At Water’s Edge

Windmills are structures that convert wind into rotational energy by the motion of vanes called sails, or blades. For centuries, windmills have been used to power grain mills, pump water, or provide heat. Modern windmills are used as wind turbines that generate electricity. It is a clean, simple, efficient, and rather beautiful way to power up a community.

How do you power up your morning? Do you exercise, to increase your muscle strength? Do you drink caffeine, (raising hand) to power up the sleeping brain cells? Do you power up by plugging in to social media and biased news? Do you power up by starting your day immersed in God’s word?

If you are here every day At Water’s Edge, you are doing the last one, and possibly the second one as well. After all, on the eighth day, God created Sumatra Dark Roast. My fervent prayer for all of us is that we spend 5 daily minutes with Jesus and coffee, and thus power up the day in the best way possible.

While we aren’t technically “Pentecostal,” we certainly are people of the Pentecost. We know our source of power:

Acts 2 New International Version (NIV)

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

That last verse is curious. If you’ve been to a bar or a party where people indeed had too much wine, it is funny to think that that observers of the first Pentecost thought that about those who had received the power of the Holy Spirit. Surely in the intensity of that moment they lost control of their deportment and were likely running around in the sheer joy and overwhelming excitement of it all. I’m sure I would have looked like a flippin’ lunatic. It also reminds us that when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, others will indeed make fun of us.

As we work our way through Acts, we see the other manifestations of the Holy Spirit explained and explored. The Holy Spirit empowers us to have compassion, to pray, to exhort, to serve, to worship, to have joy, peace, patience, gentleness, self-control…the list goes on throughout the New Testament. We understand that God works through us through the Holy Spirit.

But take a look again at the first empowerment. The people at Pentecost received a fresh wind and a fresh fire that enabled them to SPEAK EACH OTHER’S LANGUAGE. This singular moment, which launched the beginning of the church, was for the purpose of UNITY. Jews, converts to Judaism, Cretans, and Arabs together declared the wonders of God in each other’s tongues.

Where have we gone so wrong?

In today’s divisive world, we need a second Pentecost. We need the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to descend and bring us to a new vision of One-ness in the Lord. We Christians need to take seriously the inclusive language in Galatians:

Galatians 3 (NIV)

Children of God

23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

There is neither Jew nor Gentile. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female. What overrides these separations of categories is that we are all one in Jesus Christ.

How would you do today differently if you approached everyone with an attitude that they are one with you? How can you employ and deploy the power of the Holy Sprit to bring something good to someone else, perhaps someone very unlike you? Where is God calling you to speak someone else’s language so that you can experience oneness with them?

Want a challenge? Start with a teenager.

We are invited today to be a windmill for Christ. To capture the power of the Holy Spirit and generate more power to love, serve, help, communicate, and do the will of God in bringing wholeness and oneness to his creation. Raise your blades! Pentecost is waiting.

Photo by Amy Wrenn.

Seriously, my family should never let me drive anywhere alone.

On the same trip where I went joy riding across someone’s farmland, I had another fun adventure on the way home. Whilst driving 70MPH in 93 degree heat, happily listening to NPR and feeling thankful about the weekend visit, I noticed that it was starting to get “whistlier” in the van. Whistlier and whistlier. I realized that the driver side window had somehow let itself down a quarter inch, and the hot air rushing in was creating a very loud whistle in the car. I hit the power window button to raise it and POP, the window made a sound and began a slow descent. By the way, POP is never a good sound. Not for windows, ankles, or weasels. Clicking the button a thousand times (surprisingly) did not solve the problem, so now I was driving 70MPH in 93 degree heat with my window completely down. Do you know how long it takes for your instrument panel to completely fog over in that kind of weather? I think it was less than three minutes.

I stopped at a gas station, and lo and behold, I pulled into a pump next to a van that said, “WE FIX WINDOWS. ALL KINDS OF WINDOWS.” Now I knew better than to expect the guy to be able to fix a car power-widow, but somehow I felt an instant kinship with him and just knew he would be my hero. He managed to wiggle my window back up, but of course it slid down as soon as he let go. A guy behind him filling up his Mercedes called over, “The only way to keep that up is to duct tape it into place.” Mr. We-Fix-All-Windows then explained he was already late for a call, and left. I went into the Quick Mart and bought duct tape, and returned to find that Mr. Mercedes had also left.

Looking to the right, I spotted two older gentlemen sitting under a tree at a picnic table, playing checkers and drinking beverages out of tall, frosty aluminum cans. They surely were to be my heroes! So I drove over to the picnic area, announced myself in need of help, and showed them my duct tape, presenting it like proof of my sincerity. In the sweltering heat, these gentlemen taped my window into place.

I told them that they were my “good Samaritans” and thanked them for blessing me so much. Neither of them were familiar with the Good Samaritan story, so I launched into it with great enthusiasm as they pushed, pulled, grunted, sweat, and taped the window into place.

Realizing that I needed to set the scene about how extraordinary it was for a Samaritan to help a Jew when I got to that part of the story, (since Jews and Samaritans were people from two different cultures who never even spoke to one another) I suddenly hesitated. Here I was, a white woman, talking to two elderly black men about two cultures that had a history of not getting along. I wondered if they saw me that way. I wondered if they wondered if I saw them that way.

I went on to say that Jews and Samaritans would only help their own people, and so helping people who were not “their people” was the point of the story. Jesus was trying to teach all of us about who our neighbor really is….and that we are called to be a neighbor to everyone, especially someone in need.

“Do you think that happens today?” the older one asked. “Not enough,” I replied, “I think if we all helped each other a little more, this world would be a better place. And I sure am glad you fellows were here to help me today.” He nodded in agreement as he smoothed the last piece of tape into place. “Yeah, if we all helped each other, maybe we wouldn’t feel like everything is going to hell in a handbasket.” Preach it, brother.

I thanked them for the blessing they gave me that day, and asked if I could take their picture for my online devotional. One immediately objected, saying that his wife didn’t know it, but he probably has children out there that even HE doesn’t know about who might recognize him. If so, he didn’t want her to find out. But after the other one insisted they have their picture taken, he consented. You know, since he wasn’t actually running from the law…just his wife. Who doesn’t read my devotionals.

As we parted, we shook hands and I thanked them profusely. The older fellow looked me in the eye as he grasped my hand and said, “Thank you for letting us help you today. I sho am glad we could help you. I just sho am glad!”

I wish Mr. Mercedes and Mr. We-Fix-All-Windows had stuck around to see it. They missed their blessing.

Hebrews 16 NIV

15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

God was pleased with my two new friends. I was safely on my way, having received more than a taped window. I got to share a Jesus story with two fellows who got to BE a Jesus story.

Where is God calling you to be a Jesus story? Take some duct tape along with you. It fixes everything.

Blessed are the duct tapers, for they shall be Jesus.

“…that he didn’t, didn’t already have.”

These lyrics from the band America’s “Tin Man” are an expression of the fact that the famous Tin Man of the Wizard of Oz already had a heart, but in Dorothy’s dream, had forgotten how to use it. The Wizard of Oz turns 80 this year, so perhaps we could spend a minute of homage here today. But I promise, no flying monkeys. I hate the flying monkeys.

But other than the flying monkeys, I loved that movie. I remember that it came on once a year (pre-VHS, pre-DVR, pre-streaming, pre-On Demand….yes, I am old) in the late summer. My entire neighborhood would shut down for an evening as families were glued to their TV sets, which were big boxy things that stood on four wooden legs. Every year we would watch Dorothy and her unlikely friends try and negotiate tornados, fallen houses, witches, poppy fields, chanting guards, and the aforementioned horrifying flying monkeys. Would she get home? All she wanted was to get home. There’s no place like home!

And then came that pivotal moment when the curtain was pulled back and the Great and Wonderful Oz turned out to be a carny huckster. No magic, no power, but he did have a hot air balloon. Dorothy woke up in her bed with her real friends around her and a greater appreciation for her black-and-white Kansas farmhouse and ragtag family.

The curtain scene always makes me think of a curiosity that happened at the crucifixion (I know…stay with me here…):

Matthew 27 New International Version

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

What does this mean?

The curtain had separated the people from the place behind the altar where the temple sacrifices were made. Only the priest could enter this “Holiest of Holies” to present the offering and receive the atonement.

When the curtain tore, God was telling us that he would no longer be confined in a temple built by hands. He would provide access to all people. He would use the sacrifice of Christ on the cross to provide a permanent atonement for all who repent. God would be everywhere, and nothing would ever again separate us from him.

A new covenant was established:

Hebrews 10 (ESV)

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

We have an accessible God who is waiting, willing and wanting to be with us. He keeps his promises and is faithful. No curtains, no smoke, no mirrors (and no flying monkeys.) This Power is the real thing, and with it, you can turn your life around.

So let us approach the throne of grace with the courage of the Lion, the wisdom of the Scarecrow, and especially the true heart of the Tin Man. Let us hold fast to the hope the torn curtain offers. Let us be ready to encourage one another, and stir each other into acts of good works. I’ll meet you there, on the other side of the rainbow.

Rainbow over my backyard.

Wedding scripture selections are up to the preference of the bride and groom. The one that most couples automatically default to is 1 Corinthians 13, also known as the “love passage.” You know the one: Love is patient, Love is kind…love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…”love-ly” for every occasion!

Certainly this is the gold standard classic, which was read at my own wedding. But I actually prefer a different scripture now when I officiate a wedding. It comes from the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 4 New International Version (NIV)

9  Two are better than one,

    because they have a good return for their labor:

10  If either of them falls down,

    one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

    and has no one to help them up.

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

    But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered,

    two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken

It is that last verse upon which a strong homily, and relationship, can be built. The way it applies to relationships is this: there are two people in a relationship who are bound together spiritually by adding the “third strand” of Jesus Christ. Couples who come to the altar to make a covenant with each other and with Christ are inviting and including the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to provide strength and beauty to their relationship. Think of a braid. Two strands alone are weak. Three strands woven together are ironclad.

Does this mean Christian relationships are impervious to disruption? Sadly, no. When one or the other partner unbinds themself from the relationship, or from Christ through sin, the cord indeed can fall apart. In decades of marriage counseling I’ve heard the same story told with different characters. At some point of tiredness, ennui, boredom, or temptation, one pulls away from the braid and the relationship unravels. When “self-importance” overtakes the importance of “us,” that single strand elects to go wayward and the grip is loosened enough for the Enemy to pry in, and pry it apart.

I think it is fair to say that the Enemy, whose job it is to “steal, kill and destroy,” finds the breaking apart of relationships, marriages, and families a veritable playground for the havoc he comes to bring. Couples in jeopardy will spend years in the breaking-apart and putting-lives-back-together process. The grief, expense, overwhelming fatigue, anger, and debilitating soul-exhaustion that accompanies divorce can pull people away from their faith as they negotiate the troubled waters of permanent separation.

Keeping Christ at the center of your marriage, family, and relationships gives you the best weapon against this. When you turn your eyes upon Jesus and partner with him as a couple in your home, work, leisure time, finances, and focus, you stand a better chance of surviving the fiery darts that assault all marriages and relationships. And joy.

God invites you to find shelter in him:

Psalm 62 New International Version (NIV)

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;

    my salvation comes from him.

2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

3 How long will you assault me?

    Would all of you throw me down—

    this leaning wall, this tottering fence?

4 Surely they intend to topple me

    from my lofty place;

    they take delight in lies.

With their mouths they bless,

    but in their hearts they curse.

5  Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

    my hope comes from him.

6  Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;

    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

8 Trust in him at all times, you people;

    pour out your hearts to him,

    for God is our refuge.

No matter where you find yourself today, whether it is in a strong and committed relationship or in the chaos of one that is breaking apart, pour out your heart to God and trust in him. He is your rock, your salvation, and your refuge.

“Trinity Tree” by Kathy Schumacher.

Parents of twins know that the two-for-one special you brought home from the hospital is very special indeed. Twins can develop their own language, often communicating non-verbally and verbally in ways nobody else can understand. There is an inextricable link between them, formed in the womb, that can’t be broken.

Last week we observed this in action. We have twins who could have been modeled after Winnie the Pooh characters. Nora Jean is a Tigger: bouncy, laughing, always in motion, and happy-happy. Ryan is an Eeyore. He is thoughtful, contemplative, loves to sit with a book, and very observant of everything around him.

So Eeyore was playing with a light switch on his Gigi’s small, glass-fronted refrigerator, probably figuring out the engineering of the entire system and contemplating how electricity works. Tigger was bouncing around the room, saw her brother deep in thought and WHACK, popped him on the head. Mom disciplined her and told her to back away. So she immediately WHACKED her brother on the head a second time. Like I said, twin language.

A call to time-out ensued, accompanied by much weeping and wailing, as Nora Jean sat dutifully and contrite in her corner. Then along came Ryan.

First he tried to cheer her up with a silly little dance, but that didn’t work. So he did the brotherly thing and sat down next to her, scooting along the floor until their legs touched and her crying subsided.

This, my friends, is a perfect picture of the incarnation.

When God became the man called Jesus, he placed himself in time-out with us. We were hopeless and condemned by our own sin, with nothing to save us. Except love. God so loved the world, he sent his only son into time-out, so that whoever believes in him would be offered a get-out-of-jail free card. And eternal life.

Philippians 2 New International Version (NIV)

Imitating Christ’s Humility

2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6  Who, being in very nature God,

    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing

    by taking the very nature of a servant,

    being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

    he humbled himself

    by becoming obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

    and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

God put on flesh and dwelt among us. In so doing, he experienced what we experience: pain, anger, frustration, joy, temptation, sorrow….everything but sin. This is how we can trust him to deliver us! He KNOWS US. He was us. He is always with us.

The “humbling Jesus” that is mentioned in this passage is a reminder of what God calls us to do. We are to humble ourselves in like manner, getting down on the floor and scooting over to someone in need. We are invited to offer sharing, tenderness, and compassion, being of one mind with the spirit. We don’t need to have all the answers, or even any, but God call us to sit with the hurting and offer the comfort of ‘presence.’

Where is God calling you today to simply sit with someone? To offer hope, healing, encouragement, a silly dance, or a silent witness to the incarnation? Some will do this in the hospital, some in the pew, some in the prison, some at the office, others in the High School.

Wherever that place is, go and sit. And may you receive the blessing of Eeyore, who was always happy to have someone to sit with and replied, “Thanks for noticing me.” Go, and notice someone.

A six-and-a-half hour solo drive last weekend included several surprise freebies along the way. One that I did not like very much was the section of highway that virtually shut down in an incredible thunderstorm, when everyone had to turn on their blinkers and crawl along due to the “visibility: zero” conditions. That’s always a lot of fun and good for the blood pressure. Another was happily spotting the friendly blue “Rest Area” signs at the point where a Rest Area was much needed, only to discover that either 1. The Rest Area was actually located off an unmarked exit or 2. The Rest Area signs were placed by cruel hoaxers to give false hope to desperate travelers. In either case, there was no Rest Area as advertised.

But the surprise freebie that was the most unwanted was a two mile GPS-directed excursion across some guy’s farm land on a road labeled “Oldie Moore Road.” I missed the proverbial fork in the road (Yogi Berra once said, “When you come to the fork in the road, take it.” I did.) Then the GPS told me to continue to Oldie Moore Road and turn right. I did.

It lured me in with its compact gravel for the first several hundred yards….you know, just enough for me to think, “Oh, this is a short cut back to the road I should have taken. It will be OK.” All too soon the gravel dissipated into a thick-sand, muddy “road” littered with potholes worse than the ones in New Jersey. And that is saying a lot.

I suppose for some four-wheel drivers, this would have been a joy ride. I spun, slipped, stuck and splashed mud all the way up to my roof in my 2007 van. The GPS was telling me to turn right in 2 miles. TWO MILES. About half way through this terrifying mess, I began praying out loud: “Help me, Father!”

As you have surmised, I did survive. An hour later, God sent the aforementioned thunderstorm, which had the added benefit of completely washing all the mud off my van so that I arrived at my destination rattled but clean. And luckily Farmer Oldie Moore himself did not come after me with a shotgun for trespassing through his soybean fields. I call that winning. Or at least surviving.

Psalm 50 New International Version (NIV)

1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord,

    speaks and summons the earth

    from the rising of the sun to where it sets.

2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,

    God shines forth.

3 Our God comes

    and will not be silent;

a fire devours before him,

    and around him a tempest rages.

4 He summons the heavens above,

    and the earth, that he may judge his people:

5 “Gather to me this consecrated people,

    who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,

    for he is a God of justice.

7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak;

    I will testify against you, Israel:

    I am God, your God.

8 I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices

    or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

9 I have no need of a bull from your stall

    or of goats from your pens,

10 for every animal of the forest is mine,

    and the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know every bird in the mountains,

    and the insects in the fields are mine.

12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,

    for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls

    or drink the blood of goats?

14 “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,

    fulfill your vows to the Most High,

15 and call on me in the day of trouble;

    I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

This psalm kind of puts us in our place. The reality that when we “call on God in the day of trouble he will deliver us” is a pleasant help in times of trouble. God always inclines his ear whenever his people cry out to him. “Help me, Father” is met with safe passage through a dangerous situation.

But the interesting part is where God appropriately turns up his nose at the animal sacrifices (sorry, Vegans!) in favor of thank offerings. The thank offering was something not ordained or prescribed by ritual, but instead was a spontaneous response to God’s goodness coming from the heart of the bringer. God does not need nor want the showy required offerings brought to the altar with great pomp and circumstance.

We wouldn’t think of offering an animal sacrifice, but we do present our pious hypocrisy from time to time. By this I mean when we make a great show of being a church pew-sitter on Sunday without being a Christ follower in our words and actions on Monday through Saturday. That’s “bull” right there, and it doesn’t honor God. No, indeed, what God wants instead is a thank offering: a measure of our gratitude, our genuine and humble acknowledgment that he is the one who provided deliverance, and the honor we show him by sharing our testimony to his greatness.

Friends, what God really wants from us is a RELATIONSHIP. A one-on-one, every day, talk-to-ya-every-hour kind of relationship. When we call on him on a day of trouble, or a day of joy, we are saying to him that we can’t do life without him.

Where is God calling you to call on him today? What thing of distress do you need to turn over to him? Where can you bring a thank offering of praise, trust and acknowledgment of his power?

No matter where you are today, it is a good day to thank the Lord for all of your benefits. Even stuck deep in the mud somewhere in South Carolina, God is there. Thanks be to God! He delivers us.

Storm over Kitty Hawk.

It started innocently enough. Several years ago, a friend offered to take my daughter Jamie out for a jet ski ride in the sound behind our house. They jumped aboard with nothing but the clothes on their backs and off they went. After a wonderful hour or so of tooling around, suddenly the engine conked out. They drifted for a while, and the friend finally got out and towed the jet ski with Jamie on board to the nearest shore line. It was seemingly uninhabited, which presented a problem since neither of them had a cell phone.

As they sat on the shore trying to figure out what to do, a pickup truck suddenly approached them from the woods. A man got out and asked them what they were doing. They showed him the broken down jet ski, and asked if they could borrow a phone to call a parent.

“So you didn’t come here on purpose?” the fellow asked.

“No,” replied Jamie. “We were just riding in the sound and the engine went out.”

“So you don’t know where you are?” He asked.

Jamie’s friend, more familiar with the area, looked around and replied, “I think we’re on Roanoke Island?”

The man then relaxed and said, “Yes, Roanoke Island. This is Andy Griffith’s estate.”

Convinced that they had not come to trespass or intrude, he offered his cell phone and Jamie called me to come pick them up. She and her friend then walked out to the road where she had instructed me to get them.

While they were waiting for me, the pickup came out a second time. This time a woman got out and introduced herself as Mr. Griffith’s assistant. She handed each one a brown paper bag containing peanut butter crackers and a drink.

“Mr. Griffith wanted you to have a snack while you wait. He thought you might be hungry.”

Andy Griffith died a few years later, and this moment of graciousness extended to two stranded kids will stay with us forever.

Matthew 25:35-40 The Message (MSG)

34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,

I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,

I was homeless and you gave me a room,

I was shivering and you gave me clothes,

I was sick and you stopped to visit,

I was in prison and you came to me.’

37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

Such a beautiful invitation to share what we have with those who have not. That plate of cookies for an elderly neighbor, the casserole taken to a sick friend, the offer to feed your friend’s dog so she can visit her family….all of these are ways that we serve the Lord by caring for those whom he loves. This could not be more clear.

The opposite is also very clear:

41-43 “Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because

I was hungry and you gave me no meal,

I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

I was homeless and you gave me no bed,

I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,

Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’

44 “Then those ‘goats’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’

45 “He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’

46 “Then those ‘goats’ will be herded to their eternal doom, but the ‘sheep’ to their eternal reward.”

Let’s take a positive lesson from this. Where is God calling you to extend yourself, and I mean extend yourself, for someone else’s behalf? People on your street, in the grocery store, walking on the side of the road, in the inner city, at our nation’s southern border…God’s people are hungry, thirsty, shivering and sick everywhere. What will you do about it?

Decide today to be the one who offers the peanut butter crackers and a drink in a paper bag. Be like Andy. Be a sheep. Be like Jesus.

Truck with hurricane supplies sent from the Outer Banks to New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy.

Back to school time brings memories of the last weeks of summer and getting ready for school. I had an old trunk in my room as a child, and I would excitedly fill it with composition books, pens, pencils and other school supplies as my mother and I would shop during August. But my favorite thing to add every year was that wonderful large box of brand new, pristine Crayola crayons. Not the 10 pack or 12 pack, but that big box of 64 with its perfectly pointed rows of every color known to the existing coloring book world. The best part? The sharpener imbedded in the back of the box. That meant that even as I wore down Burnt Orange, Cerulean, Apricot and Scarlet, I would get that pointy point back by peeling down the paper and sharpening it.

Almost.

While sharpening brought back the fineness to the rounded end of a well-used crayon, it could never bring back that original shape with the molded rim, the perfect cone, and the cut-off top. As much as I sharpened, I could never bring the whole box back to its original state. Using them the way they were intended allows the crayons to perform their purpose. Crayons change as they impart color from themselves to paper. Just as they were designed to do.

And oh, the color they added to my world!

Ephesians 2 The Message (MSG)

He Tore Down the Wall

2 1-6 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving.

He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Our collective purpose here is to join Christ in the work he does. It is good work, it is work he has prepared for us, and it brings meaning to our lives to join him in this. God does the making and the saving, and we are invited to be the earthly expression of that, according to our gifts. When we fulfill our purpose like this, we are changed like a well-used crayon.

For some, that will be doing hands-on mission work. For others, that will be teaching children about Jesus, starting a recycling program in their community, delivering a casserole to a shut in, or listening to someone unburden themselves. Just like a box of crayons, we all have a different color that God calls us to use in his service. I can’t be Cerulean, but I can strive to be the best Burnt Orange I can. And by submitting to the sharpener of listening to God’s word and God’s will in our lives, we can remain useful in bringing about the kingdom on earth.

Where is God calling you to color your world? Have you grown dull from misuse or disuse, and need a good sharpening?

Proverbs 27 tells us that “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Find a person deep in the word, go to church and listen to the sermon, join a Bible Study…ask others to help guide you to the good work to which you are called. Then get out your crayon and color away. You are useful. You are called. You have a purpose, and nobody else can color your color. Be you, and go color your world!

Photo by shop.crayola.com

I had spotted her at events we both are required to attend, and felt her discomfort. An episode in our past that did not directly involve either one of us had created a social divide. I don’t know how she had processed what happened, but I know we both have felt pain and awkwardness since.

I spotted her again at a recent event and knew I had to approach her. I suppose I will never know how it felt on her end, but I felt the strong leading of the Holy Spirit to “break the ice” and hopefully make it so that when we encounter each other again, we can nod and say good morning rather than circle the room to avoid each other.

I cannot say it was a break-through moment. I could feel her body stiffen up as I approached her. I said good morning, asked her how she was, and let her know I was praying for her family. Her responses were polite and minimal, making me fear that my “drive-by compassion” had really caught her off guard and did not bridge the awkwardness that I had hoped it would. Worse, I fear I may have caused her pain by speaking to her, something completely opposite of what I was hoping to do.

So then I did what we all do in that moment. I began to question whose leading I was truly following by approaching her….God’s, or mine?

I had a mom in my office last week who expressed the same confusion. Praying for her son had led her to believe that a situation would be resolved in a particular way. When that did not transpire, she naturally began to question whether she was hearing God’s voice or her own as she prayed.

God speaks to us in ways that we do not communicate with others. His Spirit speaks to our spirit and we “hear” what he is saying….but only if we are tuned in with fine precision. This requires spending a lot of time in his presence, so that the voice becomes clearer with each encounter. We tune in every time we pray, serve, worship, meditate, fellowship and SIT with his word.

John 10 The Message (MSG)

He Calls His Sheep by Name

10 1-5 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”

6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

14-18 “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary. You need to know that I have other sheep in addition to those in this pen. I need to gather and bring them, too. They’ll also recognize my voice. Then it will be one flock, one Shepherd.”

Recognizing God’s voice in the cacophony of all the sounds swirling in our minds and hearts takes practice, discernment and the constant abiding in God’s word, God’s will and his presence. The good news is HE LOVES HIS SHEEP. He is constantly calling, cajoling, rebuking, correcting, wooing, comforting, directing and saying words of caring to us.

Are you trying to hear God today? Tune in, stay tuned, adjust your dial, and wait. The Good Shepherd is calling.

God speaks in the stillness of a moment. Are you listening?

Photo by Michelle Robertson.

We are very blessed to have two airline employees in our family who regale us at big family events with stories of life in the air. I like to watch how the rest of the family “leans in” when one of them starts to talk. Last month my flight attendant daughter told a story from her first year of flying. She was enthusiastically greeting passengers as they boarded, and a man handed her a large pizza box. Usually passengers hand over their trash at the end of a flight, but she accepted it and welcomed him aboard. When everyone had boarded, she made her way to the back galley and stuffed the box into the trash bin. The flight went along as normal, and after the first drink and snack service, a flight attendant call light went off. Jamie answered it, and recognized the fellow who had handed her the pizza box.

“I’ll take my pizza now; you can just warm it up for me.” Jamie leaned closer. “Excuse me, sir?” “My pizza. The one I handed to you when I boarded. I’m ready for you to warm it up and serve it to me.” Jamie straightened back up and said, “Sir, when you handed me that box, I assumed it was trash. It’s in the bottom of the bin.” The man exploded, “THAT WAS A WHOLE PIZZA! HOW COULD YOU THROW MY PIZZA AWAY?”

Of course she felt bad that she had thrown away his dinner, but can you imagine someone thinking that was an appropriate expectation? What if all 200+ passengers handed the flight attendant an entree when they boarded and expected it to be heated and served on demand….and for the record, sir, AIRPLANES ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH PIZZA OVENS. In fact, airplanes don’t even have ovens, per se; just small, airplane-dish-sized convection ovens designed to re-heat those little airplane-sized dishes in little airplane-sized-galleys. Think Barbie Dream House and you’re close.

Life certainly is filled with unmet, unrealistic, off-base, and downright inappropriate expectations.

Part of the blessing of officiating weddings is doing the pre-marital counseling. Using a pre-marital inventory, we discuss the subjects of Communication, Family, Children, Finances, and that mystical, elusive topic: Marriage Expectations. This delves into the couples’ pre-conceived ideas of the nuts and bolts of married life, such as who will do what around the house: who will clean, who will grocery shop, who will write bills….and it is the one category where nobody does well. Maybe if people had realistic expectations of what marriage is really like, nobody would ever get married! But it is always an interesting exploration as we uncover their unrealistic expectations and get them aligned before the wedding.

Pay attention to the word expectation in this scripture.

Psalm 62:5-6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

5 My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him.

6 He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.

Doesn’t this put your hopes and dreams into a different reality? Realizing that only God can bring both hope and expectation truly changes our expectations of life. The psalmist goes on to explain why he places his expectation in God: he has found God to be his Rock, his Salvation, his Defense and his Fortress. Holy Cow, what else in life could possibly meet our expectations like that?

Relationships, marriages, co-workers, children, adult children, spouses, pastors, churches, our government….all of these will surely let you down at some point and fail to meet your expectations. Better to re-evaluate and readjust your expectations, basing them in your current reality, than to suffer one more disappointment. We can embrace the fact that God our Rock will meet our expectations when we wait and silently submit to him.

We will never be let down in the arms of our Savior. You can count on it.

Photo by Michelle Robertson.