Mom Has Moved In

My mother has been a bit of a vagabond over her life.  After she grew up in the house in which her own mother was born, she has lived in a variety of places – a farm; a small tract home where my sister and I grew up; a nicer house (the American way, right?); and then a series of apartments.  She moved in with me many years ago, and finally spent the last 10 or so years living with my gentle sister and her husband.  Mom passed away two days ago.

Our loving and merciful God allowed Mom to quietly and peacefully step from this complicated, troublesome life into one where there is no pain, no sickness, and no tears.  That’s a lot different place than this one right now!  I can only imagine that when Mom arrived, some of those closest to her spent a little time getting re-acquainted and then showed her to her room.  Mom has moved in now and won’t have to relocate again.

Jesus promised all of us who have trusted Him for our salvation that He would make a place for us to go when we leave this life:

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.  There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.  If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?   When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.    John 14:1-3 NLT

Mom had made her reservation quite some time ago but apparently her room wasn’t ready yet.  Or at least God hadn’t finished using her here.  So many have expressed their love for her as she did for them.  That’s a pretty special thing in this crazy, mixed up existence we call life.  Now the only issue Mom has to contend with will be the singing coming from down the hall.

It’s important for us all to notice that there is “more than enough room in my Father’s home”.  Plenty of room for me and you.  I’ve got my reservation booked and I hope you do, too.  This morning, the Spirit of God might have revealed something that I never quite understood before.  I was walking and reciting the Shepherd’s Psalm, Psalm 23, and when I got to the last part, I was struck by what I had just spoken aloud:

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.   Psalm 23:6 NLT

For some reason, I had always read that last line and imagined gathering in the cathedral in heaven forever.  “House of the Lord” just always meant “church” to me.  This morning, I realized that David was writing about the same house about which Jesus was speaking in John 14.  The old King James Version of John starts out “In my Father’s house” just the same as Psalm 23.  We will dwell in our Father’s house forever. 

In the world of the New Testament, when a son had grown up in his father’s house, he would seek a wife for himself.  Then, rather than move out and start from scratch, the son would build an addition to the father’s house.  Once he had “prepared a place” for his bride, he would go to her home and bring her to the prepared place so that she could live with him – in his father’s house.  Based on what Scripture says, I believe that when Jesus was on the cross, He was praying through the Psalms.  When He got to the last line of Psalm 23, I’m sure His heart was moved because just the night before, He told His disciples He was going to prepare a place for them in that very house.  Now He was ready to go and make things ready.  For them and for you and for me.  And Mom.  She’s moved in now.

Live Long and Prosper!

No, this isn’t a post about what is often termed the “Prosperity Gospel” by the TV preachers who think they need a new jet.  The title comes from the half-human, half-Vulcan character, Mr. Spock, of Star Trek fame.  The phrase, “Live long and prosper” was offered by Mr. Spock and other Vulcans to express good wishes and long life, rather than simply using the rather-mundane-by-comparison, “Good-bye” or “See you later”. 

While Mr. Spock didn’t necessarily intend the word “prosper” as a prayer for material gain for those departing, the word DOES conjure images of monetary increase for most of us.  With that in mind, I present this short financial exercise for our enlightenment:

Suppose you deposit $10,000 in a bank account earning 4% compounding interest (don’t you wish!) at age 20.  You leave the account untouched, allowing the interest to accumulate.  At age 30, you would have earned $4,918 in interest, plus your original deposit.  But what if you leave it for another 10 years?  From age 30 to 40, you’d add another $7,336 in interest.  Another decade, from 40 to 50 adds an additional $10, 945.  Wow.  One more 10-year term, from age 50 to 60 increases your total by $16,327, meaning the value of your original $10,000 deposit is now worth $49,526. 

What I hope you take away from the illustration is that the interest earned on the original investment increases dramatically over time.  You would have earned more than 3x the interest in the 4^th decade than in the first.  That’s the power of compounding interest.

So, what if we apply the same principle to our lives as Followers of Jesus?  Let’s say you give your life to Christ at age 20 and commit to following Him.  You serve faithfully, accomplishing what you can for a decade.  Then another. And another.  And finally, a fourth decade of service.  While you may believe you become increasingly LESS valuable to the kingdom as you age, I’d like to submit that your knowledge of the Word and your walk with Christ is like compounding interest.  Every year you serve Christ has the potential to yield an ever-increasing benefit to the Kingdom!  Because of your faithfulness, you become potentially more valuable for kingdom causes.

Can I support that idea in Scripture?  Let’s look at this familiar passage and perhaps see it with new eyes:

³ He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. ⁴ As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. ⁸ Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! ⁹ Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”  Matthew 13:3-9

There you have the often-preached “Parable of the Sower”.  We learn later in the chapter that the seed is the Word of God, and we’re reminded that not every seed will fall on fertile, prepared soil.  But when the seed DOES bear fruit, there can be a significant difference in crop yield – some 30x, some 60x, and some even 100x.  Did you ever wonder what makes the difference?  Have you ever been encouraged by your pastor to be a 100x believer?

Remember the illustration about compounding interest?  Remember that the longer the investment remains, the greater the return.  Isn’t it possible that the key to understanding the different yields in the Parable is based on LONGEVITY?  When we come to a saving knowledge of Christ’s sacrifice for us and yield our lives to Him, we begin to earn “interest”.  The longer we serve our Savior, the greater the return on our account.  So it pays (for the Kingdom) to have you serve well, serve faithfully, and serve as long as you can!

I know Spock didn’t have anything spiritual in mind when he spoke the title’s words in the TV show and subsequent movies.  But I do.  Live long and prosper.  Because God wants you to for His glory and His Kingdom.

Jacob

Gardening That Lasts Beyond a Season

Springtime is welcomed with open arms in the upper Midwest where I’m from.  Not only are we sick of cold weather, but we’re thrilled that the barren landscape and gray sky come alive with green and yellow and blue.  But from my perspective, all the beauty of Spring requires quite a bit of effort on my part.  Well, mostly it’s the Energizer-bunny who lives with me who does much of the outside work this time of year, but I do help.  A little.

What happens to prepare for growing season around where I live?  Lawns need to be raked, leftover Winter leaves still need to be gathered from flower beds, fertilizing, re-seeding, and mulching must be done to prepare for the full-blown beauty that the season provides. 

And then there are the trees.  Those stately long-lasting additions to any landscape don’t just pop up, they must be planned for.  The joy they bring with early-Spring flowers followed by mid-Summer shade is worth waiting for.  But too quickly the October tinges of color become piles of leaves gathered for the kids to play in, and the growing process seems to end for the year.  Yet each year it seems we plant at least one more tree around our home, still excited for what it might return to us in the coming years.

The all-time tree-planting hero in our region, the legendary Johnny Appleseed, hiked across the landscape planting trees a couple hundred years ago.  What many don’t know about John Chapman (Johnny’s real name) is that he planted trees with a plan and shared his faith as he moved through the area.  He wasn’t just wandering around dropping seeds into the soil as he traveled.  Instead, he was a man with a strategy, determined to claim a land and share his faith. 

It seems Abraham might have been the ultimate role model for John Chapman.  After his son, Isaac, had been born and his other son, Ishmael, had been sent out from his household, Abraham was determined to put down roots.  A little-known verse in Genesis speaks about the only recorded instance of Abraham’s efforts as an arborist. 

The passage in Genesis 21:33 says, “Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.”   

Beersheba

It may not be obvious to us, but Beersheba is located at the northern edge of the Negev desert, not at all a pleasant place for a tree or anything else to live.  Yet Abraham determined that he would claim that spot according to the promise of God.  Remember that God had promised Abraham a home in this faraway land – the “promised land” for his descendants, the Jews.  And while his act of planting a tree in a desert location might seem like just a symbolic act to those who live in the green, lush, northern Midwest, in this barren place it was an act of deep faith.

Does it make the picture clearer to know that the Tamarisk tree can grow as little as one inch per year?  The Tamarisk can grow as tall as 40-50 feet, so it might take 400-500 years to reach full size.  Why would Abraham plant a tree that grows so slowly?  Because he didn’t plant it for himself.  Abraham didn’t plant the tree to provide shade for Isaac, or even for Jacob.  He hoped that SOMEDAY it would provide shade and comfort to those who would be descended from him according to God’s promise.  For Abraham, it was all about the future generations who would find shelter and a respite from the sun in that place.  Abraham understood what his legacy would be.  Do we?

I pray the actions we take today make a difference for the Kingdom of God for generations to come.  Someone many years ago shared the truth and the love of Christ with another, who shared it with another, until it came to you.  Take a moment and imagine who may find shelter under that metaphorical Tamarisk tree you plant today as you trust the Everlasting God to make it grow.

Jacob

Are Those Flying Monkeys I See?

You’ve all seen the movie.  The wind starts to kick up as the young girl and her dog try to head home.  But a tornado is coming!  Before she can get into the protection of the storm cellar, she sees everything from cows to people swirling around her in a chaotic mess.  Does YOUR life seem a bit like Dorothy’s?  I mean BEFORE she crushed the witch and landed in Oz?  Are things flying at you from every direction and making it hard to THINK, let alone ACT on your faith?  How do our lives become so out-of-control?  

Jesus’ disciples could have identified with Dorothy (and you):

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” ³⁶ Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. ³⁷ And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. ³⁸ But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

³⁹ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”  Mark 4:35-40

The disciples were going about their ordinary day-to-day business of getting from point A to point B with Jesus.  Yet a huge storm interrupted their journey and, at least to THEM, seemed to threaten their lives.  Aren’t there times when you kind of feel like the boat you’re in is taking on water?  That the storm is too great to make any headway?  That’s EXACTLY how the disciples felt.  And where was Jesus?  S-L-E-E-P-I-N-G.  They were indignant!  Didn’t Jesus care about them at all?  How could He let them just DIE as they were trying to serve Him?

There are always lessons to learn from the pages of Scripture, so let me just boldly make some points for us both:

1.   The storm wasn’t as bad as it seemed.  The disciples weren’t going to die; they just felt like they might.  Whatever you’re facing right now – all the swirling debris and chaos – isn’t going to kill you. 

2.   Jesus cares more about your faith than your circumstances.  In fact, He USES the challenges we face to GROW our faith.  I suspect the disciples got the point, but the greater questions is, “Do I get it?”

3.   The peace and calm we seek is only found in Jesus.  It was (and is) only Jesus who could calm the storm.  Note that they didn’t wake Him and ask Him to calm the storm.  They only woke Him to accuse Him of not caring about them.

I want to quickly add that not all of the swirling and chaos in our lives is there because God wants to use it to grow us.  Some of the “busy-ness” is there because we haven’t learned to say “No”; some of it is because we give time to things we think are important that really aren’t; and some of it is due to letting the world have pieces of us that should be reserved for God and His service. 

If you feel a little “light in the shoes” like Dorothy and believe you may just be blown away any minute, or if you share the fear of the disciples in the boat and wonder if God cares, there is an easy answer.  Stop what you’re doing immediately, close your eyes, and look for Jesus.  He’s there, ready to be the anchor for your soul; your resting place; your life-preserver.  Though He rested on the boat that day with the disciples, He does not rest or sleep now.  He is ALWAYS praying for you, just waiting for you to reach out to Him, because He cares for you.

If you’d rather not ask Jesus for help, then try clicking your heels together and wishing for home.  Let me know how that works for you.  But watch out for the flying monkeys….

Jacob