Jettison

A late night of packing and preparing to take students to youth camp this week has me thinking… as with any other adventure, packing can be the most stressful part. You have to balance any unanticipated happenings (you never know when you’ll need an extra pair of socks, a hair dryer, or a box of Little Debbie cakes) with the practical concerns of Tetris-ing your luggage into your vehicle (not to mention not packing so much that you have to leave at least one kid at home to have enough room).

So it is in the journey of life. As believers we all are headed for eternity with our Lord, trying our best to experience Him along the way, to live right and to love others… but how do you pack for that? We accumulate spiritual, emotional and, yes, even material baggage that we drag behind us. Some of it makes us better equipped for our journey, some of those things are true assets, but some only weigh us down and keep us from reaching our maximum potential cruising altitude.

If there are memories, hurts, or even “stuff” that you’ve been making room for at the cost of the journey (or even worse, the destination) maybe it’s time to unpack a little. Don’t be afraid to leave some things behind for the sake of what’s ahead. Whatever you lose you’ll gain, and without the extra weight you might just make it further that you think.

But please… bring the Little Debbies.

Inspiration: Everywhere

It’s everywhere.

God’s poetry is everywhere.

From the glorious canvas on which he paints the sky to the lush melody of the birds in the trees, evidence of our creator is everywhere. In the splendor of the observable world to the mysteries of the microscopic and the vastness of the universe around us, if the art is any reflection of the artist, what a wonderful God we serve. Is it any wonder we were created to praise Him?

Perhaps one of the finest gifts in all creation is that the world around us is not merely observable in some limited capacity, as if creation were a menagerie to be seen but never touched. Rather, our world is fantastically interactive, designed to be enjoyed and explored. Across history, cultures and languages, spanning political, social or any other man-made obstacles, it seems certain that God set our world into motion with the express intent that we would share in the joys of creation to the effect that we would ultimately see and glorify its creator.

We see it in the universal pleasure we share at a child’s laughter, the pleasant smell of fresh flowers, warm sun and cool breeze, it is felt in the embrace of a loved one or something as simple and easily overlooked as the refreshment of a cool drink on a hot day… as if God has given us a Rosetta Stone of sorts, a common language of the sublime. How then do we so often neglect to see the love and wonder of our creator every day, evidenced in creation?

We call to memory Romans 1:20. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made”

At the majesty of the earth around us to the infinity of the stars above us, let us stand in awe. From the complex construction of atoms and molecules to the mechanical miracle that is the human body, let us marvel at the master architect. From the elegance of mathematics and logic, to the boundless capacity for creativity that He shares with us–His creation–let us be challenged to see the beauty, the wonder, the awesome power of God’s world… and in seeing, let us respond in the way we were certainly formed to… let us praise Him.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:11

I Propose a Toast

There can not be a more universally hated thing than burnt toast.

The smell of burnt toast brings an acrid misery to any breakfast environment, such that even a tall glass of orange juice can not wipe away its offensive pungency. This blackened bread brisket is a sure sign that somewhere you have failed, and as you scrape the charred surface into the sink with a butter knife you can only lament that your once golden toast, neglected but for a moment too long, has become an inedible shadow of what could have been.

I digress… This morning as I passed on to my son my patented technique for toaster waffle perfection (which is simply “Set toaster to MEDIUM,”) he asked me a question that staggered me with its simplicity and yet provoked me with its profundity.

“Daddy, if the darkest setting burns your toast, why did they even put that setting on the toaster?”

I marveled at this insight. Why, indeed? Is there some demographic of masochistic toast munchers that need their baked goods singed at a setting somewhere between Mt. Vesuvius and the surface of the sun before they can top it with their favorite marmalade or preserves? If so, should we even trust these connoisseurs of third degree burnt breads with plug in appliances? I think they should just stick with a danish and call it a day. This toast, in my expert opinion, is neither fit for the land nor the dunghill.

More offensive, however, than wasted toast is a wasted life. Every day you and I are presented with choices, like a tray of butter, honey, jelly and jam. We face a myriad of ways to customize our daily experience by the way we relate to people, the places we go, the way we conduct ourselves…  every day is a choose-your-own-adventure story and YOU’RE calling the shots. In all this, amidst all these options, whatever you do, wherever you go, it all comes down to one of two things; have I honored God this day or have I not?

We are expected to love God, to  obey Him and keep His commands. In Deuteronomy 30:19 He says, “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life…”

Like the darkest setting on the toaster I do not understand why God would even make death or curses or rejecting Him an option. Clearly there are worse things to burn than toast, your soul topping the list. Beyond the “heaven or hell” issue, however, the choice of choosing life and blessings is one we make every moment, not only as we relate to God, but as we relate to one another in Love. Are we giving life in our words and deeds, demonstrating the commandments that Jesus reminds us of in Luke 10:27 when he said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”?

The answer is found not in religiosity, but your religion is demonstrated in the way you handle yourself toward, for instance, your family. The way you conduct yourself with other perhaps less considerate drivers on your commute. In the way you speak to your waitress at lunch when you’re anxious for your ranch dressing. In the respect and regard you give those around you, both above and below your station. In the words that casually cross your lips. In your deliberate devotion to God.

God’s Word says “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)

So remember, let God’s grace shine through you, obey God in all you do, keep the toaster set to medium and set your love on high.

The Art of Appreciation

This weekend is Pastor Appreciation day.

We sometimes take for granted the things a great pastor does to care for his people, as most people usually only see an hour or so of their minister’s labor in action (prompting the often asked question “what do you even do all week?” Pro tip: Never ask your pastor that question.)

A pastor loves. A pastor prays. A pastor cares. A pastor prepares. A pastor has to be a teacher, coach, counselor, adviser, mediator, manager, businessperson, CEO, janitor, mentor, role model, entertainer, worshiper, 24 hour on call service person and sometimes that’s just before lunch. There is literally no bottom line on their job description, literally no time where they can “punch out” and just leave the ministry at the office.

If your pastor makes an impact on your life and in the life of your family, think about the time and commitment it takes that same pastor to touch the lives of all your fellow church members, and the community, and, if there’s time left, their own family. They seek God on how best to lead us. They find those good things in us that we have a hard time seeing just to encourage us. They speak truth into our lives, even if sometimes it’s not easy to hear. They are in the business of caring for people and their people is us.

If you’re a part of Sanctuary Church, you know what an amazing pastor God has given us. Take time to thank them.  If you’re part of another congregation, God has placed leaders in your life as well, to care for you and to share God’s truth into your life. Take time to thank them. And if you haven’t been to church in a while, if you haven’t got a church to call home, find one. There’s a whole world of love, acceptance, challenge and care waiting for you under the leadership of a great pastor. And once you’re in that place… take time to thank them.

After all, they only work an hour a week 😉

To Soar

Pastor John (@DrJLAlexander) shared a few weeks ago on the topic SOAR. What a great message (if you haven’t yet, check it out here)… I really love the imagery this stirs in my heart, the idea and feeling of leaving everything behind and reaching new heights in the Lord.

How many of us as children (and maybe a few of us well into adulthood) didn’t have a blanket that became a cape when we threw it over our shoulders and glanced upward? Who hasn’t gazed at the countless stars in the night sky in wonder and an overwhelming sense of the infinite? To leave the earth behind and live amongst the heavens, free as the proverbial bird? And yet we who yearn to fly consistently find ourselves grounded by something as quaint as gravity… a law of physics but a law we begrudgingly obey nonetheless. Our ambition is to soar, but our nature is, at the end of the day, decidedly more pedestrian.

I believe that God has designed us to be more than what we have become accustomed to. However I perceive that we, even as believers, default to a self-imposed “law,” an imaginary gravity of the routine, shackles to fear, and false labels of self-doubt. Glancing downward, we see ourselves as far less than we actually are in Christ. I propose that we begin to realign our vision of who we are in Christ; the chosen heirs, beloved children, blessed and favored, made to bear the image of the God of the universe. There is nothing mundane in that. Along with this identity, we must face that which holds us down, the weights and sins that so easily ensnare us, and make a choice to hurl them aside to the last, as the author of Hebrews instructs. Finally, perhaps most importantly, we must keep the immeasurable scale of God in mind. Again and again in the scripture we see demonstrated that nothing is impossible with God. If God never changes, and the Word says he doesn’t, why should our lives be any less amazing, incredible and fantastic than that of those who have gone before us?

Trust in God. Believe in yourself. Never stop looking up.