Small

Sometimes we just get so wrapped up in the world and all its problems (and ours) that, I don’t care if you go to church every single day and are in ten small groups, we get wrapped up the “bigness” of it all and consumed by how seemingly small we are. And we're left with that nagging feeling we're unable to really do anything about it. Any of it.

But, know this, it doesn’t phase Jesus. Not one bit. In fact, I think he enjoys showing His people who is in control. There are many examples of this throughout the Bible, but one of the best is in John 6: 1-14. I know you know this passage, probably by heart, but read through it again. I want to point out a couple things.

“Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

Jesus sets up the this scene just to prove a point to his disciples. In pure Jesus fashion, there is a problem, a big problem, and Jesus approaches it by asking a simple, casual question, “Gosh, how are we going to feed all these people?” His disciples response? Well, they kind of freak out. Note Phillip’s reply, “...eight month’s wages isn’t enough for each person to have a single bite!” Like I said, they freak out a little. Hey, don't we all.

So that’s the set up. Jesus is again against the impossible. I can almost hear one of the disciples muttering, “We...are in trouble.” while another looks around for the quickest escape route. And it’s at this point Jesus does His thing. With what? Read through the passage again. With a (small) boy. With five small loaves of bread. And two small fish.

Overwhelming circumstances? Jesus comes through using three small, ordinary items to do, not just the impossible, but the unfathomable. And He could have left it at that. Fed the people. Preached a little and headed on to the next town. And it would still have been amazing. But – and this is key – Jesus being the Great Teacher told his disciples to fill up baskets with what was left over after everyone had had their fill. In the end, they loaded up twelve baskets of abundance. Twelve. Why twelve? Perhaps Jesus wanted his disciples to each carry a basket to the next stop to hammer home the point and leave no doubt – that He takes on our impossible and leaves His abundance.

So this week, come up with some areas in your life where you feel you feel you're too small or life is too big for you to handle right now. And then pray, honestly and openly, that Jesus demonstrates how He can work in your life to conquer the impossible. To show you He is in control. So you can experience His abundance in your life. And carry it with you always.

Day Four

Welcome to Day Four.

The day after the big Easter extravaganza. After the pageantry and the triumphant choir. After the pastor’s declaration of the Good News which was met with a round of jubilant cheers from the congregation.

Yes this is Day Four, the real start of the journey. And that’s exactly what it is – a journey. No fanfare. No infectious songs resonating in your head. No “church high” to keep you pumped up. Now is when the real work begins. To start walking day by day in an honest relationship with Christ. As of today, you’re not walking alone, you’re walking with him.

And that is hard.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a new Christian or been one for decades, it’s the journey itself that is so, so difficult. Because life gets in the way and tries to wear you down until you’re right back where you were, if not a little worse off. You make a commitment to have some quiet time each day. Or read a small passage in the Bible every morning. Or subscribe to a daily devotion like “The Daily Bread” with the very best of intentions of sticking with it. Yet, just like the dusty treadmill in the corner of your basement, the self-help financial book that you never finished reading or that closet you keep swearing you’re going to reorganize, it becomes less and less of a priority.

And in a month, maybe two, you find you’re right back where you started. Just kind of “there” spiritually. “Blah” and unfulfilled. Still craving to know what Jesus is all about. Wishing you could have even something moderately resembling a relationship with him. Or maybe, you simply want to know if he’s real.

So what do you do? You get honest. With yourself and God. You don’t worry about what you’re not or where you are in life. Sure, life’s taken you on some bad rides and beat you down. And you’ve had your own share of missteps along the way. Don’t worry about it. The Bible is full of people like that. And that’s exactly why God chose them. He always picks the unlikely, the marginalized, even the screw ups to prove His point. That He is real. The He is in control. And that He is still at work today.

And all he wants is a relationship – a real, open, honest, continuous relationship – with you.

So, us being honest and all, here’s the million-dollar question to start off your journey: what is it you really want out a relationship with Christ? Take a minute to think about that. Be honest and don’t just give the typical Sunday School answer here. Dig deep and tell God what you’re looking for. What do you really want out of this relationship...this journey?

Then (and remember, we’re being honest here) what can you put into that relationship right now? Ten minutes a day? Half an hour a couple times a week? Your lunch break on Wednesdays? A bi-weekly small group? Whatever it is, it’s ok. Because five honest minutes building a solid relationship with Christ is far better than a distracted hour in a small group. This is all about you and God, not trying to look good to others or doing all “the right things”. And certainly not about checking something off a to-do list.

Got those two questions answered? Good. Now walk. With him. Baby steps at first. Don’t expect too much from yourself right out of the gate. And if it takes some time and some work to find your unique rhythm as to what works best to have that honest, open time with Christ, don’t worry about it.

Just don’t quit. Keep walking. Keep going. Just walk with him. A little more every day. Until your simple walk becomes a journey. A journey you’re sharing with him.

Day Two

Let’s go back. Before marshmallow eggs. Before the Easter Bunny. Before little girls wore festive bonnets.

Let’s go back to the day after Jesus was crucified. And the day before his resurrection. That, Day Two, is a day that’s rarely spoken of but the one I’m most intrigued by.

Here’s why: Imagine yourself as a follower of Christ in that time. Maybe you’ve been around him. Maybe you’ve heard him speak. Maybe you were a leper, a widow or a begger for whom he had performed a miracle. What if you were one of the masses that saw him do miraculous things. You heard him, in person, say radical, yet Godly, things. You saw Him preach and something inside of you just believed in Him.

“This is the guy...this is truly The Messiah.”

And yet today, on Day Two, He’s lying there in a tomb. Left to rot and fade away.

Now, let me ask you, where is your faith today (“today” being Day Two)?

Is it lost? Is it teetering? Are you having second thoughts about Him? Don’t forget, he’s risen others from the dead, yet He himself is dead. How does your mind process this?

What would you honestly be feeling? It’s hard, I know. And after the shock and horror of Jesus being beaten, mocked and crucified, Day Two creeps in and the realization hits you – Jesus is dead. And you’re left to either still believe in Him or let doubt take over.

Now here comes the heavy part, for a lot of us it’s Day Two everyday. We struggle to believe things will get better. We know Jesus can cure, can enable, and make us whole again. We’ve read about it, maybe even seen it for ourselves. But where is He today? Is He really still alive? Where is He when we struggle with our jobs? With our marriages? To simply make it through the week?

We struggle just to hang on, to cling to something lined with truth and hope and pray that Jesus is still alive. That He still works miracles. That He still heals. And most importantly, that He can work in our lives like He worked in others.

For you, I want to tell you one thing – Day Three is coming for you. Know that. Own it. Don’t let doubt and cynicism creep in. Don’t let your past dictate your future. Because, please believe this, your Day Three is coming. Your own resurrection. Your own miracle. Your own “walking out into the light when everyone else had you pegged for dead”.

Because Jesus did rise on Day Three. He fulfilled the prophesies and His own promises to His followers. He showed the stark contrast between life in Him and trying to live in the world. He showed once and for all that nothing – not even death – can stop Him or derail His plans.

And yes, He does have plans for you.

So this weekend between your observation of Good Friday and the celebration of Easter, I want to encourage each of you to spend some time on Saturday thinking what it would have been like for you personally over 2000 years ago. On Friday, they took your Messiah away, tortured and beat him until he bled out. And today, Day Two, you have no knowledge of what’s to come. Are you still believing in Jesus? Or having your doubts?

Do that and let me assure you, when you hear the Good News on Day Three, it will mean more to you than it ever has before. Be more “real” and deepen your faith. So you can experience your own Day Three. And know Jesus is alive and walking with you every day from here on out.

Gauges

Mile marker 62. An hour outside Cincinnati. That’s when the oil pressure gauge in my truck started to flutter.

And I started to pray.

Now, I know it’s easy to dismiss someone else having car trouble. I’ve done it, we all do it. But when it’s you in trouble, well, well, well, that’s a whole 'nother story, isn’t it? And no matter how many Clint Eastwood films I’ve memorized, or Steve McQueen DVDs I own, I was doing everything I could to keep my cool.

Even though the engine was running fine – it sounded fine, it felt fine, no huge plumes of smoke coming out the exhaust pipe – the simple fact that that one single gauge wasn’t working right had me sweating. And praying. Hard.

After 15-20 minutes of borderline panic, I’d simply had enough and said, “No...I’m not going to be afraid. No, no, no. Not going to do it”. And I started praying if God wanted my truck to break down, for me to be even more behind at work, for me to rack up yet another tow charge and repair bill, well then fine, it’s His deal. But I didn’t think so. And all I got back was a soft, “Keep going...this is what having real faith is all about.”

“Real faith”. Uh-oh. Because my faith pretty much stinks. All God was asking me to do was to keep driving and have faith I would make it home ok. And all I wanted to do was bail.

Because faith is tough. We pray. We hope. We try to do the right things and hope we’re doing what God wants us to. But, for a lot of us, we keep looking for gauges in our life to “see” if everything’s ok or not. Which is the rub, because God is more interested in what we do in faith than acts of obedience or being “good”. It’s tough, trust me, I know. Sometimes it’s the hardest thing we can go through.

Just how important is faith to God? Check out Hebrews chapter 11. The first couple verses set it all up right out of the gate, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”

And what follows those verses is a laundry list of biblical “All Stars” as well as a description of how their faith led to their eventual greatness. Abel. Enoch. Noah. Abraham. And the list goes on and on. What’s interesting is the author makes sure to list the adversity each person went through first, then how their faith lead to their eventual success. Much more than simply saying “faith is good”, the author makes it crystal clear by listing first the struggle, then the glory. Check it out for yourself, I think it’ll really inspire you.

So here’s the deal. What I want for you, as well as myself, is to be more open with your faith, your white knuckle faith, in God. Sure, it makes you vulnerable. Open to failure. Takes the “control” out of your hands and gives it back to God. For some of you, it may be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, and that’s ok. But know this, God honors those who have faith in Him (again, read Hebrews 11). If He’s nudging you to do something in pure faith, it can be scary, it can be completely outside your comfort zone, and, it can be the best decision you ever made.

And He will get you through it, every single time. That’s what I learned. So then next time, you’ll be able to not look at your own gauges to “see” if everything is ok but instead, step out in faith to say, “Ok, God, I really do trust you. Let’s do this...together.”

Dreams

“Mama...what’s a pipe dream?”

That’s what she heard her little sister ask her mother through the kitchen door. But there she was, our dreamer, busy in the bedroom packing up all her worldly belongings into a hand-me-down suitcase to pursue acting in New York.

But this was the early 1950s. And she was living in a boarding house with her mother, grandmother and step sister in an impoverished area of California. Not exactly a guaranteed recipe for success, huh? Didn’t matter, because she was going for it. She was off to realize her dream. Her “pipe dream” as her mother had put it.

So, lemme ask you, do you have a pipe dream?

What’s that one reoccurring notion that lives with you day in and day out and is much more than just a self-serving wish, but more like a calling? That idea that’s more about purpose than about “you”? That initiative that you speak so passionately about, others around you can’t help but get excited about it as well?

Over the past month, I’ve had the pleasure meeting with several people who all have their own passionate calling, vision, business idea or ministry. They see a need. They want to act. To seek out an opportunity and go for it full throttle. Whether other people are whispering “pipe dream” in the next room is irrelevant to them. They’re planning, doing due diligence, making contacts and seeking advice to get things off the ground.

And this is why I’m bringing this up in this week’s “60”, God loves people who will follow Him blindly. Whether it’s something burning in your heart or you have your own “Voice from Heaven” experience, God seeks out the unlikely dreamers who have simple faith in Him and the guts to see it through. And the more room we leave for God to do the miraculous, the more miraculous it becomes.

Such was the case with Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a unlikely prophet from a obscure little village that God had preordained to guide His nation in a critical hour. That’s pretty heavy stuff for a young kid. It’s in Jeremiah, the very first chapter in fact, where God tells him audibly, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.” Again, pretty heavy stuff.

And Jeremiah, in very typical, human, “Who me?” fashion basically tells God that he’s not so sure if he can pull it off. He’s too young. He’s not eloquent enough. He doesn’t have enough experience. In short, “Thanks God, but I’m not sure if I’m the right guy for the job.”

But God presses on with Jeremiah, and in using yet another unlikely hero to get the job done, He does so in miraculous fashion. If you read through Jeremiah, you’ll find his message wasn’t terribly popular with the people. He was met with road blocks, the wrath of other prophets, even death threats from royalty as well as extreme resistance every step along the way. But God gave him enough to see him through to make His will happen, His message heard and His vision succeed.

Jeremiah 1:7-8 says,“‘Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the Lord.” Know that. God has a specific purpose and a specific plan for your life. God is there for you every hard, arduous step along the journey toward the dream. And He won't let you fail.

So this week, spend some time with God discussing your own dream and see what He has to say about it. If it’s the right time. If it’s even the right dream. And if it is, that He blesses and guides you as he did Jeremiah. Every single step along the way.

Because God loves a dreamer who follows Him. Whether your a prophet. An entrepreneur. A servant to others. Or, a pipe dreamer named Carol Burnett packing up your suitcase for New York City.

Fear

Fear. It sucks. And it sucks the life right out of you.

And right now, a lot of folks are living with a ton of it. Losing their jobs. Losing their homes. Losing their faith. Losing the life they once enjoyed.

Or, ok, let’s get a little more personal. Fear of failure. Fear of starting a new relationship. Fear a current relationship is on the rocks. Fear of being 50 years old and having no earthly idea what you’re supposed to do with your life. Fear of existing and never really living.

Me? I was living with fear solid for over two years. Day in. Day out. It was like trying to lose my own shadow, constantly right there with me driving everything I did and didn’t do. I'd started my own business and was living off unemployment and savings for the first year and was scraping up as many clients as possible to make it through Year Two. And it was tough, and it still is. But there comes a point...and I want you to know this 100%...there comes a point where it either breaks you or you break it.

And for me, this past Christmas morning was when it broke. Not me, “it”.

I had driven from Cincinnati into Evansville to play my recurring (and critically acclaimed) role of Santa Claus for my nieces and nephew. So after my 5:45 am showtime, I was driving back to my grandpa’s house when I was pulled over for speeding. The officer’s first question - no kidding - was,“Have you been drinking tonight?” I’d driven in from Cincinnati. I’d played the role of the Jolly Elf. But drinking at 6:30 on Christmas morning? No sir, I don’t believe so.

And here comes the fear part: After he took my license and was running it through the system, well, that was it. I just started shaking my head and gritting my teeth. I’d had enough. Now, it wasn’t just about getting nailed by a small-town speed trap. It was simply I’d had enough of living in fear. Period. And in a gut-level prayer I pretty much said as much. I was done. Had enough. Whatever happened, it was God’s show. But let it come, let’s get this over with and move on.

In Luke 8:40-56, we find that Jesus is being called by Jairus to heal his twelve-year-old daughter. Along the way, a sick woman touches his cloak and He pauses to ask, “Who touched me?”. He then begins talking with the woman. While Jesus is still talking to the now-healed woman, friends of Jairus come to tell him his daughter, his twelve-year-old daughter, is now dead.

Ok, let’s stop there. Time is running out for the girl, she’s gravely ill and Jesus, more than being slowed by a mob, is being held up by this woman who wants to be healed. There’s a girl dying nearby, in fact, she’s the reason Jesus came here in the first place and she’s going to die if he doesn’t get to her soon. But, instead, he’s chatting with this woman. How would you react? With fear or confidence?

That’s when Jairus’s friends tell him his daughter is dead. It’s no use. There’s no hope. In fact they say, “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

But here’s the spin. Jesus tells Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, the girl will be healed.” When they arrive at his house, the Bible says all the people were wailing in grief. But Jesus? He gets annoyed. Annoyed with the people crying and sobbing and carrying on and orders them to stop it (seriously, read it) and then tells the little girl to get up....which to everyone’s amazement, she does. Jesus even gives her something to eat just to show people how alive she really is.

And that’s what I want for you if you’re living with constant fear or even fear about certain aspects of your life. Life will tell you, “Don’t bother the teacher anymore”. That’s it’s no use. There’s no hope.

But Jesus, he’s no worried. He shows up and more than revives you, He feeds you as well. We just have to give it to Him, trust Him and believe in His word. Even after all seems lost and in the grave that He will revive you. Your spirit. Your hope. Your life.

Because He can. And He does. And all the while reminds us, "Don't be afraid".

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.