See How HE loved him…

That phrase blew my mind…

The phrase:  See how He loved him.  The context is Jesus in a cemetery crying or as the KJV says… “Jesus wept”… the first verse in the Bible I ever memorized…  Why did he weep?  I have read commentaries for years that came up with some of the silliest answers but The Book says “…see how He loved him…”

There have been a few people that have been friends who have died and I cried at their funeral.  Judy, Marsha, Glenda, and Steve had a father and their mother who I called Gaggi, had a wonderful husband, who was one more special man to me.  His presence in our church office was wonderful.  Every time he would come to visit he made sure that he knocked on each staff person’s door and spoke so kindly to them and was so special.  I remember when he would invite Nancy and I over to the house when they would have an old fashioned corn shucking gathering.  We would shuck corn, boil it briefly and make it ready for the freezer and we were fortunate to take some of the fruit of our labor home with us.  We would enjoy the corn and think of them all the time.  I was especially of those phone calls that told me that Mrs. Player was making pies…some peach and some apple…fried pies…not the kind you bake in the oven but the kind you make in a cast iron frying pan on the stove with some Crisco or Lard being the base…and the taste… Oh my goodness were they ever delicious… they really were… unbelievable… taste off the chain…

When Glenn died, I cried.  I wept.  I don’t know why Glenn and not others.  There have been others that have affected me like that.  He came to mind as I write.   The man had climbed all the way up in my heart and in the heart of my family and they loved me.  When he died a part of me went with him.  I missed him a lot.  There have been several that have been that way.  I remember when I left Jerry who lived on Midland Park Road.  When I left the Midland Park Baptist Church field to go to seminary and carried my wife and young baby Jason, I had to go to the store where Jerry worked and say goodbye and he wept and I wept.  To this day, my heart hurts that I was unable to return for his funeral and to pay my respects while away at seminary.  Jerry was one of those special people in my life.

I was reminded the other day in some of my reading that it was love that healed Lazarus.  There was no special prayer meeting.  There was no oil.  No arena for him to have the dead body of Lazarus drawn across in front of TV Camera’s for the world to see.  Had it not been for the witness of the Scriptures our world would be left wanting  of this real life event.  There stood a man deeply in love with Lazarus.  Love called out and Lazarus’ dead body responded to the call.

There is nothing in the world like being loved.  Love heals a lot of things.  When Love lives in you then you are able to love.  The direction of that love is so well defined by the Lover himself when he says that we are to love the lord with all…love our neighbors…and love ourselves.  Being loved puts a lot of things in the right perspective.  We can give folk food and not love.  We can give people rent money and not love.  We cannot heal lepers but we can love them.  Yesterday I got one of those text messages that a pastor who has been at it as long as I have gets from time to time.  It was one from a deacon that gave the distinct impression that “dad ain’t got much time left”.  Betty, the wonderful hospice nurse had been loving up on the family (there’s that loving word again…and it is in the active fashion…) and walking with them through the process of Larry trying his best to get to glory.  Larry was a strong man but I am thinking that in this case cancer is much tougher than he.  He has very little time left.  I went to his house to simply “love” on the family and to pray with them as they were loving Larry into glory.

The priceless thing about Larry is he is not alone.  He is blessed with family, friends, co-workers at his business.  He is filled with the presence of the Lord.  The Hospice organization is one of the most loving groups in the world.  I was thinking about all of that tonight and the line “See how He loved him” just came to mind.

Lord, help me not to be selfish with Your love.  Let it leak out all over the place.

He is Here… being present in this moment…

It’s a bird feeder for goodness sake… that’s all!  At the moment, however, it is  a gathering place for some of the feathered friends.  A cardinal just landed and systematically ran the wrens out of their place on this cylinder filled with black oil sunflower seeds mixed with some premium select seeds.  As he leaves after gorging himself, he is replaced with the choir of wrens again who seem unbothered by the intrusion.  Two feeders share the single post.  The second resembles a house with a roof and on each end are the blocks of seeds.  A redheaded wood pecker hangs to the cage as it peck away at whatever seed he is trying to dislodge.  At the base is an old wash basin that I found among the things that were at my grandmother’s house following her death… I took it home holes in the bottom and all.  I don’t know she would agree with its bottom being filled with corn, sunflower seeds and various other seeds which provides a gathering place for squirrels.

You will never hear the birds sing if you don’t listen.  One never sees the beauty of each individual bird unless one looks.  The groupings are never the same and they never repeat themselves… never… unless you are watching birds and listening for them, you miss the music of the moment.  There is much to be said for being still.  There is much character required in putting your agenda aside and stopping your mind long enough to let the moment happen and you become totally “present” in this moment.  There are days when I fight with myself to stay present with someone I am talking to.  The phone will ring.  My iPad will alert.  When that happens my ADHD self kicks in and I want to chase the interruption and when I do I disconnect with what I am watching or from the person with whom I am talking.  Which ever, I just lost whatever happened during the interruption.

When Jesus talked to Zachaeus – he was focused on him.  There was no crowd, no one else around.  He convinced by his presence that He wanted to go home with this tax collector.  Because he was present his life was changed.  The woman at the well would have been what most of us would have considered simple trash, a woman with no moral strength, and hated by most in the community.  However, Christ’s presence with her at that moment totally given to the moment changed her life forever.  Nicodemus, a well known well respected teacher in the Jewish community, was confronted with eternal truth and it was received well simply because when he entered the room, the conversation with Nic was all that was on Jesus’ mind at the moment and life changed forever for Nicodemus.  I suspect that was why Children really liked Him as well.  Children get lost in the moment.

Brother David Steindl-Rast

Brennan Manning quotes Brother David Steindl-Rast (not that I agree with all that Bro. David says… OK?… I like what he said about this… let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater..)and then reflects on that comment.  I was stunned by its honesty at this point.

“No wonder,” says Brother David Steindl-Rast, “that so many marvelous children turn into dull adults. No wonder that their wholeness is scattered and their sense of mystery lost.” The good news is that the child within can be recovered. It can happen right now, with something as simple as giving a little one a piggyback ride or walking slowly down the street and listening to the music of what is happening. “Unless you change and become like little children …”(Matt. 18:3).  Manning, Brennan (2010-10-12). Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffin’s Path to God (pp. 160-161). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

I am still waiting for a squirrel to take me up on the corn.  I have skillfully and  successfully kept them from the two bird feeders.  My history with the squirrels is that they can tear a bird feeder to pieces.  I looked up and the choir was back eating and singing and it the sweetest music to my ears.

I wonder what would happen if I decided to give the Lord the same kind of respect and presence that I afford a set of bird feeders?

I share this for those of you who would like to take a minute and remember that He is here!

 

Thanks to Weslei Vianna – Faith Based Initiaitive

God Is…

Normally I don’t post an entire chapter but this one is so different…

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
² So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
³ Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
Interlude

⁴ A river brings joy to the city of our God,
the sacred home of the Most High.
⁵ God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
From the very break of day, God will protect it.
⁶ The nations are in chaos,
and their kingdoms crumble!
God’s voice thunders,
and the earth melts!
⁷ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel^[b] is our fortress.
Interlude

⁸ Come, see the glorious works of the Lord:
See how he brings destruction upon the world.
⁹ He causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow and snaps the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.

¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”

¹¹ The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress.

There are times of trouble…there are times when it seems things shake your earth and the mountains that you were climbing crumbled into the sea…the ocean foam… it does happen… fear comes…God is here and he is ready to help…the remedy is that there is a river that brings joy that is connected to the Throne Room of God…the city in which He dwells cannot be destroyed and we are in the city…our peace is in the fact that the King is on the Throne…

You hear his voice and the earth melts…

You end wars

Be still and Know I am God…

Today I feed on those words I have served to so many people over the years and simply resolve to receive from them today the strength of the strong Character of God… I choose to be still…that is so tough for this old preacher…

May He be praised today!

Holy Ground

On Holy Ground

by: Charles Stanley

Conquering in Christ

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” Isaiah 43:2

The love of God is not just sentiment. It is not just a warm feeling or a sweet Christian saying. The love of God means that He is working to accomplish His purposes in your life in every stressful situation.
There is nothing random about your problem. It is not merely the result of fleeting earthly forces at work. Before you were born, before the universe was conceived, God knew about and figured your particular trouble into His master scheme.
You may not be able to understand what is happening or why this problem has arisen, but you do know the God who has the answers and the power to bring you through.
Each time of testing is an occasion to see God work and trust Him for the results. It is an opportunity to grow in dependence on Him and discover His greatness for yourself.
You are a conqueror in Christ in every situation because the Conqueror, Jesus Christ, is in control of you and your circumstances. Nothing or no one can outwit Him or overcome Him.

Garments that let you dance!

¹⁴ And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment.^{[e] 15} So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.

There are days where it seems God’s presence is missing.  I will admit (or to be more ‘spiritual’ I will confess it…) that He is always present and never moves.  However, there are days where it seems that the ark is not in it’s right place.  Three months this ark has been at Obed’s house and God was blessing him.  King David, noticed it wasn’t in its right place in the temple and it was time to bring it back home…not on the wagon pulled by oxen…but carried there the way God had ordered it to be taken…Once it was properly prepared for moving and the men picked it up they walked six steps and David offered a sacrifice… A blood sacrifice – he rectified the past error and stopped to say thanks for all God had done in blessing Obed’s house… Then they moved it and David offered up his heart to God for God’s presence was coming home again… shortly He would be evident in the temple…it was so normal for God to be there…It was such a real part of David’s experience…he seemed to gain his strength from God being in the temple…

He took off his Kingly robe and put on his worship robe…his priestly garment…it would allow him to dance, and jump and shout… that one did not get in the way of his expression to God.

I want to become aware, especially as I prepare my own heart for tomorrow as I lead in worship AND for today as I live in expectation of living IN Christ and IN His presence, what it is that gets in the way of my dancing.

I thank God for Whitestone Country Inn…and the delight of being able to “get away” for a while and enjoy being able to rest, re-group, re-focus, re-connect and get to the place where I can dance before the Lord again.  I was in so much need of that event…  Terry Warren sang and oh how my spirit soared again…how it flew and how I longed to hear the melody of faith sung…I so wanted to shout and dance and did shout several times… I could have danced to the music that stirred my soul… God’s presence is in His rightful place…

This morning I just want to say thanks to God for people that are so special to me and for the presence of God that is so rich and real…Thank you Father!

I guess, Father, that there are garments of position and power that need to come off as I put on a garment of humility and praise and lift my mind, heart, voice and yes, even dance to you as my gracious Father!  May you be praised…

Trusting Him exercises my faith muscle!

Romans 5:3-5 (New Living Translation) 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, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

It’s Thursday.  I woke up early this morning to rain and wind and was thrilled to notice something was washing this pollen that God thought up and sent to us off of my truck and driveway.  It has been an interesting few days.  No matter how hard you plan, there are things that come you way that cause you to stretch personally and spiritually.  Jeremy’s car’s engine in his Jetta threw a rod and knocked a hole in the side of it you could put your fist through.  We have been in a ten day period of adjusting and shifting three vehicles trying to get four people somewhere on time.  Jeremy has had my truck.  I have had the privilege of taking Nancy to work.  She does an unbelievable job at her school as a P. E. teacher and gets there early.  So I have been getting up early and getting ready for the day so I can take her to school.  I get up early, anyway.

Adjusting schedules and vehicles are mild compared to what I see and hear in a days time.  I hear about people who are struggling with cancer in their body.  They have to deal with surgery and chemo and or radiation and see the debilitating nature of that disease not to mention that they call chemo and radiation a “cure”.  The “cure” is sometimes far meaner than the disease.  There are people I deal with that have cancer in their marriages and they struggle big time.  I wished there was medicine I could give to help.  Only Christ’s presence in the middle of it gives anyone hope at all.  He is the Great Physician!  That doesn’t count the folk who are viciously battle with addictions to drugs and money – just to mention two…

God reminded me yesterday and again this morning that the truth is we will have struggles in this life.  You cannot miss them.  God brings testings that give us a chance to choose to do right or wrong.  He may not cause the struggles, but he is powerfully involved in how all this plays out in our lives.  All these things gives us a chance to choose to Trust God or to trust our own resources in the midst of it all.

Today’s verse – read yesterday as a passing reference – became my focus for this day.  He is stretching my faith muscle today.  I am placing my trust in Him today for people that I care about and love – even for those who are a struggle to love.  The cure isn’t medicine.  He doesn’t give medicine.  He give us answers all the time.  What He gives is Himself – His presence – and it is welcomed.

As the Scripture says, “…he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”