Blessed bumps

In the midst of our greatest struggles we come face to face with the most precious of blessings.
It may seem counterintuitive. How could our most difficult circumstances and trying of struggles be a great gift? Aren't the times of ease and prosperity the blessed days and the tough days are just the unpleasant road to easy street?
I know we all want to get to kick back every day and just skate through life without bumps and certainly without bruises. The trouble with that life is that it produces little to no growth. Just think about it, when life is smooth sailing are you challenged to grow emotionally and spiritually? Do the times of steady bliss cause you to renew your strength in God or does it lead to a stale complacency?
I can't answer for you but I can answer for myself. I need the struggles. The tension of difficulty produces growth in me. Ease does not. Ease leads to a monotonous faith that starts to reek of milk that has been left out too long. Just like the milk needs the fridge to stay fresh, I need difficulty to keep my faith fresh and fully alive.
Although I recognize that God uses the difficult days and moments to grow my reliance on Him, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm always immediately on board with the pain that takes place. In fact, I usually rail against it for at least a little while. I am so short sighted and quick to forget the past that I neglect the principle God has taught me: growth comes through struggle - and it's painful.
Yet, when God throws another bump in my road I am prone to a temper tantrum like a small child in the grocery store check out line who wants a bag of M&Ms. He desperately wants the candy but his Mom doesn't want her son to ruin his appetite for dinner, so she won't give in to his wailing. I am wailing to God, telling Him I don't want another struggle but He knows it will grow my faith and dependence on Him. So He won't relent, the struggle that leads to growth will continue.
God allows growing pains. They are a blessing He bestows on His children because He wants a more intimate relationship with them. Through the pain we, as His helpless kids, turn to Him and cry out to Him. When times are easy we tend not to come to His throne with such frequency and urgency. But God wants us at His feet consistently so He brings us there through trials, struggles and difficulties. He brings us to Himself through pain.
I must remind myself that when I am experiencing growing pains I am actually experiencing the showering of blessings from God. He wants a deeper relationship with me. He is pulling me towards Himself. He is embracing me.
Chances are I'll need much more reminding of this important truth. I am too quick to forget that God is showing me love in the midst of my hurt. So, I must re-write it, re-read it and re-claim in continually. Trials will continue to come. I will not escape struggles and difficulty. And I have God to thank because He wants to grow me. In all of these circumstances that look bleak and feel hopeless He is calling me to Himself so that I may have a closer walk with Him. Every bump in the road is a blessing from Him, drawing me to Him so that I might find refuge and rest for the journey.

Better than Santa

Do you remember the great anticipation you felt on Christmas Eve when you were just a young child? You had written your letter to Santa and put in your order for his team of elves to fulfill. You had complete confidence in jolly old St. Nick bringing you all the toys and goodies on your list. After all, he had always come through before. Every Christmas morning was filled with boxes and bags that contained all the contents of your list. There was never any doubt that each year the list would be filled again.
So, the night before that blessed morning you laid out your cookies and tried your best to fall asleep. Excitement would grip you and lazy eyes were hard to come by. Finally, after much tossing and turning you would drift off. It was only then that Santa would shimmy down your chimney and lay out your precious gifts.
Awaking the next morning was magical. A tree that was once standing alone was now surrounded by gifts. A stocking was hung with delicate care, gifts peaking out from the top. Ribbons and bows were just begging to be untied. You couldn't wait to tear open the glistening wrapping paper and pull the wrapping paper from all the bags because  you knew your desired gifts were hidden inside.
Isn't it amazing how much confidence we put in Santa as children? For years we never questioned how Santa fit down the chimney or how he could possibly make it to every single house in one night. We accepted that Santa was special enough to make it all happen just the way we were told. We accepted the stories as truth and rested in that truth.
We put unshakable confidence in Santa but do we put that same confidence in God?
Are we not all guilty of praying to God with a half-hearted belief that He is truly listening? There are moments, sometimes frequent moments, where we doubt that God is actually working out our circumstances for our good. We expect God to be like Santa, fulfilling our desires down to the letter on a certain day on the calendar. When we open a present and see that it reveals something different then what we asked for we assume God didn't get the message, that He wasn't paying attention to our cries.
Our confidence in God is often on shaky ground. Even when we go to Him in prayer we can still be holding back part of our belief that He will fulfill that prayer.
I know this because I am terribly guilty of such lackluster faith. I cry out to God and yet, in the same breath, wonder whether or not He is truly listening. I doubt that the ups and downs in life are His marvelous plan or just a series of happenstance events. When my list doesn't get fulfilled I tend to get frustrated with God and my assurance in His consistency and faithfulness falters.
When I look at my pathetic level of confidence in my omnipotent, all powerful God I become ashamed at my lack of faith. How could I put so much stock in Santa as a child, a mythical character, and yet withhold confidence in God, the alive and real creator and ruler of the world?
Hebrews 4:16 serves as a much-needed reminder of the confidence that should be the bedrock of every believer. "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
Confidence. God wants confident faith. He wants us to approach Him with the unshakable belief that no matter what lay beneath the wrapping paper, no matter what the gift contains, we are certain that it is perfect. No matter what our circumstances or situation, God is asking us to shed the preconceived notions of what we think is best and cling to the fact that whatever is His will is truly best. 
Our confidence is easily shaken when we are basing it on getting what it is we think we want or what we think would benefit us the most. But God gives us what we need, what is best. He might not fulfill our wish list in the time frame we expect and some gifts might never come at all. What we receive is even better than the ideas we scratched out on paper or cried out in the night. God's will is carefully wrapped, each step on our path orchestrated with His all-knowing and loving hand. He sees what is best and makes sure that we receive it, even if it wasn't what was written on our list. 

Let us approach God with complete and total confidence in the giver of all good gifts. Tear up your wish-list and cling to God's perfect plan, knowing that what He can accomplish in your life is better than what you can comprehend. When we get caught up in expecting God to be Santa we lose heart when we don't get exactly what we wrote on our list. But God has a better list. He has a perfect list and He will fulfill it in His perfect timing.

Resolutions worth making

Every December 31st TV specials highlight the past year's top everything. Top viral videos, top songs, top scandles, top fashion flops and top fashion successes. They list the words we all hope go away in the new year and talk about the people we hope aren't splashed across our screens for another 365 days. And then, as the program comes to a close, the hosts and guests always discuss their personal resolutions for the new year.
The lists are usually quite typical: spend more time with family, get organized, eat healthier, shed a few extra pounds, save more money. 
Some resolutions are bit more gutsy - one in particular. According to a study published by the University of Scranton, the top ten resolutions include number nine: fall in love.
For those making resolution number nine I must give them credit for optimism. They must truly believe that they can will themselves into finding Mr. or Mrs. Right. Then they must will themselves into falling head over heels in love with that person. Now, if that love is reciprocated is another matter. Does this resolution have an unspoken understanding attached that resolves to also make their love interest fall in love with them in return?
The whole concept seems a bit misguided if you ask me. This resolution assumes that finding love is a matter of want to. But falling in love isn't a matter of making the decision to fall in love in a certain time frame and then going out and finding a mate to fit the bill. Love doesn't come that way. This isn't like buying a product on Amazon and choosing the shipping method. "I'd like love and I'd like it on expediant, two-day shipping." Click, click.
No, that isn't the way falling in love works.
To truly "fall" in love - which is a terrible term but for the sake of sticking to the study we'll go with it - God must bring two hearts into union. Our prayers can give God our desire to find love and share love but He chooses whether or not to fulfill the desire and He chooses the shipping method.
The longing of the heart to find companionship is a natural desire. Adam was given Eve. God thought it was right for the two to have each other and help each other. Two were better than one. Notice that Adam didn't receive Eve because he told God, "Hey, I think I could use some help down here. I'd like a person to be with me and I'd like to find them appealing. Thanks. Oh, and if you could do this before you're done with the whole creation week that'd be great." 
No, that is not how Adam recieved Eve. Instead, it was God who looked at Adam and saw that he could use a companion.
Look at Genesis 2:20. God alone is the orchestrator of the union of man and woman.
"But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh."
Isn't this amazing? Adam wasn't even awake and aware that this love was being created for him. He didn't have to send in an order or make a resolution. God saw the need and He filled it in His great power. 
Resolutions can be wonderful for getting healthy and making changes for self-improvement. But falling in love isn't our resolution to make. God can cause love to find us and flourish if that His will. If we, as His devoted and obediant children, seek to live squarly within that will then we won't be trying to force falling in love. Instead, we will be nurtiring the love we have with our Savior, trusting that mutual human affection and love will come from His hand, in His time.
This year, I will not resolve to fall in love with a mere man. Instead, I am resolving to rest more soundly and peacefully in the comfort of my First Love. It is in His arms that I find the greatest companionship and devotion. It is in His arms that I am truly cared for. If someday He sees it fit to give a helper, then I will embrace this new love through the outpouring of the love I have from my Savior's indwelling in me.
First we must fall in love with Jesus Christ, the one who bestows on us perfect love. It is in becoming united with Him that we learn the true meaning of love. Once we are overcome with His love, the need for human love diminishes. It is replaced with an overflowing of His love and grace satisfying and filling our hearts.
Christ's love is open and available to all who ask. It is ready and available. Jesus has already poured it out for us on the cross. This year and every year is the right year, the right day and the right moment to fall in love with Him. It is a resolution worth making and more importantly, worth keeping.

In the quiet…

God still comes in the still and the quiet; the soft and the slow, just like he did on that first Christmas.
Jesus didn't come with a thunder or mighty flame. The fanfare was minimal, to say the least. A few wise men and shepherds. This wasn't an affair that drew what would have been considered celebrities or powerful authorities of the day. The event of Jesus' coming was hidden away.
Today Jesus comes in the same way.   We may meet him in the quietest of moments and humblest of surroundings. If we aren't careful we might miss Him entirely. If we get caught looking for something flashy to signal the coming of the King we might not realize that He has come and is right here, right now.
At Christmas time we are reminded that Jesus came on a mission to be the ultimate and final sacrifice for lost, sinful people. We are reminded that His mission started in a stable, born of a virgin. The mission, the most crucial of missions that would lead to a cross and the salvation of the whole human race by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ, began in the most unassuming of circumstances.
As we celebrate this Christmas season and the gift of our Savior, let us not forget how He comes. Our lives are dotted with encounters with Him that easily be missed if we don't know how He comes.
Yesterday I had the beautiful reminder of how simply God shows Himself. There was one gift that I had wanted for Christmas but I didn't vocalize my desire to anyone and didn't scratch it down on a list. I  debated whether or not to just pipe up and ask. The desire of my heart was a new cross necklace but I don't like asking for jewelry. To me, jewelry is one of those gifts you just want to receive, not one you ask for.
So, I didn't ask. Instead I sent my request to God and laid it down at His feet. The gift of a cross necklace wouldn't make or break my Christmas. It's just a material possession. In my heart I knew all those things and knew that God would see to it that if I was meant to get a cross, I would. And if He didn't want me to have it then I would rest in the knowledge that He wanted me to learn a different lesson, maybe one that strengthened my happiness and joy regardless of the gifts under the tree.
As I said my silent prayer I was immediately comforted. The words were almost audible, "don't worry, you'll get your cross." As I walked through stores, running across tables full of little crosses, I held onto those words, believing that God's care reaches to even the small and simple desires of my heart.
On Christmas morning the thought of that cross wasn't on my mind as I began to open gifts but it only took a moment for me to be reminded. In my stocking, my first gift to open, all wrapped in tissue paper, was a small silver cross.
My heart was overwhelmed with the presence of my King who came as a tiny baby in a manger. He didn't come wrapped in a big red bow or with applause and banners waving. But He came. And here He was again, showing Himself to be my constant Companion, mighty Savior and all-sufficient Provider. He didn't need to show me His love with a big flashy gift decked out with all the bells and whistles money can buy. He showed me in the most precious of ways - with a small, delicate silver cross. It was perfect. Just like that baby in a manger.
Jesus is still present and active in the lives of those who seek Him. He may show Himself in a whisper or the quietness of a falling snow. But listen carefully. Look closely. He is there with mighty power and all consuming love.
Christmas is a special time for us to celebrate the small baby that gave the greatest gift. The perfect child, born in a manger, brought the path to eternal life. In His life, death and resurrection He has paved the way for those who surrender to Him.
Much of the world missed the coming of the King on that first Christmas. They didn't expect Him to come in a stable amidst farm animals and hay. But He came in a way the world would never have imagined. He still comes in that same way today. In the soft, still and quiet He comes.
Dear friend, don't miss Him.

I am a sheep, are you?

The temperatures were hovering at freezing and the air spit out a mix between rain and snow, making the roads a sloppy mess and the air damp and dreary. But the atmosphere was alive and rambunctious. It was New Years Eve in Times Square, so of course it was filled with excitement and anticipation. Not even inclement weather could dampen the spirits of the millions who had gathered to count down to the new year.
Standing in the middle of Times Square at the moment that iconic ball dropped has always been a to-do on my bucket list. Now I can say it is crossed off. I attended the festivities and survived! Mission accomplished. As fun as that night was I would be perfectly content to never repeat it. That kind of excitement can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, if you ask me. I'd be satisfied with crossing it off the list just once.
Like I said, the weather was less than ideal. For the six hours we stood on Broadway the skies spat out rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain on a continuous loop. By the end of the night I was unsure of whether or not my toes were still attached. It wasn't until I got home and was able to inspect the situation that I could rest easy knowing that I still had all ten toes I had begun the day with.
To say that Times Square is crowded on New Years Eve is like saying that standing under Niagara Falls will get you wet. Crowded just doesn't do it justice. The crowds are packed in like sardines, shoulder to shoulder and sometimes even closer than that. You get awfully comfortable with complete strangers since you are practically hugging them. You don't have much of a say in the matter. You are literally corralled into the barricades and shuffled closer to the famous Waterford Crystal ball that will drop, aka "slowly lower", as the clock strikes midnight.
Essentially you are herded like a sheep. The sound of "bahhh" plays through your mind on repeat all through the night. The crowds are the sheep. The police are the farmers. Just like on a farm, the sheep don't have a say in the matter. The farmer knows where they are supposed to go next and he sees to it that they end up there.
And so it is on News Year Eve in Times Square. The police play farmer as they control the crowds and move them into position for the big moment.
Throughout the night I couldn't help but think of that age old advice parents always give their children: don't be a sheep. What they mean is, don't be a follower. Be a leader. I laughed internally as I thought about how what I was doing, standing in that crowd of people, was the exact picture of what our parents didn't want us to become! They wanted us to be on the outside of the barricades even when the rest of the world said bahhh all the way home, trapped behind a wire fence.
Famous writers and speakers have driven this point home using the sheep as the perfect picture of a dumb follower, blindly walking behind the person in front of them, never thinking for themselves or taking a risk. One woman once said, "It is better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life." Ouch. That doesn't say much for the sheep.
But have all of these writers and parents considered what flock their child or reader might join? Sure, we don't want to become a sheep of the ways of the world - following into moral decay simply because the rest of the crowd is marching forcefully in that direction. But is there a good flock with a good shepherd?
What about Jesus' flock?
Psalm 95:7 says, "For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand."
I am perfectly content to never be a sheep on News Year Eve in New York City ever again. And I hope to never be a sheep in the flock of this world, embracing sin and political correctness so that I can fit in and "get along." But I do want to be a sheep in the flock of Jesus. I want Him to be my shepherd, leading and guiding me. I want to follow, even blindly, behind Him. 
Why would I willingly want to be a sheep, an animal seen as so dumb and stupid that it would be better to be a lion for a single day than a sheep for a lifetime? Because I know that I am just as lost and confused as those poor sheep under the care of a farmer. I know that, apart from God, I am a lamb to the slaughter, caught in a life of sin and destined for a lifetimes of eternal damnation. I need a shepherd to save me from the pit.
On my own I know I am bound for destruction. I will get attacked by wild animals. I will search for food and water and find none. I will get lost and turned around in a land that is unfamiliar to me.
God is my only hope. It is only by His shepherding I will be shown the way.
Blessed are the sheep in Jesus' flock. The world might look at those sheep and shake their heads in confusion. Why would anyone willingly become a sheep? I will tell you why: because we have a Good and Perfect Shepherd. By His love and grace we are given life and direction. Apart from Him we are hopeless. But with Him we have a hope eternal. He is the Good Shepherd and I am happily among the sheep in His flock.

Ducks, the dynasty, and God's truth

This whole Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson controversy is probably overly talked about. And with that I will now voice my thoughts about the whole situation, knowing that everyone on planet earth is probably sick to death of hearing the name Phil, seeing a duck or hearing the word "controversy."
Personally, my opinion of this situation is quite simple. Phil had the right to speak truth. The journalist at GQ had the right to print it. And A&E had the right to essentially fire Phil.
But what it says about our culture is a bigger issue. TV broadcasts "twerking" and sexually demean female conservatives on so-called news programs. Yet, when a Christian says something about a topic that they find offensive because it has to do with actual Biblical truth, they are shutup in a New York minute. The problem isn't that people have free speech. The problem is that certain free speech is having its mouth duct taped shut because it has to do with Christianity - heaven forbid.
As freedom loving Americans there is nothing we can do to reverse the actions of A&E, and who would want to, quite frankly? It is their constitutional right. I want them to have that right. We can, as freedom loving Americans, choose to support the people, programs and companies that share our values and are standing up for Biblical truth even in the midst of a firestorm of opposition. We can share the truth of scripture in the market place and in our neighborhoods, refusing to be silenced just because truth is somethings uncomfortable for some people to hear.
Brothers and sisters, there are lessons to be learned from Phil Roberton and the A&E split. Truth makes people uncomfortable because it confronts them with the stark difference between right and wrong. Lets face it, our culture doesn't like the idea of right and wrong. They want everything to be right and acceptable. Be gay. Sleep around. Drink to drunkeness. If you want to do it, then go for it!
But the Bible does not accept that lifestyle. The Bible lays out a clear, black and white, right and wrong. There is living in obedience to God and then there is sin. The Bible clearly states what sin is. Those living in sin and wanting to continue living in sin, don't want to hear what the Bible has to say about their lifestyle choices. They want to be told they are A-O.K. The Bible says there is no excuse for sin.
What Phil Robertson said was offensive to a segment of the population because it hit them where it hurt: their lifestyle. They heard that the way they were living was wrong and so they took up their fists to defend the sin they have claimed as their normal.
Their defensiveness is not a reason to be silenced.
Ephesians 4:25 says, " Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another."
Scripture doesn't give the born-again Christ follower an out for spreading the message of the gospel just because the world doesn't want to hear it. If we have been saved and changed by the blood of Jesus Christ then we are to speak the truth of His word. Period. End of story. We are not to be silenced just because there are some people who won't like the truth.
Truth can be spoken in love. But it still must be spoken. Love is truth. And this love can be shared with boldness when we do it with the power of scripture, the power of God's word. There is no substitute for the truth. So speak it with conviction;  in the love of Christ and with the boldness of  Christ.

A sure foundation

When you get outside of LA, California is known for its scenic landscapes and natural beauty. The Pacific Highway is famous for the views of the ocean that run right into the foot of mountains. The state is dotted with valleys, mountains and rolling hills.
California is also known for the fires that ravage communities and destroy lives.
One such fire hit the community of Summit in 2008. This small community was dotted with mini-mansions that had been built by new comers to the area who had migrated out of Santa Cruz for a more leisurely pace of life. But one man didn't fit that description.
Hugo Zazzara had been in the community for nearly thirty years and wasn't living in a mini-mansion. His home was a replica of the old Chart House, a victorian style building in Los Gatos. He fell in love with the architecture of that particular house and set his mind to building it for himself. So that is precisely what he did. With his own two hands, complete with his great-grandfather's stained glass windows and self-milled redwood roof, he rebuilt that famous structure.
This home was more than a dream, it was a labor of love. He worked hard as a welder and furniture commissioner to pay for every cent of it without ever taking out a loan. He built it to stand against earthquakes. But when the fire came rolling through Summit the house didn't stand a chance.
Hugo ran back to the house to try to save it despite his son's pleading with him not to go. His son knew the dangers and the hopelessness of the situation. But he couldn't stop his father. Hugo had given his heart and soul into his home. Time, effort, money, dedication…it all was poured out to make his dream a reality. He had used the best materials, even family heirlooms, to make the house a masterpiece. He wouldn't let it go down without a fight.
Hugo's son Nathan didn't know if his father would survive. Would he stay with the house till the bitter end? As he waited with the rest of the displaced who had suffered the loss of their homes in the fire, he feared for his father's safety. Finally, he saw him approaching. The roof of the house had caught fire and the whole structure had been destroyed. His father had finally left the property, later crying for the first time in front of his son. His dream had gone up in flames in front of his very eyes. He had given everything for it. And then, in an instant it was gone.

We all get the chance to built our home - our physical home, this body that we inhabit. We can choose to build it up with the things of this world, putting our effort, love and soul into the that which won't last. We can fill ourselves with the temporal and earthly, hoping to satisfy our deepest desires.
Or we can build our lives on the rock of Christ.
Building your home with the things of this earth will always lead to disappointment. As beautiful as they may seem they simply won't last. Fire can destroy them, flood can ravage them and moth can eat away at even the finest of garments. The attributes of this world won't stand the test of time. They won't truly satisfy. They might look good but in the end they are nothing more than a facade, cheap materials used to build a house that can be blown over at the slightest gust of wind.
But a house build on the rock of Christ will never be destroyed. Winds, rain, fire and even that pesky moth can all try to destroy it but the person who sets their foundation on God's truth will not be defeated because God will always reign victorious.
There is no greater foundation and no greater home built then the one built on Jesus Christ. Your home rooted in His foundation will be better than any dream home you can ever imagine and it will never be destroyed.