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Monday, January 31, 2011
Today Is Enough...Just Deal With Today
When we look at the enormity of some of the issues in our lives we can easily feel overwhelmed and give up because it seems impossible to handle. There is great wisdom in the phrase: “One day at a time.” In other words, just deal with what can be done today. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Circumstances Under Which Jesus Lived Like Jesus
There are certain situations in life, that could occur, in which just about all of us would be pretty likely to say, “Well, I can’t behave like Christ under these circumstances. After all there’s a limit. It would never work. I mean, come on, it’s not realistic.” When we think this way, it seems pretty fair to say that we are forgetting the circumstances under which Jesus lived like Jesus.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Many Of The Important Things Take Time
It is our tendency to want things right away. But certain worthwhile things in life take time. The development of wisdom takes time. Relationships of real trust and intimacy take time. Spiritual depth and maturity takes time. Let’s not rush the important things, let’s be willing to patiently invest the time that they require and that they deserve.
Friday, January 28, 2011
E-Flash From Dan -- Religion Is Healthy?
Dear E-Flash Friends;
Every now and then I like to simply pass along some interesting information through the E-Flashes that we mail and post on-line. That’s the purpose of this E-Flash.
Some of you know that I read a lot. I am providing below one of the most interesting passages that I’ve read in a while. The book from which I’m quoting is particularly interesting because of this twist: it is an intellectually powerful DEFENSE of religion written by…ready?...written by….an atheist! In fact, the book is titled: “An Atheist Defends Religion”. I know, the whole premise of the book raises other questions, but I don’t have the time or space to deal with them here. What I want to provide, however, is the interesting passage.
Here it is:
"…[N]ow we have tangible research results demonstrating the health benefits of religion. The gold standard of atheistic truth—empirical evidence—leaves few doubts that religion is good for the health of the individual and society as a whole.
Being an atheist myself, at one point I was also inclined to discount the value of religion in mental health. Like other atheists, I defiantly asserted that believers could not possibly be any happier than nonbelievers (all other things being equal). Understandably, all atheists want to believe we are just as mentally healthy as religionists….[However], a scientific approach would be to look objectively at the believer population compared to nonbelievers and statistically assess their attitudinal and physiological differences. And when we do those calculations—in the form of analyzing hundreds of studies conducted over several decades across all ages, races, and socioeconomic strata—the preponderance of evidence shows that people who believe in God are healthier—mentally, emotionally, and physically. No matter how discomfiting it may be to atheists, the empirical conclusion is that people who only believe in a scientific materialist worldview are less fulfilled than those who believe in divine reality."
--Bruce Sheiman, An Atheist Defends Religion
Okay, now that I think of it, I do have one other purpose for sending out this E-Flash and that is to invite you to church this Sunday, January 30th. We’ll be looking at a passage of scripture from Colossians chapter 3 that contains a surprisingly significant challenge for those of us who walk with Christ. I really hope you can make it! And maybe we could even think of someone to invite. I believe that at the deepest place in our hearts, we all want to know God and connect with Him. And I honestly believe that can happen for people at church this Sunday.
Hope to see you then!!!
Love and blessings,
Dan
Giving Time To Important Things
Relationships require time. This is simple and obvious for everyone to acknowledge. The problem is that there are a number of important and/or necessary things in life that require our time. This is why Jesus’ direction to “love God and love others”, as the MOST IMPORTANT commandment, is a helpful clarification in terms of helping us prioritize. Give time to that which is most important.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Don't Let Disappointments Stop You
When we try hard at something and things don’t work out it is easy to get discouraged. Sometimes the disappointments that come along—for anyone who is trying to achieve something worthwhile—can really suck the wind out of us. But it’s important that we don’t give up! “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” ~Winston Churchill.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Seeing People Thrive
When we love someone, we honestly want to see that person “thrive”. To thrive has to do with steady or even vigorous growth and progress. True love is not bothered when the one we love is experiencing great success, but is genuinely happy and excited to know that the one we love is doing well.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Faith Is About Glorifying God
Sometimes we are led to believe that we should evaluate even the important issues of our faith by how much they enhance our own self interest and personal sense of fulfillment. But this is a form of “Christian narcissism” which leads away from God, and toward an empty life. Our faith is not centered on how much it helps us, it is centered on how much it glorifies God.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Love Is Patient
An important biblical characteristic of love is patience. Sometimes a loved one’s growth, maturity, understanding and development will take much longer than we expected. Can we graciously allow the process to unfold in that person’s life over time? Can we deal with our frustration over how long it’s taking without bursts of anger or temper tantrums? Love is patient.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Living Like Christ
When we live our lives “like Christ”—by the very nature of what that means—our lives will have an impact on others. “…Imitating Jesus will involve a life that affirms, encourages, blesses, and releases the good in others.” ~Bruce Demarest
Saturday, January 22, 2011
It's Not As Easy As It Sounds: Unconditional Love
The most authentic and most Godly form of love is love that is given “unconditionally”. Unconditional love does not mean that we condone everything that the loved one does, but it does mean that we love and accept the person in spite of what he does. Unconditional love is much easier to talk about than to actually do because people have this pesky habit of testing the limits of our love.
Friday, January 21, 2011
It's Okay To Admit That We Need Help
We live in a culture that trains us to desire independence. We want to “make it on our own”. We want to be in a position where we “don’t need anybody”. So, it can be embarrassing for us to admit that we need help. But you know what? It’s alright. There are times for ALL OF US when we need help. It’s okay to be vulnerable and admit that truth.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Laughter Is Healthy
“I have never understood why it should be considered derogatory to the Creator to suppose that he has a sense of humour.” ~William Ralph Inge. Laughing is healthy for us. It is! And here’s some good news: God is not mad at us. God does not expect us to sulk around, feeling bad. So, it’s okay to laugh and experience joy!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Loving God And Obeying God
Jesus associated LOVE with OBEDIENCE. He said, “If you love me you will obey what I command.” [John 14:15] If we claim to love Christ, but make no effort to live as He calls us to live, it would seem that something isn’t right. So, it’s important for us to look to God’s Holy Spirit and admit that we need His help, His direction, His encouragement, and His strength.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Do You Want To Be Perceived As "Cool"?
The culture in which we live, or the opinions of the people we know will tend to have increasing influence on us to the degree that we hope to be perceived as “cool”. So serious followers of Jesus are challenged to care more about God, and trusting Him and pleasing Him, than we care about being hip, or popular, or culturally savvy, or cool.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Pure Joy...A Day Off From School
Rachel came into the room where I was simultaneously reading and creating an online playlist of “Dan’s favorite” music. (Yep, I REALLY know how to live it up, don’t I? Later on, I’m planning to really kick up the level of excitement by laying face down on the floor and breathing.)
She asked, “Is tomorrow Martin Luther King day?”
I said, “Yes it is.”
Rachel looked at me with the most incredible expression of pure delight. She had a huge smile lighting up her entire face. I haven’t seen a look of such intense joy since the time I announced that I would be cutting my sermons down to 10 minutes.
Just to see what kind of reaction I would get—with great earnestness—I said, “So, you’ll have to be up bright and early for the school bus. Martin Luther King day is a time of study and reflection on some of the important civil rights issues that impact our lives. It will be a busy day at school tomorrow.”
I watched expectantly for the response.
Nope. That didn’t shake her. Uh uh, the smile didn’t diminish even a little bit. She raised a fist in the air and with great enthusiasm, she said, “No school!!!”
Even after all these years as a dad, it’s still interesting and amusing for me to see the unadulterated spectacle of joy that a day off from school brings.
Letting Loved Ones Learn Hard Lessons
Sometimes, if you really love someone, you will let him fall down because you realize that there are lessons he has to learn that can only be learned the hard way. This can be difficult to do because our impulse is to rush in immediately and help. And how we respond certainly depends on the size of the fall. But real love doesn’t always run rescue missions.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Recognizing What We CAN Know And What We CAN'T Know
It’s a very good thing to try to grow in learning and knowledge and our understanding of things. But it’s helpful, for our peace of mind, to realize that there are some things that are beyond us and we will never understand them [it’s part of being a finite creature]. Recognizing the difference between the things we can know and the things we can’t know is an aspect of wisdom.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Loving The Un-lovely...That's What Jesus Does
Jesus, who was sinless, seemed to be very comfortable loving broken, hurting, troubled, flawed, sinful people. This bothered religious folks who suggested that “these types of people” should be avoided. But that never stopped Jesus from loving. When we love others the way Jesus loved, our love is generous and lavish and far-reaching. When we love like Jesus, our love extends even to the un-lovely.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Learning Lessons From Life's Difficulties
“…Sportswriters have long appreciated the fact that there’s often more wisdom among losers than among winners.” –Stephen Hall. I read this quote in a book on the subject of “wisdom” and it reminded me that in many different fields of endeavor people have learned that there can be valuable lessons in the difficulties of life.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
All Other Gifts Are Meaningless In The Absence of Love
Some of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible can seem sort of impressive, so, they might seem a little bit more desirable than others. But the gift which is to be eagerly desired is love. In fact, The Apostle Paul tells us that all the other gifts become meaningless in the absence of love. “And now these 3 remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1Cor.13:13
Monday, January 10, 2011
Let's Be Willing To Take A Risk And Love
Some people are done taking risks. They’ve been hurt yet again and they’ve had it! This means, however, that in a certain sense, they are done living. Oh, they’re still breathing and they’re still walking around the village, but they’re partly dead. Life, true life, involves risk. Love involves risk. Let’s not give up. Loving people will involve some hurts. But let’s be willing to take a risk and love anyhow.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
We Can All Tell Our Story
We don’t all have the gift of evangelism, but all of us can tell our story. If Christ has changed your life, you have a story of how that happened, right? And when the time is right and the opportunity arises, you and I can tell the story of God’s authentic activity in our lives.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Our Grace Toward Others Flows From God's Grace Toward Us
We are only willing to extend grace to others if our hearts have been captured by the realization that we are RECIPIENTS of love and forgiveness and mercy and goodness that we do not deserve. Search your heart. Do you REALLY understand that God loves you and that He has forgiven you? Do you REALLY understand that God extends goodness to you every day? Our grace toward others will flow from that reality.
Friday, January 7, 2011
A Brief Moment With Rachel
Today, while we were driving in the car, Rachel told me she didn’t want to go to work anymore. (Rachel is 21 years old.)
I said, “Wait a minute, you want to continue to get your paycheck, don’t you?”
Rachel paused for just a moment and then earnestly replied, “I don’t like the work part. I just like the paycheck.”
I laughed and thought…hmm, I wonder how many people would say, “I’m with you on that one, Rachel!”
Eternal Life...NOW!
The eternal life that is promised to those who trust in Christ is not meant to begin when we die, actually, it begins the moment we come to KNOW Him.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
It's Good To Recognize Who REALLY Loves You
Sometimes people don’t recognize what real love looks like. So, they mistakenly think that the people who are leading them down a dead end path care about them. And they think the people who genuinely love them are boring. This seems to happen often with young people. Wisdom would tell us: Open your eyes. Do yourself a favor, open your eyes and RECOGNIZE who really loves you.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Our Brothers and Sisters In Christ Help Us Love
There is a certain amount of “effort” that is required to truly love others. This is part of the reason why we need support and help and love and encouragement from the body of Christ because there may be some days when we don’t have the energy to make the effort that love requires. So—if we are willing—God works through our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us love.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Wisdom: Recognizing That There's A Lot We Don't Know
It’s very helpful for us to realize that no matter how smart we are, there is MUCH that we do not know and understand. In fact, it’s said that one very important aspect of wisdom is simply to recognize the limits of our own knowledge and capabilities. In other words, ironically, it’s the really, really, really wise man or woman who recognizes this: Wow, there’s a whole lot I don’t know!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
The Wrong Place, The Wrong Time, The Wrong Line
I was standing in line at Taco Bell and a man with some physical handicaps was standing in front of me. As I noticed the man’s physical challenges, I felt compassion. I didn’t just look at him and basically ignore his condition while I examined the menu on the wall, something really did stir in my heart. I thought, “What is it like to live with these kinds of challenges?”
While I was caught up in my personal moment of compassion on behalf of another one of God’s beloved creatures, the man turned his head and burped right in my face. Really. He did. And it was one of those big, robust burps that shakes a person’s entire body. Right in my face! I could actually feel a slight breeze from his breath.
And then! He looked at me as if I had done something wrong!!! He gave me one of those, “Hey-pal-what-are-you-looking-at?” kind of looks.
“WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?!?” I thought, as I wiped the steam from my glasses.
What do you do in a situation like that?!?
Do you say, “Hey buddy, what’s wrong with you?” And shake your fist, menacingly, at him? I don’t know, that just doesn’t seem right.
Do you look him square in the eye and say an exaggerated and sarcastic, “Excuse me, oh Gassy One!!!” Hmm, maybe it’s just me, but that doesn’t seem right, either.
Well, I merely frowned and shook my head and looked in another direction.
I know. That’s not much of a response. I thought about this for the remainder of the day. I wish I had a different story to report. One that involved witty dialogue, a few moments of swordplay, and then heartfelt expressions of forgiveness and grace, culminating in tearful hugs and pats on the back.
But that was another time, when a similar incident happened at Burger King.
There are two lessons to be learned: First, sad but true, I guess people won’t always recognize, acknowledge and appreciate our feelings of compassion toward them. Second, when standing in line…? It’s not a bad idea to wear a helmet that has one of those plastic face shields.
P.S. I was going to post a picture of the guy here—you know, for informational purposes—but I realized that would not be a very compassionate thing to do. (The kid in line, in the posted picture, is not the guy who burped. He’s just an innocent bystander.)
Approaching God On Behalf Of Our Enemy
Jesus instructed us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that we should “PLEAD” for our enemy to God. Wow. There is something in that comment that impacted me powerfully. I have never done this on behalf of an enemy. Clearly, there is a much deeper, fuller work of love that God has, yet, to be realized in me. How about you?
Saturday, January 1, 2011
God Is Able...Happy New Year
I was going to post a thought about “what we should do” in the New Year. But you know what? Most of us will be getting plenty of those words of advice. Instead of “what we should do”, how about this reminder: God is sufficient. Whatever you and I face this year—even those matters that are beyond our abilities—remember that we have a mighty God…and HE IS ABLE!!! Happy New Year!
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