Not a Patriot

Although I'm a Pro Football fan, because of the nature of what I do and when I do it, I can hardly ever manage squeezing in watching a game on Sunday. Naps hold a higher priority, I'm afraid. Last night, because it was Saturday, I was able to watch the New England Patriots achieve their historic 16-0 "perfect" regular season by defeating, in a close game, the New York Giants. This feat hasn't been achieved in over 30 years. It is very admirable. However, even this doesn't fully compare to the great game of "Man vs. Sin", where only once in the history of the world did one man pull off the perfect life. But then, hardly anyone cheered.

If your life were a football season, what would your record be? I think it's safe to say that most of us, including myself, are far from being "Patriots" in that respect. Some of you may feel you have really struggled to keep above water in regards to sin. If that's you, maybe you consider your record to be more like the 1-14 Dolphins (pun not intended, but funny nonetheless). For myself, I feel like I've got a winning record, but I'm nowhere near Superbowl worthy.

One of the great things about God's grace is that we're all champions. If we are His children, He's drafted us onto his team. We're winners! Now, I realize that sounds quite trite and cheesy. I'm not the first to make this kind of sports-faith parallel, but I still don't want this to sound like a bad motivational speech, either. Still, the truth is - original sin cancelled all of our playoff hopes. They were gone. There was no post-season. There was no post-life with God. But God suspended the rules for us. He gave us more that a wild-card hope - He's put the Superbowl ring on our finger already. I think that is cause for celebration.

Let it Be

Here is this week's newsletter article:

Last year around this time I mentioned an old Beatles song, “Here Comes the Sun” and challenged us that our advent cry should be Here Comes the SON! Well, this season, another Beatles song lyric got my attention. You may recognize this timeless verse:

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see,
There will be an answer, let it be (Lennon/McCartney)

As I sat in my car listening to this, I couldn’t help but to be reminded about the fact that two things describe most people in our world: First, all have experienced heartbreak. All have experienced some sort of division, separation, or conflict in the circles of life in which they travel. Secondly, all are searching for answers. For the lost, they are searching for the connection that can only be filled by knowing that the God of the universe loves them. For these seekers out there, and I’m sure you know at least one, this season has a void, an emptiness. There are spiritual questions that are left unanswered. And anyone who has ever been a student knows, there’s hardly anything more frustrating than not having our questions answered. Guess what! We’ve got the answer! We can tell them, and we can show them by the example of our life. John (Lennon, not the revelator) gave us a nice song, but he didn’t give us the answer. Andre Crouch, however, says it very clearly in his famous gospel song:

If you have some questions in the corners of your mind
Traces of discouragement, and peace you cannot find
Reflections of your past seem to face you ev'ry day
But this one thing I do know, Jesus is the way
Jesus is the answer for the world today
Above Him there's no other, Jesus is the way

CCLI Song No. 14260 © 1973 Bud John Songs, Inc. (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) Andrae Crouch | Sandra Crouch For use solely with the SongSelect Terms of Use. All rights Reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License No. 268669

Moth in the Window

I usually don't work Fridays. However, it's the holidays and I just couldn't help myself. From my earlier post in the week "a spring in winter" you may remember my office has been 80 degrees most of the week. I just went to the window to open it. There waiting on the sill, patiently, with a gentle flutter to let me know it was alive, was a little moth. He (we'll call him a he) almost seemed excited that I was approching the window. I of course, opened it and the moth gingerly flittered out into the beautiful weather. It was really neat. I thought, wow, how many times have we waited on God like that? Most of the times if the window doesn't open we get mad, angry, and repeatedly (like other insects I've seen) bang over and over at the window, hoping it will magically disappear. Still, someone bigger than that moth (in this case me - but in our case, God) knew the proper timing (for the moth, it happened to be an unexpected Friday where normally this office would be vacant). He could have laid in the window with a frustrated or hopeless spirit, or he could have waited for just the right time. He's enjoying freedom now. For you, I don't know when your window will be opened, but I pray at that right time, you'll flutter, straighten your wings, and take off to the freedom You were meant to enjoy.

Walls in the Meadow

Sometimes I believe that because of Jesus Christ and our redemption, we are now standing in a plain or meadow with a nearly unobstructed view of God Almighty in front of us. There He is, a hand reaching out for us to grab, his face shielded by the sheer brightness of the light he eminates. He walks towards us, and I begin to run, I can't help it, like a child to his father, tired of all of the pain this world doles out.

Yet on this plain, by the designs of our constant disobedience, walls appear - one by one, blocking the slight of our Father. We can't go around them, under them, or through them. Becuase - we won't let ourselves. I stand and rationalize why the wall is there. I curse the wall; After all it's in our way of seeing Him!!! I kick it, stump my toe, and in my pain, probably curse again! Yet, I'm the one who put it there, most of them anyway. God is not the architect of those types of walls. Perhaps some of them are necessary ones, tests, if you will, but beyond that, still hinderances. Still, a wall is a wall.

God, though, is ready and able to help us through those walls, which can dematerialize in front of our eyes as our faith increases, allowing the walls to turn into more of haze. Still, there seems to always be something blocking Him from our eyes and lives. My prayer today, for myself, and for whoever reads this, is that our faith will be increased, that the walls won't frustrate us, and that we can allow the Lord to break through. Meadows were not designed for walls.

Under My Roof

This is a copy of my newsletter article that I submitted today. Someone mentioned this story touched them, so I thought I would post it here as well:


The manger. Dark, dirty – not the ideal place for the Son of God to be born. Not a Holiday Inn by any stretch. But it was a special place, a chosen place. Had the Bethlehem residents or innkeepers known the significance of the unborn child entering their streets, the reception would have been quite different. “Did you hear – that lady, she’s to give birth to the Son of God!!!” They could have been whisked away to the home of one of Bethlehem’s elite, or to the finest accommodations available. They would have been waited on hand and foot, treated like – ROYALTY. So why didn’t that happen? Well, for one thing, I believe God’s plan of the manger birth illustrates the humility in which Christ came to model. But, for another, I can imagine one capitalistic individual making haste to tell King Herod about his “competition,” and the subsequent search the king sent out would have been much easier. God knew what He was doing. Still, it does seem quite unfitting that no one in Bethlehem that night was able to share the joy of having the Son of God under their roof.

Let’s fast forward a bit. When I was flipping through Matthew today, on my way to the familiar Christmas narratives in this book, I stumbled across another passage in which the wording caught my eye. Take a look at Matthew 8:5-13. This is the passage where Jesus heals the centurion’s servant “from afar”. Look especially at vs. 8.

The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Thirty plus years later, the man, who as a baby was denied lodging at the time of his birth, is now sought after by (of all people) a Gentile! The centurion, in humility and what Jesus calls unparalleled faith, considers himself unworthy having Jesus to come under his roof! At his birth, Mary and Joseph were forced into a place that if it even had a roof, was not the ideal and most fitting of shelters. What a grand irony to now be told by one of the Roman elite that the Lord’s presence is so special, so unique, so powerful, that he isn’t worthy! Please think about your home this week. Most of us live in something much nicer than a barn, stable, or a cave. Still, none of us deserve the presence of the Holy Son of God in our lives. Still, he stands at the door, and knocks. He is willing to come in. The King of Heaven’s Throne wants to be the King of your home this Christmas season, and year ‘round. We too, like the centurion, are not worthy of the honor, but it is one that we should gladly receive. Step out on faith and trust in Him today.

A Spring in Winter

The Lord gave me a thought today when I was listening to Him. It is December. Yet, for some reason it has been almost 80 degrees two days in a row. My window in my office is open. It doesn't make sense, and it surely wasn't expected.

I think sometimes in our lives, we expect winter to be what it is - winter. Cold, barren, lifeless. Sometimes we go through seasons in our lives where we are in a spiritual winter. We don't expect much out of ourselves or others. But sometimes, like the past two days in the weather, the Lord surprises us with a burst of life - an unexpected spring in the middle of our winter. I think we need to do more of expecting the unexpected. The Lord can (and will) surprise us, and sometimes those surprises can actually be good. It's all about faith.

Poem: Deliverance Ahead

Here I sit.
Voice broken.
Memory fogged.
Spirit wounded.
Joy gone.
Betrayed again.
Wounds scabbing.
Faith tested.
Soul groaning.
Ungodly temptations.
Revenge wanted.
Evil winning.
Apathy growing.

Yet I yearn.
Prayers lifted.
Restitution saught.
Healing wanted.
Service offered.
Comfort needed.
Energy desired.
Burdens transferred.
Humility realized.
Questions answered.
Will clarified.
Place confirmed.
Deliverance ahead.