“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:6-7 (NIV)
When did you feel forgotten by God? How did it make you feel? Were you really forgotten? Since sparrows are important to God, how important are people? What does that mean about how we treat people?
In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus mentions that two sparrows are sold for a penny. Here he talks about five sparrows being sold for two pennies. Sparrows were the animals poor people could afford to buy for sacrifices. The rich people bought doves, and lambs, and other things that cost more, but the rich would never buy a sparrow. Sparrows were so insignificant that if four sparrows were bought a fifth was thrown in for free.
Jesus is saying that the sparrow that is thrown in, the left over sparrow, the sparrow not even worth half a penny matters to God. Then Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
This worth did not come from what we have made of ourselves. It did not arrive because we worked hard for it. Our worth comes from God because God loves us! Perhaps it is too simple to believe. We still try to come up with reasons why we can be considered important, or at least more important than others. We still take others for granted and fail to see the worth in them that God sees. We still dwell on our faults far more than our strengths.
Yes perhaps it is easier to believe in a God who requires us to make ourselves worthy, after all that is the way the world sees us. What would the church look like if it were a place where people rejoiced in others because God’s love makes them worthy? I do not know, but I am going to pray that I find out.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
No Favorites with God
For God does not show favoritism. – Romans 2:11 (NIV)
Why do think God may not show favoritism? How do you show favoritism? Why do you show favoritism? How great is it that God does not play favorites with you?
The following story was e-mailed to me about a soldier coming home from Vietnam:
He called his parents from San Francisco.
“Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve got a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring with me.”
“Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.”
“There’s something you should know the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mined and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”
“No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.”
“Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him.
A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.
We are not very good at accepting others for who they are. We are not even very good at accepting ourselves for that matter. Thank God we accepted by God! However, if we are to be true to the God we follow, worship, and praise, we would do good to ensure that others who feel unloved in this world might find that we do not play favorites too. In that way those who feel they have no place in this world might find a place in our presence.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Why do think God may not show favoritism? How do you show favoritism? Why do you show favoritism? How great is it that God does not play favorites with you?
The following story was e-mailed to me about a soldier coming home from Vietnam:
He called his parents from San Francisco.
“Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve got a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring with me.”
“Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.”
“There’s something you should know the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mined and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”
“No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.”
“Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.”
At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him.
A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.
We are not very good at accepting others for who they are. We are not even very good at accepting ourselves for that matter. Thank God we accepted by God! However, if we are to be true to the God we follow, worship, and praise, we would do good to ensure that others who feel unloved in this world might find that we do not play favorites too. In that way those who feel they have no place in this world might find a place in our presence.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Made in the Divine Image
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” – Acts 17:24-25 (NIV)
What does this speech of Paul’s say of God? What does it say of people? What does it say of you?
The following is an excerpt from Nelson Mandela’s book “Long Walk to Freedom” where he speaks of a particularly brutish officer in the prison in which he spent 19 years:
A few days before Badenhorst’s departure, I was called to the main office. General Steyn was visiting the island and wanted to know if we had any complaints. Badenhorst was there as I went through a list of demands. When I had finished, Badenhorst spoke to me directly.
He told me he would be leaving the island and added: ‘I just want to wish you people good luck’. I do not know if I looked dumbfounded, but I was amazed. He spoke these words like a human being and showed a side of himself we had never seen before. I thanked him for his good wishes and wished him luck in his endeavours.
I thought about this moment for a long time afterwards. Badenhorst had perhaps been the most callous and barbaric commanding officer we had had on Robben Island. But that day in the office, he had revealed that that there was another side to his nature, a side that had been obscured but still existed.
It was a useful reminder that all men, even the most seemingly cold-blooded, have a core of decency and that, if their hearts are touched, they are capable of changing. Ultimately, Badenhorst was not evil; his inhumanity had been foisted upon him by an inhuman system. He behaved like a brute because he was rewarded for brutish behaviour.
Jesus told those who thought themselves as righteous that he did not come for the well but for the sick. Apparently God gives up on no one, and thereby robs no one of life and breath. Even the vilest can be changed by the love of Christ. Mandela saw in Badenhorst a flicker of the divinity with which we are all created. It is that flicker, that light that no darkness can extinguish, which Jesus works to turn into a roaring flame. If God does not give up on people, we must not either.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does this speech of Paul’s say of God? What does it say of people? What does it say of you?
The following is an excerpt from Nelson Mandela’s book “Long Walk to Freedom” where he speaks of a particularly brutish officer in the prison in which he spent 19 years:
A few days before Badenhorst’s departure, I was called to the main office. General Steyn was visiting the island and wanted to know if we had any complaints. Badenhorst was there as I went through a list of demands. When I had finished, Badenhorst spoke to me directly.
He told me he would be leaving the island and added: ‘I just want to wish you people good luck’. I do not know if I looked dumbfounded, but I was amazed. He spoke these words like a human being and showed a side of himself we had never seen before. I thanked him for his good wishes and wished him luck in his endeavours.
I thought about this moment for a long time afterwards. Badenhorst had perhaps been the most callous and barbaric commanding officer we had had on Robben Island. But that day in the office, he had revealed that that there was another side to his nature, a side that had been obscured but still existed.
It was a useful reminder that all men, even the most seemingly cold-blooded, have a core of decency and that, if their hearts are touched, they are capable of changing. Ultimately, Badenhorst was not evil; his inhumanity had been foisted upon him by an inhuman system. He behaved like a brute because he was rewarded for brutish behaviour.
Jesus told those who thought themselves as righteous that he did not come for the well but for the sick. Apparently God gives up on no one, and thereby robs no one of life and breath. Even the vilest can be changed by the love of Christ. Mandela saw in Badenhorst a flicker of the divinity with which we are all created. It is that flicker, that light that no darkness can extinguish, which Jesus works to turn into a roaring flame. If God does not give up on people, we must not either.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, November 21, 2011
Prayer Changes Things
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. – Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
What does this image of Jesus standing and knocking mean to you? Do you believe Jesus is chasing after you? Have you opened the door to your heart and life? Are you willing to become a temple for the presence of God?
Last week I was attending a Presbytery meeting. After driving an hour and a half to the church where the meeting was being held I was not in much a mood to worship, but the first thing we do at such meetings is worship. My mind was wandering, I was thinking of things I had to do, I wasn’t worshipping God.
Then after the offering I went out to wash my hands and take a breather. Perhaps in the act of washing my hands some of my concerns washed away, or maybe it was that grace poured over me.
Whatever it was when I went back in the Prayers of the People started. People lifted up names that were heavy upon their hearts, and names that gave them reason to rejoice. They shared the reasons for naming each person and we held their names as a group. It felt holy.
The prayer itself wasn’t the normal kind of prayer prayer, as when a person stands before the rest of us and utters a prayer on our behalf. It was responsive where the leader read some and then the congregation read some. It also left time for silence after various groups of people were named. As we prayed for groups of people across the world I could feel them. Those people whose names I will never know and faces I will never see I could feel and I sensed them close in the Spirit. As I prayed for them I realized something else… I loved them.
In that moment I knew something had happened. Right then I was living in the heart of God.
Jesus pursues us hoping that we will open the door of our lives, so that he might enter into them and eat with us. In the Bible eating together is one of the highest forms of fellowship. He wants to fellowship with us so that we might experience life together. In our times of prayer and while we sit at the Communion table we open our hearts to God so that we might find ourselves living in the heart of God. It is there, within God’s heart, that we find out we can love as God loves. So pray on, it does in fact change things, it changes us.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does this image of Jesus standing and knocking mean to you? Do you believe Jesus is chasing after you? Have you opened the door to your heart and life? Are you willing to become a temple for the presence of God?
Last week I was attending a Presbytery meeting. After driving an hour and a half to the church where the meeting was being held I was not in much a mood to worship, but the first thing we do at such meetings is worship. My mind was wandering, I was thinking of things I had to do, I wasn’t worshipping God.
Then after the offering I went out to wash my hands and take a breather. Perhaps in the act of washing my hands some of my concerns washed away, or maybe it was that grace poured over me.
Whatever it was when I went back in the Prayers of the People started. People lifted up names that were heavy upon their hearts, and names that gave them reason to rejoice. They shared the reasons for naming each person and we held their names as a group. It felt holy.
The prayer itself wasn’t the normal kind of prayer prayer, as when a person stands before the rest of us and utters a prayer on our behalf. It was responsive where the leader read some and then the congregation read some. It also left time for silence after various groups of people were named. As we prayed for groups of people across the world I could feel them. Those people whose names I will never know and faces I will never see I could feel and I sensed them close in the Spirit. As I prayed for them I realized something else… I loved them.
In that moment I knew something had happened. Right then I was living in the heart of God.
Jesus pursues us hoping that we will open the door of our lives, so that he might enter into them and eat with us. In the Bible eating together is one of the highest forms of fellowship. He wants to fellowship with us so that we might experience life together. In our times of prayer and while we sit at the Communion table we open our hearts to God so that we might find ourselves living in the heart of God. It is there, within God’s heart, that we find out we can love as God loves. So pray on, it does in fact change things, it changes us.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, November 7, 2011
God Will Supply
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
Do you believe God meets your needs? Why or why not? What do you lack? What do you need? What to you give thanks for?
The following story is about the 7th century English saint Cuthbert:
Once upon a time, the good Saint Cuthbert of Lindesfarne, went forth from his monastery to preach to the poor. He took with him a young lad as his only attendant. Together they walked along the dusty way. The heat of the noonday sun beat upon their heads, and fatigue overcame them.
"Son," said Saint Cuthbert, "do you know any one on the road, whom we may ask for food and a place in which to rest?"
"I was just thinking the same thing," answered the lad, "but I know nobody on the road who will entertain us. Alas why did we not bring along provisions? How can we proceed on our long journey without them?"
"My son," answered the saint, "Learn to have trust in God, who never will suffer those to perish of hunger who believe in Him."
Then looking up and seeing an eagle flying in the air, he added, "Do you see the eagle yonder? It is possible for God to feed us by means of this bird."
While they were talking thus, they came to a river, and, lo the eagle stood on the bank.
"Son," said Saint Cuthbert, "run and see what provision God has made for us by his handmaid the bird."
The lad ran, and found a good-sized fish that the eagle had just caught. This he brought to the saint.
"What have you done?" exclaimed the good man, "why have you not given a part to God's handmaid? Cut the fish in two pieces, and give her one, as her service well deserves."
The lad did as he was bidden, and the eagle, taking the half fish in her beak, flew away.
Then entering a neighboring village, Saint Cuthbert gave the other half to a peasant to cook, and while the lad and the villagers feasted, the good saint preached to them the Word of God
An old story you say? Yes it is, but it still speaks an eternal truth. God will supply our needs! As things are getting harder economically we begin to worry. As our things are going away, and budgets get harder to meet and the needs keep increasing our faith wanes. It is a good time that we pray for faith – not just belief in God’s existence, but faith that God can do what God promises. God can!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Do you believe God meets your needs? Why or why not? What do you lack? What do you need? What to you give thanks for?
The following story is about the 7th century English saint Cuthbert:
Once upon a time, the good Saint Cuthbert of Lindesfarne, went forth from his monastery to preach to the poor. He took with him a young lad as his only attendant. Together they walked along the dusty way. The heat of the noonday sun beat upon their heads, and fatigue overcame them.
"Son," said Saint Cuthbert, "do you know any one on the road, whom we may ask for food and a place in which to rest?"
"I was just thinking the same thing," answered the lad, "but I know nobody on the road who will entertain us. Alas why did we not bring along provisions? How can we proceed on our long journey without them?"
"My son," answered the saint, "Learn to have trust in God, who never will suffer those to perish of hunger who believe in Him."
Then looking up and seeing an eagle flying in the air, he added, "Do you see the eagle yonder? It is possible for God to feed us by means of this bird."
While they were talking thus, they came to a river, and, lo the eagle stood on the bank.
"Son," said Saint Cuthbert, "run and see what provision God has made for us by his handmaid the bird."
The lad ran, and found a good-sized fish that the eagle had just caught. This he brought to the saint.
"What have you done?" exclaimed the good man, "why have you not given a part to God's handmaid? Cut the fish in two pieces, and give her one, as her service well deserves."
The lad did as he was bidden, and the eagle, taking the half fish in her beak, flew away.
Then entering a neighboring village, Saint Cuthbert gave the other half to a peasant to cook, and while the lad and the villagers feasted, the good saint preached to them the Word of God
An old story you say? Yes it is, but it still speaks an eternal truth. God will supply our needs! As things are getting harder economically we begin to worry. As our things are going away, and budgets get harder to meet and the needs keep increasing our faith wanes. It is a good time that we pray for faith – not just belief in God’s existence, but faith that God can do what God promises. God can!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Things Needed to Be Good Missionaries
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. – 1 John 4:7 (NIV)
What do you think of love? How do you show your love to others? How might you do a better job showing love? How do you show your love to God? What does it mean to love God?
Someone recently shared this story with me:
There was a man doing a study of missionaries who went down to Haiti years ago, this is before the earthquake. Even then Haiti was filled with people attempting to do good work.
In his study he asked many of the locals what they thought of the missionaries that saturated their land. One Haitian man said without conviction, “Oh they are all right.”
“All right? Are some not so good?”
“Well there are bad ones and good ones… more bad ones really.”
“What makes bad ones bad?” the man doing the study asked.
“Well one can tell they come down here to make a name for themselves, or for some other selfish reasons, they just do not really seem to care for the people. They still do some good work, but they do not seem to be good people,” came the reply
“What about the good ones, what makes them good?”
“Only two things are needed to make a good missionary as far as I can tell,” replied the Haitian man. “First a love of Christ Jesus our Lord that is obvious in everything the missionary does. Second a love of Haitians that is obvious in everything the missionary does. That is what all good missionaries have.”
Look in the mirror. What do you see? You see a missionary for the mission-field of life in which God has set you. There are people who need to be loved, and there is a God whom we also must love. Pray today that we all may have a heart for people. Love has the power to change the world, in fact it is the only power that has ever changed it for the better. It is power that comes from God.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What do you think of love? How do you show your love to others? How might you do a better job showing love? How do you show your love to God? What does it mean to love God?
Someone recently shared this story with me:
There was a man doing a study of missionaries who went down to Haiti years ago, this is before the earthquake. Even then Haiti was filled with people attempting to do good work.
In his study he asked many of the locals what they thought of the missionaries that saturated their land. One Haitian man said without conviction, “Oh they are all right.”
“All right? Are some not so good?”
“Well there are bad ones and good ones… more bad ones really.”
“What makes bad ones bad?” the man doing the study asked.
“Well one can tell they come down here to make a name for themselves, or for some other selfish reasons, they just do not really seem to care for the people. They still do some good work, but they do not seem to be good people,” came the reply
“What about the good ones, what makes them good?”
“Only two things are needed to make a good missionary as far as I can tell,” replied the Haitian man. “First a love of Christ Jesus our Lord that is obvious in everything the missionary does. Second a love of Haitians that is obvious in everything the missionary does. That is what all good missionaries have.”
Look in the mirror. What do you see? You see a missionary for the mission-field of life in which God has set you. There are people who need to be loved, and there is a God whom we also must love. Pray today that we all may have a heart for people. Love has the power to change the world, in fact it is the only power that has ever changed it for the better. It is power that comes from God.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, September 9, 2011
Broken Hearts
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
Sometimes we do not need questions to help to think about things. Sometimes we just need to hear good news. This is good news.
This comes from A Turbulent Peace by Ray Waddle
“Religion’s for old people,” my buddy declared as we drove through the countryside. I found his comment a little insulting: I was a churchgoer, age nineteen. Was that so wrong? I lost touch with him; now it’s been twenty-five years since we’ve spoken. But he was on to something. At twenty, the road looks clear all the way to forever. We arrogantly waste time, try a hundred new jobs or relationships or ideologies, believe and fool thing. The heart is not yet broken, not in the way it is when time crashes down on it – soured dreams, career missteps, divorce, illness, the death of loved ones, the passing of so much we love. By old age the ghostly procession of the once-was can be unbearable.
My heroes include any elderly persons who keep the flame lit, who still feel inspiration and outrage at ideas, current events, history, movies, books, national tragedies, spring flowers, the passing parade. Somehow they take it all in. Life enlarges their spirit, becomes fuel for the remaining journey, seasoned with humor, not bitterness. They age with dignity. Part of the dignity is keeping the inevitable heartbreak framed by larger perspectives and by going deeper into the grief, not denying it.
The heart breaks again and again. In the midst of heartbreak God moves ever closer. I saw a sign recently that read, “Faith is not faith until we have nothing else to hold on to.” Someone told me, “We are always trying to reach the place where we do not need faith, but that is when fear kicks in.” Yet when life tears us down and we are left with nothing sometimes all we have is faith… and that is when some of us may realize that is all we need.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
Sometimes we do not need questions to help to think about things. Sometimes we just need to hear good news. This is good news.
This comes from A Turbulent Peace by Ray Waddle
“Religion’s for old people,” my buddy declared as we drove through the countryside. I found his comment a little insulting: I was a churchgoer, age nineteen. Was that so wrong? I lost touch with him; now it’s been twenty-five years since we’ve spoken. But he was on to something. At twenty, the road looks clear all the way to forever. We arrogantly waste time, try a hundred new jobs or relationships or ideologies, believe and fool thing. The heart is not yet broken, not in the way it is when time crashes down on it – soured dreams, career missteps, divorce, illness, the death of loved ones, the passing of so much we love. By old age the ghostly procession of the once-was can be unbearable.
My heroes include any elderly persons who keep the flame lit, who still feel inspiration and outrage at ideas, current events, history, movies, books, national tragedies, spring flowers, the passing parade. Somehow they take it all in. Life enlarges their spirit, becomes fuel for the remaining journey, seasoned with humor, not bitterness. They age with dignity. Part of the dignity is keeping the inevitable heartbreak framed by larger perspectives and by going deeper into the grief, not denying it.
The heart breaks again and again. In the midst of heartbreak God moves ever closer. I saw a sign recently that read, “Faith is not faith until we have nothing else to hold on to.” Someone told me, “We are always trying to reach the place where we do not need faith, but that is when fear kicks in.” Yet when life tears us down and we are left with nothing sometimes all we have is faith… and that is when some of us may realize that is all we need.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, August 25, 2011
A Good Thing to Remember
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. – Philippians 4:4 (NRSV)
How do you go about rejoicing in the Lord? Why can you rejoice? What do you do that hampers your joy in God? Why do think Paul repeated himself, “again I will say, Rejoice”?
The following story was sent to me via e-mail:
A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not. Along came a man who had recently completed studies at a local university. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth he asked the boy about the source of his joy.
“Hey,” asked the boy with a bright laugh, “Don't you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle.” The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the “realities” of the miracles of the Bible.
“That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10-inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across.”
The boy countered with, “Jesus rose from the dead.” The enlightened man responded with, “Jesus no more rose from the dead than the Israelites walked through the Red Sea. Common sense will tell you all that. If that book can prove they crossed on dry land I'll believe Jesus rose from the dead and eat my hat.”
The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible laying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor, naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight, turned to go. Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.
“Wow!" exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of water.”
The man said, "Do you have any salt?"
Sometimes as life goes on and people try to bring us down we need to be reminded to rejoice in the Lord always. I’ve been told that when you become important to God you become important to Satan. Situations will arrive that will try to rob us of our joy. Paul has some advise for us in those situations. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice!”
With hope and joy,
Garrett
How do you go about rejoicing in the Lord? Why can you rejoice? What do you do that hampers your joy in God? Why do think Paul repeated himself, “again I will say, Rejoice”?
The following story was sent to me via e-mail:
A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not. Along came a man who had recently completed studies at a local university. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth he asked the boy about the source of his joy.
“Hey,” asked the boy with a bright laugh, “Don't you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle.” The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the “realities” of the miracles of the Bible.
“That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10-inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across.”
The boy countered with, “Jesus rose from the dead.” The enlightened man responded with, “Jesus no more rose from the dead than the Israelites walked through the Red Sea. Common sense will tell you all that. If that book can prove they crossed on dry land I'll believe Jesus rose from the dead and eat my hat.”
The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible laying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor, naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight, turned to go. Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.
“Wow!" exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of water.”
The man said, "Do you have any salt?"
Sometimes as life goes on and people try to bring us down we need to be reminded to rejoice in the Lord always. I’ve been told that when you become important to God you become important to Satan. Situations will arrive that will try to rob us of our joy. Paul has some advise for us in those situations. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice!”
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
God Is There
Don't panic. I'm with you.
There's no need to fear for I'm your God.
I'll give you strength. I'll help you.
I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. – Isaiah 41:10 (The Message)
When did you panic last? What was going on? Of what are you afraid? Where is God? What is God doing?
This came from the Christian Century on July 26, 2011:
When Fred Rogers received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy award in 1998, he asked the celebrity audience to take ten seconds of silence to think about people who had loved them into being and helped them become who they are.
Within seconds weeping and sobs could be heard throughout the audience. Then Rodgers said, “May God be with you,” and sat down. Eliot Daley, a Presbyterian minster who had worked with Rogers, says it is significant that Rogers didn’t say “God bless you.” Rogers knew that the people were already blessed by God. He wanted the people in the audience to be aware that God was with them.
Sometimes when things seem hard we forget the many blessings that have saturated our lives. However, even when the world seems more full of curses than blessings God is still with us. I know we need to be reminded of this from time to time, because I know I need to be reminded of this from time to time. When we walk in valleys so deep they can be called the valley of the shadow of death, God is still there. Even though God tells us not to panic, not to be afraid, and all the rest we will be. Today let us pray that we may be filled with faith. In that way when fear knocks on our doors we may open them and discover God is there.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
There's no need to fear for I'm your God.
I'll give you strength. I'll help you.
I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. – Isaiah 41:10 (The Message)
When did you panic last? What was going on? Of what are you afraid? Where is God? What is God doing?
This came from the Christian Century on July 26, 2011:
When Fred Rogers received a Lifetime Achievement Emmy award in 1998, he asked the celebrity audience to take ten seconds of silence to think about people who had loved them into being and helped them become who they are.
Within seconds weeping and sobs could be heard throughout the audience. Then Rodgers said, “May God be with you,” and sat down. Eliot Daley, a Presbyterian minster who had worked with Rogers, says it is significant that Rogers didn’t say “God bless you.” Rogers knew that the people were already blessed by God. He wanted the people in the audience to be aware that God was with them.
Sometimes when things seem hard we forget the many blessings that have saturated our lives. However, even when the world seems more full of curses than blessings God is still with us. I know we need to be reminded of this from time to time, because I know I need to be reminded of this from time to time. When we walk in valleys so deep they can be called the valley of the shadow of death, God is still there. Even though God tells us not to panic, not to be afraid, and all the rest we will be. Today let us pray that we may be filled with faith. In that way when fear knocks on our doors we may open them and discover God is there.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Eyes On The Prize
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. – Romans 8:5 (NRSV)
What does it mean to set your mind on things of the Spirit? What about setting your mind on things of the flesh? Does it have anything to do with doing good? Does it have anything to do with living well?
The following story was e-mailed to me:
An ancient Indian sage was teaching his disciples the art of archery. He put a wooden bird as the target and asked them to aim at the eye of the bird. The first disciple was asked to describe what he saw. He said, “I see the trees, the branches, the leaves, the sky, the bird and its eye.”
The sage asked this disciple to wait. Then he asked the second disciple the same question and he replied, “I only see the eye of the bird.” The sage said, “Very good, then shoot.” The arrow went straight and hit the eye of the bird.
Unless we focus, we cannot achieve our goal. It is hard to focus and concentrate, but it is a skill that can be learned.
Our goal is to focus on God so we can live according to the Spirit! In life there is so much that goes on that demands our attention, and often God is rarely focused on. So how do we do it? Some say the best way is to give thanks for every little thing that we can think of. That’s probably a good way to start. As we give thanks our attention is always turned again to God. “God thanks for this running water I use to brush my teeth.” “God thank you that I can taste the sweetness of that fruit.” “God thank you for…” There are millions of reasons to give thanks each day. When we do we begin to look at God, until one day, God is all we see.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does it mean to set your mind on things of the Spirit? What about setting your mind on things of the flesh? Does it have anything to do with doing good? Does it have anything to do with living well?
The following story was e-mailed to me:
An ancient Indian sage was teaching his disciples the art of archery. He put a wooden bird as the target and asked them to aim at the eye of the bird. The first disciple was asked to describe what he saw. He said, “I see the trees, the branches, the leaves, the sky, the bird and its eye.”
The sage asked this disciple to wait. Then he asked the second disciple the same question and he replied, “I only see the eye of the bird.” The sage said, “Very good, then shoot.” The arrow went straight and hit the eye of the bird.
Unless we focus, we cannot achieve our goal. It is hard to focus and concentrate, but it is a skill that can be learned.
Our goal is to focus on God so we can live according to the Spirit! In life there is so much that goes on that demands our attention, and often God is rarely focused on. So how do we do it? Some say the best way is to give thanks for every little thing that we can think of. That’s probably a good way to start. As we give thanks our attention is always turned again to God. “God thanks for this running water I use to brush my teeth.” “God thank you that I can taste the sweetness of that fruit.” “God thank you for…” There are millions of reasons to give thanks each day. When we do we begin to look at God, until one day, God is all we see.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, May 16, 2011
The One Who Won't Give Up
“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” – Luke 15:31-32 (NIV)
What is the father doing now in this parable? Is it strange that Jesus ends the story without resolution? What does it mean that it is not finished? What does it mean for the older brother?
I was reading “Who Can Be Saved?” by Will Willimon, and he shared a story that went something like this:
They hadn’t seen their son in four months. They hadn’t even heard from him. Not a call, not a letter, not an email, nothing.
Then one night as they are eating dinner, he busts right through the front door of the house and comes right up to them. Cursing at them, demanding money, refusing to sit down and eat dinner with them, cursing at them some more, and finally going down the hall and slamming the door shut to his room.
Her husband gets up from the table and pours himself a drink and sits down on the couch looking pathetic.
She gets up and goes to the bedroom her son is in. “Son, come on out let’s talk about things.” More cursing greets her pleads for him to talk. She tries to open the door but he has locked it.
She goes into the garage and finds a hammer. Going back into the house she approaches the locked door. With hammer in hand she lifts her arm back and throws the hammer down upon the doorknob. It comes off with pieces of the door and she pushes it open.
There her son sits looking stunned. He is about to open his mouth again when she goes up to him and grabs his face and says, “Enough of this! I don’t know what is wrong with you, but I’m not giving up on you damn it! We’re going to talk whether you want to or not.”
In the parable the younger son’s return is being celebrated, and the older one decides he is done with it all. Notice the father. He goes outside to plead with his older son. The father never gives up on either of his children. Like that mother who would break down a door to talk to her hate-filled son, God follows us and pleads with us. The parable ends with the father and the older son outside. I wish I knew what happened next. Perhaps it doesn’t end because what happens next is up to us. Will we talk to the God who follows us? Will we go into parties that others don’t deserve? Will we? What I do know however is that God won’t stop reaching out.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What is the father doing now in this parable? Is it strange that Jesus ends the story without resolution? What does it mean that it is not finished? What does it mean for the older brother?
I was reading “Who Can Be Saved?” by Will Willimon, and he shared a story that went something like this:
They hadn’t seen their son in four months. They hadn’t even heard from him. Not a call, not a letter, not an email, nothing.
Then one night as they are eating dinner, he busts right through the front door of the house and comes right up to them. Cursing at them, demanding money, refusing to sit down and eat dinner with them, cursing at them some more, and finally going down the hall and slamming the door shut to his room.
Her husband gets up from the table and pours himself a drink and sits down on the couch looking pathetic.
She gets up and goes to the bedroom her son is in. “Son, come on out let’s talk about things.” More cursing greets her pleads for him to talk. She tries to open the door but he has locked it.
She goes into the garage and finds a hammer. Going back into the house she approaches the locked door. With hammer in hand she lifts her arm back and throws the hammer down upon the doorknob. It comes off with pieces of the door and she pushes it open.
There her son sits looking stunned. He is about to open his mouth again when she goes up to him and grabs his face and says, “Enough of this! I don’t know what is wrong with you, but I’m not giving up on you damn it! We’re going to talk whether you want to or not.”
In the parable the younger son’s return is being celebrated, and the older one decides he is done with it all. Notice the father. He goes outside to plead with his older son. The father never gives up on either of his children. Like that mother who would break down a door to talk to her hate-filled son, God follows us and pleads with us. The parable ends with the father and the older son outside. I wish I knew what happened next. Perhaps it doesn’t end because what happens next is up to us. Will we talk to the God who follows us? Will we go into parties that others don’t deserve? Will we? What I do know however is that God won’t stop reaching out.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, May 6, 2011
A Big Celebration
"Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count on it—that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God." – Luke 15:8-10 (The Message)
Do you think God looks for you this way? Has God thrown a party for you yet? How hard is God looking for that person you think is no good? What does that mean about how you should treat that person?
A couple of days ago I was vacationing. It is always nice to vacation, but the last morning we were there suddenly I couldn’t find the key to the place we were staying, so I started looking.
Now perhaps you have also lost a key. You know that when it is found in the first five minutes you don’t think much about it. If you look for ten minutes before you find it, then you start to get a little excited about it. If you spend twenty minutes looking, by the time you find it perhaps you even shout out and have to tell someone.
I looked everywhere for this key. I went through every drawer, every piece of luggage, under beds, between cushions, under rugs, I moved the fridge, looked through bushes of every place I had walked the night before. It was nowhere! After two hours I was about to give up, but I couldn’t, I had to find it, so I pressed on. Finally I found it! And you what? I called people to tell them, I shouted out, I was ridiculously full of joy. I had no idea finding a key could give me so much joy.
How much more joy is in heaven when finally someone turns to God, when God finally finds someone who was lost? I can’t imagine. I was ready to have a party for a key. That person that bothers me, that rubs me the wrong way, that I can’t stand being around, that person is someone God would throw one epic party for, so maybe we should join God in the search. Or at the very least, enjoy the party.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Do you think God looks for you this way? Has God thrown a party for you yet? How hard is God looking for that person you think is no good? What does that mean about how you should treat that person?
A couple of days ago I was vacationing. It is always nice to vacation, but the last morning we were there suddenly I couldn’t find the key to the place we were staying, so I started looking.
Now perhaps you have also lost a key. You know that when it is found in the first five minutes you don’t think much about it. If you look for ten minutes before you find it, then you start to get a little excited about it. If you spend twenty minutes looking, by the time you find it perhaps you even shout out and have to tell someone.
I looked everywhere for this key. I went through every drawer, every piece of luggage, under beds, between cushions, under rugs, I moved the fridge, looked through bushes of every place I had walked the night before. It was nowhere! After two hours I was about to give up, but I couldn’t, I had to find it, so I pressed on. Finally I found it! And you what? I called people to tell them, I shouted out, I was ridiculously full of joy. I had no idea finding a key could give me so much joy.
How much more joy is in heaven when finally someone turns to God, when God finally finds someone who was lost? I can’t imagine. I was ready to have a party for a key. That person that bothers me, that rubs me the wrong way, that I can’t stand being around, that person is someone God would throw one epic party for, so maybe we should join God in the search. Or at the very least, enjoy the party.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, March 25, 2011
Jesus Saves
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. – John 3:17 (KJV)
What does this verse say about God? What does this verse say about us? What does this free you to do? So what will you do?
The following was written by Kallistos Ware, a Greek Orthodox bishop:
God does not condemn us to Hell; God wishes all humans to be saved. He will love us to all eternity, but there will exist the possibility that we do not accept the love and do not respond to it. And the refusal to accept love, the refusal to respond to it, that precisely is the meaning of Hell. Hell is not a place where God puts us; it’s a place where we put ourselves. The doors of Hell, insofar as they have locks, have locks on the inside.
There is nothing that can keep God from trying to us, because that is the very nature of God. After all God is love! There is one thing that can keep us from being saved, ourselves. It is possible to turn God down even when confronted with the depths of that grace and love face to face. When Warren Sallman painted Christ Knocking On Heart’s Door, someone informed him he made a mistake upon its completion. “What is that?” the artist asked. “There is no door handle on it.” “Oh that is no mistake, that door can only be opened from the inside.” And so God knocks on, and will never stop. Love doesn’t stop; love tries to save even as we lock ourselves up tight in hell. O, let us rejoice in the goodness of God’s steadfast love, and fling open those doors.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does this verse say about God? What does this verse say about us? What does this free you to do? So what will you do?
The following was written by Kallistos Ware, a Greek Orthodox bishop:
God does not condemn us to Hell; God wishes all humans to be saved. He will love us to all eternity, but there will exist the possibility that we do not accept the love and do not respond to it. And the refusal to accept love, the refusal to respond to it, that precisely is the meaning of Hell. Hell is not a place where God puts us; it’s a place where we put ourselves. The doors of Hell, insofar as they have locks, have locks on the inside.
There is nothing that can keep God from trying to us, because that is the very nature of God. After all God is love! There is one thing that can keep us from being saved, ourselves. It is possible to turn God down even when confronted with the depths of that grace and love face to face. When Warren Sallman painted Christ Knocking On Heart’s Door, someone informed him he made a mistake upon its completion. “What is that?” the artist asked. “There is no door handle on it.” “Oh that is no mistake, that door can only be opened from the inside.” And so God knocks on, and will never stop. Love doesn’t stop; love tries to save even as we lock ourselves up tight in hell. O, let us rejoice in the goodness of God’s steadfast love, and fling open those doors.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Need of Unity
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! – Psalm 133:1 (NKJV)
What does unity mean to you? Why do you think the Apostle Paul was so concerned with unity? How can we go about promoting unity? What does it mean to be unified?
The following in an old Aesop Fable:
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.
When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. The tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.
He next opened the bundle, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words, “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this bundle, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
Sometimes it is good to go into Paul’s letters and read what he had to say about unity in the church. He did not mean that we all have to act they same, or do the same things, or look the same. Instead he meant that we have to acknowledge our singular purpose. To glorify God and enjoy our God forever! It is easy to lose sight of that purpose as we go through the course of our days and discover minor disagreements that sometimes turn into “major” issues. However we must not break into individual sticks then. For it is only together that we can withstand a world that would see us broken. Let us glorify God together, and nothing can stand in our way!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does unity mean to you? Why do you think the Apostle Paul was so concerned with unity? How can we go about promoting unity? What does it mean to be unified?
The following in an old Aesop Fable:
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.
When they had done so, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. The tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.
He next opened the bundle, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words, “My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this bundle, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.”
Sometimes it is good to go into Paul’s letters and read what he had to say about unity in the church. He did not mean that we all have to act they same, or do the same things, or look the same. Instead he meant that we have to acknowledge our singular purpose. To glorify God and enjoy our God forever! It is easy to lose sight of that purpose as we go through the course of our days and discover minor disagreements that sometimes turn into “major” issues. However we must not break into individual sticks then. For it is only together that we can withstand a world that would see us broken. Let us glorify God together, and nothing can stand in our way!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, March 4, 2011
Strong and Courageous
“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NRSV)
These words are God’s to Joshua. Do you think that commandment was only for Joshua, or could it be for you? Are you strong and courageous? Is the Lord your God with you wherever you go? Can such faith keep you from being dismayed or discouraged?
The following story is called “Satan’s Garage Sale” and was sent to me:
Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets. Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping-stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one's self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backbiting, of selfishness and apathy. All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all. "Take it home, use it, and you won't have to pay until later!" old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.
The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well-worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other. When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, "Well, that's because I use them so much. If they weren't so plain looking, people might see them for what they were." Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, "You see, that one's Doubt and that one's Discouragement -- and those will work when nothing else will."
Maybe God was telling Joshua not to be dismayed, frightened, or discouraged because those are the things that will most quickly bring anyone down. Joshua had a lot on his shoulders, leading the people after Moses, and God knows we have a lot to deal with too. Doubt and discouragement always creep in when things get hard. “Can I do this?” “How much more can I take?” Mother Teresa once said, “I know God won’t give me more than I can handle, I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.” I think sometimes we all feel that way. Still God says, “Be strong and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go.” Sometimes we need to hear it again.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
These words are God’s to Joshua. Do you think that commandment was only for Joshua, or could it be for you? Are you strong and courageous? Is the Lord your God with you wherever you go? Can such faith keep you from being dismayed or discouraged?
The following story is called “Satan’s Garage Sale” and was sent to me:
Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets. Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping-stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one's self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backbiting, of selfishness and apathy. All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all. "Take it home, use it, and you won't have to pay until later!" old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.
The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well-worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other. When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, "Well, that's because I use them so much. If they weren't so plain looking, people might see them for what they were." Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, "You see, that one's Doubt and that one's Discouragement -- and those will work when nothing else will."
Maybe God was telling Joshua not to be dismayed, frightened, or discouraged because those are the things that will most quickly bring anyone down. Joshua had a lot on his shoulders, leading the people after Moses, and God knows we have a lot to deal with too. Doubt and discouragement always creep in when things get hard. “Can I do this?” “How much more can I take?” Mother Teresa once said, “I know God won’t give me more than I can handle, I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.” I think sometimes we all feel that way. Still God says, “Be strong and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go.” Sometimes we need to hear it again.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, February 3, 2011
God Dealt With It
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. – Romans 8:3 (NRSV)
Does this make you celebrate? What does it mean to you that God has dealt with all sin? What does it mean to you that God has dealt with your sin? Do you live your life in the freedom of this Gospel?
My first year of seminary was bad for me. I was struggling with my sense of call in a place where I did not know and with people I was not sure I liked. I did not know what to do. Each day got a little worse as I felt more and more alone in my struggle.
One day my mother called me and asked me how I was doing. I told her I was not doing very well, and that I thought I was going to have to leave. My physical and mental health were taking a beating, and to save myself I was convinced I was going to have to quit.
Being a proper mother bear type my mother said, “I’ll deal with it.” I had no idea what she meant, but she hung up the phone saying, “I love you, tomorrow it will be better.”
The next day I received a call from the clerk of session at my home church who said, “I’ve talked to your mother, we are going to make things better.” I then got a call from the pastor who said, “I’ve talked to your mother, we’re going to support you better.” Next the executive presbyter called who said, “I’ve talked to your mother.” Then the head of the Committee on Preparation for Ministry, “Your mother called me.” Next a liaison I didn’t know I had, “I just talked to your mother.”
You know what? Things got better.
I know I am not alone in having a mother who was able to deal with things I could not. When we found ourselves mired in sin God became a mother bear unwilling to let her cubs suffer alone. So what did God do? He dealt with it once and for all! God came down as a person like you and like me. Christ took it all and died, and when he died our sin died. Jesus came back from the dead and sin did not. Rejoice and never stop rejoicing because God dealt with the sin that we could not!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Does this make you celebrate? What does it mean to you that God has dealt with all sin? What does it mean to you that God has dealt with your sin? Do you live your life in the freedom of this Gospel?
My first year of seminary was bad for me. I was struggling with my sense of call in a place where I did not know and with people I was not sure I liked. I did not know what to do. Each day got a little worse as I felt more and more alone in my struggle.
One day my mother called me and asked me how I was doing. I told her I was not doing very well, and that I thought I was going to have to leave. My physical and mental health were taking a beating, and to save myself I was convinced I was going to have to quit.
Being a proper mother bear type my mother said, “I’ll deal with it.” I had no idea what she meant, but she hung up the phone saying, “I love you, tomorrow it will be better.”
The next day I received a call from the clerk of session at my home church who said, “I’ve talked to your mother, we are going to make things better.” I then got a call from the pastor who said, “I’ve talked to your mother, we’re going to support you better.” Next the executive presbyter called who said, “I’ve talked to your mother.” Then the head of the Committee on Preparation for Ministry, “Your mother called me.” Next a liaison I didn’t know I had, “I just talked to your mother.”
You know what? Things got better.
I know I am not alone in having a mother who was able to deal with things I could not. When we found ourselves mired in sin God became a mother bear unwilling to let her cubs suffer alone. So what did God do? He dealt with it once and for all! God came down as a person like you and like me. Christ took it all and died, and when he died our sin died. Jesus came back from the dead and sin did not. Rejoice and never stop rejoicing because God dealt with the sin that we could not!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, December 23, 2010
What Child Is This
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. – Isaiah 53:5 (NRSV)
In Isaiah’s poem about the suffering servant Christians see images of Jesus the Christ. As we celebrate Christmas, do you celebrate the reason Jesus came? What was the reason Jesus arrived? What is it about this baby that you believe is a gift?
I once heard a story about a boy who stole comics from a library. His father found out what he did and together they went to the library, gave them back, and the father forced his son to apologize. On the way home the boy got a stern lecture.
That summer when they were on vacation the boy stole comics again, this time from a store. When the arrived home the father found them, confronted his son, and this time burned them in their fireplace. As the fire burned he gave his son a stern lecture.
A couple of months after that the boy stole comic books from a bookstore. This time the father said, “I am going to have to spank you because you keep doing this.” However the father didn’t want to hurt his son and after spanking him he told the boy to wait there for a lecture and think about what he did. The father went outside the room and closed the door. Loud enough for the boy to hear the father started crying. Not wanting his son to see him like that he went and washed up before he went in to lecture the boy.
Years later the boy’s mother recalled that the boy stole comic books and asked him if he stopped because his father had spanked him. “No,” he said, “I stopped because I heard dad crying after he left the room.”
The lesson the boy learned wasn’t in punishment, but in the realization that he hurt his father. Even at Christmas when we see that little baby, there is in his eyes the whole pain of the world that he will take. It is easy for us to just see a baby, but if that’s all we see we are no better than the Innkeeper who had no idea what was going on just outside his Inn. When we celebrate Christmas we are celebrating that God was willing to cry out loud instead of punish, and to be hurt instead of inflict pain. There is a lesson we can learn here, let us pray that we learn it.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
In Isaiah’s poem about the suffering servant Christians see images of Jesus the Christ. As we celebrate Christmas, do you celebrate the reason Jesus came? What was the reason Jesus arrived? What is it about this baby that you believe is a gift?
I once heard a story about a boy who stole comics from a library. His father found out what he did and together they went to the library, gave them back, and the father forced his son to apologize. On the way home the boy got a stern lecture.
That summer when they were on vacation the boy stole comics again, this time from a store. When the arrived home the father found them, confronted his son, and this time burned them in their fireplace. As the fire burned he gave his son a stern lecture.
A couple of months after that the boy stole comic books from a bookstore. This time the father said, “I am going to have to spank you because you keep doing this.” However the father didn’t want to hurt his son and after spanking him he told the boy to wait there for a lecture and think about what he did. The father went outside the room and closed the door. Loud enough for the boy to hear the father started crying. Not wanting his son to see him like that he went and washed up before he went in to lecture the boy.
Years later the boy’s mother recalled that the boy stole comic books and asked him if he stopped because his father had spanked him. “No,” he said, “I stopped because I heard dad crying after he left the room.”
The lesson the boy learned wasn’t in punishment, but in the realization that he hurt his father. Even at Christmas when we see that little baby, there is in his eyes the whole pain of the world that he will take. It is easy for us to just see a baby, but if that’s all we see we are no better than the Innkeeper who had no idea what was going on just outside his Inn. When we celebrate Christmas we are celebrating that God was willing to cry out loud instead of punish, and to be hurt instead of inflict pain. There is a lesson we can learn here, let us pray that we learn it.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, December 2, 2010
What Will We Give?
“But me—who am I, and who are these my people, that we should presume to be giving something to you? Everything comes from you; all we're doing is giving back what we've been given from your generous hand.” – 1 Chronicles 29:14 (The Message)
What has God given you? King David spoke these words do they still ring true? Who are we that we should presume to give something to God? What have you given back to God? What will you give back?
On Monday I went to visit with a family. It was a good visit. We shared family stories, we caught up, we laughed, it was nice. At one point someone broke in, “Hey Garrett, I think I really have to tell you this, I think God wants me to tell you this.”
“Alright,” I responded.
“I am going to be talking to teens about stewardship and that they can give their time if they have nothing else.”
“That’s a good idea,” I said.
“Well you know that time can mean as an acronym? It can mean Things Individuals Might Experience. When we give our time others might experience things they wouldn’t otherwise.” The man went on to tell me of a time when he was in his early 20s and went to visit his grandmother for a week. And together they made a quilt. It was something his grandmother loved to do, and it was a special time she cherished with her grandson. Many years later his grandmother has passed away, but it is something he cherishes still. A thing that he might not have experienced had he not given his time to someone he loved.
Sometimes giving something to others is giving something to God. One time I was leading a children’s sermon and asked the children what God looked like. This rambunctious little boy raised his hand up high and said, “God looks like me.” “Why do you say that?” I asked. “Because God lives in me,” he said with assurance of a sage much older than he was then or is now. He was right, God lives in him, and me, and you. When we give our time, we give things individuals might experience. And truly one such individual is always God. What will we give?
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What has God given you? King David spoke these words do they still ring true? Who are we that we should presume to give something to God? What have you given back to God? What will you give back?
On Monday I went to visit with a family. It was a good visit. We shared family stories, we caught up, we laughed, it was nice. At one point someone broke in, “Hey Garrett, I think I really have to tell you this, I think God wants me to tell you this.”
“Alright,” I responded.
“I am going to be talking to teens about stewardship and that they can give their time if they have nothing else.”
“That’s a good idea,” I said.
“Well you know that time can mean as an acronym? It can mean Things Individuals Might Experience. When we give our time others might experience things they wouldn’t otherwise.” The man went on to tell me of a time when he was in his early 20s and went to visit his grandmother for a week. And together they made a quilt. It was something his grandmother loved to do, and it was a special time she cherished with her grandson. Many years later his grandmother has passed away, but it is something he cherishes still. A thing that he might not have experienced had he not given his time to someone he loved.
Sometimes giving something to others is giving something to God. One time I was leading a children’s sermon and asked the children what God looked like. This rambunctious little boy raised his hand up high and said, “God looks like me.” “Why do you say that?” I asked. “Because God lives in me,” he said with assurance of a sage much older than he was then or is now. He was right, God lives in him, and me, and you. When we give our time, we give things individuals might experience. And truly one such individual is always God. What will we give?
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Thanks God All the Time
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (The Message)
Read the passage again, are you living that way? If not, why not? Have you tried thanking God no matter what happens? Why can we live this way if we live in Jesus?
This story was e-mailed to me:
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.
That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. I wrote: ‘Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.’" Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
A lot of life is how we look at it. Now don’t get me wrong, that is not all of life. But sometimes we get so down about what we do not have, we forget about what we do have. A friend told me about seeing a little boy watching his father complaining in a store about all what life had dealt him and his family. The poor boy started crying and his dad angrily said, “Why are you crying?” He hugged his father’s leg and said, “Daddy you have me.” We each have great reasons to give thanks and to rejoice, let’s hold onto them and thank our God that we have them at all!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Read the passage again, are you living that way? If not, why not? Have you tried thanking God no matter what happens? Why can we live this way if we live in Jesus?
This story was e-mailed to me:
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.
That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. I wrote: ‘Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.’" Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
A lot of life is how we look at it. Now don’t get me wrong, that is not all of life. But sometimes we get so down about what we do not have, we forget about what we do have. A friend told me about seeing a little boy watching his father complaining in a store about all what life had dealt him and his family. The poor boy started crying and his dad angrily said, “Why are you crying?” He hugged his father’s leg and said, “Daddy you have me.” We each have great reasons to give thanks and to rejoice, let’s hold onto them and thank our God that we have them at all!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Slowing Down...
“Be still, and know that I am God!” – Psalm 46:10
What does it mean to you to be still? How often are you still? Why do you think God is telling us here to be still? What does it mean to know that God is God?
The following is a prayer by the late author Wilferd A. Peterson.
Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, admidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music of the sighing streams
That live in my memory.
Help me to know
The magical restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations of slowing down to look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend or to make a new one;
To pat a stray dog,
To watch a spider build a web;
To smile at a child;
Or to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift;
That there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life's enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of my great destiny.
Sometimes being still means just slowing down a little bit. The Hebrew verb translated “be still” also means something like letting go. We often try to keep pushing on in life in such a way that we forget that God is in control. Sometimes we just need to be still, to let go, to slow down, and let God be God so that we can rejoice in life’s little miracles.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
What does it mean to you to be still? How often are you still? Why do you think God is telling us here to be still? What does it mean to know that God is God?
The following is a prayer by the late author Wilferd A. Peterson.
Slow me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me, admidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music of the sighing streams
That live in my memory.
Help me to know
The magical restoring power of sleep.
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations of slowing down to look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend or to make a new one;
To pat a stray dog,
To watch a spider build a web;
To smile at a child;
Or to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift;
That there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life's enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of my great destiny.
Sometimes being still means just slowing down a little bit. The Hebrew verb translated “be still” also means something like letting go. We often try to keep pushing on in life in such a way that we forget that God is in control. Sometimes we just need to be still, to let go, to slow down, and let God be God so that we can rejoice in life’s little miracles.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
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