INSPIRATION

MOTIVATION

INSPIRATION

MOTIVATION

INSPIRATION

MOTIVATION

• Can you walk to the front and pray for someone you love? 
• Can you put your faith in action? 
• Can you give when no one expects you to give? 
• Can you forgive, when it seems impossible to forgive? 
• Can you put in a good word for a friend, when others are laughing at him or her? 
• Can you burst out in song when everyone else is quiet? 
• Can you take the stairs when others take the elevator? 
• Can you talk to the forgotten nobodies and listen to their stories? 
• Can you find good in a pile of dung? 

Take a moment to re-think the story told in John 4. You remember, it's the well-side conversation between Jesus and an unnamed Samaritan woman. Beginning with a simple, inciting question. Jesus asked, "Will you give me a drink?"

INSPIRATION

MOTIVATION

One of the great serendipities of grandparenthood is meandering conversations with grandkids. During these timeless talks I am quickly reminded that there is a vast difference between being "childlike" and "childish." Being childlike forges curiosity and discovery and imagination, while being childish is intrusive and offensive and narcissistic. 

INSPIRATION

MOTIVATION

I met a man this week that is totally negative about life. He is miserable; nothing is fun and if by accident you were to have some fun, you should repent.

He goes to church, but just to complain. Some would say he is wasting air.

I think he’s dead, just not buried yet.

In the powerful film, The Sixth Sense, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a successful child psychiatrist who is confronted by a disturbed former patient. The young man shoots Dr. Crowe and then kills himself.

Months later, a distraught Crowe begins counseling Cole Sear, a withdrawn and fearful 9 year-old. In one crucial scene, Crowe asks Cole what he wants most, and the boy answers, “I don’t want to be scared anymore.”

The most famous lines in the movie come from this frightened little boy. He looks into the soul of Crowe and says, “I have a secret. I see dead people.”

Crowe responds, &ldquoead people, like in graves, in coffins?"

Cole continues, “Walking around like regular people. They don’t see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don’t know they’re dead. I see all them the time. They're everywhere.”

When the film was shown in theaters, most viewers were not prepared for the plot twist, but the living metaphor in this movie remains thought-provoking regardless.

The boy had a gift, so do you.

Do you live around zombies? Can you see them? Do you know more than one? Without God we all are “the walking dead.” Zombies have forgotten how to live, but they know how to judge and condemn and belittle those who do.

They are stiff and fun-less. They travel in groups. They’re trapped in themselves, and they want everyone to be as dead as they are. It's time to rock their world.

INSPIRATION

In his book, Dance Lessons for Zombies, Peter Hiett tells about the night Philip and Janet Yancey came for dinner.

They didn’t know the Yancey’s very well and wanted to make a good impression, so they sat their kids down and set up some rules for the evening. “There will be no booger stories, there will be no burping stories, and there will be no passing gas stories." They laid down the law.

The dinner was good and so were the kids, but they were stiff, like little zombies. “I knew why,” said Peter, “in their minds they were reviewing the list of unspeakable words and untellable stories. They were constantly occupied with what they were not supposed to say. They were living by my law and dying by my law. The law was killing them.”

Finally Peter’s daughter, Becky, got caught up in one of Janet’s stories and said, “That’s like the time Coleman….” Then all as once she put her hand over her mouth, her eyes got big, and she said, “Sorry, I’m not supposed to say that.”

Janet responded, “Becky, is there a list of things you’re not supposed to say in front of us?”

“Uh huh.”

“Oh, wow! Becky, tell me everything on the list.”

After that, the rest of the evening was filled with laughter and fun and life! 
 

MOTIVATION

If you feel lifeless and powerless, you may be an undeclared legalist, dying under the burden of judgment, looking good on the outside, but dead on the inside. Remember God is the God of resurrection, the giver of life, so LIVE. He has put Jesus in you. Unwrap Him and set Him free.

Look for dead people this week. You’ll know them when you see them. Don’t walk past them, do something to get their attention. Share a story you’re not supposed to share, something funny, something mysterious, something unexplainable. Invite them to a party; show them what they’re missing. Infect them with life.

Then, put in a good word for Jesus. He is the only one who can give dead people life. Believe it. The initial faith step is surrender. Bury the dead person and let Jesus raise up a new person with an unending, exciting, outrageous, extravagant, and adventurous life worth living.    
 

Are you facing a roadblock, not a minor detour, I mean a "stop you in your tracks" wilderness time? Jim was there and the story of his journey is inspiring. 

After his divorce, a distraught Jim Palmer left the pastorate and began a wilderness journey to find what he was born to do. He devoted himself full-time to the searching. "Thinking every person is born to do something: A-Rod, baseball; Bono, music; Gates, computers; Warren, purpose-driven guru; and I was Jim Palmer. "To Be Announced." In the meantime, he worked odd jobs on the side until it emerged.

Jim tried a construction gig, carpet selling; for a time he was the cashier and more at CJ's Cafe, then he endured a Christmas season working the back sector at Kolh's.

But it was still illusive. "With each sheet of plywood, carpet measurement, pot of coffee, and folded towel, I was sinking deeper and deeper into confusion and discouragement. I was barely able to pull my aching body out of bed for my construction job. How was I supposed to have my morning quiet time with God?"

It was a wilderness time.

INSPIRATION

During these days of downward mobility, Jim found escape in the local Waffle House. There was little chance of running into someone from his past (they would be in the Cracker Barrel). It was his oasis, except for waitress Wanda, the talker.

She was a durable woman with a difficult and stored past written across the wrinkles of her face. And she bantered with everyone.

One afternoon Jim was drinking coffee and reading one of his Christian books. Wanda warmed his coffee and offered. "Honey, I read all that stuff. Started back in my AA days."

&quoto you go a church anywhere, Wanda?"

"I work on Sundays, hon."

She left for other customers, then returned, "Besides, I tried all that once and it never worked for me. I guess it does for some people. I could never be one of them. They don't want people like me. That's what I found out. Anyway, this is my church right here."

On his way out, Jim stopped to respond, "Wanda, I'm sorry if…"

"Jim, honey, don't you go being sorry. I just never seemed to fit in at church, you know? I'd sometimes be in my uniform, and folks stared like I was some kind of prostitute. I ain't no whore! I'm a waitress. Never finished high school, Jim. That preacher was way too smart for me. I ain't afraid to admit it. Let's just say all them fancy words don't mean much at Waffle House. Now don't you think another thing about it, hon. Shoot, I might go back yet. Teach'em a thing or two."

Visit after visit, Jim listened to Wanda's teaching. She told of the Christian group who would pray before their meal, complain about everything, then leave a Christian tract for the tip.

Jim was immersed in a world of nobodies, and after a while God revealed HIS calling. He was called to them, to this cast of characters, these nobodies that were outside the walls of church.

Perhaps the best question is not what are you called to do, but who are you called to?
 

MOTIVATION

Jim Palmer put his search for it in a great little book, Divine Nobodies, Read it.

I think, in one way or the other, Jack Nicholson's famous words are poignant here: "You can't handle the truth." Can you? It's risky!

What is God's Spirit saying to you in Faith Notes this week? 

Email me!

Over the years, I have come to know a few people who were raised on the "You Don't Make Mistakes" philosophy. Regardless of how good they were, it was never good enough, because since the fall imperfection is in our DNA.

The faith journey is not a bootcamp producing perfection. It's not trying to be what others think you should be or ought to be; the faith journey is your personal walk with God. It's filled with road blocks, stumbling blocks, and mental blocks, with failure and brokenness lying in wait round every corner. There is no perfection pill or training routine with a money-back guarantee. After all, this is a mystery not an infomercial. That's why faith is a prerequisite.

Monty Roberts is the Horse Whisper. Truth is, he listens more than he whispers. And every horse has a story to tell. Monty watches and listens and then sets the horses free to do what comes naturally, to run.

We need a little horse whispering in our churches--call it "faith whispering." Too many churches have taken another track. There has been too much manipulating, cajoling, and forcing believers to hide who they are inside. The end result is too much pretending. There is a kingdom-side need for believers who are freed to do what comes natural.

If you are one of those trapped believers, pretending to be like all the other trapped believers, consider this your whispered call to discover the untapped self, the person inside that God made you to be. There is an opening on the faith team made just for you.

God has a collection of original thinkers, provocateurs, rebels, inventors, dreamers, visionaries, who have been compliant and silent too long. Time for these adventurers to stop trying to figure it all out and answer all the doubts. It's past time to bring fresh faith to the table.

Do you hear the call?

The mystery is still being written, and you have a unique part: "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10 NLT
 

INSPIRATION

Bob Dylan is one unique songster. Not perfect, but very unique.

(Interviewer) What influenced your music?

"McCartney, the Beach Boys, Elton, Billy Joel, they made perfect records, so they have to play them exactly the way people remember them. My records were never perfect so there is no point in trying to duplicate them."

"Most of my influences could be thought of as eccentric. I was drawn to the trailing performers passing through. The side show performers--bluegrass singers, Quasimodo, the Bearded Lady, the half-man half-woman, the deformed and the bent, Atlas the Dwarf, the fire-eaters, the teachers and preachers, trebles singers. I remember it like it was yesterday. I got close to some of these people. I learned about dignity from them, freedom, too, civil rights and human rights. Most others were into the rides and the tilt-a-whirl and the roller-coaster. To me that was the nightmare. All the giddiness and artificiality…"

(Interviewer) But, you've sold over a hundred million records."

"Yeah I know, It's a mystery to me too."

Like Bob Dylan we came into the world with unique DNA. Then, like him, we have been shaped by hundreds of humans along the way. So, we are a mystery, and we will continue to be a mystery, whether we know it or not and whether we like it or not.

MOTIVATION

Looking for mystery clues:  If you had the talent and resources what would you do for God? What yet to be revealed dream is buried inside your heart?

Make a list of the things God's Spirit brings to your mind.

Forget whether they are feasible or workable or realistic. Just let God take you on a tour of the possibilities stuffed inside your head.

Now that the fire of curiosity has been lit, expect the unexpected. God died to bring out the hidden in you. He has something bigger than you planned.
 

So, you think you have faith narrowed and reduced to a strategic formula and defined in rational theological words? You have memorized the accepted answers to the correct questions. While, the incorrect questions, the ones that take you on a journey inside your soul, remain unasked and locked out. The incorrect question, the questions about doubt and risk and uncertainty and wonder, long for a safe place to be asked.

Have you found that safe place? Do you have conversations that meander and linger into the next week?

There is a crying need in our couture for conversations outside the lines, discussions that open the locked box inside us, chats that are about the journey more than the destination. 

Our "social networked" world is forcing us to re-examine our reality. We have never been more alone. Even virtual and digital friends via  Facebook and daily posts, peeps, and tweets leave us searching more and knowing less.

When was your last conversation that lingered longer than a day?

One of mental blocks that keeps us spinning our wheels is our inclination for "right" answers, to be right in a world filled with wrong. Another mental block is our addiction to rules and formulas. It's time to push through these mental blocks.

Paul reminded the Colossian believers: "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:6 NIV

It's time to get past positioning and posturing. It's time for conversations that explore. God has placed bites of wisdom in ordinary people; have you discovered that first hand?
 

INSPIRATION

It all started with a simple question: "When you think of God, where is he? In the sky? Outer-space? Clouds?"

Jeffery said, "Wow, I never thought about it, but when I'm watching a ballgame on TV and a believer hits a home run, lots of times he raises his hand and points to the sky. I'm like that, I think UP."

"Wait," Pam added, &quoton't we teach our kids that Jesus lives in their hearts?"

(So where do we get this God in the sky idea?)

Others offered insights and "growing up" stories, then a stranger piped in, "Can I add my two-cents? I think religious people tend to be fearful of God so maybe that's why they put him up in the sky, at a distance."

The conversation that began with a simple question just got complicated.

The chairs were moved in, coffee cups refilled, and messages checked. The conversation was irresistible and compelling. It was a real, no-holds-barred discussion, nothing except religious talk was off-limits.

They discovered that genuine conversation rolls on; it isn't bound to a place or time. It travels  under the radar, off the grid, into a world where everybody is equal, where everybody is a somebody with something to share. The old mental blocks about God's the sky or God's under the steeple crumble at our feet.

So, if you're ready, let the conversation begin…

Many thanks to Jim Palmer, author of "Wide Open Spaces,"  a book that challenges the mental blocks and forces us to think again.
 

MOTIVATION

Do you have a question ready? It's time for some incorrect questions with out-of-the-box responses.

Start with this posting of Faith Notes. Send it to a friend and ask the "Sky-God" question. The goal is not correct answers; the goal is conversation filled with grace and seasoned with salt.
 

Everyday I hear reports of God sightings in some of the most unlikely places. In fact, I think HE enjoys interrupting our lives with adrenaline pumping, shocks to our systems. Whatever you call them, they stun us, alter our perceptions, and if we let them, anchor our faith. They are the fingerprints of God forcing our faith when we least expect it.

It seems to me that HE pays special attention to the transition times, when we are moving from one stage of life, one place in life, to another. In these moments we are in the middle, somewhere between the past and the  future. During these times, it's easy to practice our independence and  forget the invisible God. When we do, HE takes great pleasure in sending us reminders. They come special delivery with shock potential.

Remember, the Christian life is more than words, more than religious beliefs, and more than following all the rules. Just knowing Jesus' name doesn't mean you know HIM, or that you have life experience with HIM.

God sent Jesus to convince us that HE will do whatever is necessary to step in when we are lost, or weak, or empty, or even when we are making really bad choices. In other words, sometimes that traffic accident is a wake-up call, or that near-death experience that catches our faith asleep at the wheel becomes our rallying point. 

Jesus talked about the dangers of knowing all the right words without living like you know the one who spoke them. One thing you can count on when you are building a house, there will be interruptions, and problems, and surprises.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 7:24-27 NIV

That rock? In context, it's knowing Jesus! Trust HIM, look for HIM in the unexpected storms and floods and hurricanes.
 

INSPIRATION

It was a hot August night and I-40 stretched into the eery darkness between Kingman and Flagstaff. For long periods of time, my headlights provided the only lights I could see. But, speeding along at 80-85 mph, I was more than pleased with the freedom of being on my own. With windows down, border-blaster XEG radio announcing my presence into the next county, and a thermos full of coffee with a cup of sugar added for taste, I was king of the world.

This non-stop trip wasn't a sightseeing venture, it was a contest against the clock. The goal was to keep the car moving at all times. Only stop to eat when the gas gage showed empty; I was loaded with snacks, drinks, and lots of gum, and a reminder to slow down around the towns. The goal was to arrive in Abilene, Texas 26 hours after leaving my home in Richmond, California.

Thus far, I was ahead of schedule. Life was good. I had money in my pocket, a brand new Nova SS with after-market stereo speakers, and an imagination filled with visions of the incoming class of freshman girls. That's when I hit the wall, not a real concrete wall, but that drowsy zone when your body refuses to obey your stay awake commands.

"Not this time!" I yelled.

I stuck my head out the driver side window, slapped my face at least a hundred times, and after a bit stuck my face out the window again for at least a minute or two. Nothing helped; and the smart thing to do was out of the question.

"Stop, and rest for a few minute, even 15-minutes."

I was determined and dumb.

"No, not me, I could beat this drowsiness. I am invincible"

Suddenly, everything changed. My bright-beam headlights revealed a car ahead of me, stopped dead in the middle of the Interstate. No tail lights; No headlights!

I slammed on the brakes. My Nova SS responded instantly, tires screeching, contents of the backseat flew to the front. Time slid into slow motion. The brakes locked and the Nova began to spin in circles skidding toward the mystery car. I could see it coming. Everything was out-of-control, I was toast.

Then, totally unexpectedly, the driver in the mystery car turned on his lights and shot forward just fast enough to miss my spinning rear-end. To this day he is still a mystery.

When I came to a halt, my Nova was facing the wrong way on the Interstate, engine still running, radio still blasting, my heart still pumping.

Now, I was awake, but not ready to drive.

I turned around, pulled to the shoulder, punched the flasher button, got out of the car, walked out into the desert and prayed and prayed!

"Thank you, God!"

I was alive, refocused, awake, and ready, but first, it was time to sleep a bit. Just 2 miles ahead was a Rest Stop. I parked the car, thanked God for HIS touch, and dropped off to sleep. God had rescued me from my own stupidity. And, that's not the only time it's happened.
 

MOTIVATION

Look for God's roadsign in the middle of every interruption. It's a wake-up call, a reminder of HIS love and promise.

When HE shows up, and He will...

• Hit the brakes.
• Talk it out.
• Thank HIM for the touch.
• Make God proud.

Once you have been the story, share it.

 

One of God's all-time greatest gifts is our imagination. We've all got it, but some of the more analytical-rational/sequential types just haven't unwrapped it yet.

So, let's take it out for a spin. For some, it might be time for an "Imagination" bootcamp--you be the judge.

Jean Bolen, tells about being at a dinner party with friends when one woman raised a question: Occasionally, when she closed her eyes, frightening demonic images appear. Should she confront them? Examine them? Immediately turn her attention elsewhere? As they discussed the matter, a skunk started scratching at a sliding glass door in front of them, trying to get inside.The hosts had never seen a skunk in the area, and after discussing how odd it was to see one trying to approach people, they joked about how unlikely it was that anyone would open the door and welcome one. It was only later that Jean and her husband realized that the skunk forced them to think outside the box. And those images provided a metaphor that answered the question: Just as a skunk would stink up a living space, allowing demonic images in would do the same. The image was clear and convincing.

Imagination is a core necessity for faith. If you can't imagine God doing great things, wondrous things, unexpected things, impossible things, then your faith has nothing to build on, it's limited; and so is God.  Remember, even Jesus was limited by the absence of faith.

Perhaps that's why I love the MercyMe song, "I Can Only Imagine."
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side.

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me.
I can only imagine.

God has impossible things planned for us in next world and in this one, if we have eyes to see: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

In the comedy movie, Bedtime Stories, Skeeter (Adam Sandler) lives in a story-world full of imagination. It all begins with bedtime stories. Skeeter connects with and learns to love his niece and nephew and their shared stories change his life.

The stories contain all their fondest hopes. In this world anything can happen and does. Life is forever changed by their imagination. Are you ready for it? 

Imagination opens our eyes to divine appointments and holy ground moments. It's where God does his best work. It sets the stage for faith.
 

INSPIRATION

Toward the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana's Dad was shot by the stories antagonist, Donavan. Dr. Jones is dying and the greedy, Donavan challenges Indiana to take action, to go after the Holy Grail, or his father will die.

"It's time to ask yourself what you believe?" Dr. Jones.

Without a word, and with his dad's Grail Diary in hand, Indiana begins the three great challenges. First, "Only the penitent man will pass." He bows and that saves his head.

Second, "Only in the footsteps of God will he proceed." Indiana steps on the tiles spelling the name of God in Latin, and heads for the last challenge.

He reaches a gorge with sheer walls on both sides. The diary says he must leap from the lions head. The distance is impossible. It's a leap of faith.

In the background his dad says, "You must believe, boy, you must believe."

He steps out into the canyon and discovers what he could not see, a carefully camouflaged bridge, a narrow, unseen path, leading to the cave on the other side.

Imagination paved the way for faith and faith stepped in the unknown.

MOTIVATION

This week is imagination week. Dream a little. Make up a faith story. Tell about how the hero faces an impossible task in the darkest hour with nothing but his or her trust in God. Tell about the danger, the test, and the leap of faith. Dream about what it would be like to be that hero of faith.

Give your imagination a workout.

Then, spend some time thanking God for the gift. 

This is preparation for your coming faith test.

Are you one of the walking wounded? Or, worse yet, you're wounded, but no longer walking--just sitting around mopping, muttering, "Why does God not love me anymore? I must have done something really bad."

For this post, let's call him Zane. He's in his late 50's, divorced, living with his mom, broken, and sad. He put his coffee down and stared at the cup. As his eyes began to leak he mumbled, "Why, does God hate me? What have I done? Why is God ignoring me?"

"He's not ignoring you; he has you in the palm of his hand. You just refuse to accept it," I said.

"I know the words, I can quote them, 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…' Well, if this is rest, he can have it back."

"I'm tired of the words. They're just Sunday morning words anyway, church words; empty and useless in the real world."

"How long have you felt this way?" I asked.

He lifted his head and looked me straight in the eye, "Since I lost my job, that was 18 months ago. No one wants me, God doesn't want me, I don't even want me!" 

"Zane, God doesn't kick back and give up, or withhold jobs or blessings or gifts. He takes the curves and the spills and the detours with us. He's always right beside us. You've got to turn loose, brother. Accept a God who is bigger than you. You may not like you very much, but he does and you can't stop Him for loving you. His only limitation is your refusal to let go. You are the only thing that can limit him. So just stop it."

"You just don't understand," he cried.

"Thing is, brother, I don't have to; neither do you. It's faith. It's seeing the invisible God who is right here, right now."

"It's up to you!"

INSPIRATION   

You can't miss all the hype about Toy Story 3. I hear it's the best yet. There is a scene in Toy Story 2 that lives on as a reminder of why we are here.

Woody has been stolen from the Yard Sale, kidnapped actually, and locked away with stingers, toys that know more about him then he does. In his words, they were "freaking him out."

The Prospector sees Woody's distress and says, "Why you don't even know who you are, do you?"

The truth? He didn't know. They were strangers, but the new toys knew who he was. How could that me? Woody had never known why he had a hat, or a badge, or a holster. He didn't even understand all the words that came out of him when his string was pulled. After all, his world was Andy's room. Woody was just a toy.

But in this strange place, without friends or Andy or comfortable surroundings, he discovers who he really is. He's a star, a hero, a sheriff, the best "rooten, tootenest cowboy in the wild, wild west."

It was an epiphany. He discovered he is part of story, he's a major player in something bigger, much bigger than himself.

This new awareness changed everything. He had a story. He was valuable, not because he was rare; he was valuable because he was loved.

The story is still being written.

MOTIVATION

Talk to God about what you might say if someone like Zane were to dump his discouragement in your lap.

During these times of extended darkness, keep your eyes open. Look for new understanding. Expect an epiphany. You are part of a story bigger than yourself. So get ready to live it and tell it.

You are marked, you know. You have been signed by the creator, a valuable one of a kind, even if you need a little restoration. It's all part of the story.

Every year various national polls indicate that almost 90% of US residents pray.

Most come to the great Giver looking for gifts. After all, Jesus did say "whatever you ask in my name, I will give it." So why doesn't it work all the time? 

I have prayed asking for my team to win, for my car to make it to the next exit before running out of gas, for the perfect job, for God to heal my dying friend. And, nothing happened. I ended up feeling more distant than ever and disconnected from the invisible God. Sadly, I had missed the point. God wants more for us, not more requests from us. 

Do you talk to God about your discoveries, your surprises, your dreams, embarrassments, questions, and joys? Do you confess your weaknesses, your failures, your mess-ups? Do you ask him to help you forget and forgive? Do you long to have an inside track, to see what he's up to? To share His secrets? 

Do you talk back to him, vent your frustrations, struggle with the whys and why nots? When you finally understand how things are working together for good, do you share that with him? Do you ask for courage to do what you already know you need to do? Do you pray for open eyes to see what God sees, to feel what he feels, to hear what he hears?

Do you ask him to put people in your path who need to see an authentic believer? Do you ask for assignments, for opportunities to make him proud? Do you thank him for the adventures and discoveries and wonders along the way? Do you stop long enough for him to write grace and peace on your heart?

God wants you to grow up, to learn how to be responsible and mature. He wants you to learn to make wise decisions. So He doesn't jump at your every request.  

HE can open doors no man can shut and HE can close doors no man can open, so should we just sit around waiting for doors to open? Or should we kick some of the doors open. Some of the great adventures of life are poised and positioned behind doors we have to kick open. In fact, the kicking of the doors is part of what makes it a God thing. Trust me, if God wants the door closed, you will not be able to kick it open.

I have learned:

When I ask God about a problem, or an opportunity, or a difficulty, or a healing, or a rescue, and I don't get an obvious answer, I make a choice to move ahead, to do something. Waiting on the Lord, doesn't mean hanging around the house doing nothing. This waiting gig is more about God changing me into his image, than me waiting to get an answer.

And if God wants you to tackle what's behind door number 2, he will blow it open. It will be unmistakable. That's the kind of thing he loves to do. It will clearly be a miracle moment. The Bible is full of these kind of events.

INSPIRATION

John Powell, author of Unconditional Love, tells about a student named Tommy;

Tommy was an "atheist in residence" in my Theology of Faith course. At the end of the semester, as he was handing in his final, he asked...

Do you think I'll ever find God?

"No!" I said very emphatically.

"Why not?" he responded. "I thought that was the product you were pushing."

He turned to leave and I called out, "Tommy! I don’t think you’ll ever find Him, but I am absolutely certain that He will find you!"

Just a few years later I heard that Tommy had terminal cancer. Before I could search him out, he came to see me. When he walked into my office, his body was very badly wasted and the long hair had all fallen out as a result of chemotherapy. But his eyes were bright and his voice was firm, for the first time, I believe. "Tommy, I’ve thought about you so often; I hear you are sick," I blurted out.

"Oh, yes, very sick. I have cancer in both lungs. It's a matter of weeks."

"Can you talk about it, Tom?" I asked.

"Sure, what would you like to know?" he replied.

"What’s it like to be only twenty-four and dying?"

"Well, it could be worse."

"Like what?"

"Well, like being fifty and having no values or ideals, like being fifty and thinking that booze, seducing women, and making money are the real biggies in life."

"But what I really came to see you about," Tom said, "is something you said to me on the last day of class. I asked you if you thought I would ever find God and you said, 'No!' which surprised me. Then you said, 'But He will find you.' I thought about that a lot, even though my search for God was hardly intense at that time."

"But when the doctors removed a lump from my groin and told me that it was malignant, that’s when I got serious about locating God. And when the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began banging bloody fists against the bronze doors of heaven. But God did not come out. In fact, nothing happened. Did you ever try anything for a long time with great effort and with no success? You get psychologically glutted, fed up with trying.

"Well, one day I woke up, and instead of throwing a few more futile appeals over that high brick wall to a God who may be or may not be there, I just quit."

"I decided that I didn’t really care about God, about an after life, or anything like that. I decided to spend what time I had left doing something more profitable. I thought about you and your class and I remembered something else you had said: ’The essential sadness is to go through life without loving. But it would be almost equally sad to go through life and leave this world without ever telling those you loved that you had loved them.'"

"So, I began with the hardest one, my dad. He was reading the newspaper when I approached him. 'Dad?'

"The newspaper came down three slow inches. 'What is it?'"

Dad, I love you. I just wanted you to know that.

The newspaper fluttered to the floor. Then my father did two things I could never remember him ever doing before. He cried and he hugged me. We talked all night, even though he had to go to work the next morning. It felt so good to be close to my father, to see his tears, to feel his hug, to hear him say that he loved me."

"I was only sorry about one thing... that I had waited so long. Here I was, just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been close to.

"Then, one day I turned around and God was there."

"Apparently God does things in His own way and at His own hour. But the important thing is that He was there. He found me! You were right, He found me even after I stopped looking for Him."

MOTIVATION

Reread this note and make a list of the things you need to talk to God about. Then, open up your soul and tell HIM you love Him.

Next time you pray, don't forget to take action. Don't sit around waiting for God to act. Be responsible, unwrap your courage and let God use the experience to find the new you.

Contrary to what you may have heard, if you really want to influence someone for Jesus, your first step is not taking them to church. So many people have had bad experiences at church. Some have been over-churched, others de-churched, and a few flat out-churched.

Jesus didn't invite people to church.

He invited himself to dinner. He surprised them, challenged them, and accepted them regardless. His nonreligious methods of loving and accepting ordinary, broken, and helpless people was what made him so fascinating and compelling.

You want to influence others for Jesus? Then you've got to do what he did. Redefine yourself. Be Jesus in this century.

At first Jesus' followers were not called Christians. There was no single word to define them. These followers didn't avoid the diseased and crippled, as if God were punishing these poor souls; they fed them and healed them. They didn't stay away from the broken people, the undesirables, they talked to them and invited them over for dinner and gave them whatever was needed.

Jesus' followers didn't judge people, or condemn people; they showed people how to find meaning and purpose right there and then.

The first step then and now was and is always action, not words. That's faith!

Even in Jesus' day, words were cheap. Jesus was clear: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." Matthew 23:13  NIV

To the religious people, Jesus was a threat, an unwelcome danger to their carefully protected and controlled world.

INSPIRATION

The following email testimony is just one of millions who, whether they know it or not, are desperately searching to know the real Jesus, not some religious copy spewing judgment and condemnation.

I have received scores of emails like this one. The story is real, don't miss the point...

When I was 18 I attended a Christian College. There I met a young man. We fell passionately in love and on a beach one night we broke all the rules. I went to a church that taught that if you had sex with a man before marriage then you had to marry that man, or experience the wrath of God for the rest of your life.

Although I didn't love him, or respect him, I married him at age 19. Scared that if I didn't, God would not bless my life.

Within the first month of our marriage, he would be gone all night. Within a year one of his friends told me he was cheating on me. Later he was brought up on rape charges. I found out he had raped his own sister at age 15 and slept with a friend of mine 2 weeks before our wedding. I was scared to death about spending the rest of my life with him.

He was in the military, and a week before I was give birth to our second child, he was discharged. He had problems with stealing, gambling, and harassment in his work environment. I moved back with my parents waiting for him to find a place for us to live. It was there that I realized I would rather live with the wrath of God than with him.

I got help on the Internet and God opened my eyes to the lies I had been taught. My Pastor told me to stay with him and pray for change, but others encouraged me to leave. After he began threatening to kill me, and I filed for divorce. 

When I filed, my church gave me the black spot. I felt judged and hopeless. No one talked to me, I would sit alone. I'm through with that kind of religion.

My baby was one week old when I starting waitressing to try to provide for us. I ended up working 80 hours a week, 7 days a week, to pay off the debt my ex-husband had left me in.

I am now 23 years old, and I've been a single mom for about two years. I am a full-time student, working full-time. Even though my old church has marked and judged me, I have experienced God's mercy and love and freedom. The God I learned about growing up is not the God I know now.

MOTIVATION

Don't settle for being a religious person, an ordinary Christian, be something more. Expect non-believers to look at you and wonder. Be perplexing, mysterious, bewildering.  REDEFINE YOURSELF! Get beyond religion.

The best evidence for Jesus is changed lives.

The crucial question: What could you do this week to redefine yourself, to simply be a Jesus follower? to break away from religion? 

Is something stopping you? What?
 

In a "What do I get out of it?" world, sacrifice is not a hot topic, except in Baseball strategy and on Memorial Day. Although we don't speak of it in life, we do in death.

Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice. He died for us, for our present and our future. His death was a sacrifice, but so was HIS life. He lived for us; he lived to show us how to put God's glory ahead of our own. He was really good at it, much better than we are at following his example.

We have trouble with sacrifice. When is the last time you sacrificed, without campaigning or expecting reciprocity? I am fearful the concept, like the word itself, is just slip-sliding away,

For the believer, sacrifice isn't a game to play in order to manipulate the outcome, it's a lifestyle that focuses on making God look good, even when it costs us.

It cost Jesus HIS life, It will cost you your life, too.

Question: Do you live to make life better for someone else, or better for yourself?

INPSIRATION

In 2006 I walked barefoot on the sands of Normandy. I stood alone on that awe-inspiring beach. In the gentle sounds of the waves, I could hear the cries of death and dying.

More than 130,000 troops were crammed onto 1,000 transport ships. None of them wanted to die that morning, but over 4,000 did. They died for my freedom to choose. They died so I could walk wiggle my toes in that sand.

Rommel had the entire coastal wall fortified with tank-top turrets and extensive barbed wire, and he had laid a million mines to deter any landing craft. Although the German's were occupied with Russia in the East, the Normandy coast was still guarded by four divisions.

Working their way up the sea wall, blowing holes in the German defenses, the men of the 1st and 29th Divisions and a handful of Rangers, without armor, broke through the German lines and they were were there to stay. By late that night 34,000 men were ashore with more to follow.

The engineers were transforming a quiet beach into a major sseaport--overnight.

The invasion was only the beginning, but close to 5,000 men died here on the sand and rocks. They gave their lives for us. They died for their children and their children's children.

This was holy ground!

MOTIVATION

Who has sacrificed for you? If they are still alive, name them, call them, text them. Thank them for the gift. 

You can honor them in three ways:
1. Say thank you! (Just a simple thank you, no big production).
2. If they are dead write a tribute to them and post it somewhere. (email it to your friends.)
3. Sacrifice for others. Be willing to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.

Remember Jesus gave everything, for you to give up anything. Have you thanked HIM?
 

I asked a non-Christian friend, "What do Christians do that makes them stand out in a crowd?" The answer was short and simple, "They judge everyone who doesn't agree with them." I know, it sounds unfair and bit judgmental in its on right, but that  single voice is worth a response.

What about this indictment?

In spite of all the church language and religious posturing, breaking the rules doesn't make you a bad person any more than drinking a glass of wine makes you an alcoholic. We are in dangerous territory when we judge people and label them before we know them, or their circumstance.

Watching something pornographic once-in-a-while doesn't make you a sex addict, or a pervert.

Smoking an occasional cigar doesn't mean you have a smoking habit, or you don't care about your health.

Conserving energy and filling the Recycle Bin doesn't identify you as a tree hugger, or indicate that Al Gore is your hero. And, driving an SUV doesn't mean you don't care about the planet.

Listening to Rush Limbaugh doesn't mean you are a ditto-head any more than going to church on Sunday means you agree with everything the preacher says.

Approaching life from a labeling frame-of-mind is dangerous. It breeds arrogance. It turns us into adult tattle-tales with condemning spirits. It becomes second nature to point out how wrong people are, and after while we grow more addicted to doing so.  

This tendency to rush to judgement is one reason why Jesus clearly taught that we will be judged the same way we judge others.

It's time for introspection.

Faith forces us to tear the labels off and eliminate snap judgements. Faith see beyond the distortions and struggles; it reveals the vulnerable human inside our skin and the skin of those we don't really know yet.

Our labeling keeps people away. When we don't have a good word for anyone except ourselves, our voice grows caustic and harmful. And after a while, God keeps his distance, can you blame him?

INSPIRATION

Ann was the substitute teacher in a second grade classroom This is her story:

I noticed one desk separate from the others, hidden beside a bookshelf. I peered around the corner and saw an eight-year-old girl resting her head against her arms.

I was surprised. Why was this student separated from the rest? Why was she hidden behind this bookshelf… alone? One of the students volunteered, "Because she´s a trouble-maker, she doesn't do her schoolwork and fights with the boys at recess."

After excusing the children, I talked to the little girl. It took quite a while to soften her angry eyes and her rebellious attitude. But after a time, I had the young girl smiling. I moved the student´s desk up front beside my own so she could be near me. As the day wore on, I spent much of my time with this young girl, helping her, talking to her, having her pass out papers to the other students. By the end of the day, I had grown to love this youngster and my heart went out to her. Below the surface she was so difference than the label she had been given. 

At the end of the day, I was supposed to write a note about the young girl´s behavior so she could give it to her parents. After all the students had gone, I packed up and walked out the door.

To my surprise, that little girl's mother walked up to me with the note in hand and asked, &quotid you write this?" After acknowledging that I had, the young mother´s eyes welled up with tears as she said, "Her teacher has never written anything positive about my daughter. Thank you! Thank you!"

MOTIVATION

Are you a label maker? Do you freeze-frame people and refuse to let them grow, or become, or morph into a better version of the person you've labeled? Do you allow them to change? Or, do you look for weaknesses and mess-ups and more labels?

Do you bring out the best in people, or do you point out the worst in them?

Make a list of the people you know who wear a label you have created, Pray for God's forgiveness and his help in tearing out that label. Ask his Spirit to transform your heart, to turn you into a seer of the good and the "about to be good" in others.  Get rid of labels.

Thank God for the people who have seen the good in you.

Without you knowing it, a crisis time can become a destiny moments--moments we were meant for. Everyone has at least one such moment in life and many of us have many more than one. Sometimes we are aware of these moments as they happen, but most of the time it takes years for us to realize what God was doing in the moment.

Each of these destiny moments force us beyond our resources. Each is a test of courage. Our response in the moment is a demonstration of trust in the God who calls us and never leaves us.

Noah heard the voice and took up Ark-building

Job's test was an extended courage test through suffering followed by an impossible double blessing.

Abraham heard the call and followed God into a total new lifestyle in an unfamiliar land.

Jacob finally heard the voice and was reunited with Joseph and blessed Joseph's sons and worshipped.

Moses' parents heard the voice and hid he little infant in a basket.

Moses heard the voice and became God's charismatic spokesman--leading the Hebrews out of slavery.

The people heard the voice and walked through the Red Sea.

The people heard the voice, walked around Jericho for seven days, and the walls fell.

 Rahab heard the voice and hid the spies.

Gideon, Deborah, Samson, David, Samuel, Elijah, isaiah, Daniel, Esther, Nehemiah, and millions more heard he voice and stepped into a destiny moment.

God is still calling his people to destiny moments. We don't always realize these times when we are living them, but in retrospect the Spirit helps us see God's fingerprints hidden inside.

In these moments God's voice proves the invisible. Truth is, faith doesn't need evidence, it is evidence. Our destiny moments give our faith an opportunity to shine and. On occasions we still get to invade the invisible.

INSPIRATION

It was dangerously dark and stormy on August 18, 1899, when the Priscilla ran aground on a reef off the coast of North Carolina.  All aboard began desperately crying into the night hoping someone would hear them. But as the storm raged and the waves steadily ripped the boat apart, they had little hope.

Call it divine destiny, but Rasmus Midgett heard them, he was out that night, on his horse, patrolling the coast line. it was his job. He had seen the debris washing up on the shore and he knew there as a ship in trouble. It was faint but he could hear their frightened cries. Rasmus knew there wasn't much time; he jumped off his horse and ran into the sea, as far as he could, shouting, "One and a time…Jump! And I'll save you!"

On the shattered boat they could just hear the words, "One at a time…Jump!" The voice seemed to be coming up from the ocean. Were they hearing things? Dare they leap out off the boat into the darkness. There wasn't enough time to get a rescue team assembled so he ran out into the sea again yelling at the top of his lungs. "Jump! Now!."

Then what seemed to be unthinkable, one sailor jumped. He trusted the voice and jumped into the darkness. In spite of the crashing sea, Rasmus found the man and together they made it to the shore. Then six more times Rasmus ran out into the sea and each time calling out of a man to sump. And each time he returned with a saved sailor.

That night, without a rescue boat or a team of trained Life Savers, Rasmus saved ten men. Ten men were alive because one man led the way. One man had the courage to let go of the doomed ship, to trust the voice of a savior he could not see, and to jump.

MOTIVATION   

Make a list and check it twice. Name your destiny moments. The times when your faith became evidence of God's fingerprints.

There is no doubt that soon you will be facing some impossible task. Listen for the voice of God. He still speaks in gentle words, asking you to demonstrate your faith and give him a place to work. So jump!

Is this your week?
 

It's time to clear the air, past time.

I’m embarrassed by the screeching voices and angry tone of misguided people who claim a special calling from the God of the Bible. These self-appointed, hate-spewers are giving my God a bad rap. They pop-off, picket, and protest in defense of their own guilt and close-mindedness. Their prayers may grab media attention, but no one else's.

While Jesus constantly looked for the good in people, these preachers see the bad in everything. The public accusations are unending. That story is getting old.

Jesus didn't come to judge and condemn. He came to show us how the Father wants us to live. His visit opens the door to unlimited and unstoppable life in all dimensions. The old Law was set in place to teach us the impossibility of living under its demands. Jesus came with a NEW agreement--a new vision based on grace. The Old Testament was written on stones and skins, but Jesus saw to it that his new vision is being written on hearts. Yours and mine (Hebrews 10:15-25).

Show people how to live beyond themselves and the bad is willingly traded for the good. The good news Jesus proclaimed is focused on life and love and our parts in his continuing life giving story.
 

INSPIRATION

She glanced over and spied my business card sticking out of the folder, "So, what's a faith coach?"

Before I could get more than three words out of my mouth, she interrupted, "It doesn't matter. I bet it's another 'Christian' attempt to screw-up America."

I tried to capture her gaze, but she was looking past me, oblivious to any part of me. In a matter of speaking, to her, I was nothing.

"I gave your religion a shot, but it's impossible. Give this up, stop that, quit, refuse, just don't. What kind of life is that? And they called it good news, huh!"

Then without a word from me, she got up and walked out the door. For days, I wrestled with what I could have said, given another chance. I have concluded that my "God Story" message would have to be shaped by the context and God's Holy Spirit. There is no cut-and-paste right answer, but in general here's a shot

Let me introduce you to the God I have spent a lifetime getting to know...the God who inspired the Bible and writes on hearts.
 
Others may follow a god who accepts them after they have jumped through a bunch of hoops, or only if they believe all the approved doctrines, or if they are good enough. My God loves me “as is,” in spite of flaws and failures.

My God didn't just create this world and walk away; he's still creating and shaping and speaking. I sense his presence in the pages of his Book, and in the eyes of the people I meet in Starbuck's and at church.

Think of it this way, he interrupted eternity to create a time and place for people. After all, it's his show, his interstellar reality show, but we all get to choose our parts, our roles in his story. How daring is that?

My God invented second chances. For some incredible reason he loves me in spite of my brokenness, forgetfulness, and selfishness. He loves me and enjoys every detail of my live. How good is that? And in the middle of the darkest hours he finds ways to inspire hope.

He invested centuries of earth-time showing us how impossible it is to live perfect and keep all the rules, then he punched a hole in the sky and invaded the impossible with the unthinkable--incarnation--God in human skin.

That "Jesus event" changed everything. The promise is no longer confined to a book. It's written on human hearts--yours and mine. Jesus didn't die to set up a new ruling system, or build a tax shelter, or establish a religious institution. He didn't come to leave us with a world religion. He came and lived and died to do one thing, to grace us with a personal invitation, a calling, to life beyond ourselves.
 
He gifted me with free-will, passion, and promise and wants me to live without a smidgen of fear. He knows about life with the WOW factor because he put it there. And when I let him, he shows me how to live with thankfulness in every dimension of life

I have gotten angry with him, I've denied him, and I've fought him, but I can't get away from him. He will not let me ignore him. He never runs out of ways to get my attention.

He has transformed roadblocks and stumbling blocks and mental blocks into roadsigns and epiphanies. He has caught my tears while I was still hiding them, listened to my heart before I knew the words to speak, and gave me a dream that has become a mission. Through it all, I have a story to tell.

He has pruned my intuition, challenged my values, tested my decisions, refine my motives, and grabbed my attention. It was his idea to give me instinct and imagination, and it's his plan for me to use everything to make him look good. WOW!

MOTIVATION

I have one task for you this week, only one. Write your "God Story." Begin writing and let the Spirit shape the words.

You will be blessed beyond your expectations.
 

For years, one of my favorite passages in the New Testament has been:

"Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it." 1 Peter 3:13-15 NLT

I liked the part of letting people ask questions about my hope; it relieved me of guilt. I had it figured out. I don't have to push my hope down someone else's throat, I just have to wait till they ask about my "hidden" hope. But for years, no one asked.

I had missed the part about living so that Jesus looked good, I wanted to live so I looked good (spiritually good). At the end of the day, I taught a lot about Jesus, but I never let him out of the box. I knew all about HIM. I could tell about miracles and teachings from centuries ago, but nothing from last week or the week before. He was master of the past and designer of the future, but the present was mine.

To work off the title of an old movie, "Honey, I had shrunk my Savior." He was no bigger than my words, or my expectations, or my human abilities and understandings. I was in dangerous territory. Thank God for second chances. (Have you heard Carlos Whittaker's new song "God of Second Chances"?) 

When you get to the point when you have God all figured out, when you have all the "right" answers, you'll find no one really wants to ask you anything. No one cares about your hope. Words and lectures don't display hope; living a full life, packed down shaken together, overflowing, that sees Jesus in unlikely people, living each day looking for Jesus in others, and in yourself, living to bring out the best in others, living to put in a good word for Jesus, living to inspire second looks and serious questions. "Where does that come from? How do you keep going? Why do that? What do you get out of that?"

Those questions will be asked, but only if you have lived with abandon. I'm not talking about getting the facts straight, or posing for PR pictures; I'm talking about giving up everything you learned in Sunday school and letting God take you where you were meant to go--out of your box. You will experience faith-on-the-go. You will collect snapshots of your memories; you will discover the joy that really does pass understanding. You will know HIM--present tense. 
 

INSPIRATION

Mike Erre, author of "The Jesus of Suburbia," has a friend with a story you will remember long after reading FaithNotes. Let's call the friend Randy:

Randy took his five-year-old to Disneyland for the first time. Once through the gates, there is a relatively small area where you can take pictures with costumed characters and you can hear the sounds of the Disneyland Express.

The park lies beyond this picture area, but Randy's son didn't know that. When Randy tried to take his boy away from the characters and into the part beyond, the boy howled in protest, convinced that his dad was forcing him to leave the park.

The little guy had assumed that where he was standing was the extent of the park. Imagine the little boy's joy and thrill when Randy dragged him around the corner into Disneyland itself, and he realized what he thought was the park wasn't the park at all, but only the beginning.

Imagine the joy of knowing that you have all day to explore this place with your dad. Imagine life with God beyond what you have read.
 

MOTIVATION

Time to write a story or two.

Get your journal or your computer and begin writing about a time when you could see Jesus around you, a time when you were forced out of your comfort zone and into a moment of extreme trust. Tell about a nudge, a push, a new perspective, a risk. Write about a time when you thought you had reached the end, when you knew what to expect, but God forced you into another world.

Write about a person you know who needs to meet Jesus. If you were writing a storyline about how Jesus would touch this person, what would Jesus talk about, what would he do, what would he look for? Would he whisper unimaginable words of second touches and forgiveness and love? Or, would he reach out and hug and say nothing?

Now, forget about telling the person about what Jesus did in the past…be the Jesus your friend needs, today.

Be the Story.  

After the presentation, he walked up to me, waited his turn to talk and then, with a determined look he stated, "I don't like surprises. I try to plan them out of my business and out of my life."

Then he turned and walked away.

Since that moment, four years ago, I have experienced hundreds of surprises, but then I haven't made it a life's mission to plan surprises out of my life. In fact, I relish the opportunity to plan them into my life.

There is surprise in every interruption, every frustration, every failure, and every crisis. So how does a person go about planning them out of life, anyway? And, if you could, you would miss God.

Surprises are celebrations of God's invisible presence, of HIS fingerprints. They glorify HIS planning and HIS delight. I am confident that our reactions to surprise give him joy, just as parents find joy in surprising their children.

From this side of eternity, the perception is that some surprises are exciting, riveting, and inspiring, while others are horrifying, devastating, and frightening. But, whether we like it our not, each surprise is a faith challenge--a look-for-God moment. 
 
Remember the deceitful and dishonorable Bible character named Jacob? He cheated to get his father's blessing--to inherit the family control and the money. He had little interest in the family God, but surprise was coming.

While on his way to find a wife, he camped for the night expecting to enjoy a restful night's sleep. After finding a rock to use as a pillow, he fell asleep and dreamed about an unusual stairway, one that reached from the earth up to heaven (like one of those escalators at airports). And he saw strange beings going up and down the stairway.

At the top of the stairway stood the his father's God, who spoke, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—-to the West and the East, to the North and the South. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!” Genesis 28 NLT

Now it was Jacob's God who spoke! Faith was born! And, it was a surprise.

INSPIRATION

Years ago Chuck Swindoll told an unforgettable tale of a father with a flare for surprises. It seemed this family from Montgomery, Alabama, had planned an exciting summer vacation, driving to California and camping up and down California's coastal Highway 1.

The boys had been talking about the trip for months; but now there would have to be a slight change of plans.

Dad announced that some unexpected problems had come up at work, and he would have to stay home (actually he planned the whole thing). But, he wanted them to go on without him. He would be with them in spirit. He knew where they would be at any given time; he even knew within an hour the exact time when they would cross the Great Divide.

The boys couldn’t believe it; Dad was going to miss the best trip ever. They weren’t sure Mom knew how to pitch the tent. Reluctantly they packed all the camping equipment into the Yukon and headed off on their great adventure, minus Dad.

Once they were out of sight Dad went to work. He spent the day taking care of details at work and at the house, and then he put his "surprise" plan into action. 

He flew to the Denver airport near where his family would be the next day. Once there, a friend picked him up and drove him to an area on the interstate 70 where his family would pass.

He sat just off the road on his sleeping bag and waited to see the familiar Yukon.

The youngest boy had called “shotgun” that morning early and was sitting in the front seat, passenger side, when he spotted a man that looked like his dad hitchhiking on the freeway.

“Mom, that guy looks like Dad!” he announced.

“Can’t be,” his brother mumbled, &ldquoad’s at home working and stuff.” Just as they were about to pass the hitchhiker the oldest boy looked up, recognized his Dad and cried out, “It is Dad, IT IS DAD! Mom, are we going to stop and pick him up?”
 
Mom hit the brakes, and Dad came running—-surprise complete and an unforgettable vacation launched.

MOTIVATION

Ask family and friends about times when they have been surprised. Then, invest some time looking for stories that tell about people who experienced faith surprises—-times when God directed the unexpected. But, before you leave the house, ask God to put a surprise or two in your path.

Expecting the unexpected is humbling and transforming. In the middle of your surprises you will find the ultimate surprise--the fingerprints of God.

The question is: Do you know how to trust?

Do you trust your spouse not to cheat on you regardless of temptations? Do you trust your best friend to not reveal your secrets? Do you trust your boss to do what he promises? Do you trust your manager to have your back? Do you trust your teammates to carry their share of the load and to resist hogging more than their share of the credit? Do you trust the CEO to live the inspirational messages he has posted on the walls?

Do you trust God, or are you just hang around people who do?

Trust is not as simple as it seems. It's the compilation of information and experience squeezed through the filter of the heart. It's personal and invisible and indispensable. For some of us it's easy and second-nature. For others, it's excruciatingly difficult and foreboding.

You may have a friend who finds it almost impossible to trust…why is that?

I know a woman who on the outside seems invincible, but just touch her and she'll flinch. She has dark painful secrets and she trusts no one. She talks about trust. She likes the sound of the word, but her life has been filled with so much betrayal, that her "truster" her willingness to trust is broken. She is alone and isolated even when the party is raging. Oh, she knows how to pretend trust, but it's all surface--smoke and mirrors. 

Is she one of those hopeless people who fall through the cracks regardless of what we do? Is she destined to be a victim? Can we fix her brokenness? NO! Teach her? NO! Save her? NO! Show her trust? YES! And pray for a miracle? YES!

In fact, God is working on this right now. She is becoming a walking billboard for the power of the Holy Spirit--she is a miracle. As the Apostle John put it, "…When our hearts condemn us. God is more powerful than our hearts…" This heart-work is a supernatural "God thing."

This kind of heat surgery is beyond us. There are no step by step fix-it plans. Trust is simply believing God is big enough to keep his promise of never leaving us alone or hopeless. 

So are you ready to turn loose--ready to let God be God. He knows exactly what to do. This is God at HIS best! 
 

INSPIRATION

I know it's a children's movie, but it makes the point with extreme clarity. The movie is Disney's Aladdin.

The young street-urchin-turned-prince is trying to woo his way into Princess Jasmine’s heart. She is standing outside of her palace bedroom on the balcony when Aladdin swoops in out of nowhere, tries to smooth talk her and essentially fails.

Jasmine rejects the poor guy and tells him to leave. Then, Aladdin walks straight off the balcony, apparently plunging to his death.

Jasmine is stunned. She calls out for him to come back. Miraculously, Aladdin pops his head back up over the balcony wall and takes Jasmine by surprise.

She doesn't understand. What she sees doesn't fit with her past experience. Aladdin holds out his hand and asks her a single question, &ldquoo you trust me?” Then, in a moment of curiosity and a little blindness Jasmine reaches for Aladdin’s hand and steps over the balcony wall.

She doesn't fall or step onto a secret ledge. She finds herself and Aladdin standing on the magic carpet…and away they go. Her life has been changed forever.  

MOTIVATION

This "trust thing" is a miracle from God. His Spirit makes it possible. We're not made to understand it, just live it. Trust God and life will never be the same.

Don't just talk about it, or debate it. Be the miracle!

Memorize this blessing:

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 NIV
 

Religion sounds so confining and structured. It's organized and institutional. And, it seeks to keep us focused on ourselves. Do I believe what is approved, do I worship as I should, and do I keep the rules?

If it was kept totally between you and the stranger sitting beside you in seat 14A, how would you describe yourself?

• I am a Christian.
• I am a believer, but still have my struggles.
• I am a member of _______ church or denomination.
• I go to church, but I don't get all weird about it.
• I am a spiritual person.
• I used to go to church, but not much now.
• I am a follower of Jesus.
• I am kind of a seeker/searcher.
• If there was a God, I don't think he or she would want me.
• I believe in a higher power.
• I want to believe.
• Generations of my family go to church, guess where I am every Sunday? 

Are you satisfied with your response? Does it describe your faith?

Sometimes coaching faith is about asking those challenging, force you to think, questions:
 

• Is your faith life in the present tense or is it mostly pointed to your future life?
• Is it about staying clear of sin or enjoying amazing grace?
• Are you preoccupied with what God did for you or are you focused on seeing God in others?
• Do you feel compelled to keep others pure and righteous, or is your heart filled with compassion and forgiveness and mercy regardless of conditions?
• Is your life about convincing others about God in Heaven or is it about being on God's team living in a sacred reality right now?

I have friends who claim they are from the "old school." They prefer the traditional approach to all this. They have already answered the big questions. They have the answers before people ask the questions. Comfort and peace are valued, doctrine and ritual are assured. No surprises expected.

Mystery and wonder and the unexpected are discounted and ignored.

Paul wrote to Timothy, "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. 2 Timothy 31-4 NIV

They have religion but they have missed the relationship.

Supposed you are seated in 14A, what do you say now?
"I am a follower of Jesus. He has healed this broken person and given me a mission bigger than me--I get to be part of his story." 

INSPIRATION

Jaylin thought being religious was the same thing as being a Christian. She had a life filled with challenges. One of her "in your face" struggles came after a significant car accident.

"After the accident I was referred to the nurse who prayed for me as being religious. When my Christian friend repeated that story, she referred to the nurse as a Christian. So, is there a difference?" Jaylin asked.

Jaylin has learned that there are people in every denomination that are religious with no real walk with God. They are doing all the right things, but it's a burden. There is no passion or joy in serving others.

"I remember walking in and being struck by the way there was so much joy in that place. People were clapping their hands, smiling, and singing with tears in their eyes to this God that was so real to them. I stood there
and cried. Not so much for my marriage, but because it dawned on me that I have been living my life without God."

"I felt the pain deep in my soul of a life without Him. As I realized what a great sacrifice He offered me by dying on the cross for my sins, I felt His love for me, and I found myself broken before Him. As all the pride was gone, and I was truly seeking the forgiveness of God, I felt the fulfillment that I had been seeking all long. Peace, love, and joy flooded my heart, and I became a Christian."

Jaylin had grown up with religion and still fell unfulfilled. But in that moment of brokenness, she experienced the difference.
 

MOTIVATION

Religion is Christianity without brokenness.

Seat 14A: Write it out. Ask God to help you keep editing your answer.

It's a mystery. That's why it's faith that empowers us. We will never know enough, but we will keep reading and growing and discovering and searching. That's what people of faith do.

 

There is a song from grade-school years that I just can't get out of my head. It was written by a team, but known by a simple title, "I Believe."  Here are the words:

"I believe, for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows
And I believe, that somewhere in the darkest night, a candle glows.
I believe for everyone who goes astray
Someone will come to show the way.
Yes, I believe, oh I believe.
I believe above the storm the smallest prayer will still be heard.
I believe that someone in the great somewhere hears every word.
Every time I hear a newborn baby cry,
or touch a leaf, or see the sky,
then I know why, I believe."
by Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl and Al Stillman in 1953.

I have been reminded of that song every time I engage in re-thinking my beliefs. It seems to me, we could all use occasional re-thinking times.

I used to believe, if I was saved, I was barely saved. I worshiped the Bible and God was part of it, but knowing the Bible and being right was more important than knowing God. Bible knowledge was king. God was out there somewhere, but the Bible was here and now.
 
I still believe that Jesus is coming back, but for years I was afraid of that day. I didn't believe I was good enough, or that I had done enough, to stay out of those eternal fires of Hell.

I used to believe that God wanted his followers to study themselves into Heaven...study to get God's approval.

My messed-up beliefs kept me from knowing God and accepting grace and love and forgiveness. I knew "about" God, and I knew "about" those "religious words," but the experience was missing in action.

It took crisis times in my life for God get my attention. Some of the struggle was not pretty, but through it all, HE helped me re-think the faulty beliefs and with the help of patient teachers and gifted writers, new beliefs emerged. I was challenged and refined. Some of those pesky false-understandings were gladly tossed, while others were still being reshaped. It's a growing process.

At this point, my beliefs are more than a list of convictions and propositions; they breath with me, and inspire me, and move me to action. They form the skeleton of my faith.

Now, I believe the Bible is meant to be much more than a religious rule book; it's God's Autobiography, the story of God's encounters with his creation as he moves Heaven and earth to prepare mankind for the coming of Jesus.

I believe HE is still encountering people. But, these stories are not finding their way into a "new" Bible version 2.0, they are being written on our hearts, giving us living stories to share--His words living in our testimonies. I believe HE lives in us, and when the plot gets scary and the times get uncertain, it's HIS story that inspires us to action.

Not long before his death, the Apostle John wrote, "Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
1 John 5:5 NIV.

I believe!

What you believe changes the way you live. In fact, it changes everything.
 

INSPIRATION

Jennifer Thompson-Canning picked Ronald Cotton out of the line-up. "I believed without a shadow of a doubt that he was the monster who raped me." He was convicted and sentenced to prison for 11 years. "I prayed everyday for him to die," Jennifer said.

Ronald had gone to prison an angry man and for a while he was growing more and more comfortable with the anger. Before he knew what was happening, God helped him learn to forgive. As Ronald was dealing with anger and forgiveness on the inside, his attorney was working on the outside. Finally a DNA test proved what he had said all along. Ronald was innocent.

The truth rocked the community. Jennifer was filled with overwhelming guilt and shame for mistakenly putting an innocent man in prison. Meanwhile, the guilty person was left to commit further crimes on women. "I found it almost impossible to forgive myself," Jennifer said.

In the meantime, Ronald had come to grips with his anger. "I was hurting. I missed my family, my girlfriend and my freedom. But I knew who I was, and I was not that monster. I had to let it all go."

When Ronald was released, Jennifer asked him if he could forgive her. It was an unexpected and unbelievable day. "He took my hands," Jennifer recalls, "and with tears in his eyes, told me he had forgiven me a long time ago."

With those words, healing began to happen. "Ronald taught me how to let go of all that pain; his forgiveness set me free that night. Without Ronald, I would still be shackled to that moment in time, and it would own me forever. I soon discovered that I could even forgive the man who had raped me--not because he asked me to, nor because he deserved it--but because I did not want to be a prisoner of my own hatred."

Ronald and Jennifer are now friends. Many of their past acquaintances don't understand it.

But we do, don't we? We believe in forgiveness and the God who invented it and made it so.
 

MOTIVATION

Make this your "I believe week."

What beliefs do you hold that need to be reviewed?

What beliefs have been re-examined and reshaped thus far in your life?

What beliefs give you energy and inspiration?

Oh, and if you were writing a song titled "I Believe," what would it be about? It's time for a new song, don't you think?
 

Pastor Marcus is more than an observer of life; he is an interrupter who, with timeless wisdom, points us to spiritual depth. Without a second thought he dives, head first, into the deep.

"God developed all of human history," Marcus said, "in order to showcase HIS Son." In more ways than one, it's all about Jesus.

However, even during the coming "resurrection" weekend, believers around the world are more interested in observing Easter, then experiencing it timelessness. We may know the story, but forget our place in the plot. Are you just an observer? Have you forgotten?

One thing is for sure in life--we know how to forget. From the beginning, God knew we needed help to remember; in fact, the original Passover was ordained as an annual reminder of God's power over life and death. The blood of the lamb opened the door to a total new way of life. In a matter of speaking, the Hebrews went to sleep slaves and awoke free. Who could forget that? They could, and they did.

Freedom is an interesting concept. It is defined by the absence of restraint or not being imprisoned, or being unrestricted, or unbound. To truly be free, we must have, at some time, been under the control of someone or something else--We were slaves.

The ancient Book tells us that God called Moses to lead HIS trapped people into the new world, but it would take years for these freed slaves to understand and live out this new found freedom. They knew slavery, but freedom was foreign to them. 

In fact, before the ground settled on the path behind them, they complained about the water, the food, the misery. This wasn't what they had expected or wished for. Tent-life was free, but not easy. "We want to go back," they cried, "back to the misery we know, back to lives of slavery."

They were free to live in the Presence of I AM, but in their hearts they were still slaves. At least as slaves, life was hard and predicable. This freedom was hard and unpredictable. With freedom life had to be lived, not just talked about--lived by faith. Freedom is more like an adventure than a formula, more like a process than a concept. Don't forget it and don't give up on it.

They were living in the Presence of Almighty and wanted to give up, to go back and break into the prison they had just left.

Could life seem safer in prison?
 

INSPIRATION

Your body may be free, but if your heart's still trapped, freedom is not fun.

Sylvester Jiles was originally in prison for manslaughter. Once he was released on probation, it took him only three days before he came running back to the prison guards. On August 31 he begged them to let him back in.

Puzzled at the request, the guards at Brevard County Detention Center refused, so Jiles took matters into his own hands.

He tried to scale the barbed-wire fence back in to the prison yard, but got caught in the razor-sharp mesh. Guards cut him down and then escorted him in.

On March 23, 2010, the judge ruled the prison break-in was a violation of probation and sentenced the 25-year-old Jiles to 15 years behind bars.

Jiles told the judge he feared for his life on the outside. Apparently he is one of the few who has safety behind prison walls.

MOTIVATION

Is it possible to be set free and still be afraid? How can you live in the presence of Jesus and still be afraid? 

Finish this sentence: Because of God's great showcase, the gift of Jesus, I am free of _________.

Celebrate your freedom by choosing to "live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." We are "resurrection people." Let's live like.

Say it with me, "With faith in God's Showcase, I will not go backwards; I will live forward."

Faith believes in asking "why." In fact, the faith journey is all about discovering the why of life. Ask "why?" and discover God, wisdom, insight, perspective, secrets, danger, surprise, destiny, just to name a few. The spiritual life is all about one question: "why?"

The "why answers" lead to personal discovery, to growth, to maturity, to new versions of self. "What" and "how" questions lead to detours, distractions, side trips, and short term quick fixes, but nothing new, no aha, no WOW. "What" can I do to be happy? "What" should I do to be successful? "What" are the right answers? "How" much fun can I have? "How" rich am I?

Faith in the unseen is God's way of teaching us the unknown. You may work in a repetitive job where you perform the same task over and over, and you're good at it. You may get bored, but your pay check alleviates the boredom. In this environment you never ask "why," and discovery is not expected.

You may have gone to church all your life and studied the same verses of the Bible over and over without ever asking "Why." Someone told you if you believe these verses you will go to heaven, and that was enough. In that environment you never felt the need to ask "why." Therefore you don't expect anything more… and you grow uncomfortable even talking about discoveries.

Back to the real world, what have you discovered? Remember what the old apostle said, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—-unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test."  2 Corinthians 13:5-6 NIV

INSPIRATION

During my last year of undergraduate school, Lyn and I were living in a small two-bedroom house on Houston Street in Abilene, Texas. We had just finished our morning Cheerios when Dennis pulled up in front of the house.

By the time I reached the front door, he was already at the doorstep. "You got some free time?" he asked.

Before I could answer he opened a bag of stuff he had hauled out of his trunk. The bag held two old mining hat, some rope, a compass, flashlights, extra batteries, and assorted other things. Then he pulled out a mimeographed map (we are talking circa 1968).

"It's a map of a cave up toward Throckmorton. It's on private property, and we'll need to stop and ask permission, but it's only an hour away. We could be there by 10 AM. What do ya say?"

"You mean like Carlsbad Caverns?" I quipped.

"No, this is small. I met with the Spelunker Club and got the map, but I need someone to go with me. Thought of you. So what'd ya say?"

"I need to be back before dinner," I responded.

It took a little longer than expected to get to the ranch house. Dennis took the map and asked the owner if we could explore his cave. He said yes and we headed off to what I envisioned would be a cave entrance in the cliff/bank of the Brazos River, but nothing was like I envisioned.

It was a little before eleven when Dennis said, "There it is."

"Where?"

"This crack in the ground, right here."

Less than ten feet ahead was a rather hidden hole in the ground just big enough for one person to crawl down into, if that person was flexible and crazy.

"You're kidding, right?" I said.

"This is going to be great!" he said.

Dennis grabbed the hats out of the bag, some extra batteries, a couple bottles of water, two flashlights, and a small tightly folded inflatable two man raft. We each took our share. Then he took the raft and said, "I'll bring all the supplies, you go first."

"What?"

As I write this, I can't believe I actually crawled down that crack in the ground, but I was more flexible back then.

I put my hat on, looked at the lame excuse of a map, and began my journey down into the bowels of the earth. Dennis kept asking, "What do you see? Are you at the big room yet?"

&quotirt and rocks and bugs and no big room."

Then, about 20 feet down, the crack widened out just big enough to for us both sit up. We shined our flashlights enough to see we were face to face with a rock as big as my house, minus the front porch.

"Great!" said Dennis. "Now, just crawl under it."

"I had to put my face in the dirt to shine a flash light under the rock to see nothing but blackness on the other side of the rock, if that was the other side.

"Well, go on," Dennis said.

I squeezed under the rock, moving the loose dirt with my body. The rock was tight on my chest, the dirt was cold and damp. "Why was I here? I don't even like Dennis that much," I thought.

Then, to my surprise, I broke free into darkness. Before Dennis could follow me into the big room, I turned on my flashlight, and what seemed like a million bats swarmed around me. Dennis yelled, &quoton't turn on your flashlight yet, there might be bats."

"Really?"

We messed around in the cave for a while, then inflated the raft, and floated out via the underground stream into the Clear Fork of the Brazos River.

I had no desire to repeat that adventure, then or now, but the memories of that day have lasted a lifetime. In those cave-crawling moments I discovered "why" I went. I love the "why" times of life.
 

MOTIVATION

What have you discovered in life thus far that is worth passing on to the next generation?

Why?

 

We have automated systems, seamless software solutions, "Easy" buttons, quick-fix formulas, and soon we will have drive thru surgical centers. But, it doesn't take long to realize that some of our favorite puzzle pieces just don't fit. There is no "God pill" to pop and get HIM to do what we want.  

Remember these words from Paul, who used to be a guy named Saul? "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."  Colossians 2:6-8 NIV

There are still too many captives, trapped in limited forms and rituals. Their faith is hollow and empty, settling on self-focused expressions of legalistic traditions and devotion. These believers are held captive by habit, by personal comfort, and the always present pursuit of happiness. They settle for the status quo, for the ordinary, for the dead-end sameness we see all around us. Do you know them?

Many live with a self-focused philosophy; "I want God to be part of my story." I don't want to be on that team, do you? God is still writing chapters in HIS reality story and is calling us to be a part of it. Are you with me, I'm not going to settle on a God who is past tense. He has called me to experience HIS presence and the power of HIS Spirit in present tense, right now.

Join me in a search for miracles. Be part of the team that looks for huge "over the top" miracles. Go to church expecting to be surprised. Get ready to hear God calling? 

INSPIRATION

We graduated from high school the same year, less than 60 miles apart, but we never crossed paths till Saturday night. Her name is Kathy and for the last 17 years she has blessed the lives of hundreds of Mongolian children.

You could see Jesus in her eyes and you could feel the Spirit in her story. I only had to ask one question and time stopped. "Kathy, tell me what led you to Mongolia."

"Three miracles!" she quipped.

In 1992 Kathy was living in LA, marking time till God was ready to call her into action. She was a Christian, but a little bored with it all. Secretly she was searching for something bigger than church attendance to characterize her path of faith.

The first thought of Mongolia came from a mission card she picked up at a church ministry meeting. The card said, "No churches in Mongolia." Her fleeting thought, "Is God calling me to go?" A few days later, she was in a gathering of believers and  a friend said, Kathy, let me introduce you to this man. He is an American missionary to Mongolia. "Poof! There it was the first miracle," Kathy said.

Kathy heard the call: she was going to Mongolia. But, she had no money, no backing, and no language. A friend suggested she contact the English Language Institute (ELI). They accepted her, but she would have to raise $11,000 in just a few months. They suggested Kathy write letters to friends asking for donations. So, she wrote personal letters to everyone she could think of, young and old, rich and poor. And, miracle two: In her words, "Poof, in just a few weeks I had exactly $11,000."

Her departure for Mongolia was now less than two months away, and Kathy didn't have her passport or work visa and other travel documents needed for the eleven-month commitment. The whole trip was on the bubble.

Finally Kathy had what she needed for the final approval. She mailed the original documents and waited. Two weeks later she was told the papers were lost in the mail. She was frantic. For weeks she followed every lead she could to get this glitch cleared, but nothing was working. God was!

"I was talking to a congressman on the phone, telling him what had happened when the postman dropped a big envelope in my mail box. Poof! I knew what it was…I had my papers!" Miracle three!

All alone, Kathy worked with ELI for two years then she stayed in Mongolia, in the town of Ulaanbaater. She feeds the hungry, rescues the sick, teaches the children, and is a shinning light for Jesus in a dark, drab, and destitute corner of an unknown, frigid and forgotten world. For the kids she helps, she is God's miracle.

MOTIVATION

Meditation Questions:
1. Is your God present tense? Have you seen his hand in your life?
2. What still holds you captive? What keeps you focused on you?
3. God has your number, are you screening or picking up?
4. Are you expecting the unexpected, a "poof" from God?

Don's posting on Facebook grabbed my attention, "I want to live a life that can't be summarized by a bumper sticker slogan, and is bigger than a 2- by 3.5-inch business card. I wonder if that's possible these days."

It got me thinking, "Quick answers are easy and talk is cheap!" But, the Creator says, "It's not only possible--it's part of the plan."

Even in the middle of what felt like rejection and abandonment, God surprised his discouraged "Old Testament" people with these words, "I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

God's plans cannot be summarized on bumper stickers or embossed on business cards. His gifts and His calling are irrevocable, but they are not always obvious and predictable. On too many occasions we miss the moment, close our eyes to the God of mercy and grace, and retreat into a self-imposed corner of fear and doubt. Hope and future seem like wishful thinking. Life shrinks and sadness looms. But wait, this moment of darkness will not last forever, it will be transformed. God is still calling! HE is still working things for your good, even if we only see it in the rearview mirror.

By the way, rearview mirrors are never focused on us. That may be the lesson.

Last year, I suggested that one of your "must-reads" for 2009 should be a book titled, "The same kind of different as me." This year I want you to read the sequel, "What difference do it make?" (You can order it at the FCN Bookstore.)

INSPIRATION

From "What difference do it make?" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore:

Carina, a young mother of four, was getting more and more forgetful, so just for peace of mind she went to see the doctor. Peace is not what she found.

The CAT scan indicated Carina had an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) on the right side of her brain. It was sort of like an aneurysm; if it ruptured she could die instantly. Surgery was strongly suggested, but her heart was filled with doubt and fear and "why me?"

After weeks of searching and prayer, Carina selected Don Woodson, a noted neurosurgeon in Phoenix, to perform the operation, but she still longed to hear from God.

On the day before the surgery Carina asked a nurse, "What kind of surgeon is Dr. Woodson? What's his reputation here?"

The nurse answered, "When Dr. Woodson is in surgery, it's as if God is using his hands."

Peace filled Carina's heart. That was her sign.

After successful surgery, a friend brought a stack of books for Carina, one of them was "Same kind of different as me." As a favor to her friend, she began reading.

"I began to laugh to myself, wondering if I went through all that I did just to get me to sit down and read this amazing true testimony," she said. "It went to my hands, through my eyes and straight to my heart!"

The trial by fire of illness had drawn Carina and her husband closer, and this season of fear had drawn her whole family closer to each other and closer to God. God had given her a gift. Never again would she take for granted the gift of giving life to others, serving as the hands of God. Now she has a story worth telling and retelling. It's her "why" story.

Carina's pastor said, "Sometimes you can only understand the why of things when you see them in the rearview mirror."

MOTIVATION

Check your rearview mirror. You've got a story to tell. Do you see it?

God has plans to give you peace and hope. When the time is right, HE will do whatever is necessary to open your eyes and bless your days.

He's done it before. He will do it again. Share the story, unwrap that testimony to HIS mercy and grace. Keep your story alive; share it! Share it with me--Click here.

Have you felt the growing uncertainty in the air? It's like some tragedy is looming on the horizon, just waiting for the most inopportune time to crush our spirit and blind our faith. Darkness surrounds us just at the edge of light, and fear clouds our vision messing with our minds. Perhaps you, too, have friends who have run head-first into some unforeseen wall; they have been left immobilized and discouraged, experiencing unemployment, or foreclosure, or cancer, brokenness, rejection, addiction, or abuse. When they finally muster the courage to admit their plight, they are racked with doubt and fear and faith that is teeters near death. 

The present is paralyzed and the future sacrificed. Perspective lost. Hope striped naked.

"Where is God?" "Why has HE forgotten me?" "HE must be punishing me or angry with me."

There is a song to sing at these roadblocks. Get a copy. I like Hillsong singing it. "Mighty to Save" is the title. "Savior, he can move the mountains, my God is mighty to save, he is mighty to save…forever author of salvation…he rose and conquered the grave. Jesus conquered the grave."

I have found a faith-perspective that helps me deal with those unexpected walls. Life after the fall is filled with roadblocks, they will continue till Jesus comes. If someone tries to sell you some misguided teaching that Christianity gets rid of the roadblocks, politely disconnect. If you breath  you will experience Roadblocks. God uses them to direct life, to change things, to move us to the next chapter in our story. Sometimes he moves them, but most of the time HE transforms them into roadsigns; roadsigns that point us in a new direction.

HE gives us eyes to see past the fear into HIS next step in our future.

So, in spite of the fear, look for the signs--call them Holy Posts!

INSPIRATION

Mr. Hitchcock wanted to teach his son Alfred a lesson he would never forget. So, with the cooperation of local police the plan was set.

The scheming father sent young Alfred down the street to the local police station with a note sealed in an envelope. "Wait there for a reply," his father said.

The young boy ran as fast as he could, after all, the note must be important. When he arrived at the police station he meekly handed the envelope to the officer at the front desk.  The policeman tore open the envelope and took his time reading the note. He crumpled up the paper and said, "Come with me, Alfred."

They walked down the hall to a vacant cell. At first Alfred was amazed; he had never seen the inside of a jail before, but his amazement was about to vanish, in a single heartbeat.

When he reached the end of the hall, the policeman opened the cell door on the right and pushed the boy in, slamming the door shut. Alfred was stunned and confused. As the officer walked away, Alfred could sill hear the echoing words, "This is what we do with naughty boys."

For ten minutes young Hitchcock cried, yelled, screamed, and cried some more, but no one was there to hear him. He was alone and terrified. Finally, the officer returned, as the note had instructed, and release the boy without saying a word.

Hitchcock ran and ran and ran. He was free but afraid to go home, afraid to talk about the lesson of the cell. Never again did he trust his father, and that jail-cell terror stayed with him for the rest of his life. But, his new fear perspective transformed his future. From it he developed an uncanny ability to create suspense. He taught us to enjoy being afraid.

Alfred missed the point of the lesson, but he did learn how to re-think fear itself.
 

MOTIVATION

Got a roadblock in your path? Pray for God to reveal HIS transformation. Ask God to open your eyes to see the sign, the message within. HE always puts a sign of his presence and power in the middle of the mountain. Look for it! 

Consider every episode of fear as a first step in your next faith adventure.

Contact a trusted believer and share your "roadsign" perspective. Ask your friend to join you in a prayer for revelation and the courage to take whatever step God reveals.
 

Indulge me a moment. Think of life like a Bingo game.

You come into the game with one card and it's yours for life. As time goes by, God calls out numbers. Sometimes HE calls a friend or a member of your family, but at times, when you least expect it, HE calls your number.

Most of us travel through life, thinking we are in charge. We play the game   till our numbers line up and point us to victory. We try to move heaven and earth to find a way that makes sense. The goal, after all, is to make the pieces fit, to line up the numbers, to win.

If we spend all of our lives thinking that is the goal, then we have missed the point all together. The goal is to hear God call our number and to watch God move heaven and earth to get exactly what HE wants.

God calls our number when HE is ready, not when we think it's time or past time. To us it makes sense to line up all the numbers; to God it makes sense to move his people into position for this life and the next.

I have friends who never quite understood why God called their numbers. Life seemed to never be complete. Understanding eluded them till they moved off the card into the next world. Now it all makes sense.

We get distracted by trying to figure out the clues; we want to understand how God connects the dots. We want life to make sense, to have meaning and purpose. It does, but sometimes it's a mystery. So enjoy! When God calls your number, step out and claim the moment. Take the challenge. Listen for HIS voice.

HE knows how it all fits and when it makes sense.

B4!

Is that you?

INSPIRATION

Rich was very comfortable doing exactly what he had been doing, but these crazy people kept hounding him. They want him on their shortlist for the next CEO of World Vision. "Were they out of their minds?" he thought.

At the close of a conversation with a member of the search committee, Rich was asked, "If you are selected for this job, you will have to travel to some of the worst places in the world. You will be exposed to heartbreaking things: children living in garbage dumps, women who have lost their children to disease, people on their deathbeds with AIDS. Are you comfortable with that?"

"Comfortable?" Rich gasped. "I am so uncomfortable with that, I can't even express it! I am terrified! I am not the guy you want at your bedside in the midst of your suffering."

For days Rich pushed this pending venture as far away as he could.

Then came that bewildering morning call, "Rich, this is Bob. I've gathered the six members of the search committee together and asked them to write  their first choice on a slip of paper, fold it, and pass it to me. Your name was on each one. You've got the job!"

"What? But I don't want the job. I can't do this job. This can't be right."

After he calmed down a bit, Rich told Bob, "Well, you better keep the second guy on the hook."

Then, just before Rich and his wife were to fly to Seattle to do a little first-hand World Vision investigation, Keith, well-healed entrepreneur, surprised Rich with a job offer that would mean millions of dollars in options.

Rich was interested, but he had to tell Keith of his dilemma without revealing the World Vision name. "We have to go check out this charitable organization.  I have to finish the process, regardless. Then, I'll give you an answer."   

Keith was amazed that Rich was even considering leaving his career, but out of the blue he began...

"Decades ago," he stated, "my wife and I adopted a little girl from India. Then at age ten she died. The loss tore us apart. Months later I was going through the mail and saw an appeal from a group called World Vision. I responded and they connected me with a new "daughter." For years we wrote. If that's the kind of thing you are leaving business to do, well, that I can understand."

"World Vision IS the group, Keith. They want me to be their US President."

God was calling Rich's number. B1

Read about Rich and World Vision in "The Hole in Our Gospel," by Richard Stearns.

MOTIVATION

Looking back on your life, when has God called your name, surprised you with something unexpected and out-of-the-box?

Have you thanked HIM?

Are you still listening? The call usually comes when you are comfortable or have your eye focused somewhere else. Don't try to fit all of life together. Take it one number at a time.

 

The key to wisdom is locked up in your memory. This living wisdom, not your achievements or net worth, becomes your legacy--your gift to the next generation. These collected memories make you a living testimony, or a dying breed.

Whether you realize it or not, our memories are sacred things, fingerprints of God. From the beginning, God has placed them in our hearts for a purpose--to keep us wise.

Before God's people entered the Promised Land, Moses spoke repeatedly about memories. He called on the people to "be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.'" Deuteronomy 4:9 NIV

Even when the unthinkable happened, Jeremiah urged the people to remember "my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I will remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:19-24 NIV

When the struggling people felt discouraged and afraid, Nehemiah prayed, "They [Your people] refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them." Nehemiah 9:16-18 NIV

This stored wisdom packs a very important twist. It's not about remembering wandering, or victimhood, or suffering, or stubbornness, or how bad life is, or unfaithfulness. It's about remembering the sacred touch. the lift, the rescue, the victory. Recently Rabbi Moshe Sherer commented, "Those who make the mistake of substituting the study of Jewish suffering for the celebration of Jewish life are seriously mistaken. Our primary task is to remember who we are and how we are supposed to live; only secondarily are we to remember our victimization."

So, turn back the clock, "Remember who you are." Recount your stored up moments of sacred touch, your collected wisdom, your fingerprints of God lived in the events of your past. 

INSPIRATION

Sometimes unexpected wisdom is even found in the scenes from animated films. Look again at The Lion King. Skip through the initial scenes to the section after King Mufasa has been murdered by Scar, and Simba, heir to the throne of his father, leaves the Pridelands.

Deep in the safety of the jungle, Simba joins up with two characters, Timon and Pumba, whose philosophy of life is "Hakuna Matata," a term which means "no worries." It is a laid back, have-a-good-time, play-it-safe attitude. Simba buys into this for many years, enjoying a life with no worries and no responsibilities.

Meanwhile, under the dictatorship of Simba's wicked uncle, the Pridelands falls into ruin, famine, and despair.

Then one day the baboon, Rafiki, the 'holy man,' tracks Simba down and offers to lead him to a place where he will meet his dead father. Intrigued, the young lion follows Rafiki through the twisted roots of ancient trees until they reaches a clearing.

Rafiki: [after guiding Simba to a spot where he says will show him Mufasa] Look down there.

Adult Simba: [looks into a pool of water] That's not my father. That's just my reflection.

Rafiki: No, look harder.

[touches the water, as it ripples Simba's reflection changes to that of his father]

Rafiki: You see? He lives in you.

Mufasa's image: [from above] Simba.

Adult Simba: Father?

Mufasa's image: [appears among the stars] Simba, you have forgotten me.
Adult Simba: No. How could I?

Mufasa's image: You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life.

Adult Simba: How can I go back? I'm not who I used to be.

Mufasa's ghost: Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king. Remember...

There, in the clear night sky, Simba remembers his roots. He has a moving vision of his father who laments, "You have forgotten who you are, and therefore, you have forgotten me."

The memories have been unlocked. Life is restored. Simba, son of the king,  returns.

MOTIVATION

Too many of us remember our failures and struggles and weaknesses, while forgetting what God has done with us and for us. We need a reminder.

Who are you? Are you a collection of mess-ups or party times or a total victim of being at the wrong place at the wrong time? NO!

Have you forgotten what God has done with the events of your life? NO!

Are you stuck on being a victim, or released to testify to God's sacred touch?

Insert prayer, your prayer, HERE.

Now, TELL SOMEONE! Don't forget.

 

And the angels were amazed!

Totally on his own the Creator-God chose a man, called him Abraham, promised to bless him, to be family, and to be his friend. Isaiah 41:8 NIV

And the angels were stunned!

After all this time, God chose the slave-descendants of Abraham to be HIS people. It was all God's plan. But, HE didn't love them and choose them because they were so numerous, or gifted, or because they were so good and upstanding. "Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession." Deuteronomy 14:2 NIV

It was totally a God Thing. God put it this way, "On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of the house of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, I am the LORD your God!" Ezekiel 20:5 NIV. He chose them solely because HE wanted to.

And the angels were listening.

During wonder years of the holy-visit to planet Earth, Jesus chose men who became his friends. He said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you…to be my friends…to love each other." John 15 NIV

And the angels are still watching.

God has chosen you. He wants you to be part of his family. All the red tape and paperwork has been completed. It's up to you!

"Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT

We have been adopted into the family. We share the same father, the same spirit, the same blood, the same family name. "Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?" James 2:5 NIV

Faith says we live present tense in God's family, his remnant chosen by grace. Believe it! Live like it, regardless!

INSPIRATION

Even before the earthquake, Haiti was shattered and broken. Now it's chaos.  Hundreds of thousands of people wander the streets, climbing over rubble and death. Homeless, parentless, nameless children walk the streets waiting to die. They expect nothing.

Except for 9-year-old Ronel.

Ernest Parker had been sleeping on the floor of the American Embassy for 9 days struggling in the chaos and brokenness to get clearance to bring his long-awaited new son home to the USA.

For two years prior to the quake the Parkers had been jumping through all the adoption hoops, but when the quake happened everything stopped. Ernest left his wife and his four other children and made his way to Haiti. He had come for his boy.

Debra Parker said, "Ronel nearly starved to death before the quake, now what?" All adoption processes take time and there seems to always be some last minute glitches that bring the process to a halt. Debra and friends prayed that the God who already knows how to bring starving children out of chaos and into promise would work a wonder.

Finally after all the days of the haggling with Haitian and American officials, the "mountains" moved. Ronel's name was called. His new father was allowed to take him home. God frustrated the hearts of the Embassy officials. They wanted Ernest out of their hair.

So, on Thursday evening, February 4th, Debra Parker and three of her four children stood in baggage claim at Bush International Airport waiting for Ronel. The signs reading “Welcome Ronel” in English and Creole filled the area.

When young Ronel appeared, words were lost in applause and hugs and celebration. A cousin was one of the first to speak as he thrust a Teddy bear wearing a T-shirt that said, "Welcome to the family," into Ronel's hands. "Hi," he said.

His new sister, 12-year-old Carly Parker, flipped through a Creole phrase book. "Can you read this?" she asked, pointing to the words for "Are you OK?" Ten-year-old Colton Parker reached for the book. "I need to find 'I love you,'" he said.

Ronel had nothing to compare this to; he was soaking in the experience of awe, with a touch of grace.

There is still paperwork to complete and hoops to jump through, but the angels are ever-present, watching the God of Grace be the God of wonder.
 

MOTIVATION

This is good news, right? God has chosen you. You are part of the family. Do you believe it? Have you embraced it? That piece of knowledge changes everything. Whether you feel like it or not, you are part of the family. Now, what does that feel like?

Tell HIM.

It's time to take a moment to look up, stand up, and lift up our hands. It's time to be overwhelmed about being chosen by the God of Grace.

It's time to live like a child of the God who invented family.

And the angels are longing.
 

The crowds gathered around him, pressing in to hear every word. And, regardless of the growing numbers, each listener could hear. There was mystery and hope in his words. His name was Jesus. Could he be the "ONE"?

Jesus spoke of a kingdom that was new and different, one that was so near it was here. Could it be that this Jesus was the coming king? Could this curious man from Nazareth be a stealth version of the anticipated warrior king?

But, Jesus presented an upside-down kingdom. One that took the people beyond their long-held expectations. This mystery grabbed their attention and messed with their preconceived notions. He was introducing them to a kingdom without power grabs and political posturing; a mysterious kingdom without hidden agendas, one that was timeless.

Even those closest to Jesus misunderstood him, but it was all part of the plan.

This new kingdom required a demonstration. Jesus knew that people would have to see the difference to understand it. His cousin, John, helped to open the door of understanding, but even John did could not grasp it fully.

And now John's future ministry was in question. His heart longed for the "new" kingdom, but he was imprisoned and sentenced to death by the current kingdom. His part of the plan was about to be completed, but a flash of uncertainty invaded his heart. He sent a couple of his friends to talk to Jesus.

"John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'"

At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor." Luke 7:20-22 NIV

When John's friends returned, they told him about all they had seen and heard. Then one reported that Jesus also said, "Blessed is he who does not fall away on account of me." In other words, hang in there, John, I know it seems like you have been left alone and forgotten, but do not despair--keep the faith. The introduction is complete. The Kingdom is here.

Great words! Now John could handle whatever happened; his task was finished. The "new" kingdom was present tense; it was visible and verifiable. This kingdom was not defined by borders or numbers or a lifespan, but boundless love, transformed lives, and faithful hearts.

No one dies in this kingdom. On earth there is death, but there is no death nor power of death in Jesus' kingdom. Jesus never did funerals, his every encounter with funerals resulted in someone being resurrected (even at his own).

Faith says HE is the "one," and I am part of the kingdom even if it doesn't feel like it. Therefore, I will not fall away.

INSPIRATION

In Mark Buchanan's challenging and perceptive book, "Things Unseen," Mark tells about Craig. He had come from alcoholism, petty crime, a wife who drank herself to death, and a tragic fall that left his body in chronic pain. But through it all Craig had come to know Jesus. His attitude was transformed. Life was good.

Then, came the coffee shop bomb: Craig told Mark, "Don't take this too seriously…I just don't want to live anymore."

"What's happening?" Mark asked.

"It's what isn't happening. I've been waiting a long time for something, anything to change--my body to heal so I can work, a woman to come into my life so I'm not always alone, the court case from my accident to be settled so I can get past it. Bad news! Another setback, and then another! I've had enough. I just would rather not have to live anymore. It's like God doesn't notice me. I don't rate His attention. I sometimes wonder if any of this Christianity stuff is even real."

How would you respond?

________________________________

My answer: "My faith does not rest in what God does or does not do in my life. My faith is in Jesus and the kingdom that extends beyond this world. I will honor him and follow him, regardless of what he does or does not do for me or for others. Because of Jesus, this world is not enough. His Kingdom lives forever. So do I"

Jesus is the "One."

MOTIVATION

Spend some time in prayer. Ask God to help you write an answer to Craig's coffee shop bomb. Let your personal faith story shape your response.

Now, read your response aloud to God and ask HIM to edit it, to transform it, and give it power.

Soon, God will put you in a conversation where these words will need to be said. Pray for God to open your ears and eyes to the opportunities to speak for Jesus and the Kingdom. He is the "ONE." "Blessed is he who does not fall away on account of HIM."
 

The concept of forgiveness has been the news lately. When will Tiger Woods find forgiveness? Will baseball fans across America forgive Mark McGwire for his confessed use of steroids in his quest for the Home Run Title? And, what will it take for John Edwards to get forgiveness for fathering a love child? But forgiveness isn't found in a press release, nor is it created with a catchy new slogan.

Without forgiveness you are stuck with festering wounds of betrayal and humiliation, or the corrosiveness of disgrace and dishonor, or the unwillingness to turn loose of hoarded hurts. How do you recover from what could have been?

Forgiveness is a choice--an exceptional and misunderstood course of action. Some would label it crazy or a symbol of brain damage.

Jesus spoke often about forgiveness. It was and is a deal-breaker part of this Kingdom. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37 NIV

This forgiveness is not just limited to the public failures and private indiscretions; it reaches down to all the "minor" installments that have been stacked away in our pain bank. Choosing to forgive is not easy.

As I see it, there are two dangerous forgiveness myths that need to be busted: 1. Forgiving someone means you condone what they did (Get that out of your head). 2. Forgiveness depends on whether the person who did you wrong apologizes, wants you back, or changes his or her ways (Forgiveness means you turn loose of this mess regardless of what the other person wants or does).

Three things happen when a Christian forgives: 1. God is honored, 2. Grace is experienced, 3. Brokenness is healed. You can be a forgiving person because God has given you the power. You can forgive someone else because God has forgiven you. He has shown you the way. When you choose to refuse to hurt the person who has hurt you, you write a story of grace over a bottomless pit of festering pain. And, your choice not only release the person who has wronged you, but it unleashes the best in you.

Ready for the real world? Debbie loved life. She and her best friend, Robin, were twirlers together and joined at the hip. High school was their world. But, in August of 1975 everything changed.

After an argument with her mother Debbie stormed out of the house and wasn't heard from for days. Betty, Debbie's mother, thought maybe her daughter had run away.

After days of agony, the police found Debbie's 16 year-old body in a nearby creek. She had been raped and strangled.

After months of frustration, Betty took up the investigation. "I saw something in the newspaper," said Betty. "The wire that was embedded around Debbie's neck, wrists and ankles was copper-coated wire. I remember hearing the police say that."

With the help of a private detective Betty tied the wire to Debbie's favorite high school English teacher, Raymond Payne. Months later the police followed up and matched wire. Payne was arrested.

He pleaded guilty to a homicide charge, but was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Hatred consumed Betty like poison. "I hated him more than I hated anyone in my life," Betty said. "I dragged that hate with me everywhere I went."

Her unwillingness to forgive was distorting her life. She was in a prison without bars, but a prison just the same. Then, six years after Debbie's death, Betty made a startling decision. She chose to forgive Ray.

Betty visited Payne in prison to tell him about her decision. The guard opened the door, and Ray came into the room. She opened her arms, and he opened his arms, and they stood there in the middle of room, hugging and crying.

God was honored, grace was experienced, and brokenness was healed. Consequences continued, but the pit of bitterness emptied.

INSPIRATION

In the summer of 1993 Reginald Denny drove his truck into the riots of South Central Los Angeles. He was stopped at the intersection of Florence and Normandie when two men jumped him pulled him from his truck, beat him with a broken bottle, and kicked him till both sides of his face were caved in. All the while, video cameras in the helicopter above captured every detail.

Months later at the close of the trial, as the two men were being led away from the courtroom, Denny pulled a surprise move.

Defying the advice of his own lawyers, Denny walked over to the mothers of the two defendants and hugged them. He told them that he had chosen to forgive their sons. Tears filled the eyes of everyone in the room. 

God was honored, grace was experienced, and brokenness was healed.

One commentator responded "Well you know Denny did suffer some brain damage." Forgiveness doesn’t make sense, but, oh, how we need it.
 

MOTIVATION 

Isn't it past time to release your hoarded stash of resentment and bitterness and buried anger? God sent his Son, to forgive you, to show you what it takes to forgive others, regardless. It's your choice. Choose to honor God, experience grace, and heal brokenness. Or...

Tell me what God is leading you to do. 
 

I'm sure you played a game called Clue when you were a child. It's the  classic whodunit board game! Poor Mr. Buddy's been murdered in his own mansion. Who could have done it? And how? And where? With six suspects, six possible murder weapons and nine rooms in the mansion, there are hundreds of possibilities, and plenty of clues to investigate!

It's a mystery every time you play. Like the game, life is also a mystery with hundreds of possibilities. Each day is  filled with unknowns and hidden clues.
 
You can plan and schedule and control outside influences, but you cannot eliminate surprise and mystery and that giant "unknown factor." You can prepare and write out contingency plans and procedures, but mystery will happen in spite of all your best efforts. 

God loves these unknown, mystery moments. He lives there. He encounters us there, because in these mystery moments, he has our attention, heart and soul. So, when we least expect it, he shows up.

My working definition of faith is trusting God to reveal a clue, a portion  of himself, when we get out of control, over the top, and beyond what we think we know. And, he always leaves fingerprints. 
 
Hundreds of years ago, the mystery might have required a canoe or sailing vessel. The character might have been explorers venturing into uncharted waters. Today, our faith pushes us to investigate ideas that take us beyond our senses, beyond the sights and sounds and smell. And yes, at times, we even journey beyond the limitations of time.
 
Faith leads us into a future where Jesus has already been; we follow into the unknown with eyes wide open and senses tuned to hear his voice, see his face, and touch his heart. Admitting we don't know what to do, what is next sets us up for divine encounters with the Creator.

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:2-3 NIV

INSPIRATION

Amy Morsch came to Kolkata, the city we used to call Calcutta, with a group of college students from the USA. They were on a mission trip organized by Heart to Heart International. Amy thought she was ready for what she was about to experience, but nothing could have prepared her; she was to be changed by the face of God.

You don’t have to search for poverty in Kolkata; it’s everywhere. “I was overwhelmed,” Amy began. "There was so much filth. Everywhere I went there seemed to be skin-and-bone children, human waste in the streets, flies, and the unrelenting smells of the city—-a mixture of death, feces, and rotten food."

One of Amy’s KolKata experiences took her to visit Mother Teresa’s Home for the Dying Destitutes. The setting is an elegant old building adjacent to the Kali Temple—one of India’s most sacred sites. Inside the building the scene is far from elegant. The Home for the Dying Destitutes is a home for dying people who have nowhere to go.

"I was in shock! One of the workers there suggested I feed the lady in Cot 17," Amy explained. "She weighed about seventy pounds, had three teeth and paper-thin skin. The diaper she wore needed changing, and she babbled constantly in a language I couldn’t understand."

This wasn't in Amy's plans, "I didn’t want to get near her; I could barely look at her. But, as I began feed her small bites of rice, curry, and fish, she seemed to somehow move closer and closer to me. She ate very little, she wanted something else, she wanted to touch me." Reliving that moment brought uncontrollable tears to Amy's eyes. 

After a few seconds, Amy added, "As I held a cup of water to her lips, she pointed at her heart and then pointed at me. In that moment God opened my eyes. I experienced a whole new kind of love. I knew then I would do anything for this woman."
 
"I said, 'I love you,' and as I did, just like now, tears came pouring out of my eyes. I had just seen the face of God."

Jesus in the woman in Cot 17 forever changed Amy’s faith.
 

MOTIVATION

My friend Max Lucado puts it this way, "God doesn’t live in sequential moments, laid out on a time line, one following the other, his world is one moment, or, better stated, momentless."

Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to solve the mystery you face at this stage of life, your personal private mystery. Look for Jesus in unexpected people every day this week. Begin each day with the prayer that God will put in your face, exactly the people he wants you to touch.
 
Then, do what is necessary to touch them.

By the way, touching them doesn’t require religious phrases or holy sounds; but it does require conscious awareness and intention.
 
You can’t touch someone in secret. You have to get out of yourself. Touching may be listening, returning a note, making a call, holding a hand, or taking a walk…whatever it takes to see the face of God. It's a holy mystery.
 

He must have had something different in mind when he announced to the church, "We are going deeper this year. This will be our year to tackle the deep end." He wanted everyone to pray for this serious step into study and devotion. Sounds good, doesn't it? Does make you wonder, however, what was happening last year.

It has been my real-life experience that the deep end is not about more serious Bible study or more doctrinal clarity or more classes or conferences. In my life the deep end is crisis time. The deep takes us beyond expectations; there we quickly discover that this unexpected moment is way over our head.

The deep is not the study, it's the test. It's a euphemism for struggles, roadblocks, challenges, disasters, and pain. The deep rocks our world, rattles our cage, and exposes our heart. When the Hebrew people were about to go into the Promised Land, Moses reminded them,

Keep and live out the entire commandment that I'm commanding you today so that you'll live and prosper and enter and own the land that God promised to your ancestors. Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry. Then he fed you with manna, something neither you nor your parents knew anything about, so you would learn that men and women don't live by bread only; we live by every word that comes from God's mouth. Your clothes didn't wear out and your feet didn't blister those forty years. You learned deep in your heart that God disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child. Deuteronomy 8:1-5 The Message

Even today, faith in God doesn't provide answers for the struggles in the deep, but it does provide resources for facing the unknown pain with courage and hope rather than bitterness and despair.

INSPIRATION

Amy confided, "I just thought that once she came home from the NICU things were going to be so much better and Ella would start eating, we wouldn't need a feeding tube, and she would just develop like any other child. Ummm, yeah, so that's not how it went down. Things with Ella were much harder and more complicated than we knew or expected."

Ella was born with omphaloceles (pronounced om-fal-o-seel). With her arrival came an unexpected load of helplessness. "I didn't know how to help her eat or stop throwing up," Amy said. "I dreaded going to new doctors' appointments and undressing her to show her deformity. 'So do you have any concerns?' Do I have concerns?! I wanted to say, 'Well, besides the fact that she was born with numerous organs outside of her body, a major deformity, can barely use her left arm or turn her head to that side, is vomiting multiple times a day and night, and will not eat unless she is in a dark, quiet room and is asleep just to name the major ones...umm, other than that no, nope, no concerns to speak of.' But I didn't. I would just say yes."

2009 has been unimaginable for this young family. Amy explained, "Those were some really hard, hard days and nights. Days that brought me to my knees. Days that were filled with exhaustion, frustration, sadness and little hope. Days with moments where I was so low I didn't know how I was literally going to pull myself off the floor and stop crying. Most nights I was up almost every hour until we were blessed to receive night help three nights a week. Rick (her husband) was going to bed early and getting up early so he could take over monitoring Ella before he left for work and so I could get at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. For several months I would have nightmares from time to time or wake up and just cry because it hurts so badly when you have a child that struggles so much. Those were nights I had a hard time catching my breath...even out of a dead sleep. I don't know that the word hard even comes close to being able to describe what every day and night was like."

"A word that does describe my feelings," offered Amy, "is thankful. I'm at the point now that I can look back and honestly say that I'm thankful for 2009 even though it was by far the worst year of our life. I'm thankful for some of those dark times. Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful that 2010 is starting out much brighter and that I feel like there actually is light for us. But, there is something to be said and many things to be learned when you're in the darkness. The Lord gives us treasures that can only be found when you're in the dark. They can be very simple things, sometimes big things and sometimes not even tangible things. Sometimes the treasure was in the moment I was curled up in a ball on the floor crying unable to stand and finally I would hear His soft voice saying, 'I'm here, I love you, I know it's hard but it's going to be okay. You will see.'"

Amy and Rick are still living in the tunnel, but God's presence has given them both courage for the journey and a few valuable discoveries along the way.

MOTIVATION

If you want to get connected to Amy and Rick's little Ella's progress, bookmark their blog. The Carder Family Blog

So, re-think 2009. How did God challenge you last year? Did he humble you? Did he test you? Did he provide manna at just the right time? Did HE do the totally unexpected? Did you hear HIS voice?
 
Your response?

Thank HIM! Take the baton from Amy, share your story, the real story. Oh, and keep looking for hidden treasures along the way.

INSPIRATION

MOTIVATION

 

INSPIRATION

MOTIVATION

INSPIRATION

MOTIVATION

Jordan was sitting on the park bench right by the bike trail, when a boy about 5 years old sat down and started winding what appeared to be his own very special Mickey Mouse watch. Jordan said, "What a neat watch! Does it tell you the time?"

Without even looking up the boy responded,  "No, you gotta look at it."

This is the season of rush, not the talk radio guy, the packing of our days with too much stuff for our time. We wind our days too tight, hurried, stretched, and frazzled, while conveniently losing track of our moments. The boy is right--to get the most out of our time we’ve go to stop and look at it.

From the moment we wake up, we’re driving the fast lane, moving from appointment to appointment with a great sense of accomplishment but little appreciation. We hurry through food without thought of conversation. The rich layers of generations and traditions and friendships are marked with cards and newsletters, but carelessly overlooked. We smile for the pictures while stretching our necks and sucking in our guts, trying to look younger and thinner then we are. We don't want to look like we've missed the point of the season, even if we have.  

When events do bring us together we don't know what to do. We eat, watch TV, play video games, stick earbuds in and headphones on our ears, text friends and family members in the same room.

If you want to experience the moment, to enjoy all the layers of the season, do more than pose for pictures. Invite grandparents and great-grandparents to talk about Christmas when they were a children. Listen for moments, the layers of memories that overlay your experiences. You will hear the spirit of Christmas.

My friend Mike Cope, the new voice of Heartbeat Ministry, tells the story of layers. His message is one that grabs your attention and, regardless of your circumstances, forces you to realize you are part of a story that's bigger and more meaningful than your current situation. It's much bigger than your wishes and wants. There is hidden meaning in his quarters.

Click this link for Mike's message: http://twurl.nl/v4eruu
 

INSPIRATION

Everyone has a story. It happened when Logan was in the second grade. He and his Grandma were Christmas shopping in the mall and having a wonderful time. It was evident that everyone was in a rush, but not Grandma. She never seemed to be in a hurry. She knew how to enjoy the moment.
   
While they were drinking one of those strawberry fruit drinks at the food court, the kid sitting at the table next to them was having a melt-down. He was yelling, crying, throwing fits, and making everyone around him miserable.

Finally, Logan's grandma took a notepad out of her purse, leaned over to where the little boy was sitting, got his attention, and asked, "Could you tell me your name?"

He stopped whining for a moment, looked at her and her notepad, and said, "Matt."
 
Grandma wrote down "Matt."

"Who are you?" the boy asked.
 
"I work for Santa Claus," Grandma said, "and I'm taking the names of children who are being mean and ugly. Now, what's your last name?"

"No, I'll be good. I promise," he quickly responded.
 
Logan continued, "We never talked about that little boy, and I never was quite sure that my Grandma was kidding about working for Santa, so I was especially good around her."

MOTIVATION

People of all ages bring layers of life to your Christmas celebrations. It's these shared layers that shape us. So, make sure you stop and listen to the stories of past Christmases and write the stories of this one.

The following questions are simple, but powerful. They unlock layers of life that long to be remembered and retold. There is a deep-rooted longing to connect to the spirit of the season, so assume your guests share this desire.

These questions are fit for parties, dinners, family celebrations, and devotional times. Be ready to give your responses to show the way. But once the door is open, you will write new memories that will be shared in years to come.

• What was Christmas like when you were a kid?
• Did anything funny ever happen at Christmas?
• Did you every have a sad Christmas?
• What is your favorite Christmas song?
• What could we do to make Christmas better?
• What is your Christmas wish for next year?

Truth is, the best gifts of all are not meant to be kept or saved; they are intended to be given away…to be handed down from person to person.

Lewis Hyde, author of The Gift, tells of a Massachusetts’ pilgrim who is invited into an Indian lodge and welcomed with a ritual smoking of the peace pipe. After the ritual is completed the Indians give the symbolic pipe to the pilgrim. The pipe is a peace offering and is traditionally circulated among the local tribes, staying in each lodge for a time but always given away sooner or later...but our pilgrim didn’t know about the tradition. In his world he now owned a valuable treasure, his own peace pipe.  

Months later the leaders of a neighboring tribe surprised the pilgrim with a visit and the request that the pipe would returned to them.

The pilgrim called them “Indian Givers! (Yes, that’s where the phrase comes from, according to Hyde.) These poor natives just didn’t grasp the growing application and appreciating of “private property.”

Like the pilgrim, we tend to hold on to our gifts too long. One thing is for sure: the gifts we receive from God are meant to be given. They must be given; they are never private property.

Do you have possessions that really needs to be on the move, given to others? What gifts has God given you that need to be given? Grace? Forgiveness? Second-chances? Love? Joy? Humor?  

Here is your chance to do something totally unexpected, to make a dramatic statement, to unwrap the giver not the present. Then you will discover the reality of Jesus' words, "It is more blessed to give than receive."

INSPIRATION

It all began in 1964 when Larry Kunkel’s mom gave him a pair of moleskin pants. After wearing them a few times, he found they froze stiff in the Minnesota winters. That next Christmas, he wrapped the pants in pretty paper and re-gifted them to his brother-in-law.

Brother-in-law Roy Collette discovered he didn’t want them either. Thus became a legendary, but true giving game. It was like a gag-gift, until one year Collette twisted the pants tightly and stuffed them into a 3-foot-long, 1-inch pipe.

Year after year, as the pants were shuffled back and forth, the guys tried to make unwrapping them more difficult. In retaliation for the pipe, Kunkel compressed the pants into a 7-inch square, wrapped them with wire and gave the “bale” to Collette. Not to be outdone, Collette put the pants into a 2-foot-square crate filled with stones and gave the trusty trousers back to Kunkel.

The brothers agreed to end the caper if the pants were damaged. But they were as careful as they were clever. Kunkel had the pants mounted inside an insulated window that had a 20-year guarantee and shipped them off to Collette.

Collette broke the glass, recovered the trousers, stuffed them into a 5-inch coffee can, which he soldered shut. The can was put in a 5-gallon container filled with concrete and reinforcing rods and given to Kunkel the following Christmas.

Kunkel put the pants in a 223-pound homemade steel ashtray made from 8-inch steel castings and etched Collette’s name on the side.

Collette found a 600-pound safe, put the pants inside and welded the safe shut. The safe was then shipped to Kunkel.

The pants next turned up in a drab green, 3-foot cube that once was a 1974 Gremlin. A note attached to the 2,000-pound scrunched car advised Collette that the pants were inside the glove compartment.

In 1982 Kunkel faced the problem of retrieving the pants from a tire 8 feet high and 2 feet wide and filled with 6,000 pounds of concrete. On the outside Collette had written, “Have a Goodyear.”

In 1983 the pants came back to Collette in a 17.5 foot red rocket ship filled with concrete and weighing 6 tons.

Collette’s revenge for the rocket ship was delivered to Kunkel in the form of a 4-ton Rubik’s Cube in 1985. The cube was made of concrete that had been baked in a kiln and covered with 2,000 board feet of lumber.

Kunkel “solved the cube,” and for 1986 gift-giving he repackaged the pants into a station wagon filled with 170 steel generators all welded together.

Then in 1989 the pants finally came to the end of the giving journey. Collette was inspired to encase the pants in 10,000 pounds of jagged glass. It would have been a great one but the pants were shipped to a friend in Tennessee who managed a glass manufacturing company. While molten glass was being poured over the insulated container that held the pants, an oversized chunk fractured the container transforming the pants into a pile of ashes.

The ashes were placed in brass urn and delivered to Kunkel along with the following epitaph.

“Sorry old man. Enclosed your will find what remains of our treasured pants."

The urn now graces the fireplace mantel in Kunkel’s home where it is urning its keep.

MOTIVATION

Ok, the story is a little over the top, but it can remind us that some gifts are meant to keep moving, to stay in circulation.

Chose a gift God has given you and ask HIM to help you find ways to give that gift to others. Make the next few weeks a giving season. Practice a little re-gifting. You don’t have to wrap the gift in a crushed Gremlin or encase it in concrete, just give the items new life in a new home.  

What have you been given that needs to be given?

 

I first told the story of "Secret Santa" in 2007, and thus far, it has become one of the most popular Faith Notes message. So, this year I am sharing the message again.

The challenge this year is personal and transformational. You have 24 days to make this your year to brighten your little corner of the world. Join me in turning a gloomy, weary year into an unexpected year of joy and hope. Use your imagination, make it your intent to spend part of each day becoming a Secret Santa in your neighborhood, with your friends, with your community. Click here, then click "Secret Santa" and say "yes." No names, no addresses. Just the word, YES. Discover the secret behind the "Secret Santa."

There IS a “Secret Santa.” Perhaps you’ve heard of him (http://www.secretsantaworld.net). I got an email from him last year after I shared the following story.

This real guy walked into the local thrift store and stepped in front of a fella who tried his best to move out of the way. “I’m Secret Santa and I want you to have this,” the stranger said, as he handed his victim 2 hundred-dollar bills. “Merry Christmas!”

This anonymous Santa is a businessman from Kansas City. His plan is to cross the country, going into dozens of thrift stores, laundromats and bus stations, and walk up to hundreds of strangers who seem like they could use a Franklin or two and light up their lives.

By Christmas this stranger will have given out $75,000.

“Is this for real?” the victim asked.

“It's for real, buddy,” Santa said.

“And I can keep it?”

“It's yours and you can keep it.”

“God bless you. I was down to my last 20 cents.”

The current Secret Santa made a promise to Mr. Stewart, the original Secret Santa, that he would keep the Santa thing alive. Mr. Stewart had invested the last 25 years of his life giving away more than a million dollars--one Franklin at a time.

I think there really is a Secret Santa in each of us--It’s just a matter of letting him out. God put the spirit of giving in us long before anyone heard of Santa.
 

INSPIRATION

Larry had been out of work for months, and in early October his home went into foreclosure. He withdrew $300 from an ATM to use as a deposit on a rent house and put the ATM receipt in his shirt pocket.

With everything happening around him, he forgot the withdrawal. A couple weeks later the bank sent a letter reporting over $1000 in bounced checks along with the NSF fees charged by the bank.

Embarrassed by it all, Larry and his wife kept it to themselves. Both took on part-time jobs. And with Christmas just around the corner, they decided this year would be something small for the girls and nothing for each other. They felt alone and powerless.

It was their secret.

Then in mid December Larry found a $400 check in his church mailbox with a note, “From Your Friends. Merry Christmas.”

A couple of weeks later, on Christmas Eve, the family was watching TV when the doorbell rang. Outside on the porch they found sacks of groceries, a complete Christmas dinner, dresses for the girls, and a shirt and tie for Larry.

“To this day,” Larry says, “we don’t know who made 3 dresses, and gave us so much at Christmas. It was a defining moment when God reminded us that HE provides.”

MOTIVATION

You don't have to have a million dollars to be a blessing to others. But giving to others would be a great secret calling. There are people all around us who need a bite to eat, a cup of coffee, a smile, a conversation, a kind word, a blessing, a prayer, a gentle lift. Do you see them? Do something about it today, but keep it a secret.

You have something very valuable inside you...a treasure...the calling to make a difference in someone's life each day from now until Christmas. God has put it on you...so give what you have--give it in secret.

Don't waste your time wishing for Santa to come to your house; make a secret trip to a house that needs what you have. Ask God to put you in the path of just the right person this week, the one who needs a visit from secret Santa and then discover the joy of the secret.

This is your chance to be the story. Click here, then on "Secret Santa" and say YES. You've got 24 days to live the secret.

 

There doesn’t seem to be an immediate threat, but in today’s climate you never know. Thanksgiving Day is about more than overeating great food and napping during half-time. There is more to it than football and parades  and family pictures. Thanksgiving reminds us of a necessary part of our faith...it forces us to rekindle the secret behind thankfulness.

If you want a full life the way God intended, then choose to be thankful. Gratitude is the key that unlocks the door to ultimate healing and wholeness in the middle of brokenness.

Toward the end of his earth-visit, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him — and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:11-15, NIV)

"Rise and go; your faith has made you well." The man was already free of Leprosy, so what does this "made you well" phrase mean?

All ten had been healed physically, but this thankful one received the ultimate healing--he was made whole. Thanksgiving was a key to something deeper than the physical disease.

Thanksgiving heals our spirit, our attitude, and our future.

INSPIRATION

In January of 2002 I experienced a series of heart events that took me to that narrow edge between life and death. For 24 hours it was a touch and go, but it took me days to grasp how critical the time had been.

I remember a constant stream of visitors, dozens of cards, a few phone calls, and strangers peeking into my room, smiling and waving.

Just before I headed home to await a date for by-pass surgery, my doctor and I had an extended one-on-one chat. Toward the end he asked, "Have you noticed a few strangers coming by the room?"

"Yes, who are they?" I responded.

"They are nurses and techs who worked on you in the ER and all through that that first night," he began. &quoturing breaks they come by your room because you are their miracle man. Not many people go through what you did and live beyond the day. They feel connected to you."

Two months later I had triple by-pass surgery, and my talk with the doc faded. Then, on one of the annual cardiac reviews, I learned that my heart was rewiring itself; this discovery process reminded my of those ER workers. I was a breathing billboard of thanksgiving for what God had done, but I had failed to express my thanksgiving for what those ER workers had done.

A few days later I visited my ER. I stuck my head in and smiled. There were two nurses and one tech in the room, but none of them were there the morning I had arrived.

Why had it taken me so long? It had been four years...I should have done this sooner. I told my three listeners about what had happened to me, about the edge I had been on, and about the visits to my recovery room.

"I just want to say thank you...thanks to them for being there and for everything."

As I turned to go, each one hugged me. With tears in his eyes, the supervisor spoke, "We have a combined total experience of 37 years in ER's, and we have never been thanked for what we do. You may not have been able to connect with the staff that was here that day, but you have made this day unforgettable for us. Thank you!"

As I walked to the car, I felt alive and whole and strangely like I had been in the presence of God himself. All I did was say, "Thank you."
 

MOTIVATION

So, before you gather at the table and enjoy feast, make sure you have enjoyed a moment with Jesus. Make sure you have returned to him with a thankful heart. In one way or another, Jesus has healed us all.

Our decision to be thankful, truly personally thankful, for his gracious healing of our condition unlocks power that changes everything. Our choice makes the day holy, transformational and sacred.   

The choice: In spite of our differences, our failures, and our misgivings, we gather family and friends around a table of fellowship and food. We may bicker and banter, but we gather around that table because, for that day, we choose to enjoy the best life has to offer on this planet. 
 

In spite of all the video games, TV, texting, constant snacking and occasional complaining, when asked what they are thankful for, kids are candid and clear.

Along with family and soldiers and mashed potatoes, 6th grader Cody is thankful for his friend: "Kathryn is always there for me when I’m sad or upset. Whenever I am in a bad mood, she always finds a way to make me smile and laugh. Kathryn inspires me to try new things and when I do, I love it! She told me that horseback riding is really fun. I am now in riding lessons with her and it’s a blast! If I am ever in a predicament, she always helps me solve it. She’s my best friend! Thank God for best friends."

Think again about your best friends. Who are they? Why do you count them as best friends? Do they know it?
 

INSPIRATION

Real people who are thankful for real friends:

"I am thankful for my good friend Devin, who passed away about six months ago. He was an amazing person who truly loved life. He taught me so many things not just about life but also about me. He believed that people truly can accomplish and do great things in life if they believed in themselves. Devin never gave up and never wanted me or anyone else to either."
Ashley

"I am thankful for my best friend because no matter what is going on, she seems to care 100%. And when anything happens to her, good or bad, she can trust me. She’s been through a lot in her life, a lot people have, but I love how we can talk about anything and know what to do about it. Together."
Molly

"I am thankful that I have such a great best friend, who, while I was in the hospital for the past week, sent me a PM, sometimes 2, every day I was away. He knows who he is."

What would your Best Friend message be?

MOTIVATION

It’s the tradition in America to offer a prayer before the Thanksgiving feast begins. Let’s reclaim that tradition and make the Thanksgiving prayer one that still echoes in our hearts long after the last Amen.

• Write it out. 
• Keep it short. 
• Make it personal.

Need a place to start… how about these words?  

&quotear God, when we have more than enough food on our table, help us to remember those who have nothing. When we have jobs, help us to remember the jobless. When we have a home and family help us remember the homeless. When we are without pain, help us to remember those who live with pain everyday. But God, help us do more than remember these people, help this family to make them friends.”  

 

When you gathered around your Thanksgiving table this year, thank God for your human design. Thank him for your ability to be recharged, replenished and revived. It’s all in your DNA, but to be recharged means you have to have been drained and the ultimate charge only comes when you have been drained to the limit.

Ready for a recharge? There is a faith secret about this recharging process; it requires you to get your focus off yourself and onto others. Self-focus will never recharge you.

Think of people for whom you are truly grateful—people who during the year have made a measurable difference in your life. Jot down their names. They will become your draft picks for your 2009 Fantasy Thanksgiving Team.

By each name write down why you are thankful for him or her.

Now, during this week call or get face to face with your picks, and tell each one how your life has been touched. Thanksgiving is not about you, it's about them.

On the surface the talented, athletic, artistic, creative, and intelligent people grab our attention, the ones, who, in spite of overwhelming circumstances, survive and thrive; they inspire us.

But, what about the everyday, ordinary people who have a mysterious, yet profound impact on our lives? You know them! The thankful people! Gifted, yes, but they refuse to be stuck on themselves.

Not only do they overcome, they overflow with gratitude: like the cancer survivor who sees every day filled with opportunity to love, to serve, to live.

Or, the 65-year-old newlywed I know who, when her new husband had a stroke, said joyfully, “I am so thankful to have a husband to take care of!”

That kind of thankfulness WOWs me! And, they need to know it.

INSPIRATION

Former Miami Dolphin football coach Don Shula and his wife were on a vacation trip to a small town in Maine; they intended to relax without people recognizing them. When they arrived, it was raining so they decided to go see a movie.

As they entered the theatre, the house lights were on and a handful of people stood and gave them a warm little round of applause. Secretly pleased, Shula whispered to his wife, "I guess they recognize me everywhere."

Then a man stood up and said, “We’re thankful to see you folks; the manager said he wouldn't start the film until at least ten people came in."

It's easy to slip into self-centeredness, but it tends to cloud the real story. Humility is always a step forward.

Thanksgiving is never about me, it’s always about us, that’s what makes it Thanksgiving.

MOTIVATION

You know what you have been called to do, so do it!

 

I am troubled about what seems to be a growing honesty deficit. Have you noticed how scarce authentic honesty is in our culture? While our politicians work on increasing our national spending deficit, why don't we work on decreasing the deficit that is breeding rampant distrust, the honesty deficit?

Dishonesty is everywhere. It appears as concealing the truth, distorting the truth, or misleading interpretations of the truth. There is corporate dishonesty, spiritual dishonesty, malicious dishonesty, intellectual dishonesty, academic dishonesty, lack of integrity, crookedness, deviousness, trickery, underhandedness, and the list does on.

Regardless of what you call it, to work on it we have to unpack our intentions. It is all about our intent, and our faith is at the core of our intentions. Faith takes us to ground zero and tears away our pretending, our false front, our make-believe, our dishonesty. To be real our faith requires us to come clean, to be our real self, to trust God to transform our intentions.

The Apostle Paul told the Ephesian church that they were to be these Real People. "...we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ." Eph. 4:14-15 NLT

Faith in action transforms us, it matures us, it engages our intentions and makes us real. The way I see it, only faith-filled people have the power to be genuinely honest. That's why believers have the power to speak the truth in love... So, do we?

INSPIRATION

Charlie’s whole family loved peanut brittle. You could eat peanut brittle on Saturdays, but only on Saturdays. It was a family rule.

Around 11 on Friday night Charlie got a powerful craving for peanut brittle. He rationalized his situation. He, after all, was the one who made up the rule. He considered it a technicality, since it was after 12 already in the Eastern Time zone. And, he knew how to get in the bag and reseal it so no one would know.

Once into the bag, he enjoyed every bite.

Next morning no one suspected a thing. He had gotten away with it. But his conscience tormented him. Late Saturday night he realized he would have to confess his sin, but when? After all, it was a little thing.

After church seemed like a good time, but he was distracted by the mysterious disappearance of a cake that his wife had placed in the refrigerator Saturday afternoon. Neither Randy, nor Elizabeth seemed to know anything about it. Then, more distractions happened Sunday night and Monday night he was gone for the evening. So, Tuesday night Charlie called a family meeting in Elizabeth’s room just before her bedtime prayers.

Charlie told the story of breaking the rule—eating the peanut brittle—and asked the family to forgive him. Quite a discussion about what kind of punishment he should be given ensued, followed by a surprising revelation by Elizabeth.

The sensitive 6-year-old quietly reached under her bed and produced what was left of the missing cake. She confessed that she had taken it for a spur-of-the-moment party for the new twins down the street. The new boys’ parents were so busy moving furniture and boxes into the new house, they had forgotten the birthdays.

“Mom, I’m sorry. I thought we would just eat a little, but then I couldn’t squish it back together. So, I hid it under by bed and I’ve been eating on it.”

Then she looked up at her dad and said, “When you told about the peanut brittle, I had to tell about the cake.”

MOTIVATION

Journaling keeps us honest to God and honest with ourelves. Writing about our journey forces us to keep our eyes open to God's fingerprints in our lives. In the writing HE reminds us to stay honest to ourselves and to him. When we mess up, God uses our journal as a blue-print for action.   

The Holy Spirit already knows about your lies and cover-ups and dishonesty, so your confession is just getting you and God on the same page, admitting in your heart what HE already knows in his. And, after all, that's the best example of honesty I know of... "God and I agree."