National Day of Prayer

Today was the National Day of Prayer. As far as the eye can see, in terms of our nation's life, it was insignificant. It may, however, look very different in God's eyes. Who knows? He does. He's the one aspect of prayer that shouldn't be forgotten. If everyone who doesn't pray knew Who was on the other side of the prayers of Christians, their perspective would be different. It's up to Christians to show them Who they're praying to, not just tell them that they should be praying. 

Isolation and Blame Gone

I've noticed something in our culture lately. I've picked it up in the news mostly. In our world, many people are isolated. This isolation leads to adverse outcomes in the lives of people. The isolated tend to:

1) Be angry and bitter

2) Be confused about what others think about them

3) Assume the worst

4) Have inflated self-images

5) Use faith for hyper-justification of isolation and their lack of cooperation with others

6) Escape into sin

7) Give themselves lots of wiggle room

8) Give others no grace

9) Not know how to break out from their isolation

10) Not take full, personal responsibility for their isolation

There are probably more things that could be added to this list. Isolation is rampant and devastating, but it is not incurable. The breakout cure for isolation is something I'll call "Relationship Responsibility" (RR). Someone who takes RR cuts off the self pity cycle essential for isolation. Self pity is like alcohol, so it can't just be eliminated, it has to be replaced. Other forms of responsibility can be used for this. It works to take responsibility for one's emotions, time-usage, mental activity, speaking, media-intake, diet, physical condition, or spiritual tone. All of these responsibilities have the potential of becoming healthy addictions. The key to everything healthy is to prevent blame fixing. This is the point of RR. As soon as you have someone to blame for how you feel, you are lost. The cross of Christ helps believers not only shift the blame for their sins to Christ, but also the blame for the sins of everyone else against them. It's a handy thing God does here. He makes it possible for us to live blameless lives, in every sense of the word blameless: not bearing our own blame and not assigning any blame to others.  A blameless person is never alone and cannot be isolated.   

Light

Nothing beats light. Light has cleansing properties that simply can't be overstated. Light in relationships brings healing and new trust. Light in the mind brings peace and rest. Light on the earth brings life and growth. Light in the spiritual realm brings clarity and victory. Light makes everything beautiful. Light comes in more than one variety, more than one shade, more than one way. Light was the first thing God created after He created the Heavens and the Earth. Genesis 1:3 - "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." (KJV). Near the end of the Bible (Revelation 22:16), Jesus is "the bright and morning star." More light. Easter Sunday is about the dawning of light that is purchased and initiated by Good Friday. It's sunny today - inside and out. Light makes life good. Let there be light in your life today. 

John 8:12 (KJV)

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."    

Palm Sunday

It's Palm Sunday and a round of church services is about to start. I'm wondering about people. How are people doing today? What's going on inside of them? Are they OK? I think about all the people who will be attending and participating in worship today. I want them to meet God and God to meet them. Everything we do here is dependent on God doing something. If God doesn't do what only God can do, then we're sunk. Hosanna.

I speak about Christ today as the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King. Another way to look at these three categories is to see them as the Word, Presence, and Power of God. This is what people need today. Without the Word, Presence, and Power of God in our lives, we die on the inside. Spiritual death is all around us and reported daily via our newspapers, televisions, and the Internet. Spiritual life, however, is greater. Life is more powerful than death. In Christ, death's days are numbered. Death was put on notice that first Palm Sunday. Developments later that week made it seem like death had gotten its way. But then there was Sunday, the Sunday after Palm Sunday. 

I wonder how people are doing today? Do they know about Jesus? I would like them to. I think believers and unbelievers in Christ alike are blessed by the gospel's offer of life. To the unbeliever it says, "Someone wants to give you hope, even if it seems farfetched. Things can't be that bad." To the believer it says, "If you cry Hosanna ('O, Save'), then Jesus will."

"Lord, lift Your people up today and bring glory to Your Name. Amen."   

Tiger Woods

I'm watching the Arnold Palmer Invitational as I drift in and out of post-preaching consciousness. It's fun. Tiger is back. For me, golf is interesting again. Golf is great again. I wonder why this guy is so compelling. He just pulled ahead. The coverage is upstaging other programming at the top of the hour. I'm not sure a Tigerless tournament would do this. 

So how is this helpful? Well, I can ask, "How can I preach like Tiger Woods plays golf?" or, maybe better, "How can I live for Christ like Tiger Woods plays golf?" He's focused, serious, unflappable, and always seeking improvement. 

Also, the secret of Tiger Woods' success is really his dad. His dad, who passed away a few years ago, trained him to play golf well from the age of 3! Tiger Woods is in no way an overnight success or a "miracle" story. And we're just talking about golf: a game. There's a lesson here for Christian parents. 

The So-Called Ordinary

It's an ordinary day. 

Today I'm preparing for an interview with The Bridge radio network. I wrote a little blurb for their newsletter too. It's all about Easter, ministry, and a book by Wayne Cordeiro I'll be featuring this month titled: "Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion." Easter is the big month for pastors and the tough month for pastors. Flames fanned higher nearly always lead to burnout or symptoms of burnout. 

Later today, Shannon and I go to a hospital in or near NYC to visit a young friend and ministry partner who has succumbed to cancer. Apparently, she'll be gone soon. We heard she's already in a coma. Her husband, family, and other friends will be there. Her daughter is a year older than mine. We went to Africa together twice, in 2004 and in 2007. Dear friends.

For all the emotions I'm feeling concerning all of this, I realize that everything I'm going through or talking about today is ... ordinary. This is ordinary human life and ordinary ministry. So-called ordinary life involves death, so-called ordinary ministry involves burnout, and redemption can only be redemption through Jesus' death on the cross. 

I guess that last one's not so ordinary ...  

Pondering Paroxyms

I was talking with someone today about bitterness at work. One of the teams at one of the places I work is in the midst of experiencing little blow-ups, always putting the ones loosing their tempers at great disadvantage. People loose it for many different reasons, but the intriguing thing is how inviting such behavior seems to those struggling with bitterness. People always want to say what they shouldn't say, as if this will help them feel better. It never does. Maybe I've blogged on this before. Sorry to be a bore if I have, but here's a few observations on this beautiful spring afternoon:

1) If someone gets in your face over something, they will do it again over something else. If you want your present relationship with this person to continue, decide that you are going to take it when the person goes postal next time, because the one thing you can be sure of is that there will be a next time.

2) If your response is curiosity, you'll still have to shake off the muck from your encounter. If your response is outrage, you'll have a tough time shaking off the muck from your encounter. 

3) If you are in authority or have competency, others may really resent you for it. Don't assume their resentment, but if you discover that it is indeed present, don't be surprised.

4) When someone mistreats you, you don't have the option of returning their mistreatment and keeping your integrity intact. You must remain above the fray. Stand up for yourself, but don't bite back. In war and football, the best defense is a good offense. This is not true, however, in interpersonal relationships.

5) God can use people's embarrassing emotional explosions for His own purposes. See the end of Acts 15. One ministry became two. The word for the "sharp disagreement" between Paul and Barnabas is most closely related to the English word: paroxysm. Paroxysm is a literary term for loosing it.     

The Slow Work of Sunlight

Spring is here, at least per the calendar. It is a time for new life, not in the abstract sense, but in the literal, tangible sense. You can see it. You can see it on the ground in the form of green grass and flowers. You can see it in the trees in the form of green leaves. You can see it. A green world around us becomes lit up by sunshine. In fact, all this new life is powered by sunshine. Photosynthesis is the term we learned in school. Light from the sun causes an organism to come to life. So does the process work in our spiritual lives. Slowly, with sufficient exposure to the warm, nourishing light of God, our souls come to life. It's a good thing too. This last winter was particularly cold and long for some of us. The best thing about it now is that it is over. I'm not just talking about physical winter. I'm talking about inner winter. Hardened, frozen, hostile landscapes aren't just outdoors. Spring, then, is a season to do three things:

1) REACH UP - Just like trees seem to be reaching for the sun, so reach for God. Far from hiding from or apologizing for where life comes from, trees are like visible statements about the sun. Healthy trees let all know that they depend on and derive all their glory from the sun.

2) REACH DOWN - All the sunlight and green that we can see with our eyes tells of something else beyond the reach of our eyes. Trees grow when their roots grow. Trees are healthy and strong when their roots are healthy and strong. The true beauty and life of a tree is invisible to the eye. Roots are a tree's secret life. Our secret life as believers is no less important. Read Matthew 6.

3) REACH OUT - Every healthy tree has new branches and new leaves. Some Christians could use an encouraging reminder of this. The "new" part of new life is forgotten or forsaken by some. What new things are you doing this spring to express and enjoy your new life in Christ? How is the light of God doing new work within you and through you into the lives of others?     

Themes

Days can have themes. So can seasons. One strategy for lifting your thinking above a day's situation is to name the theme of what you're going through. Try it. The theme for the day may be 1) overcoming, 2) relearning an old lesson, 3) dependence on God, 4) playing it cool, or 5) being yourself - to name a few examples. The circumstances will suggest the theme. Finding a theme can help with your sanity. Anytime you can link the things that happen to you in a day or season so they form a coherent narrative, you feel less like you're reacting to everything that happens to you and more like your inside a story written by someone who was trying to make a point. The truth is: you are. That someone is God. Chances are good that He actually does have a theme for your day that lines up with His plans for you. Why not ask Him? 

"I know the plans I have for you ..." He says.

The Blog Abyss

Do you ever hit the "next blog" button on these Google blogs? It can take you anywhere. I've found that only about half of the time the blog is in English. And many blogs are indecipherable. They seem to be half-formed thoughts; something akin to the plots of dreams. Some make no sense and show no potential for ever making any sense. Others are tightly controlled sales blogs that look like they're tended to hourly. They offer stuffed dolls, clothing lines, or innovative products for parents. Every once in a while you stumble across something vile. There's a"flag blog" button for these blogs; we police ourselves in this interesting mental world revealed by the blogosphere.

Still, there are trends. If you click "next blog" twenty times you will consistently pick up on three things:

1) People want to express themselves.

2) People want to be understood on their terms.

3) People want to connect well.

These are important for anyone working with people to understand.