The Right Prescription

Crammed right up against the 91/57 freeway interchange is an area of tenement apartments known as Cypress Street. The rumbling noise of passing freeway vehicle traffic is a constant roar that makes concentration a challenge. Gang pressures and activities are a fact of life for those living here, as is poverty, crime, unemployment, and truancy. Messiah sponsors a ministry into the Cypress Street area that is aimed at involving our high school youth directly with the children of the area. The idea is to bring play, music, and a regular study of God’s Good News to the children of this neighborhood.

Mike and Meg Nguyen are a high-energy couple. Both are quick to laugh, and their smiles seem ever-present… especially when they are engaging the high school youth, or the kids of Cypress Street. Both are doctors that work 80 hours a week. Mike’s a surgeon, and Meg works with infectious diseases. They’ve been married for 4 ½ years, and have only been a part of our fellowship here at Messiah for about 2 years; almost as long as they’ve been helping with the Cypress Street ministry. In fact, Trevor invited them to participate in Cypress Street before they formally became partners in ministry with us here at Messiah.

They let me ride along on a Tuesday evening to experience their involvement in the Cypress Street ministry first-hand.

As we pulled up, the look-out’s shout of “They’re here!” became an overwhelming refrain as children seemed to appear from everywhere. For the next half hour, Mike, Meg, Trevor, and all the high-school youth were in constant motion… at play with the kids of the neighborhood. Some of the play seemed somewhat organized, but mostly, I watched what I could only later describe as a sort of random chaotic joy; with Mike and Meg at the center of most of it. The nightly format was simple enough: designed to engage the kids in play and music, to give them a safe respite from the pressures of their lives, and designed to bring the Word of God into their lives in a meaningful and personal way.

Although Mike admits to it “being Meg’s ministry more than mine”, it belies the passion and enthusiasm he pours out on the kids. Noting the chilly night, Mike mentioned that “Sometimes I don’t feel like going out, but then I do, and I always feel better; glad I came!” When asked why he’s involved in the Cypress Street ministry, he emphasized: “I’m involved with the kids! It’s easy to see how hugs and attention make a difference in kids’ lives. The best moments are seeing the long-term potential to change the course of the lives of children that… seem predestined only for a life of gangs, violence, poverty, and hopelessness.”

Meanwhile, Meg has been a magnet for girls since we got out of the vehicles. She speaks Spanish, and fluidly moves from English to Spanish when the situation calls for it. Meg is at home with these young girls, and they respond to her love and her passion for them like flowers respond to sunlight. Meg confides that “It’s a ministry that fits my passion!” Though there are there are hundreds of moments with the kids that touch her heart, Meg insists that “The best moments are when the kids ‘get it’; when they understand a lesson, when they see… more.” Meg likes that she gets a lot out of prepping the lessons, and she delights in being “someone the girls can talk to… simply by being a friend.”

What I saw… were kids who hunger for acceptance, connection, and love.
What I saw… were Mike and Meg (and the Cypress Street team) bringing a genuine love.
What I saw… was the kids accepting them because their love is genuine.
What I saw… were kids opening up and making real connections with them because they come back week after week, month after month, year after year!

I saw… Mike and Meg bring an infectious level of enthusiasm and excitement to the kids.
I saw… energy and excitement from the kids during the play time.
I saw… joy from the kids during the singing.
I saw… focus from the kids during the Bible study and prayer time.
I saw… a young couple that mentors our youth by example.
I saw… a pair of doctors who are the right prescription for a hurting world.

Week after week, Cypress Street sees Christ… in the hearts of Mike and Meg!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

P.S.: The RISE newsletter is coming on Easter. Don’t miss it!



Daring to be Passionate

Recently, I sat down with Frank and Oralle D’Orsi to ask them a few questions about their involvement in Messiah’s Sunday school program. I’ve known Frank and Oralle (say: or-ah-lee) for most of the 16 years that they’ve been a part of our fellowship here at Messiah, so I thought I’d be done with them in 5 or 10 minutes. To be honest, they always seemed like background people to me; always serving, but more in the background than out in front. An hour later, I had developed a new respect for their commitment, their dedication, and their passion.

Oralle is such a great Sunday school teacher; I was surprised to learn that she was nervous and scared when she first joined the program 4 years ago. That surprised me, since Oralle has taught special education and then pre-school since 1972. Oralle emphasized that the call to Children’s Ministry came: “When the Holy Spirit placed it on my heart first.” So when the Director of Children’s Ministry asked her to be an aide, she agreed. That immediately turned into team-teaching.

Frank, who is a teacher/trainer in his own right, started in the Sunday school program “just to help Oralle.” According to Frank, working with children was “definitely a move outside my comfort zone.” Today, however, he’s very comfortable working with the kids. Time and exposure have led to an easy familiarity with the kids in their class. When asked what he likes best about the team teaching, Frank immediately broke into a big grin and said: “I love the opportunity to learn from Oralle… and I enjoy how well we compliment each other in the classroom.”

Later, I posed the same question to Oralle. She, too, smiled as she immediately replied: “I love to see Frank around the kids; how he interacts with them, bonds with them, and how he mentors and encourages them.” Oralle also added that she and Frank really enjoy… “The connection they make with the kids and the look on their faces when they ‘get it’.” After reflecting a bit, she went on to say: “The kids help me. I pray that I’m helping them. I want them to be excited about coming to Sunday school every week. Along with the lessons, they are learning to put forth the effort, and to be respectful… all in a fun environment.”

Today, Oralle and Frank team teach every week for Messiah’s Sunday school program. Although they have no kids of their own, or perhaps because of it, they pour their intensity into the kids in their Sunday school classes. Both of them agree: “It’s important for the kids to see your passion for God!”

Somewhere in the middle of interviewing Frank and Oralle, I realized something that I hadn’t ever taken in before. Here was a couple extremely comfortable in their passion and joy for one another! They really do compliment each other. Oralle nestles into Frank as they sit together, not out of any need, but because they fit together so perfectly. Their passion and joy are so infectious; I wondered aloud just how long had they been married? They were excited that this August would mark 25 years of marriage for them. And with that, they asked me if they could share another of their great passions and involvements at Messiah.

It turns out that they have been involved with the Marriage Retreats at Messiah since 2003, and they’ve been on the planning committee for the marriage retreats since 2005. They both share a real passion for planning the retreats, and find it a great honor and privilege to work on, and be part of, the marriage retreats with Pastor Ron.

It was impossible to stem the tide of passion and enthusiasm that this new topic had released in this special couple! They wanted me to know that the marriage retreats are for all couples… whether you’ve been married 4 months, or 40 years. Their overwhelming passion for this topic swept me away to a marriage retreat that was not just a ‘marriage retreat’, but was about meeting new people, knowing your spouse better, learning new things, having fun, and sharing in meaningful sessions and breakouts. They painted a picture of a secluded retreat environment that was comfortable, and that gave couples the time and the opportunity to share, to open up to each other, and to ultimately grow closer. The retreat format is fun, not forced, and on the final day most of the couples renew their vows. Wow! Are you ready to sign up, yet?!?

If you want more out of fellowship at Messiah, get involved, seek your calling, and like Frank and Oralle… take a step on faith by daring to be passionate!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

P.S.: This entry will appear in a newsletter called RISE; look for it on Easter.

You Are More

How do you think of Satan? If you think of him at all you probably conjure up an image of a powerful and frightening demon. Indeed, the Bible paints a picture of just that sort of bad dude.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
1 Peter 5:8

When a lion is on the hunt, it roars to scare its prey, but it moves in to devour its prey only after silently stalking it. Every day you and I are being stalked by the one who is the enemy of God. He will whisper lies to us. He uses shame, regret, anger, envy, greed, and unforgiveness as some of his weapons. He will try to convince us that we are unacceptable to God… that we are too broken for God to love… that we are nothing.

But nothing could be farther from the truth! I love the fact that God inspires musicians and singers to proclaim the Good News of our salvation and redemption in ways that touch our hearts and cause Satan to flee. He has no power over us when Christ is with us!

I was so uplifted by the music and lyrics of this Tenth Avenue North song that I decided to share it with you. Enjoy the video. I’ve included the lyrics because I like to sing along.

You Are More

by Tenth Avenue North

There's a girl in the corner
With tear stains on her eyes
From the places she's wandered
And the shame she can't hide

She says, "How did I get here?
I'm not who I once was.
And I'm crippled by the fear
That I've fallen too far to love"

But don't you know who you are,
What's been done for you?
Yeah don't you know who you are?

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

Well she tries to believe it
That she's been given new life
But she can't shake the feeling
That it's not true tonight

She knows all the answers
And she's rehearsed all the lines
And so she'll try to do better
But then she's too weak to try

But don't you know who you are?

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

'Cause this is not about what you've done,
But what's been done for you.
This is not about where you've been,
But where your brokenness brings you to

This is not about what you feel,
But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved.

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You've been remade
You've been remade.
You've been remade.
You've been remade.

Don’t forget… you are more. In Christ, you are remade to be sooooo much more!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Word Made Flesh

I find it interesting and exhilarating when I notice the Holy Spirit at work in my life. Today, I got a re-post of a blog entry from a couple of people on Facebook. With the deluge of Facebook traffic at this time of year, I might not have even noticed, except… both of the posts seemed to credit the piece to different authors. In fact, people were just attributing the piece to those friends who passed it along to them. The copyright cop (or perhaps the Holy Spirit) in me forced me to track down the source, the blog, and the author. In doing so I discovered a Spirit filled, intelligent, and thought provoking blog called Sarcastic Lutheran. Along the way, I read the piece, and found it awesome!

The author, Nadia Bolz-Weber, is the mission developer for House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado. They are an urban liturgical community with a progressive yet deeply rooted theological imagination. Her bio states simply: “I’m Nadia.” Her interests include: “coffee, Martin Luther, Nick Drake, tattoos, emerging church, Christian Mystics, My kids.”

With Nadia’s kind permission, here is her blog entry for January 3, 2011:

Word made Flesh - And the Indignity of Having a Human Body

So, just to get it out of the way, I didn’t get what I wanted for Christmas. No, not an ipad or World Peace. Anyone who knows me well knows that what I really wanted for Christmas was a brand new back since mine is wrecked. The disk between my L5 and S1 vertebrae is severely degenerated which means at the age of 41 can’t stand for more than 20 minutes without being in pain. I mention this because in our Gospel reading for today we hear that In the beginning was the Word and The Word was with God and the Word was God And the Word became flesh and lived among us. In short: God decided to have …of all things…a human body.

We Christians have along history of finding this idea disturbing. There was an early Christian heresy called Docetism and I’m not totally convinced that I myself would not have been a docetist given the opportunity. You see, they were so certain that spirit and flesh could not exist as One that they convinced themselves that Jesus didn’t really have a human body…it just seemed that he had a body. Docetists claimed that Jesus only appeared to be a physical being. And I get the impulse behind docetism because really, no self-respecting God would become a human when being human means being irretrievably fragile. What can it mean that God slipped into the vulnerability of skin and was made flesh? Seems a lousy idea in a way, given the very sloppy and broken reality of our physical lives as humans. Our bodies bruise and decay and sag insistently toward the earth so why in the world would God not spare God’s self the indignity of having things like sweat glands and the hiccups?

And besides, having a body is an emotionally complicated thing for us, so why wouldn’t we want a “spirituality” which transcends our broken physical reality. But when we are tempted to think that spirituality equals transcending the physical world of things and bodies we might remember that in Jesus we see that a physical life is a spiritual life…

John’s gospel bears witness to a sensual God. Jesus washed human feet, smelled perfume, and tasted abundant wine. He used spit and dirt to heal a blind man, his gut churned when he looked upon the hungry crowds. Salty tears ran down his face. He smelled the stink of death on Lazarus his friend. Jesus’ very own flesh tore when he was beaten and crucified and when he rose from the dead he told Thomas to touch his wounded side, which was not perfected, but bore the scars of having lived. Then, as one of his final acts on Earth he ate grilled fish on a beach. These experiences of the body are not things to be Spiritually transcended …they are perhaps the very things in which we find Christ.

The Psalmist reminds us that God knit us together in our mother’s womb and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Of course I see at least 2 barriers to really really believing this. Firstly there is the fact that as a middle aged woman my body seems to be deteriorating right before my eyes. How wonderfully and fearfully made is a body which ages, or grows fat, or develops cancer or no longer produces insulin? The other barrier to believing our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made is that we are literally bombarded by messages otherwise from every billboard we see or commercial we hear. Convincing you that a) your body is bad and b) your body can be “perfect” if you buy a certain product…and let there be no mistake, this is a billion dollar industry.

Yet I wonder if maybe in the incarnation God has done nothing less than baptized all human flesh. Baptized it, not made it into our version of perfect. Perfection as we picture it and as it relates to human bodies is impossible. And perhaps the striving for an impossible perfection is a profound distraction from the way in which we are children born of God. Because as we know, the perfect is the enemy of the good.

And even God, when finished creating the physical world including the human form called it good. not perfect mind you, but good. so as we on this 2nd day of the year make our resolutions about losing weight or gaining muscle or lowering cholesterol which are all perfectly fine, let us remember that we are born of God and made Children of God and have no business calling what God pronounced good anything but good. Because if the Word became flesh and lived among us ~ then despite our botoxic quest for the illusion of perfection, God's creation is good.

So this week I invite you to take notice every time you see or hear a message about body improvement. Every pill, or exercise machine, or special gym membership, or tanning bed… every liposuction clinic and celebrity endorsed diet plan. All of it. Notice the obsession our culture has with stretching and tanning and increasing and decreasing our flesh into submission to some sort of bizarre ideal. Then in contrast, notice every time this week that you see or hear this: And the Word became flesh and lived among us, in this we have seen God’s glory, full of grace and truth…you have received the power to be Children of God. Through the fullness of God’s Word made flesh you have received grace upon grace.

That is a different message entirely. In other words, our youth-obsessed body-improvement culture in which we find ourselves tells us that we can avoid any appearance of our own mortality through the right combination of elective surgery and Pilates and in the end this is nothing but a simple fear of death itself. But what God tells us in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ is that we need not fear our mortality in the first place because it simply is not the final word. Death has no sting when it cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ. So we need not fear it. nor deny it.

So Jesus came and in his almost disturbingly physical existence showed us what God looks like, not in some ethereal alternate spiritual plane but right here in the midst of our physical, embodied earthy reality. Jesus said here’s what being born of God looks like… it looks like not worrying about what we're to eat or drink; like loving the bodies of other people who, like us, will die; like touching human flesh as if it's holy instead of worrying that it's unclean, like breaking bread and drinking wine with all the wrong people.

This Christianity stuff is not a religion of disembodied spirituality at all. This is a religion of Word made flesh, of God revealed in the vulnerability of newborn flesh in a cradle and in heartbreak of broken flesh on a cross. So if God saw fit to wear our native garb should we not bless and care for our own flesh? Should we not have concern for any violation or starvation or trafficking of any human bodies as that which God took on to be with us?

As we enter the New Year full of optimism and resolution let us remember that there is a reality beyond our individual self-improvement. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we were given grace upon grace to become children of God and perhaps in doing so we are now flesh become Word. Word for a hurt and broken and beautiful world. You as Christ’s body are no longer about the fear or the denial of death but about life and life abundant. You as Christ’s body are becoming flesh made Word, being made into God’s loving intention for the world God created. In the name of Jesus, amen.

If you want more of Nadia, you will find her blog at:

http://sarcasticlutheran.typepad.com/

I love the thought of “You as Christ’s body are becoming flesh made Word, being made into God’s loving intention for the world God created.” What a great thought for the new year!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

2010 Christmas Card

It’s officially Christmas Eve! I’ve already been handing out my Christmas cards to everybody that I can connect with, and today I’ll try to connect with everyone that comes to celebrate Christmas with us at Messiah. We have 6 services scheduled (3, 4:30, 6, 7:30, 9:30, and 11 pm). If you are in our neighborhood, consider yourself invited. You don’t need to be a member, you don’t need to bring anything, you don’t need anything at all… just come and join us as we give thanks to God for the greatest Christmas gift of all!

I made 500 Christmas cards. Each one is lovingly hand-crafted… each one is a unique and special gift from me. I, of course, create the content of the card… find some photo/art/graphic… rotate, format, position, and proof… to create a master that is copier ready. I load a heavy ream of paper (500 sheets!!!) into the copy machine, and then… pray that all 500 copy perfectly, and without a paper jam. What makes each card unique is that I hand-fold each and every one; no two are alike! It wasn’t until after I had completed my carpal-tunnel syndrome folding task that someone on the church staff informed me that the new copiers can also produce folded copies, too! Next year, your card won’t be quite so unique.

If you didn’t connect with me… probably because you are out of the area… here is this year’s Christmas card from me:

Front:

Putting Up A Really Big Light Display

Inside:

Emmanuel

by David Alan Hoag – December 17, 2010

Did you see it… a couple of weeks ago past;

That bright streaking trail in the sky?

With colors that quite put a rainbow to shame,

And zigzagged impossibly high?

It was on the TV; it was in all the news.

The images… startling and bright,

Were glowing and twisting with shimmering hues,

As sunset dissolved into night.

Though it looked otherworldly, I knew what it was;

It wasn’t invaders from space.

Just a missile and payload splitting the dusk,

From the Vandenberg Air Force base.

That I knew the exhaust from the boosters and fuel

And the cold, shifting winds on high

Made ice-crystal prisms; it didn’t decrease

The beauty I saw in the sky.

At Christmas, there are those who seek hard to explain

The Child and the virginal birth.

Their ‘cause’ and their ‘science’ have little ‘effect’

For God who is “with us” on Earth.

Christ suffered our weakness, and He suffered our pain;

He came so that we may be free.

This Christmas embrace Him, step onto His path,

Meeting God in eternity.

Blessings to you and your family, as you celebrate God’s love at Christmas time.

My prayer is that the peace, love, and joy that come from the salvation through Jesus Christ… be yours at Christmas, and all through the year.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave Hoag

Social Media Christmas

From the Thrive Church in Texas. In this age of Social Media, some very creative person pondered… how would the birth of Jesus be told if it happened today? I found it well done, and quite touching in places. If you are connected with social media, I’m sure it will resonate with you. I love the humanity of a couple coping with the incomprehensible. What about you? What touched you?

Your brother in Christ,
Dave

Standing Beside a Bomb

Don Miller is an author, mentor, and speaker. His book, Blue Like Jazz, spent more than 40 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Don’s most recent book is called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and it’s about how the elements of a great story can help us understand the elements of a great life. That book also hit the New York Times Bestsellers List, and inspired corporations to work with Don to improve employee engagement in their corporate vision, and customer understanding of the corporations overall narrative.

Don lives and works in Portland, Oregon and also writes a blog. I’m reprinting one of his recent posts here. Whatever your background or persuasion, you need to read and consider the following very carefully!

Thoughts on Standing Beside a Bomb in a Crowded Square

By Donald Miller

A few nights ago, twelve friends and I attended the lighting of the Portland Christmas tree in Pioneer Square. My friends had all flown in for Thanksgiving, and we decided to join ten-thousand others who walked from all over downtown for the event. What we didn’t know is the spot where we squeezed into the crowd was 25 feet from a van filled with what a young man believed were six, fifty-gallon barrels of explosive material. As you know, the FBI had staged a sting, and as the young man made a call on his cell phone from the train station across town that would detonate the bomb, we were singing Christmas carols well within the blast zone. We didn’t hear about the threat until the following morning, and didn’t even know how close we were to the bomb until I saw a picture in the paper, taken only a few steps from the corner of Pioneer Square where we had been standing.

I’ve not talked about Islam or terrorism on this site at all. But reading about the young man, and hearing the talking heads discuss the threat on the internet has me wondering what we are really up against. Is it Islam? I don’t think it is. I think it’s extremism. And extremism takes many shapes and forms. For instance, the Mosque in Corvalis, Oregon where the young man worshiped was burned by arsonists two days later, but this was not called terrorism, it was called arson. And a middle-aged white man, angry about high taxes gassed up his plane and flew it into an IRS building in Austin, Texas last year, but the news was quick to report that this was was not a terrorist attack. Really? Sure looked like one to me. Why weren’t tons of middle-aged white guys who have small planes and listen to Glenn Beck sent to Cuba for water boarding?

I don’t think our enemy is specifically a religious enemy, though I do believe some religions are false. I think our enemy is extremism, extreme black and white thinking, an extreme belittling of other opinions, an extreme and insecure demonization of others, an extreme desire to control, and to make the mistake of thinking extremism is produced only in the Muslim community is ignorance. Extremism is a fall of man problem, a human problem, not just a religious problem. There are liberal extremists, conservative extremists, Calvinist extremists, humanitarian extremists and so on and so on. Here are a few marks of an extremist. Feel free to add to the list:

1. Extremists think in black-and-white absolutes. This does not mean there are not black and white absolutes, it only means the extremists can not see the world in color, the way the world actually exists. Ideas are either right or wrong, good or bad, and there is no neutral territory. You and I may say murder is wrong but eating broccoli is neutral, but an extremist wants to make a moral statement about broccoli and murder both.

2. People who do not agree with an extremist are perceived as threats. An extremist is very uncomfortable living in a world where people can just get along. Instead, they break people down into those who are for them and against them, with us or against us. Extremists believe people are out to get them and so see the people around them as enemies or allies.

3. Extremists do not admit they are wrong and are unwilling to consider another point of view.

4. Extremists are not passive. Extremists are aggressive. Extremists strike first, often out of ignorance or without understanding what they are striking out against. But they do strike out. They react in extremes.

5. Extremists believe, without question, their view is morally superior. They see themselves as right and strong and their enemies as wrong and weak and worth persecution, belittlement and even acts of violence.

And these are just a few loose characterizations of extremists.

I should also say that extremism is not without it’s causes. Many Muslim extremists are reacting to the outright oppression of their people around the world, or the afore mentioned immorality around us here in the west. But where a normal person may have an objective view of such things, and perhaps choose appropriate channels to affect social change, an extremist wishes to eradicate the other view completely.

I should also add there is plenty of extremism in the evangelical church. Whether it’s burning a Koran, or a pastor standing before his congregation belittling other pastors, we see heavy to light extremism in churches all over America every Sunday. An extremist pastor has made a theological stand that is absolutely right, morally superior, and has very real enemies that must be eradicated. An extremist pastor is dividing up everybody into the with us group and the against us group. Some of this has merit, but be certain this is a manifestation of an extremist personality filtered through a theological grid as justification. Lets not be confused. Jesus had very real enemies, and they ended up killing Him even as He cried out to God asking for their pardon. That is a very different stance than the modern war monger waving a Jesus flag.

People who are drawn to extremism are drawn to its feel of strength, it’s moral absolutes, it’s clear definition of enemies and so forth. Extremism paints a world with bold, straight lines, in which one can step into the role of hero or warrior with ease.

But aren’t there Christian reasons for extremism? Absolutely. Biblical Christian extremism, though, looks very different. Biblical Christian extremism looks like being wrongly imprisoned without fighting it, or being stoned to death, or being crucified, or going hungry bringing food to the starving, or crossing a bridge in Selma, Alabama, or turning water into wine for a tipsy wedding party, or leaving your job to bring Christ to the hurting and so on and so on. Christian extremism is willing to die for people, not demonize them to validate their belittlement and oppression.

So, can we just stop saying we are at war with terrorism and start admitting we are at war with extremism, be it a muslim kid or a middle-aged AM radio junkie? Can we just stop calling some pastors provocative and start calling them extremists? And can we answer extremism the way Christ did, by dying for the ones who know not what they do? That’s the kind of extremism I could get behind.

If you want to look into Don’s blog, you can find it at:

     http://donmilleris.com/

Please… just don’t forget where this blog is. LOL!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

That Seems Familiar

A friend sent me a collection of quotes from posters, greeting cards, many other sources. You’ve probably heard most of them repeated by a friend, an acquaintance, or a pastor (in a sermon). You might even have seen one on a refrigerator magnet. Though they might be familiar, most of them state a Biblical truth in a simple (and often profound) way. Some of them might even provoke you to delve deeper into God’s Word. It could happen!
 
I hope they inspire and uplift your week.

• Don’t let your worries get the best of you;
  remember, Moses started out as a basket case.
• Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited
  until you try to sit in their pews.
• Many folks want to serve God,
  but only as advisors.
• It is easier to preach ten sermons
  then it is to live one.
• When you get to your wit’s end,
  you’ll find God there.
• Opportunity may knock once,
  but temptation bangs on the door forever.
• God Himself doesn’t propose to judge a man
  until he is dead.
  So why should you?
• Peace starts with a smile.
• Coincidence is when God
  chooses to remain anonymous.
• Don’t put a question mark
  where God put a period.
• God doesn’t call the qualified,
  He qualifies the called.
• God promises a safe landing,
  not a calm passage.
• The Will of God never takes you to where
  the Grace of God will not protect you.
• If God is your co-pilot, swap seats!
• Prayer: Don’t give God instructions,
  just report for duty!
• Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass,
  it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
• You can tell how big a person is
  by what it takes to discourage him.
• The task ahead of us is never as great
  as the power behind us.

Did I include one of your favorites? If you have a favorite and it was not among those I published, post your favorite in a comment. If this brightened your day, pass the link to the blog along to a friend.
 
Your brother in Christ,
 
Dave

 

Give Me Your Eyes

Have you ever stood in a courtroom and found yourself convicted of a crime? It’s an awful feeling when the judge brings the gavel down *BANG* and declares “GUILTY.” Perhaps the closest you’ve come to being convicted is watching a police or courtroom drama on television. Many civil cases involve contract law… where the convicted party failed to live up to a contractual agreement.

Often we Christians think of sin as something to forgive in others. We get so focused on the sliver in our neighbor’s eye, we see right past the log in our own eye. Sin is, by definition, ‘missing the mark.’ When we miss the mark, and when we recognize (and admit) that we missed the mark, we stand convicted!

I’m surprised how often the poetry, rhythms, and artistry of Christian singers and songwriters I hear on the radio will convict me! I heard Brandon Heath performing ‘Give Me Your Eyes’ which he had written with Jason David Ingram, and did it ever convict me!

Yes, it’s through God’s grace that we are saved, but we know when we fall short. When we recognize it… when we admit it… we feel convicted. If we are walking with Jesus, he picks us up, dusts the sin off of us, and invites us to continue our journey forward... a little wiser, perhaps a little better, and hopefully a lot closer to God.

Here is a powerful video of the song. If you are reading this on your Facebook page, you can’t see the video. Maybe if you complain to Facebook, that will change, but for now, you’ll have to follow the link to see it. Happily, the lyrics CAN be included.

Give Me Your Eyes

by Brandon Heath and Jason David Ingram

Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black tar
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breathe in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach?
Give me Your heart for the one's forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Step out on a busy street
See a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at me
To hide what's underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of work, he's buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach?
Give me Your heart for the one's forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

I've been there a million times
A couple of million eyes just moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well, I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way You see the people all alone

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach?
Give me Your heart for the one's forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
That I keep missing
Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach?
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

How are you convicted? What have you never cared about? What can you not see? What do you keep missing? What is just beyond your reach? What would be different if… you could see through the eyes of Jesus?

Convicted, I sing the song as a prayer!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

The Bent Over Woman

As promised, here’s the poem by Pastor Ron Baesler.


THE BENT OVER WOMAN

“Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.” Luke 13:10

She has been downsized, minimized, trivialized
Once vibrant, vital, she pulsed with quiet energy,
Now weary beyond words, and quiet, so silent;
Her vocal cords like leather shoe laces in unused boots.
She is a bit of feather, caught by a bush in the lee of the house,
No breeze, no move, no lift.

From bedroom to bathroom is a 15 foot marathon.
Slide aching gnarled toes from beneath the sheets,
Swivel gravel grinding hip joints forward and reach
Reach for the rubber handles, rubber grip, don’t slip.
Then edge, slide, and shuffle.

Breakfast becomes a nuisance,
And the Tribune? No news is good news.
Besides, it is 15 feet from the front door to the chair
Where she waits for the day to pass.

The horizon kept inching closer.
The world kept getting smaller,
One day, she drifted out of milky sleep and realized
The world outside was tinier than the world inside.
She was not surprised.


I love Ron’s imagery in his poem! Some days I feel like I’m already there. Hahaha! Old age is something that most of us rarely think of, except as it effects our grandparents… or maybe our parents. Old age, if you live long enough, WILL find you. I doubt any of us is properly prepared.

The oldest people I know who are still active and alert have several things in common. They all have a great positive attitude. They all know God, and have a spirit of thankfulness. They are all active in their community… whether it’s a senior community, an assisted living community, or their church community… they stay active and involved. And, last but not least, they all seem to have servant hearts; they reach out to others… even if they can’t reach very far.

My prayer is that God will grant me the humbleness to accept each diminished capacity as I age, and that he grants me the strength to continue in His witness and His service until the day He calls me home.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave