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  “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)

The challenge ahead of me is huge and seems impossible. I was asked to serve on the committee that would search for the next pastor of our large church. Our congregation has spiritually prospered under current leadership, but God has called our pastor to another position. We are grappling with our sadness at both the loss of his teaching and the loss of closeness – a deep friendship has grown between us.

This search process will involve long hours of meetings during which we will spend time getting to know each other at deep levels in order to build trust. We will pray, laugh, weep and discuss together.  The paperwork seems mountainous. Hours will be spent reviewing résumés, and talking with candidates. How in the world will this God-given task be accomplished?

While re-reading a small book by Frank Laubach, I came upon a similar situation while he was involved in a seemingly impossible ministry. He writes that if he were asked the chief difficulty in this endeavor, he would have to reply, “No chief difficulty except to keep ready spiritually.”

His words are so simple, so profound. The twelve of us on the search committee need to work hard and with integrity. And we need to keep ready spiritually. We need to walk with Jesus and work with Jesus and learn the unforced rhythms of grace.   If we keep ready spiritually be doing it “the Jesus way” God Himself will take care of the rest.

 Father, You know the impossible things that I am facing today. Remind me that it is all in your hands.  Help me to focus on doing this your way so I can rest in the knowledge that you will make a way for me. Amen.

 Question: Are there areas of your life that seem to be unbearable? Pray that God would help you see it through His eyes and give you ways to walk through it “the Jesus way.”

How can you be a better friend? Find out in “The Friendship Reflection” 

“I thank my God every time I remember you…” (Philippians 1:3)

On the first Saturday of this past December, I opened the doors of the kitchen cabinet that is high above all others. In that cabinet I store the red plates and cups that grace our table each Christmas. It is not just their color that makes them appropriate for the holiday season. Almost twenty years ago while living in Germany, a friend called to invite me to travel with her and a few other friends to a famous factory where Christmas dinnerware was manufactured. Unfortunately, my schedule was full for that day, but I asked her to bring back three or four of the less expensive plates and mugs.

A week or so later I opened my front door to see Cathy standing there with a complete set of the deep red dinnerware! Conflicting emotions immediately surfaced: “How absolutely beautiful our Christmas table would look!” And, “There is no way I can pay for all this.” But before the latter words came out of my mouth, Cathy said, “This is my Christmas gift to you.” And so through all these years, Cathy’s generosity has come to mind as I set our Christmas table.

This past December I noticed that the dinner plates were no longer bright and pristine. Surface scratches could no longer be hidden with white dinner plates set atop. It was time to pack up the plates and donate them to the re-sale shop down the street.

Even while twinges of sadness rose in my heart, I was reminded that while things wear out, memories remain. If I found replacement red plates, they would not be the same ones given by Cathy, but her generosity and love would be remembered. The temptation to grasp things is strong, especially in later years when such things seem to be the only tangible evidence of the past. But letting go of things while treasuring memories is a healthy way to live.

Dear Father, Thank you for the gift of friendship. Help me to be a good steward of the people you have placed in my life.  Amen.

Questions: Have you ever received an unexpectedly generous gift? Has God ever asked you to go above and beyond? How did you respond?

“I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39, The Living Translation)

Recently much of the eastern United States endured flooding as a result of heavy rains after a hurricane. Roads were washed out and people were stranded far from help. Small streams became raging torrents, ripping houses from their foundations. Electric power was nonexistent for hundreds of thousands of people. As one woman discarded spoiled food, she said, “I feel like a fish forced into a river.”

Where do fish go in a flood? Are they swept away to sure destruction? If they survive, how do they survive? One conservation specialist says that many fish go deep into the river to sit on the bottom where the current is least strong, the muddy, opaque water concealing them. Some simply adjust to go with the flow, enduring the stress but with only short-term storm effects.

While not everyone experiences a watery flood in his or her lifetime, similar devastation comes into the lives of everyone. A previously healthy, active child is suddenly diagnosed with cancer. A young adult son with a promising future suffers a deadly accident. The well-planned career is snatched away without warning. Divorce unexpectedly shatters a family.

Where does the Christian go in a flood? Many of us have learned to go “deep into the river to sit on the bottom.” We cannot avoid the swirling tempest, but we get into the quiet space with God where we can hear His whispers. Life demands that in one respect we “go with the flow,” tending to the demands of everyday responsibilities, but because of that deep place with God, the storm only alters us, but does not destroy.

Questions: Where do you head when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Is a time of flood an experience that strengthens your faith?

“He went out to them, walking on the lake…” (Mark 6:49)

The story is a familiar one: Jesus had just miraculously fed an enormous crowd with a lunch someone probably packed that morning for personal sustenance. Would the disciples need something even more dramatic to believe Him? Would they need a vivid, personal experience—something that would shake them to the core? The Bible records that after this miracle, “Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him.”

Following Jesus’ instructions, the disciples find themselves in the middle of the lake with winds whipping waves high enough to swamp their vessel. Suddenly, they see a ghostlike form walking on the waves and they cry out in understandable fear. Jesus immediately identifies Himself, calms their fears and climbs into the boat.

We can assume that His hair, His robes were soaked from the windswept spray. We have no indication that Jesus berated them for their lack of faith. (Although Mark hints that the entire scenario took place “because they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”)

What is so amazing to me is that Jesus was on the lake in the midst of the storm. Yes, it is miraculous that He was walking on the lake, but we must never forget that in spite of the fact that the disciples didn’t know of His presence, He had seen their plight while on the mountainside in prayer and came down to their situation. He could have calmed the seas He had created while remaining on the mountain or while standing on the shore. He could have avoided the blasting wind and whipping waves, but He walked on the lake, through the storm to the place where He could be close to them.

While we know that Jesus ascended and now sits with His Father, we also know that by the presence of His Holy Spirit, He walks to us and with us through every situation. No wind is so mighty, no wave too ferocious, no circumstance too frightening for Him to leave us alone.

Questions: Are you able to trust in God during your life storms?

“…he came to a cave and lodged in it; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?’” (1 Kings 18:9, Amplified version)

Elijah had seen God do miraculous things- things that validated his ministry – but he was now exhausted.  After hearing of threats on his life, Elijah ran over 100 miles into the desert where he sat under a tree asking God to take his life. He had had enough. But God was not finished living in and through Elijah and so he was revived with rest and food from the hand of an angel. Then, “Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb.”

Surely now after this very personal ministration by an angel, Elijah would be ready for a new ministry beginning. Instead we find him in a cave where God asks the haunting question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Wasn’t the presence of an angel enough to assure Elijah that God had been—and would continue to be—faithful?

Elijah was human just like we are. He was too tired, too afraid, too spent to go on. Perhaps he wondered if that angel was just a dream. Perhaps he wondered if his ministry was over. Perhaps he had forgotten the promises of God. And so he finds a cave.

God reveals Himself to Elijah in the gentlest of whispers, but then He begins His new message with these simple words: “Go back the way you came…” Get out of the cave, retrace your steps, do the job I have called you to do.

While caves can be dark and forbidding, they can also seem safe – away from the elements, far from the people who threaten (or merely disturb) us, distant from the unending call of responsibilities. But eventually we will hear God’s question: “What are you doing here?” And often the answer is the same as the one spoken to Elijah: “Go back the way you came.”

Question: Is God calling you to leave a cave in your life? Have you been running into safe caves and not into the arms of our loving Father?

“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one…who speaks the truth from the heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others.” (Psalm 15:1-3)

“What comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart.”  (Matthew 15:18, The Message)

In human beings, less than twelve inches—thirty centimeters—separates the heart from the mouth. That measurement is a vivid reminder of how quickly the mouth reveals what dwells within the deepest core of our being.

When caustic, hurtful, or “I-didn’t-mean-it-that-way” phrases slip from our lips, we need to take a careful look inside to discover the source of the words. Inviting the Holy Spirit to reveal our speech patterns is the first step in improving our communication, but practical steps should also be taken.

1. Listen to yourself. Take note of when a person is hurt. What were the circumstances when you said something that you later wish you had said differently? Do your responses occur most often with individuals or in groups? Try to find a pattern.

2. Listen to others. Often when we respond in a less than appropriate way, it’s because we didn’t fully hear and comprehend what was being said. Take time to sit back and listen to people and observe the atmosphere of the conversation.

3. Look at others. Learning the body language of our listeners will help us “fine tune” our word skills. How people convey information is a very good indicator of how they best absorb information.

4. Consider the words you wish to deliver. One expert advises, “Is what you want to say effective, necessary, accurate, timely, and appropriate?” If you are just responding because other people are talking, you may wish to limit your response. You want what you say to have impact, not just make noise.

While we need not examine every word that comes out of our mouths in excruciating detail, growing in our ability to speak in a wholesome manner is addressed directly by one first century man who used words well: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29)

“If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin… If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:7 and 9)

The young couple have a four-year-old daughter and Daddy was describing to friends how they help their little girl when she has disobeyed or fallen short of their expectations. Instead of going to the proverbial Timeout Chair, she sits in the Think-It-Over Chair. After the allotted time, mom or dad ask Susie if she understands what she did wrong and then assure her of their love. Off she goes to resume life, “walking in the light.”

What a beautiful example of what confession can mean for the Christian. Too often we quickly admit our sin but give little thought to what led up to our displeasing actions or attitude. When we acknowledge and accept God’s gracious forgiveness without such contemplation, it is easy to fall in to a repetitive pattern of confession/forgiveness/ confession/forgiveness without deep-seated and lasting change.

Perhaps we should appoint a place—either an actual physical location or a quiet spot in our minds, a Think It Over space—where we stop activity and think carefully about our actions. And then, of course, bask in God’s gracious forgiveness as we walk in the light.

“How precious are your thoughts concerning me …” Psalm 139:17

It had been anything but a “quiet” time. Although I had closed the door and opened my Bible, my attention skittered between meetings just attended, people needs for which I felt responsible, and future events crowding the calendar. A glance at the clock too soon revealed that it was time to leave my private chamber and tend to the day’s responsibilities. “So much for spiritual preparation” was my somewhat whiny comment to God.

Then came His voice speaking into my heart—as clearly as if He had been physically standing before me: “That okay, my daughter. I just wanted to sit here with you. I’ve enjoyed our time together.”

We delude ourselves into thinking that our quiet times are primarily for our own benefit. We are intellectually aware that God is always with us, that His eye is not only on the sparrow but on each of us. We claim a personal relationship with Him yet are slow to understand much of what that means.

How different would be our attitudes if we began to learn that we come into His presence to give Him joy.

God, I am so grateful for Your personal love for me. To think that You simply desire me to be inYour presence is overwhelming. I love You.

Reflection: Sit quietly and imagine the look on God’s face as you come into His presence. What words of welcome might He be saying to you?

Develop a heart of worship with today’s life lesson

“How wonderful it is, how pleasant for God’s people to live together in harmony!” (Psalm 133:1, Good News? translation)

Before the orchestra conductor makes an appearance, the violinist stands. She asks the principal oboe player to sound a “tuning A,” a note which the oboist plays the same each time because of the way the instrument is made. Soon the audience hears what seems like a cacophony of sound. Oboes, cellos, trombones all seek to match that perfect note, tuning their own instruments until they hear that their note is the same as the oboe’s.  When they begin their performance, they play in perfect harmony.

In the 18th century, Robert Robinson wrote the words to the hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” One phrase lingers: “Tune my heart to sing Thy grace.” I wonder how often we attempt to sing—or more commonly, speak—of God’s grace without proper tuning. We have not taken time to look closely into our hearts to see if we are “in tune” with our maestro, our Master.

And what music would the world outside the doors of the church hear if each of us listened to the perfect pitch of the Holy Spirit? A hungry, waiting world is dying to hear the perfect music played on the instruments of God’s grace.

Question: Do you need to “tune” in to God today?

Do you want to dig deeper into your love for God? Try our life lesson “Developing a Heart of Worship”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV)

In movies of the American Old West, it is common to see the rough and ready cowboy ambling down a wooden sidewalk, tipping his broad brimmed hat to passing ladies. The hat isn’t really lifted off his head, just slightly tilted as a show of respect, an acknowledgement. No relationship is initiated, nor is one intended.

It is this display of somewhat superficial acknowledgement that we often exhibit in our relationship with God. We “tip our hat to Him”each morning, before meals and at the end of the day. We mentally recognize His ?presence and promises, but we seldom stop long enough to “look full in His wonderful face.”

While the basic meaning of the word acknowledge as used in the book of Proverbs is “to see or know”, within the word lies the meaning of comprehension, perception and understanding. Another translator equates this with the word submission.

Am I sometimes guilty of passing God on the sidewalks of my life, giving mental assent to Him, but not truly submitting the circumstances of that moment into His care? Are my table prayers perfunctory instead of laced with heartfelt gratitude? Do I tip my spiritual hat to God instead of graciously recognizing His sovereignty and love? I ask for His direction; now I must grow in submission.

Questions: Are you spending enough quality time with God? How can you make room in your schedule for more time with God?