Real Change

Change is all around me. My daughter is now driving as she races toward independence while my dad no longer drives and slowly slides into dependence. Seasons of life spin on. Yet, my life feels so unchanged from day to day. Circumstances are continuously different but real transformation keeps its distance. Short term progression becomes like Groundhog Day as I wake up again where I started. It is not fear of change but instead I stay wrapped in the comfort of un-involvement. The balance of being frustrated with the way things are remains tilted toward being too satisfied to change them. Inertia settles me in stillness, waiting for an outside force to inspire action. However, I know the force is not external but instead it calls from within if I will only listen and move.

THEN

It is important to see the Bible as a whole not simply unrelated chapters and verses. Writers were telling a story not providing snippets from which to pick and choose. True meaning is found in context.

With that in mind, I was struck when I noticed how Matthew's story changes between chapters 3 and 4. At the end of 3, Jesus had just 'fulfilled all righteousness' by being baptized, seen the Spirit of God descend and heard a voice from heaven say, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. Wow, what an amazing experience!

But don't put the book away yet. Chapter 4 begins with the word 'THEN". The story continues. After Jesus follows God's plan THEN He is led by the Spirit to a desert boot camp. After He is publicly claimed as Son by God THEN the devil mocks Him with 'if you are the Son of God'. After the heavens are opened to Him THEN Satan entices Jesus to prove His power by using it for His own gain. In every situation Jesus was prepared for the THEN?

Working in the world of computer development, THEN is an important part of what we do. If A THEN B. Look for a condition THEN you get the result you establish. However, as Matthew tells us, the THEN may not be the results we expect. We imagine, "If God is pleased THEN I get blessings" or "If God's child THEN I should never experience troubles". Isn't that how we think God should work?

God did not make us like computers to perform by a script. Instead we must choose how we will handle the THEN. The circumstances were defined but Jesus’ attitude was always obedience. It is a change of perspective for me to see it as "If obedient THEN more opportunities to be obedient".

Be Ye Perfect

Recently completed “Mere Christianity” a classic by C.S. Lewis. His writing still rattles around in my brain about a verse that has rattled around in my heart even longer.

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48.

Lewis’ words took me to task.

I find a good many people have been bothered by what I said about Our Lord’s words, ‘Be ye perfect’. Some people seem to think this means ‘Unless you are perfect, I will not help you.’; and as we cannot be perfect, our position is hopeless. But I do not think He did mean that. I think He meant ‘The only help I will give is help to become perfect. You may want something less: but I will give you nothing less.’

That is why He warned people to ‘count the cost’ before becoming Christians. ‘Make no mistake,’ He says, ‘if you let me I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in My hands, that is what you are in for. You have free will, and if you choose, you can push Me away. But if you do not push Me away, understand that I am going to see this job through. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life, whatever inconceivable purification it may cost you after death, whatever it costs Me, I will never rest, nor let you rest until you are literally perfect – until my Father can say without reservation that He is well pleased with you, as He said He was well pleased with me. This I can do and will do. But I will not do anything less.’

An yet this Helper who will be satisfied with nothing less than absolute perfection, will also be delighted with the first feeble, stumbling effort you make to do the simplest duty. Every father is pleased at the baby’s first attempt to walk yet no father would be satisfied with anything less than a firm, free, manly walk in a grown-up son.

You must realize from the outset that the goal towards which He is beginning to guide you is absolute perfection; and no power in the whole universe, except you yourself, can prevent Him from taking you to that goal.

An Undecided Decides

Finally they can subtract one from the undecided voter column. Even though I no longer sit on the fence, this election has been a struggle for me. In previous elections my ballot could literally be marked months in advance. My mind was made up when my party’s delegates reached the magic number. There was little left to the process other then worrying that the villain on the other side might win.

However, this year stirred my own internal debate which caused a reexamination of a number of things. As a result I will vote differently then all of those other elections. I will vote outside my party for president for the first time. I will vote differently then my wife, friends, family, people at work and the rest of ‘my circle’.

When you live inside a world that looks and acts and thinks like you then you are sure we all makes sense. Everyone agrees. This is where we are going and this is how we should get there. However, over the past couple of years I have been exposed in a real way to life outside “my circle”. When you step outside those walls and learn that your reality is not everyone’s reality all of sudden things are not as absolute as they were when your rules kept things orderly.

It was extremely hard to open up my convictions and look at them from another point of view. I want to be clear; this is not a change of my convictions but a reevaluation of my response to them. That is what has been so hard to work through. I always thought the other side had the wrong conviction. But the more I have listened to the candidates (not the hype around them) this time, I found they all are able to identify the problems but it is more about a difference in our response to them.

Am I changing parties? No.
Do I feel the other side has all the right answers? Absolutely not.
Do I agree with all the candidate’s plans? Nope.

But sometimes it is not about what makes me comfortable. Sometimes it is not about what agenda I can profit from. Sometimes you just have to look at those you have to choose from and decide which one you are willing to follow. Sometimes it is just about leadership. Leadership is so desperately lacking in this country. So today I will respond differently then I have in the past. I will cast my vote for a different agenda and hopefully a leader that will lead this country.

It came down to one thing, what power does a president really have except the power he can obtain through persuasion.

Please earnestly pray for our country and vote today.

One More Thought on Paths

A quote to follow up yesterday's post...

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere." - Frank A Clark

Ancient Paths

This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16



When not sure which way to go? Why do I seek my own way when there are ancient paths to follow?

There is no need for multi-lane super highways. These are narrow trails each well worn & built up by godly men and women over generations. Passageways that may be slow to follow but speed is not always in God’s plan as much as mine. Not the most direct routes but they pass amazing views of Gods work along the way.

There are no signs to mark the entrance because we are told to ask the way. He wants to walk along with us. Show the way I was created to follow.

God does not call one to blaze new trails as often as I may think.

Lord, show me the ancient and good paths you have laid out. Then remind me when I stray from them.

Making Time

"Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work. No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!" - Og Mandino

I let it happen too often. Everything on my schedule gets pushed end to end. There are no gaps, no time to breath. The day is all set then here comes that thing I really should be doing. However, because I am so over committed, it goes by without notice? Responsibilities are important but if there is no time to talk to my child or give a neighbor a hand or spend a few moments in prayer when a friend asks, perhaps there is something on my responsibly list that shouldn't be there.

Do Not Cross the Line

Why do we have this fascination with sin as a line?
We argue about its location.
What is allowed and what is abhorred?
Everything on this side of the line is good while over there is evil.
We even negotiate how close we can stand without going over?
Friendships are broken, religions are formed and wars are fought to establish where the line is.

Do you suppose God is as concerned with the line as much as we may think?
Consider instead, what if God would rather change the focus from the line to Him?
You see when you are facing God there is no line.
Its not so much where the line is but where the light is instead.

Choice

Everything you do in life, every choice you make, has a consequence. When you do things without thinkin', then you ain't makin' the choice. The choice is makin' you.

Mark Steven Johnson

How often has making NO choice become a choice? Riding along with the group. So concerned about self image that my image actually becomes defined by others.

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image..."

Genesis 1:26

Change

Another New Year. Why do we use the change of a calendar to motivate change in us?

Perhaps there is benefit as we move toward a specific point in time to reflect and prepare if any real difference is going to be made from a resolution to transform. The end of each year stirs the need to evaluate where I have been and seek guidance on where I should have gone instead. I have to say 2007 seems to have been almost a year of “Spiritual A.D.D” for me. Any long term development was frequently interrupted by the next bright shiny object that distracted me. Ironically, I may have been more consistent in starting each day with Bible and prayer but where was the growth?

Discipleship, spiritual formation, Christian maturity, what ever one names it, requires a pattern of focus that seems just beyond my reach recently. Was it beyond my reach or was it really just my failure to stretch? This is not a science, nothing to chart or measure growth like the marks on the door frame when I was getting taller as a child. Just a question, “Am I different then I was last year at this time?” My heart aches at the answer.

Stop Waiting

Not long ago a friend and I made plans to play golf on a Friday afternoon. The type of plan where nothing was in concrete but our intentions were to play golf. As soon as he called, I would wrap up a few things and leave work for the afternoon. It would be great to enjoy some time out on the course. However, the call never came. I got busy and worked through the afternoon not even getting out of the office until after six.

Next day when we talked, found out he had the clubs in the car and was ready to go waiting on my call. We both missed out waiting on the other to move. No one committed to call it was just our assumption that the other would pick up the phone if they really could get away.

How many missed opportunities do I let slide by waiting to see God lead the way? “God, I am looking for the unmistakable sign, something like a neon flashing arrow being held by a elephant while riding a bicycle. It doesn’t have to be a big elephant and a tricycle will do, just clearly point the direction and I will be all over it.“

When the elephant doesn’t show up right away, it may not be me waiting on God as much as God waiting on me. These words were in the margin of a book I re-read a few days ago. “When will I quit asking what God wants me to do and just do what God wants?” Wonder how frustrated God gets with me waiting for the right door to open when I could be using the doors that are already there?

More Valuable Less Visable

Been wrestling with these words since late last year. More Valuable - Less Visible. I have always struggled with what motivates me to service within the church. I love filling different areas of need and have grown in those responsibilities over the past few years. I realize it was service in the parking lot that first developed my habit of attending church each week. I knew I had a responsibility (a specific spot to cover) that would cause others to scramble if I was not in my place. God used this four years ago to drag me out of bed every Sunday because I needed to grow. Yet there was always that nagging feeling that I enjoyed the recognition of standing in front of the church and the kind comments and waves as people arrived or left each service.

Later I felt called to other tasks around the church. My schedule begins to fill up with very worthwhile endeavors, each growing me in my relationship with God. Leading small discipleship groups required a number of hours of preparation where God taught me many things as I drew closer to Him. Teaching kid's Sunday School required my trust in God to reach out and touch lives in ways I never thought possible. Prayer team required me to really understand what prayer is and learn to communicate and share in the needs of others.

Yet each of these and my other duties around the church are each visible. It grinds at me of what is my motivation. I do these as an act of obedience to what I perceive to be God's direction for me but I find such joy in these rolls that I cannot feel I am giving but receiving.

Then these words started in me last year. Where do I look to be more valuable and less visible? God has already provided a couple of new rolls that are behind the scenes and my commitment is to learn the discipline of silence from these rolls. I pray that God teaches me to seek and accept those tasks that are hidden from view of others.