Perspective

I love to take pictures and while I was out today, I was simply observing life, looking for a shot, when I took these two photos.  People often ask me about photography and while there are a number of technical aspects, most of which I don't think about as much as I ought, I find that the most important thing about taking a good picture is seeing it - observing.  And then, framing the shot in just the right way.  Quite often the difference between a good photo and a great photo might be the difference in moving your body 3' one way or the other.  In other words, perspective.  While neither of these two pictures is going to make National Geographic or anything, I simply use them to illustrate the point...changing your perspective can dramatically change a picture.

Now take life for a moment; in another week I'll be preaching on Thankfulness and while I don't want to give away my message, I do want to make the simple point; thankfulness is ALL about perspective...how you choose to look at life or a certain situation.

For example, my health;

On the one hand...
- I have chronic back pain in my lower right side
- I have a fairly stiff neck most days
- I have daily sinus and allergy problems and can't remember the last time I took a clean breath in through my nose
- I have to wear glasses

On the other hand...
- I'm younger than my years
- I have no major medical problems; heart, lungs, limbs, etc. all work
- I am active and athletic, playing soccer once a week, hiking, and enjoying life
- I have never broken a bone in my life

Thankfulness...it's all about perspective.  Both lists are factual...focus on the first list, though, and I become resentful and frustrated, ultimately leading to a self-centered perspective.  Focus on the 2nd list, and I become thankful, worshipful, and focused on the Giver of all those gifts.

Thankfulness is the Foundation for Worship.

CHOOSE THANKFULNESS...

So Big...

3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:3-5)

Do you ever stop to consider how BIG God is?  The other day I was driving around thinking about Him and was struck by how Big He is and how small I am.  Specifically, what hit me were these thoughts;
- God created from nothing...man can create things and be creative, but we create from what is...God created from nothing...a vast, empty void
- God is bigger than earth.  Duh, you say, and you'd be right...but consider...He sees all, hears all, knows all.
- Not only is He bigger than earth, He is bigger than our entire known universe.  Whatever marks the "edge" of the universe, He is beyond that.

How small I am.  And yet...and yet, every hair on my head is numbered; and nothing escapes His notice.  What is man, that He is mindful of us indeed?  Who am I?  A speck?  A mist that is here and then gone?  What is my life?

If you dwell on these things too long, you run the risk of your mind imploding...however, the point is this; Perspective.  Perspective of who God is, How great He is, How loving and merciful He is, and the life He's called you too - these things lead to a life of peace.

The point?  He has crowned us with glory and honor; even Jesus says "the glory you gave me, I have given them."  It's amazing, isn't it?  Worthy of Worship and Awe.

The Beginning of Thanksgiving

3"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice..." (1 Peter 1:3-6a)

In a few weeks, I'll be preaching a message on Thanksgiving.  This past Sunday, I taught on "Weathering the Storm" - one of the keys to weathering any storm; in fact, one of the keys to a happy life in general is having a default mind-set of Thanksgiving.  And to put it simply, Thanksgiving starts with the gospel.  Read the above passage carefully...and consider, Peter is writing to a church that is experiencing persecution and trials.

Thanksgiving starts with the gospel...and what is that gospel?
- Praise be to God...Thanksgiving starts with praising God
- In His great mercy...It's recognizing that God made the 1st move...in HIS great mercy...
- New birth into a living hope...It's remembering what we were saved from...and what we were saved to
- Through the resurrection of Christ...Our new hope is made possible ONLY because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  If Christ is still in the tomb, our faith is dead...but He's not.
- Into an inheritance...This is incredible news.  We, Gentiles, have been grafted into the vine, adopted as sons and daughters with the full rights.  What rights?  The right to inherit the kingdom of God
- Who through faith are shielded by God's power...When you walk into that inheritance, you also walk into the protection of God.  His power shields us...
- In this you greatly rejoice...The book-end.  We start with praise, we end with praise.

Thanksgiving starts with the "good news" of the kingdom of God and His rescue of all of us.  When is the last time you pondered that message?

Take a moment and quiet your heart, and "be thankful."

Where Have I Been?

Resting...

"When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place." (Matthew 14:13)

Life has come at me pretty hard lately, and necessitated some time of rest.  Even Jesus needed to rest...and so I've taken some time the past 3 weeks to rest.

That short passage above comes right on the heels of Jesus hearing about the beheading of John the Baptist.  It has struck me a bit, lately, and comforted me...to see the example of Jesus...when things got heavy, he would get away and rest.

Resting encompasses a lot of things; it's both saying "no" and saying "yes."  It's saying "no" to the things that drain you, to the things that aren't quite so important, and saying "yes" to things that bring life, to things that bring you closer to Christ.

Resting is a discipline...it is hard to do...especially in our "works based" American model of living which goes something like this; work hard = success.  Rest is not a priority in our culture...

But rest IS a priority in God's Culture.  6 days He created, and on the 7th, He rested.  And so God set aside the 7th day and made it holy.

I encourage you, friend, take some time to "rest" - say "no" and say "yes."  You'll be amazed at what happens.

"Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. " (Isaiah 40:31 NASV)

When you're in the muck...

Life tends to come at you in waves; as one very wise person said, "the rain falls on the righteous and the un-righteous."  Lately, I've gone through and am going through a season of loss...the rain has been falling.  To pick up where my last post left off, my dear grandmother went home to be with the Lord on August 28th.  Her loss leaves a big hole in our family, and in my heart...magnified by the unexpected loss of my Mother nearly 2 years prior to the day.  So yes, I'm in a bit of a season of loss...and much of what I write on this blog is therapeutic for me...However, I want to be clear...it is to the Lord that I turn to find comfort in His Word.  In particular, three specific Scriptures have helped me during a difficult time

2 Chronicles 16:9: "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

From Psalm 34:
"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and
his ears are attentive to their cry...
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

From Psalm 42:
"Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God."

How do you respond when life begins to overwhelm you?  While I don't claim to have all the answers...or even any of the answers, I do know this; God's Word, His promises will stand the test of time.  And it is there that I find Words of comfort, Words of strength, Words of compassion and empathy, and Words of hope.  I don't have much to write today, but I can point you to those same Words...Words of Life.

These three Scriptures have brought me Hope in the midst of pain...where do you turn when you are empty?

Hope in the Midst of Sorrow...

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." (James 1:2-4).

Grief...2 years ago, August 23, my mother unexpectadly and abruptly left this earth.  Last year, my wife and I lost our first "un-born" child (a mis-carriage)...this year, my grandmother is about to join them in heaven.  I expect the call any minute, any hour, that she has left this planet.  Some people have grandparents who live in another state and visit on the holidays...not so for me.  I only knew one set of grandparents; (My Mom's parents were dead before I was gorn).  "Boomp and Grammie" have been a huge part of my life since the day I was born...and my life is full of memories with both of them.  I am not ready for her to leave...

It was with a heavy heart that my reading took me to James this morning.  While I realize that James is referring to trials and tests in the context of the church being persecuted, I also realize that I am in a time of "pressure" in another way.  What stuck out to me about my reading this morning were these words; "under pressure, your faith-life is forced out into the open and shows its true colors..."

In a few days, maybe a week, I will be officiating the memorial service for my dear grandmother.  Not all of my family are believers...and so I pray that during this time, my "faith-life" shows its true colors and that I am able to convey hope in the midst of sorrow.

I write all of this because it helps me process...and because I know that some who read this are grieving as well.  Jesus was a man familiar with suffering, sadness and grief...I take comfort in that.  My goal is not to be "fake" or pretend that I'm ok...I'm not.  I'm close to tears 24 hours a day.  However, beneath the grief, beneath the sorrow, beneath the sadness, I have a firm foundation...a hope called Jesus Christ.  And in times like this, I cling to this hope...the hope of a new life to come, a new earth, a new body, and being reunited with my Mom, my grandparents, my child, and most of all, my Savior.

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." - Jesus (John 16:33)

Been awhile...

Ok, so its been awhile since I've posted...what can I say?  :-)

Actually, I've been busy (like everyone) and also a little down.  It seems that life has taken a turn for the "harder" lately, and so it was on one rainy morning, (the only rainy morning we've had lately), that the Holy Spirit brought to mind this Scripture...

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
       Why so disturbed within me?
       Put your hope in God,
       for I will yet praise him,
       my Savior and ⁶ my God. (Ps 42:5-6)

I have taken those words to heart...literally, to my heart.

When life gets hard, the answer is never to just "try harder" - the answer is to rest in the Sovereignty and Love of God...and I chose those words intentionally.

Sovereignty: God is all seeing, all knowing, all present, and always in control...
Love: He describes Himself as a God of Love.

Put those two things together, and you have a God that you can trust and rest in.

So if you're in that place, then I encourage you to do as I have done lately; rest, wait patiently on the Lord, and put your hope and trust in Him...He will never fail you.