Paying a High Price for Quality

Our Boxing Day travels today took us to two extremes.

At one extreme, there was the Amish Furniture Outlet.  The store was easily navigated. Every piece was beautiful, solid oak, maple or cherry, and hand-crafted. There were no screws or nails to be seen, but perfect fits including dovetail joints holding the pieces together. But, with list prices reaching $15,000 for an exquisite bedroom set, buyers in a tough economy were apparently too few, pushing them into bankruptcy.

At the other extreme is a big box furniture chain. Every piece looks good, but with solid veneer on pressboard, fibreboard or particleboard, there's nary solid wood to be found in most items. However, the price is right, and the quality good enough, at least for a short while. Besides, who needs dovetail joints when you have bolts and flanges. For the price of one kitchen chair from the Amish, one can purchase and assemble a full kitchen set with a table and four chairs. Business is booming, so they must be doing something right!

Life often requires us to choose between quality and cost. I certainly would love the hand-crafted solid wood pieces, they are spectacular pieces of furniture! More often than not, they are well beyond my budget and I have to settle for the engineered wood with veneer. 

There are often other choices between quality and cost as well, not just when we shop. Think of  choices around diet and exercise, especially at this time of year, or relationships, personal development or so many other aspects of life.

Luke 2:11-12 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Christmas reminds us that God did not sacrifice quality or cost when it comes to His love for mankind. He didn't hold anything back in terms of quality or cost, wrapping Himself in human form to come to earth as a little baby in a manger... feedtray for animals! 

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. 

Jesus came to show us how to live and love, and to give us the way back to the Father.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Jesus came to pay the ultimate price that we would have life in abundance. And investing His Spirit in us, He works to transform us from a particleboard core into the high quality, "solid wood" people God originally designed us to be!

Life Lessons from a Guinea Pig

Ginger has been my home office roommate for the last couple of years. She was actually Sandra's Guinea Pig, but we adopted each other when Sandra went to Laurentian University last year.

Ginger had quite the personality - she learned the sounds that preceded food, and squeaked when she heard them... sounds like the vegetable drawer in the fridge being pulled out, or Silvia's feet hitting the floor in the morning. She would squeak and popcorn when excited, even if I was on a conference call - "what is that squeaking noise?".  Rodent, as she was affectionately called, knew the daily routine. If we forgot to give her the morning/evening yogurt treats, carrot, cucumber slice or Timothy Hay, Ginger would remind us by squeaking loudly and chewing on her cage until we gave her what was due.
 

Just shy of five years old, Ginger hadn't been herself for a few weeks, starting to forget her routines and losing interest in her treats.  Yesterday morning, she was no longer able to stand on her own. So, she spent the last 90 minutes of her life snuggled against my chest on my arm as she continued to lose strength. Her breathing became more laboured, until she was fighting for each breath... and after a few final desperate gasps for air, she stopped breathing and went limp. Ginger was gone. 


I wept.

Weep over a Guinea Pig? Yes indeed! I am a softy after all, even choking up in public when saying thanks to Phil and Marisa during their farewell a few weeks back.  Well, as I experienced Ginger's fight to stay alive, my mind went back into the hospital room some years ago when Silvia's mother was doing the same, shaking and shuddering trying to breathe... and I experienced all the emotions of that day all over again. All because of this little guinea pig.

During that last ninety minute struggle for life, I couldn't do much but try to make her as comfortable as possible, and reflect.

Crying over a guinea pig seems absurd. But is is as absurd as Almighty God, Creator of the universe, caring for me?

Psalm 8:3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
      your handmade sky-jewelry,
   Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
      Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
   Why do you bother with us?
      Why take a second look our way?

Yet, God does bother with us. This Christmas season reminds us that He cared for us so much that He became like one of us, with a plan to give his life for us.


John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Ginger was most secure in her cage. She did like it when we took her out of the cage and put her on the floor to explore the room. When she felt threatened by any sudden movements, she would make a dash back to the cage. She wanted to go back to her little secure world.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Am I any different? When God takes me out of my comfort zone to stretch me to realize the potential He has created in me, don't I tend to also run back to the security of my comfort zone?


It was only in recent months as we'd spend hours together almost every day in the same room that Ginger was no longer afraid of me. In fact, she started welcoming me into the room with her little squeaks, and follow me expectantly as I walked by her cage. I had become her friend.


Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

It is as I welcome God into my life by spend daily time with God in His Word, listening intently for what He has to say to me, that I begin to understand God's love for me, that I become His friend... no longer in fear, but in true relationship. And then He does His work to transform me to be more like Christ.

In her last minutes as she was fighting for each breath, Ginger looked at me with pleading eyes: "help me".  But I couldn't do anything for her, except hold her.

  
Luke 1:37 For nothing is impossible with God.

There are more Ginger stories. She now rests wrapped up in a cloth diaper in a gingerbread cookie tin. My office is quieter, emptier and colder this morning.

Keeping the Right Perspective

Jonah 4:1-4

Once he got his act together inside the fish, Jonah gives his best at communicating the message of impending doom to the city of Jonah. With his readily apparent anger issues, Jonah was likely a very good prophet of gloom, delivering the message of imminent destruction very passionately with raw emotion. Indeed, his effectiveness as the messenger is confirmed by the fact the people heard and applied his message, repenting of the sins he was pointing out to them.

But, it is clear in these verses that Jonah really didn’t care about the people, or their fate without reconciliation to God. Instead, Jonah is angry that God didn’t destroy the people as he had proclaimed. He is angry that they took the message to heart, and turned their lives around, back to God. He is angry that God's grace prevailed. How could he show grace and favour to such vile, evil people? They deserved to be punished! God, that's what You said You would do - how can You go back on Your word?

Yet, Jonah experienced God's grace himself. The whole fish episode is the most recent example. He had seen God's grace in action before, recounting that to God as his reason for running away in the first place. How could he not want that same grace extended to the Assyrians?  Could it be because of their history of war against the people of Israel?


Two aspects of relevance for me to apply today:

• There are a lot of vile people in our world. Do I seek God's punishment for their evilness, or His grace to restore them to relationship with Him? Do I want God to "get even" with them for me, or transform them?
• Jonah got so lost in and focused on the task. That can easily happen to us as well, even if we are in the "grace" business! We can often focus on the task aspects of what we’re doing, and miss the people side. The pressure of budgets, deadlines, agendas can easily take our eyes off the people who we work with, and for.

God, please remind me daily of your grace for me. Give me your eyes and heart of compassion so that I can see those around me the way you see them, and keep my priorities straight.

Perfect Reflection

The early morning drive from Parry Sound to Sudbury today was beautiful, even though the trees were bare. There are so many small lakes in the rocky countryside. Early in the morning, the frost was still on the grasses and beaver huts, and the water was still. The glassy surface perfectly reflected the landscape, in every detail.

There's really no place to stop to take pictures, but here's one I found from Grundy Lake to give an idea.

Some hours later, I was on the return drive back towards Parry Sound. I was alone in the car and determined to pull over to the side of the road to capture the beauty.

But, the stillness of the early morning was gone! The heat of the sun had stirred the air. Breezes generated ripples, even waves on the water.

Where the ripples were small, there was still some reflection of the landscape. However, it was now shadows with the basic form, but without any detail. And where the ripples became waves, there was no reflection.

"This is what I want you to be, a perfect reflection!"

What an intimidating thought!! I am so far from being a perfect reflection of Christ! As I argued back "but that's impossible for me!". I was reminded to be still and know that He is God. The more I can be still, the more I will reflect God. Among my struggles with this is that I am a "do-er", not a "be-er" - the more I try to do this, the more the water is stirred up, the less Christ is reflected. For me this really is impossible, but with God all things are possible. He must increase in me.

This is what the Bible says God wants to make in me, in each of us, reflecting his glory and transformed into his likeness. Isn't that why He works in all things?

Lessons from King Jehoshaphat

I've been using YouVersion reading plan for daily readings that go through the entire Bible in a year. This morning, it took almost an hour to get through 2 Chronicles 20 - so much of this chapter spoke to me!

2 Chronicles 20:1-3 sets the stage:
1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). 3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.

With all the people of the nation gathered around, the king's prayer culminates with these words:
12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.

Now that's an interesting response to a dire threat! Jehoshaphat admits his weakness and his lack of knowing what to do in face of his adversaries. He gives the problem to the Lord. He doesn't fret or panic, or draft all the young men in the country into the military, or engage all his resources to address the enemy. He gives the problem to the Lord, and waits.

This really got me thinking: In the face of my challenges, how do I respond? Do I work try harder, putting more hours and everything I have into trying to address the challenges? Do I try different things? Or, do I set my eyes on the Lord to see what He will do? Why is it so uncommon a response to set our eyes on the Lord, and just wait for Him to act? Do I believe He is interested? cares? has a plan? Do I put my trust in Him, or the things I can see?

Back to the story - The Lord responds to Jehoshaphat through a prophet, re-assuring the king and giving the strategy:
15 He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’ "

Go face the enemy, and the Lord will be with you. This makes sense - Jehoshaphat is leading God's people in following God's plan for them.

What about me? Am I in the right position for the Lord to fight on my behalf? Will He fight my fight, or do I need to be positioned to fight His fight, and then let Him fight it? Are the things I’m striving and fighting for things that matter to God? Am I working on God’s plan, or my own?

If it’s my own, not aligned with God’s plan, why would I expect the God who created everything that exists to cater to my whims and desires, to address my selfish issues?

The battle strategy is very unorthodox militarily:
21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.”

The conclusion is a great victory for Jehoshaphat:
22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.

If I am where God wants me to be, doing what He has given me to do, and trouble arises, can I reasonably expect that God will intervene? As I set my eyes on Him in face of trouble, will He give the plan and a miracle solution?

I do believe that God's work doesn't just happen in the context of church. It also happens as His people do what He has given us to do in the marketplace. The challenge, at least for me, is staying focused on the work of His kingdom, and not that of mine.

It's a Slow Fade

Solomon was the wisest man in the world, but a "however" in 1 Kings 11 talks to his foolishness:

1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.
2 They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.
3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.
4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

This text tells us that Solomon disregards the boundaries the Lord had set for Israel, within which they would prosper. Maybe he thought he could do so with impunity because it was just a little violation, Or, perhaps all the praises about his wisdom had gone to his head, so any decision he makes must be the wise one. Whatever it was, the first step over the boundary was likely a small one, with no immediate consequences, save perhaps a cooling in his relationship with God since the days of the dreams.

Soon he had trod over the boundaries so often, they no longer existed for him, and he had seven hundred wives! Those wives turned Solomon’s heart away from the Lord to other gods, and Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord. Eventually, there were consequences, as kings arose who were hostile to Solomon. But the legacy of Solomon’s violation of the Lord’s boundaries had the biggest impact on Solomon’s sons, who lost the kingdom.

How could the wisest man who ever lived be so foolish? Could it be that his wisdom was linked to the boundaries the Lord had given, and to his relationship to and dependence on the Lord?

In the full light of day, we see things in multi-colour, they way they truly are. As day turns to night however, all things take on the same gray. In the same way, if our focus moves from away from God's Word and our relationship with Him, our perspective also changes.

When our lives wander from the truths in the Word of God, things that were distinguishable right and wrong blur together. In this state, we can rationalize everything as being acceptable, especially if there are no immediate consequences.

How many innocent conversations have led to ruined marriages? or one drink to drunken actions with dire consequences? or one questionable investment to financial ruin or fraud to try to recover?

Casting Crowns, in their song "A Slow Fade", tell this story in a contemporary setting. We may think we get away with it for a while, but there will eventually be consequences for violating physical or spiritual principles underlying life. Even the wisest see life come crashing down under the weight of transgressions. As we see from Solomon, these consequences will not only impact us, but sadly also those who follow after us.

Business Strategy for Success?

Today's reading in YouVersion includes Leviticus 26, with a simple strategy for national success:

1 “Don’t make idols for yourselves; don’t set up an image or a sacred pillar for yourselves, and don’t place a carved stone in your land that you can bow down to in worship. I am God, your God.

2 “Keep my Sabbaths; treat my Sanctuary with reverence. I am God. “If You Live by My Decrees . . . ” 3 “If you live by my decrees and obediently keep my commandments, 4 I will send the rains in their seasons, the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. 5 You will thresh until the grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting time; you’ll have more than enough to eat and will live safe and secure in your land. 6 “I’ll make the country a place of peace—you’ll be able to go to sleep at night without fear; I’ll get rid of the wild beasts; I’ll eliminate war. 7 You’ll chase out your enemies and defeat them: 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand and do away with them. 9 I’ll give you my full attention: I’ll make sure you prosper, make sure you grow in numbers, and keep my covenant with you in good working order. 10 You’ll still be eating from last year’s harvest when you have to clean out the barns to make room for the new crops. 11 “I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won’t avoid or shun you; 12 I’ll stroll through your streets. I’ll be your God; you’ll be my people.

Was this promise only for Israel? Or, is it applicable to the people of God today? In this recessionary time, what if a country or a businesses were to adopt this simple strategy:

• worship the Lord as our God,
• observe the Sabbaths,
• follow His decrees,
• and carefully obey His commands.

According to God's promise here, the return on that investment will be amazing! Not only will there be abundant harvest, but there will be peace in the land and domination of enemies. History has shown that this works - the United States was founded on this premise, and was blessed with these outcomes for many years!

Can a nation get back to this? What about our companies? or the church? How about as families or individuals? or have we passed the tipping point?

Profane His Holy Name

The YouVersion 1-year Bible reading plan is going through Leviticus. Leviticus spells out in great detail how the people of Israel were to provide their offerings to God. This is not a set of silly rules because God is “picky” or wants to pay us back for taking the fruit in the Garden. It is because He is perfect in goodness and righteousness. Sin cannot exist in His presence, so needs atonement. That’s what the complicated protocol is all about, providing a way for sinful people to relate to a Holy God.

Consider electricity as a picture of God’s holiness. There is tremendous power running through the walls of our homes that enables our lifestyle. The building code is a collection of rules for dealing with things electrical. These rules may seem detailed or excessive, but they’re for our own good as doing anything counter to the building code could be fatal.

Easter is all about Jesus fulfilling the law by dying on the cross - He was the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb of God, paying the price for our sin once and for all. Through Christ’s death, we have free access to God as Father for restored relationship with God, to be holy ourselves.

The section on Priests and unacceptable sacrifices concludes with these two verses at the end of Leviticus 22:

32 Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who makes you holy
33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.

This stopped me in my tracks! Christians are often seen as intolerant, hypocritical, petty and divisive. Do I profane God’s holy name or reflect His holiness in my life when:

• I live conformed to this world, rather than being transformed by the renewing of my mind?
• I use my freedom in Christ to indulge my agenda and my sinful nature, rather than deferring to others?
• I want God to bless my plans, rather than aligning myself with what God is doing?
• I consume God’s blessings on myself, rather than sharing with others in need?

Is my life an argument for, or against, Christianity?

The Life of a Christian: an argument for Christianity, or against it?

I was up early this morning, really disturbed by an interview I heard yesterday with William Lobdell, Author of Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting On Religion In America.

William thought his prayers had been answered when he was assigned to the religion beat by the Los Angeles Times. As a Christian, he wanted to report objectively about how belief shapes people’s lives. Instead, his faith was eroded seeing that the majority of Christians live lives that are no different than those who deny faith - George Barna reports that the rates of divorce are virtually the same among Christians as non-Christians, 33%. He started to wonder why so many churches/ministries become corrupt. Each story chipped away at his faith. Eight years later, after intense encounters with believers of all sizes and shapes, he realized that his faith in God was gone.

Before we simply dismiss this as a Los Angeles/Hollywood phenomenon, can we say our lives as Christ followers look any different that those who don’t care about or deny Him? Should they?

God established the nation of Israel to live differently than the rest of the world. If you look at the Law given in Leviticus, much of it is about inter-personal relationships. In a world where people were abused by the powerful, God designed a nation where people would care for each other. Where else were farmers instructed not to harvest all the grain in their fields, but to leave some for those less fortunate?

Indeed, when Jesus came, He said He came to fulfill the Law, not to do away with it. He raised the bar by equating a lustful look with adultery, anger with murder. He tells us to love our enemies, and to give to the needy. He summed up the Law in two commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

If we Christ-followers lived in this way, would William be in a different place? Where would our friends, neighbours and families be? How different would our world be if all of us who profess to be Christians actually lived what Christ taught and lived?

More to come in later posts...


As a postscript to this post, the first song at church today was “Say So” by Israel Houghton. Check out the lyrics:

What does it mean to be saved
Isn’t it more than just a prayer to pray
More than just a way to Heaven
What does it mean to be His
To be formed in His likeness
And know that we have a purpose

Bridge:
To be salt and light in the world, in the world
To be salt and light in the world

Chorus 1:
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
Say so, say so (2x)

Oh that the church would arise
Oh that we would see with Jesus’ eyes
We could show the world Heaven
Show what it means to be His
To be formed in His likeness
Show them that they have a purpose

Bridge(2x)

Chorus 1(2)

Vamp:
I am redeemed, I am redeemed
I am redeemed, I am redeemed
I am redeemed, I am redeemed

Bridge (2x)

To be salt and light in the world, in the world, in the world

Chorus 2:
Let the redeemed of the Lord rise up
Let the redeemed of the Lord rise up
Let the redeemed of the Lord rise up
Rise up, rise up


I don't know about you, but this is wrecking me today!

Some Thoughts from a Couple of Days in YouVersion

Daily time in the Bible has been a vital part of my life for a number of years now. It's been particularly helpful to help me keep focus on God's way of doing things rather than my own, especially during challenging times.

There are some really good lessons and applications waiting to be discovered, if we only give it time and attention. Here's a few of my discoveries from the last couple of days, using YouVersion's online Bible and Wayne Cordeiro's SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer - I'll keep that part personal) approach for journaling:


Scripture: Exodus 31 - the Lord was speaking to Moses about building the altar, ark and so on:

2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts— 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you.

Observation: When God calls us to do something for the Kingdom, He fills us with the Spirit and also equips us or others, who are to be involved, with the skills, ability and knowledge for it.

Application: Am I using my skills and abilities for the cause of the Kingdom? Who should I be working alongside to accomplish the task?


Scripture: Exodus 32, when Moses came down from the Mountain to discover the golden calf:

19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.

Observation: Moses came down from the mountain with the ultimate souvenir - tablets inscribed by the very finger of God! Yet, in his anger over what the people had done, he threw them on the ground, smashing them to bits. His anger was so fierce that he lost the ability for rational thinking or action. He did have a bit of a track record this way... there was that Egyptian mistreating his Hebrew slave way back at the beginning of the story.

Application: Do I let anger get the best of me? Do I let it destroy things that are valuable to me in the process?


Scripture: 21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?” 22 “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”

Observation: It's really amazing the stories we can conceive when trying to avoid the truth. This calf coming out of the fire is almost as good as the theory of evolution!


Scripture: Moses was speaking with God in the Tent of Meeting in Exodus 33

15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

Observation: Moses resolved not to move unless he know God was leading him and was with him.

Application: Do we have the same sense as Moses, that we will not move without God's Presence? Perhaps we thought we could live and move on our own, whether or not God's Presence was with us and leading us. What we did seemed to prosper - life was good and things were plentiful. We could do things quite well on our own. ...until the economic meltdown! For Christ-followers, the very Spirit of God dwells within us, able to distinguish us from all other people on the face of the earth. His Presence distinguishes us as we live the fulfillment of the Law, loving God above all else and our neighbour as ourselves. These tough economic times are great opportunities to be distinguished in this manner, knowing that our God will supply all our needs as we live in accordance with His laws and leadings.


Scripture: In Exodus 34, Moses went back up the mountain with new tablets, spending 40 days and nights in the presence of God.

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.

Observation: When Moses came down from spending 40 days and nights with the Lord, his face was radiant. It was readily apparent to everyone that Moses had been with God.

Application: What about me? Can people see radiance in me from my being in personal contact with God?

Scripture: Psalm 90
2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 3 You turn men back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, O sons of men.”

Observation: This big picture is really clear - He is God, I'm not. He is everlasting to everlasting, I am dust to dust. What a good perspective to keep. The amazing part of this big picture is that everlasting God would become dust for our sake, to relate to us and show how we should live, and to die for us so that we can be everlasting!



And one last Scripture: I Corinthians 2:1,4-5
1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

Observation: Paul clearly spent little time worrying about his words and more about letting God's power be evident through him.

Application: In our "modern" era, have we come to rely on intellect, wisdom and eloquence as the means to convince people or to learn about the Gospel? Have we put the emPHASis on the wrong syllABle?


It’s been exciting for me to have the scripture come alive each time I set aside time to read with an open mind and open heart. If you’re not in the habit, won’t you join me? I’d love you hear the insights you find.

A Rebuke? or Disappointment

Have you ever tried to do something beyond anything you've ever done before, only to fail and be criticized by those who didn't even try?

I've always read the story of Peter stepping out of the boat in Matthew 14:24-33 with that context, struggling with the sharp rebuke Peter drew from Jesus while the other eleven sat comfortably, fearfully actually, in the boat... until this morning.

Reading it afresh this morning, I heard disappointment, no actually encouragement in Jesus' voice:

"You were so close, Peter! You almost had it!!"
"It was in your grasp, but you just took your eyes off the ball at the last second."
“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

It's not a rebuke. It's the same encouragement we give to a little child trying to walk for the first time. Once they get it, there is no turning back! Peter was on the verge of a breakthrough, one that would have taken him to an entirely new level of living.

I've also always read this story as Jesus calling Peter out. Actually, Peter asked Jesus to invite him out!

“Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

As the winds and waves of the economic crisis buffet our boats, are we the terrified ones sitting in the boat? Or, are we willing to step out of that fear and have the Lord call us out to a new level of living?

In John 10:10, Jesus said: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Recently I heard it said that God won't do it for us, but will do it through us. For that, we need to ask Him to tell us to get out of the boat.

After Day 3

Some initial reflections from three days in the 1 year Bible reading plan at YouVersion:

Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

It's easy, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, to ask: "Eve, what were you thinking?" Lest we be too critical of Eve for trading all she had in the garden for a taste of the forbidden fruit, here's a couple of great questions from the community section of YouVersion to think about as we start 2009:

• What is your all-consuming-gotta-have “it” thing? (Don’t say “nothing.” What is it that is distracting you from fully pursuing God?)
• What has God already provided that you take for granted?

Matthew 4:18-20 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

These verses come right after the 40 days in the desert, where Jesus was tempted by the devil, where He answered every temptation with Scripture. I wonder what it was about Jesus that these fishermen were so willing to lay aside their financial security to follow Him, at once! What did these men see in Jesus that we miss? From there, Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching, preaching and healing every disease! What are we missing out on by holding on to the familiar and the 'secure' rather than risking radically following Jesus?


Genesis 6:5-8 The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

I wonder if the Lord is grieved and filled with pain when He looks at the world today. In the midst of our messed up world, I wonder if I find favor in the eyes of the Lord.

A New Year, and A Fresh Start

One of the beautiful aspects of our cottage is large trees, mostly maple with some oak, birch and walnut mixed in, all reaching 15-20m into the sky! The shade these trees provide is particularly welcome on those hot, steamy summer days.

However, after a strong winter storm like the one that blew through Central Ontario last Sunday, the reports of trees falling and causing widespread power outages can be cause for concern. So today, New Year's Day, given that thousands of people are still without power days after the major winds blew through, we made the trek to Georgian Bay to check on the cottage.

Driving along the 400 and highway 93, it was amazing to see so many trees were snapped in half. Even more astounding was the number of trees lying on the ground with their root balls in the air! One couldn't help but be concerned about what we would find at the cottage. When we arrived, we were relieved to see all of our trees still standing, only some broken branches on the snow.

Wikiopedia, with a great write-up on roots, notes the two major functions of roots are 1.) absorption of water and inorganic nutrients and 2.) anchoring the plant body to the ground. Clearly, for the fallen trees, the roots systems were not up to anchoring the tree through gale force winds. Epic Fail! For others, the root system held, even though the tree itself snapped... painful, but still with the opportunity to sprout new growth in the spring.

As we have now stepped into a new year, it's a good time to pause to consider: what about our root systems? Are they up to anchoring us through the gale force winds blowing through our economy? Large institutions have failed, or are teetering on the brink of falling over. Bad news flies at us like recurring snow storms!

With the start of the new year, I started YouVersion's 1-year plan to read through the Bible. Today's reading included Psalm 1:

1. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

How do we ensure our root system can anchor us through the storm? By delighting in the law of the Lord. Join me for the 1-year journey through the Bible, to develop your root system to withstand the storm. Be ready to be transformed in the process.