"Love"

Recently, I read about Robert Louis Stevenson’s story of…

a storm that caught a vessel off a rocky coast and threatened to drive it and its passengers to destruction. In the midst of the terror, one daring man, contrary to orders, went to the deck, made a dangerous passage to the pilot house and saw the steerman, at his post holding the wheel unwaveringly, and inch by inch, turning the ship out, once more, to sea. The pilot saw the watcher and smiled. Then, the daring passenger went below and gave out a note of cheer: "I have seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled. All is well."[i]

When life gets tough, sometimes you just want to look into the pilot’s face. You just want to see him smile. You just want comfort and consolation, and to know that all is well. In Luke 2, we meet an old man named Simeon, who is waiting for the consolation of Israel. This word “consolation” is also translated as “comfort” and “encouragement.” Basically, he wants God to show them some love. Israel has been like a ship in a storm for so long, that Simeon wants to know that for his people, all will be well.

Israel was a nation that was birthed in pain. Four hundred years of slavery in Egypt threatened to dash them on the rocks even before they got established. Then there had been the time of wandering, the instability of a time when they were simply a loose confederation of tribes, and finally a unified monarchy under Saul, David, and Solomon. But pretty soon, things fell apart. The kingdom was divided. Civil war and unrest made the nation vulnerable so that they were easily conquered by empires. In the history of the Jewish people, very rarely did they have peace or self-rule. The Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans oppressed them. Simeon just wanted to look in the pilot’s face and see him smile. He just wanted comfort, and consolation from the God of Israel. He wanted to know that God’s people were special, that they were loved, and that God was looking out for them. Sometimes that’s all you want, isn’t it? But sometimes love surprises us.

The Bible says that Simeon is led by the Spirit to the Temple, where he encounters Mary, Joseph, and the newborn Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives him a word of prophecy in which he declares the love of God in two astonishing ways.

The first surprise is the scope of God’s love. This man who had been looking for the consolation of his oppressed nation prophesies instead about a comfort that God wants to give to everybody. “For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”[ii] So salvation and revelation aren’t just for the Jewish people—they are for the Gentiles, too. That means all people—even the oppressors. What amazing love God shows the world!

The second surprise is the cost of God’s love. Simeon meets the holy family in the context of sacrifice. They have come to the Temple to dedicate their child in a ritual that involves the offering of two young birds, one as a burnt offering and one as an offering to atone for sin. It’s in the context of blood and sacrifice that Simeon sings of salvation. Grace is free—it’s never earned. But it certainly is costly. It was upon the cross that Jesus bore the worst cruelty that humankind could dream up. Yet it was from the cross, while enduring our torment, that Jesus pronounced atonement with the words, “Father, forgive them!”[iii] Without Jesus’ shed blood we would never know the extent to which God’s love is willing to go. A college professor of mine, Rabbi Spiro, used to say, “God loves us, even to the point of self-sacrifice.” God demonstrates this great love in the person of Jesus. This costly gift would be a sword that would pierce Mary’s soul, yet it would bring salvation to the world.

In John 3:16-17 (NIV), Jesus says, “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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” God loves you so much that He never wants to condemn you, but always to save you. That’s why Jesus came, to give God’s saving love to the world as the ultimate Christmas gift. Simeon knew that this love was costly, and would involve sacrifice. Simeon sang that this love would include not just some segment of “special people,” but that Jesus came as the Light of the Gentiles—the Light of world. I pray that you’ll know the love of God through Jesus, and I pray that you’ll share that light.




[i] http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/c/comfort.htm. December 18, 2015.


[ii] Luke 2:30-32 (NASB)


[iii] Luke 23:34 (NASB)

"Joy"

Do you remember the old “Peanuts” cartoon and movies? This time of year, a lot of people love to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. At one point, when Charlie Brown is having difficulty getting into the Christmas spirit, Linus says, “Charlie Brown, you’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.” If we’re honest with ourselves, sometimes we can feel like we’re having a Charlie Brown Christmas—spindly tree and all. Sometimes it even feels like we’re having a Charlie Brown life. Sometimes our religion reflects the same attitude as well.

Pastor Chris Layton tells the story of a young boy who visited his grandfather on the farm:

There was once a young boy who went to spend the week with his grandfather on the farm. While walking around he noticed the chickens, they were scratching and playing around. The little lad said, “They ain’t got it”. Next he saw a colt in the field playing and kicking up its heel’s to which he replied, “He ain’t got it”. After examining all of the animals on his grandfather’s farm and see that none of them had “it”, this boy finally found the old donkey in the barn. When he saw the donkey’s long, frowning face and the way that the donkey just stood there he screamed for his grandfather to come quick. “I found it, I found it” the boy kept yelling. When his grandfather asked what he had found he said, “Pawpaw, I found an animal that has the same kind of religion that you have.”[i]

Yes, sometimes we can allow our circumstances to dictate our attitude. We can let life rob us of joy. Like Charlie Brown, we can turn everything into a problem. But the Christian message declares joy even in difficult situations, and despite the pain of life. I’ve heard many Christmas messages (and probably preached a few myself), talking about how the angels appeared to miserable shepherds, huddled in the cold, announcing joy despite their suffering. These messages often focus on the shepherds as penniless outcasts, and so they were. In these sermons we hear that the angels appeared to the poor in order to declare their acceptability in God’s sight, giving the gift of joy to those who sorrow and struggle. And this can be true. Certainly, when we are in pain, this is a comforting thought. But recently, I’ve come to think of it in a different way.

Perhaps the shepherds weren’t chosen because they were miserable, and because God wanted them to perk up. Maybe they were chosen because they weren’t like Charlie Brown—because they already knew joy. Joy isn’t the same as happiness. Joy is close to contentment. These shepherds were homeless vagabonds who owned nothing and had to learn to be at peace with that. They knew how to draw from a deep well of joy, rather than trying to be fulfilled by all the things that made other people happy. The angels’ song declares, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests (Luke 2:14 NASB).” But some translations render it, “on earth peace to men of good will.” In other words, peace will come to you on earth if you are the kind of person who has good will. This was exactly what was happening when the angels appeared to the shepherds. They appeared to those who already practiced joy and contentment.

These shepherds remind me of King David, in his younger days when he was just a simple shepherd. In the solitude and simplicity of this life he sought God, and wrote some of the most beautiful poetry in the Bible. Perhaps it was because of this uncomplicated, joyful contentment that he grew close enough to the Lord to be a “man after God’s own heart.” Rather than seeking the things of this world, he sought God and found joy.

These shepherds remind me of an old Puerto Rican homeless man named Victor whom I once knew. Victor had long stringy gray-blond hair and wore rags on his body. He spoke a mixture of Spanish and English and was at times hard to understand. He had nothing, except joy. At random moments you could see Victor jumping up and down, shouting, “Thank you, Jesus! Ay-eee! Holy, holy, holy!” His exuberance was infectious, and lifted my spirit whenever I saw him. Joy is unlike happiness in that it doesn’t require everything in your life to be going well. It doesn’t require creature comforts or even happiness. As Victor showed, it doesn’t even require sanity. Joy simply needs contentment, and results in peace.

Maybe this Christmas, you’re saying, “I hear what you’re saying—but I can’t just turn on Joy like a light switch. Where do I begin?” You begin with things that are a little easier— things like simplicity, gratitude, and trust. Add in a little giving, spiced with a bit of expectancy. Spend some time caring for someone else, rather than focusing on your own problems. Work on these things, and joy will gradually creep up on you.

When joy latches onto you, you can’t help but do something about it. You want to share it with others. The shepherds left their flocks to go and find the baby whose birth was proclaimed. They spread the word, not only about the child, but about what the angels had said concerning him. Like Victor, you can find joy if you start with gratitude and contentment. Then, when the word of God visits you like it came to the shepherds through the angels, these things can be transformed into joy. That joy then spreads to others, eclipsing both the struggles and the happiness of the world. This Christmas, I’m not praying for personal happiness—I’m praying for joy. And I’m praying the same for you as well.






[i] http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-chris-layton-humor-joy-3079.asp. December 11, 2015.

"Peace"

When I read that America has had more mass shootings in 2015 than there have been days in the year, my jaw dropped. In the wake of the Planned Parenthood shooting in Colorado Springs, and the San Bernardino shooting which is the deadliest since Newtown, how do you deliver a message on peace? In the Advent calendar, this is the week of peace. What shall I say?

Each of us longs for peace—deeply and desperately. This has been the human dream since the beginning. We work for peace, but peace eludes us. We argue back and forth about whether gun control is the problem or the solution—but the fact is that the problem is the human heart, and the solution only comes from God.

In the first chapter of Luke’s gospel, Zechariah sings a song at the birth of his son John, who will grow up to be the forerunner of the Messiah. In verses 68-69a[i], he says, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us.” In our longing for peace, this word “salvation” is used. It comes from the word “salve,” or a healing balm. In this context, it can mean many things.

First, it can mean physical safety. Zechariah sings of “salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us (v. 71).” He prays, “grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear (v. 74).” Being able to serve God without fear of terrorism would a wonderful thing. Everybody wants to live free from those who hate them and wish them harm. Certainly, this is part of the salvation for which Zechariah prayed in his violent world, and for which we pray in our broken world as well.

Then, this “salvation” or “healing” can mean also a purposeful existence for our children. In his song, Zechariah turns to his baby and says, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways (v. 76).” Every parent in every culture longs to see their children grow and be safe and free to find their life’s mission. It’s not just American parents or Christian parents who want these things for their children—every sane parent wants the same thing.

Next, Zechariah anticipates the coming of the Lord “To give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins (v. 77).” Salvation, or “healing” isn’t just a social or political thing; it is also spiritual. Jesus, the ultimate expression of God’s love, wanted us to know that God forgives all our sin. Nothing you could ever do is excluded from God’s forgiveness—and because of that, God wants us to extend that forgiveness and peace to others.

Just as God called John as an agent of change in the world, God calls us “To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (v. 79).” This is how we bring salvation, the healing of God, to the world. Granted, it can be a difficult task to swallow our anger over the world’s violence and become shining lights. Our initial reaction is to respond to violence with violence—but that isn’t the way of Christ. Instead, the Lord calls us to realize that the hearts of our enemies are simply bound in darkness, to have compassion on them, and to walk the path of peace.

This desire for peace spans every generation. On Christmas day of 1863, in the wake of his wife’s death and the severe wounding of his son Charles at the Battle of New Hope Church, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his famous poem, “Christmas Bells.” Lamenting the vast difference between the Christmas ideal of peace, and the reality of violence, he writes:

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

Longfellow ends his poem not with despair, but with hope. The bells reply to his grief with an affirmation that God and good will win in the end. In Psalm 98:3, a different poet echoes the sentiments of Zechariah and Longfellow. “[God] has remembered His loving kindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” Hope for peace is found in the knowledge that not only has God remembered “our” people, but that all those from the ends of the earth are God’s people as well. Knowing that, we trust God to “To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace (v. 79).”






[i] Scriptures taken from the NASB

Syrian Refugees - Samaritan's Purse

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Posted by Samaritan's Purse on Wednesday, October 7, 2015

"Loopholes in Love"

            In his book, God Without Religion, Andrew Farley writes about Christians’ relationship with the law.  He says:

One day, while visiting the local Mennonite town, my wife and I witnessed a scene we’ll never forget.  A horse drawing a carriage was trotting through the middle of downtown…towing a bright yellow speedboat!

We laughed and laughed at the hypocrisy of it all.  Yes, the Mennonite man was obeying the letter of Mennonite law.  But he had found a loophole of sorts that enabled him to enjoy just a bit of weekend “freedom.”[i]

            In Luke 10, Jesus meets another such person who was always looking for loopholes.  As a lawyer, he is good at finding legal exemptions and ways of following the letter of the law without necessarily obeying its spirit.  He comes to Jesus with a question about what he needs to do to inherit eternal life.  Knowing the man’s relationship with the law, Jesus meets him where he is.  “What does the law say?” he asks. 

            “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and strength,” replies the lawyer.  We think that’s pretty easy.  We love God because He loves us.  But the next is a bit harder: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  This is more difficult because not all our neighbors are lovable.  Yet we can get by with the letter of the law if we realize that technically this only calls for a selfish kind of love, a self-serving care.  If I love my neighbor as I love myself, then I’m only loving him for the way it benefits me.  See—even following the letter of the law, we can do so with the wrong spirit.  But, in a sense, we can get by—sort of. 

            Following the letter of the law is okay, Jesus says.  If that’s all you’re after.  Shrugging, he says, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”  But then the lawyer looks for a loophole, a way that he can meet the legal obligation without having to really love his neighbor, even with a selfish love.  He figures he can limit the number of people that his love should apply to.  So he asks, “Who is my neighbor?”  What he really means is, “Who can I get out of treating like a neighbor?”  In response, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan:

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”  And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same (Luke 10:30-37 NASB).”

            Jesus’ point is that there are no loopholes when it comes to love.  Eternal life is loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength.  It’s loving your neighbor.  Our problem is that, like the lawyer, we like to look for loopholes, exemptions, and excuses for following the letter of the law and not the spirit that God intended.  We’d like to just barely get by with the minimum that’s expected.  Following the law seems like enough for us.  But getting to the spirit of it—that just seems too hard!

            The priest and the Levite in Jesus’ story thought that they had loopholes that exempted them from helping someone in need.  First, since they were on their way to sacred duty in the temple, and since touching blood would make them ceremonially unclean, they believed it was their spiritual duty to not help the man in the ditch. Second, they rationalized that if the bandits had assaulted the man then stopping to help him might make them vulnerable as well.  Third, it’s ironic that the Samaritan could have avoided the Jewish victim because of racial stereotypes.  We might expect this, but the Samaritan is blind to ethnic differences. 

            We are guilty of the same kinds of justifications, looking for loopholes in the law that might allow us to get out of loving our neighbor.  We depict ourselves as spiritually superior, afraid that, like the Samaritan’s blood, something about “those people” might rub off on us and make us unclean.  We let our fear of vulnerability keep us from reaching out to those in need, all the while claiming to be righteous yet never displaying the love of Christ.  And unlike the Samaritan, we allow our racial and religious bigotry to paint people according to our stereotypes.  We look for loopholes.  We ask, “Who is my neighbor, anyway?”  We hope that Jesus never points to our worst fear and says, “Here’s your neighbor.”

            The parable of the Good Samaritan is given to us in the context of Jesus’ conversation with a lawyer.  We can be pretty good lawyers ourselves, trying to find loopholes, trying to get away with following the letter and not the spirit of the law.  But those of us who are in Christ are not bound by the Jewish law anyway—we are under a new covenant of grace and love.  Jesus no longer expects us to love our neighbors as ourselves (which is selfish love).  In John 13:34 (NASB), Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”  Loving people as Christ loves us—now that changes everything!  This is a higher path even than the Golden Rule – doing to others what we would want done to ourselves.  Suddenly our motivation is no longer selfish, but divine.  And it’s with divine, not selfish love, that Jesus wants us to love our neighbor.  “Who is my neighbor?” the lawyer asked.  It’s everyone—no exceptions, no loopholes, no excuses.

           

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[i] Farley, Andrew.  God Without Religion: Can It Really Be This Simple?  Baker Books: Grand Rapids, MI.  2011.  Pg. 37.

"An Open Ear"

            This past week when I was in Richmond for a denominational conference, I met my son for lunch on campus at VCU, where he is a student. We enjoyed a good meal, had some good discussion, and when it was time to go I hugged him goodbye and told him I loved him. When I walked out the door and headed toward the parking deck, he followed me. "Are you going to walk me to my truck?" I asked. He nodded, and we walked together, climbing several flights of stairs to my vehicle. "Well," I said, "I've got to get back to the convention," I told him.  I gave him another hug, but instead of walking away, he lingered. "Do you need something?" I asked. His eyes told me that he did need something but that he didn't want t to say. "Do you need some money?" I asked.

            "Well, I always need money," said the college student. so I handed him the largest bill in my wallet. Still, he looked as if he needed something.  So, leaning on my tailgate as men do when they want to have a manly talk, I said, "You know, I can be late to the conference.  What's up?" And finally the real conversation began.

            In Psalm 40:1 (NASB), David writes, "I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry." As my son demonstrated, when you want the Father's attention, the best thing to do is give him your attention.

            All of us go through times of struggle, where all we want to do is talk to our heavenly Daddy. David describes his situation as one in which he feels himself in a bog of quicksand. Perhaps you've felt that way yourself--maybe you're feeling that way now. Academic problems, financial woes, medical situations, or relationship troubles, and so many other things threaten to overwhelm us.  But God is the One who lifts us out of the pit of destruction and gives us a firm place to stand. He does this when we wait patiently for him.

            Waiting on God is the patient act of inclining the heart heavenward. David doesn't say that God heard his prayer--he says that God hears his cry.  This inclination toward God isn't a wordy discourse, but a silent waiting that is anything but idleness. It is trusting that God already knows our hearts. Romans 8:27-27 (NASB) says:

...The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

            This means that when we pray, we don't have to worry about words.  The Spirit knows what we mean. God knows our hearts. All we need to do is wait patiently for God, and He will incline towards us. Mercy Me sings the song "Word of God, Speak", which says:

I'm finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is it's okay

The last thing I need is to be heard

But to hear what You would say

            In this kind of prayer, the key isn't knowing what to say, but resting in silent trust of God.  Verse 4 (NASB) says, "How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust." Trust is active passivity. It is allowing yourself to be God's patient, to let God to work on you instead of trying to do the work yourself.

            The problem with prayer is that we've been taught to talk a lot, and to listen very little.  But in verse 6 (NASB), David says, "My ears You have opened." Over the years I've learned that prayer is MOSTLY about listening to God, and only a little bit about talking. When we fill the air with our words, telling God everything that we want, we get so distracted that we forget to listen to what God wants. How are we supposed to pray "Thy will be done," if we never listen to discern God's will?  What we need is less talking in prayer, and more listening.

            In an interview with Dan Rather, Mother Theresa said that when she prays, he doesn't talk to God--she just listens.  Rather asked her, "What does God say?" In reply she said, "Oh, God doesn't say anything. He just listens." When we wait on God, and God inclines toward us, this mutual inclination is called meditation and contemplation.

            Contemplative prayer doesn't give God a list of everything we want or need. In contemplative prayer, we simply say as David did, "Behold, I come (Psalm 40:7 NASB)." Perhaps this one-sentence prayer is all we need in order to simple BE in God's presence. When we do this, we discern His will, and His word is written on our hearts (v 8).  Some other one-sentence prayers from this psalm might also be, "Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; Make haste, O Lord, to help me (v. 13),)" or simply, “The Lord be magnified (v.16)!”  Maybe a one-sentence prayer, or a one-word prayer like "Come" is all you need, to rest in God's presence and listen for His voice.

            This week His really showed me something in the parking deck with my son. Sometimes we don't need to say a word about what we want. Sometimes all we need to do is patiently wait on God, and God will incline toward us. This silent trust is the greatest kind of prayer.

"Out of Body Experience"

I knew a man who had an Out of Body Experience. He died on the operating table, and was brought back to life. He described the typical things you always hear about: seeing a bright light, going through a tunnel, meeting Jesus and seeing his loved ones. When he recovered from his surgery, he had quite a tale to tell.  I even invited him to tell it from my pulpit. But the problem was that he never showed any evidence that his life was changed (other than being lengthened) by the experience. I had hoped that this man, who never gave any thought to spiritual things before, might actually be transformed by such an event. I knew him for years after the incident, and stayed in close connection to him, and I never saw any repentance, spiritual growth, or fruit in his life.  I'm glad I'm not the Judge, because if I were, I'm sure I'd get it wrong--but people like that make me wonder.

You see, the Christian life about spiritual transformation. It's not about saying you've had a mystical experience. It's about a relationship with the living God, not about joining an organization. Too many people think that being a Christian is about attending a church or getting baptized. What it's really about is Jesus changing you. Eternal life is about leaving behind your life that's based on the things of this world, and exchanging it for a life focused on infinite things. It's about putting your selfish self to death and taking up your cross daily to follow the Lord.

Now I know that as soon as I say this, some readers will say, "Wait a minute!  Eternal life is about living eternally: your soul living forever in heaven with Jesus after you die." This is what we are so familiar with: the idea that eternal life is about living forever. That it’s about an eternal duration of life.  I'm not arguing against this. In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about an afterlife, either experiencing God’s mercy or apart from knowing God's love. I am suggesting, however, that eternal life means more than that.  You can live an eternal life here and now, and you don't have to die in order to have an Out of Body Experience.

Certainly, death will be the ultimate OBE.  In fact, Paul tells us to so look forward to it that we eagerly desire the upcoming state of life:

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  (2 Corinthians 5:1-4 ESV)

Paul describes the earthly body as a physical tent that we wear.  He says that our spirits groan to be free of this tent, and to be clothed in glory and ultimate life.  We long for the day when we can be free of the encumbrance of these physical bodies and their limitations.  We look forward to putting on our resurrection bodies, which will be forever free of pain, sickness, and injury.  That will be a permanent Out of Body Experience.

Usually, when we use the term OBE, we’re either talking about people who intentionally leave their bodies through religious euphoria or drug-induced states.  These people have an OBE without dying at all. Trance states, dreams, and visions are the water in which mystics swim. Paul describes it this way:

I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. (2 Corinthians 12:1-4 ESV)

Many believers seek these kinds of OBEs, but this is not the ordinary Christian experience. These phenomena are exceptions to the spiritual rule.  Instead, the real Christian life is supposed to be an everyday Out of Body Experience, in which we no longer focus on the things of this world but transform our reality into a spiritual one.  Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Jardin said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”[i]  This is eternal life—to daily walk around having an OBE, where you are transformed into a spiritual being having a human experience and not the other way around.  Paul continues in 2 Corinthians 5:6-9:

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.  

Being at home in the body means living this physical life—something we’re all doing right now.  But feeling at home in the body makes it impossible to please God.  As spirit-walkers, God calls every believer to no longer feel at home in the body, but to be guided by courage as we try to please God.  As everyday visionaries who don’t need a trance-induced state, believers walk by faith, not by sight.  Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) describes faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  This faith-insight gives us courage to face whatever life has to offer, confident that God will see us through.  I pray that for you, every day will be an Out of Body Experience, and that this experience will transform your life.

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[i] http://blog.theclearingnw.com/spiritual-beings-having-a-human-experience.  October 24, 2015.

"One Thing"

                When I was a teenager, I was in a church play entitled, “A Little Dinner Magic,” loosely based on Leo Tolstoy’s story of Martin the Cobbler.  In the play, a modern American family finds out that Jesus will be coming to dinner.  In their haste to make all the preparations, they end up bickering with one another.  Their perfectionist determination keeps them from giving attention to the visitors who show up at their door: people in need who the family doesn’t have time or inclination to help.  Finally, Jesus speaks to them and reveals that He was there all along, that he showed up at the door in the form of strangers.  Hanging their heads, the family understands that in all their distraction, they missed the One Thing that matters most.

                What would you do, if you found out that Jesus was coming to dinner?  What would I do?  When I have guests at my house, I’m usually the last one to sit down to dinner.  I’m busy running around, making sure that everybody has what they need, because I think a lot about the value of hospitality.  But in all the taking care of my guests, I can sometimes forget about my guests. 

                Jesus’ friend Martha was the same way.  In Luke 10:38-42, the Lord and all twelve of his disciples stop by the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.  Martha complains to Jesus that, with all the preparations that need to be made, Mary isn’t helping.  She’s simply sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach.  Jesus surprises his hostess with his response: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her (vv. 41-42 ESV).”

                Let’s not be too harsh with Martha.  After all, Jesus isn’t.  His answer is tender and compassionate.  With great love he calls her by her name twice.  He is concerned about the things that concern her.  He is aware of the great burden of hospitality that thirteen men place on the household.  When Jesus says that Mary has chosen the good portion, he isn’t saying Martha has chosen the bad part—only that Mary has chosen the better.  He says that she is worried and upset over many things, but only one thing is necessary.  What do you think that “One Thing” is?

                The first thing that he might mean is that she is so busy preparing many different dishes, and only one thing is necessary (like a casserole).  Certainly, hospitality has its priority—but there is a degree of extravagance that prevents a person from truly enjoying time with their guests.  Perhaps Martha is busy preparing many things, but Jesus would rather she kept it simple so she too could sit and visit like her sister.

                There may be something else that Jesus means by “One Thing.”  Martha is likely so desperate for Jesus’ approval because she feels herself unworthy to sit at His feet. Only one thing is needed: a sense of her own value that doesn't need someone else's validation.  She’s rushing around trying to make Jesus happy by her good works, and doesn’t even realize that Jesus is already happy with her.  We can be the same way, trying to please Jesus so much that we forget that he is already pleased with his children, and just wants us to spend time with him.

                There is another factor at play here, contributing to Jesus’ “One Thing.”  Martha is trying to manipulate her sister by using Jesus, rather than going straight to Mary herself.  Jesus was a big believer that if you have a problem with someone, you should take it up with them and not gossip to other people about it[1].  Only one thing is needed: Honesty about her feelings.  Jesus wants us to be honest about our feelings as well.  It’s tough to say the hard things that need to be said to our loved ones, to take ownership of our own hurt feelings and disappointments.  But if anything is going to change, we need to be honest about the way we feel.

                Finally, Martha is so preoccupied with material things that she can't focus on spiritual life.  Only one thing is necessary: spiritual priority.  It’s easy for us to become so focused on this physical life—the earthly demands that take up so much of our attention.  But Jesus wants us to sometimes be more like Mary, who has chosen the better part.  Mary knows that it’s okay to focus on the spirit instead of the flesh, and Jesus wants us to know that as well.

                In the 1991 movie “City Slickers,” Billy Crystal plays a man named Mitch who is having a midlife crisis.  He and his friends take a trip to a dude ranch to find themselves.  Jack Palance plays a grizzled guide named Curly.  In a teachable moment, Curly asks Mitch, “Do you know what the secret of life is?”  He holds up one finger and says, “This.”  Mitch asks, “Your finger?”  Curly replies, “One thing.  Just one thing.  You stick to that and the rest don’t mean [squat].”  Mitch asks, “But, what is the ‘one thing?’”  Curly smiles and says, “That's what you have to find out.”  I think that Jesus is pretty much saying the same thing to Martha, and he says the same to us as well.

                We want to make God very complicated with our systematic theologies and high-pressure sales, our works-based salvation that imagines we have to somehow pleased God either by how much we do for him or how well we behave.  But God is simple, uncomplicated, straightforward. God only asks that you be present in the moment and take the opportunity that is provided to love Him and follow Him.  In Psalm 46:10a, the Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  This is the simplicity, the “One Thing” to which Jesus calls us.   I pray that, like Mary did, and like Martha learned, you will be able to be still, and know.

"When in Rome"

There’s an old saying: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”[i] When my in-laws went to Rome on vacation, they wandered its streets, enjoyed its food, and in many ways did just as the Romans did. But when the apostle Paul went to Rome, he didn’t have the freedom to do as the Romans did. Though he was a citizen of that fair city, he had never been there before. But instead of visiting it like a tourist or embracing it like an old friend, Paul arrived in chains and for trial. He would wait two years for that trial to come, each day fearing that the sentence of death he would have received in his homeland would be carried out in Rome. Yet even at the threat of execution, he was faithful.

What if you were faced with the near certainty of your own death if you stood for the principles of your faith, but the possibility of survival if you moved to another country, where you could find safety? This was the predicament of two German theologians during Hitler’s reign of terror. Paul Tillich and Dietrich Bonheoffer had to decide whether they would lead the German people through this time of darkness, or seek asylum in America. Their mutual friend, a first-generation German-American theologian named Reinhold Niebuhr, offered Tillich a position teaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Tillich decided to take the position, moved his family to safety, and became one of the leading theologians of the twentieth century. Bonheoffer, on the other hand, moved to America’s safety but then regretted his decision. Moving back to Germany, he became involved in the underground resistance, was arrested due to his involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler, and was hanged for treason.[ii] Burdened by his friends’ decisions, Niebuhr penned a prayer that is famous today. There are a couple of different versions, but here is Niebuhr’s original:

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.
Amen.[iii]

Though Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer would not be penned for another nineteen hundred years, Paul’s actions in Acts 28:11-31 show that the spirit of this prayer lived in his heart. Accepting with serenity the things that could not be changed, this observant Jewish Christian sailed aboard a ship marked with the double figurehead of the two gods Castor and Pollux. He accepted the fact that he was a prisoner, and placed himself at Caesar’s mercy.

Paul also had courage to change the things that he could change. Though he was in chains, he shared his testimony about Jesus with the Jewish community in Rome. Some believed, and some did not. That’s when it took wisdom for Paul to know the difference between those whom he could lead to Christ and those whom he could not. Rather than worrying about those he could not convert, he simply decided to focus on those he could, and turned his mission to the Gentiles instead.

In my life, I pray this same prayer. I wear a ring with the Niebuhr’s prayer etched into it, reminding me that in ministry there are things I need serenity for: things I cannot change. I also need courage to change those things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Perhaps this first part of the Serenity Prayer rings true in your life, and you find it a guide for godly living, as Paul found its principles as well.

When he was in chains, Paul also knew that he had to live one day at a time, one moment at a time. Watched over night and day by a team of Roman guards, he might have allowed his jailers’ presence to become stifling. Instead, he certainly used this hardship as a pathway to peace. Philippians 1:13 indicates that Paul developed a close connection with the Praetorian Guard, one that he would not have had but for his confinement. When we find ourselves going through hardship and ask ourselves, “How can I turn this into an opportunity for peace?” then we transform the situation for God’s glory.

Paul understood that the world will be as it is, and not as he would have it to be. He knew that not everyone would receive his message, and he trusted God to make all things right. In the same way, rather than trying to force our testimony on others, we need to let the Holy Spirit do its work and trust God for the results.

Paul knew that, though he was a citizen of Rome, his ultimate citizenship was in heaven.[iv] So it didn’t really matter that he didn’t get to do as the Romans do. He knew that his reasonable happiness on earth was only mildly important—because he looked forward to a better kingdom, where he would be supremely happy forever. Those who trust in Christ have the same heavenly citizenship, which means we can trust God no matter the circumstance.

Knowing that their citizenship was in heaven, Niebuhr and Tillich served God in safety, teaching and preaching God’s Word. Knowing that their citizenship was in heaven, Bonheoffer and Paul gave everything that they had even in danger, regardless of the cost. Knowing that your citizenship is in heaven and not here on earth, what will you do—what will you give, for the sake of Christ? In 2 Timothy 4:2 (ESV), Paul exhorts young Timothy, and every believer as well: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” Seek God. Seek serenity. Share Jesus, and then let go. Let God do the rest.

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[i] “The meaning and origin of the expression: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”  The Phrase Finder.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/when-in-rome-do-as-the-romans-do.html.  October 10, 2015.

[ii] Cheever, Susan.  “The Secret History of the Serenity Prayer.”  The Fix.  2012.  https://www.thefix.com/content/serenity-prayers-desperate-origins-Niehbur-Bonhoeffer-Tillich9965.  October 10, 2015.

[iii] http://skdesigns.com/internet/articles/prose/niebuhr/serenity_prayer/.  October 10, 2015.

[iv] Philippians 3:20

"One Thing"

When I was a teenager, I was in a church play entitled, “A Little Dinner Magic,” loosely based on Leo Tolstoy’s story of Martin the Cobbler. In the play, a modern American family finds out that Jesus will be coming to dinner. In their haste to make all the preparations, they end up bickering with one another. Their perfectionist determination keeps them from giving attention to the visitors who show up at their door: people in need who the family doesn’t have time or inclination to help. Finally, Jesus speaks to them and reveals that He was there all along, that he showed up at the door in the form of strangers. Hanging their heads, the family understands that in all their distraction, they missed the One Thing that matters most.

What would you do, if you found out that Jesus was coming to dinner? What would I do? When I have guests at my house, I’m usually the last one to sit down to dinner. I’m busy running around, making sure that everybody has what they need, because I think a lot about the value of hospitality. But in all the taking care of my guests, I can sometimes forget about my guests.

Jesus’ friend Martha was the same way. In Luke 10:38-42, the Lord and all twelve of his disciples stop by the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. Martha complains to Jesus that, with all the preparations that need to be made, Mary isn’t helping. She’s simply sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him teach. Jesus surprises his hostess with his response: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her (vv. 41-42 ESV).”

Let’s not be too harsh with Martha. After all, Jesus isn’t. His answer is tender and compassionate. With great love he calls her by her name twice. He is concerned about the things that concern her. He is aware of the great burden of hospitality that thirteen men place on the household. When Jesus says that Mary has chosen the good portion, he isn’t saying Martha has chosen the bad part—only that Mary has chosen the better. He says that she is worried and upset over many things, but only one thing is necessary. What do you think that “One Thing” is?

The first thing that he might mean is that she is so busy preparing many different dishes, and only one thing is necessary (like a casserole). Certainly, hospitality has its priority—but there is a degree of extravagance that prevents a person from truly enjoying time with their guests. Perhaps Martha is busy preparing many things, but Jesus would rather she kept it simple so she too could sit and visit like her sister.

There may be something else that Jesus means by “One Thing.” Martha is likely so desperate for Jesus’ approval because she feels herself unworthy to sit at His feet. Only one thing is needed: a sense of her own value that doesn't need someone else's validation. She’s rushing around trying to make Jesus happy by her good works, and doesn’t even realize that Jesus is already happy with her. We can be the same way, trying to please Jesus so much that we forget that he is already pleased with his children, and just wants us to spend time with him.

There is another factor at play here, contributing to Jesus’ “One Thing.” Martha is trying to manipulate her sister by using Jesus, rather than going straight to Mary herself. Jesus was a big believer that if you have a problem with someone, you should take it up with them and not gossip to other people about it. Only one thing is needed: Honesty about her feelings. Jesus wants us to be honest about our feelings as well. It’s tough to say the hard things that need to be said to our loved ones, to take ownership of our own hurt feelings and disappointments. But if anything is going to change, we need to be honest about the way we feel.

Finally, Martha is so preoccupied with material things that she can't focus on spiritual life. Only one thing is necessary: spiritual priority. It’s easy for us to become so focused on this physical life—the earthly demands that take up so much of our attention. But Jesus wants us to sometimes be more like Mary, who has chosen the better part. Mary knows that it’s okay to focus on the spirit instead of the flesh, and Jesus wants us to know that as well.

In the 1991 movie “City Slickers,” Billy Crystal plays a man named Mitch who is having a midlife crisis. He and his friends take a trip to a dude ranch to find themselves. Jack Palance plays a grizzled guide named Curly. In a teachable moment, Curly asks Mitch, “Do you know what the secret of life is?” He holds up one finger and says, “This.” Mitch asks, “Your finger?” Curly replies, “One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don’t mean [squat].” Mitch asks, “But, what is the ‘one thing?’” Curly smiles and says, “That's what you have to find out.” I think that Jesus is pretty much saying the same thing to Martha, and he says the same to us as well.

We want to make God very complicated with our systematic theologies and high-pressure sales, our works-based salvation that imagines we have to somehow pleased God either by how much we do for him or how well we behave. But God is simple, uncomplicated, straightforward. God only asks that you be present in the moment and take the opportunity that is provided to love Him and follow Him. In Psalm 46:10a, the Lord says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” This is the simplicity, the “One Thing” to which Jesus calls us. I pray that, like Mary did, and like Martha learned, you will be able to be still, and know.

"Signs and Wonders"

          As we draw near to the close of the book of Acts (with only one message remaining in this series), we reflect back on how the mission of the church began.  The entire book narrates the expansion of the church from a tiny corner of the world, to the center of the Roman Empire and beyond.  But it started with the resurrected Jesus empowering and commissioning His disciples:

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed (Mark 16:15-20[i])

The book of Acts chronicles the growth of the Kingdom of God, moving from Jerusalem and Judea, to Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. When Paul ends his journey in Rome, symbolically representing the arrival of the Gospel to the capital of the known world, this is the pinnacle of his ministry. Along the way through the book of Acts, we see signs and wonders worked by the apostles. Time and again God’s apostles act as miraculous agents, and as recipients of supernatural grace for their own rescue, healing, and direction.

After Paul and hundreds of others are shipwrecked on the island of Malta (Acts 28), the final miracles in the book occur. Paul is gathering firewood and a deadly viper attaches itself to his hand. Instead of dying from the bite, he merely shakes the snake off and continues on. Astonished at this, the leader of the island calls for Paul to pray for his sick father, who is healed immediately. Hearing of these wonders, the rest of the afflicted people of the island come for healing. The miracles of God serve as signposts that point people to the apostle, who in turn points them to Christ.

The church has debated the reality of miracles for a long time. Some contend that miracles indeed never happened, but are simply mythological additions to the narrative of the church, construed to impart a sense of wonder, mystery, and power to the apostles. Cessationists, on the other hand, believe that God worked miraculously during that first, apostolic, age of the church. They believe, though, that after the death of the last apostle, the Holy Spirit ceased to work in signs and wonders. Continualists, however, affirm the biblical miracles and believe that because God doesn’t change, God still works miracles through servants of love today. Personally, I fall into this third camp of believers. I have witnessed miracles first-hand, and know from personal experience that just as God demonstrated power in biblical times, the Lord of Life continues to pour out life today.          

A supernatural miracle is described as anytime that God reaches into the world and breaks natural law in order to demonstrate divine power.  When we use the word “hypernatural,” we recognize that sometimes the wonders of God do not break natural law, but utilize the forces God created in a way that we do not understand.  In the Bible, there are many types of miracles.  Divine wrath falls as fire from heaven, lightning from the Ark of the Covenant, or plagues.  God’s providence comes in the form of supernatural provision of food, water, protection, and even money.  Demons are cast out, sicknesses healed, and the dead raised to life.  Elemental change is even affected in the multiplying of resources, walking on water, or calming of storms.  God opens the spiritual eyes of those without insight, and hardens the hearts of unbelievers as well.  In the Bible, “signs” are demonstrations of power for the purpose of instilling faith in the faithless, encouraging the faltering faithful, and simply reminding people of God’s power.  “Miracles” are a bit more simple—not designed to point to anything, but simple expressions love and compassion, for the sake of goodness alone.

Just as God did in biblical times, God continues to demonstrate love and power today.  Not every time we pray for something, will we see a miracle occur—because God does things in His own time and way.  But when we see those unexpected blessings unfold, they bolster our faith and remind us of our Father’s love.  Do you need a miracle in your life today?  Would a sign or wonder be just right, just about now?  Don’t be afraid to ask God for the miracle you need.  Or, maybe God wants to miraculously use you in the life of someone who needs to be reminded of His love.  Are you as open as the apostles were, to be vessels of God’s blessing?  Remember that the Father is with you all the time, watching over you and waiting for an opportunity to show you His grace.  “Our Daily Bread” says:

The early American Indians had a unique practice of training young braves. On the night of a boy's thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and the tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods and he was terrified! Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father. He had been there all night long.[ii] 

 The Father is with you always, ready to care for you in whatever way He sees that you need.  Today, I pray that you will trust God for the signs and wonders you need in your life.  I pray you’ll open yourself not just to receive miracles, but also to become a channel of miraculous blessing for others.  Remember, Jesus said that miracles will accompany those who believe.  He didn’t say they might.  So trust God, and expect a miracle.

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[i] All scriptures taken from the NASB.

[ii] Our Daily Bread.  http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/p/protection.htm.  October 3, 2015
.

"Lessons from the Storm"

The worst storm I was ever in was the hurricane that hit Amelia, Virginia, back in 2003. We were driving our car when the sky turned green and balls of hail began to pelt our car. We found shelter beneath a gas station pavilion (hindsight, bad idea in a tornado), and made it through okay. Our kids, who were on the school bus at the time, were rerouted back to the school where they were ushered into the gym to wait out the storm. While they were inside, the passing storm ripped bricks off the side of the school. When it was over, the Amelia town square looked like a war zone. Roofs and siding were in the road; steeples were in church yards; stained glass windows were destroyed. We lost a tree in our front yard that smashed our carport. We made it through all right. Some people lost their lives. That storm rocked everybody’s world who lived in the area.

In Acts 27, Paul went through a storm at sea that rocked his world, along with the other two hundred seventy-five people on board. Sometimes the storms in your life rock your world. They threaten to overturn your faith or to sink your already floundering spirit. In their storm, Paul and the crew learned some valuable lessons that can help each of us through our times of turmoil.

First, as much as they could, they sailed on the lee side of islands. When wind blows against a large object, that object blocks the wind and provides a calm side in which to take shelter. If wind blows hard against the east side of an island then the west side is the lee, offering protection from the harsh storm. During your times of personal storm, I hope that you’ll find the lee. Your personal place of protection could be the home of a friend or family member. It might be the house of God, or a safe house, or a quiet spot by a river where you can rest and find peace. When the storms of life blow for you, find a safe place to rest.

Next, verse 17 says they ran supporting cables under the bottom of the ship and pulled them tight to bind together a keel and hull that were threatening to break apart. When things are threatening to break apart in your life, find those things that bind you together. That might be your church family or friends or close relations. Maybe your traditions hold you fast and keep you from fracturing. Whatever those things are that support you, tie them tight around yourself and they will keep you safe.

Then, verse 17 also says that they dropped the sea anchor and allowed themselves to be driven along. In times of personal storm we need to realize that we are not ultimately in control. Sometimes the best thing you can do is quit fighting and drift, and allow the One who is in charge to take charge of your situation. That takes a lot of trust, but allowing yourself to give up control means freedom to do those things you can do about your situation, and not worry about those things that you can’t do.

The passengers and crew also learned that they had to lighten their load. In verses 18-19, they jettisoned cargo and tackle to make the ship lighter. Often it is difficult to let go of things in life that you think are important, but it just might be that some of the things you cling to are the very ones that are pulling you under. Maybe to save something you need to lose something. Consider jettisoning some cargo when you find your ship going down.

Verses 23-26 show that Paul listened to God, and had the courage to tell the others on the ship what the Lord had to say. They also were willing to listen to the vision he had, and accept the encouragement he offered. During times of crisis, remember to listen to what God is saying to you from His Word and through the voices of others.

Along with unnecessary cargo, the desperate travelers had to let go of false security. Some of the sailors decided to abandon the passengers and soldiers on board, taking the ship’s boat for themselves and rowing for it. “But Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, ‘Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away (vv. 31-32 NASB).” In times of trouble, we often reach out in the wrong direction for security. I pray that the Holy Spirit will help you discern between true and false hope, and cut loose your false sources of security.

Finally, in the middle of the storm, Paul and the passengers strengthened themselves with food and lifted thanks to God. Even before they were saved from the storm, they expressed gratitude toward the One who would see them through. In the middle of your personal storm, take time to be thankful, and lift your voice of praise to the Lord. Once I took a group of seniors to Tangier Island, Virginia, which is accessible by an hour-and-fifteen-minute ferry ride across the Chesapeake bay from Onancock. I enjoyed the ride, standing on the deck of the boat, rocking with the waves, letting the spray hit my face. Inside the cabin, however, several of my group were seasick. One or two literally kissed the ground when they got off the boat and thanked God that they were safely ashore. (Poor ladies had a horrible ride back home as well.)

When the storms come, trust God. When the waves are choppy, trust God. When the future is uncertain and scary, believe that the Lord will see you through. And even in the middle of it, before you’ve seen the source of your salvation, thank Him in advance for seeing you safely to shore.