Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Day of Praise

Wed, 11/01/17, "Day of Praise"

Here's one I wrote years ago for this occasion. 

"And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them." - Genesis 3:21

I've seen some good Halloween costumes in my years.

There was the year that my sweet daughters, about six and four at the time, were dressed as Dorothy and Toto from "The Wizard of Oz." They were absolutely adorable.

There was the year that I'm sure that I saw both Jabba the Hutt and Herman Munster. Whew!

And then there was yesterday, the day before Halloween, mind you. I was sitting in my car, finishing a call in a parking lot, when this guy walked by me in a "pants-on-the-ground" costume. The strange thing was that this guy had a 3-inch Ace elastic bandage wrapped around the outside of his right, blue jean, pant leg from his shin to his thigh. I'm sure. I am absolutely sure that if it hadn't been for the Ace bandage that I would've been hearing Ray Stevens sing "The Streak." But even with the Ace bandage, the poor guy's "costume" was totally, uuuuuh, shall we say, inadequate. 

Kinda like, the first man and woman who ever lived. 

That first man and woman were doing just fine living "un-costumed" until they decided that they knew more than Almighty God himself, who made them, and they decided to eat the forbidden fruit, which was the fruit of wanting to be their own God. Their tragic decision exposed them. And, unable to find a Walmart or ToysRUs in those days, they put together a costume of fig leaves so as to hide themselves, which is what a costume is for, is it not? 

But their fig-leaves costumes were altogether inadequate, not because the costume didn't cover their bodies, but because the costume didn't cover their shame. 

Shame, mind you, is feeling bad about who you are, which is altogether distinct from embarrassment, which is feeling bad about what you've done. Embarrassment always eventually wears off because it's only on the outside, like an invisible costume. But shame? Oooooo! Shame goes deep within our soul and challenges our very self-worth, along with challenging our will to even continue on in life since shame whispers to us that we're worthless and no one would even notice if we were gone. 

Shame cannot be covered with a costume. 

Shame can only be truly covered in blood. That's why "the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21) In essence, God covered the first people with animal skins, which were the first blood sacrifices. But even those animal-blood sacrifices and coverings were inadequate and had to be repeated year after year. 

That's why God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us. Jesus's death was an everlasting blood sacrifice. That's why God's Word, in Romans 13:14, says, "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ." All who put on the Lord Jesus Christ will truly be covered forever and have their shame removed. 

Everything else is just a costume. 

"And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them." - Genesis 3:21

Praise God!


Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

Monday, October 30, 2017

Day of Praise

Tuesday, October 31, 2017, The 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther posting "The 95 Theses" on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany; "Day of Praise"

What difference does it make? Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic monk, priest, and professor who lived in Germany. And 500 years ago today (October 31, 1517), he nailed 95 theses (statements for discussion) onto the front door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. 

Why did Martin Luther do it? And who cares?

First, he did it because of the following:

• He realized that the Christian church around the world had come to have biblical, doctrinal, and theological errors that led to bad teaching and misleading practices. 

• He recognized that the growing availability of paper and the invention of the printing press made the Bible itself and teaching about the Bible available to common people who previously were excluded from meaningful discussions about eternal and everlasting matters.

• He saw the sale of "indulgences" by the church of that day as a topic he could use to inform people so they wouldn't think that buying a piece of paper (an indulgence) could heal their broken relationship with God and get their dead loved ones into heaven. 

• He saw the widespread corruption and immorality of religious leaders,  including the common practice of simony, which was purchasing an appointment as a priest or bishop without having any qualifications for the position in order to gain monetary wealth and political power.

Second, why should we care about these things today, 500 years later? Well, we should care because what God worked through Martin Luther in Germany was what God had been working through John Wycliffe in England, Jan Hus in Bohemia, and Girolamo Savonarola in Italy. Indeed, what God worked through Martin Luther in Germany 500 years ago is what God wants to work through all who profess faith in Christ in every generation! 

500 years ago, the Christian church had biblical, doctrinal, and theological errors that led to bad teaching and misleading practices. Can the same creep in today? Has it creeped in? Does your church, does my church, ever say or do anything that leads people to trust in their own good efforts more than God's most certain word and work? Holy Spirit reform us! Move us to trust in God's word and saving work through Jesus Christ alone!

500 years ago, the growing availability of paper and the invention of the printing press made the Bible itself and teaching about the Bible available to all people to discuss eternal and everlasting matters. Is God revealing new technology today to help us take the life-giving word of God in Jesus Christ to all people? Holy Spirit help us! Help us to take the good news of Jesus to the world!

500 years ago, the sale of "indulgences" by the church of that day was a topic Luther used to inform people that buying a piece of paper (an indulgence) could not heal their broken relationship with God and get their dead loved ones into heaven. Are there flimsy, "paper-like" things that people are leaning on today to heal their broken relationship with God? Do people trust their being a good person, their Bible reading, their church attendance or their bank accounts to make things right with God? Holy Spirit correct us! Help us trust that Jesus Christ alone can heal our relationship with God and that even our best efforts are a fruit of the Holy Spirit, working in us to say, "Thank you, God, for your life-giving work for me in Jesus Christ!"

500 years ago, Luther saw the widespread corruption and immorality of religious leaders to gain monetary wealth, earthly pleasure, and political power. Are there ill motives today amongst any religious leaders or institutions? Do any leaders preach to "itching ears", speaking words that tell people only what they want to hear in order to keep the seats full and the offering plates overflowing? Holy Spirit rebuke us, correct us, train us, and empower us! Lead us, Holy Spirit, to speak the full scope of God's word, including the unpopular stuff, not only in our churches but also in our homes and our marriages and our workplaces and schools and intentional, compassionate engagement of spiritually-starving people in public. Your word alone, all of it, all of your word alone, Lord, indeed Jesus Christ alone, the Living Word of God is able to show us our nakedness, our brokenness, our hunger, our thirst, our emptiness that you alone, Lord, are able to cover, heal, satisfy, quench, and fill in a way that lasts forever. 

The 16th Century Reformation of the Church, which started 500 years ago today, was a work of the Holy Spirit, which, in reality, the Holy Spirit of the living God is faithfully seeking to work everyday in and through all who trust and follow Jesus!

Praise God!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Day of Praise

Mon, 10/30/17, "Day of Praise"

"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance." - John 20:1

Hmmmm! So Mary Magdalene started her week in the dark with a huge obstacle in the way of where she wanted to go. But she went anyway.

There's at least two ways to look at what she did. One way is that she said, "Hunh, it's dark out, and I know there's a huge stone that I can't move in front of the tomb. But I'm going to see Jesus anyway." And she did that, trusting that since her intent was divinely good, then somehow it would all work out. The second way to look at what she did is that she was so focused on going to see Jesus that she didn't even notice that it was dark outside and didn't remember the huge stone. In other words, with her eyes on Jesus, she didn't even notice the obstacles. Either way, it all worked out. Either way, that's how she started her week.

How are you starting your week? Is there a little bit of darkness? Are you in the dark about some important matters ahead? Is there a large, heavy obstacle in your path? Is there something blocking your way that is bigger than you yourself can remove?

Hey, what would it hurt to try what Mary did? Let's all put our eyes on Jesus to start the week, and I'll bet my last dime, (if I was a betting man, which I'm not), that God will show every last one of us that he's got it all under control and will lead us where we need to go.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us, we pray, to start our week with a deep breath for our lungs and our eyes set on you. Shine light in our darkness. And use your mighty hand to nudge our obstacles out of the way. To you, O Lord, be the glory.
In Jesus's name,
Amen!

Have a great day!

Praise God!

Friday, October 27, 2017

Day of Praise

Sat, 10/28/17, "Day of Praise"

"You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, Lord, do I seek.'" - Psalm 27:8

"Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice." - Proverbs 29:26

Point: God calls us to "seek his face" (Psalm 27:8) because through a face to face encounter with the Lord alone are things in our lives truly made right (Proverbs 29:26).

When I was very small and we lived in Memphis, TN, my parents would take us tadpole hunting. Ya know, searching for baby frogs. We'd catch 'em, bring 'em home, and watch 'em grow up. 

I also remember searching for baseball cards for my collection, for pro football stickers for a big book that was a gas station promotion, and for coins like wheat pennies and 1964-and-earlier silver quarters. 

Searching for many things is fun. Searching for God is critical. 

I've experienced many folks through the years who call the church and want something, obviously believing that the church has a willingness to help, whether it's with food or a place to get married or the baptism of their child. I've also experienced how most of these inquirers have every desire to see the generosity of God's people, but these inquirers have no desire to become a contributor to God's work. I never get mad. But it does make me sad because, though I'm thrilled that people recognize that a church is a good place to get something, I see that many don't understand that a church is a good place to give something. 

No church is perfect; every church is filled with sinners for whom Jesus died. But a church is a place to search for more than coins, baseball cards, tadpoles, and stickers. A church is a place to seek God. And our searching for God is critical because God says that our search for God leads us to discover that God has first and ever-faithfully been searching for us. 

Let me say it again; our search for God leads us to discover that God has first and ever-faithfully been searching for us.

Searching for many things is fun. Searching for God is critical.

So let's get up tomorrow morning, go to a church, and go search for and worship the Lord! You'll find that's he's eager to show you his face and bless you with more than enough to share with others! 

"You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, Lord, do I seek.'" - Psalm 27:8

"Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice." - Proverbs 29:26

Praise God!

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Day of Praise

Fri, 10/27/17, "Day of Praise"

For many children and sports reasons, I just had to pull up and resend this devotional that I wrote a number of years ago. 

"For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." - 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

Busted!

I don't even remember how I did it, but somehow I broke a decorative cologne container on my dad's bathroom counter. I do remember feeling horrible and trying (unsuccessfully) to hide it. I think I was eight. 

Now, fast forward to today, literally yesterday. I, who tried to hide a broken cologne decanter from my father, accidentally busted someone who was breaking something far worse. And they were older than eight. My stumbling into this had nothing to do with my being a Father, er, I mean, pastor. I was just doing what people do nowadays. I was just checking in and saying, "Hi!" (People do that, don't they?) 

And yet, there was a worse problem. The bigger problem was that they thought that they got away with it. But the only thing they got away with was deceiving themselves.

Why do people do stuff like this? And then why do we try to hide the messed up stuff we do?

It's because we turn a deaf ear to our Heavenly Father's call "to live lives worthy of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:12). We get so wrapped up in the life that the world urges us to live that we lose perspective on what truly is significant.

And yet, that's what we hunger for. We hunger for significance. And God's word, in today's Bible verses, is telling us plainly that the only way we'll find the significance for which we long is when we stop trying to hide everything that's broken in our lives, from cologne containers to relationships, and tell our Heavenly Father that we need help. And then trust Him to help us.

But praise God that, every once in a while, a significant man or woman is exposed to the world through their brokenness.

A University of Florida, star football player, Dominique Easley, a potential first-round 2014 professional football draft pick, suffered a season-ending injury in a noncontact drill at his team's practice on Tuesday.

But clearly, the once probable (but who knows now?) millionaire has his priorities straight and understands what is most significant in life. While still tasting the freshness of his broken body and broken season, the senior defensive tackle tweeted: "Gatornation thank you for all 4 yrs of sticking with me but god has something else planned for & have no worries #believe." (Check out 
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/26/3651048/gators-tackle-dominique-easley.html). In essence, Easley has used this injury to parlay whatever significance football has had for him into an opportunity to testify that trusting God, no matter what happens in life, has greater significance for him. 

Our country needs more men, like Dominique Easley. Easley knows how to convert the brokenness of earthly things into something greater, like a testimony to the greatest things, which include the truth that God makes the greatest men out of the brokenness that destroys lesser men.

For those who know the sports world, you fully understand the significance of what I'm about to say since I'm a University of Tennessee graduate, former Tennessee football walk-on, and current Tennessee fan. My newest hero attends the University of Florida. And his name is Dominique Easley, who's proven himself, through brokenness, to be a man of true significance.

"For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory." - 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12

Praise God!

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Day of Praise

Thur, 10/26/17, "Day of Praise"

"As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel." - Joshua 5:1

It still ranks as one of the top ten horrifying things I've ever seen.

He was the smallest of our neighborhood playmates, and he'd stumbled into a beehive. It didn't matter that he really hadn't stumbled into it; he had messed with something he shouldn't have. What mattered is that the smallest of our neighborhood playmates was absolutely and totally surrounded by a cloud of swarming bees. Moreover, as he started to run up our street, he was flailing his arms like one of those twenty-feet high cloth men that businesses stick at the street and blow air into so that people are attracted to the business and distracted from safe driving. He was flailing all the way up the street and back because the swarm was easily keeping pace. 

I distinctly remember having nightmares for months about an even bigger swarm that was chasing a flailing me.

I also remember that, at some time around then, God impressed on my heart that God is for the little guy, and not necessarily for the little guy as it applies to size and stature. But God is for those who are surrounded by larger forces and powers and swarms that try to distract us from faith. 

That's what the Amorites and Canaanites were to the Israelites in today's verse. They were larger forces and powers and swarms that tried to distract the Israelites from faith. But God would have none of it. God struck fear in the hearts of those enemies, in the hearts of those larger forces and powers and swarms that tried to distract the Israelites from faith. 

And God does the same today. What's swarming around and beating down on you? Take heart! God will strike fear in our enemies today just like he did in days of old! 

Praise God!


Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Day of Praise

Wed, 10/25/17, "Day of Praise"

"[Jesus said,] Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal." - John 6:27

Happy Wednesday!

Another day for us to stay after it. Back to the salt mines. Or the grindstone. Or makin' some dough. Or however you describe it. 

But let's not forget what we're really doing here. 

Money, like happiness, is never our goal with our work or our studies in school. The goal of our work or our studies, Jesus says, is "the food that endures to eternal life". And in John 17:3, Jesus tells us that eternal life is knowing the One True God and His Son, Jesus Christ. 

In other words, no matter what anybody else says, our work and our studies have the ultimate goal of relationships: with God, with self, with family, with friends. This is what's meant in Proverbs 22:1 where we hear, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold." The paycheck or being happy at our job or our school is a byproduct of working and studying for the right reasons. 

It's a faith proposition. It means we go to work and school trusting and having faith that if Jesus says that our focus and goal needs to be relationships and teamwork and the glory of God, well, then we'll trust him and have faith in him so that we'll make relationships and teamwork and God's glory our focus and goal. And we'll trust that Jesus will take care of the money and the happiness parts. That's why Jesus says "which the Son of Man will give to you" in today's verse. He gives us both our true goal, and then he gives us the grades and money and happiness as a byproduct of keeping the main thing as the main thing!

Nowhere is this better illustrated than in Acts 3:6 where Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!"

Peter knew that the real power and the real ability to provide for our loved ones and make a living was not in money, gold, or silver, but instead the real power for daily provision lies in the name of Jesus Christ through whom we know the promises and ultimate provision of the Living God!

So, let's remind the kids as we get them to school, and may God remind us big folks too. The reason we're about to get after it is to glorify God who provides.

Praise God!

Monday, October 23, 2017

Day of Praise

Tues, 10/24/17, "Day of Praise"

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." - Ephesians 6:11

God's Word and counsel is clear in today's verse. Knowing that the Evil One will try to undermine your faith and your life today, God calls us to put on the whole armor of God. 

There is one thing, though, that we should all remember. When you put on the armor of God, make sure it's your own armor! This too is not my word and counsel; it's God's. 

Very simply, in 1 Samuel 17:38-47 (which is included below), we hear about Saul "helping" David as David got ready to fight the devil, er, I mean Goliath. Saul thinks he's helping David as Saul "clothed David with his [Saul's own] armor". 

But if you read the story below, you'll see that David "tried in vain to go, for he had not tested [Saul's armor]. Then David said to Saul, 'I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.'" In sum, David couldn't move in Saul's armor because it was too big. In other words, Saul's armor didn't fit David for the very fact that it was Saul's armor and not David's armor. 

David would have to go battle the devil, er, again I mean Goliath, with David's own armor and nobody else's. And if you read all of Ephesians 6 and then 1 Samuel 17, what you'll see is that God's telling us all that we must go into the day with our own personal faith in God through. You can't lean on somebody else's faith. Somebody else's faith is God dwelling in their heart, which helps you some but nowhere near as much as the help you get when God dwells with Holy Spirit power in your heart through your own personal faith in Jesus Christ!

Yes, it helps when someone prays for you. But someone praying for you is nowhere near the defense against the offensive assaults of the Evil One and the World and Your Own Sinful Flesh that will come at you today compared to someone praying for you coupled with, most importantly, your own deep faith and conviction that God reigns over all life, including yours!

The battle before you today is the battle for hearts. It's a battle of faith. And no one can believe for you. Just like no one can live for you, and, when it's time for you to breathe your last, then no one can die for you.

Our once great nation is losing the battle of faith. We're losing to the Philistines, and we're losing to the Evil One. And our nation is losing this battle for one simple reason: there's way too many people expecting someone else to fight this battle, er, I mean expecting someone else to believe in God for them.

Absolutely, God alone can defeat the Evil One. And in Jesus Christ, God already has! But you, dear friend, are the one who must surrender to the Holy Spirit of The Sovereign God in order to be victorious over the Evil One.

As nice as old Saul's gesture was to young David, David took off Saul's armor because David knew he had to go into the battle and into the day with his own [David's own] personal and living faith in God.

And you, my friend, must do the same.

And when you believe, God's armor and God's victory, will be yours!

(And P.S., it will help our nation today if each of us tells at least one more person the same!)

Praise God!

1 Samuel 17:38-47 - 38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them." So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field." 45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand."


Sunday, October 22, 2017

Day of Praise

Mon, 10/23/17, "Day of Praise"

Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." - John 10:9

I worry about us people. Even though Jesus says doors are important for us to understand, we have all sorts of trouble with doors.

We go in "Exit" doors, just like people did recently at Walmart.

We go out "Entrance" doors, just like people did recently at Walmart.

We push doors that say "Pull", just like people did last night at the gas station.

We pull doors that say "Push", just like people did last night at the gas station.

We totally forget all manners and logic when we see an open door. I'll never forget when I was starting college. My mom was helping me move in. And because all the carts were in use by other students who were moving in, my mom and I were both carrying armloads of clothes and linens from the parking lot, through the courtyard, and toward the dorm. When we got to the Clement Hall outside doors, not only did nobody open a door for us, but as I myself opened one of the ten or so doors with the tips of my fingers and the edge of my foot and then held it open for my poor loaded-down-with-linens mom, a group of 12 or so college girls with absolutely nothing in hand acted as if my mother and I didn't exist and the door was propped open just for them. They not only went out of their way to ignore the other nine closed doors so they could go through the one I'd struggled to open, but not a one of them said "hello" or even "excuse us", not to mention they of course did not say "thank you". My mom and I looked at each other in disbelief, but looking back on it, I'm not sure why we were surprised. People totally forget all manners and logic when we see an open door. 

And "push" or "pull" or "Exit" or "Enter" on a door means nothing to most human beings. 

Maybe this is why Jesus, in Luke 13:24, says, "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Maybe he knows that instructions and doors are a hard concept for us people to follow. 

But make no mistake, Friends, our Lord Jesus has opened a door to the best life, to abundant life, to eternal life with both the tips of his fingers and the edge of his feet nailed to a cross and his arms loaded-down-not-with-linens-but-with-sin, even as groups of 12 or so of us with absolutely nothing in hand act as if he doesn't exist and we saunter through the door with nary a "hello" or even "excuse us" not to mention there's rarely a "thank you" as Jesus makes plain in Luke 17. I bet the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit look at each other in disbelief, but rarely are they surprised because God certainly knows that we people totally forget all manners and logic when we see an open door. 

And again we're reminded how badly we need God's unfathomable mercy and grace. 

May each door that we pass through today be a reminder of Jesus's loving promise, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." (John 10:9)

And maybe we can pass along his wondrous love by holding the door for someone and instead of waiting for a "thank you", we could heap on some grace with a "God bless you, and have a nice day!"

Just like God has heaped grace on us. 

Praise God!

Friday, October 20, 2017

Day of Praise

Sat, 10/21/17, "Day of Praise"

In seeing our son who's home from college for the weekend, I was moved to reminisce about a devotion I wrote from before he could drive. I hope it makes you laugh at me and thank God for His word. 

"...We may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." - Ephesians 4:14

My son likes cantaloupe. He doesn't like getting up in the morning. Put those two together, and you get my son eating a nice, plastic bowl full of cantaloupe in the car on the way to school. And when the cantaloupe is gone, the empty bowl gets placed onto the middle bucket seat right next to the big, heavy, pillar candles, which are in the middle bucket seat because I have a wedding in the evening at someone's home. 

So I'm just leaving Caden's school, and I go around the first sharp curve, and the candles do what round, pillar candles do when they're laying on their side and inertia kicks in. They roll. And if it's in the way, those pillar candles will happily roll right into the nice, now-empty plastic bowl and "toss it to and fro" right to and fro onto the floor, along with all that sticky cantaloupe juice and the fork that Caden used.

So I pull up to the next red light, and I, in all my brilliance, reach behind the passenger seat, grab the now "more-empty" bowl, and proceed to put it right back on the same seat and right next to the same ready-to-roll, pillar candles. 

Well, of course, the next curve makes it happen; the candles start to roll "to and fro" and usually I don't recommend this, but I did it anyway. I threw my Big Ol' Bible at the empty bowl, and, lo and behold, it landed right on that bowl right before that bowl went over the edge a second time.

And ya' know what? I thought to myself, "I need to start throwin' Bibles at some people I know because they're gettin' 'tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes,' (which is today's verse from Ephesians 4:14). And what they need is a Big Ol' Bible to land right on top of 'em before they go over the edge another time."

I know y'all think I'm crazy, but I'm tellin' ya, we got these here Bible classes and they're chock full, jam-packed with people whose lives were cantaloupe-bowl empty and gettin' knocked to and fro and over the edge by every big and little thing that came along in life until a Big Ol' Bible came straight from Kansas, along with Dorothy and Toto, and landed right smack on their head.

Ya see, that's what God's word does. God's word grounds us. God's word is like an anchor. God's word is like a paper-weight. In the '50's, they probably would've called God's Word "heavy". And no matter what you call it, God's Word gives roots and a sure foundation to our lives. And I don't mean just knowing that it exists; I mean studying it and learning it and living it, just like Jesus talks about in Matthew 7 with the wise life-builders.

So, I know we've gotten long today. But c'mon people; stop exposing your life to the "elements", getting "tossed to and fro by the 'waves' and carried about by every 'wind' of doctrine" because you're glad to make time for everything under the sun except the Word of the Living God. Read your Bible, sit under God's Word, and see how God "gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers" (Ephesians 4:11) with the expressed purpose of "equipping believers for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." (Ephesians 4:12-14).

God wants you to be grounded in Him and His Word so that you don't get knocked over the edge.

So make time for God's Word.

Or look up, and watch out for falling Bibles.

Praise God!

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Day of Praise

Fri, 10/20/17, "Day of Praise"

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." - Philippians 1:6

So how did your week go? No matter how you rate this past week, God has a simple encouragement for us today: Don't get down or give up because God is not through with us yet.

Amongst all the great things that God does for us that we cannot do for ourselves, God is ever faithful in sending us His Holy Spirit in order to shape and mold us in the likeness of Jesus Christ.

From the beginning, God's plan was that we would be the image, the mirror, the reflection of the presence, power, and promises of God. God's intent was that other people would be able to look at us and know that there is an Almighty God and that God is with us and for us in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And God promises in today's verse that if he started the work, then he'll complete it.

So enjoy your Friday and your weekend. Take time to look back on your week, and remember how God came through for you. Take time to look ahead, and anticipate where you'll need some divine guidance and strength.

And then tell some others, especially some kids and young adults, for whom the future can seem overwhelming. Tell them that you are "sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

Praise God!

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Day of Praise

Thur, 10/19/17, "Day of Praise"

"Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all people who were on the face of the earth." - Numbers 12:3

So I hear these shrill voices, and I'm wondering what's happening in our backyard. So I get to our back window and open the blind and there, to my amazement, are the four smallest, out-of-the-nest birds that I've ever seen. 

And they're fighting.

Right there on the corner of the deck, these four tiny birds are fighting. Either that or they're playing football and celebrating a score by chest-bumping each other repeatedly while shrilling the team fight song feverishly. 

Bottom line is that, in my crazy preacher's mind, those four, tiny, chest-bumping, shrill-screaming birds made me think of Moses and today's Bible verse. In other words, there didn't seem to be an ounce of humility in a single one of those birds which annoyed me so much after about five minutes of their carrying on that I wondered if there was enough meat between 'em so I could turn 'em into a nice chicken-wing dinner. 

But then I would've failed the Moses test too. 

Ya see, Moses was commended by God for not only being "humble", which is setting aside your own desires (unlike the birds), but if you look into it, today's verse is also translated that Moses was the most "meek" man that ever lived. 

Meek and humble are not the same. 

Humble is thinking less of yourself and setting aside your will. Meek is living out of God's strength instead of your own.

Even when things are annoying. 

Especially when things are annoying.

So today, when you have some little shrill birds, er, I mean troubles that start to get on your nerves and annoy the daylights out of you, then just remember Moses and how God celebrates when we set our own egos aside and ask God to be our strength. 

God will!

Praise God!


Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Day of Praise

Wed, 10/17/17, "Day of Praise"

By God's grace, I listen. By God's grace alone do any of us listen because when we listen we clearly hear people's hearts, and often people's hearts tell us that some days are harder than others. Some days are so hard that all that people can do is mumble, "This too will pass." They pray that time will just move on. 

And time does move on.

But so does God and his promises. 

Like time, God and his promises move along in life with us, which is why we can savor memories and celebrate new beginnings and anticipate the future all at once.

One of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible is Isaiah 25. It's full of celebration that God is faithful. He has blessed us in the past. His promises for the future are true. And for the present, for days like today, he's our strength, our shelter, or whatever we may need. 

May God bless you through His word and this encouraging passage of scripture. Please don't race through it, but savor it, cherish it, and meditate on it. God will bless you through His word. 

Isaiah 25:1-9 -- "(1) O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure. 
(2) For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners' palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
(3) Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
(4) For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,
(5) like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down.
(6) On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
(7) And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.
(8) He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
(9) It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

Praise God!

Monday, October 16, 2017

Day of Praise

Tues, 10/17/17, "Day of Praise" 

"Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and the one who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." - Proverbs 11:25 

Hmm. Now there's an interesting way to understand how one gets refreshed. 

Bring a blessing, and you'll receive a blessing. 

Refresh another, and you'll be refreshed.  

Just think if the whole world believed and lived that way. We'd have, well, we'd have Paradise. 

May blessings and refreshment come our way as we ourselves spread a little Paradise by sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ. 

Praise God!

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Day of Praise

Mon, 10/16/17, "Day of Praise"

"Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled." - 1 Samuel 17:51

In today's Bible verses, "the Philistines saw that their champion was dead." A champion is one who fights on behalf of the whole army. When fighting against each other, kings would often agree to spare the lives of many by having each king just send out one representative, i.e. their champion. 

So instead of armies fighting and many dying, the champion from each side would meet to fight, and only one person would die. It was still army against army, but being champion against champion, it was one against one. 

But when one champion defeated the other champion, the winning champion's whole team won, even though only the team champion actually fought.

Jesus is our champion. Jesus defeated the devil. We did not defeat the devil. We did not even fight the devil. Only Jesus, our champion, fought and defeated the devil. But since, through faith in Jesus, we're on Jesus's team and Jesus is our champion, we share in and therefore can claim Jesus's victory over the devil as if it were our own victory. 

And through faith in Jesus, it is! Through faith in Jesus, Jesus's victory over the devil and over all God's enemies is our own!

Such is the testimony and claim for us to share in the victory of our champion, Jesus, in verse two of Martin Luther's famous 16th Century hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Here's the second verse: 
No strength of ours can match his [the devil's] might!
We would be lost, rejected.
But now a champion comes to fight, Whom God himself elected.
You ask who this may be?
The Lord of hosts is he!
Christ Jesus, mighty Lord.
God's only Son, adored.
He holds the field victorious.

So, when the devil or any enemy of God comes to pick on you today, you can face it and literally tell it, "Jesus is my champion."

And then you can act as if the victory is already won over that enemy.

Because it is.

Praise God!

Friday, October 13, 2017

Day of Praise

Sat, 10/14/17, "Day of Praise" 

"But even the hairs of your head are all numbered." - Matthew 10:30 

Seriously? 

So, God knows every hair on my head? 

Even the two-inch-long Frankenstein hair on my right eyebrow that apparently decided to pop out one Sunday not long ago? 

Man alive, everybody who received Holy Communion from me during worship and everybody who greeted me after worship must've been thinking, "Man, Pastor Chris, don't you ever look in the mirror? Dude, you need to trim your eyebrows. You look like Frankenstein." 

But nobody said that. 

And apparently God knew about the monster hair because God promises that "even the hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matthew 10:30) And even knowing how stupid I looked, he still loves me. 

And God still loves you, even though a wild hair or something crazy is going to make you look stupid today. 

I mean it's Saturday. And y'all are always telling me how much you love Saturdays because something surprising always seems to happen. To you. Or with a family member. Or with a game. Or at the store. 

Just remember that God already knows about it. And he loves you. And he loves them. So instead of getting bent out of shape, we can do what a young couple and I talked about not long ago -- we can just smile and laugh about it and not let it steal our joy. 

So, have a great Saturday! 

And remember, "Even the hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matthew 10:30

Praise God!

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Day of Praise

Fri, 10/13/17, "Day of Praise"

"My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!" - Psalm 84:2a and 4

"Alabama versus Tennessee in 9 days."

At least that's what the guy on the local radio station said yesterday. (Remember that I live in Alabama.)

I didn't hear him say it. But I know that he said it because I used to listen to his radio station a lot. Every year, when one college football season ends, the very next day is when that radio station starts the countdown to the next college football season. And every week, when one college football game ends, the very next hour is when that radio station starts the countdown to the next college football game. Of course, the reason that radio station does that is because there's a cultural longing for college football around here. That longing has been fed by a bunch of national championships between the two big football schools in this state.

It's fun.

At least it's supposed to be fun.

Until there's a stretch of losing.

Like I've gotten used to with my favorite college team, which does not reside in Alabama.

Everything in the world is fun.

Until it hits hard times. Like losing football seasons.

That's why God wants us to take our longing for college football or whatever we long for in the world. And God wants us to hold it up next to His word.

And God says, "If you'll long for my word as much as you long for that other thing, you'll find that my word is not only much more satisfying, but it will endure and feed your soul, even when the other thing hits hard times, like losing football seasons."

So, hey, enjoy your college football. I will.

But let's remember to take time for God's word each day too because that's how the most satisfying and never-failing desire comes about and grows.

"My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!" - Psalm 84:2a and 4

Praise God!

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Day of Praise

Thur, 10/12/17, "Day of Praise" 

"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:21 

Fourth grade. White pants. Playground mud hole. Tug-a-war. Competitive boy. 

Not a good combo. 

Result. Huge mud splotch on white pants. Let's just say they were now brown pants with a white section. 

Not much changes with grown-ups, as Paul McCartney used to sing in his song "Tug of War."

Adults have their own ways of trying to "outdo" and "outscore" each other. Let's be honest. We all know the driving force. It's spoken of in one of the testimonies at the end of the awesome new movie "Woodlawn." Luke 12:13-34 - all sorts of adult tug-of-wars because people want power and, in the world, power usually equals money. 

The result is lots of mud splotches on white pants. 

Nowadays, we call it slinging mud.  

I'm not trying to be poetic today at all. Poetry is beautiful. Even when the topic is not. 

There's nothing beautiful about adult tug-a-wars in a sinful, fallen, broken world. 

That's why God says, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21

One of the people who reads this devotion everyday says, "God's way works." Submitting instead of tugging-of-warring works. They say they can now just smile at the person or the situation after letting go and putting the tug-a-war rope in God's hands. 

They say God always wins. 

Always. 

Maybe it doesn't look that way at first. Like when Jesus was crucified. But God always works it out. Like when Jesus is raised from the mud hole, er, I mean, the dead. 

And everyone who trusts in Jesus gets to share in the victory. (That's called champion-to-champion fighting, which we'll save for another day.) 

So for today, may God help us to believe again that God's Way and God's ways work. So, let's "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:21

And everyone's pants will stay white. 

Praise God!

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Day of Praise

Wed, 10/11/17, "Day of Praise"

"Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Ephesians 5:18b-20

You do not need to be the famous Dietrich Bonhoeffer or any other famous person. 

You only need to be you.

You only need to be you to "be filled with the Spirit" and address one another in the ways God speaks of in today's verses.  
It is not minimizing "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Ephesians 5:19) to say that speaking to one another in "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" means speaking to one another 1) from the bottom of your heart (psalms), 2) thoughtfully (hymns), 3) about the matters that are weighing on your heart (spiritual songs), trusting that this call is in the Bible because this is how God works in our relationships to build up everyone. 

Everyday, as a pastor, I experience one consistent thread in every pastoral care and counseling conversation, namely, people either don't feel connected to others, or they do feel connected because their conversations are 1) from the bottom of the heart (psalms), 2) thoughtful (hymns), and 3) about the matters that are weighing on one's heart (spiritual songs). 

It's not about being touchy-feely. It's about honesty. 

So let's pray for one another. For the person in front of you. Consciously thinking, "how can I make room for this person to be real with me?"

Lord, please help us to start by being real with them, trusting you, speaking thoughtfully from the bottom of our heart about the matters that are weighing on their heart, and "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:18b-20)

Praise God!

Monday, October 9, 2017

Day of Praise

Tues, 10/10/17, "Day of Praise" 

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10 

I love working in our yard. Love it. It doesn't even seem right to say that it's "working" in the yard. It feels more like playing. 

It's renewing to me. While I "work", I think. And I sing. And I pray. And I look. At the flowers. The birds. The polish on the yard. The possibilities for the yard. 

It's a "work" in progress. 

Just like you. Just like me. Just like the family we're all a part of. God's family. 

We're all a work in progress. Like a garden. God is pruning us. God is enjoying us. Nurturing us so that we can bear fruit, sweet fruit, even as God envisions the possibilities. 

Yes, we are a work in progress. 

But make no mistake. 

We are the focal point of God's Garden Paradise. 

It hardly seems like "work" to God. 

It's love. 

God loves working in His yard. 

So do I. 

I hope you do too. 

Praise God!

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Day of Praise

Mon, 10/09/17, "Day of Praise"

"'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry."' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." - Luke 12:19-21

When The Carpenters released "Rainy Days and Mondays" on April 23, 1971, I'm sure that song raced to #1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 list because Karen Carpenter had one of the five smoothest voices of all time, in my humble opinion. 

However, I'm also sure that any song with the line "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down" would have to climb pretty high because we live in a society that still hasn't figured out the place and value of work; and the biggest target for work complaints is "Monday." Our fallen world thinks dreariness and work go hand in hand, so of course "Rainy days and Mondays always get us down."

But before we join the chorus of Monday complaints today, it behooves us to recognize that, in today's Bible verses, Jesus makes a clear connection between our strength of soul and our attitude toward work. And though it's true that works never save us (read Galatians in the Bible), God ordained from the beginning that a healthy work ethic is a part of our enjoying paradise. Before sin entered the world, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." (Genesis 2:15)

Indeed, God ordained that though work never saves us in relation to God, works are a way for us to thank and glorify God for giving us life and saving us, which is exactly what we see in the New Testament in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12: "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."

In fact, that would be a perfect prayer for us to pray for each other on every work day, but especially today, since it's our "favorite" workday: Monday! May God give us strength of soul and a positive attitude toward work. To God be the glory!

Praise God!

Friday, October 6, 2017

Day of Praise

Sat, 10/07/17, "Day of Praise"

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children." - Ephesians 5:1

So, are there any other little brothers out there? My big brother was awesome and is awesome. But every once in a while, being a little brother was not very fun.

In my case, my big brother, Ben, was faster than me, quicker than me, braver than me, more handsome than me, cooler than me. In sum, he was better than me. And fortunately, he was nice about all that and most things.

But there was one thing my big brother couldn't stand, namely, he didn't want me going to school and wearing the same style shirt as he had on. He did not want me imitating him or being a copycat where clothes were concerned. So he'd send me back to my room to change before we went to catch our bus.

Those are great memories for my brother and me because now we're totally on the same page. We both love imitating our ultimate big brother, Jesus Christ. We both want to wear exactly what Jesus is wearing, namely the goodness and righteousness of Jesus. And through faith in Jesus, that's exactly what Jesus gives us to wear as God says in Isaiah 61:10, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness".

And why does God do this? Why does God clothe us exactly like Jesus? Well, God does it so we'll never forget and the world will know that God loves us to look like him, as if we're God's children, for whom God provides and cares, and to whom God listens and gives.

Indeed, that is exactly what we are!

Praise God!

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Day of Praise

Fri, 10/06/17, "Day of Praise" 

"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." - John 7:24 

Round two for this verse. 

So, I'm driving down the road. And I see a car full of clothes. No, really! It was full of clothes. And I could be wrong, but I didn't get the impression that this vehicle was headed to the Salvation Army to make a donation. To the contrary, the little, middle-aged lady, whose head laid on the steering wheel and under the clothes, seemed, well, blessed that the Salvation Army exists. 

And I thought to myself, "What must it take to live like that?" And then I thought through the list of people who I've met who live in their cars. For each one, there's some mental or physical challenge that has stressed their finances so that their car or truck has become their home. Closer examination of the car reveals more than clothes. There's trash. And a smell. 

It's easy to look down on these people. Very easy. 

But it's harder to look down on them when you hear their voice. And learn their name. And shake their hand. Thinking you need to wash your hand as soon as possible. 

And then, I'll speak for myself, then God cuts my heart and speaks to my heart, saying, "Be careful, Chris. Your car may not have as much stuff in it. But your life has just as much need. For a Savior. Who has compassion. And mercy. And kindness. Who will reach out his hands. With a blessing. With a greeting. On a cross. To help. To forgive. To encourage." 

Everyone needs Jesus Christ. 

And that's the only judgement that any of us need to be making. 

He extended his hand to me. To help me. That I might be the way that he reaches through me to someone else. 

"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." - John 7:24 

Praise God!

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Day of Praise

Thu, 10/05/17, "Day of Praise" 

"Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." - John 7:24 

Dufus! 

That's what my friend confessed they called someone in the mall food court who, from a distance, they saw was wearing a doo-rag. As the verbal judgement-by-appearance came out of their mouth, they also saw the dufus and his friend sit down in the mall food court, bow their heads, and pray to God in thanks for their food. 

My friend felt busted. 

So she dug into her purse and found a couple of the literally tens of thousands of wooden pocket crosses that our church in Alabama has bought from a guy who has a small business making these little inspiring, pocket crosses. 

My friend got up and went to these guys' table and told them sincerely how blessed she and her husband were to see them pray in public. She gave them the crosses. And, returning to her table, she noticed, as many of our folks have testified, the little crosses being examined and discussed all during the young men's meal. 

And THEN they came over to her table and thanked her, saying how God brought their lives together and lovingly patting the pocket in which they placed their new little treasure of a 25 cent cross with a Bible verse printed on it - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart - Proverbs 3:5-6". 

And once again God graciously teaches us all, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." (John 7:24

(PS - If you, like many of our members, would like to order some wooden pocket crosses for yourself, your family, your business, your church or whatever, simply email Dick and Wendi at office@ctkbham.org and they'll be glad to give you the contact info.) 

Praise God! 

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Day of Praise

Wed, 10/04/17, "Day of Praise"

"The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds." - Psalm 33:13-15

I love telling the following story, so I'm going to tell it again!!

So, there was this day, I'm standing in line at the world's best giant burger place, Tony's Hot Dog Shop in Pelham, Alabama. 

This guy walks past me. He carries himself like a humble, but very fit, laborer. He also carries a tray with a Giant Tony Burger on it. No Fries. (That no fries part is important!)

So he sits at this two-seater table with another guy who also has a giant burger, but this other guy also has a mound of fries on his plate. Immediately, burger-fries guy excuses himself and heads to the restroom. Burger-no-fries guy never hesitates and bows his head and prays. 

And it was a long prayer. Like a longer than "Pastor-Chris-this-is-the-prayer-time-in-worship-not-another-sermon" prayer. I mean, the burger-no-fries guy's prayer is so long that I started to wonder if maybe he'd fallen asleep. But I'm definitely not wondering if this guy believes in prayer and knows and loves the Lord. Burger-no-fries guy definitely loves Jesus. 

Then he opens his eyes.

But then all in one motion he lifts up his head and turns around like he's looking to see if his burger-plus-fries friend is returning from the restroom. And not spotting fries-friend, he swings his head and eyes and hand around and he grabs a bunch of his friend's fries and crams 'em in his mouth. And he's looking around the room looking like Cookie Monster's cousin, Fries Monster, with a mouth full of fries. And he's clearly looking to see if anybody else spotted him stealing the fries right on the heals of his Billy Graham Crusade length prayer to the Living God. 

I guess I was unaware that I was wearing an invisibility cloak because I'm not standing twelve feet away from the guy (and I'm in my pastor clothes, no less), and he never once looks at me to see if I saw him steal the fries even though I've been staring him down and watching all this for the last five minutes. 

Well, he may not have seen me staring at him, but surely such a religious guy knows that, as today's verse says, "The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man...and observes all their deeds" (Psalm 33:13-15).

But ya' know, on second thought, what am I even talking about? I do stupid stuff like that all the time. One moment, I kid myself into believing I'm some sort of do-gooder, and the next moment I'm looking down on someone who needs some do-gooding. Of course, I only say it in my heart, so who's gonna' know? Oh yeah, "The Lord [who] looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man...and observes all their deeds" (Psalm 33:13-15).

He's gonna' know. 

I don't know about you. But I sure am glad that the God (the only God) who observes all my deeds uses those same eyes to gaze on me and have compassion (Matthew 15:32) and uses those eyes to look down from his cross and ask God the Father (Luke 23:34) to forgive my sin because I don't know what I'm doin'. 

No, I don't know what I'm doin' any more or any less than Big-prayin'-French-Fry-stealin' burger man. 

May God have mercy on us all!

And thank God that, in Jesus Christ, he has!!!

Praise God!

Monday, October 2, 2017

Day of Praise

Tues, 10/03/17, "Day of Praise"

"So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" - Ephesians 2:19

I am not a world traveler. So when I was in seminary and went to the Philippines with some professors and students, I felt very much out of my comfort zone. 

And there was no time I felt more out of my comfort zone than when we had a layover in Seoul, Korea and when we first arrived in Manila, which is the capital city and the second largest city of the Philippines.

All we saw of Seoul was the inside of the International Airport terminal. Wee hours of the night, their time. Dark outside. Light inside. The terminal had no people. Not a seoul, er, I mean, soul. And our souls had no energy. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all white, hard, and sterile. Between exhaustion and environment, I felt totally like a "stranger and sojourner" (Ephesians 2:19). If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was in the train station scene of "Matrix Revolutions."

And then a few hours later, with maybe a few minutes of sleep, we arrived in Manila. And I thought I felt like a "stranger and sojourner" in Seoul. Seoul was easy compared to Manila. It was now the wee hours of the morning. Still very dark. We got off the plane and onto a "bus". I was looking out the bus window into this dark strange world. It felt like a scene from "Apocalypse Now". It forced me to wonder, "Should we trust the guy who's driving the bus? I don't even have a clue who even actually is driving the bus. Man-ila, er, Man, I don't have a clue even where I am!"

Have you ever felt that way in life? The world seems dark. Rest comes hard. And ya wonder, "Should I trust the guy who's driving the bus? I don't even have a clue who even actually is driving the bus." Ya feel like a stranger and sojourner in your own "world" and even at times to your own life.

So, for all of you who have ever felt as strange and unsettled as God's Word says many of us sometimes do, then here's the Good News: God has an invitation for you. God has a promise for you to claim. 

You have a place with God. A place in God's heart. And God wants to have a place in your heart. You have your own room in God to settle in. And God wants to settle into the room that is your heart. 

No more sojourning. You're home in the Lord. Even while we're still sojourning in the world. In other words, even as our place in the world is temporary, our place with God is permanent. Our place with God is home. A place to rest. And be fed. And hear the voice of One who loves us. 

Our place with God through faith in Jesus Christ is a place to be renewed.

For the rest of this temporary journey.

So that now, in Christ, as we walk sometimes wearily in and through this world, we have a promise to claim from One who's always faithful to His Word. And His promise to you is this: "So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19). 

Praise God!

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Day of Praise

Mon, 10/02/17, "Day of Praise"

"And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God." - Leviticus 23:22

I was putting gas in our car just now, and it reminded me of a story from the past. Sometimes you don't laugh because something's funny. Sometimes you laugh because, well, there's nothing else to do. 

Some of you know the Pilot gas station at the Rising Fawn exit on I-59 and know it's as open as the big sky in Montana. But apparently stealing needs no cloak. 

I was on my way back from Tennessee a few years ago, and I'd gone in that Pilot gas station store to grab some caffeine and prepay with cash for my gas. As I'm walking out to my car, I got to thinking how funny it would be if I forgot to pump my prepaid gas and just got in my car and drove away. As I continued to flesh it out, I was laughing how I'd get ten miles down the road and look at my fuel gauge and go, "Aaaaaah, I don't believe it. I forgot my gas." So I'd drive a few miles to the next exit, then turn around, go back to the Pilot, pull up to the same pump, and get my gas. 

Then, after the fifteen seconds that it took for all that to go through my mind, I start laughing at how funny it would be if it was somebody else who forgot to pump their prepaid gas and before they got back that it was I myself who had just pulled into the gas station and up to that pump and saw the screen flashing, "$40 prepaid," "$40 prepaid," "$40 prepaid." I'd be thinking, "Wow! Thanks, God!"

So, I was imagining all this in the thirty seconds it took me to get from the cash register to my car. Now, it's back to reality. I open my tank, take off the pump #14 hose, look up for a moment, and see a van full of clearly-poor-guys on the opposite pump hose #13. They're smiling and waving at me. Through their windows, it looks like they're saying, "Hey, Preacher! How ya' doin'?" I say, "Hello!" to their friend who is pumping the gas. He's got a big metal cross hanging on a chain around his neck. He's got a bigger smile on his face. 

I'm thinking, "Those guys sure are happy." And I start trying to pump my prepaid gas. Nothing happens. The hose handle is stuck. I try again. Nothing. One more time. Nothing. So I think the cashier forgot to turn on my pump. No problem, sometimes I forget where my keys are, and they're right there in my hand. So I walk back into the Pilot under the big sky of Rising Fawn and wave to the cashier to turn on my pump. She looks at me, then through me, and yells, "Stop them!"

So I turn around and see my poor but happy van friends as they start to drive away. 

Ya see, somehow in the time it took me to daydream about forgetting gas, finding gas, and wondering what was going on with my gas, my poor but happy van friends were stealing my gas and not saying, "Hey, Preacher! How ya' doin'?" but "Hey, Preacher! Thanks for the gas!"

And all I could do was laugh, because what else are you gonna' do? I don't know. Maybe think about Leviticus 23:22, "And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God."

Hey, gleanings from a harvest? $40 of gas? We can deal with it. 

After all, God's left a whole lot more behind for you and me!

Think about it!

Praise God!