Thankful

Sometimes you just have to stop and be thankful.

And I’m not talking about the “sit-around-the-Thanksgiving-Day-table-and-take-a-turn-saying-thanks-for-Aunt-Hazel-and-her-cranberry-salad” kind of thankful. And not the “just-found-my-car-keys” or the “got-the-’A’-I-needed-to-cover-my-butt” thankful, either.

No, I’m talking about gut-level gratitude. Those times when your world slows down, maybe even stops, for a minute or two and the only thing you want to do is say, “Thank you, God. Really, thank you”.

See, if you’re anything like me, we get stuck in that rut where we pray (and sometimes half heatedly) and just kind of hope for the best. So we throw up a hollow prayer and it’s kind of like sticking a token in a slot machine. You hope you win big, that God answers your prayer...maybe even half-way answers it...but down below you’re pretty sure you won’t see a three of a kind. Usually you just get a pear, a plum and a lemon.

And then we conclude, “oh, it’s God’s will” and go about our life.

But then, then, there are the times when God comes through in big, huge, audacious ways that can only be attributed to Him. They can’t find any trace of the cancer. An opportunity that seemed like a wish too delicate to actually hope for presents itself. Haunting ghosts from the past diminish as you look around and see the sun shining on you.

All that...and it’s only Monday.

And for those experiences, for those times, for those kind of days, yeah, I have to stop and be thankful. And it means even more because I’m really lousy at praying.

Since I’m a writer, I know how to insert bullet points of necessary information into conversational prose. Add in some humor here, make a poignant point there and everything comes out sounding pretty good. But when I do that in prayer, it usually ends up as a clunky collection of words. Not from the heart at all. Just shallow. Superficial.

And I get frustrated and end up saying something like, “(*sigh*) God...I’m really crappy at this..so here’s what I’m thinking...who I want to pray for and I guess you’ll do whatever You want to do anyway. But whatever happens, just don’t let me get in Your way. Amen.”

But that’s the thing with God. He’s not looking for professional orators. He doesn’t care if you can recite Bible passages as you pray. He doesn’t care if you don’t "get it right”. It makes no matter whether you’re on a pulpit or a park bench. In a church or a Chinese restaurant. He just wants you.

A conversation, a relationship, with you. For you to be open. Honest. Trusting. Lay it on Him, He can take it. He knows your heart. He knows your past. He knows you fears, your dreams, your desires.

In short, He knows you. And He just wants you to know Him.

The only way to do that is with real, honest dialogue. With a real, honest God. And when we do that – be real with Him – that’s when the real prayer comes out. Answers come. And blessings begin.

And for that, yes, I am truly thankful.

So go ahead, have your own conversation with Him sometime this week. And just see what happens in your own life. I'm betting it's something you'll end up being grateful for.

Walker

Last weekend, I was back in my hometown and spent Sunday morning with my dad and step mom at church. The service opened with the 5-6 year old kids singing, “The B-I-B-L-E (Yes, That’s The Book For Me!)” on stage. And, in typical little kid fashion, most of them sang out of sequence, forgot the words, were clapping off beat or simply looking at the "Jumbotron" while their teachers tried to coax them through the song.

And as it happens with 5-6 year olds singing out of sequence, forgetting the words and clapping off beat, everyone in the audience was smiling. Parents were waving at their little performer and grandparents’ eyes welled up with tears. And, ok sure, I’m a sucker for little kids singing and clapping so I dug it, too. When they ending their arousing rendition of “B-I-B-L-E” the kids walked off the platform. Most of them waved to their parents and I, along with the rest of the congregation, gave them their due applause.

But then, I saw “her”. And as I write this, I still get chills.

See, as all the other kids were happily bounding off the stage, one little girl was hobbling towards the edge of the platform where her teacher brought out her walker, her child-sized walker. Dressed in her “Sunday best”, I hadn’t seen her leg braces before because they were hidden by the kids standing in front of her. But now there she was, teetering back and forth just to go a few feet to get to her walker. And my heart just went out to her (still does). And even though all the other kids had run off the stage and were no doubt half way to enjoying milk and donuts in their classroom, her teacher was there – right beside her – step by every slow, arduous step.

And for that, for her, I found myself clapping even louder.

Now for a lot of us, we’re like that those other kids. We’re a little off sequence, don’t get the words right half the time and find ourselves just kind of staring around looking for some kind – any kind – of guidance.

But then (and here comes the heavy part) there are the times when we’re the little girl with the leg braces. We’re having trouble “walking” on our own. It’s painful. It’s exhausting. Grueling. And it’s unfair because everyone else is out there running and jumping and here we are just trying to make it one more step. And then another. And maybe another. And we can’t even look at how far we have to walk or we wouldn’t even try.

But here’s the thing, you don’t have to. Not in Christ.

In the book of Luke (24: 13-35) we find the account of Jesus and the Road to Emmaus. Go ahead, crack open your own B-I-B-L-E and read it for yourself. The account is about two of Jesus’s followers who are walking to Emmaus after his Crucifixion and they are completely devastated, broken-hearted and numb. A “stranger” begins walking with them as they travel. Along their seven-mile route, the two disciples of Christ speak with this stranger about Jesus, who He was, what He did and about their pain of the loss of their Teacher.

Upon arriving to the small town, they ask their new acquaintance to stay for dinner and shortly afterward, the stranger leaves. It’s then and only then that they recognized that it was in fact Jesus walking with them the whole time. They didn’t see Him. They didn’t recognize it as Him until He left. But it was Him, walking with them, step by every slow, arduous step on their journey.

Because like any good Teacher, He’s walking with you in the hard times, running with you in the good, but always....always...right there stride for stride. Not just for a few steps or even a couple miles, but throughout your entire journey.

So here’s the challenge: Welcome Jesus into more of your own walk this week and see what happens. Just welcome Him. And see if your steps aren’t a little easier, a little lighter, and your journey isn’t a little better. Each step along the way.

Wind

The wind. Today it's not kind or pleasant, it's an adversary.

Because it's the wind that came in violent blasts on my drive home and tossed my truck around at will. It's the wind that's taken out power in complete sections of town. It's the wind snapping limbs from trees. Because sometimes, that's what the wind does.

Sometimes that's what life does. It pushes you around. Bullies you. And wears you down.

And you didn't even see it coming.

For some of us, it's like the past year, maybe more, has just been one big wind storm. A loss of a job. Someone you love becomes ill. The stress of a thankless job. You look around and it's just one more thing to deal with, one more burden for you to manage, one more thing on a "to do" list you already didn't have time to do.

And, like the wind, you never even saw it coming.

In Matthew 14: 22-33, we find the disciples, "... in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw Him, they screamed in terror, thinking He was a ghost. But Jesus spoke to them at once.

"It is all right," He said, "I am here. Do not be afraid." Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it is really You, tell me to come to you by walking on water." "All right, come," Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and grabbed him. "You do not have much faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?" And when they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped...

Here's what I want to point out in this account – sometimes, sometimes, a blessing can be terrifying at first. And Jesus simply says, "I am here. Do not be afraid".

And Peter, trusting Jesus, steps out on faith and onto the water. Then the waves kick up and, *wham*, the rug gets pulled out from underneath him. He was doing alright, trusting Jesus, and now he's sinking, just hoping Jesus will save him. And instantly, He does. Jesus reaches out to grab Peter first, then calms the winds.

Which is what I want you to know, the very promise I hope you land on every day of your life – Jesus puts you first. He reaches out and grabs on to you instantly. Without a second thought. No hesitation. The wind...the waves...that's not His focus, you are. Know that. He will calm those in time, but His first instinct is to grab you and keep you safe no matter how bad the storm.

So as I write this tonight, winds howling and sirens wailing in the distance, I'm thinking about what it must have been like on that lake that night with the disciples. More importantly, I'm thinking what wind storms are raging in your life right now. And I just pray that you know Jesus is reaching out for you and puts you first. Always.

Life will beat on you, bully you and try to bury you. But Jesus will reach down and grab on tight and tell you, "It is all right, I am here. Do not be afraid."

Until suddenly, the wind isn't quite as scary anymore.

Shoes

So after Outreach last weekend my friend Fran and I were talking about some LA La Viña stuff and “So how’s your life?” stuff in the VCC Atrium when a guy that volunteers their started talking to us. The first thing I noticed about him was that he was wearing one slipper and one worn sneaker. As he talked to us and asked how Outreach went, my curiosity got the best of me and I bluntly asked, “Dude, what’s the deal with the slipper?”

He told us he’d had a fire in his apartment and the sneakers he was wearing were all he had. But someone had found one orphan slipper so he had “one good shoe...one not so good”. And it didn’t really bother him, this whole mismatching of the shoes. In fact he seemed more grateful for the nice slipper than worried about the worn shoe. I say worn, but I should say “shot”, a flip flop would have been more foot protection.

When he told me what size shoe he wore, I told him to hang out a minute. Because, wouldn’t you know it? He wore the same size shoe I do and I had a pair of hiking boots in my truck. When I gave them to him, he didn’t really seem to know how to respond. He was happy, sure, but wasn’t sure how to express it. And I knew exactly why.

Because, see, for a lot of us we just get used to dealing with stuff on our own. And just kind of think, “Hey, that’s how it is” and we soldier on, getting through the weeks and the days just “dealing”. For some, it’s carrying the scars of an unpleasant past, for others it’s trying to make it to the next paycheck and for others, well, you know your struggles, you know what I’m trying to get at. And so it goes, we just get through life and “deal”.

Except we don’t. We coexist with it until it numbs our senses and dulls our spirit.

And we need someone to ask us, “Dude, what’s the deal with the slipper?” That’s the first part.

The second part is accepting the gift. And, believe me, not everyone does this. I know I haven’t very well in the past but am getting better (i.e. the super cool Oakley sunglasses my neices and nephew got me for Christmas). My friend wasn’t quite sure how to respond to a simple gift of hiking boots and that’s ok, at least he accepted them. Not just when I handed them to him, but when I saw him wearing them later that day. His life had improved simply because he no longer needed to “deal” with worn out, mismatched shoes anymore, he was moving on in his life and leaving his burden in the trash.

And that’s what I want to talk to you about today. We all “deal” with stuff, just take it on ourselves, try to make the best of it and hope for the best. And that’s not the way God works. God wants a full-on relationship with you, not one where you think something is too small for Him to care about or He’s too busy or has better things to address.

He cares about you. Not just in the emergency, big times. But in the small ones. The minute ones. And especially the ones that drain your spirit, dull your joy and siphon your faith. Now, be sure He will allow struggles and hardships to make you better and draw you closer to him, but even then He wants you to give it to Him. All of it. Good. Bad. Benign. He wants it all from you, so He can give you His all. And real life.

In Matthew 11: 28-30 Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Gentle. Humble. Giving. And wanting to take your burden. Lighten your day. You, at rest.

Sound like something you want in your life?

So here is my challenge for you this week, I want you to think about how you react when people offer you gifts. A Coke. A present. A free dinner. Love and acceptance. Not just how to react to them, but how you react internally. And see if you need to work on your “acceptance skills” a little (I’m getting better at it). Then, I want you to spend some time with God thinking of your own worn out shoes that your dealing with and the “old worn out shoes” you no longer need. And then give them to Him. You don’t need them anymore. They’re worn out and wearing you out. Seriously.

Because just like Saturday, He’ll find a way to get you shoes that are a perfect fit and imporve your walk with Him. With a perfect love that never fails. And a perfect God that wants to take your burdens and make you perfect in His image. Every step along the way.

Have a great week!

A World Opened

"A door closed, and a world opened."

Ever felt like that? Or do you wish you could feel like that?

I've been on both sides of that coin in my life, more often looking at the closed door than the opening.

But this is a quote from Sean McHugh who started the year off with the Detroit Lions, got cut by the team, and is now playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers (yes, Sean Michael Murphy, you may wave your Terrible Towel, sir).

Now, I know it's easy for us to look at McHugh and say, "Oh, must be nice" and dismiss it. But when you peel back the layers and dig into the whole story, you find out what a gut-wrenching journey he and his family have been on. See, Sean thought he was on the Lions roster solid, so he and his wife bought their first house. Then they found out she was pregnant with their second child. So new house, another child on the way and playing NFL football. Pretty much a dream life.

That is until he was called into the team president's office. And cut. From the worst team in NFL football. Can you imagine that? You're not good enough to play for the Lions? So here is Sean, cut from the lowly Lions organization, no guarantee of a salary, much less the league's minimum $520,000 a year. A baby on the way in addition to an 18-month old son counting on him. His wife depending on him. With just a small savings in the bank. And now they have to sell the house they just bought during one of the worst housing markets in ages.

A door definitely closed on Sean.

But then God showed up. And he got a call that changed his life from the Pittsburgh Steelers. They wanted him to try out, see what he could do. Now, let's pause there a second and lemme ask you this, if you had just been cut from the lousiest, cancer-ridden team in the league and got one shot to try out for one of the most elite squads in all of football history, how would you approach it? What would your mindset be? How much would you put into it?

For Sean McHugh, I'm guessing he gave it everything he had and it's turned out alright for him this year. Now, don't think he's out of the woods because he only has a year contract with the Steelers, so he very well may be cut again and trying out for another team next season. Maybe even the Lions. But he's focused on this Sunday, because he's playing in the Super Bowl.

Matthew 7:7-8 declares, "Be so persistent in your requests to God. Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, those who seek find, and to those who knock, the door will be opened wide."

Or in Sean McHugh's case, open to a whole new world.
Now, here comes the challenge for this week. I want you to think of the doors that have been closed in your life in order for God to show you your "whole new world". And I'm asking you to spend some time with God talking about that whole new wide-open world and, just like Sean, make the best of it. Just you and God, not pining about what could have been or toiling about who did you wrong. Just spending time with The One who does you right and creates opportunities for you that you could never have done yourself. Every single day. I bet you'll be moved. And impressed. And encouraged. And stop seeing the closed door and see the wide open opportunity God is giving you.

So have a great weekend, enjoy the Super Bowl and I don't know about you, but if I see #49 hit the field on Sunday, I'm gonna be rooting for that guy. And watch how he makes the best of his chance of a lifetime.

I pray you make the best of yours too. With God.

One Shot

A gut check. That's what I received for taking a 15-minute break. God's "velvet boot" kicking me gently, but ever so effectively, in the kiester to help me gain a truer perspective. Funny how He does that with me. Often.

See, it's been a long, l-o-n-g week. Long hours. Short deadlines. Pressure. And other projects backing up. So today – correction – tonight, I'm running out of gas. Worn down. Spirit fading and desire slowly sliding into a slight state of "numb". So I decided to watch the news for a break. I'm allowed that, right?

So there I am, watching the news, martyring myself and the week when the news does a feature of ProMujer.org. Pro Mujer gives micro loans to poor, yet enterprising, women in Latin America who literally have nothing. Women who were seen as second-class are given small loans to start their own businesses so they (and their children) can survive. The woman the news highlighted lives in Bolivia and through her loan, started her own bakery.

(Warning: here's where the "velvet boot" comes in, kids.) She works, get this, 20 hours a day (no, that's not a typo). 20. Because she's committed to making sure her business doesn't fail. In fact, she now has a few employees (including her husband!) and she hopes to get a car to expand her business soon. And during the interview, she never stopped working - or smiling. Because someone gave her a $17 loan, she can make her own way and in her words, "have dignity".

(BTW – It was at that moment I began to feel small and sheepish.)

So here's the deal. I am tired. Run down and a bit mentally spent for the day. But I can't go to bed without telling you about these couragous, wonderful women. Go check out the web site (ProMujer.org) and I promise you you'll be inspired by their stories. And their perseverence. They dig deep. They only asked for one chance to prove themselves - one chance - and are making good on their promise.

And I can't stress this enough, that's all God wants from you. For you to take a chance on Him.

Just to give Him one shot...one chance to prove Himself to you. For my friend Todd who's 15-year-old son has undergone 41 operations in his short lifetime... and no "expert" thought he'd live to see 15...there's God showing what He can do with His one shot. For a lady who even a short while ago was afraid to pray for people out loud who is now a beloved Outreach leader and tears down cultural walls and hardened barriers with a hug, God's shown her the awesome power what His love can do.

Mark 10:27 says, "Looking at them, Jesus said, 'With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.' ". I want you to print out, copy, jot down that verse for this week and keep it handy. Just keep it in the forefront. Not to memorize it or as some weird "Bible verse chant", but know what it means. To you. From God. "...for all things are possible with God." "With" as in, "you and Him working together."

I know many of you are tired and need the refreshing waters of Christ. Need to know God's promises of protection and deliverence...provision...

rest...peace...favor, all that and more. And He will provide. But He needs you to take a chance on Him (and that's not always easy, I know. Trust is not my strong suit.)

Because here's the deal, God doesn't quit. God doesn't break. God doesn't blink. And God works His will 24/7 and relishes the time you spend with Him. And working His miracles in your life. All because you trust and take a chance on Him.

Which, ironically, isn't chance at all.

Esther

"And if I die, I die."

Suddenly the account of Esther goes from Cinderella to something more Shakespearean.

Esther, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks. The poor girl whose name means "star". The girl raised by a lowly porter, whose chance of "making it big" were infinite to none.

But there she stood, as a queen, grieving inside the King's palace. A queen with an entire race's fate weighing on her petite shoulders. Because on the other side stood Haman. A man, corrupt and morally bankrupt, who stood as the king's greatest advisor. Haman wanted genocide against the Jewish people because one Jew, Mordecai, wouldn't bow to him. Because of that one defiant act, Haman set out to eradicate every Jew in the land. He had the time. He had the place. And the support of a most powerful king to set his plan into motion.

The only thing standing in his way was a pretty Jewish girl.

And there she stood, perhaps on her balcony of the king's palace which, by the way, the palace foundation alone spanned two and a half acres and rose five stories. I imagine an emotionally torn, grieving Esther looking over the kingdom, her people, her Jewish people knowing she can't simply walk in and ask for an audience with the king, but she must. To do that would show disrespect and could have grave consequences (as it had for her predecessor) but she must act. She must talk to the king to save her people.

"And if I die, I die."

Aside from the words of Jesus, there are few more powerful words spoken throughout the entire Bible. "And if I die, I die." Make no mistake here, Satan had chosen his person to carry out his will, Haman. The king's advisor, a man swayed by egotistical whims who had the power to carry out devastating orders with ease. But in the other corner, ah, the other corner, God chose a woman. A Jewish woman. Two things that carried a serious "second class" label in those days.

God chose Esther. And her response to the peril was, "And if I die, I die." Historians reveal that it was Haman's own pride and egocentric ways which sprung his own trap on himself and led the the unraveling of his plan. Satan had his player. God chose His. And once again, it was the most unlikely hero with whom God proved the victor.

Now, besides being a wonderful account of true events in history (you can visit the palace Esther lived in today), what strikes me is Esther did what was right. Period. It wasn't easy. It wasn't going to make her popular amidst the influential people in the palace. But it was right. She did what she knew she was meant to do, risking her own life in the process, and letting God do the rest.

Which brings me to this: In our world where we hear of corrupt politicians, greedy CEOs and "ethics" seem more like a nice ideal than something held dear, know this. This isn't anything God hasn't seen before, hasn't dealt with before and hasn't beat before. He sets things according to His plan. Always. And He wins.

All He asks is you do the right thing and He'll do the rest. And you may die. Socially. Financially. Professionally. That's the risk He may ask you to take at one time or another in your life. Heavy thought? Sure. But God will have His way by working with you or someone else. He chose someone whose name means "star" over 2,500 years ago to put His will into motion. And her selfless act is celebrated today.

What will you do when he calls your name?