Don't Give Up

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  He said:

In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, "Grant me justice against my adversary."

For some time he refused.  But finally he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming."

Luke 18: 1-5

I love that Jesus tells this story.  It is the type of story that help affirm the authenticity of the New Testament.  I know this much, if I were going to wash the NT of strange sayings, I would probably start by getting rid of this parable.  

Why?

I think this parable is very confusing for many well-intentioned people.  So many people think every parable is an easy morality lesson about how the Kingdom works.  Thus, they assume the judge must be God.  If we keep asking, he will eventually relent.  In the view of many, God is a being who is above the fray of human life.  God is rather indifferent, but he can be persuaded if we ask enough or in the right way.

This view of God is totally false!

Jesus tells this parable to explain how this world system works.  In his time, judges often did not care about justice.  They loved bribes.  They could rule as they wished.  They were government appointees with absolute power.  The amazing part is that such a person could be won over by persistence.  In other words, even in an unjust system,

sheer persistence got justice.

Jesus compares this evil judge with God.  God loves us.  He cares.  Unlike the judge, His very character declares what is just.  He will hear our cries for justice and He will bring it about.  God is the opposite in character of this evil, arbitrary judge.

Friends, I know it might not feel that way for you.  You might be praying about the same unjust situation for years.  To folks like you and I, Jesus says, "God will see that we get justice, and quickly."  

I know this much, I often wish justice and God's direct intervention would be quicker.  

I guess I have learned that God's purpose is often different than my desire.  I want to be done and over with unjust or even uncomfortable situations.  I want to be done with these situations ASAP.

God wants me to grow in dependence upon Him.  He wants me to grow so I trust Him.  He wants me to wait with complete confidence and calm.  In the midst of the struggle, walking in dependence means knowing everything will be O.K.  

The only way I can walk in dependence is to reject the false understandings of God's character.  He is not an unjust judge.  God loves and cares for us.  He loves and cares for you.  He will set all things right.  He will declare justice and truth.

While we wait, Jesus encourages us to not give up.  

Keep asking God for justice and for His intervention.  Then, praise Him when He answers your prayer.

"Life is an unsafe, bumpy logging road and I am riding it all night long."

My family loves the movie Cars.  It is good wholesome family fun when we watch Lightning McQueen, Mater, and all our favorite characters learn about friendship, the importance of slowing down to enjoy life, and all the fun that can happen in a small town.  Each of these points are important, and I am glad the movie reminds us of them.

The title song of this movie was written and performed by Rascal Flatts.  It proclaims, "Life is a highway.  I wanna ride it all night long."  This is a fun "summer-driving" song.  It is one of those songs to crank up on the stereo while driving along a peaceful country road with the windows down.  I sure wish my life always matched this feeling.

Instead of a drive down a peaceful country road, 

I find that my life is more of an off-road driving experience.

I often feel like my path resembles a drive down a seldom used logging trail.  One of those with huge washouts, washboard bumps, and strangely placed obstacles like large rocks and fallen trees.  My going is painfully slow.  I guess I am envious of those folks whose life is always a smooth highway.  (As if they really exist)

It seems to me that the only time my ride is really smooth is when I am sitting still.  I love these times of refreshment and relaxing.  Yet, they are often brief because the Spirit speaks in the midst of them to provoke me onward.  Generally, I then start to move forward on a clearly marked section of the logging road.  Soon there is a bend in the road. As I take the corner, I see that the road immediately ahead angles into a swamp, is rock strewn, and looks to be blocked by recently fallen trees.

How do we not only survive but also thrive on this often bumpy road of life?

This is the million dollar question.  Unfortunately, it is also a question that many well-meaning folks don't answer well.  We try one thing then another.  It looks like none of them work too well.  Finally, we give up trying to answer.  We just hold on or we stop moving forward.

Thankfully, I think there is an answer to this question beyond our cultural attempts to answer.  It is an old wisdom that our culture firmly rejects.  I suggest we do so as a culture and as individuals to our own peril.  I offer several tips to aid in a successful navigation through the logging roads of life.

We must move forward with reference to a solid starting point.

None of our paths are through uncharted territory.  The road of life, the pilgrimage each of us travels, the path we each must choose is charted, marked, and navigated.

By whom?

Our North Star is the One True and Living God who calls us to true life.  Doesn't that sound good?  True life.  True life begins with a trust relationship with the One True and Living God.  This True God is calling to each us.  He beckons us to move forward.  He calls us to something better and more full.  He calls us to learn to walk with Him by faith.  Part of that trust is knowing that He knows the way, and He promises to go with us through even the most difficult places on the trail.

We need wisdom, encouragement, and advice as we travel.

We live in a culture that doesn't value history.  We truly believe it it is old, it is not as good as what we have today.  So, we look to others stuck in the same swamp for wisdom, encouragement, and advice.  We get advice to move right or left, but so often these folks have not traveled through the swamp.  They might be well-meaning, but they lack proper perspective to know how to make it through.

I want to encourage you that there are many people throughout history who can help navigate the difficult sections of our road.  These folks are excellent map-makers.  They may not have had iPhones and the internet, but they had all the temptations and difficulties known to us all.  They have experienced broken relationships.  They have lived through tragedy.  They have been stung by sin's bite.  They have lived through and escaped the swamps and pitfalls along the road.

They can also tell you about the coming smooth road.  These map-makers have experienced the joys of life that each of us long for.  They have fallen in love, had children, enjoyed their friend's company, thought through questions and issues, and enjoyed the small moments in life.  They have experienced great success.  They can show you the way.

Most importantly, these map-makers 

can and will point you to the One who knows your path.  

They will encourage you in the difficult times and the great times.  Why would we want to walk through life as if we are alone?  Why trust in the advice of those stuck in the same place you find yourself?

I strongly encourage you to join with the community of faith throughout all time.  Look, with the community of fellow pilgrims, toward that One True Guide who calls you to something better.  You really aren't alone.  There really are answers and pathways through the difficult times.

God's Cure for Overload and Anxiety

And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, 
not man for the Sabbath."

Mark 2:27

We live in a day and age marked by incredible amounts of depression and anxiety.  I would say that in some locals, one out of every two people you talk to will be struggling with these issues.  In fact, chances are 50/50 that you are struggling with these twin demons of our age.

Has it always been this way, but we did not know to ask?  If there is more depression and anxiety now, is it because life if harder now than in the past?  Or, is it possible that life is tougher now because we have forgotten something that was known in the past?

As is virtually always true, I think a good place to begin the discussion is an understanding of what scripture says about how to live.  Today's world is 24/7.  The Bible says to work hard, sleep, enjoy life, and work 24/6.

How do we adjust to the biblical ideas about life?  I would suggest that we start by understanding the concept of Sabbath rest.  Thus, instead of running 24/7, we move to 24/6.

What is the Sabbath?  It is setting apart one day in seven to rest, to set aside the normal activities of life, and to grow in trust in God.  

It is not a day for two kid's soccer games, a play party, two trips to the store, and then a quick dinner while standing up.  It is a day to set aside the normal activities of life to focus on God's mercy and grace.  This grace includes the blessings of nature, family, and friends.

I know it sounds impossible.  How do we do it?

Begin by confessing that it is impossible for you to shut down the inner dialogue, the to-do list, and the thoughts and fears of the upcoming week.  Ask God to help you to relax, slow down, and focus on what is important.  In fact, you might have to ask Him to show you what is really important because today's fast-paced world often forces us to focus on what is urgent and not what is really important.

Second, look for the day you can take this rest.  Obviously the day the Lord set aside was a day of worship.  Funny thing is that Christians have been arguing for years if it is a Saturday or a Sunday.  I think this is part of God's plan.  Pick one.  If you work weekends, pick another day.  Just plan on a day not filled with normal activity.  Begin the day by asking God to set it aside and honor it.  Then, enjoy God's presence.

Please cut yourself some slack as you learn this discipline!  You will have good weeks and weeks that are not so good.  Confess and talk to God about it.

Friends, as you try to implement these basic ideas, you will grow in the last benefit of the Sabbath: you will grow in your trust in God.

How?

Working non-stop illustrates a profound lack of trust in God to provide and work apart from our labors.  When we cannot "shut-it-down" we live as one apart from Christ.  We prove we trust more in our actions than in God.

But what about all the people who need me?  What about all the work demands?  What about all the activities that I do for my family (that show we are good parents)?  

Friends, are you really that necessary?  Can God not take care of these folks and these demands?  Of course He can.  On your Sabbath, ask Him to do so.  Begin the process of trusting Him to do so. 

So where are you in life?  Are you struggling with intense anxiety?  Do you find yourself struggling with the darkness of depression?

I believe that taking a Sabbath rest is built into the very foundation of the world.  Our culture might not like it, support it, or expect it, but our culture is wrong about almost everything.  We need it.  Our forefathers and foremothers knew this truth, and they practiced it.  We ignore it to our own peril.

How can you put this idea into practice this week?

Rest and Peace in the Midst of Chaos

Life is always interesting!  There is so much to observe and learn.

Why?  There is so much chaos.  It is often hard to see what God is doing.  The illusion of control binds us, but it is certainly false.  Given all the difficulty and chaos, we have to walk by faith!

This is certainly one of those times in life.  Instead of knowing with certainty what I should do, I am in place of waiting in trust and rest in the grace of God.

I know this is where I should always be, but it is not always my experience!

I am glad to report that I am growing better at trusting and resting.  I am sad to report that I am still not really good at it!  I am much better at control than trust; at self-effort instead of rest; at worry and fear instead of peace and joy.

In the midst of these struggles, the Lord speaks Ps 86:11.

Teach me your way, O Lord, 

that I may walk in your truth;

unite my heart to fear your name forever.

Unite my heart.  What a great phrase!  This is exactly what I need.

My very real human condition is most often marked by self-reliance.  Yet, I was created to be in complete reliance and trust by faith in the one true God.  When I live in my real human condition, I experience anxiety, fear, depression, and self-pity on the one hand and control issues, self-reliance, self-righteousness, and pride on the other.  Often, I seem to bounce back and forth between these two poles of human experience.  Sometimes I make this bounce within a single minute!

Unite my heart, O Lord.  How?

Unite it so I regain and live in faith and trust in Your love and mercy.  Unite it so learn to walk in Your truth and the gospel instead of in my selfish thoughts and self-righteousness.  

Lord, unite that which is separated!

Weeks like this past one help me to see that God is faithful and He will lead and guide.  Yet, I need His grace to believe it before the next week!  Experience is a good teacher, but God's grace is needed to change my heart, to unite my heart so I can rest in God's grace.

What about you?  I encourage you and I, like David before us, begin the week by praying Ps. 86:11.

Teach me your way, O Lord,

that I may walk in your truth;

unite my heart to fear your name forever.

The Atheistic Meaning in Life

"I tried your religion for awhile," he said, "and I found it's just a burden to carry.  You know what I've figured out?  Life justifies living.  Life is its own reward and explanation.  I don't need some pie-in-the-sky mirage to keep going.  This life has enough pleasure and mystery and adventure in it not to need anything else to account for it.  Life justifies living."

Mark Buchanan, Leadership, (Winter 2004), 38

I have heard this so many times.  I was first confronted with it as a philosophy student as an undergraduate.  The person talking was trying to convince me that my childhood belief system should be discarded.  Little did they know when they started the discussion that I had become a believer at 18 for fairly non-childish reasons.  It was a great discussion.

Why?

In many ways I agree with the above statement.  I so enjoy life.  I love friends and laughter.  My biggest disappointment in moving is being separated from my friends.  Good friends are so important for enjoying life!

In addition, I find such peace and beauty when I am out in nature.  In fact, I do everything I can to get out in nature all the time!  I think more than most, I truly enjoy life.  I love its pleasure, mystery, and adventure.  I do pray it will never end!

That being said, I know it will end.  As my body settles into middle age, I cannot enjoy the food I once enjoyed.  My intestinal pain and other physical symptoms make eating what was once pleasurable very unpleasurable.  Now I have to watch carefully what I eat.  It does take some of the pleasure and adventure out of my life while adding a non-enjoyable mystery as to why my body behaves as it does with gluten full food!

What about those who begin life with a series of poor choices- choices that haunt and misshape them for the rest of their life?  What about those who experience incredible abuse that warps their entire life experience?  What about those who witness and experience trauma that haunts their dreams and paralyzes their waking hours?

"Life is its own reward and explanation" is a selfish observation from one who is blessed with health, strength, good-fortune, and financial resources that allow them freedom to find pleasure.

When times are good, I agree with the above paragraph.  When times are bad, I think that the above paragraph leaves room for little else than suicide.  At the very least, all that is left is frustration and anger.

What if the above statement was given some better context?  What if this life is often extremely good, but even at its best it is a mere glimpse or shadow of a better world, a better life, that we were created to enjoy?

Such a perspective would explain why we find such pleasure, mystery, and adventure in many events and experiences in this life.  It would also give an explanation for those who are suffering.  

Friend, there is more to living than just this life!  We were created for eternity.  All that is lacking in this world helps us understand and clarify what the next world will be like.  Life with God, in relationship with God, gives us a taste of what life will be like when our mortal bodies depart and our sinful nature is gone.

The hope in Christ is not a crutch for the weak.  It is the truth that explains our experience.  The here and now is not all there is.  We were created to enjoy so much more.  That is why we have such longing; why we have such a desire for peace, security, love, and respect.  

Don't be satisfied for the pat answers of the healthy, wealthy, and young.  Find the true meaning of life in a faith relationship with Jesus Christ.

Brokenness Lived: Transference

Today I wish to repost about an important topic- the deadly problem of transference in ministry.  What is transference?  It is when people latch on to an authority figure and transfer their feeling about another relationship onto the one in authority.  It is a result of the fall.  It is often not a conscience choice.  Yet, it is all too real.  

Let me explain it by quoting at length a section of David Hansen's The Art of Pastoring.

I'm gun-shy of people who like me too much.  I like compliments, but when someone starts treating me like I'm the best thing since indoor plumbing, I step back.

They get this look in their eyes when they say thank you.  It isn't adult gratitude or childlike delight.  It isn't a fair exchange of human love.  They're thanking me, but their eyes are focused past me.  They're thanking someone or something else.  Maybe an ideal I've resurrected.  It's unreal.

The relationship can appear normal.  Then, without warning, it shifts.  Their talk gets contradictory.  They thank Jesus but give me the credit.  Their speech is thick with spiritual lingo, but they treat me like I'm their savior.  I don't think they're talking about me or Jesus.  They're talking to someone or something I symbolize to them.  Psychologists call this transference.

Psychotherapists recognize that their relationship with patients run on a "double track."  "All feelings in relationships as we know understand them run on a double track.  We react and relate to another person not only on the basis of our conscious experience of the person in reality, but also on the basis of our unconscious experience of him in reference to experience with significant people in infancy and childhood- especially parents and other family members.  We tend to displace feelings and attitudes from these past figures onto people in the present, especially if the person in the present has features similar to the person in the past."

Pastors like therapists, evoke feelings in people that go way back into people's pasts.  "Feelings toward the therapist therefore stem not only from the real, factual aspects of the therapist-patient interaction, but also from feelings displaced onto the therapist from unconscious representations of people important to the patient early in his childhood experiences.  These displaced or transferred feelings tend to distort the therapist, making him appear to be an important figure in the patient's past; they create in one sense an illusion." ...

It is of no little consequence that in some traditions pastors are called "Father."  We are authority figures with love, so like it or not, we symbolize parents to people.  For adults who have had positive relationships with their parents, this creates little problem.  They have respect and love for their parents.  Likewise, they have a natural respect and love for pastors.

But in cases where the relationship with the parent was deeply faulted, people develop something like an ideal parental construct and transfer this to anyone like a parent- and especially someone who gives them love as their parent should have in the first place.  Parishioners can superimpose this ideal parental figure over the pastor; they "fall in love"- not with the pastor, but with the pastor as the incarnation of their ideal parental figure.  Then they shift the monumentally important childhood desire to please their parent, which was never satisfied by their natural parents, onto the pastor.

The compliments come fast and thick, and they express a strong and unreasonable desire to "help out any way they can."  They try to work harder than anyone else- and make sure the pastor knows it- to earn the pastor's love.  They want the pastor to appreciate them more than all others.

Parishioners caught in this unconscious process may undergo "conversion" experiences.  They may experience romantic changes and testify that they have been touched by God (never forgetting to add that it was through the pastor's ministry).  In psychotherapy this is called a "transference cure."  They do experience dramatic change, but it is motivated by the desire to please the pastor.  The results of these "conversions" diminish with time, especially once the period of intense positive feelings toward the pastor wanes.

And those feelings do disappear.  Alongside the deep reservoir of childhood desire to please the parents there exists a deep reservoir of anger at parents for all the hurt they caused.  This anger has no fixed object.  It is anger at parents, but children are not psychologically able to be angry at their parents for long.  Children cannot divorce themselves from the parental love they desperately need by showing or even admitting that they are angry.  But they can cut loose on someone who represents their parent.

Things can do along for quite a while, even years.  These people are accustomed to forgiving parental figures, so pastors can fail them now and then and they will forgive.  In fact, they will vehemently defend their pastor to others, even when the pastor is dead wrong.

Until something snaps.  There is no way to predict what will set it off, but suddenly, without warning, the pastor violates some code.  The pastor must pay.  These people's anger at their parents is unleashed on the pastor.

The pastor still symbolizes the parent, but now the parent being symbolized has shifted.  The pastor is no longer the ideal parental figure the parishioner loves.  The pastor is now the failed parent the parishioner hates.  Without warning, the pastor who yesterday represented all that was right in the world today represents all that is wrong in the world.  From Jesus to the devil in one hour.

Hansen, The Art of Pastoring, 124-127.

I told you it was a long quotation!  I think it is also an important point: in a fallen world, all is not as it appears or should be.  Even the most basic of relationship can become twisted and contorted.  We must be aware of this potential or we run the risk of ramming our life and ministry upon the shoals of brokenness and being ruined in the process!

Because of transference, most pastors, particularly ones who survive in ministry, are rather guarded about people who like them too much.  How do we judge "too much?"  There is no easy answer.  It is a weird feeling that something is wrong.  Often after being burned by the switch turning to "counter-transference" the pastor or leader is a bit gun-shy of people bringing too much praise.  Through time and experience, one begins to recognize that "look in the eye" of a broken person.

If you have been in ministry and you have been hurt by this process, please realize it was caused by brokenness and it is not all your fault!  I know the first time I experienced transference, I thought it was great.  I had made a friend and someone who truly appreciated by effort!  Then, when I experienced that "something snapped" moment, I wondered what I did wrong.  I really beat myself up over it!  You might react the same way.

If you do experience transference, I strongly recommend that you find an experienced pastor or leader to talk it over with.  It is likely they will share similar experiences.  Most importantly, learn from it!  A wise leader does everything possible to avoid the same mistakes.  Love but do not be anyone's savior.  Only Jesus can fulfill that job!

So, what do you think?  Do you struggle in your relationship with "authority figures" because you engage in transference?  Ask the Lord to give you some wisdom with this.  Find someone to talk to if this is your tendency because relationship wreckage will mark your life if you do not!

Transference is real.  It is a consequence of living and ministering in a broken world.  May the Lord give wisdom and grace to live through it, grow past it, and see true healing for those suffering with its consequences.

Trials, Perseverance, and Maturity

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, wherever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." 

James 1: 2-5

The book of James is always interesting.  It is so law-centered that Martin Luther had no good place for it.  He suggested that it contradicts Paul, so he wished he could take it out of his bible, put it in his pipe and smoke it.

I think such talk was an example of Luther's use of exaggeration!  I think what he pointed to was our human tendency to make the Law something more than God intended.  Instead of being the tutor that leads us to Christ, we make it- to our own peril- the basis of our relationship with God.  Luther was combating this tendency throughout his ministry.  Thus, his dislike for the law-centered book of James!

Personally, I love the book of James.  It is a mirror to my soul, and I see within it my desperate need for a savior.  Truly without Jesus I would have no chance to be right with the Holy God!

Just look at the above passage.  "Consider it pure joy when you face trials of various kinds."  Really?  I do not look forward to trials, and I try to avoid them if possible.  Why would James say such a thing?

Well, first of all he was writing to believers in the midst of trials.  Folks were experiencing the beginnings of persecution.  More than that James knew something that many of us wish to forget or never know.  Trials develop us!  Trials grow us deeper and give us wisdom that can only be found through experience.

At least trials can achieve these goals if we approach them correctly.  James is encouraging us to approach trials with the correct perspective.

In my experience, trials either promote humility or bitterness.  Which one marks your life?  

Trials can promote an attitude of blaming God and turning away from a walk with Him, or they can produce an attitude of trusting him more (perseverance in our faith).  Which one marks your life? 

I have seen many trials and I am sure I will see many more.  I am thankful for God's faithfulness and grace that so far He has not allow bitterness and unbelief to dominate my life.  I know that the only true anchor and rock is my Lord and my God!  Not because I declare it or believe it, but because it is true.

The next few sentences of James are very interesting, and I have often puzzled over them.  "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." vs. 6  What does this mean?  It sounds so harsh!  Is this a new idea or part of the past one concerning trials, perseverance, and wisdom?  I believe it is part of the preceding idea. When you ask for wisdom, do not doubt it when you get it!  God will answer your prayer for wisdom, but do not doubt what He is trying to tell you.

I often find that people only move to a different place (spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc.) when pressed to do so.  Most of us would prefer to stay in a bad situation or place because it is more comfortable than the unknown.

Truly a body at rest, stays at rest.

God loves us so much that He knows what is best for us.  He knows our sin tendencies and our hang-ups.  He wants us to grow out of them because they are harmful to us.  He desires a great and promising future for us.  He wants to lead us to this future!  The question becomes will we follow His leading?  Most of the time no.  Thus, trials come to awaken our body at rest.

I think this is the answer to James' thoughts concerning doubt.  We all doubt many things.  This is a natural consequence of our fallen state.  Doubt is a broad category, and this passage is not saying that all doubt is bad.  When doubt leads to questions, it is often good because we will find the answers in Christ!

The key to understanding this passage is in the context of praying for wisdom.  When we pray for wisdom, we should not doubt it when we hear it.  Through God's word, inner impulses and instruction, and most importantly the counsel of others, we can hear God's voice.  When we hear it, often we are like Gideon or Moses and we say, "You have the wrong guy!"  Unfortunately, some of us are not as honest as Gideon and Moses.  We don't talk back to God and question Him.   No, we ignore His leading and voice.  Then, we wonder why trials keep coming and why God does not change our current situation to meet our needs.  

"When we ask, we must believe and not doubt."  Again let me say, God loves us so much that He wants what is best for us.  We are so short-sighted that we simply do not know what is best for us.  In our pride, we think we do know what is best, but often we are wrong.  

May the Lord lead and guide each of us.  May we learn to walk with Him through the trials and difficulties that naturally come from living in a fallen world.  May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven for His glory.  Ask for wisdom and believe His love and grace for you!  Who knows what blessings you are missing out on because of your lack of believing.

God's Work through people like us

"For if you remain silent  at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

Esther 4: 14

I love a good question.  As a professor and communicator, I have seen how asking a good question can open minds and hearts.  I love seeing a person wrestle with their thoughts as they attempt to answer a question they have never thought about!  I think often in the midst of these questions, the Holy Spirit shows up to change someone's heart and mind.

The book of Esther is a strange OT book.  The main character of this book is probably Mordecai, but the book gets named after his cousin Esther instead.  

The setting for the book of Esther is the Persian Empire, which at this time is ruled by a somewhat unpredictable and crazy king named Xerxes.  In the first chapter, his queen, Vashti, disobeys and embarrasses the King before his nobles.  In a rage, he casts her out and he begins to look for a new queen.  The nobles come up with an idea to which Xerxes does not object.  All the beautiful virgins within the kingdom will be brought to him for a night, and he will choose the one he wants to be his new queen.

As you can see, this is not a great spiritual story!  It is very base and earthy in all of its components.  Into this cultural mix, Esther is brought into Xerxes' harem.  She is given beauty treatments and brought before the King.  He obviously likes her as he chooses her to be his bride!

Let us pause for a moment and see what great spiritual attributes Esther brings to the table.  She is obviously beautiful.  In fact, she must be smoking hot to be chosen as the most beautiful woman in the entire Kingdom!  ... That is about it.  I do not think she had to be a great conversationalist for what was expected of her.  She was good looking and willing to be part of Xerxes' harem.

I find it so ironic that many, throughout all of history and in every time and place, believe they are not qualified to do God's work.  God can truly use anyone!  

If our history is not noble and is marked by bad choices, God can use us!

If our knowledge and skills are low, God can use us!

If the best we can do is cry out, Lord have mercy on me.  God can use us!

In the book of Esther, she is now queen.  She is performing her duties as queen and Xerxes obviously likes her.  Then Mordecai uncovers a plot to destroy the Jews.  Why?  Because one of Xerxes' officials hates Mordecai!  Mordecai approaches Esther and asks her to risk her life to get the King to change this awful plan.  What must she do?

Esther must come before the King without his having called her so she can give her petition.  In the Persian empire, you could not come before the King without his having summoned you.  Xerxes had not summoned Esther.  She would have to break the law, almost in the same brazen manner that Vashti did, to bring her petition to the King.

Our opening passage includes Mordecai's answer to Esther's objections to coming before the King.  "And who knows but for such a time for this you have come to your royal position?"  Obviously this is true.  Yet how does she know for sure?  

Here is where we also struggle for clarity.  Just as Esther had to overcome her fear, so do we if God is to use us.  We have to step out in faith and do that which God has laid upon our hearts.

So, I ask, "For such a time as this", God has brought you through all of your life.  Will you step out in faith and do what He is leading you to do?  You are uniquely qualified to perform whatever task God has brought you to.  Will you do it?

It does not take great "spiritual strength" (whatever that is), but a willingness to believe.  Faith means looking past our fear because of the knowledge that God is at work.  He is doing something.  Even if I perish in the attempt, I will do what He is leading me to do!

So, what is God calling you to?  Is it a call to ministry?  To missionary work?  To talking to your neighbor about Christ?  To going back to church?  To loving your spouse even though they do not deserve it?  What has God laid upon your heart?

Even with all your heartaches and hang-ups, God has uniquely qualified you to do the task He has laid upon your heart.  Repent of your unbelief, trust in the Maker of all things, and watch Him work through you!

The Journey of Grace

The journey to the Island is very like the pilgrimage of life.  Sometimes the way is easy, level going and without hindrance.  At other times we find our way blocked and we can do nothing about it but wait.  No amount of jumping up and down or getting irate will change the situation, unless you are Moses or have the cloak of Elijah!  There are times when we must move forward without delay or the opportunity will have gone and the road before us will be closed.  Sometimes life is all at sea and then another time a road opens up suddenly before us.  At all times we need to accept the wisdom, knowledge, and guidance of those who have gone before us.  We need to plan our journey and be aware of any hazards we may encounter.  Without a doubt we are all travelers in this world, if not pilgrims.  We are all on a journey along the road of life.

David Adam, The Road of Life, xiv.

I have many children and one of their favorite movie is Cars.  In this movie, the title song states that "life is a highway, and I want to drive it all night long."  While I love this movie and even enjoy this song, I find that my life is more of an off-road experience resembling driving along a seldom used logging trail.  I guess I am envious of those folks whose life is just a smooth highway!  

It seems to me that the only time my ride is really smooth is when I am sitting still.  I love these times of refreshment and relaxing.  Yet, they are often brief because the Spirit speaks in the midst of them to provoke me onward.  Generally, I then start to move forward on a clearly marked section of the logging road.  Soon there is a bend in the road; and as I take the corner, I see that the road immediately ahead angles into a swamp, is rock covered, or is overgrown with bushes and recently fallen trees.

How do we not only survive but also thrive on this often bumpy road of life?

"At all times we need to accept the wisdom, knowledge, and guidance of those who have gone before us.  We need to plan our journey and be aware of any hazards we may encounter."

What great advice!  We live in a rootless age marked by shallow soil (to mix my metaphors from that of a road to agricultural terms!).  There is such a disdain for anything older than yesterday or wisdom that does not immediately match and suit our accepted contemporary sensibilities.  

Is there any wonder why so many of our youth appear to lack vision for life?  They were told that "life is a highway."  Then they begin to live and find that life is more like a winding logging road through the middle of nowhere!

Thankfully, our journey is not through uncharted territory.  The road of life, the pilgrimage each of us travels, the path we each must choose is charted, marked, and navigated.  Our North Star is the One True and Living God who calls us to true life.  This life begins with an acknowledged relationship with Him.  I say acknowledged; because even if we wish to deny it, this God is the Father of all and He is constantly calling out to us.  We never journey alone.  Learn to walk with Him by faith because He knows the way.

Second, there have been many map-makers throughout history.  These folks may not have had iPhones and the internet, but they had all the temptations and difficulties known to us all.  They have experienced broken relationships.  They have lived through tragedy.  They have been stung by sin's bite.  They have lived through the swamps and pitfalls along the road!

They have also experienced the joys of life that each of us long for.  They have fallen in love, had children, enjoyed their friend's company, thought through questions and issues, and enjoyed the small moments in life.  They have experienced great success.  These folks have lived through the smooth places and level parts of the road.  They can show you the way.

Most importantly, these map-makers can and will point you to the One who knows your path.  They will encourage you in the difficult times and the great times.  Why would we want to walk through life as if we are the only ones who could know our own struggles?

Join with the community of faith throughout all time.  Look, with the community of fellow pilgrims, toward that One True Guide who calls out to you.  Stop your refusal to listen!  Ask Him to tune your ears that you can hear His voice.  Ask Him to change your heart so that you will follow. 

We do not travel alone.  Look to the Guide, for He knows the road you must travel.

James, Trials, and Growing in Wisdom

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, wherever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." 

James 1: 2-5

The book of James is always interesting.  It is so law-centered that Martin Luther had no good place for it.  He suggested that it contradicts Paul, so he wished he could take it out of his bible, put it in his pipe and smoke it.

I think such talk was an example of Luther's use of exaggeration!  I think what he pointed to was our human tendency to make the Law something more than God intended.  Instead of being the tutor that leads us to Christ, we make it- to our own peril- the basis of our relationship with God.  Luther was combating this tendency throughout his ministry.  Thus, his dislike for the law-centered book of James!

Personally, I love the book of James.  It is a mirror to my soul, and I see within it my desperate need for a savior.  Truly without Jesus I would have no chance to be right with the Holy God!

Just look at the above passage.  "Consider it pure joy when you face trials of various kinds."  Really?  I do not look forward to trials, and I try to avoid them if possible.  Why would James say such a thing?

Well, first of all he was writing to believers in the midst of trials.  Folks were experiencing the beginnings of persecution.  More than that James knew something that many of us wish to forget or never know.  Trials develop us!  Trials grow us deeper and give us wisdom that can only be found through experience.

At least trials can achieve these goals if we approach them correctly.  James is encouraging us to approach trials with the correct perspective.

In my experience, trials either promote humility or bitterness.  Which one marks your life?  

Trials can promote an attitude of blaming God and turning away from a walk with Him, or they can produce an attitude of trusting him more (perseverance in our faith).  Which one marks your life? 

I have seen many trials and I am sure I will see many more.  I am thankful for God's faithfulness and grace that so far He has not allow bitterness and unbelief to dominate my life.  I know that the only true anchor and rock is my Lord and my God!  Not because I declare it or believe it, but because it is true.

The next few sentences of James are very interesting, and even this morning I puzzled over them.  "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." vs. 6  What does this mean?  It sounds so harsh!  Is this a new idea or part of the past one concerning trials, perseverance, and wisdom?  I believe it is part of the preceding idea. When you ask for wisdom, do not doubt it when you get it!  God will answer your prayer for wisdom, but do not doubt what He is trying to tell you.

I often find that people only move to a different place (spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc.) when pressed to do so.  Most of us would prefer to stay in a bad situation or place because it is more comfortable than the unknown.

Truly a body at rest, stays at rest.

God loves us so much that He knows what is best for us.  He knows our sin tendencies and our hang-ups.  He wants us to grow out of them because they are harmful to us.  He desires a great and promising future for us.  He wants to lead us to this future!  The question becomes will we follow His leading?  Most of the time no.  Thus, trials come to awaken our body at rest.

I think this is the answer to James' thoughts concerning doubt.  We all doubt many things.  This is a natural consequence of our fallen state.  Doubt is a broad category, and this passage is not saying that all doubt is bad.  When doubt leads to questions, it is often good because we will find the answers in Christ!

The key to understanding this passage is in the context of praying for wisdom.  When we pray for wisdom, we should not doubt it when we hear it.  Through God's word, inner impulses and instruction, and most importantly the counsel of others, we can hear God's voice.  When we hear it, often we are like Gideon or Moses and we say, "You have the wrong guy!"  Unfortunately, some of us are not as honest as Gideon and Moses.  We don't talk back to God and question Him.   No, we ignore His leading and voice.  Then, we wonder why trials keep coming and why God does not change our current situation to meet our needs.  

"When we ask, we must believe and not doubt."  Again let me say, God loves us so much that He wants what is best for us.  We are so short-sighted that we simply do not know what is best for us.  In our pride, we think we do know what is best, but often we are wrong.  

May the Lord lead and guide each of us.  May we learn to walk with Him through the trials and difficulties that naturally come from living in a fallen world.  May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven for His glory.  Ask for wisdom and believe His love and grace for you!  Who knows what blessings you are missing out on because of your lack of believing.

Trials, Doubt, and Grace

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save;

Neither is His ear so dull that it cannot hear.

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,

and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear." 

Isa. 59: 1-2

What exactly is Isaiah speaking of in this passage?  I believe for most of my Christian life I would have answered that this is the condition of those apart from Christ.  In other words, those who do not personally know Jesus as Lord  do not have the Lord's ear.  So, what should one do if they are in this condition?  You should take heart that his hand is not too short to save!  No matter who you are.  No matter what you have done.  Jesus can and will answer if you cry out to Him in repentance and faith!  For years, I thought this passage was only for unbelievers and its message was a call to faith.

Yet, I believe there are still several questions for this interpretation of the passage.  What about those folks who are not believers and they cry out to the Lord for help with an accident or illness, and He answers their prayer?  What about the ways that God miraculously shows up bringing people to faith?  

I also have questions from another perspective.  Why is that so many Christians feel at different times in their lives that God does not hear them?  They trust in Jesus, what is going on?

Even as I spent time this morning speaking with the Lord in prayer and reading His word, I was struck by these questions.  I know there have been times and even seasons of my life where I wondered where the Lord was.  He just did not seem to hear my prayers for deliverance and my cries against evil.  Other times I did not feel peace even as I prayed for peace in the midst of life's storms.  Why?

One thing I have learned is that God's ways are not my ways.  What I feel and experience in this fallen world does not always match the ideal.  If I am God's child, why do I have such experiences?

I notice I have ended each thought with a question.  I think such questions- some would call them doubts- are helpful and good if they are handled properly.  What I mean is that we must not allow these questions to control our relationship with God.  In other words, questions are good if they lead us to  ask different questions.  

Instead of "Where are you and why have you not heard me," we should ask, "What are you trying to say?"  We must cling to and declare to our soul the promises of God.  By faith we are declared righteous.  We are His children and He loves us.  Jesus' righteousness is ours by faith.  This world is not all there is.  It is a shadow of eternal life.  We must meditate upon and believe these truths.

We also need to remember that the second verse of Isaiah 59 is also true.  "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear."

The unbeliever who cries out for help often cries out for mercy.  For a brief moment they confess their inadequacies and their need.  They are vulnerable before the living God, and He answers.

The believer stuck in a situation can easily ignore the cry for mercy and instead cry out for justice.  "Lord, bring justice to this situation!  This is so wrong, fix it!"  They might even take it a step further.  "Lord I have done so much for You and been so faithful.  Hear my prayers!"

Such cries for justice demonstrate a profound lack of faith.  Yet, I have lived in this place of unbelief all too often!  Our demand for justice, against evil or for our service, puts our relationship of grace and mercy in a different spot.  In fact, the call for justice means it must begin with us.  

In my experience, The Lord often uses bad situations to help us grow.  He uses them to point out our self-righteousness, our pride, and our sin tendencies.  In other words, He takes us deeper into our need for grace and mercy instead of justice!  When we see this, we should repent and believe!  Cry out for mercy and confess your need for grace.  Such prayers the Lord does not despise.

What does all this mean when we struggle to feel God's presence and peace?  The essence of authentic faith is dependency upon God.   We look to God for forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love while  confessing our unbelief.  From the moment of first faith, by the foundation of God's grace, a believer is justified or declared righteous in the sight of God by faith.  

Also from this moment of first faith, the Lord begins to shape us and transform us by His grace toward our created good.  This process, called sanctification, is achieved through dependent faith.  So, when we depart from dependent faith, the Lord often calls us back to repentance and faith by pointing out our sin to drive us back to Jesus.  We may not want to hear about it, but such a state of repentant faith allows the Lord to hear us!

I do not know where you are in your journey of faith, but if the Lord does not seem close, I encourage you to ask different questions.  Ask the Spirit to lead you to a place of deeper repentance and dependent faith.  As you do, you will find that you draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

Keeping God in the Present

"'Do you believe in life after death?'  What can one say as a Christian?  Of course I do.  I believe that Jesus died and rose for us and in him we have eternal life.  But I felt there was a danger of putting off to some future date what should be ours now- life, and life in all its fullness.  Too many sad folks project their own desires to a future world when they should be living by faith in this world.  I believe in life after death but I also believe in life before death.  We need to make sure we are living now." 

Adam, The Road of Life, 122.

If we do not live out the gospel, we are always in danger of projecting true life somewhere else other than to our current experience.  Some project true life back "in the day" when they felt alive and free.  They often forget that at the time they were likely projecting forward looking forward to true life in the future!

Others, particularly those who lived or are living through times of struggle, project true life into the future.  My family on my dad's side often lived this way.  They projected into heaven all of their desires for life, and they complained about their physical ailments and difficulties in the present.  For these good hearted folks, the present was something to be endured and not really enjoyed.  They are models for a brand of Christian spirituality that many live.

The gospel compels us to live in the present.  God is with us right here and now.  His presence is around us, in us, and near us.  We can meet with Him in repentance and faith.  He promises us life right now- at work, at home, at play, or in difficulty.  His lightest touch can make even the most difficult tasks enjoyable.  So why do we project His presence backward or forward in time when His life changing power is here and now?

I know this is hard to live out.  Here is an example from our life.  Currently, we are looking forward to a new ministry in Seattle.  I think about the house and possessions to sell, the packing needed, and all the plans I hope to see come to fruition.  On the other hand, as I meet with my friends in Maine I am also looking backward at my great times here.  I feel caught between what will happen and what has happened!

I have also found this to be true after difficult situations and times.  My mind constantly pulls me back to what I should have said or done.  In many ways when I think this way, I forget the present and live in the past.

So what do I do?  What should we do?  How about bring my God into the living of the present?  Repent of the thoughts from the past that sometimes flood my mind.  Repent and believe that God was at work and He used it all for my good!

When I get caught up in thinking about the future, I need to talk with God about it.  Pray and ask for His wisdom and guidance as I move toward that future.  I need to ask Him to redeem and work greatly in the present.  I ask Him to give me eyes to see His labor and task for me today.

May the Lord dwell in your present this day.  May your thoughts and prayers turn to inviting Him to redeem the past, bless the future, and meet with you in the present!

Calling and the Open Door

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us."

Helen Keller

This morning I am traveling across the country and my plane leaves at 6 AM.  Since this week we are on the topic of calling, I am reposting a blog post from last month.  I believe it applies well to our subject matter for this week.

I will share two different posts/quotes I have been given this week.  I find it interesting that when the Lord is trying to tell you something He often repeats it.  At least I have such deaf ears that I need His repeating!

Both of these selections concern the topics of vocation, calling, determining God's will, and joyful living.  I completely agree with Keller that so often I stare at closed doors instead of having the faith to look for what God is opening.  How about you?

The second selection is from Dan Miller's website, www.48days.com from the February 22 post.  This selection is a story I have heard often.  I will let it speak for itself.  I will say that I believe it overlaps perfectly with the Keller quotation because so often as the door is shutting, we keep banging our heads against it demand that it open as we wish.  Where does God fit into such actions?

Here is Miller's post.

Last Sunday night, after speaking at a church, a lady approached me with her question. She was obviously very discouraged with low self-esteem, poor eye contact and overall weak personal presentation.  But her question was – “Why should I keep trying when God keeps closing the door on my calling?”  Wow – now there’s a question designed to stump even a theologian – which I am not.  If God “calls” us to something, wouldn’t He open the doors to make that happen?  Is this like asking if God can make a rock so big He can’t move it?

Frankly, I don’t think her question is that complicated.  I think she needs to take a fresh look at her “calling.”  She said she’s always wanted to be a counselor.  She got a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and then was rejected from entering graduate school in counseling.  So she spent three years and went deeply in debt to get her Masters of Divinity (MDiv) degree, thinking that would open the door.  She then applied for the graduate counseling program again but was rejected once more.  She took an entry level job with a community counseling agency but was let go after a couple of months.  She told me she has never married, lives alone and has few friends.  I asked her if people were coming to her for her advice and opinion now.  To which she replied – No – that’s why she needed the degrees in counseling.

I think this is a mis-interpretation of “calling.”  If God’s calls us to something there will be affirmation of that in many ways.  If God is calling you to be a musician you will likely already have shown talent in that area and have lots of people telling you to move in that direction.  If God is calling you to counsel or coach, I’m confident people are already telling you their problems and you are surprised by the wisdom you are frequently able to offer.

Yes I do think it requires work and struggle to be effective even in our “calling.”  But I don’t think God “calls” us to something that does not line up with our passions, talents, personality traits and dreams.

– Thomas Merton said:

 “A tree gives glory to God by being a tree. For in being what God means it to be it is obeying Him….  The more a tree is like itself, the more it is like Him….” 

Don’t try to be a rose bush (as good as that may be) if you’re a tree.  Be a great tree.

Trials, Joy, and Growth

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, wherever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." 

James 1: 2-5

Today I began a look at James in my devotional reading and prayer time.  I was immediately struck by this first passage in the entire book.  Why would I consider it joy when I face trials?  Like most of us, I avoid trials and I complain when I am in them!  How can I consider it joy?

I have to say that the past year and a half have been a time of trial for me.  I have seen betrayal in ministry, disappointment in my personal life, began to suffer from irritating health issues, and I have listened to a nagging string of condemnation from the Evil One.  As the time of trial began, I complained to God.  I knew I was innocent, or at least not directly causing any issues, so why did I have to go through them?!  Have you ever been there?

As weeks turned into months, I began to ask God different questions.  Lord, what do I need to learn from this?  What are you doing?  What do I need to see?  I think this is the process that James describes in this passage.  

Finally, I began to ask for wisdom.  I also began to grow and develop as a person in different directions.  I must admit that the change was slow and at times imperceptible.  Still, I can now see how God was changing me.  As I persevered through the trials, I developed a new level of maturity.  I know I am still lacking in much, but I thank God for allowing me to develop and be transformed by His grace.

I share this experience because I wonder how God has worked to shape each of my readers?  Trials promote humility or bitterness.  Which one marks your life?  

Trials promote an attitude of blaming God and turning away from a walk with Him or trusting him more (perseverance in our faith).  Which one marks your life? 

I am thankful for His faithfulness that He did not allow bitterness and unbelief to dominate my life.  I know that the only true anchor and rock is my Lord and my God!  Not because I declare it or believe it, but because it is true.

The next few sentences of James are very interesting, and even this morning I puzzled over them.  "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." vs. 6  What does this mean?  It sounds so harsh!  Is this a new idea or part of the past one concerning trials, perseverance, and wisdom?  I believe it is part of the preceding idea. When you ask for wisdom, do not doubt it when you get it!  God will answer your prayer for wisdom, but do not doubt what He is trying to tell you.

I often find that people only move to a different place (spiritually, physically, emotionally, etc.) when pressed to do so.  Most of us would prefer to stay in a bad situation or place because it is more comfortable than the unknown.  Truly a body at rest, stays at rest.  God loves us so much that He knows what is best for us.  He knows our sin tendencies and our hang-ups.  He wants us to grow out of them because they are harmful to us.  He desires a great and promising future for us.  He wants to lead us to this future!  The question becomes will we follow His leading?  Most of the time no.  Thus, trials come to awaken our body at rest.

I think this is the answer to James' thoughts concerning doubt.  We all doubt many things.  This is a natural consequence of our fallen state.  Doubt is a broad category, and this passage is not saying that all doubt is bad.  When doubt leads to questions, it is often good because we will find the answers in Christ!

The key to understanding this passage is in the context of praying for wisdom.  When we pray for wisdom, we should not doubt it when we hear it.  Through God's word, inner impulses and instruction, and most importantly the counsel of others, we can hear God's voice.  When we hear it, often we are like Gideon or Moses and we say, "You have the wrong guy!"  Unfortunately, some of us are not as honest as Gideon and Moses.  We don't talk back to God and question Him.   No, we ignore His leading and voice.  Then, we wonder why trials keep coming and why God does not change our current situation to meet our needs.  

"When we ask, we must believe and not doubt."  God loves us so much that He wants what is best for us.  We are so short-sighted that we simply do not know what is best for us.  In our pride, we think we do, but often we are wrong.  

May the Lord lead and guide each of us.  May we learn to walk with Him through the trials and difficulties that naturally come from living in a fallen world.  May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven for His glory.  Ask for wisdom and believe His love and grace for you!  Who knows what blessings you are missing out on because of your lack of believing.