Mar 21 - "Burning Embers"

"For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gifts to strengthen you -- or rather, so that we may be mutually encouraged by each others' faith, both yours and mine." --- Romans 1:1-15
*******************************

Do you ever feel like you are in a dry time, spiritually? Are there points when you just don't feel as connected to God?

I recently heard a story, told by one of my new friends, Travis, who participates with me in the ministry of Jehoshua House. On Monday evenings a good-sized group of men and women head up to Hamilton County Jail and spend time with the inmates there, teaching a short course in Christianity. During these sessions, one of our group gets up to give a talk about one element of our Faith, also giving testimony to how this particular topic has played a part in their lives. We then break into small groups with the inmates and discuss the topic of that session. This past week, Travis told us the following story.

"A man was sitting with his friend next to a warm fire one evening, talking about how he was troubled at the current condition of his faith walk. He was telling his friend that he had started having this feeling of being a bit lost a few months back; work and family life was busy; Sunday mornings had changed from time spent in worship to time spent working or on the golf course.

As this conversation progressed and the fire they were sitting next to burned down to coals, the man's friend reached into the fireplace with metal tongs and pulled one of the bright embers from the fire and placed in alone on the stone hearth. While the man continued to share his story, the ember cooled and darkened, losing its heat and fire.

After a bit, while continuing to listen patiently, the man's friend placed the cold and dark ember back into the hot coals from which it had originally been taken. While the man finished telling his story to the friend, the ember which had been dark and without warmth, returned to its former brightness, as the other burning embers shared their heat and light.

The man saw this and realized what he needed to do."

Paul's letter to the Romans opens with a wonderful reminder of how we can refresh ourselves in those dry times. Not only does he want to be with his friends in order to encourage them and build up their faith, he also realizes that being with them will encourage, brighten and warm him too. Just as Paul knew that the source of his continuing spiritual renewal was to be in a community of believers, I have recognized the power of my family's weekly time at our church, but also the encouragement of spirit I receive each week when I spend time with the brothers of Jehoshua House and my new friends at Hamilton County Jail.

If you are not in a church community where you are feeling warmed, brightened and renewed, it's time to find a new church. But before making that choice, make sure you think about how you might need to be the burning ember in the fire to someone else. By sharing your heat and light, you also have the opportunity to be refreshed in the spirit. If you are not regularly attending worship with friends, I encourage you to find a place to do so.

So, return to the fire. Where two or three are gathered, Christ is also there. Allow yourself to be warmed and brightened by the spirit of those who are around you, worshiping and being in relationship with one another.

Mar 20 - "Our Temple"

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you? --- 1 Corinthians 3:11-23
*****************************

Have you ever lived in a house or apartment that was built with shoddy materials or obviously not well-constructed to pass the test of time? Does this abode look good from the outside, maybe even has a strong foundation, but because the wood for the framing is of low quality or the shingles on the roof are carelessly placed, it is falling apart, year by year? Would you think that maybe the house was built with good materials, but there has been no maintenance or care given over time, or it was misused and not repaired?

The question today's scripture brings to mind for me is, what materials am I using to build my temple? With what am I surrounding and filling myself up on a daily basis that become the structure for which God dwells in my life? Let me tell you, I have certainly run the spectrum on this one. There have been times in my life where I placed myself, in body and mind, very far from an ideal temple. The Cardinal Sins come to mind: Gluttony, Sloth, Lust, Envy, Pride and Anger, to name a few. Spending too much time in each of these vices at various times in my life have caused (and continue to cause, at times) me to build a temple that was easily crumbled, breaking apart again and again.

I am a fan of Christian music. My satellite radio, much to my daughters' chagrin at times, is pretty much always tuned to the Message. Just as with popular/secular music, there is good, great and awesome songs as well as the fair, poor and terrible. But overall, I think listening to these songs is one way to surround myself with the positive...the uplifting...and, at times, the awesomely beautiful and holy. One the other hand, my satellite radio also offers at least two stations of Howard Stern, the Playboy channel and a comedy channel with jokes, stories and commentary that offer a continual stream trash (funny trash, but trash nonetheless). It is the same with what I am reading, watching, surfing...the people I surround myself with...there is the wonderful and the terrible at every turn.

If Lucifer exists (we'll leave that discussion for another day), don't you think that he cackles when we do things that degrade or destroy our bodies or our minds? When we fill our minds with gossip, profanity, hatred, are we not putting our very being at risk, the being through which we are compelled to preach the Good News? When we commit these sins, because Christ has written the Law on our hearts, we feel bad about ourselves, we feel unworthy, we hide ourselves from the presence of God in our shame. Satan smiles.

What are we doing to ourselves?!? How can we build up our temple in this way?!?

I realize that some of you, faithful readers, may be thinking that this is self-righteous, holier-than-thou, puritanical criticism which I am pontificating out to each of you. Please believe me, my fellow brothers and sisters in this journey, these thoughts and words are probably more about my own self-examination than trying to push some message of guilt onto you.

So, dear friends, think about what you are using to build your temple. With what do you surround yourself on a daily basis? Are you making it a worthy vessel, strong to fight the good fight on behalf of Jesus Christ? Or, are you setting up a leaning tower, ready to be tipped at the slightest pressure of responsibility? Start today with fresh materials, strong timbers, sturdy planks, clean fuel. Let us make our temples a reflection of our thanksgiving, a form of praise for the wonderful gift of life we have been given, in order that we might proclaim, His Word and march onward in strength.

Mar 19 - "Joseph's Call"

"When Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife..." --- Matthew 1:18-25
*************************

In general, when considering the men in the Bible, there seems to be two types: those who push back from God's call, and those who take action immediately without question when He asks them to act.

We see plenty of examples where men, when in the presence of God, seem to fight with Him a bit over the course He is asking them to take. Consider these: Moses, who questioned whether he was the right man for the job; Jonah, who ran in the other direction when told to go to Ninevah; even Jesus, acting as a man would who is in great fear, asked if God "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me..." . Of course, these men ended up doing great things on behalf of God, but it sometimes took them awhile to get with the program.

On the other hand, think about those who took immediate action: Noah, who took on the work of, what appeared at the time, to be a crazy man; Abraham, who was ready to sacrifice his son Isaac without question; Samuel, David and Daniel who, even as boys, stepped forward without question to heed God's call. Joseph falls into the category of great men who, with the simplest faith, acted. Can you imagine the pressure which would have been upon Joseph to take a different course of action? You can tell he was a man of utmost honor because he was going to allow things to end quietly and without embarrassment to Mary or his family. Many men in the same situation would have chosen to end up on Jerry Springer, publicly calling out his "unfaithful" wife.

How often do we we heed God's call without question? You may say, "But God has never asked me to do anything...how can I answer His call to me?". Joseph was spoken to in a dream; not by God directly. Maybe God is calling you in a way that is much less direct than a burning bush, a booming voice from heaven or even an angel in a dream. Maybe he is calling you via a tough request from a friend for help; a committee member at church, needing extra hands; or even, being witness to some form of injustice or wrong that occurs in the course of your daily life. We often find ourselves...I know I do...thinking of excuses as to why we cannot or do not want to help in these situations.

So, think about what God may be calling you to do. Are you open to the call? Will you act without question or delay? When the call comes, in whatever form, we can show our faith in a simple "yes, I will help". Is it a scary? Yes. But, God will not ask for something we cannot do.

Mar 18 - "One Thing"

"So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord your God and His decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being." --- Deuteronomy 10: 12-22
*******************************

We are busy people. It seems nowadays that whenever I talk to someone at work, friends, family...everyone is trying to balance the multitude of things brought into our lives, by choice or by circumstance, focusing on more than a few things at any given time. In consideration of our busy-ness, can you imagine what it would be like to only have to focus on one thing and one thing only?

In today's scripture, Moses is speaking to the the people of Israel, near the end of his life, after they have been wandering around in the desert for forty years. He is taking an opportunity to review with the Israelites, all of the things which have happened, all of the miracles they have seen as a part of their freedom from slavery and being led out of Egypt. Since Moses realizes that he is soon to leave this world and not enter into the Promised Land with his people, he sees it as important to make sure the Israelites are mindful especially of the commandments giving by God to Moses, which he then passed along to his people.

Moses here focuses in on the greatest commandment: I'll summarize it in the way Jesus did, which is, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37). It's all about love; nothing else.

Now, does Moses and eventually Jesus, intend to communicate that as long as we have that warm and fuzzy feeling for God, all will be fine and we won't have to worry about anything else? Not exactly. Remember that love is a choice; it is an active, not a passive approach. When we say we are making a decision to love a person in spite of their faults, to forgive this person and continue to love even when he or she hurts us and does not appear to be loving us back, this is the type of active love Moses and Jesus are compelling us to deliver. It is also important to note that Moses does not say we should love God because He demands it or needs it; he says we should do it for our own well-being.

If we are only then supposed to be focused on this one thing, how does that translate to the rest of our lives and the myriad decisions we have to make on a daily basis? How does simply loving God with all our hearts, souls and minds keep us on task at work so we can be employed and pay the bills, or transport the kids to their activities or make for a great relationship with our spouse? I think we simply have to ask ourselves the question in any situation, does our choice, our action, show love for God? By being honest and working hard in our jobs, do we show love to God by putting to good use the gifts He has given to us? Yes. By supporting our children, do we show love to God by encouraging them and the use of their gifts in a positive way? Yes. By opening our hearts to our spouses, loving them deeply and truly, do we show love to God by loving another? Yes.

Am I over simplifying things? Yes. But sometimes simple feels good.

So, dear friends, focus your efforts on the one thing which delivers all good things to you. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Rest assured that by loving God with our actions and our choices, we are nurturing our own well-being and, by the way, doesn't it feel good?!?

Mar 17 - "Baby Steps"

"Jesus said, 'If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?'" --- John 2:23 - 3:15
********************************

Having faith, turning over your life to God and putting your trust in Him, seems like such a big decision. Does making a transition from "owning" your life and "controlling" the outcomes, to giving things over to God and accepting His will for you, feel like taking a leap across the Grand Canyon?

The snippet above from today's scripture reading comes near the conclusion of Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus. This man, a Pharisee and leader among the Jewish people living in Jerusalem at this time, is asking Jesus about His teachings. He proceeds with a line of inquiry where you can almost feel Nicodemus wanting to believe that Jesus is the Messiah who has come. We don't know for sure if Nicodemus ever fully believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but we can point to the fact that he helped bury Jesus in the tomb, an act which would imply that something in his heart had changed.

What a giant step it would have been for Nicodemus to go from a leader of his people who, eventually played a role in Jesus' crucifixion, to one who believed the Jesus was the Son of God. It may have been too much.

Sometimes, we are the same way...alike to Nicodemus. The decision to believe, to place your entire life and existence into the hands of the living God may be more than we can do. Maybe it is better to make small choices first; find little ways to turn our lives over to God. Almost no one decides to become a runner on a Monday and then runs a marathon on Saturday of that same week; the distance between those two points is too great. But, the decision comes with small steps; first walking, then running a few times each week; then a 5k...a 10k. Eventually, you have taken enough small steps, that when look back, you have covered a great distance. That distance, taken in one step, would have been to large to overcome, and failure would have likely been the result. But, attempted and achieved in small portions, our strength builds over time and we accomplish great things.

So, it is OK to take baby steps of faith. Find little ways to believe, to turn your life over to God. Offer up small decisions in prayer to Him; allow Him to work little miracles for you before asking for the big ones. For by bringing our faith along one step at a time, we are able to see God in these earthly things, open our heart to those heavenly things, and believe.

Mar 16 - "Jeshua ben Joseph"

"The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple He found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, He drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, 'Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!' " --- John 2: 13-22
******************************************


Have you ever been in one of those situations where someone you know, who is usually cool, calm and collected, suddenly becomes unglued? Maybe you've been the one who has finally comes to your wit's end over a particular issue and completely lost it? When we experience these instances of sudden outrage, isn't it a bit uncomfortable?


Imagine you are one of the Disciples, strolling through the temple with your teacher, Jeshua ben Joseph (literally, in the Aramaic, "Jesus, son of Joseph"). All of the sudden, this person who you are coming to believe is the Messiah, the incarnation of God on the earth, starts ranting and raving about the money changers in the temple. He tips over tables, yells, chases people around. You would be thinking, "What is going on here?!?!?".


Although Jesus, Emmanuel, is the Son of God and fully God, He was also fully human. The reaction we see from Him in the temple is one of a man; a son of a carpenter who, filled with anger, takes action against the wrongs He is witnessing. Even Jesus is not immune from experiencing outrage at the gross misuse of our Father's house.


I actually find this comforting, this human side of Jesus. It helps me realize that, although I try hard every day to make good choices, do the right things and love openly without judgement, I fall short. And, as long as I recognize these shortcomings, strive to be better, repent and, with a sincere heart, ask for forgiveness, I am free to move on again to the next day to try again. Remember, even though we are called to "be like Jesus", there is no expectation that we can "be Jesus". He is the only perfect man who ever lived or will live.


One of my favorite quotes is from a great football coach, Vince Lombardi, who said, "We know we cannot achieve perfection. But, if we pursue perfection, we can catch excellence."


So, remember that it is OK to be Human. Our goal is to pursue Him, the Perfect One. But, also know, and accept, that we will always fall short...and that is OK. For our pursuit of Jesus will allow us to capture a life in this world that is excellent.

Mar 15 - "The Good Wine"

"On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of His signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him." --- John 2: 1-12

***************************

This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible (hence, posting the whole reading today instead of just a snippet.) The story of Jesus' first miracle; changing water to wine at the Wedding at Cana is such a simple and beautiful depiction of the first of many wonderful and marvelous acts Jesus will deliver during His life on earth.

A wedding is such a joyous time. I think back to almost a year ago when we were all together as a family celebtrating the marriage of my sister Abbi to her husband, Ben. All of us were filled with the happiness brought by a new life together; two lives made into one. God is good!

There are two parts to this story from John's gospel which always strike me. First, Jesus' mother Mary has to prompt Jesus to act. Of course, since Jesus was fully Man, he reacts as a son might in a similar situation when a mother has pride around a son's special gifts and wants him to reach his full potential. He basically says, "C'mon Mom...not now. Don't make me do this in front of all these people". It's as if she were asking him to put on his tap shoes and show off some new steps. He almost seems embarrassed and relucatant to "perform". But, don't all of us need a little push every once in awhile from that person who can see our full potential, yet unrealized?

The second, and most poignant message behind this story from Jesus' life is what happens to a situation when you bring God into the equation. Remember, Jesus, although fully Man, was also fully God. The miracle He performed was about taking a good situation and making in better by adding God. When I reflect upon my own marriage, I realize that, even though Greta and I had a wonderful relationship the first few years of our marriage, it got even better once we brought God into our relationship. When we added Him into our lives as a defining element of how we related to each other and those around us, recognizing the power of prayer...praying for each other and those in our lives...how much better it became, and continues to be! The first "wine" of our life together was wonderful, but how much sweeter the "wine" is now, once it has been blessed by the active presence of God.

So, allow the good wine to flow. Whatever you think is good today can become great and amazing when you add God and a relationship with Jesus Christ to the equation. Allow the gift you have been given to reach its full potential, being wonderfully magnified and blessed by Him.