A lot to be thankful for

I have a lot to be thankful for!  I’m reminded of that on this long Thanksgiving weekend.  I haven’t blogged for quite a while, partially because of the business of my weekend, but I think also because I’ve been taking a lot of stuff in.  I’ve been seeing the good things in my life that I should be thankful for and kind of digesting these things (along with a lot of turkey).

First of all, I celebrated my birthday last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.  I love having birthdays!  I always have.  Obviously, my birthday is always close to Thanksgiving so I’ve always had big family gatherings to celebrate my birthday; it’s just a coincidence that we celebrate Thanksgiving at the same time.  This year, my birthday was great as Kathy cooked me one of my favorite meals with meat loaf and mashed potatoes. 

Then there was Thanksgiving Day.  I got to sleep in a bit and then watch a little bit of the Macy’s parade at home.  I get bored with the parade pretty quick, but it’s sort of traditional to watch it at least for a little while.  We had turkey dinner at Kathy’s father’s house and it was delicious.  (Her father’s wife made me a special cocoanut cream pie as a birthday gift!)  We enjoyed playing Wii and watching Jakob play Wii for most of the day while we enjoyed time with each other.

Kathy made some fantastic lasagna on Friday night as we had a few friends over to celebrate my birthday weekend (again!).  What a blessing!

To top it off, I got to preach at church this morning.  Sure, I get a little nervous about preaching but it is an opportunity that I cherish and it’s an opportunity I will always look forward to.  I hope to get to share in our Sunday celebration many, many more times in the future.

So, yes, I have a lot to be thankful for and this weekend helped me re-focus on these things.   

Revolutionary Love

A sample of pictures from Rwanda.  If you went, you will surely understand the words, “And I don’t want to leave this place.”

Holiday hurries

Holiday time is here!  It seems like it snuck up on me this year.  Wasn’t it only 3 weeks ago that we had Labor Day and the leaves started to change?  Now, I go outside and it’s freezing cold and I see Christmas decorations all over the place.  Where does the time go?

The holidays are always so busy.  There are parties, parades, open houses, school programs, and more.  I’ve decided this year, though, that I am not over-scheduling myself this year.  I am determined to enjoy the holidays at a manageable pace.  I’m sure that will mean that I have to forego some parties, so I’ll need to be wise in my choices.  I’m determined to look at activities and only do those that really make sense for my family and me.  

As I look at simplifying my life, this is a good place to start.  Christmas parties are great and lots of fun, but if I am dashing from one to the other, letting myself become over-tired, and dragging my family from here to there, then I need to slow things down.  

May I be the first to tell you, “Merry Christmas!”

Billy

I just finished reading Billy by William Paul Mackay and Ken Abraham.  I have liked Billy Graham since I was a little boy as he was one of the preachers that I could listen to and stay interested in for an entire sermon.  The book’s focus is on Mr. Graham’s friendship with Chuck Templeton.  Templeton was an evangelist and friend of Mr. Graham in the early years until he walked away from his ministry and his faith. 

The book switches back and forth between Mr. Templeton’s hospital room in 2001 (he was suffering from Alzheimer’s) and vignettes from the lives of Graham and Templeton as a reporter was trying to dig up some dirt on Mr. Graham.  (Note that Templeton had no dirt to dish on Graham even after all these years.)  The book’s point of tension is the calling and finger of God on Graham’s life as opposed to Templeton’s desire to become a great preacher on account of his gifts.  His gifts carried him further than his integrity could keep him.

Throughout my life, I have spent a good deal of time thinking about God’s call on someone and how it affects them.  Does God put His finger on specific individuals and hold them on the path with a more steady hand than others?  Does God show favor on certain of His chosen people?  The authors quote Templeton as saying, “Billy didn’t know the difference between Tibet and China.  Ha!  End of Story.  There’s no greatness there!  I’m telling you, young lady, at each stage of Billy’s life, left to his own devices, Billy would have taken the path that led to mediocrity.  But something stepped always stepped in to save him.”  Was that ‘something’ the finger of God?

Templeton’s loss of faith swayed Graham to question and reconsider his faith.  Mackay and Abraham also painted a great picture of the spiritual warfare that was swirling around Graham as he, himself, was questioning his faith.  The words the authors used, vividly describe a war beyond the realm of human understanding.

I recommend the book.  I don’t typically read biographies, but I can recommend this one to anyone who would like more insight into the life of Billy Graham or anyone who questions their own faith. 

8 years is half a lifetime

I love to see the world through my 7 year-old son’s eyes.  He (Jakob) is so quick to see things and comment on them and his insight is usually pretty unique and interesting.  A couple of days ago, he said that he would probably be 15 years old when Barack Obama finishes his term as president.  He knows that a term is 4 years and that a president can serve for 2 terms.  By the time Barack Obama is done, he might have been president for half of Jakob’s life. 

It made me think, though, of the great impact of a president’s term on young folks.  In a lot of ways, it shapes the way they grow up seeing the world.  George W. Bush has been president all of Jakob’s life and now Barack Obama will be president for up to 8 more years of his life.  Then, to look a little further out, Jakob will be able to vote for the president who follows Obama if that president seeks a second term (think 2020).  Time flies, huh?

I was shaped a lot by the presidents and events from my early years.  In my first 10 years on the planet, a president was assassinated, his brother and a presidential candidate was assassinated, the foremost civil rights leader in the country was assassinated, a president resigned because of illegal activities and their cover up (even though he ‘was not a crook’), and we were engaged in a very unpopular war.  All of these things that I grew up learning about and experiencing have had and will continue to have an effect on my perception of life in America.

The conclusion I come to then, is that we need to pray for our leaders; regardless of their political parties or leanings.  We need to pray for integrity and strong leadership.  We need to pray that God will guide our leaders as they make choices that our children will live with over the coming generations.  We need to pray for our children, too.  We need to pray that they will grow up with good leadership in their country and that they will be molded into leaders for another time and another generation.

What breaks our hearts

What if the things that break God’s heart were the things that break our hearts?   While we were in Rwanda, we all prayed that God would break our hearts with the things that break His.  It’s a dangerous prayer because He did break our hearts and we will never be the same.

It’s almost like we got a new set of eyes.  We were broken by street boys that only had two meals a week and still offered us a bite from one of them.  We were broken by single moms who lived in squalor on a dirt floor with food that was found on the market floor and only a small pot over a small fire for cooking.  Men who were dying with AIDS in a lonely bed in the hospital broke us.  Orphans who just want a loving touch and a smile broke us.   We will never be the same.

Look around.  There are things that break God’s heart everywhere you look.  There are lonely people walking in the midst of our crowded streets; there are lonely people trapped inside their affluent homes.  There are hungry people living within a few miles of our churches.   Widows who need home repairs they cannot afford live all around us.  Orphans and children of single moms are starving for the Father’s love. 

We can’t rescue all the people who need to be rescued, but maybe we can rescue one.  We can’t feed all the hungry folks, but maybe we can feed one.  We can’t befriend all the lonely, but maybe we can befriend one.  We can make a difference.

So, pray this prayer if you dare.  But know, you may never be the same.

 

 

Wasteful love

I was reading in the book of Mark today and read the story of the lady with the alabaster jar of perfume made of pure nard (Mark 14).  She broke the jar and anointed Jesus with the perfume.  Of course, many of those who were hanging out with Jesus were outraged at such a wasteful use of this expensive perfume.  They even commented on how much better it would have been to sell the perfume and give the money to the poor.  (I think Judas might have been in this camp, but I’m no so sure the money would have gone to help the poor!)  Of course, Jesus affirmed this lady’s gift to him and declared that her story would be told for as long as the gospel is preached.

There are a couple of good points to consider here.  First, did you notice that the lady broke the jar of perfume and anointed Jesus with all of it.  She could have poured a few dribbles out and anointed him, but she didn’t.  She broke the jar and poured it on Jesus.  She wasn’t holding back.  She gave all of her very best.  Second, she was criticized.  There were plenty of people who claimed that they could have made better use of the perfume.  Sure, it’s great to help the poor and it’s great to give away but I think the most important use of our resources  is to worship Jesus and give all our praise to him.  This is what the lady with the alabaster jar was doing.  

Finally, Jesus was pleased.  He affirmed her gift in front of all her critics.  He affirmed the power and beauty of giving ALL of our BEST to him.  

As I give, I want to learn these lessons well.  I want to break my alabaster jars and give all to him.  I want to ignore my critics and give what Jesus leads me to give.  I want to hear Jesus tell me that I have done a beautiful thing by giving all of my best to him.

Beyond our imagination

I was thinking about the book of Genesis and the story of Adam and Eve recently.  Adam was here on earth and God gave him the task of naming all the animals.  Adam was an important man with an important task.  But, Adam was lonely.  He wanted and needed companionship.  God saw this and decided to give Adam a helpmate and companion.

Nobody knows Adam’s thoughts about this, but I have to believe Adam was expecting God to give him a companion that looked and acted just like him.  I don’t think Adam could imagine anything more than this.  Remember, Adam was the only human on earth, he had no point of reference for any companion that would be any different from himself.

Imagine Adam’s surprise when he woke up from the sleep God had put him into!  He didn’t see a companion that looked, acted, and smelled like him.  God gave him Eve!  God saw Adam’s need for a companion, heard Adam’s desire for a companion, and fulfilled that desire far beyond Adam’s wildest imagination!  God saved his most glorious and beautiful creation to be a companion for Adam.

God is like that.  He gives us dreams to dream and then He delivers far beyond our expectations.  God has given me some dreams that are pretty big.  And, I believe (I really believe) God will fulfill those dreams far beyond whatever I can imagine.

Whoever you are, whatever you do, I urge you to dream BIG dreams!  Ask God to give you BIG dreams.  Seek His will, listen to His voice, and be amazed at how God fulfills those BIG dreams beyond your wildest imagination!