Dig In

Psalm 143:9-10

9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
    I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
    on level ground!

Who is the enemy that you need to be delivered from? For most of us right now we say our enemy is a tiny virus. We live with varying levels of concern because we never know where or when this microscopic enemy might attack. And because it’s so small we take precautions: wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing, and all the things that protect us from a physical assault. We know of the assorted ways to protect our bodies, but what are you doing to protect your mind?

Just like the virus is a physical enemy many of us are also dealing with mental enemies. Social distancing has got a lot of people feeling, among uncountable other emotions, isolated and alone. And to be clear feeling lonely has nothing to do with the number of people around you. Whether you are in a crowded stadium or hiding in a bunker there are times that we can feel alone. It is in these times that we must seek refuge; we must find a place that feels safe enough to deal with all that life is throwing at us.

God wants to be that place for you. In the confusion of life, God can be the one unchanging constant we have to rely on. As we spend time in the word, we learn to do God’s will and can be reminded of ways to find our way back from the mayhem to level ground. When we spend time reading the Bible, we see how living and active it is. There can be a passage that you’ve read or heard preached a thousand times, but that thousand and first time it speaks to you and your current circumstance in a new and exciting way.

Hiding some of the word in your heart also allows it to come out and remind you that you are loved no matter how lost you feel. God loves you and has given us the means to learn more and grow closer. Randomly cracking open your Bible may not instantly solve the problems you are facing, however, it will constantly remind you that you don’t need to face your problems alone. 

Frustration

Matthew 7:12 - So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Life in quarantine can fray the edges of our nerves. Stuff we would never notice before, we now notice. Stuff we’d notice as a little annoying, is very annoying. Stuff that was annoying before, can make us downright angry. This is a natural outcropping of the general level of stress and anxiety we are living under. Six months ago, we wouldn’t think twice about popping into a store or grabbing a bite to eat. Now we need to wear masks and gloves and plan our outings with greater precision. It is easy for this to feel like it’s all too much.

As our collective fuses get shortened, it becomes fundamentally important to recognize the stress we are facing and do our best to give an extra measure of grace to the people we are sequestered with or that we may come in contact. “That inconsiderate jerk is going the wrong way down the grocery store aisle, even when they are so clearly marked!” Maybe they are just frazzled and trying to get out of the store as quickly as possible. There’s an adage called Hanlon’s Razor that says, "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." Maybe they made a mistake and are not intentionally trying to ruin your day.

We like to put people into boxes; we get an impression and generalize from there. However, if we can move a person from “someone who is in my way” to “someone who is also going through a stressful time” we can be kinder and more compassionate. We all need a little more grace than usual these days. The smallest thing can send us down a path of anger and frustration. What if you took Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them,” to heart? 

We want people to be patient with us. We want to be given the benefit of the doubt that what we did was done as a minor slipup and not malice. People make mistakes; it can’t be avoided. Our patience will get tested, now more than ever, but if we devote ourselves to grace and peace, I hope we can be a little more patient and a little more kind. Maybe we can do someone the simple favor of just thinking they’re a little stupid? 

Rolling Stones

Sisyphus is a character from Greek mythology, whe is most famous for being punished by endlessly rolling a stone up a hill. Every time he neared the top the stone would slip and roll right back down to where he started. He would then have to walk back down and start again. The idea here is that there is no greater penalty for a person than to experience pointless repetitive tasks day after day. I think we can all identify with Sisyphus a little bit, maybe now more than ever.

In quarantine, everything can feel shifted and out of place. We can feel like Sisyphus, doomed to do the same thing day after day with no real sense of accomplishment. I have had times where I could not have told you what day it was without checking my phone because they all just seem to blur together. It is times like this that we must find joy in the little things and peace in those small moments. What those are will differ from person to person, and the hard work will be in naming them for yourself. It is all too easy to point out all the things going wrong; they feel big and obvious and in your face.

A philosopher writing about Sisyphus, said that though he was cursed to an endless task, he still had moments of freedom. As the stone rolled down the hill Sisyphus walked behind it, and it was during this walk that he was free. Free to let his mind wander. Free to laugh at the absurdity of his situation. Free to take a deep breath before starting once again.

We want the world to be back to what it was a year ago. We want to have normal days with work, and school, and soccer practice. Unfortunately, we don’t know when those days will come back. For now, we are all just pushing that stone up the hill knowing that at some point it’s going to roll back down, and we’ll need to start again.

When you feel the disappointment of seeing the stone roll downhill, again, I hope you’re able to take a breath, laugh at the absurdity of life, and remember this prayer of David.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
    He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Feels Like Forever

Sunday is Mother’s Day. It marks another “get together holiday” we will need to spend apart because of quarantine. St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Earth Day, Cinco de Mayo, countless birthdays, and Mother’s Day plans have all been cancelled due to the fact that we need to keep each other safe. Where once you’d be planning brunch, now you’re planning a Zoom call. The crowds are easier, but the experience just doesn’t feel the same. 

As we navigate this new normal, it’s easy to get disheartened. We had plans, ideas, things to do, and people to see. Now, we have video meetings and kids that haven’t left your side in what feels like forever! We have all adapted to this weird new “normal” in different ways. Vigilance fatigue is setting in and we just want to act like nothing bad is happening in the world. 

During the writing of Psalm 3, David was going through some serious troubles. His son was trying to overthrow him and a large number of the people he considered friends were turning their backs on him. As he was running for his life, he needed to maintain a heightened sense of awareness about him because he never knew who might cause him trouble.

This is similar to our need to wear masks and gloves. “But they’re are stuffy, and uncomfortable, and they fog up my glasses, and I hate them.” The problem is, we don’t know where the trouble might come from. “Was that cough from the virus or just allergies?” “Could I be asymptomatic and sharing this garbage everywhere I go?” We don’t know, and because we don’t know we make the sacrifice to protect ourselves and each other. Even when it makes us feel weird. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when we can’t see how much we are making a difference.

Psalm 3:3-8 says,

3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
    my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
    and he answered me from his holy hill. 

5 I lay down and slept;
    I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
    who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O Lord!
    Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
    you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
    your blessing be on your people!

Though it is exhausting, we will stay vigilant and find our rest in God. Though we are afraid, we will stay faithful because we have received your blessings.

Days Like These

We are all trying to find different ways to survive our current situation: picking up new skills, nervous baking, or binge-watching Tiger king and another season of the office. I have a friend that would like to fall into option three however with a 16-month-old Tiger King might not be the most appropriate. Instead they landed on Sesame Street as a compromise with Mom since it is at least a little educational. He was watching it the other day when I gave him a call—I’ll give him the benefit of believing that his kid was in the room, but it was also around naptime so I can’t be sure. 

As he related the episode to me, something stuck with me. Abby Cadabby said, “we are probably feeling some big feelings right now. And that’s okay!” It’s not often that you’re floored by a 4-year-old, fairy in training, pink Muppet. As we close out the month of April in quarantine, we can all be feel some really big feelings that run the gamut of emotion: fear, anxiety, sadness, empathy, annoyance, compassion fatigue, and this list can go on and on. No matter where you fall, from the highest heights of joy to the dark depths of depression, whatever big feelings you have right now God wants you to share them.

Psalm 34:15-18 says,

15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
    and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.

Tragedy reveals a lot about us and the people around us. The problem is that most tragedies are localized. When someone faces the death of a loved one, they can be lost in grief but it’s okay because the community can come around them and pick up the slack. The community can give them the love and support they need. This dynamic goes out the window when there is a global pandemic that literally affects everyone. 

This is why it so important to reach out to your community right now. Your good day might be happening at the same time as someone else’s bad one and hearing a little of your positivity might turn that around. If you’re feeling down reach out, there are people that would love nothing more than to lend a listening ear. 

I know someone who has wrestled with anxiety and depression most of their life, and they said the quarantine hasn’t hit them as hard as others because feeling lonely or isolated is just Tuesday. For others this might be the first time dealing with these emotions. You might be a feeling some big feelings right now and that’s okay! It’s okay because you are loved no matter what. God loves you more than anyone has ever been loved before.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.

Too Blessed to Be Stressed…

…is one of the dumbest phrases to come out of coffee mug Christianity. As if our faith, and the God of the universe, can be summed up in a little soundbite quip. To deny ever feeling stress is to deny your own humanity. God created us with a vast range of emotion, and each one exists for a purpose. The problems arise when we go too far down either end of the spectrum: we reject the feelings outright or we are consumed by those thoughts and feelings.

We see this right now in quarantine. On one side you have the people who think that since they feel fine then everything is fine. On the other side you have people who haven’t looked away from the news in two months and every sniffle or cough has them updating their will. I hope we’d all agree that both sides go too far. Our current experience aside, being human means that you are going to feel stress from time to time. 

Our goal is to avoid either extreme of our spectrum. A side where we deny ‘til we die or fixate so strongly on one thing that we miss out on the other parts of life. If you are aloof to life, there isn’t much help I can offer other than to say that you are loved and there are people that need you to care. However, if you are someone who gets consumed by stress, I want you to know that you are loved and there are people that need you to share your attention.

The writer of Psalm 118 recognizes that there are times when we will feel overwhelmed. In verses 5-9 they remind us what to do when we are faced with these feelings.

5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
    He brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; He is my helper.
    I look in triumph on my enemies.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.

The Lord is with me, He is my helper. In times when we feel lost and overwhelmed, when the stress of life is crushing down, we have a savior that wants nothing more than to shower us with loving kindness. Share your cares and fears with the Lord because he wants to hear them. God wants to walk with you in the good times and the bad. We are never too stressed to be blessed.

Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock

Micah 7:7 - But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

We have reached the middle of our fifth week of Quarantine 2020. Hopefully, we have all been doing our part to flatten the curve and are staying as socially distant as possible. Even though for most of us, social distancing is the worst. Oh, what we would give to go back to the way things were just a few months ago! Unfortunately, we can’t. For now, our only option is to wait, and nobody enjoys waiting.

How many times have we wished for life to slow down? And, now that it has, it is one of the most stressful times any of us can remember. Right now, you are not just working from home; you’re trying to get work done at home in the midst of a crisis. Right now, you are not homeschooling your kids; you’re trying to facilitate your kids’ education at home in the midst of a crisis. And the worst part about all of this is that we don’t know when it all will end, and we can start reaching for normalcy.

It’s okay for the waiting to get to you, to feel annoyed, to feel stressed out, to feel lonely, or to feel any way that the quarantine has you feeling. Though rare for someone out there, quarantine is just what they needed to reframe or refocus their life and we can be happy for them. For the rest of us however, this is a huge interruption. There are places we wanted to go and things we wanted to do. But for now, we must wait.

And though it may feel distant, our hope is right here with us. I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. This past Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. The event that all of Christianity hinges on, the event that was foretold hundreds of years before it happened. The people of the Old Testament were told that their hope and salvation was coming, but for now, they must wait.

We don’t know how or when this whole quarantine thing will wrap up. We have to wait. However, waiting doesn’t mean we are without hope. We can still look forward and trust that there is something better coming than our present circumstance. Use your time in quarantine well, even if that means resting. Time enjoyed is never wasted. We are the people of hope. Reach out, share that hope with others, and use it for yourself.

Exhausted

I once had a friend who could fall asleep anytime anywhere. Car ride more than fifteen minutes? Snoozing. Sit down to watch a movie? Out like a light. He had to make a concerted effort to get ready for bed because if he lay down, he was out for good. People would ask him how he could fall asleep so quickly, and his prepared answer was always, “clean conscience.” He was a very active guy, who had a physically demanding job, and trained four days a week. The truth was that he was just always tired.

I’m sure we’ve all had seasons in our lives where we experience true exhaustion. This isn’t the “I had a long day and need to kick up my feet” tired. This is the “deep in my bones” weariness where your only desire is to crawl into bed and be unconscious for as long as possible. Maybe you started a new job, maybe you added a kid to your family or maybe there’s a global pandemic happening. It’s okay to be tired. It’s okay because we have a God who you can trust to carry you through the hardest times.

Psalm 94:18-19 says, 
18 When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’
    your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many,
    your consolations cheer my soul.

It is easier than ever for our “feet” to slip these days. You watch the news or look at the numbers and the cares of our hearts become many, many, many! It is times like this when we need to center our focus on God’s steadfast love. We need to allow God’s consolations to cheer our souls. 

The times are scary, and it feels like the old normal is slipping further and further away. It is times like this that should cause us to lean in closer to our faith. God stays the same through the ages, God’s love never changes. There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning. We just need to hold on to the hope we have, and we will make it to morning stronger and more faithful. 

Socially distant doesn’t mean relationally distant. Reach out to someone.
Now wash your hands and don’t touch your face.

Remain Calm

Psalm 139:23 - Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my restless thoughts.

Having someone tell you to calm down usually has the opposite effect. It amps you up even more. How dare someone else dictate my mood or how I react. It’s like the warning we hear during quarantine: “don’t touch your face.” Every time I hear that my nose itches, and I have never wanted to touch my face more. Maybe I’m just a contrarian. 

No matter how you might react when told to calm down, calmness is something we all need to strive for during this unique time in the world. Psalm 139:23 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my restless thoughts.” Make a mental list of the things that caused your restless thoughts pre-quarantine. When you look at your list is there anything there that you would point to as the greatest problem that anyone on Earth has ever faced? Probably not. However, each of our lists will be filled with things that matter to us. The challenge is to not get so wrapped up in our own lists that we forget that everyone else has their own list just like it.

Similarly, we can make a list of things that matter to our hearts. Most of our lives are spent living in the tension between the desires of our hearts and the restlessness of our thoughts. God knows our hearts. God has put a call on our lives to make an impact on this world. Though we may not fix everything in the time we have whatever we do for someone vulnerable, overlooked, or ignored we do for the Lord.

Right now, we are being asked to stay home, and it’s hard. We are heading into week three of this with no real end in sight. The cabin fever is real. Though you love your family very much, they are also getting on your last nerve. The only excursions you have to look forward to are MAYBE a careful walk around the neighborhood. Add to that the normal stress of life and we can be filled to the brim with restless thoughts.

Today do what you can, fight and scrape, wheel and deal, to find 2 minutes for yourself and pray these two verses:
Psalm 139:23 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my restless thoughts.” 
Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God. God is with you. We can remain calm even when we’re scared, or lonely, or frustrated, or restless. God loves you.”

Socially distant doesn’t mean relationally distant. Reach out to someone.
Now wash your hands and don’t touch your face.

The Restlessness of Uncertainty

Depending on when you start counting, we are approximately 10 days into quarantine. We are starting to figure out what our day to day might look like, but it will take a little while before any of this even starts to feel normal. That’s all many of us really want right now: something to feel normal. Unfortunately, normal could still be a bit further down the road.

While we sit in the restlessness of uncertainty, we are being asked to do the hardest thing of all: nothing. In our normal lives we all go through times of anxiety or personal angst and we find ways to work through it. We hit the gym, we buy something we don’t need, we focus on work, or maybe just have a good Sunday spent with the people of hope. However, we are living in a world where all those things are closed. We are being asked to find new ways to cope.

I hope you can use this time to pick up some positive habits. Pray, read your Bible, set some time aside during your day to devote to God. Luke 12:23-26 says, “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?”

Right now, most of the world is shut down. In the future, many of us will reflect on this as a turning point for their lives. Some will turn for the better and some will turn for the worse. No matter where this strange time leads us, we must continually remind ourselves and the people around us that God cares for us deeply. Do what you can to remind each other of that whenever possible. Socially distant doesn’t mean relationally distant. Reach out to someone.

Now wash your hands and don’t touch your face.

So, You’ve Been Quarantined!

Alternate title: How we stand together, by staying apart. One of the best parts about Restore as a community of believers is that the place in which we meet has never been the focus of our coming together. In the last ten years we’ve never had a building that was 100% ours. We’ve borrowed, rented, and shared. Like a hermit crab who casts off their old shell whenever the need arises we move forward. And we can do it because we are dedicated to the cause of Christ and to one another.

We can do it because we are fully solidified in our hope for the future. Paul tells us in Romans 5:5, “…hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” We can look forward with the hope in our hearts to a time when things are better than they are now. Some won’t see it this side of glory but know in your heart that things will get better one way or the other.

For me this social distancing/quarantine/shutdown mostly means I don’t need to put on real pants unless I want to. I can do my job most days anywhere with my computer and an internet connection, and I have no cute, little disease vectors to homeschool and feed. Others of you, however, have much more complicated lives. You may have a job that doesn’t translate to working remotely, you have kids that are home all the time and they need educating, and feeding, and may not understand why you’re not allowed to go out and do anything fun.

Amid the fears of infection, we must all do our best to remember who we are and whose we are. We may not be able to come together on Sunday mornings the way we would prefer but know that we are all in this together no matter what. Socially distant doesn’t mean relationally distant. Reach out to someone, make a phone call, send a text, share the love that God has poured into your heart even when you’re fearful.

Now wash your hands and don’t touch your face. 

We Haven’t Failed Since Last Time

Romans 7:15-17 - 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

In this tongue twister of a passage, Paul is wrestling with a problem we’ve all been dealing with since we realized the difference between right and wrong. In a given situation we know the correct course of action, we know what the Holy, saved by grace child of God should choose, and we just reject it. Sometimes with deliberation and sometimes it’s our gut instinct. This is obviously what the Bible refers to as sin.

If you care to wander down the Romans road you will quickly come across Romans 3:23 which lets us know that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Sin is a problem we all have, it’s a problem we all struggle with, and it’s a problem we won’t be able to solve this side of heaven.

One way of dealing with sin in our lives, looks like a farmer dealing with weeds in a field. The farmer must work every day to pull the weeds that might be encroaching. The field will never be perfect and pristine but as long as the farmer pulls those weeds as they come up the field will never be fully overtaken. 

It may feel like fighting the wind or trying to punch a wave, but our mission is to run boldly after God and to bring as many people as we can along with us. In fighting sin, we will face hard times and we will fail. We must remember that it’s not the long walk home that will change our hearts, but the welcome I receive with every start. Though we are drawn towards shadows, we need only turn around to see that the light is right behind us.

If you know what is right, choose that!

Time for Us

I had a friend who was almost moved to a class for special needs kids in Kindergarten because he couldn’t learn his colors. It should be so simple, right? Red is different from Blue. Yellow is not Purple. Egg shell could never be mistaken for Alabaster. The teachers weren’t sure what to do with him; he seemed to be guessing every time he was asked the question. Turns out he was just profoundly colorblind. To hear him describe it, he lives life in sepia tones. His issue had a very specific cause, but his teachers just assumed he was a “little too slow” and wouldn’t give the time to find the real issue (Small disclaimer: when this happened, the state he was in was 48th in the nation in education, so they weren’t exactly hiring the cream of the crop).

By the time he was in high school he was taking all the advanced classes possible and scored 50 points shy of perfect on his SATs. How different would his life have been if a lazy teacher had just pushed him off as one of the slow kids? Unfortunately, this is something we do all the time. Instead of looking to help someone with what might be a minor issue we push them off. The specter of busyness is always there to get us off the hook of seeing a “them” that might need an “us.”

1 Corinthians 10:23-24 says, “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” And Paul continues in verse 31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

You have stuff you need to do; we all do. However, if you claim the cross of Christ as the means to your salvation you have also been given the higher calling. A calling to be there for people who need you. It’s not always easy, it’s rarely convenient, but if you are a mature believer you know what the right thing to do is.

My friend could have easily been sent down a path where no one expected anything from him because he was pigeon-holed as one of the slow kids. How often have we ignored someone because we have already categorized them? This person looks weird, or talks to much, or not enough and I’m too busy to show them grace.

Reach for your higher calling, you’re never too busy to be kind.

Dirty Jobs

Nehemiah 3:14 - Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. (ESV)

When I started writing today, I began by thinking about the internal dialogue Malchijah must have had with himself when he received Nehemiah’s instructions.

Nehemiah had gone back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city that had been damaged by war and neglect. One of the ways he likely assigned workers to portions of the wall was simply to tell them that they would be responsible to fix the section closest to where they lived. I imagined Malchijah’s frustration that he was assigned the dung gate.

The dung gate was the garbage dump of the city. It was the place where all of the items that no one wanted were taken outside and piled up. The name implies more than just garbage; it was probably the place where all of the animal refuse was taken. It was dirty and gross, and even more so after the rubbish had been sitting around.

We don’t actually know what Malchijah thought about the task. Maybe he didn’t protest at all but saw the wisdom of Nehemiah’s strategy. Someone had to rebuild that portion of the wall, so why shouldn’t it be the person who lived closest? Disgusting as it may have been, it was an important point of entry and exit, and if it wasn’t secured, the entire wall would have been worthless. Maybe Malchijah even volunteered for the task. All we know is that Malchijah was already in a position of leadership in and around the city, overseeing one of the districts, and Nehemiah notes that he restored the integrity of the gate.

Nehemiah’s rationale was simple. If the people of Jerusalem wanted to know how they could help the city and participate in the rebuilding of the wall, they didn’t need to look any further than what was right in front of them. If everyone took responsibility for their section, the wall would be completed. This meant that some people would restore the places of honor, and other people would have to take on the less desirable tasks. Malchijah played his part.

The same principle applies in the kingdom of God. It doesn’t do much good for us to worry about what others are doing or whether or not our assignment is as prestigious as others. Our job is to look at what’s right in front of us and give it our best effort. We all have different measures of time, talent, and treasure. It is essential for us to give what we can if we desire to see the kingdom of God advance. Sometimes, that means taking on the jobs that feel sort of crappy.

It’s likely that this is why Malchijah was in a position of leadership in the first place. If we desire God to use us, it begins with being willing to do the things that are right in front of us. When we all have that sort of desire, it’s amazing the things that can be accomplished in a short amount of time. Nehemiah built a wall. 

What will you build?

Leaven

Luke 13:20–21 - And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

Jesus parable of the leaven is in the running for one of the shortest parables in the gospel of Luke. I wonder if he came up with it on the spot or if it was rattling around in his mind and he was just looking for a place to insert it?

If he was waiting for the perfect time to use it, he nailed it. Jesus had just finished healing a woman, who had been disabled for 18 years, on the sabbath. This particular disability was the result of demonic oppression and when Jesus sees her, he immediately sets her free. One of the religious leaders is furious; Jesus had just broken the sabbath–and while he was in the synagogue, to boot! Jesus calmly asks the religious leaders whether they would break the sabbath if it meant providing water for some of their livestock; if they would, then how much more valuable is this daughter of God?

Luke is probably underemphasizing the disruption that likely followed. He says that “Jesus’ adversaries were put to shame” while everyone else rejoiced. As Jesus sat watching the commotion, he turned to his disciples, and perhaps with a gleam in his eye and a slight smile on his face, he told the young men around him this parable.

Jesus was incredibly strategic in the way that he advanced the kingdom in his lifetime. He could have come into the world with huge fanfare and disrupted everything and likely even overthrown Rome in one fell swoop. Instead he opted for a much more subversive method of advancement; he’d take small steps at first, and soon, it would overtake the whole world–sort of the way that leaven overtakes a whole batch of flour.

Jesus only healed one woman in the synagogue that day (that we know of). Everyone watching, however, had the hope of the kingdom put in their hearts so that they began to believe that Jesus was really who he said he was. If Jesus could do this, then what else could he do? What other power did he have? And the leaven began to do its work.

It’s also important to note that Jesus’ metaphor of the leaven wasn’t always used in a positive way. He also uses a similar metaphor for the teaching of the religious leaders. At the beginning of Luke 12, he tells his disciples to beware of their leaven, because even a little bit could spoil the whole batch.

Every day we are faced with a choice with what sort of attitude we will have, what we are going to focus on, and where it is that we will put our trust. It doesn’t take much to get the kingdom working in us, but it also doesn’t take much to derail us. Let’s take care to keep putting the proper leaven in our hearts, so that it does its work and expands more than we ever thought possible.

The Architect

Matthew 27:24 - Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an architect. At very least I enjoyed drawing houses, which I assumed was basically what an architect did. Dream about a house, sketch it into existence, send it to the builder. Boom. House done.

In reality an architect has to think about far more than just what a building will look like. They have to be aware of how the building is built so that it is not just beautiful, but functional. They have to know what materials to use so that their design is safe and won’t collapse. They need to know how those materials can be arranged in such a way that the building ultimately achieves their vision and can be enjoyed for years to come.

A couple of years ago I learned that Jesus was most likely a stone mason. Like most of us, I grew up being taught and believing that Jesus was a carpenter. Yet the language used of Jesus, the locale in which he lived, and the materials available to him all seem to point towards Jesus working with stone. In my head, I took that to mean that Jesus was doing the same sort of work as a carpenter–building chairs, tables, and such–but he was just carving them out of stone rather than assembling them with wood. Then a friend suggested something different: Jesus was a builder of houses.

This was the most common occupation for a stone mason, and if that was true of Jesus, then Jesus would have been very familiar with the work of architects. In fact, he may have even been the architect. It makes a lot of sense when you read the New Testament and see how often Jesus refers to stones, buildings, houses, towers, and particularly, how to ensure they don’t collapse around you.

If we were applying this to our lives (and we should be), the simplistic thing to ask ourselves might be, “who is the architect of your life”, but that’s not really the right question. Asking ourselves who the architect is makes it seem as if there can be alternatives to the structure of our lives, but that’s not really accurate. God has already given us the blueprint. In Jesus story about the houses built on the rock and the sand, he makes clear that the same set of instructions was given to both builders. The problem was that one of the builders ignored the architect.

The better question is, “are we following the architect’s instructions?” As the Psalmist reminds us, “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

Sabbath in the Storm

Matthew 8:24 - And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he [Jesus] was asleep.

I have a friend who has an innate ability to ask you probing questions you don’t want to answer. They aren’t bad questions, they’re good questions. She asks them so that you can reflect on the condition of your own soul. A few days ago, she used this gift on me. Here’s how the dialogue went:

“How’s it going?” She asked.

“It’s good”, I said. “I’ve been really busy. I said ‘yes’ to too many things and January was insane.”

Now, normally, this is where a conversation like this would end. Most of us don’t think about asking a follow-up question, or if we do, it would be for more information. Perhaps someone would ask about what sorts of things I was involved in. After all, it’s okay to be overly busy if all the things that we’re involved in are important. Being busy with important things is a badge of honor, isn’t it?

The conversation didn’t end, and she asked a follow-up question: “are you finding time to Sabbath?”

Ooof. Bomb-drop. Nothing makes a pastor feel worse than having to decide which of the Ten Commandments you want to violate. I could either lie (#9) and tell her that I have been sabbathing, or I could tell her that I’ve regularly been breaking the Sabbath (#4). I went with a half-truth: “Not as often as I should.” I felt like acknowledging that I knew I was breaking the Sabbath and that I should be resting more allowed me to save some face, as if it was somehow okay for me to violate God’s will for me as long as I knew I was doing it.

That’s what led me to this reminder in Matthew 8:24. Jesus is sleeping on a boat on the Sea of Galilee with his disciples and a massive storm whips up, the boat is taking on water, and no amount of commotion can wake him. Finally, the disciples go and shake him from his sleep. Before doing anything about the storm, or the boat, or the water, Jesus asks his own probing question: “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

Of course, Jesus goes on to calm the storm and the disciples marvel at this miracle and so we think that what Jesus was meant was, “Why didn’t you have faith in me that I could calm this storm and not let you die?” Certainly, that may have been part of what he meant. But the timing of his question points to another possibility of what he wanted his disciples to reflect on: “Why do you think I was able to sleep during the storm while you were afraid for your lives?”

The answer is that Jesus trusted his Father to take care of him–and take care of the storm–while he took the time to rest. Jesus’ faith allowed him to nap, even while there was important work to be done. And of course, it was the disciples lack of faith–and mine–that prevents resting. I’m too concerned with what will happen to the important work if I’m not doing it, forgetting that my Father is always paying attention so that once in a while, I don’t have to.

In fact, that’s the purpose of Sabbath. Do you have enough faith that God is taking care of business so you can go and rest, play, or generally just enjoy life? Or is the business that you are involved in more important than the business of Jesus?

A probing question, indeed.

Service With A Smile

Mark 9:35 - Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

In this small glimpse of Jesus teaching directly to the disciples we see Him correcting a trap that we can all feel pulled to at times. The disciples, who had been with Jesus for some time and had seen all the things he could do, were arguing over who was the greatest among them. Up to this point in the book of Mark, Jesus has done some pretty big stuff: He’s healed people, taught large crowds, calmed a storm, cast out demons, raised a dead girl, fed thousands with a little bread and fish, restored hearing and sight to separate people, and we’re only a few chapters in.

The question of who is the greatest among this group should be pretty obvious. It’s Jesus. Now, they might have been arguing for second place, but it shouldn’t matter with Jesus so far out in front, second place may as well be no place at all.

Instead of telling the disciples that who is greatest is a dumb argument to have (it is), He sits them down and tries to help them get their priorities straight. When we aim to be greater than the people we are around, we can lose sight of the help we should be providing. In the eyes of God, we are all the same: sinners in need of a savior.

As a church Restore would not exist, or at the very least Sunday morning would be a disaster, if it wasn’t for the hard work and dedication of our servant-hearted volunteers. I can only imagine the horror some of us would feel to walk in on a Sunday morning and learn that there is no coffee, or that we’re going to need to sing acapella, or that no one is going to watch your kids during service. Thankfully, we have amazing people who help make every week a success. And they don’t do it for the glory, they do it out of the love they have for the family of Restore.

If you serve, thank you so much for your willingness to come early, or stay late, or work with kids, or cook, or clean, or any of the myriad things that keep a church running. And if you don’t, maybe you could start. There are a number of low-pressure, low-commitment volunteer opportunities if you’re ready to dip your toe in the water of service.

No matter what, if you see someone serving, say thanks because service is what we are called to do.

January Blues

January always comes with a little bit of a holiday hangover. From the end of October through the first day of the new year we have so much fun, and activity, and parties, and presents, and time away from our mundane schedules to look forward to. Then January second shows up and we need to go to work, help kids get ready for school, and wonder what happened to all those delicious treats that were so readily available just a few days ago.

The switch from celebration to tribulation happens fast. One minute we’re surrounded by sparkling lights and bright colors and the next we’re in a sea of black coats pushing to survive the chilly walk from our car to the door. It’s hard to make that transition. However, we the lucky few have something that other people might not. For many Christmas is about sharing presents and spending time with family, but for those that call themselves Christian we revel in the news that a savior came to rescue us.

We don’t always feel happy, but we can remember the joy that lives in our hearts. In 1 Corinthians Paul reminds of the victory we can keep in mind. Partially quoting Hosea, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:55b-58, 

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

We know that the only result of sin is death but through the work and sacrifice of Jesus Christ we can taste victory. We look at our lives that could be lost and know that Christ has the last word. Death is defeated, the man Jesus Christ laid death in his grave.

Even on a sunny day life can feel gray and cold. Whether you just have some post-holiday blues, life feels overwhelming, or you are dealing with a serious issue know that there is hope. Even when it feels far away remember that Jesus laid down his life because He loved you more than anyone in this world!

The Sun’s Out

Acts 3:19-21 - 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

This past weekend the weather was beautiful! The sun was shining, it was warm, and you could go outside without spending 10 minutes preparing. Definitely not what you’d expect for this area in mid-January, and just as quickly as it arrived, we have returned to the cold gray bleakness of winter. It’s the time of year when you just want to hide away: sitting in a cozy pile of blankets, sipping your favorite warm beverage, and eating carbs. 

Unfortunately, the demands of life require that we soldier on no matter the weather. This is just a picture of life as we know it, good days come and good days go, and throughout it all we go through the motions of living. But there is something special about a spring day popping up out of nowhere in the middle of winter that makes us all appreciate it a little bit more.

If it’s been sunny and 70 for the last six months, then you don’t notice another day that’s sunny and 70. However, when you feel the warmth on your skin for the first time after only feeling a chill you experience a brief rush of invigoration. Today is going to be different! And it is this feeling Peter is speaking about in Acts 3.

When we get bogged down by sin it can feel a lot like a bad winter. The days feel short and it seems like there is a lot less light than we would prefer. As we face times like these it can seem like the sun is never going to come out again. When the truth is that the sun has never left us and we need only repent, which literally means to turn around, and face a new direction and see the warmth of forgiveness that is available. 

We have a God that loves us deeply and wants us to feel the refreshing joy of restoration. It’s not easy and we all need reminders sometime. So, if you need it today, turn around the sun is still out there. And if you’re doing great look for someone around you that you can encourage.