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

It’s the 4th Quarter, So Finish Strong!

If you’ve watched football, you’ve seen it.  At the end of the 3^rd Quarter, the players on both teams will often stretch a hand skyward with four fingers extended.  What’s their point?  To remind one another that the game isn’t over yet – it’s not time to quit or sit – it’s time to give all they have to seek victory. 

Can you imagine a coach’s response if a player said, “I’m saving myself for the next game, Coach, since this game is almost over.”?  I’m confident the coach would utter lots of unkind things, including the query, “What in the world are you saving yourself FOR?”   Fair question.

As a Follower of Jesus Christ, it seems I’m entering a period of life that could be termed my “4^th Quarter”.  How old is that?  Old enough to know that most of my effort as a believer and servant of Jesus is past.  The game isn’t over for me yet, but the days that lie ahead are certainly fewer than those that lie behind.  So, what am I supposed to do in this situation? 

Many adults dream about the chance to stop working a 9-5 job, drawing a monthly check you’ve been counting on, and spending sunny days on the beach or the golf course.  After a hard-working life, isn’t the 4^th Quarter for our leisure and rest?  Well, consider these words from Scripture:

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.   James 4:14 NLT

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.   Mark 8:35. NLT

Does that sound like Jesus intended us to put our feet up on the couch or lean back in the recliner?  Don’t get me wrong – there’s nothing sinful about wanting to spend a little time beach-combing or trying to sink a 20-foot putt.  We all need a break sometimes.  But you weren’t redeemed to become a lazy beach-walker.  You weren’t bought by the blood of Christ to share the good views at the Masters Tournament, but to share the Good News of the Master’s sacrifice!

Here’s what being a 4^th Quarter adult SHOULD mean to you:  You are still important to the Kingdom of God.  God has spent a lifetime building His truth and service and value into your life.  Now is not the time to quit or sit.  Now is the time to Finish Strong!  Can you hear the Coach saying, “What in the world are you saving yourself for?”  Leave a Legacy of Faith by serving and giving strong to the end.  The game isn’t over until Christ calls you home.  Until then, how about “leaving it all on the field”, as the players say?  If you’d like to connect with other 4^th Quarter adults who are determined to continue making a difference for the Kingdom, check out http://4thq.org/.  YOU may be the person in your church that rallies others to Finish Strong after they assumed they were ready to ease off into the sunset.

Just one final thought from Scripture.  This one comes from 4^th Quarter King David as a reminder to us all: 

Be strong. Have strength of heart and do it.  Do not be afraid or troubled, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not stop helping you. He will not leave you until all the work...is finished.   1 Chronicles 28:20

Teach kids in Children’s Church.  Hold someone’s hand at Hospice.  Take a mission trip.  Just don’t quit and sit.  It is, after all, only the 4^th Quarter.  So Finish Strong. 

Jacob

Why Doesn’t God Use Me?

In a world where so much need exists, what are you doing about it?  We are often overwhelmed by all the pain, unkindness, and need that exists around us.  I suppose we collectively think, “One person can’t really make much difference anyway.”  Then we go on about our business, living as we wish, generally seeking our own good in a world that would benefit from our sacrifice, not our self-satisfaction.

I just returned from the Dominican Republic and had the opportunity to visit ministries that work with children there.  It’s appropriate that I mention South Texas Children’s Home (STCH) International – an organization committed to seeing God work in the lives of children in that country, as well as in the US, Peru, and Costa Rica.  (https://www.facebook.com/stchm.international/).  Their efforts are making a difference for Christ, but I want to focus on two Dominicans with whom STCH has partnered that are individually making a difference. 

Raquel is a lovely woman who has a heart for the poor and those who need to know Christ who began tutoring children on the street.  Her ministry expanded to the chicken coop on her father’s property and continued to grow.  Now she leads a beautiful two-story school that educates 178 children, helping them know the love of Christ and expanding their learning opportunities.

Cesar used to be a taxi driver, but when delivering his clients to their restaurant destinations, noticed orphaned boys waiting to search through the trash for their next meal.  God impressed on Cesar that the boys needed more than physical food – they needed to be loved and cared for in the name of Jesus.  He enlisted other faithful followers of Christ to help and began an orphanage for boys, now caring for twenty, ranging in age from 3-18. 

As I write their brief stories, I have to wonder why God hasn’t done something amazing through MY life?  It’s at this point that we all start to make excuses or point out the small things that may have been accomplished by those of us who are mildly committed to making a difference for Christ.  But why not more?  What is different about Raquel and Cesar?  They are poorer, less-educated, and haven’t left the area where they were born.  Yet they have seen God work through them and around them in ways most of us can’t imagine.

This passage in James 5 always has baffled me:

¹⁷ Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! ¹⁸ Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

Elijah was human, just like me.  Just like Raquel and Cesar.  Yet God accomplished big things through their their lives.  Certainly, prayer was a huge part of the process for each of them, so I can be convicted about that!  But the biggest difference between them and me (and perhaps you) is that they DID SOMETHING in response to God’s revelation of need.  When God shows me a need, I usually expect someone ELSE to do something about it.  Or I just change the channel.  Maybe it’s time to get up and do something – anything – that will point people to Jesus.  Then when I ask myself, “Why doesn’t God use me?”  The answer will be, “He is.”

Jacob

Does Christmas make you feel Optimistic? Or Hopeful? There IS a difference!

The glass.  You know the one.  Psychologists think you either see it as half-full or half-empty.  That distinction, they say, determines how you view and experience life.  But for some of us, it’s neither.  Instead, our “life-glass” might seem nearly or completely empty.  Or worse still, it seems like life has stomped our little glass to smithereens!  How optimistic can you be then?

Optimism, you see, is based on your assessment of your circumstances, both present and future, in view of your personal expectations.  Optimism is then dependent on at least “seeing light at the end of the tunnel”, so to speak.  We can be optimistic even when life seems to be against us as long as we believe it will get better.  But it’s tough to be an optimist when you discover you have terminal cancer.  Or worse, that your child does.  It’s tough to be optimistic when your finances have tanked just when your job disappears.  Is hope really any different?

While optimism is based on OUR thoughts and feelings and assessment of our futures, hope is based on something outside of ourselves.  When we can believe in something greater than ourselves or our circumstance, HOPE can flourish.  That’s what Christmas is all about.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.   John 1:1-5

THERE is the light at the end of the tunnel you were looking for!  Since before time began, the God who made everything determined to also make Himself personal and knowable to us.  He determined HE would be the Light when there is no other light in your life.  HE would be Life for you when your own life seems to betray you.  And no matter how dark things get, even when optimism fades, HE does not.  Instead of optimism, God brings Hope.

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.² Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.  ³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us….   Romans 5:1-5

When we celebrate the coming of Jesus this time of year, we tend to focus on four promises that the Christ-child brings: Love, Joy, Peace, and Hope.  When Paul wrote these words, I doubt he was thinking specifically about the birth of Jesus.  In fact, the books of Matthew and Luke that describe the birth of Jesus were still years from being written when Paul penned Romans.  But the truth of what Jesus brought us has been there from the beginning – before time began.  Hope, you see, is based on something outside ourselves.  Because the One who offers us hope is the same One who offers us His love from the foundation of the world; His peace through Jesus’ sacrificial life, death and resurrection; and His joy even in the midst of those dark nights when we can’t see any light at all except for His.

Is hope better than optimism?  Absolutely.  Because no matter what, HOPE doesn’t disappoint.  We can hope because God is faithful – even if the glass is shattered.

Celebrating the hope we have in Jesus Christ,

Jacob