Real Love Requires Real Grace

Love thrives on honesty and truth telling. Honesty and truth telling require GRACE because honesty and truth telling open us up and make us vulnerable. People only open themselves to this kind of vulnerability in an environment of grace. Grace is goodness and kindness and forgiveness that is given to one who doesn’t earn it or deserve it. If we want love, we must offer grace.

There Are Things We Know...

There are things that you and I know that we cannot articulate, we cannot put it into words. This knowledge might be thought of an as intuition but it is actually even more than that. This idea was expressed by scientist/philosopher Michael Polanyi in this way, “We always know more than we can tell.” We can also have an ASSURANCE of God in this way and the Bible credits it to a work of the Holy Spirit.

Confession Is Good For The Soul, Right?

Confession Is Good For The Soul, Right?

Alright, I’m going to do something bold.  I’m going to do something that may seem foolhardy and ill-advised.  (I haven’t checked with my lawyers about this…oh yeah…that’s right, I don’t have lawyers.  But if I had lawyers, I wouldn’t check with them before doing this.) 

I’m going to trust that this is a safe place.  A place of grace and understanding.  I’m going to believe that this is a place where I will be loved and accepted in spite of my flaws and sins and imperfections.  So, here comes my confession….

It’s January 30^th and our Christmas tree is still up.  I know, it’s embarrassing.  I can feel my face turning red even as I type these words.  I can’t believe it’s standing there in the living room.  I’ve kept meaning to put it away.  But there it is, looking at me, saying, “Um, I’m still here, Paul Bunyan.”

It’s sort of strange that it’s still up because some of you may recall, from a story I wrote, that when we put it up, back in December, it kept falling down.  We couldn’t seem to get the thing up and now we can’t seem to get around to taking it down.  This is the tree that refuses to play by the rules.

But that’s it, my dear friends!!!  This tree is coming down and it’s going to be put away!  And I mean it!

Soon.

In fact, I hereby state that this tree will be put away before February.  I’m giving myself a firm deadline.  There’s NO WAY we will have a Christmas tree up in our living room in February.  No sir.  I stand here and proclaim in no uncertain terms—actually I’m sitting, but forget that technicality—I stand and proclaim that this Christmas tree WILL BE TAKEN DOWN AND PUT AWAY before February 1^st!

I’m not kidding.  I’m serious about this.  Consider it a done deal.  Consider it a “mission accomplished”.  The tree will be out of sight and officially put away by February 1^st.  That’s it!  I’m not messing around anymore.

…You know, it occurs to me that it could be a funny conversation-starter to have a Christmas tree up all year long.  Think about people walking into the house in June and there’s the Christmas tree with the lights sparkling.  We would laugh and I would tell them the story and then we’d laugh some more…as they inch nervously toward the door.  Man, it would be hilarious.

But, trust me on this one, by the morning…or perhaps late afternoon…of February 1^st—early evening of Feb. 1^st, at the latest—that tree will be gone.

By the way, it’s never too early to get started on your Christmas shopping, it’s only 329 days away!

Is This A Real Commitment To Love?

When I was in 8^th grade there was a girl who was madly in love with me.  It’s hard to blame her, after all, you should have seen my haircut.  I knew that her commitment to love me was absolute and total when I saw that she had drawn a heart on her hand and written my name inside the heart along with the word “forever”.  Hey, “forever” is definitely a commitment!  Right?

We began officially dating on a Wednesday and a day and a half later, on Friday, she told me she couldn’t go out with me anymore.

I said, “But technically speaking, we haven’t actually gone out anywhere, yet.”

She said, “I know.  It’s better this way.”

I’m still not sure what that means but I’m fairly certain it’s not a compliment.

There’s a genuine commitment that is a significant aspect of really loving someone.  When we love the way God calls us to love, the standard of commitment is high.  In fact, it looks like the commitment that is described in Romans 8:38&39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

That’s a commitment to love.

That Friday afternoon, back in 8^th grace, I looked at my former girlfriend’s hand and the heart, along with my name, was washed off.  Ouch!

It’s nice to know that God still loves me.

Mistakes Can Be Great Learning Experiences

Mistakes can be a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about intentionally doing things that are wrong, or trying to mess up on purpose. However, anyone who is truly engaged in life, trying new things, growing, learning, will fall down along the way, that’s part of the process. Let’s not allow mistakes to defeat us. God has a remarkable way of working in our mistakes…if we are willing to learn.

Perfect Obedience...The Standard Of Jesus

When Jesus refused to turn the stones into bread—his first temptation in the wilderness—he was demonstrating a very high standard, actually a perfect standard, a standard of complete holiness. He was saying, “Even a physical NEED, something as critical and pressing as a genuine NEED, cannot come before OBEDEDIENCE TO GOD.” God bless you as you walk—with God’s help—in the way of the Master today.

Let It Go

Sometimes, even though God has forgiven us, we still carry around reminders of our sins. We impose this penance upon ourselves because we feel guilty and unworthy of God’s mercy and grace. But God encourages us to: LET IT GO. “…As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm103:12.  Hey, God has let it go…so, you know what? We can let it go.

Having A Talk With Jasper

You know how a pet dog will get excited, and jump up and down, and wag its tail wildly when you come home?

Not Jasper.

Our dog, Jasper, gives a very casual greeting when you walk in the door.  I don’t know why, but that’s Jasper.  He may actually come to the door with some mild tail-wagging.  He does that, sometimes, sure.  But, on the other hand, when you walk in, he might look up from wherever he happens to be laying and just give a slight nod.

He’s a good dog.  Don’t get me wrong.  We love him.  And he’s slightly happy about allowing us to know him and feed him.  It’s just unusual that we don’t get the traditional, excited, dog-greeting from him.

Last night, when I came home, Jasper’s friend Jake was at our house visiting.  Jake gave me the traditional welcome home greeting.  There was vigorous tail-wagging.  There was happy slobbering on my face….oh, wait...that was Nadia.  But Jake did do an occasional 360 degree spin executed with pure joy.

In the meantime, Jasper, wandered over with a little bit of tail-wagging and a small wave of the paw in my direction.

Later in the evening, I was sitting on the couch reading and Jasper came and put his head on my leg.  I petted his head for a few moments and as he looked at me, I think I heard him say this:

“Look, I hope you’re not upset.  I’m just not into that crazy, wild-greeting thing that most dogs do.  It seems a little over-the-top and, well, it’s sort of unbecoming.  But that’s me.  I like you folks, I do.  You’re nice people.  And you’re really good about forgetting that you’ve left food unattended on the kitchen table.  This is a terrific thing we have here.  So, I just want you to know, this works for me.  It really works nicely for me.  How about you?”

I looked into Jasper’s dark eyes and scratched his chin and said, “It works nicely for me, too.”

When I raised my head, I saw Nadia standing in the doorway watching.  I’m fairly certain she didn’t hear Jasper’s part of the conversation.  She shook her head and walked away.

…..And I think I heard her muttering the phrase “maybe medication will help”.  But I’m not sure.

Here's Jasper wearing the

Dog-Snuggie that he received

for Christmas. If you chew a

Christmas present into tiny, ragged

pieces is that a sign that you really

liked it?

God Is Near...Can You Tell?

God is often very subtle. He’s near…for sure…but He doesn’t force himself on us. And, yet, if God wants to get a person’s attention, it’s remarkable how UNAVOIDALE He can be. This is good. It’s true that sometimes when God is unavoidable it can be difficult, but it is good. With love, I write these words: I hope that God is an unavoidable presence in your life.

What Happens When Some Pastors Gather?

I got together with some of my pastor friends today.  We meet on a monthly basis to talk about life, and church, and our relationship with the Lord, and other issues that come up in the life of ministers….Did I mention fistfights in the church parking lot?

And we spend some time praying for each other and for our respective churches.

By the way, I’m just kidding about the fistfights in the church parking lot.  That one hasn’t happened for any of us, yet.

...I don’t think.  (*NOTE: Fellas, if you’re reading this, feel free to correct me at our next meeting, if necessary.)

You might be thinking, “Wow, a small group of ministers sitting around talking!?!  That must be a thrilling time of white hot excitement.  Hey, Dan, can you video tape the meetings for us and broadcast it on the Internet?”

I tried to do that, but the folks at YouTube rejected the video.  They said it was too explosive and they feared that people might have heart attacks or other types of debilitating physical episodes while watching something that exciting. 

“There’s a limit to how thrilling we can get with the videos we allow on our site,” said the YouTube People.

At one point in our pastors meeting, we were talking about prayer.  And we talked about the tension that can exist when we pray in faith, truly believing God will answer our prayers—the Bible instructs us to do this—and yet the prayer may go unanswered, at least, as far as we can tell.

What do we do with the tension of this reality?  It is a reality that is known and experienced by anyone who has spent many years following God and bringing requests to Him in prayer.

We may pray for many years for some good thing, like the salvation of a loved one, and yet the person remains resistant to God.  If this happens, how do we remain hopeful and faithful and, even optimistic, when we pray?

We talked about these questions and other similar ones.  We talked about trying to help people who experience these types of genuine struggles in their prayers.

Pastors—at least the ones I know—are folks with terrific hearts for people.  Pastors have a very good and understandable desire to help the people in their churches.  And it seems reasonable to believe that there are many times when it would be proper and right for pastors to help minimize some spiritual struggles that people are experiencing, if we can.  But, today, as we were talking about this tension that can be experienced in prayer, it occurred to me that sometimes “the struggle” that may happen in our seemingly unanswered prayers is important.  Perhaps we might even say that “the struggles” that may occur in the wake of our seemingly unanswered prayers are necessary.

Please understand, I’m not intentionally looking for any more struggles in life, however, it may be that this struggle regarding our prayers might bring us into a form of interaction with God that we wouldn’t experience any other way.  And it might just bring a new dimension of strength and depth to our relationship with Him.

When we pray earnestly, looking to God in faith, truly believing, and yet we do not see the results that we’ve asked for, I do not believe it is because God is callously and arbitrarily playing games with us.  He has His reasons.  Even in our struggles—even when we don’t understand—He has His reasons.

I don’t take times of struggle lightly.  I realize that sometimes they can be heartbreaking and demoralizing.  But I hope and pray that even our struggles would help us to be closer and more dependent on Him.

Here's Some Good News: God Can Make "Something" Out Of "Nothing"

“It is the nature of God to make something out of nothing. Consequently, if someone is nothing, God can make something out of him.” This quote from Martin Luther is another reminder that, from God’s perspective, there is great value in humility. There is an emptying of our “self” that is good; it is necessary and important and vital to God’s work in us.

We Cannot "Love Too Much"

It is impossible to “love too much”. Sometimes people misunderstand what it really means to love, such as being overly permissive, when true love would establish boundaries. But this is not loving too much, this is avoiding what is necessary in order to be liked. REAL love reflects the character of God and is the highest good, it can’t be overdone.  “…And the greatest of these is love.” 1Cor.13:13

Dan's Stealth Operation

In my line of work the stakes are high and there’s no room for error.  A state of readiness, a heightened perception and constant awareness must be maintained at all times.

Some of you shake your heads and think, “How do you do it, Dan?”

Well, there are many details that cannot be divulged, for obvious reasons, but I can say this:  years of intense training coupled with that factor for which there is no replacement—firsthand experience in the field—have honed my skills to a razor sharp edge.

That’s why I knew immediately that I was under surveillance.

Oh, there’s always an attempt to keep the surveillance covert, of course.  But, by now, I can see it and perceive it as if I have eyes in the back of my head.  It’s almost as if I have a sixth sense.  They were watching.  Over the years, technological advancement had meant that video cameras were omnipresent.  Now, frankly, it seemed as if…they were always watching.

I would have to move quickly.  That’s okay, I’m quite accustomed to moving quickly.  (Especially since I’ve been drinking eight glasses of water every day.)

I turned down the aisle and reached out with a cat-like move that would be imperceptible to the untrained, naked eye.  Time was running out.

I moved to the counter, laid down my purchase, and handed the cashier the exact amount in cash—paying with credit takes too long.  I was now in full view of the Walgreen’s security cameras, but I was out the door before the money was even placed in the cash register.

Mission accomplished.

I’ll tell you, it’s not easy buying a Kit Kat bar when you’re on a diet.

Are You Making Deposits In The "Trust" Account?

I heard a smart man say that TRUST is similar to a bank account. In a relationship, many deposits must be made in the “trust” account through faithful, trustworthy actions. Our trust account with a person grows as we love him/her in authentic, SELFLESS ways. Then, when times come in which trusting someone becomes a challenge, there is something in the trust account upon which to draw.

We Are "Free" When We Have Chosen Well

Ancient philosophers and the early church fathers understood true “freedom” to be the “liberty to realize one’s proper ‘essence’ and so flourish as the kind of being one was.” Or we might say the freedom to live righteously. So, freedom had to do with more than CHOICES, it had to do with HOW we live. “This means we are free not merely because we can choose, but only when we have chosen well.”

Rescued From The Worst Problem

What’s the WORST problem that we will ever have in the course of our lives? Answer: The most terrible problem is that we are sinners & our sin has separated us from God. This is the problem with the most severe & most lasting consequences. When God loved us & reached out to give us genuine help, He was rescuing us from the worst problem that we will ever have in all of life. This reveals God’s compassion.

Over By The Drink Refill Station

I was sitting at the place where I drink iced tea and do some of my reading and writing.  One of the workers came by the drink refill station to tidy up and restock the area and we greeted each other.  I know this young woman simply as a casual acquaintance.   She is very friendly and she’s always smiling and bubbly and—I know this might sound like a corny word, but it’s true—vivacious. If there’s such a thing as being “vivacious”, she is.

She doesn’t have her usual smile this day, though.  And her greeting is not the same.  It doesn’t have the energy and enthusiasm.

I say, “How are you?”

She says, “Okay.”

I’m tempted to let the interaction go at that.  After all, I’m in the middle of writing some deep and profound words—hey, don’t laugh, it’s possible—and I’ve fulfilled the social obligation of being friendly and offering a greeting.  But something tells me that everything is not “okay”.  As I look in her direction, I notice that she has cast a glance over my way.  I have a sneaking suspicion—a nudging from God?—that she needs to talk to someone.

I say, “Has it been a long day?”

She says, “Oh, it’s alright…but…well…I don’t know…I guess things have been stressful, lately.”

“Stressful?” I ask.

She walks over to my table and begins to fill in the details.  I won’t provide all of that here, of course, but it involves the kinds of things that would result in stress and concern and worry and probably even a bit of fear for most people—the fear that comes with uncertainty.

As she tells me about one particular issue, I can see the fear on her face.  This is a face that usually has a big bright smile.  I’m saddened to see the fear.  She goes on to describe some more of the details and I can understand why she might feel fear.

She begins to talk a bit about God.  She knows I’m a minister.  I listen.  I don’t say anything.  (Sometimes, the very best thing we can do is just be quiet and LISTEN.)  She doesn’t talk long, she’s not on an official break.  But before she gets back to work she says, “Would you remember to pray for me?”

“Yes, I will,” I say. 

And I have been praying for her every day since that encounter several days ago.

Sometimes people tell me, “Dan, I don’t know my calling from God.” 

I would not presume to know the details of God’s calling on another person’s life.  And I am not, in any way, trying to minimize the importance of knowing your calling from God.  However, here’s a thought….perhaps you could consider PART of your calling from God to be this: bringing love and comfort and a listening ear and prayer support to those who are hurting or frightened.

If you consider this to be part of your calling, and if you listen carefully to others, you will find that there are always LOTS and LOTS of opportunities to minister in the name of Christ.  Sometimes those opportunities will even come at the drink refill station.

Stand For What Is Right

We are always very impressed with people who stand up for the truth and hold to their convictions even when it is uncomfortable or when it comes at great personal cost to the person. So, today, I lovingly, humbly challenge us to be those people. Let’s be the ones, with the help of God’s Holy Spirit, who stand for what’s right, and when all is said and done…remain standing. God bless you today!

Have You Thought About The Great Value Of Wisdom Lately?

Today, I wrote the following post on Facebook:

“But there’s another kind of wisdom, too—the ability to predict the consequences of certain actions.” [Alford]  I read this recently and thought it presented an interesting perspective on wisdom. The consequences of certain actions can, occasionally, be predictable, at least in a broad and general sense, and those who can see this tend to be those who have developed a measure of wisdom.

Having read that post, a friend of mine asked me for a little further explanation.  That seemed like a good idea, so, that’s what I offer here.

I can’t read the mind of the author I quoted, however, when I say that the consequences of certain actions can, occasionally, be predictable, I would place great STRESS on the thought that follows—the consequences are predictable “in a broad and general sense”.  In a broad and general sense, we can often have a pretty good idea what will be the consequences of certain actions.

For example, if I begin to enter into a regular pattern of lying to others, in a broad and general sense, I’m pretty sure that there will be negative consequences.

Or, if I begin abusing drugs, in a broad and general sense, I can predict that these actions will not lead to a good place.

You object and say, “Oh come on, Dan, those examples are so obvious!”

Are they?  Really?

Then why have I had many people in my office crying and telling me something like this:  “If I could have seen where this would lead, when I was young, I would have never started doing this.”

Here’s a truth that I urge you to consider very soberly: Everything seems obvious in retrospect.  It all seems so obvious and, yet, have you noticed that people continue making significant mistakes—relatively foolish mistakes—in their lives?  WISDOM does not necessarily involve deep mysteries that are very difficult to comprehend.  Wisdom can involve relatively simple, but profound, truths and understandings.

This wisdom—this ability to predict the consequences of certain actions—can be applied to virtually every area of our lives and the cumulative effect becomes very significant.  Think about SEEING the consequences of our actions when it comes to…

Relationships

Marriage

How we handle money

Working responsibly

Marriage (I thought this one was actually worth mentioning again)

Learning to practice something diligently in order to develop proficiency

Cultivating our relationship with God

The examples could go on and on.

Again, the idea from the original post—written with a little different wording—is that there is a form of wisdom that is characterized by the ability to see where certain actions are going to lead.  Think of how many people you know who would have benefited greatly from seeing where certain actions were going to take them…and consider this, perhaps everyone else they know could see where this was going, except them.

I’ll give another example.  If I establish a regular pattern of extending grace freely and generously to others, there’s a strong possibility that when I’m the one who stands in need of grace—and I will stand needing grace from others, at some point—then grace will be a little more likely to come my way.  Understanding the consequences of regularly extending grace—in this case they are positive consequences—is a mark of wisdom.

I will grant that all of my examples have been fairly obvious—as I said, the ability to “predict”, that is talked about here, is “broad and general”.  However, as a person grows in wisdom, I believe that this ability to see where certain actions will lead can begin to be applied to more subtle and specific matters of life.  When this happens, the value of wisdom becomes extraordinary; especially as it applies to making decisions.  Perhaps that’s why the Bible says that the value of wisdom is “more precious than rubies; and nothing you desire can compare” with wisdom.

Here, take a look at what the Bible says…

“Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

the man who gains understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.

She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire can compare with her.

Prov. 3:13-15

  

Oh, I should mention one other thing, the Bible also says to ask for wisdom and God will give it to you.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5

I ask for wisdom from God EVERY DAY.  I encourage you to do this, too.

Don't Turn From Jesus When Unexpected Things Happen

If you follow Jesus seriously, if you commit the  rest of your life to being Jesus’ disciple, living your life for him—and I hope you will—there will probably be some times when Jesus won’t be exactly what you expected him to be. He has a certain knack for the “unexpected”. It’s important that you don’t turn away from him in those “unexpected” moments. They are critical times of growth and blessing.

God Declares That We Are Righteous?!? Wow!

“Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that WE ARE RIGHTEOUS. He did this through Christ when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” Rom.3:24. Do you think of yourself as RIGHTEOUS? It’s a stretch, isn’t it? In a way, we can think of it like this: the Christian life is a process of “BECOMING the people whom God says that we…ALREADY ARE in Christ.”

Sorry, But I'm Not At Liberty To Divulge All The Details...You Know How It Is, "Top Secret"

Last night, someone was knocking on my door and when I went to answer, it was a guy who I used to do some work with and he was bleeding from a serious shoulder wound.

As he stumbled into my house, my heart was racing.  I said, “What are you doing here?  What’s going on!?!?  What happened to you?!?”

He said, “You’ve got to help me.  I know about an assassination attempt that’s going to take place today!”

I said, “What?!?  What have you gotten into…..”

Oh, wait a minute.  Hold it.  I’m sorry…I got confused for a moment there and forgot whose life that was.  That’s not my life, that’s Jack Bauer’s life.  The scenario with the injured guy at the front door is part of what happened in the first episode of “24” last night.

What I actually did last night was go see a couple of sets by a band that was doing 60’s British Invasion music, ate some pizza, read a couple of chapters of a book on Christian history, and I watched “24”.  Jack Bauer is back!

It was the first episode of the last season of “24” and this is what happens to me every time a new season starts.  I get excited for a couple of days and think that I’m Jack Bauer.  I know, it’s really dumb.  I’m embarrassed.  I’ve been really impressionable, like this, ever since I was a little kid.

But you know what’s even stranger, though?  This is odd, but I’ve heard that when the first episode of a new season of “24” starts, Kiefer Sutherland gets all excited and thinks he’s me.  Really.  He eats some pizza, he spends a good bit of time reading Christian books, and he writes a few pages of a sermon—which is downright bizarre when you consider the fact that he isn’t planning on delivering a sermon at anytime in the near future.  And even more bizarre, still, when you realize he has no idea who I am.

Weird, huh?

Strange things happen when a new season of “24” gets underway.

Uh oh, sorry, but I’ve gotta run.  Really, I’m very sorry but…that’s Chloe calling!

What We "Say" Reveals A Lot About "Who" We Really Are

Sometimes we are inclined toward thinking about the condition of our hearts and doing some inner reflection. This is a worthwhile thing to do.  One of the fairly objective ways that we know, from scripture, to discern the state of our heart is to carefully consider our “talk”—i.e. the things that we say.  “There is an organic consistency between what’s in our hearts and what comes out of our mouths.” [Paul David Tripp]

It's A Time Of Incredible Opportunity

It is estimated that a billion people participate in on-line social networks. That’s about one-fifth of the planet. There has never been a time in all of human history when people have been connected in this way. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” – Jesus

The Drive-Thru Diet...It's All About Tomatoes

Last night, we walked into a well-known fast food restaurant that has embarked on a new advertising campaign titled: “The Drive-Thru Diet”.  A very nice woman was stationed at the cash register.  As we entered, she welcomed Rachel and I and said, “How can I help you?”

I said, “Our church is having a ‘Biggest Loser’ contest.”

She looked at me and said, “That’s good.”

I let that comment pass—it’s an indication of maturity—and I continued on, “So, I was curious, can you tell me about this ‘Drive-Thru Diet’?”

She smiled and laughed and said, “No, not really.  I have no idea what it is.”

I said, “Oh.”  And we just stood there looking at each other for a moment.

Then she pulled out a brochure that provides a listing of the fat and calorie content of the various items served at this restaurant.  She said, “Here, you can have this thing.”

I said, “Does this tell me what the ‘Drive-Thru Diet’ is?”

She laughed and said, “No.”  Then there was another moment of us uncomfortably looking at each other before she said, “There are certain items that we serve that now have fresh chopped tomatoes.”  And she pointed to a big sign on the wall that featured a tantalizing picture of a food item overflowing with beautiful, red chopped tomatoes.

I said, “What does that do?”

She said, “It’s healthy.”

I said, “So, the ‘Drive-Thru Diet’ basically has to do with tomatoes?”

She was very friendly and nice, but she was obviously tired of my constant questions so she just said, “Yeah, it’s mostly about tomatoes.”

“Just make sure you have tomatoes, huh?”

“Yeah…tomatoes.”

“It’s all about tomatoes.”

“Yep…tomatoes.”

The day before, I had a double cheeseburger with a slice of tomato on it.  It’s crazy!  I had no idea I was eating diet food.  I feel slimmer already.

Dieting?  It's all about the tomatoes.

They're healthy!

It's Great To Discover God's Calling

“Why do we have to spend our lives striving to be something that we would never want to be, if we only knew what we wanted?”—Thomas Merton. When we discover God’s calling for our lives we can move from vain struggling toward someone else’s demands on us to the true purpose for which we were created.

What Does A Real "Giver" Look Like?

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money.  Many rich people put in large amounts.  Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions.  For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

Mark 12:41-44

Jesus helps us understand that what we give to God involves both WHO we are and WHAT we have.  True giving is, ultimately, a matter of the generosity of the heart of the giver.  Because of this reality, a person does not have to have A LOT in order to give A LOT.  The widow in this story gave MUCH…she actually gave an extraordinary amount, because she gave it ALL.

This is the type of thing that other people may never know or recognize about the true giver so this can be difficult, in fact, it’s a mark a great maturity.  You see, IF we’re really going to give MUCH, we’re hoping that, at least, we get a little credit.  We hope that our extreme generosity will be noticed and appreciated.  But the true giver understands that God sees and God knows!  And—this part is really amazing—that’s enough…for a true giver.

Be Ruthlessly Honest With Ourselves

I read this statement: “The worst kind of evil is evil which appears as good.” It was followed by this one: “Most evil appears as light.” This is why we must be ruthlessly honest with ourselves. We must pray for wisdom and discernment. And it is critical that we are courageous. Because it requires courage to walk in the way of God’s true goodness when the impulse toward selfishness is strong.

Can This Guy Really Explain Right-Handed Isomers With A Touch Of Humor?

Scientists and philosophers speak of a concept that is called a “theory of everything”.  A theory of everything—it is supposed—would provide a logically consistent explanation of the various forces of nature, including perplexing questions like, “where did it all come from?”  And, “how does it all really work?”  Our current scientific understanding of reality is incomplete…how’s that for an understatement?  A theory of everything would comprehensively and consistently help complete this lack of understanding and, of course, a theory of everything would help explain a lot of the questions that we have about that most mysterious of species known as “man”.

Have you ever wondered, “Why did I do that same dumb thing…again!?!”  A theory of everything would quite possibly help to explain that.  But it probably won’t help you find your car keys.  You’re still on your own, there.

That is the ambitious issue Edgar Andrews deals with in this book, “Who Made God?”  In fact, the subtitle is: Searching For A Theory Of Everything.

Andrews addresses a range of subjects including cosmology, physics, philosophy, time, Darwinian evolution, the nature of science, mind studies, and morality.  What is helpful is that he is able to do so in a way that is understandable to a simple layman like myself.  And, he does so with a touch of humor and wit.  Believe me, it’s impressive when a guy can explain how left-handed and right-handed isomers apply to amino acids with a touch of humor.  (Maybe they ought to hire him to “punch up” Jimmy Fallon’s monologues …..Just a thought.)

Andrews maintains that, ultimately, it is the hypothesis of God that really offers the greatest explanatory power to the big questions of life and existence.  Says Andrews, “A true ‘theory of everything’, therefore, must embrace both the material and non-material aspects of the universe, and my contention is that we already possess such a theory, namely, the hypothesis of God.” “The hypothesis of God”, according to Andrews is our best, most complete, most satisfactory theory of everything.

"Love" Is Something You "Do"

When someone tells me about their love for another person and the description is entirely based on FEELINGS, I get a little bit concerned. Loving “feelings” are a really good thing! But they’re not enough to SUSTAIN loving relationships. Here’s an insightful comment: “When God wanted to define love, He used VERBS because love is something you DO much more than something you FEEL.”

The Meeting Happened...In Record Time

“Alright, we might as well go ahead and get started.”

That’s how we began the record breaking Board of Trustees meeting last night.  We finished the meeting 58 speedy minutes later and it appears that a new record for “shortest board meeting” may have been established!

You say, “Dan, did you just race through the meeting in order to finish quickly and not even get anything accomplished?”

Yes, I did.  Is that wrong?

No, no, I’m joking.  We took care of business; and made decisions; and considered issues that need to be addressed; and assigned action items; and played a quick round of Scrabble.

….We even had time to hear Randy tell a story about driving when he couldn’t actually see.  It’s a good one.  But we moved along quickly and efficiently.

However, the board’s co-chairman, Larry, seemed as if he might have been disputing this record.  I suspect he may not be completely delighted that I chaired this quick meeting. 

You say, “Why would Larry care whether you chaired a quick meeting?”

Ah, that’s a very good question.  You see, Larry presided over a meeting a while back, IN MY ABSENCE, and they took care of the necessary business and finished up quickly.  At the time, that particular session held the record for “shortest board meeting”.  Since then, there’s been a little good natured teasing along these lines: “Larry runs efficient meetings and we get out of here quickly, not like Dan’s long meetings.”

Or, “We don’t measure the length of Dan’s meetings with a watch, we measure them with calendar pages.” …Diane may have said that one.  I’m not sure.  She’s quiet, yes, but she will still get the zingers in there, every now and then.

By the way, Larry and I, both, seem to agree with this unwritten principle:  A good meeting is a short meeting….(Actually, I guess that has just become a WRITTEN principle, hasn’t it? Yes, a good meeting is a short meeting.  There!  It’s definitely a written principle now, not just an UNWRITTEN principle.)

As we came to the close of last night’s meeting, I looked at my watch and it read: 7:58pm.  I looked at Rose—the board secretary—and saw her looking at the clock with a smile on her face.  She knew that Larry’s previous record was in jeopardy.

As the last official action, I closed the meeting in prayer and as I was praying I could sense Larry hoping that my prayer would be a lengthy one.  I think, perhaps, he was hoping that I would pray for lots of different issues and mention many prayer requests, possibly pray for missionaries, by name, in dozens of overseas locations.  But, no, it was a quick prayer and the meeting was over.

A new record has been established.  “Dan’s long meetings”…?  I don’t think so.  Not anymore!

8:15pm and the meeting table is

empty.  Everyone's gone.  The

meeting was finished in record

time.  Yes!!!

Humility...Seeing Ourselves For Who We Really Are

God loves humility. Part of the reason for that is because humility is incredibly honest. God is truth—He loves truth—and in many ways, humility is just a manifestation of honesty. Humility is seeing ourselves for who we really are in the light of God and who He really is. “…All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1Peter5:5

Where Is Real Freedom Found?

It is an example of the effectiveness of “deception” that we could consider a selfish life apart from God and His will to be real freedom.  And we could consider living our lives, as we were created to live, by our awesome, loving Maker, to be a form of restraint. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM.” 2Corinth.3:17

Dan's Hotel Breakfast Principle

I’m not a road warrior, so I’m not really the best one to offer travel advice.  But I discovered something in my recent travels.  In fact, I even have a name for what I’ve discovered.  I’m going to call my finding: “Dan’s Hotel Breakfast Principle”—DHBP, for short.

(Oh no you don’t.  Don’t try to steal it, I’m already in the process of copywriting that winning phrase!)

Here’s DHBP:  If you secure a room at a hotel and there are only 3 other cars in the parking lot….don’t expect much at the hotel-provided breakfast in the morning.

Profound, isn’t it?  In fact, even as you read these words, I’m clearing a space on the fireplace mantel for all the awards that my stunning new discovery is likely to bring.

For those of you who are more technically oriented, my principle can be stated as a mathematical equation:    vfc = fcb

(Very few cars = fairly crummy breakfast)

We took Taylor back to college last night and since we got into Anderson late in the evening, we secured a room at a hotel which shall remain unnamed.  (See how savvy I am when it comes to avoiding potential lawsuits?)  When we checked in at the hotel, I noticed that there were 3 cars in the parking lot.  I assumed one car probably belonged to the desk clerk, so that left two cars belonging to hotel guests.  I realize that’s not a ringing endorsement for the place but, frankly, it was late, it was cold, and they had a very good room rate, so we took the room and went to bed.

This morning, we arose and went to the hotel-provided “hot breakfast”.  It was…well, let’s see…how do you put this…um…well…let’s just say…it was pretty sparse.

This was the breakfast layout:  Two or three old donuts (one of which looked like it already had a bite taken out of it); a couple of bagels; a couple of biscuits; 3 scrambled eggs in a simmering pan (they may have been the same 3 eggs that were in that simmering pan back when I was a student at Anderson University…they looked vaguely familiar); and a saucer of cream that the cat didn’t finish.

As we ate, a hotel worker was lurking in the background watching us.  He watched, sometimes, from behind the serving counter and then, later, he was peering over a nearby couch sticking out his tongue at us.  I had the distinct feeling that by showing up at the breakfast we had created extra work for him and, thus, ruined his day.  I have a pretty good feel for this kind of thing.  I can pick up subtle clues, for example, the look in his eye.  Or, when I overheard him on his cell phone saying, “….Yeah, there are some really lame people here eating breakfast and making more work for me...”

Some of the fellas went to Anderson with us to drop off Taylor, so after our hotel breakfast, Nadia, Rachel and I went to Taylor’s dorm to say goodbye to Taylor and to pick up Jimbo and Johnny T. and Eric, in order to head back home.  But, on our way out of town, we did the only sane, sensible, rational, logical thing.  We did the only thing that, under the circumstances, made any sense at all…..we stopped at McDonald’s.  *Now there’s a breakfast!

…..And nobody stuck out their tongues at us.

  

(*Note: This line may seem like sarcasm but, actually, I REALLY DO like McDonalds’ breakfast food.)

She's Developing Wisdom

Yesterday a young woman said to me, “I’ve noticed that sometimes God allows something bad to happen in my life and, yet, later—sometimes a couple of years later—I can look back and see that something good has come of it.” I was proud of her. It is a blessing to be able to see and understand that truth at a young age. And it indicates that she is developing wisdom.

Choose Community Over Isolation

Here’s a line that is almost amusing except that the truth of it is serious: “The solution to loneliness is not isolation.” It’s not uncommon that when people feel very lonely, they isolate themselves. In other words, at a point when we especially need others we sometimes pull away. Our emotional health requires that we resist the urge to isolate ourselves and instead CHOOSE community.

Buried And Raised With Christ...Transformation

“’Spirituality’ is as successful as materialism in feeding our narcissism.” [Michael Horton] We can be religious and still be ruthlessly self-centered. What is really needed is not more spiritual self-help tricks but, rather, to be buried and raised with Christ and TRANSFORMED by Christ. The Gospel doesn’t involve spirituality or religion as much as it involves a death and rebirth. Are you being transformed?

An Incredible Miracle: Your Mind

The mind that God has given to you and me is a gift of enormous magnitude with capabilities that we still have not fully understood or explored. Scott Peck writes, “The mind, which sometimes presumes to believe that there is no such thing as a miracle, is itself a miracle.” If you are capable of reading this post, thank God for the miracle that He has given you: your mind.

Some Down-Home, Southern-Style Cooking...And In The Meantime, Teta Mary Is Laughing

What happens if you’re driving down the highway near McDonough, Georgia—a long way from home—and you spot an old barbeque joint from the interstate?

And what happens if you say, “Hey, what the heck, we’re way down south, let’s give that old country-looking barbeque place a try?  I’ll bet it’s pretty good.  It just seems right.  I have a ‘feeling’ about it.”

And what happens if you go in to the barbeque joint and sit down and the perfect waitress says, “I’d try the ‘Memphis-style’ ribs, sweetie, they’re reeeeeaaaaally good.”

Well, if a scenario like that happened, there’s a possibility that you might just be at “O.B.s” restaurant famous for: “BBQ, Catfish, Ribs”.

You say, “So Dan, tell us, were the ‘Memphis-style’ ribs really good?”

Oh man…

“Was the ‘Brunswick Stew’ that you ordered for one of your side dishes really good?”

Oh man…

“Were the hush puppies really good?”

Oooooooh man…

“Hey Dan, how about the peach cobbler ala mode that Nadia ordered for dessert; was that really good?”

Oh man…

(By the way, I never mentioned the peach cobbler that Nadia ordered for dessert…you asked about that.)

Sometimes a crazy hunch and an adventurous chance on an unknown restaurant works out really well. 

Moral of the story?  If you’re driving down the interstate and you have a hunch about a restaurant….call it a “feeling”, or a “good vibe”….I have no idea what will happen.  Sometimes that kind of thing works out and sometimes it doesn’t.  Who knows?  However, if you get a chance to stop in at “O.B.’s” in McDonough, Georgia, I do have a very good feeling about that.

P.S.  Some of you who pay really close attention to details may notice that in the picture I posted a couple of weeks ago, on our way DOWN to Florida, Teta Mary was present.  And, yet, in the picture accompanying this post—which was taken tonight—on the way back home from Florida, Teta Mary is not present.  “What’s going on?” you may ask.  “Where’s Teta Mary?  You guys didn’t leave her stranded at a ‘Rest Area’, I hope!”

“OH NO!!!  Teta Mary!!!!  Oooops!!  I can’t believe we forgot about Teta…..”

Just kidding.

Here’s what happened: Teta Mary decided to stay in Florida.  Yeah, she ditched us.  When it was time to go home, she said, “See ya’ later, saps!  I’m going to stay for a while longer.  I’m retired, and I’ve got money.  So why would I go back to Chicago with you people?  Especially now?” 

So, she’s going to fly home later. 

If you’re very, very quiet, and you listen really carefully, the faint sound of laugher that you hear is….Teta Mary…down in Florida…enjoying some barbeque.

Johnny gives "O.B.'s" the thumbs up!  You know it's

good when Johnny gives it his endorsement.

Considering The Value Of That Which Is Eternal

Jesus posed a very sobering and very powerful question one time. He asked, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” Matt.16:26  If we take that question seriously and reflect deeply on the point that it raises—and I encourage you to do so—it can help us to properly value that which is eternal over that which is temporary. This would be a mark of wisdom.

E-Flash From Dan, Jan. 6, 2010

Dear E-Flash Friends;

I’m just in from saving the life of a little frog with Rachel.  You can read about our courageous exploits at the post listed below titled:  "Saving Lives Is Tough Work….But Somebody's Gotta' Do It".

Well…alright…it didn’t really take that much “courage” but at least we’re out there trying.

Just thought I’d touch base and let you know that this Sunday I’m planning to speak from a scriptural text that involves a story of the raging waves on the sea (Luke 8:22-25).  It seems, sort of, appropriate that I prepared a portion of this message while I was sitting and looking at the waves of the sea.  (They weren’t “raging” waves, but they were waves.)

The story expressed in the passage also involves a storm and, sure enough, I’m told that I will quite possibly be experiencing a storm, firsthand, as well.  We’re leaving to drive home tomorrow, Thursday Jan. 7^th, and my weather watcher friends back in Chicago are telling me that a snowstorm is being forecast for the Midwest area that day.  So, I should definitely be in the proper frame of mind—after the waves and the snowstorm—to talk about Luke 8:22-25 on Sunday.

I hope you’re planning to be at church on Sunday.  I’m looking forward to seeing you all.  We’re not going to let a little snow stop us, right?  Come on, we’re Chicagoans, “snow” is our middle name!  I’m driving over a thousand miles just to be there!  (And just for good measure, I’m going to walk 5 miles…uphill…barefoot…carrying a load of firewood…on my way to church this Sunday.)

Oh yeah, one other thing, if you would be willing to offer a prayer for our traveling safety, we would definitely appreciate it!  Seriously, we would appreciate it.  Thanks!

Love and blessings…and see you soon!

Dan


*NOTE:  If you would like to have the E-Flash From Dan sent directly to your e-mail, just send an e-mail message to....cog111st@aol.com
and write:  "Please send me the E-Flash" in the subject field.

Saving Lives Is Tough Work...But Somebody's Gotta' Do It!

It’s as if Rachel and I are in an elite special ops force in the military!

What do I mean?  Well, before 10 a.m. we had already been out on a life saving expedition.

You might be saying, “Oh come on, Dan, you’re definitely exaggerating!”

Really?  Am I?

Ask the little frog who was in the parking lot.  (Actually, he won’t say very much, we found him to be extremely quiet and resistive to conversation…but you can still ask him.)  The poor little guy was very cold and having trouble moving.  He’s a tropical frog and we are definitely experiencing some un-tropically cold weather. He was in a spot in the parking lot of the condo complex where a car probably would have squashed him.  It was only a matter of time.  He was a sitting duck.

Rachel was the first one who spotted him and she said, “Hey, look at that little frog!  We better move him off of the parking lot.”

I said, “That’s a good idea.  But sometimes frogs have toxins on their skin, I don’t think we should pick him up with our bare hands.”

So, we coaxed him onto a paper plate.  (It was handy.)

As Rachel looked at him while holding him on the paper plate, I told her, “Okay, Rachel, frogs are really tasty.  Go ahead and have a bite.”

“Ewww!!!” she said.  That’s a direct quote.

We took him over to a spot on the grass where he was safe.  A spot where no cars would be driving.  A spot where no frightening dangers existed.

We set him gently in the grass and as we began to walk away I’m pretty sure…well, this might seem foolish…but…I think…well…I think I saw him smile at me.  It was a tender moment…a special moment between a man and a frog.  A moment that was interrupted when a bird swooped down, grabbed the frog in it’s powerful talons and took him away.

Saving lives, in the animal kingdom, can be heartbreaking work.

Rachel saving lives...one frog at a time. 

We Have Not Exhausted The Richness And Wisdom Of Christ

I find that I’m easily bored. Aren’t you? We want something new. Something we haven’t heard before. So, perhaps, the truth of Jesus and “who” He is and “what” he has done for us can get to where it doesn’t excite us much anymore. After all, we know about all that stuff. But I wonder: do we really believe we’ve exhausted the richness and fullness and beauty and wisdom of Christ and His impact on our lives?

What Happens At "Sharky's" Does NOT Stay At "Sharky's"

We went to “Sharky’s By The Pier” tonight.  Sharky’s is a great restaurant in Venice, Florida that is right on the beach.  It has a beautiful view of the ocean.  And we were seated at just about sunset.  It was lovely.  Normally, we sit out on the patio when we eat at Sharky’s and enjoy the warm ocean breeze, but tonight the temperature was 49 degrees.  Yep, 49 degrees in south Florida.

You say, “Hmm, that sounds rather chilly, Dan.”

It is.

Yesterday, I talked to a friend back in Chicago and mentioned the cold spell that’s happening here in Florida and I did my best to try to muster up some sympathy, but it really didn’t work.  When it’s 55 and sunny, that’s actually a very cold day way down here, but it’s still not going to have people in Chicago crying and holding prayer vigils on your behalf.

I made one last attempt at getting some sympathy by mentioning, “You know, it’s sort of windy, too.  So, that makes it feel even cooler!”

Nothing.  Oh well…

At Sharky’s, Nadia had the grouper, I had the Mahi Mahi, and Rachel…well, you know Rachel.  Rachel likes to carefully scan the menu for the priciest item.  Whether or not she really LIKES the priciest item isn’t really the issue for Rachel.  She prefers to order her food based upon retail price not based upon superfluous issues like taste.

So, Rachel had the lobster tail, which, actually tastes good AND costs a lot, so it’s sort of a double win.  Plus lobster goes well with the hot chocolate that Rachel always orders when it’s cold outside. 

Lobster and hot chocolate, I wonder if they’ll be featuring that combination on the Food Network any time soon.

When the waitress brought the check I made eye contact with Rachel and I pointed in the direction of the check.

You say, “What’s wrong with you, Dan?  Shame on you!!!”

Hey, Rachel’s packing a pretty good sum of money that she received for Christmas.

Nadia smiled and sipped her coffee.  By this time, she’s used to seeing me engage in exercises of complete futility (….like when I tried on a pair of “36 waist” jeans, recently).

I looked at Rachel again and then down at the check, thinking she might get the hint.  Yep, she did!  When the waitress came around, Rachel….ordered a nice dessert, which she and Nadia ate while I paid the bill.

Hey, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.  It was a nice night at Sharky’s with my lovely wife and daughter and despite the temperature outside, I felt warm and cozy….but my jeans are a little tight.

Nadia in front of the big fish tank at Sharky's.

Who Gets The Glory...Me? Or God?

I am mildly inclined toward seeking “glory” for myself. (Alright, it’s not always that “mild”.) This is sort of embarrassing to admit, but I’m afraid it is true. That’s why I need to read words like this on a regular basis: “Praise be to the Lord God…who alone does marvelous deed. Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with HIS glory.”Ps.72:18&19. That puts things back in perspective.

Thank You...To The One Who Took ALL The Blame

What does it FEEL like to be completely innocent in every way—totally without fault—and yet have to take all the blame for everyone else? We could never possibly know the thoughts and feelings of such a condition because it’s so far removed from our reality. But when I think about a person actually enduring that experience, my respect and my love for that person increases. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

We're Saved By "Grace" Not By "Works"

I’m surprised at how often I hear Bible-believing Christians make comments which clearly reveal that they understand salvation and eternal life with God to involve, in some way, their works and their efforts. I’m realizing that this false belief—that we EARN our salvation—is the natural “default” understanding of human beings. “For it is by GRACE you have been saved…NOT BY WORKS, so that no one can boast.” Eph. 2:8&9

My Dead Cell Phone...Ah, But The Story Isn't Over

“Well, here’s what I can do for you…” said the agent at the second phone store.

Several days prior to this conversation that I was having, I had dropped my cell phone into a glass of iced tea.  You can check out that post titled: “R.I.P. Cell Phone”, dated 12/30/09.

I went to a phone store—the first phone store—and the agent at the first phone store basically said, “Well, there’s not much I can do for you other than sell you a new phone, unless you have insurance.  Did you buy insurance?”

I said, “I have health insurance…and car insurance…and life insurance, do any of those count?”

….Yeah, I know, he didn’t find that to be very amusing, either.

The agent at the first phone store said, “Before you buy a new phone, for several hundred dollars, try this: take your phone home and submerge it in a jar of rice.”

“How does that fix a wet phone?” I asked.

“It doesn’t,” he said, “it just makes it taste better.”

Now, both of us were guilty of telling relatively lame jokes.  Apparently, the rice is supposed to draw the moisture out of the gadget and, perhaps, get it working again.  Really.  That’s the theory.  Several people verified that this was a valid idea, so, I tried the rice submersion technique. 

It didn’t work.  But he was right, I bit off a small corner of the phone and it tasted pretty good.

A couple of days later, I went back to the same phone store to ask some further questions, but it was closed.  It was New Year’s day.  There are lots of dealers for this particular phone service, so I went to another store in the area.  When I told an agent at the second phone store my story, that’s when she said the phrase that I began with, “Well, here’s what I can do for you…”

It turns out that she offered me a “one time replacement offer”.  This was not something that the agent at the first store—for the same phone service provider—offered to me.  He didn’t mention anything about a “one time replacement offer” all he ever said was that I would have to buy a new phone if we couldn’t get the current one working.

The “one time replacement offer” that was extended to me at the second store involved trading my old, non-working, phone for a new phone—the exact same model—for a fee.

I took the offer and…I’m back in business!

On my original Facebook note about this matter, my friend Janice left this comment:  “Dan prayer works even on phones,” she wrote, “I will believe with you.”

I thought about Janice’s comment as I was driving away from the phone store with my new replacement phone.  My phone wasn’t “healed”, but….it was “made new!”

“Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  2Cor.5:17

Yeah, prayer does work for phones!

NOTE:  The scripture reference above is completely out of context.  I understand that it doesn’t really apply to this story, and I’m not trying to be disrespectful to the Bible.  If you are theologically astute, please don’t get angry, I just thought it was a fun way to conclude the post.   =)