sexy greatness

Greatness always looks sexy.

BUT the pathway to greatness hardly ever looks sexy.
 

 

Think about it. 

And this... 

"Sexy" is circumstantial and temporary. 

BUT caring sweat is #beautiful and births life. 

Think about it.

the remnant of pain

I have friends who hurt.

There are people close to me who hurt.

I see strangers who hurt.

I ache to give each person a word or a thought that will make this better, but I've come to realize that pain doesn't work that way. I'd even go so far as to say that even those who experience healing at a core level will probably remember this wound certain wounds the rest of their lives.

People who assume we can just move on from such a hit have probably never been hit that hard.

I do know, though, that life can get to the point where the pain doesn't define our day. It can be tough, because sometimes we are all afraid to "continue on" because it may seem to cheapen the loss.

I'm reminded of a man I once knew who served as a custodian in a church I was in. He was an older guy, and we'd chat about this or that. One day during the Halloween season he spontaneously told me about the way his son years ago happened to dress up like Charlie Chaplin. It felt like he was describing a ten-year old, and yet he shared it like it all happened yesterday.

So I asked a bit further about his son, since I'd never heard him mention him before. His face changed from a smile to am almost-controlled sob... almost. He shared that his son had died in Vietnam. Just like the Charlie Chaplin story, it seemed as if it had happened yesterday in how he told it.

Of course, he then moved on to his job and duties after that moment...

but that moment was there.

Sometimes that moment doesn't go away.

It is the remnant of pain.

And yet... it is not the end of the Story.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18)

this is the life

How innocent it is to see what's before you as a great curtain, ready to unveil the next presentation before you.

This is the life.

Then...

How disheartening it is to start to see the curtain differently.... to notice its dust, rips and tears... to wonder if there ever was any genuine magic at all.

This is the life.

Then...

How redemptive it is to review it all, and review yourself... and then to not just see the seams, but to see the seams as yet another unveiling of the next presentation before you.

This is the life.

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1 Corinthians 13:12)

random motivation

Overwhelmed? Need some perspective?

Here's some random motivation for you:

"Pac Man fever" is not a medical condition.

Twins are not the result of a mom eating a Taco Bell double-decker taco.

People who are colorblind are still eligible to vote for the Green Party.

U2 is a band - not some kind of internet slang to decode.

ALF is not in the new Star Wars movie.

Spiderman's Uncle Ben did not cook rice at every meal.

A waiter who says he's "taking care of you" only means that in regards to your meal.

Mushrooms are food, not an HGTV decorating term.

Nic Cage didn't steal the Declaration of Independence.

General Tso chicken doesn't need to be saluted.

The Grand Canyon doesn't need air conditioning.

Seedless oranges aren't an endangered species.

Transformers? Fiction.

Yellow and blue make green, not "blellow."

Juice is a legally drinkable substance and not at some kind of vegetarian cannibalism.

Boeing is a company. Not a sound effect.

Carmen San Diego is actually quite easy to find with her wearing that big red hat.

Chicklets do not grow up to be roosters.

Congress has not declared war on "Casual Friday."

Sour Patch Kids are candy, not grumpy youth who hang with pumpkins.

Infinity pools do have a limited amount of water.

Don Cheadle doesn't appear if you say “Cheadlejuice” three times.

Peaking at someone's jeans label is not a background check.

Ukraine was not Frasier’s brother on the show Frasier.

Force feeding is not how a Jedi eats.

"Anytime minutes" don’t let you call the future.

Cobra, from GI Joe, doesn't exist.

New York exists outside Billy Joel's mind.

No.2 pencils are not sad they lost.

Croquettes aren't female crocodiles.

Beyonce' cannot hypnotize squirrels.

“Adele” is a singer. “A Dell” is a computer.

Trees do not secretly have bones.

The music act that is least like punk rock is the most punk rock act... like John Denver.

When someone offers you pie, you can add toppings to it by saying "whip" - otherwise, simply "nae nae."

God is real. His love for you is real. His pursuit of you is real. Jesus dying on a cross for your sins is real. The Holy Spirit's ability to indwell you and transform you from the inside out is real. The opportunity for you to do something about this now is real.

P.S. That last one can be just as joy-filled as the ones before it. Love ya!

- T.

"A cheerful heart brings good healing, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 17:22)

it's okay to not be okay

It's okay to not be okay.

This world. Your life.

It's okay to not be okay with it all.

We put great hope in the idea of life getting better. We turn to politicians, teachers, doctors, employers and others who have authority to fix things for us. We likewise can have a skewed perspective of God that we keep holding out hope for - one where He makes life go exactly as we want it to, sparing us from pain and rewarding us for our good deeds.

That would be "okay" - wouldn't it?

Perhaps that's why are that much more disappointed when things don't happen as we'd like or those we turn to don't accomplish what we hoped they would.

If you're nodding along with this, so am I.

I find that the pain I feel when my expectations are not met reveals so much about me, even though I would rather focus on the one(s) who seemingly let me down. It's why I take great comfort in something from the Apostle Paul:

I, Paul, am under God’s plan as an apostle, a special agent of Christ Jesus, writing to you faithful believers in Ephesus. I greet you with the grace and peace poured into our lives by God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ. 

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.

Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. 

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.

It may help to know that while Paul was divinely inspired by God to write this letter, he actually wrote it while in prison. He had been bullied and abused for his faith, just as he used to bully and abuse others before becoming a Christian himself. Still, Paul proclaimed with great conviction the truth about who he was in Christ.

There's a great truth here: Despite his circumstances, his identity as a beloved child of God remained unshaken.

Which means... because of Jesus, the reality of us being beloved sons and daughters is greater than our circumstances. When we live in that identity, every other area of our lives can thrive. We don't have to be "okay" with what is happening to us, for what is happening in us can be even deeper than that.

I know how freeing that can sound, and yet I also know how complex it can simultaneously sound. Sometimes when life is loud and we are enduring one hit after another even Truth can sound like a lie.

Be aware of that. Claim that challenge out loud. Truth remains Truth. Hope remains Hope. God remains God. Your Savior remains your Savior.

You're not alone in struggling with this. It's why I want you to know church is a place where it’s okay to not be okay... where you can be accepted as you are, experience radical grace, and heal from your past hurts... not because we're able to fix your life with a spiritual buzz or high-five church experiences every week, but because we are genuinely under our genuine God who has created a genuine realm -

a realm called Heaven that we can one day enter into where there will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more sorrow,

and a realm called Earth where His Kingdom can come, and His will be done here just as it is in heaven. 

even though we argue over the truth...

There is truth.

Our arguing over it doesn't negate it's ability to be known.

Our humanness means we will simply be incomplete in our knowledge of it.

The fast that God took the time to come near and teach us things...

His Incarnation and Revelation...

mean that we don't have to guess in the dark, but get grow in the Light.

"...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

what you fear, and what you have faith in

Touch.

It's either something you crave or something you avoid (usually depending on the circumstances).

The news has been relentless the past couple of days regarding "Ebola" coverage. There have been moments of clarity and perspective, but most of the news almost seems to be poised to get you to keep watching the news. "We're going to tell you something else to freak out about, right after the commercial. Then later, something even worse. Keep watching."

All of this has likely led you to recognize what you fear, and what you have faith in.

Fear and faith are two extreme reactions, almost the exact opposite of each other: fear believes the absolute worst can happen, while faith believes the absolute best can happen.

What should a loving Christian to do? Shall we continue to extend care and embrace all we come in contact with... just as Jesus would? Is this a time for revival - for boldly reaching out to others and helping them know the assurance of God, heaven and eternity? What about how we live?

A friend of mine wrote this:

"Jesus didn't seem to teach His disciples to be cautious of anything that may threaten their own health/life. People’s eternal health is far greater than their/our earthly health, and if we need to step into the forbidden zone to present the Gospel of hope, then we do so with complete trust in God. I don’t think Jesus touching those with leprosy and healing them was only to display His power, but to also show his disciples how far the term “neighbor” extends. (I wonder how long it took for His disciples to shake His hand after those encounters…)"

Yes, we still live in the world - but, no... we are ultimately not bound to its current state. There is some wisdom in wondering ahead of the curve how we might need to prepare in advance for things taking a turn for the worse. However, we do need to determine if we will do so in advance panic or in advance assurance. God gave you emotions for a reason... to process things, expressing joy over things worth praising most, and expressing tears as you break over what matters most.

So... what matters most?

God doesn't need you to have enough faith to do it all... but to have enough to take the first step.

• A word: Speak a blessing into another person. There's always something they could be doing better... how about telling that person what he/she is doing right?
• A look: Put your phone down. Close your laptop. Take the bluetooth off. Quit looking at your watch. Let another person know you're really, really paying attention and that you don't have to scooch along. Give yourself a half hour to "waste" by lingering with others around you.
• A touch: It could be an appropriately-placed hand on someone's shoulder. It might be an extra few seconds hugging a family member. It might be making space for your neighbors in your mini-van after inviting them to play paintball this weekend. It could be a God-honoring kiss, praising Him as you share affection with your affection. You'll know the moment as it presents itself... if you pay attention.

Is this finally the time for you and I to become imitators of Jesus... carriers of real hope and assurance... into the lives of neighbors, co-workers, friends and family?

Can we make some news, instead of merely watch the news?

"God did powerful things through Paul, things quite out of the ordinary. The word got around and people started taking pieces of clothing—handkerchiefs and scarves and the like—that had touched Paul’s skin and then touching the sick with them. The touch did it—they were healed and whole." (Acts 19:11-12, The Message)

note the quotes

No one is a lost cause. 

"Dirty people" provide good soil because there is a lot of fertilizer in their life... for the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.

"Clean people" provide the inspiration to live life as a marathon and not just a sprint... for we should not grow weary in doing good.

But note the quotes.

No one, except by rejecting Jesus, can be permanently labeled as dirty. Christ absorbed your sins and your hell into Himself to take your place.

No one, except by receiving Jesus, can be permanently labeled as clean. Integrity is only truly transformational when you are viscerally aware of your need for God.

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin... or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:21, 23-24)

the Land of In-Between

One of the most difficult places to be is "in-between."

It's not just the emotions you experience while in it... angst that is as random and intentional as standing in a global rainstorm you feel is exclusively directed at your face.

The real issue is that you're close enough to what you let go of that you're constantly tempted to swing back in that direction... because you're not feeling full released into what's in front of you to the point where not living backward makes sense.

If that makes sense.

And I imagine it does.

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

how I won't pray for you

I am regularly honored to have people ask me to pray for them.

Maybe it's because I'm a pastor, or maybe it's because I'm their friend. Perhaps it's a little bit of both.

Sometimes I sense they want me to pray for something I'm not sure I can pray for.

For example, I once had a family ask me to pray over a medal they were going to give to their son who was heading off to serve in the military. I have no critique for their motives. Essentially, they were asking that I could impart something supernatural onto the medal that would make it protect him while he was there.

Obviously, that's not something I can do. It's one thing for God to say to Moses, "Hey, your staff will do this now..." and another thing for me to make a similar declaration about an inanimate object without first checking in with God to see if He wanted to work that way.

So I prayed on my own for wisdom, and eventually circled back to the family. "I'm sorry," I began. "I can't do what you're asking me to do. What I do know is God would much rather first look out for your son's eternity than promise you he will be safe at every turn. He's challenged me to pray with and for your son for that reason. I'd also like to be a prayer partner and pray for his safe return and journey with God while he's away, but I can't pray for this medal to do what you want it to do."

They replied, "What if we make a donation to the church?"

I answered, "I wouldn't know about it because I'm not the guy around here who personally keeps track of any of that. I do that on purpose so I can give you honest answers like this one."

They thanked me for my honesty. It was pleasant.

Then I learned two days later that they'd left the church and found someone down the street who would pray for the medal like they wanted.

I told you that story to tell you this one.

A man once walked up to me and asked that I could pray that he and his wife would ultimately have a safe life. I asked if something was prompting this, like a threat or situation they were worried about. He explained there wasn't any threat, but he was sure God's best plan for them was that they'd live a safe life.

This happened a few months after the first situation occurred. Perhaps fueled by that a bit, I explained, "I can do one of two things. I can pray that prayer, and we can assume that God's greatest plan for your life is safety. Or I can pray that you will experience the life God has for you to live. That means I will not directly pray that God makes you safe, but allow Him to know and declare what the ideal tone for your life needs to be. If you want, I will pray one step further... that God makes you dangerous – so dangerous for Him that when you walk into a room all the demons of hell flee because of your presence. How does that sound?"

He nodded his head, thought for a moment and eventually said, "The second one." We prayed that prayer. That family is also still around in our church today... and yes, they're quite dangerous for Jesus.

I'll let you figure out your own application now.

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

perspective

It's okay. It really is okay.

You're living in a Larger Story than that "thing" that's dangling out there, trying to bait you into another person's insecurities or something you weren't made for.

Don't attend every argument you're invited into or left breadcrumbs to follow. Instead, be still... know that God is God... and join Him in proactively forming Life however you can, reconciling whatever you can at all times. Question your feelings, for they are often misleading and beyond understanding. Instead, do what's right... even if it isn't popular or easy.

(felt like someone needed to hear this today)

um... you're blessed

Um...
you're blessed…
generously blessed. 

The hurdle is you can easily overlook this and demand “one more blessing.”

It’s easy to get distracted by physical fatigue, emotional moments, a lack of Truth in our brains or something we feel God needs to do in/for us before we give Him the time of day. It makes us short with others and feeling short-changed.

• Widen your gaze. Slow down and take notice of the people around you. Sure... there is always one more thing to do. Accept it. Back up a moment and enjoy the people God has given you to do life with.
  
  
• Look over your shoulder. Who was a part of your past that you inadvertently left back there somewhere? Think of names, pray for households and reach out. Pay it "backward."
  
  
• Extend grace. Forgive someone, remembering that who they are today is not necessarily what they did yesterday. Actions are confusing anyways, never telling the whole story or someone’s motives. Believe the best. Attempt to dig deeper.
   
• Name your potential. Have you gotten so used to doing a routine that you’ve overlooked what you’re capable of? Be still. Lean into your Creator. What did He make you for?

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." (Psalm 34:8)

facing an aftermath with new grammar

You’ve read the headlines.

Not just the ones that break our hearts, but the ones that enlarge our hearts.

Our world became fragile again when we heard about the Boston explosion, and we cringed when we learned an 8-year old boy became its third fatality.

There are no words for that.

Yet somehow we were strangely encouraged when we saw how many people ran into the smoking chaos after the blast.

We cheered when Twitter posts shared how runners who crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon kept running to the hospital to donate blood.

The world took note of the District Attorney’s Office Braveheart-esque declaration, “Moments like these, terrible as they are, don’t show our weakness. They show our strength.”

Individual acts, big and small, can overcome fear and reveal Light in times of great darkness.

There is also something about the aftermath of a tragedy that gives us a desire for new grammar.

For a brief moment, virtually everyone online paused. Instead of recycling more pictures of cats waterskiing or posting our self-righteous outrage about the latest thing we didn’t like about someone else, we looked for something deeper.

Apparently, we found it in Mr. Rogers… yes, that Mr. Rogers.

Facebook was flooded with a quote Fred Rogers said years ago:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world.”

What if we could live like this all the time? What if instead of living with outrage about what we find wrong, we engaged what was right from the get-go?

Most days we’re searching Starbucks cups, organic juice bottles or Chinese buffet fortune cookies for a jaunty manifesto to live our day by. Maybe your desk calendar spouts a daily quote or you regularly check your horoscope for advice from a bull or scorpion.

I wonder if we’re so distracted with all these surface-level options that we forget what it means to be deeply attentive.

Psalm 46:10 challenges, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Our hurdle is we can post a personal thought online that’s immediately met with a global audience. Facebook posts and groups can quickly devolve into a Tazmanian Devil-like mob of ranting. Even local “Letters to the Editor” often become more about stomping our feet at others than dialoguing.

We become people looking to say something versus actually becoming people who have something to say.

The aftermath of a tragedy, be it personal, local, national or global, gives us an excuse to mature in how we think and speak. You realize policemen are “heroes” instead of “someone looking to bust me.” Firemen are finally thanked for their everyday, unnoticed volunteerism because you realize when you need them they’re actually there.

Pardon the interruption, but again… why can’t we live this way more often?

I ask because the opposite observation is also true. We often assume we’re the “rescue workers” of everything from local matters to family tensions, when in reality we’re just causing more explosions.

Life is going to continue to squeeze us. Pain will happen, and what we store up in us will spill out of us. Part of the gap we see in the world tracks back to a gap inside of many of us.

Try this: Write down what you hope would come out of you in a tragic moment, then get around people and ideals that will nurture that. Make sure it’s a legitimate commitment, though - even the strongest anchor can’t serve you if you’re only loosely connected to it.

You can waste your breath complaining about life, or bring life into this world until your dying breath.

P.S. This is 8-year-old Martin Richard who died at he Boston Marathon waiting to greet his father.

I could try to say something profound here, such as Martin Richard was embraced and greeted by his heavenly Father that day instead... but I think I'm just going to weep over this for now.

guest post: this is such a mess

From Monica Arnold, Kids Connection of Connection Church

This week started off absolutely crazy.

I usually enjoy Mondays. It feels like I can get an invigorating look at the week ahead. To-do lists get written; menu gets set; house gets cleaned.  I like Mondays.

But this week’s Monday? Not so much. There was no cup of coffee consumed before the phone started ringing; a bowl of Rice Krispies was bumped against the wall before a single chicken scratch was made.

To cap it off, there was an unexpected, early phone call to schedule a series of medical tests. It ultimately led me to make a decision to have surgery on my foot a whole lot earlier than it was supposed to happen. I now have 10 days less to get everything in my life to a place of sanity.

Maybe this is why not much of what usually happens on Mondays got done.  I started complaining, ranting, and telling myself and every other living thing around me how typical this is.  Just last week I was telling a friend (after separate odd events) how these kinds of things just happen, I’m sure, as a way for God to boldly remind you that you're not in control. Ever.

Which is a blessing that only feels like a curse if you lose perspective.

God has control. I have to remind myself several times to let this reality stick and really embrace it. And I’m really glad God has control. It’s so stinkin’ hard to give that up sometimes and let Him have his way, and be humble enough to know when to step back.

This is something of a partial epidemic in my life! It’s so much easier to tell you all the things I couldn’t control than it is to share about how much of this God had under control.  And it’s so much easier to complain here about what’s gone wrong today than it is to tell you all of the good things that happened.

Guess what? I got to go on a walk with my kids today. We got to squeeze in a couple short dirt bike rides. We ate Popsicles together afterwards. My mom gave me a CD of a Christian group I have been so missing to listen to on the tedious drives to and from the hospital.  My friend stopped by after her long day at work to offer help and share some of my responsibilities.

Really good things happened today.

I am thankful that God has a plan and can use everything in that plan... for the placement of the situations and the people He has put in my life as blessings... His complete plan of control over my life is comforting to have at the end of the day. It would’ve been easier to look past all the rubbish throughout the day and thank God for what I had instead.

It reminds me how Women’s Connection is wrapping up on a 10 week study on “David: Seeking a Heart like His."  God has shown me how completely necessary it is to turn to Him in everything I do and surrender all those things I know I just can’t keep up with or do… to Him. I learned that it’s less about my day to day and more about His life plan. How neat to have that sort of “armor” to walk away with from a study, where you get to learn and listen from other women who have been there, done that.

God allowed David to be put through a crazy amount of stuff. But still, David continued to praise Him.  

• Psalm 31:5 “I entrust my spirit into Your hand…”  
• Psalm 31:7 “I am overcome with Joy because of Your unfailing love for you have seen my troubles and You care…”  
• Psalm 30: 1 “I will praise You Lord, for you have rescued me…”

Looks like I need to take a few cues from the Bible. Life may feel like a mess... but God can turn the splatters into a masterpiece.

“The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my victory.  He is my God and I will praise Him!” (Exodus 2:15)

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