  That sets the stage for doubt right from the starting line, doesn't it?

So what do you do when you start your day and squadrons of doubts assume attack formation around you?

Here are 3 things that might help ...

1)  Ask God to help you with your doubts - let's face it, we need to look to him for help in all our complexities ... and doubt is one of those complexities, right? Right!  So reach out and say 'Lord, help me with my doubts'.

2) Don't take a head-first dive into the pool of unrelenting guilt when you experience doubts.  It is part of the human condition.  You will have to deal with doubts so there is no need to feel less than or highly defective when these come upon you. As a matter of fact, if you really want to feel hobbled, try shouldering a fresh load of doubts AND guilt as you start your day.  If I was the devil, I would really like you to have these twin burdens on you each day.  Your effectiveness would be neutralized quite efficiently.

3) Above all, keep a clear head about you.  As you move through doubts, find a trusted friend to talk to.  Not one who will deliver 15 scathing rebukes in the first 5 seconds.  But one who is wise and loving.

Doubt of all sizes and shapes come with the territory, as we traverse the Christian terrain.

What do you do when doubts rain down upon you?

Incremental Word Absorption

So many things in life work better incrementally ... in other words, you do not have to try to do it all at once, but a little each day.  The tortoise and the hare, for example.

Hmmm ... seems that even the Creator took the incremental approach to creation (six days).

I get an amazing amount accomplished incrementally but fall flat on my face when I try to live a personal 'big bang' theory.

I am so struck by the power of daily letting God sprinkle your spirit with his Word.  In my own life, after fighting through doubts and fears and just general spiritual burn-out, this incremental Word absorption has kept me from ending up in life's junk mail folder more times than not.

Here's how I do it:

I use oneyearbible.net and work through it every day.  I may not read an entire day's reading for that day ... that is so ok!  There is no law here.

I ask God to speak to me through what I am reading.

More often than not, I realize something that puts gas in my spiritual car.  I will have a quickening, an enlightenment, a realization that encourages me, challenges me or simply motivates me.

Remember, I was born a skeptic.  So there are days when I read the Word that it feels like reading the nutrition label of a Quaker Oats box.  Not getting much out of it ... did you know that it is ok to say that?

Think critically about what you read ... the Holy Spirit is all mixed up with your interior life so you can trust your critical thinking. Remember, he is the helper.

Incrementally read the Old and New Testament.  Your personal tide will rise and with it, your boat.  I promise.

The Centurion is Past Due

I wonder about the centurion who came to the realization that the one he had just helped crucify was indeed God’s offspring.  The light came on for him just after Jesus’ light went out. 

And take note that he spoke his realization out loud.  In front of his peers.

He may have been one who brutally persecuted Jesus in his last hours.  He may have taken part in the cruel taunting.  We just do not know.

But we do know one thing … he had a realization that many around him did not share.  He saw Christ for who he was.

Just a couple of minutes too late.

Realizations , understandings and comprehensions of things eternal do not always keep tidy schedules. 

I have no doubt that this centurion was forever changed fundamentally by his awakening. 

That obnoxious person who sits next to you at work may be just one day away from a life-altering view of Jesus.  You just do not know.

That relative of yours who always shoves your talk of the kingdom back in your face might be only twenty minutes away from a jaw-dropping conversion experience.  You just do not know.

That neighbor of yours who is the personification of agnosticism and quite articulate about it may be on the verge of recognizing Christ in an overwhelming way.  You just don’t know.

Never give up on the taunters, the skeptics, the raucous persecutors. You do not know God’s plan for them.

Is there a centurion in your life who is way past due in accepting Jesus?

Be patient … God never misses the train.