Abandoned Camps

A couple of days ago, while riding with the Homeless Outreach Team, we came across a couple of abandoned camps.  There are several reasons why a person might abandon their camp.  They might have been arrested.  They could have teamed up with someone who has better equipment, and abandoned their old tent.  Unfortunately, they could have died or disappeared altogether.  Or, they could have gotten housing, and left behind the gear that they no longer needed. In this last case, an abandoned camp could be a reason to celebrate, rather than a cause for fear, alarm, or sadness.

Not to be morbid, but this makes me think of my own death.  There will come a time when I will give up this tent I'm living in, because there's a better house waiting for me.  When I'm ready to occupy that mansion, I'll have no reason to stay behind, or even hang onto this used up frame.  So I'll kiss it goodbye and fly to my new home.

In 2 Peter 1:13-14 (NIV), the apostle Paul writes:

 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,  because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 

He also says in 2 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV):

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

When it comes to those I love who have passed from this life to the next, I have a choice.  I can look at their earthly tents and grieve that they aren't here anymore.  Or I can thank God that they've found a new home that is far better than the encampment they left behind.  Instead of sorrow, I choose joy.  And I hope it's not too morbid for you to think about the day when your tent wears out.  One of these days, we'll all abandon camp.  I hope that when you do, it's because you've gone to a better home.  

I Love You More Than Ice Cream

Today when I got home, I got this in the mail:

Since I moved from Virginia to Washington State in December, I have talked with my grandchildren on the phone, and I have Skyped with them.  Today, I received the letter pictured above in the mail.  If I've got this right, the group of three on the right is (right to left) Daddy (Joe), Eli, and Jonah.  Then the group in the middle is the girls in the nuclear family, Mommy (Emily) and Josie.  Then the group on the left is me (Papa) and Nina (Christina).  Looks like everybody's smiling and waving.  At the top, Eli (almost 6) wrote, "Dear Papa, I love you more than ice cream."

What a sweetheart!  He made my heart melt, just like ice cream!  I'm going to put this picture on my wall and when I get down, I'm going to look at it, breathe, and smile.  I'm going to reflect on the boy who loves me--on fishing and playing and snuggling and reading and laughing together.  And I'm going to let that warmth seep from my soul to my bones and energize not only my spirit but my body as well. 

See, I believe that the body and soul are connected, and when I nurture my spirit it's good for every cell in every system of my physical being.  I believe I'm made to love and to be loved--and that love sustains me.  Letters and pictures and gifts and mementos are like batteries that store love energy, to be used at a later time.  But the great thing is that those batteries never run down.  So I like to fill my space with things that remind me of those who love me, and those I love.  These things energize me.

You probably do the same.  But you might not think of it in quite the same terms.  I invite you to think of each bit of memorabilia, each note in scrawled handwriting, each photograph of a family member, as a meaningful connection to love.  If you feel down, negative, discouraged, attacked, confused, depressed, lonely, frustrated, or any of these negative emotions that can wreck your thoughts and emotions--surround yourself with reminders of love's presence in your life.  Then let love fill you like electricity.  Let it energize you, and bring you into the presence of Peace.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.(Philippians 4:8 NLT)

Sense of Entitlement

Have you lately encountered anybody who feels entitled?  Entitlement is a feeling that you deserve good things because of something special that you have done or because of something special that you are.  I've heard older people complaining that "young people today" have a sense of entitlement.  I've heard those who have plenty accusing those who have less of feeling entitled to a handout.  It seems that "entitlement" is a buzz word these days.  But I find it's also the people who are in a position of privilege who resent it when those who aren't in power begin to feel that they deserve something.  I want to ask, "What about the entitlement of the elite--those who feel that they're better, simply because they have position and power--and that because they're better, they deserve even more?"

In Luke's Gospel, a foreign officer came to Jesus the Masger to heal his servant.  He was was well-off, powerful, and carried the authority of the sword and Roman eagle.

When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us (Luke 7:3-5 NLT).”

This officer was wealthy enough that he funded the building of a synagogue.  The people felt he was entitled to a miracle because of his wealth, which had resulted in his prominent and public gift.

Over the decades that I pastored churches, I encountered people who had a sense of entitlement when it came to God's favor.  They felt that they deserved God's blessing because they'd given generously to the church.  Maybe they'd put a steeple on the building, paved the parking lot, or built an extension to the campus.  Others felt entitled because they'd served the church faithfully and selflessly through the years.  Some felt they deserved blessing.  Others felt they deserved recognition and power.  But God prefers humility and a tender spirit.

It turns out Jesus did heal the centurion's servant--not because he was good, but because Jesus was good.  And that's a point to remember, the next time you feel a sense of entitlement creeping up in your own spirit.  Humans operate on a principle of what we earn and what we deserve.  God operates on a principle of grace.  Grace means God gives because of the overflow of God's generosity and love.  To be a person of grace means that I receive God's blessing knowing that I haven't earned it.  And then I care for people not because they deserve it, but because they are children of God.

Entitlement grasps to gain and hold.  Grace holds loosely, with open hands because it trusts in the goodness of a bountiful Love.  Today, I choose to remember my place.  I choose to be humble.  And I choose to receive and give God's blessing to others, which is a free gift, and never earned.  I hope you'll choose the same.

Communion Crosses Borders

Today, during Communion (Lord's Supper, Eucharist), the pastor made the point that when we take the body and the blood of Christ, we are connecting not only to God, but to all the saints.  In churches around the world, one of the things that unifies believers is this regular observance of Communion.  Throughout church history, Christians have shared this simple meal of bread and wine (or grape juice) as a sacrament or ordinance.  No wonder that since I moved 3,000 miles away from home, Communion has been a powerful moment for me. 

I've felt God's power dramatically for the past three months, worshiping and sharing the Lord's Supper at a church in Canada.  I've been brought to tears, remembering the church of my childhood.  I've felt nostalgic for the churches I've served as pastor.  But at the same time, those simple taste memories have brought a sense of community and family here in this new place.  I've heard God's gentle whisper, even across the border, saying, "These are my people."  

What's true for me is true for you as well.  If you're a Christian, then when you share Eucharist, you are not just observing a sacrament with your local congregation.  You're connecting with all believers in every nation.  You're touching all Jesus' followers of all time.  For the past two thousand years, this tradition and act of mystical union have been passed down to us.  So when you take the bread and wine, I hope it's more than a powerful taste memory for you (as it is for me).  I hope it's a connection with something greater, and with Someone greater.  Who knows--maybe the next time I take the bread and cup, I'll be sharing it with you, even from miles away.

Setting Up a Sacred Place

Here's a picture of the space where I work.  It can get pretty hectic around here, dealing with clients who are at the most stressful point in their lives.  That's why it's important for me to create some breathing space where I work.  One of the things I've done is post motivational phrases, as well as pictures of my family, on my walls, and at my desk.  I also have a message board that I can change every day, right in the entrance to my work space.  I change the message every day, with a different inspirational line or few.  My desk is at an intersection in the office, so the area gets a lot of traffic, and the message board gets a lot of people who stop and read it.  It's kind of a small sacred place that I've set up, right in the office.

In Genesis 35, right in the middle of chaotic events, Jacob has an experience with God.  To mark that sacred place, Jacob sets us a pillar and anoints it with oil.  This became a marker where generations who came after him could stop and remember that God was still speaking, and that God still cared.  It was a stone at an intersection, a message board at a crossroads in Jacob's life and in the lives of those who went to that place for inspiration.

What sacred places do you have in your life?  Do you have a place of worship, or a trout stream, or a mountain, or a favorite chair in your living room, where you can go to meet with God?  Do you have a way of marking your own private space as holy, to remind you that even in the middle of chaos, God is still speaking, and God still cares?  I encourage you to take some time to create some sacred space in your life where you can find peace, and share that peace with others.

"Breathing Space"

When I was a kid, my brother and I were always wrestling with each other.  We didn't actually fight much--our goal was to see who could pin the other down and dominate the other.  Being the youngest, I generally lost.  To this day, I can't stand to watch professional wrestlers put each other in choke holds, or pin their opponents in ways where they don't have room to breathe.  Sometimes, when life seems like it closes in or gets oppressive, I feel stifled, choked, like I just need some breathing space.  That's when I try to step away from the situation and just breathe.

Working with people in crisis, I often find that clients come into my office filled with anxiety and fear.  Much of that is, honestly, merited, given the traumas they have gone through.  But nothing can be accomplished when stress remains at such a high level.  Often, I ask clients to pause and breathe with me.  They find that this helps--not only because their body needs oxygen, but because returning to their breath means focusing on that which is most basic.

Your breath is the most basic thing in life.  It's what makes you alive.  Genesis 2:7 says that God breathed into Adam the breath of life, and he became a living being.  That same God is breathing on you today, filling you with energy, filling you with Spirit, inviting you to inhale the goodness of God's presence.  When life stresses you out, don't forget to breathe.  And in that breath, find your peace.

It's 2019--and I want some EGG NOG!

When I was a kid, my family would go to a New Year's Eve party every year at the home of my dad's best friend from high school.  We kids would play together, ring in the new year, and enjoy all the food and drink--at least, the drink that we were allowed to have.  Every year, we were told that we weren't allowed to drink the egg nog.  For the longest time, I didn't understand why--only that it was a "grownup drink."  So I came to associate egg nog with being a grownup.  

In this New Year, I'm asking myself what I would like most in 2019.  At 46, I've decided that I want to be more grownup--that I want some EGG NOG!  Rather than resolutions that say "I'd like to do this or that this year," I've simply decided I want to drink more from the following six character traits.  I want to be more...

Ecumenical.  Along with my move to the Pacific Northwest comes a move from the Southern Baptist Convention.  I find myself surrounded by churches and denominations I've never heard of.  It seems I don't fit very well into the religious landscape--and that's okay.  Being ecumenical means that I'm not Baptist or any other sect--I'm simply a follower of Jesus.  Being employed outside of full-time ministry means I don't have to tow any denominational lines that I might disagree with.  It means I can embrace all that is good from the entire Christian family.  Ephesians 4:5-6 (NLT) says, "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all."  By becoming more ecumenical, I recognize that just as God is greater than I can imagine, so is God's family.

Maybe you want to be more ecumenical this year as well.  It doesn't mean you have to give up on your church or denomination.  It doesn't mean you compromise your beliefs.  It means you're willing to invite others to a bigger table.


Generous.  James 1:27 (NLT) reminds me that faith is not something to have, it's something to put into practice.  "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."  Working with homeless people, I have a daily reminder of how fortunate I am, and how many are in serious need.  I have a serious problem with the common phrase, "There, but for the grace of God, go I."  I know that people use that expression to mean, "I could be in that position myself, if it weren't for God's grace."  But that aphorism suggests that the people whose struggle is so great that it merits your comment are somehow outside the grace of God.  Before you post your #blessed, think how smug it makes you sound to the very people you're comparing yourself to.  This year, I want to develop the kind of personal generosity that not only gives financially to those in need, but the kind that gives the grace of God to others.  God's grace isn't something that separates me from the less fortunate--it is something that connects me to them.  It's something that commands me to be as generous with others as God has been generous to me.

If you want to be more generous this year, consider first a change in attitude.  A generous attitude isn't one that throws coins at a beggar--it's one that sees the beggar as no different than yourself.  It's a willingness to throw your arms around that person and accept them as an equal.  Only from such a position can you be truly generous--financially, and otherwise. 

Gentle.  Philippians 4:5 (NHEB) says, "Let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is near."  I have to admit that sometimes, when I get irritated, it's hard for me to be gentle.  But God's nearness provides everything I need to access the gentle spirit of Jesus and be gentle myself.  God is not far away from me, and neither is the gentleness that God asks of me.  In fact, God doesn't ask me to be anything that God doesn't provide.  So, receiving God's gentleness means I can reflect it to others.  Being gentle means being "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry (James 1:19 (NLT)."  Lately, I've been reminding myself to be a better listener, and less of a talker.  Simply practicing this results in being angry less often, because I've found my understanding increasing as I actively listen to others instead of focusing on what I'm going to say next.  Maybe you'll find the same true for you.

Do you want to be more gentle this year?  Gentleness is one of the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  If you're a Christian, ask the Holy Spirit to plant seeds of gentleness in your heart.  Cultivate these seeds by active listening, and watch them grow.


Novel.  Though I written novels, I've never found a publisher who wanted to publish them.  But the word "novel" means more than a fiction book.  It means "creative."  Novelties are original things that stem from the imagination, and inspire more creativity.  God's inventive Spirit crafted canyons, designed dragonflies, set the stars in space.  The incredible thing is that God created humanity in God's own image, which means you and I are gifted with the same amazing novelty that God has.  I want to be more creative in 2019--which means I need to take the time to ponder, reflect, and imagine.  Then I need to implement what my heart generates--whether that's writing or other inventive ideas.

Maybe you'd like to be more novel this year.  One way to do that is to keep a journal of all the ideas you have.  Whether you think they're ingenious or silly--write them down, without judging them.  Sometimes the strangest of ideas is also the most brilliant.  By keeping an idea journal, you can treasure things that God gives you in your heart, pondering them until you bring them to fruition (Luke 2:19).


Open-minded.  I think that the more I judge myself and others, the less ecumenical, generous, gentle, and novel I become.  Withholding judgment doesn't mean that everything's okay--it just lets God be the judge instead of trying to put myself on the throne.  When I make myself the judge, then I put myself in God's place--and that's a dangerous thing to do.  Instead, I remind myself that I'm not called to judge; I'm called to love.  And all of a sudden, the world opens to me and becomes a beautiful place.  I can have a conversation with the Sikh man I see at the store, or with the trans woman I work with, without fear of their differences. In fact, I welcome the differences, understanding that these people make me richer for knowing them.  By letting God be God, I find that I'm free to let them be them, which allows me to be me.

If you want to be more open-minded this year, try this: Every time you're tempted to pull back from someone because they're different from you, just say this to yourself-- "God has not called me to judge; God has called me to love."  I began doing this a couple of years ago, and it has made a huge difference in my relationship with God, my relationship with others, and my understanding of myself.  Remember, "For God so loved the world..." means that God wants you to love the world, too (John 3:16).


Genuine.  In 2019, I want to be more genuine.  This might be hard for some to understand, but I'll dare to say that my shift from being a pastor to being a social worker allows me to be more genuine with people.  If that sounds wrong to you, it's because you've probably never been a pastor.  Unfortunately, pastors are all too often governed by other people's expectations, to the degree that they can sometimes be less than genuine about who they are and what they think.  In an attempt to be "all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)," they often lose themselves.  It's no surprise, then, that the people that Jesus chides the most are the religious leaders who are less than genuine.  He takes a whole chapter (Matthew 23) denouncing hypocrisy.  So, rather than trying to be something I'm not--or rather than pretending I think something I don't, just so I can tow a denomination line or look good to someone else--I think I'll try to be more genuine in 2019.  I've got to ask myself who I care more about pleasing--God or people.  Proverbs 29:25 (NLT) says, "Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety."  It's better to trust the Lord for the righteousness that only Jesus gives by grace, than it is to fear the judgment of people, and put on a pseudo-righteousness that doesn't fool anybody.

Do you want to be more genuine this year?  It's as simple as this--forget about what people expect of you, and focus on what God expects of you.  You'll be amazed that it's easier to please God than it is to please people, anyway.


Maybe I wasn't wrong to associate egg nog with being an adult.  But I think the kind of EGG NOG I've talked about above will mature me far more than anything I could drink.  God wants us all to "mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head (Ephesians 4:13b-15)."  I'll pray for your New Year's resolutions, if you'll pray for mine.  But I hope that yours are more about becoming the kind of person you need to be this year, than they are about some checklist of things to get done.  And I pray that the God who began a good work in you would be faithful to complete it.