Busy Busy

The Old Testament book of Haggai is 2 chapters, 38 verses, long and recounts one of the minor prophet’s missions to get people to help rebuild the temple. This message could have been delivered one of two ways. For many of us, we’d go directly to guilt and shame. “How dare you work on other things! Why isn’t the house of God built first?!” I’m sure we’ve all seen (and hopefully left) leaders who try to manage with guilt and shame.

Haggai, however, gives a message of positivity and encouragement. Haggai challenges the people: the reason they were not being blessed was because they had not rebuilt the Lord's temple. Instead, they had focused on rebuilding their own homes and fields. This is classic modern American Christian, “I just don’t feel like I’m hearing any encouragement from God,” while in the same breath, “I don’t think I’ve studied my Bible in over a year.”

Haggai says this in 1:5-7, “5 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. 6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. 7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.”

The world went and got itself in a big hurry. We are all so busy. We move frantically from appointment, to errand, to soccer practice, to whatever’s next without ever considering why. It’s just what we do. Especially in the Northeast, if they weren’t complaining/bragging about being so busy some people wouldn’t have anything to talk about.

Haggai’s challenge for the people and for us is simply to reexamine our motives and priorities. Sure there are things that need to get done in the day to day, but it is much more important to put your focus on things that will last.

Haggai 1:13 …I am with you declares the LORD.

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Selah

Hey, do you remember that Saturday it didn’t rain? It’s getting harder to picture it. I saw one statistic that stated it rained 13 of the last 17 weekends. Tons of stuff has been cancelled, rescheduled, or awkwardly rearranged. It has been disruptive. Yet we also easily forget that at the beginning of the year we were showing signs of drought.

There is turmoil across the world, it seems like we hear about new wars every day. Discussing it with friends and neighbors can feel like navigating a mine field as we try to boil massively multifaceted global issues into coherent opinions that won’t damage relationships. It feels like we can’t win.

And this doesn’t even tap into the struggles in our personal lives. It can get so deeply sad and overwhelming. We want things to be simple, but we live in world of complexity. As we near the tipping point of despair we must take action so we don’t dive right over that edge. We must seek out the reminder that God is in control and will make all things right in the end. Psalm 46 tells us:

1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

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Defined by Decision

Colossians 3:15-17 “15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

This passage paints a beautiful picture of the Christian life. If peace and love rule in our hearts, then life might just feel a little easier. If we spent our time dwelling in the word of Christ, our wisdom would grow, and we would be better people for it. As I say all this, I know there is someone thinking, “this all sounds wonderful, but who has the time.”

And while I’ve said those exact words myself, I also know this largely comes down to the choices we make. The biggest threat to our lives and happiness is found in choosing what is good now over something great later. Our lives are all about balance and we must decide how we use the time we have. More time at work or more time with my family. Do I go to the gym or do I go watch TV. Do I cook a healthy dinner or just order in.

Life is defined by decisions. And we may burn bridges we don’t have time to mend. We go left when we know we should go right, and it takes our focus away from the peace and love that could rule our hearts. Often, it’s only in the aftermath that we realize what is happening, and we need to do the hard work of finding our way back and getting our hearts right.

Thankfully, there is always a way back. As people of Christ let us do our best to have everything we do be in the name of Jesus.

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Stop for People

I had some friends who were missionaries, and after about 6 years in the field they came back for a few months to visit family, friends, and supporting churches. When they arrived at the airport, they got their rental car and started driving. As they’re leaving the airport, they stop at a crosswalk to let people go by, and from the back seat their eleven-year-old asks, in an exasperated voice, “Why do we need to stop for people?!”

For the last six years of her life, no one ever stopped for people. The rule of the road was to just keep going. It’s an example of how something you consider normal or the “right way” to do something could be completely wrong in a different context. We have been given the freedom to choose how we act in the various environments we find ourselves. We can demand our own way, or we can adapt.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 says this about the choices we make with our freedom, “19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Out of love we don’t need to demand our way of doing things. We can become the type of person someone else needs us to be. We can stop for people.

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Enough

Proverbs 30:7-9

7 Two things I ask of you;

deny them not to me before I die:

8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me,

9 lest I be full and deny you

and say, “Who is the Lord?”

When you work, is your aim to do just enough or to have a surplus? In thinking about your house or your paycheck, how often is the question, “how do I make this just a little bigger?” There is an innate desire to be okay and comfortable. Obviously, we want all our needs met, but it is interesting how our needs seem to grow and always slightly outpace our means.

It is so easy to get in that habit of wanting more and more or trying to achieve unmitigated growth. Regrettably, this desire for more stuff replaces our desire for more God. If left unchecked, we start living by our own devices. We leave faith behind and live fully relying on ourselves.

It always starts out with the best intentions. Our goal is always to reach an “end,” but then that end gets lost in the complexity of finding more means, more ways to reach that end. Ultimately, having more becomes the only goal you have. When we do this, we inevitably crash and burnout. An unachievable goal is no goal at all. It is just endless work.

No one can survive this way on their own. We need the help of our community, and we need to look towards God as the author of our lives. We need to remove the falsehood of self-reliance from our hearts. We need to pray for God to show us what enough really is.

We are tempted to try and have it all, but we know the truth that more of one thing means less of something else. More time working, means less time with your family. More time serving money, means less time serving God.

You must decide what is most important and learn to live into what is truly enough.

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Just Try

There’s a great quote I ran across the other day that said, “Maybe life isn't about avoiding the bruises. Maybe it's about collecting the scars to prove we showed up for it." If we are honest no one really enjoys getting either one, but if you get so focused on never getting hurt or being uncomfortable you may never fully live into the person you have been called to be.

Philippians 2:12-13 tells us, “12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Paul is writing to people to say you don’t need me to hold your hand through every choice that is to come your way. You know the truth, now do the hard part of applying it to your life.

We love our soft cushy comfortable spots. They’re filled only with the people we know and love. We think that if the world was perfect, we’d never have to leave. Unfortunately, you have been given a higher calling than to just sit in your safe and manicured world. If you claim the name of Christ then you have knowledge that could save others if you only shared it.

Jesus made it pretty plain in Acts 1:8, “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” That sounds a lot more like a call to action than a call to hide. Don’t get me wrong it will be hard, but muscles only get stronger when you work them.

We fear judgment. We fear rejection. We fear being called crazy. But if we can’t sacrifice a small piece of our reputation for something that is so much greater, how will we ever grow? Try it. Invite someone to church. Broach the subject of what God means to you.

Getting a no is just as important as getting a yes because it means you did the hard work of showing up.

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Who’s Voice

In his book Decoded, rapper Jay-Z said this about growing up, “We were kids without fathers…so we found our fathers on wax and on the streets and in history, and in a way, that was a gift. We got to pick and choose the ancestors who would inspire the world we were going to make for ourselves…Our fathers were gone…but we took their old records and used them to build something fresh.”

As a kid, you learn from a huge number of sources: Parents, schools, friends, TV/internet. It’s only when we reach adulthood that we can start parsing out the difference between good lessons and bad ones. I knew someone who didn’t get their first pair of glasses until they were 16, but they never knew anything was wrong. They just thought not being able to see far away was normal. Everyone sees like this.

As we reach a certain level of maturity, we can start to choose the voices we listen to and the people who will have influence in our lives. And it is in this choosing that we determine the course of our lives. No matter whether you grew up without a father like Jay-Z or had a pretty great one, you have a perfect heavenly Father who wants to spend time with you.

In Revelation 20:19-22 he says to us, “19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them, and they with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant them to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 You who have an ear, let them hear what the Spirit says.”

God wants to be our perfect heavenly Father. Caring for us. Leading us in the life that we are building. I hope you can hear the voice calling for you.

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Neighborly

In Luke 10 a lawyer is asking Jesus some questions and comes to that famous question, “who is my neighbor.” From this question Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan. Briefly: A traveler is robbed and left for dead. One person who is supposed to be “good” passes by and does nothing. A second person who is supposed to be “better” than the first guy passes by and does nothing. And finally, a third person who is supposed to be “bad” (the Samaritan) passes by and does what is right.

Luke 10:33-35, “33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’

We usually look at this story as Jesus showing us that everyone is our neighbor. And that’s true, but I also want you to see that while the Samaritan allowed his day to be interrupted it didn’t throw off his journey. After he got the injured traveler to safety the Samaritan continued his journey. He had places to be.

There will be times in your life that will be interrupted and need to you to make a choice. In those times I pray you make the right decision even if it isn’t necessarily convenient. Sometimes we will take on a huge burden. For example, the Samaritan could have stayed with the traveler until they were fully nursed back to health. Then there will be times that you just need to help someone get one step closer to safety, and let someone else take over.

Who is your neighbor? How can you help them, even if it’s just one step forward?

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IKEA

I had the opportunity to assemble a bunch of Ikea furniture shelving recently. While I find this a somewhat enjoyable task, I know other people find the prospect daunting and scary. I knew of one pastor who included assembling a bookshelf as part of the curriculum for his pre-marital counseling. He said it brought a lot of stuff to the surface to know what the couple needed to talk about. I think it was an excuse to get people to build his bookshelves.

In theory, it should be easy. The pieces are all there. The hardware is all there. The instructions are laid out step-by-step. And the whole process is ruled by the national symbol of Sweden: the tiny Allen wrench. Part A goes into part B. Oops grabbed the wrong screw. Which piece is next? Here we go, oh I think it’s upside down. Maybe? WHY AREN’T THESE HOLES LINING UP!?! Followed by a series of long increasingly frustrated sighs and salty language.

Eventually it all works out and your stack of boards becomes a beloved piece of furniture. I think Ikea furniture can be a metaphor for our own sanctification (growing in holiness). We start out easy by dwelling on the words of Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Then our resolve gets tested, and we need to remind ourselves of who we are called to be. Then face a time when you fall flat on your face, and it can feel like you’re starting over from scratch. And we remember the next verse, Galatians 2:21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”

We get better by allowing God to work in us and through us. We can’t follow enough rules but we can hand the tools over to God and allow him to build us into what he would have us become.

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Back to School

I was talking to a parent recently about the trajectory of summer. Kids get out of school in June, and everyone is happy to be together as the schedule can relax a bit. July comes around and maybe you take a vacation or a trip to the shore. By August though, everyone starts getting a little itchy and by the end of the month school can’t start soon enough. If they announced that summer break was going to extend another month there might be riots in the street.

Whether you are a kid, or an adult, comfort is found as you settle back into a known routine. You know what to expect. You know what you’re supposed to do. The best thing about routines is that you can add them to your daily life whenever you choose. You can choose to work out, but to get stronger you need to do it regularly. You can desire to speak another language, but you need to study it regularly. You can grow in your faith, but you need to work on it regularly.

Spending time in the Word has never been easier. You can read or listen to the Bible from your phone. You can find Johnny Cash reading the entire New Testament on YouTube. You have access to sermons and lessons from the greatest pastors and Bible scholars that have ever lived. You just need to add them as a part of your routine. Spending time growing closer to the God that loves you, could become part of your day.

In Matthew 4, the devil is tempting Jesus to throw away his heavenly calling for the trappings of the world. Jesus had been fasting for a long time, so naturally the devil tells him, ““If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” This is something Jesus could have easily done, and we would justify it as okay because he was hungry.

But Jesus replies in verse 4, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” It’s easy to miss how much better our lives are when we spend time in the word of God or with the community of Christ.

As you head into the fall, what routines do you need to add to your life? What small steps can you take to feed your hunger for something greater than bread?

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Resilience

Resilience is the ability to bounce back after something goes wrong. In our modern world, it is celebrated as one of the most important qualities needed to get ahead in life. “That actor/singer/inventor, everyone told them no, but they were too resilient to quit and pushed until they achieved their dream.” It’s a story we hear all the time. It’s an encouragement that we should never let anything hold us back!

Unfortunately, the lesson of resilience has been skewed. Once it taught us that we can still be successful after a setback. But many people have turned it to mean that nothing should ever affect me. Or more colloquially, “never let them see you sweat.” It makes me think of the story of Job. We don’t have room to get into the full story; suffice it to say he lost everything: home, livestock, children, even his health.

As he’s going through it, Job is visited by his three friends. Job 2:11-13, “Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place…They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes…And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.”

If you know the whole story, then you know these three friends eventually ruined this gesture of kindness by giving speeches about why this is all happening and that it might be Job’s fault. But they started off with the right spirit. They saw that their friend was suffering and came to comfort him. They sat with him for seven days listening to Job and weeping with him.

Sometimes that’s exactly what we need. Sometimes you need to let your friends know what you’re going through and allow them to spend time with you. God never called you to be the picture of resilience, you don’t need to immediately bounce up from every set back. The events of your life will affect you.

And if you don’t need to be comforted right now, I bet there’s someone who could use some comforting by you. Find them. Sit with them.

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Do They Exist?

In John 15, Jesus is teaching his disciples and letting them know that he would soon be separated from them as he is moving towards the cross. In some of his clearest teaching about who he is, Jesus gives them instructions on what is going to happen and what they should do next. He is preparing them to do the ministry he interrupted their lives to do. Above all, he is reminding them (and us) to remember the call he has put on our lives, to remember the relationship we have with him, and most of all to show the love we have received to the people around us.

Jesus in John 15:12-16 says, 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends…15 No longer do I call you servants,…but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide…”

To love others as Christ has loved us is a monumental task. There is no such thing as a half measure with Christ’s love. Jesus loves people wholly and completely without conditions or qualifications.

Jesus asks one question, “do they exist?” If the answer is yes, then they are loved. While this comes easy for Jesus it takes effort for us to live this way on our part. Drive in New Jersey for 30 minutes and you’re bound to encounter someone that you kinda start hating. However, that is just the person you need to start doing the work of love.

You don’t need to lay down your life for them right away. But maybe you could think of any reason you could tolerate them as they to drive that way. Maybe there’s a medical emergency, maybe there’s a bathroom emergency, whatever can move your lifelong ire into a more equitable disdain, or maybe even into forgiveness. And this is just one small area where else are there people in your life that are hard to love?

We are called to be small versions of Christ for people to experience. How can we do that in small ways to the friends and strangers we encounter?

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Grandma  

Psalm 112:1-6

    Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the one who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in God’s commandments!
2 Their offspring will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their house,
    and their righteousness endures forever.
4 Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
    they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with the one who deals generously and lends;
    who conducts their affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved;
    they will be remembered forever.

When I read this passage, it makes me think of my Grandmother. Mother of three, grandmother to seven, she raised her family through good times and the hard times to grow in their faith. Sure, Grandpa was the preacher, but if you’ve known anyone in ministry, then you know his ministry wasn’t possible without her ministry.  And though it may have been quieter than someone standing in a pulpit, its reach may have gone even further.

When you have children, you spend your life teaching them what is important. Either by explicitly explaining your values and why you follow certain traditions (“we are learning to speak this language because it connects us to our family heritage”). Or implicitly through your actions (you never watched cricket growing up so it’s not an important sport to you). Good habits, bad habits, the way you talk, the way you treat people: your kids are experts at sussing out what is actually important to you.

From my grandmother, all her children learned about the importance of being active in their faith. Even now, when everyone’s gotten old but me, they still pass on the lessons she taught to them. They’re all involved in passing on the faith to their children, their friends, and their neighbors. They were taught the importance and value of sacrifice.

I pray that we can all have a legacy like my grandma. The people around you can see what you hold to be most important. Let us do our best to keep our focus where it needs to be. Let our legacies be remembered forever.

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Or the Highway

Everybody thinks of changing the world and no one thinks of changing themselves. -Tolstoy

I don’t want to change the world I just want to change your mind. – Squad Five-O

Tolstoy, the 19th century Russian author of War and Peace. Squad Five-O the late ‘90s punk band from Georgia. I don’t know if they appeal to the same circles, but they both hit on a topic that is near and dear to most of us. We live with this idea, “I am right, and if everyone would just agree with me then the world would be such a better place.”

One of the hardest things about accepting the call of Christ is embracing the idea that we are not perfect. This flies in the face of how the world tells us to portray ourselves. We applaud and celebrate people who show vulnerability; it is seen as courageous because it is so rare. 

For most of us and the world as a whole, the goal has always been to get our own way. But when we hear the call to be different, we can admit to God, “my thoughts are not your thoughts, your ways are not my ways.”

Paul in Romans 12:2-3 says it this way, “2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of themself more highly than they ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.”

The world always wants us to take the easy path. And it is always tempting to do that. We need to remember we only get stronger when we get challenged. Take the challenge of changing your own mind. When you find the strength to change your mind you just might find that the world around you has also changed.

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Gas Pump

I live in New Jersey. My brother lives in Oregon. At first blush these are two states that you wouldn’t think have much in common. As the stereotypes go, one is full of hippies and the other is filled with [strong-minded people]. They also have some unique commonalities. Both states banned plastic grocery bags in the past few years, and the thing both states are known for most is that it is illegal to pump your own gasoline.

However, Oregon recently passed a bill that would allow eliminate the need to wait for someone else to come and pump their gas. People could do it themselves. The absolute HORROR! Most people are going to be fine, but there is a very vocal minority shouting about how this is definitely going to result in the whole state being burned down because no one knows how to use the pump.

I feel that we would face the same outrage if/when they try and do this in New Jersey. First, they came for the grocery bags, and I did not speak out. Then they came for me. We don’t like change. In Deuteronomy 31, Moses is effectively passing the torch of leadership to Joshua, and the people are afraid.

Deuteronomy 31:1-2,5-6, Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel. 2 And he said to them…I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ … 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Moses helped them escape slavery. Moses led them through the desert. Moses, who spoke with God, was their leader. No one could live up to those leadership credentials, right? But God helped raise up Joshua to lead the people. Moses led the people to the finish line, but they were the ones who had to cross it.

Often, God will lead us close to where we need to be, and then require us to take the step of faith to cross that line. It is in these times that we need to remember that God has been with us. It is in times like these, that we must be strong and courageous.

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Outsiders

During the pandemic lockdowns I had a lot of time on my hands. For a portion of it I fell into watching too much TV. One of the many shows I watched was a cooking competition show (I think Masterchef) where everyone was competing to not get yelled at by the celebrity judges. What piqued my interest about this season was that the woman who ended up winning was blind. (Apologies for spoiling an 11-year-old cooking show).

She had an amazing quote during one of her interviews and said, “I don’t want to be anyone’s inspiration. I want to be taken seriously as a competitor.” Too often we can discount the people around us because of how different they are, or how we assume a limitation should affect them. This woman cooked her heart out. She won because she made the best food.

It reminds me of the story of Frankenstein. At first blush, we think the monster is the reanimated corpse(s) with the bolts in his neck. However, if you read the story, the real monsters are the towns people who chase him away for being different.

There are people you have known your whole life. They look like you, talk like you, know all your secret code words, and thus, they are easy to love. And then there are new people who come into your life. They don’t look or talk like you and know how you do things, still we are called to love them just as we love those who are already insiders. We are called to welcome those people as though we are welcoming Jesus.

Matthew 25:35-40

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.’

What can you do for the least of these?

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Every Night Fireworks

I used to live at the bottom of a big hill that led into the mountains. My street acted as the border between my town and the next town over. In my town, around this time of year, a bunch of signs went up that read, “If it goes up or blows up it is not allowed within city limits.” However, at the top of that hill in the next town over they had no such restrictions. You could buy almost any kind of fireworks you could imagine. From small little snakes to some of the mortars used by professionals, there were stalls upon stalls ready to take your money.

What this meant for me is that from Memorial Day through the 4th of July I was hearing fireworks all day every day. There were people who would drop a few hundred dollars on product then go across the street to the vacant lot and light off all that they bought. It was noisy and annoying.

If you’ve ever been around that guy at the party who brought his guitar even though no one asked him to, you know the frustration of noise that is out of place. If we all went to this guy’s coffeehouse show, we might enjoy his playing. Sitting under the stars eating a hot dog I might enjoy the fireworks. But we may not enjoy either if it forced upon us.

This is why it’s so important to meet people where they are when we try to show them the love of God. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

You can do all the “right” things, but if you’re doing them with the wrong motivation you’re just adding to the noise. We have been called to add to the love.

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Living Dead

In Luke 16 Jesus tells a story about a beggar who lived outside the gates of a rich man’s house. When they both died, the beggar was carried to Abraham’s side, while the rich man was taken to Hades. In the torment of his separation the rich man called out. Luke 16:24-,

“24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. … 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

When we look at this story, we need to ask a personal question. Am I Lazarus or the rich man? Jesus says that Lazarus only desired to be fed by what fell from the rich man’s table. While the rich man enjoyed feeding his every desire. Even in death the rich man reaches out for special treatment.

But Abraham tells him that his family has the same opportunity we all have, to answer the call of God on our lives. Even if someone were to come back to life, not everyone would believe the story they have to tell.

As we look at the world around us let us fix our eyes on the things that point us towards God. Let us be the ones who live like we are convinced by Moses and the Prophets.

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Live It Out

In my reading the other day, I came across a concept by a theologian who was trying to reach a minority group in his country. He lamented that the problem wasn’t with the gospel, the people he was trying to reach had heard the gospel over and over. The problem was that they had so rarely seen anyone truly live out the gospel.

The gospel of Jesus is fairly easy to share. God, the creator of the universe and humanity is good, and desires a personal relationship with all people. To achieve this goal, he sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven. This is a gift given out of the love God has for us.

That’s it. No extra hoops to jump through, we just need to accept what is freely available to us. This is where we all start. As we realize all that we have been forgiven, we can start to live out the gospel as a blessing to other people.

Paul says it this way in Philippians 1:27-28, “27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.”

This isn’t a call to legalism; you can’t check things off a list and achieve a perfect life. Living out our call means we live in submission to the greater story. Doing what you’ve been told is the beginning of submission but to truly submit, we sometimes need to have a change of heart.

If we have been changed by the gospel, other people should be able to see that we are different from those around us. They should be able to see us living out the gospel of love and forgiveness.

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To the Moon

Everyone knows the names Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. As part of Apollo 11 they were the first two humans to land on the moon. But they didn’t go up there alone. There was a third astronaut with them. He stayed in the command module and his name was named Michael Collins. He kept the module in lunar orbit so that the other two had a way to get home. While his name is largely lost to the public consciousness, some have referred to him as the loneliest human in all of history.

While Neil and Buzz were going on their little hike, Collins took a trip to the dark side of the moon. This means that he was more than 2,000 miles away from the first and second closest humans, and around 240,000 miles away from the third closest human. For some scale, if you were here in New Jersey, then the next closest person would be around Mexico City, and the third is on another planet. Since astronauts back then were mostly made up of crazy test pilots, I’m sure he kept his cool. I would be freaking out a little bit.

The frighteningly normal thing is that we don’t even need to be in a tin can floating in space to understand this feeling of possible dread. In Deuteronomy, Moses is handing over the reins of leading Israel to Joshua. This was a huge responsibility. From the time they left Egypt, there was Moses out in front helping the people find their way.

Joshua, like us, was being called to take up a very heavy mantle. In instructing Joshua about the foes and challenges he would face, Moses said this, Deuteronomy 31:6-8, “6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Even when we feel alone or far away, we can be reminded of God’s call to be strong and courageous in walking the path that we have been given.

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