Month: April 2022

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Exhausted but fulfilled.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.” Luke‬ ‭6:20-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is something uniquely holy and all together supernatural about doing God work. Jesus had an entire night of prayer, talking with God about all that was happening and all that would happen.

I’ve had a few talks with my sons and daughters. I’d say, “how’d you’re day go?” They would tell me the good and more frustrating parts of their day. These updates are often filled with highs and lows, sadness and hilarity. Then it would move on to “what’s up next?” Oftentimes it would be a list of upcoming events or plans. But sometimes it would be a conversation about dreams and aspirations – and I would drink it in like a tall glass of watermelon iced tea.

After spending a night on the hill, Jesus called his team together and gave twelve of them a group name – you’ll be called Apostles, he said – Messengers, ones sent on a mission.

THEN Jesus comes down to start his day job – healing the sick and kicking demons out of humans. Luke, the doctor, wants us to know that it was hard work, exhausting work because he says, “Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.” Hmmm, and he healed everyone? An exaggeration? I doubt it.

Whew, after a night of prayer, a quick but earth-shattering pep-talk with his people and a full day of supernatural power coming out of his soul. Jesus… what? Collapses? No, he gives a summary of the day to his team. He goes over the purpose of mission, the why behind what he’s there for and the template that these newly appointed Apostles would follow later on. He gives to them the quick outline of what the crowd produced in Jesus after a hard day’s work. The beginning of the be-attitudes.

God blesses, blesses, blesses those who are: poor, hungry and crying. These are not just physical deficiencies, they are deep cravings of the soul! Jesus reminds his team, there are those walking among you who are living below the physical and spiritual poverty level. There are those lacking daily physical and spiritual nutrients and are malnourished. And there are those who are physically and spiritually broken, who wake in pain and cry all day long. Jesus is saying this is why he came. Jesus is saying, this will soon be your mission to bless by healing, feeding and consoling. It was a very full day indeed! Prayer is exhilarating, people are exhausting. Welcome to the life of every believers day.

PRAYER:

Dad,
Whoa. That’s quite a day in the life of Jesus! It rattles my reality when I think of the desperation in our culture, the deep longing and searching for relief and something to dull the pain of a purposeless life or far worse. I think of folks in failing relationships, those trapped in addictions to self medicate and perpetually seeking even a moment of peace or a second to quiet their soul. I know people in constant physical pain who wake up wishing their life, their world would change. And to realize that you BLESS those in these dark and lonely places? Well, that’s amazing. And to imagine that you’ve called me to be a messenger, an ambassador of hope? Wow, that’s powerful.

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Birthday Card Blessings

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the Lord answer all your prayers.” Psalms‬ ‭20:4-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is one of these sweet easy-going prayers of blessing brought to you by King David himself. These collections of songs are an incredible legacy and constant reminder for anyone who loves life filled with both the highs of delight and also the lows of crushing disappointment.

In the past I’ve had the delight of signing birthday and anniversary cards for hundreds of people. While I was working for Royal Family KIDS, I was signing about 500 cards a year. Now, while Pastoring in Lakewood, California once again I am signing a few less, but still a lot. Every year I pick a reminder verse to write in each birthday card. I love celebrating people and when I write in their cards I think of the very best and highest ways to let them know why they are so loved.

This is one of those passages I will keep and write in cards for 2023. For 2022, I already chose Psalm 90:17 which talks about the favor of God being poured out. These verses, here in this Psalm, are just the thing we need to be reminded of on a regular basis. David’s victory banner in this case will be a birthday banner both celebrating the past and pronouncing a blessing on the future. And, may the Lord truly answer all your prayers – especially the ones that line up with what God already wants to see happen!

PRAYER:

Dad,
Life is so wildly good and unpredictable. And, it is also so hard and filled with deep disappointment. I can’t say that I like or enjoy sin, sickness, wars, division or injustice in our world. But, I can say that all the bad certainly gives perspective and balance compared to the beauty. How interesting that our freedom as human beings yields such a vast disparity between what we can behave like and what we end up behaving like towards you and each other. We all share the strongest bond of commonality as people – flesh and blood, yet we divide based on where we live, when we were born and things like wealth, power and status. We’re an interesting creation to say the least. I know one day you will make it all right, and allow us to experience the innocence of unity, wonder and love when you make our old world completely new. I look forward to that day.

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Maybe you never belonged? Ouch!

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.” 1 John‬ ‭2:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Pastor John…Apostle John, writes some pretty brutal truth in his three short letters to the Church. He’s no longer that sweet, innocent guy that leaned on Jesus’ chest at the last supper.

He’s older, wiser and has experienced the explosive growth of the early church as thousands of people believed in Christ and began gathering together for common good. He now wields truth like a well trained swordsman, and he’s deadly accurate with it. Who are these people who left? They are those who are falling away in the end times, those lured by worldly cravings or have settled to believe the lies of many antichrists. He also mentions a way that you can KNOW that things just aren’t right with you and God – it’s a compelling pull from the Holy Spirit. “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.”

John ties in a hard truth about our faith, belief and certainly our behavior. If we are not in fellowship with Christ, it will undoubtedly show up that we are not in fellowship with His Church.

There are statistics flooding in about the serious decline in church attendance. And there could be a good but not great argument that church attendance alone is a horrible indication or mark of a disciple. In other words, it’s very clear that you can sit in a pew or padded chair and win all the church attendance awards possible and not grow, develop or mature as a follower of Jesus at all!

However, I can tell you this NOT being in fellowship with other believers is a sure way to fall away from Christ. I hear story after story of those who had great excuses at first but then they turned into habits, which then turned into the awkward Christmas & Easter christian. The excuses were work (i’ve gotta make a living), sports (my kids must be on a team for their social development) and just tired all the time (Sunday is my only day to…. whatever fish, camp, sleep, game, bike, run, rest).

However, when I hear the truth of what happens in their life and definitely their family is this cool-to-cold passion for Jesus. There must be some correlation between ZERO fellowship with believers and little passion for the love of their life – Jesus! Folks aren’t becoming monks to drive out to the desert to pray and fast on Sundays, they’re just dropping out of the body of Christ.

John’s warning was an “end of days” sign then and it’s certainly true today. So, even though church attendance is a bad way to gauge maturity, it’s also a great way to watch a “falling away” in progress. I would be the first one to acknowledge there have been missteps, mistakes and hurtfulness from within the church. However by now you realize that’s because we’re human – not because the gathering of God’s people is bad! Our relationship with Jesus is primary. The church is THE way for our growth and gospel witness to form us into the image of Christ. It’s where we practice our faith, learning to love, pray, worship and be challenged by hearing God’s word TOGETHER.

Christianity is a cooperative community not a solo lifestyle. I would say you shouldn’t do the believer’s walk alone. John would say you CANNOT do it alone.

PRAYER:

Dad,
My heart aches for the sins of the church in our past. The way we judged, bickered, fought and abused our authority. But I’m also broken for those who would use those hurts as an excuse to walk away from you! I pray for unity. I pray for reconciliation among the family of God. I pray for a restored fellowship of believers. I pray that we would be one, just as you are one.

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Aaron’s first official day on the job!

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“Present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and wash them with water. Dress Aaron with the sacred garments and anoint him, consecrating him to serve me as a priest. Then present his sons and dress them in their tunics. Anoint them as you did their father, so they may also serve me as priests. With their anointing, Aaron’s descendants are set apart for the priesthood forever, from generation to generation.” Exodus‬ ‭40:12-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What a day. The level of attention to detail is astounding. God instructed Moses, talking to him of course, about exactly what he wanted and where he wanted each item to be placed. Then a whole other checklist of details for himself and the priests that would serve as hosts and mediators while in the desert and throughout all generations. This was a serious assignment.

This job came with serious consequences for error. I can almost imagine a sign posted as you approach the tabernacle reading like a safety record, “0 Deaths” while serving God this month.

Each and every detail had purpose behind it. Nothing was random and without design. It all seems to me as I read through the instructions of attending to the tabernacle, which would later transfer to the temple, it is overwhelming. But I’m sure there was slow, methodical checking and routines that made it possible. God wanted anyone that approached the place of covenant to be washed, dressed appropriately and anointed – all to be set apart, to be holy before God. None of this would have been taken lightly. It was very serious to be called to be a priest.

Here Moses mentioned the sacred garments, the uniform while on duty. It was also extremely detailed. The entire 28th chapter of Exodus covers it – “Make sacred garments for Aaron that are glorious and beautiful. Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service.” Exodus‬ ‭28:2-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

I love the idea of a generational anointing, a blessing setting them apart for service to God and to the people. I especially like the idea that this anointing for Aaron and his sons would be forever. Does that mean that even though Jesus fulfilled all the functions and duties as the once-for-all high priest that Aaron’s progeny would still be in service though no longer as mediators? I think so! How interesting. We know from history that this priestly journey for Aaron’s kids were a very bumpy one, yet a promise is a promise – right?

I enjoy thinking about God’s attention to detail when I read through the Old Testament because it reminds me to pay attention to the details that show up in the New Testament. With God there is always a perfect WHY behind ever WHAT – we just don’t know all of them because God is both so far above and beyond us AND He’s awesomely a mysterious God as well!

PRAYER:

Dad,
I don’t know if I would have done well in the Old Testament/Covenant context. There are so many stories of extreme highs of faithfulness and horrible lows of sin and disobedience. Then there are amazing stories of heroism and great feats of faith as well as brutal, even violent behaviors of evil towards you and their own families. I think that hardest part would be keeping your laws and not being drawn way or distracted by the way other nations did things. I am certainly glad to under the law of grace as well as the covering of Jesus for my sins and failures. For that I am eternally grateful.

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Wisdom doesn’t celebrate April fools.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“You simple people, use good judgment. You foolish people, show some understanding.” Proverbs‬ ‭8:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Ok, today’s proverb is too perfect for the calendar! It’s April Fool’s Day. A day that used to be filled with jokes, puns, tricks and stunts you’d play on your teacher, co-worker, boss, family or friend. It should just be called “prank” day but apparently on tiktok or IG that’s everyday.

Proverbs is filled with this word fool. And, basically there are only four different Hebrew words used. In this one verse, two of them are used – kesil & pthiy. These two would be the most used words for fool and they are both the more innocent words, describing folks who are slow or simple.

Don’t misread these as critical for those born with special needs or some kind of diminished mental capacity or delays in learning. That is NOT what proverbs is about.

These fools are fools by behavior, choice, regular consistent lifestyle decisions that leaves them vulnerable by lack of learning. The fact that wisdom is BEGGING them to see, hear and make changes, reinforces the idea that they are this way because of sin, or selfish stubbornness.

The wisdom writers have wisdom personified, calling out to the “kesil” stupid, dullard, fool. And says to use good judgment. This is the word, prudence. It is interesting because this specific Hebrew word is a normally a negative word, but here it is to be used and applied POSITIVELY for the one who ALWAYS seems to be taken advantage of. There are to learn and apply some shrewdness or craftiness. Think about this. Sometimes the simple are always being mistreated unfairly because they’ve never learned the art of reading other people’s motives. They become victims of a continuous cycle because they’ve got this emotional target on their back that says “kick me.” Wisdom says, take off the sign and start paying attention to being ripped off! Quit “believing in others” to the point of sacrificing your own self worth and self respect. Get some shrewdness, LEARN to find your voice and stand up for yourself.

To the “pthiy” fool. The simple, perhaps open-minded, (when used negatively the root word, pathah, means open – like an airhead). Wisdom has some different advice, she says show some understanding – the word “bin”: to discern. For these folks who are silly (i.e. seducible) and may love playing the clown or enjoying the momentary attention that this “act” may bring. Wisdom calls out their nonsense and gives stern warning that this lifestyle is filled with heartache and they will continue to be the beneficiary of bad “luck”. It’s not bad luck, it’s just sad to see them live down to the worst of what others see and never apply themselves to change. This again is someone who constantly leans on an apparent ease of apathy, of no concerns for anything serious or consequences of inaction. Their perception of themselves and the world around them is a perpetual lie! Wisdom’s advice, start filling your head with something of substance, like knowledge or passion, or God’s word. Quit living life with a helium-filled brain!

If these two words describe you in anyway – you CAN CHANGE. Do not believe the lie that life will never get any better or that you can never be anything different. If you know a “fool,” love them, but be straight with them. Call them up to better. See their potential and constantly remind them of a future that is good. Offer help and feedback to get them unstuck and moving forward.

Have fun with the day of pranks, but please don’t play the fool.

PRAYER:

Dad,
I am so thankful for your wisdom. You are an amazing father to the fatherless and you do such a good job training us in wisdom, discernment and discipline.