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Matthew 7:1-5

21 Jun

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
Matthew 7:1-5

Dear God, my wife were talking yesterday and one of our topics was wondering how we had changed and developed as people and your children over the last 25 years. What have you taught us and how have we grown?

First, we pretty much figured out that we couldn’t answer it effectively for each other. I could ask her pointed questions and she could ask me questions, but it was up to us to ultimately come up with our own answers for ourselves.

Second, for me, I think the last 25 years have brought a lot of humility and less judging. Between my experiences in parenting and the work I’ve done in the nonprofit sector, I’ve learned the limitations of my own abilities and the abilities of others; I’ve learned life, in all its phases, is harder than it looks; and I’ve learned people bring their own experience, scars, and even trauma into situations and make their decisions accordingly. They might do the wrong thing. They might make me very angry, but that doesn’t mean the are being malicious. Almost always, they are making the best decision they know how to make in the moment.

Father, thank you for what you’ve taught me so far. I’m not saying I don’t atoll judge people. You know I do. But there is at least room now for me to hear the Holy Spirit’s conviction as I try to parse through situations. Guide me through this day as I interact with others.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 21, 2021 in Matthew

 

“Remember When” by Alan Jackson

19 Jun

Alan Jackson – Remember When (Official Music Video) – YouTube

“Remember When” by Alan Jackson

Remember when I was young and so were you
And time stood still and love was all we knew
You were the first, so was I
We made love and then you cried
Remember when

Remember when we vowed the vows and walked the walk
Gave our hearts, made the start, it was hard
We lived and learned, life threw curves
There was joy, there was hurt
Remember when

Remember when old ones died and new were born
And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged
We came together, fell apart
And broke each other’s hearts
Remember when

Remember when the sound of little feet
Was the music we danced to week to week
Brought back the love, we found trust
Vowed we’d never give it up
Remember when

Remember when thirty seemed so old
Now lookin’ back, it’s just a steppin’ stone
To where we are, where we’ve been
Said we’d do it all again
Remember when

Remember when we said when we turned gray
When the children grow up and move away
We won’t be sad, we’ll be glad
For all the life we’ve had
And we’ll remember when

Remember when
Remember when

Dear God, this is a great song on its own, but the video really adds some depth to it. I looked it up, and Alan Jackson wrote the song himself. It’s all quite beautiful. In fact, I used it in the 50th wedding anniversary video I made for my parents.

So it’s Saturday afternoon, I I felt like spending some more time with you, but I needed a prompt. What to talk about? Well, I think one of the more interesting things about life at any age is its unpredictability. We simply have no idea what will happen from one moment to the next in a world that tracks in linear time. I have a neighbor down the street who is in his mid-80s and struggling with health issues. He was getting weaker and weaker. His wife was probably about 10 years younger than him and was very vibrant. She was able to care for him. It was a late-in-life marriage for both of them, so there are step children on both sides. I think his children were grateful she could be there to care for their dad since none of them live in our small town. Then something surprising happened. She had a series of falls, with the last one resulting in her hitting her head and dying. From the first fall until her death, it was about a month. None of us would have guessed she would go first. But now he’s alone and he and his children are trying to figure out his path forward without her as his caregiver. Interestingly, he seems to be rising to the occasion and getting a little stronger. He’s a very responsible man who had ceded some of the work of living to her. Now he has to step up and he is.

I look back on who my wife and I were when we met at 18/19 respectively. We didn’t know much. To our credit, I think we knew there was a lot we didn’t know, but we had no idea how much we didn’t know. 32 years later, there’s still so much we don’t know. But the other thing I’ve learned over the years is that you often keep me on a need-to-know basis, and I very rarely need to know.

But we would never have guessed where we would end up professionally, as parents, as members in our community, as a couple, or even as Christians. We had no idea where life would lead.

So some highlights from the song:

We lived and learned, life threw curves
There was joy, there was hurt

I’m surprised how many times I’ve hurt my wife and others through the years. And I’m surprised how many times I’ve been hurt by her and others. There was a lot of joy too, but the hurt somehow is what lingers longer. Why is that?

Remember when old ones died and new were born
And life was changed, disassembled, rearranged
We came together, fell apart
And broke each other’s hearts

You don’t get married thinking about relatives dying and what that will look like–especially when you get married young. The first death we experienced was the miscarriage of our little girl. I still look forward to meeting Sandra someday. I wonder what she’s thought as she’s watched us go through life. Has she been cheering us on? Has she been praying for us as we experienced other losses and trials? Yes, my wife and I have broken each other’s hearts at times. And we’ve had our hearts broken by others. I am incredibly grateful to still have her as my wife. Thank you for her.

Remember when thirty seemed so old
Now lookin’ back, it’s just a steppin’ stone
To where we are, where we’ve been
Said we’d do it all again

A couple of things here. First, I was 35 when I got the job I have now. That was over 15 years ago. I felt older than I now know I was. Even now, I am sure I feel older than I am, but the nice thing about pursuing you in discipleship is that I feel like I am constantly reminded how small I am in the grand scheme of things. And you aren’t calling me to figure everything out. You are just asking me to follow you moment to moment, listening for your leading and being willing to obey your voice regardless of what it will cost me in my selfishness or insecurity.

Second, I’m not saying I’d want to do it all again, but there are very few things I regret. It’s been hard (not that I’m complaining because plenty of people have had harder lives than I’ve had–in fact, I’m probably a 1-percenter when it comes to how easy my life has been compared to the other 6 billion people on this planet. I’m just saying that it’s kind of like high school. I enjoyed high school, but I wouldn’t want to do it again. But there are certainly some moments I wouldn’t mind reliving–especially now. I have some sweet, sweet memories of times that I do, indeed, miss.

Remember when we said when we turned gray
When the children grow up and move away
We won’t be sad, we’ll be glad
For all the life we’ve had
And we’ll remember when

Here’s where I’m a 1-percenter: I am incredibly fortunate to be married to a woman whom I enjoy after over 30 years of knowing her. I’m fortunate that letting the children move away didn’t leave my life empty and void of meaning. I’m very fortunate to be able to sit here, even just being middle-aged, and be grateful for the life I’ve had.

Father, thank you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2021 in Hymns and Songs

 

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2 Corinthians 12:1-10

19 Jun

12 This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I[a] was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. 3 Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know 4 that I was caught up[b] to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.

5 That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. 6 If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

Dear God, humility is an important thing. And I’ll confess that I struggle with it. In my small town, I’m in a position where a lot of people look up to me. I get too much credit for being nice, and sometimes I start to buy into my own reputation. But there are certainly things you have put into my life to humble me. My wife humbles me. My children humble me. My sin humbles me. The trick is to remember these things, shun the glory that falsely comes my way because anything good in my life is from you. You are the reason anything good comes out of me.

Father, I worship you for what you do and for what you forgive in me. I worship you for giving me so much, and I worship you for giving me struggles. I worship you because you are a great God, and I am but a vapor. I worship you because I owe you everything and you owe me nothing–yet you love me anyway.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2021 in 2 Corinthians

 

Ephesians 6:1-4

18 Jun

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise: “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4

Dear God, I just had a thought I probably shouldn’t have had: “Sorry, Paul, but I don’t take parenting advice from people with no children.” I mean, what he’s saying is correct and important, but the people who seem to think parenting is easy are the ones with no children. I certainly thought it was easier before I had children. And I thought I would be better at it.

What’s interesting for me now is that parenting has humbled me in ways that probably nothing else could. Now, I’m the last person to give parenting advice to someone, and I’m the first one to be an understanding ear when a parent needs to talk about their frustrations. And I was telling a friend just yesterday about the period of time when I was really disappointed in you and what I perceived was a lack of support on your part. I did all of the things I knew to do, including following Paul’s counsel in this passage, but things did not turn out like I hoped. I knew I wouldn’t be the perfect parent, and I knew my children wouldn’t be perfect people, but I thought there would be a baseline of protection that my prayers, pursuit of you, and deep involvement in loving them would provide. But that’s not the way it worked out.

Father, the last 25 years of parenting have taught me more about faith and believing in things I cannot see than anything else could have. And I’ve started to see some movement. I’ve started to see some signs that this is the road that leads to your kingdom coming and your will being done in my life, my children’s lives, my wife’s life, and the world as it is in heaven. Thank you for breaking me down and building me back up in this way. Thank you for what you are doing that I can see and that I cannot see. Please help me to do exactly what you need me to do as a parent of two young adults so that I won’t get in the way of what you are trying to teach them. I’m willing to sacrifice anything fir their good, no matter what it might cost me personally.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 18, 2021 in Ephesians

 

2 Corinthians 11:1-3

17 Jun

I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.
2 Corinthians 11:1-3

Dear God, my first though when I read this passage this morning was to wonder how a church, any church, or even the church where I attend would respond to your criticism. How are we failing you and what would be our response if someone like Paul came to us in your name and laid into us like this? The odds are that our corporate response wouldn’t be very good. We would likely be defensive and throw Paul’s letter away. Which brings up a question I’ve never once considered before: How do we still have this letter today? Why was it not destroyed before it could be canonized? I guess we know at least one key person took it to heart and preserved it.

Anyway, back on topic. My next question was to personalize it more. How would I respond to a prophet of you coming to me with criticism? My initial thought is, “It depends on who the person is.” There are some people from whom I can hear criticism and some I cannot. I’m less likely to hear criticism from my family of origin than I am from a close friend or even members of the board of directors where I work. But then I start to try to discern what types of criticism would you have for me. If I ask the question internally, what do I hear the Holy Spirit telling me?

Father, as a church, give us ears to hear and humility to accept your rebukes. And as for me, give me ears to hear and the willingness to sacrifice whatever you are calling me to sacrifice so that I might not waste the precious, short life you’ve given to me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 17, 2021 in 2 Corinthians

 

Matthew 6:1-4

16 Jun

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Matthew 6:1-4

Dear God, this is a hard one for me. Well, yes and no. I’ve certainly gotten better about it. but there’s this piece of me that enjoys both doing kind deeds for people when no one is looking and then there is the part of me that enjoys an accolade now and then.

Why is it important that we give of ourselves anonymously? Well, I think those are the times when we are reflecting your image the most. After all, how many times are you doing things for me and I don’t realize it’s you? I try to recognize you in the moment and in the good things, but I know I only see a small fraction of what you’re actually doing. And when I give, pray, serve, fast, etc. privately then we are doing it as just something intimate between you and me. It’s me recognizing your goodness and then sharing a piece of my life—killing a piece of my selfishness—because there is no material gain for me. Yes, killing off a piece of my selfishness. That’s probably the best way to put it.

Father, help me to joyously kill yet another piece of my selfishness today. Love through me. Encourage through me. Bring your kingdom and Will into the world through me. I’m sorry for my vain need for notoriety.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 16, 2021 in Matthew

 

Proverbs 23:26-28

15 Jun

O my son, give me your heart. May your eyes take delight in following my ways. A prostitute is a dangerous trap; a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well. She hides and waits like a robber, eager to make more men unfaithful.
Proverbs 23:26-28

Dear God, I have to say that when I read this I thought, “I’m sorry, Solomon, but what?!?” This is interesting advice from a man who ultimately had hundreds of wives and concubines. What exactly did “faithful” mean to him?

Setting his hypocrisy aside, I have two thoughts about this. First, of course faithfulness in a marriage is of the utmost importance. Second, a more “woke” version way of looking at this is to wonder why the promiscuous woman is singled out as a temptation and not the promiscuous man. It’s a version of sexism we are only recently waking up to. Men behave badly, betray their wives, etc. and the woman is blamed for being the temptress. Yes, she shares in the blame. I’ve known women who knowingly had affairs with married men, and the women have some culpability. But it’s the man’s choice. For me, I choose if I let it start by allowing myself to see media that arouses sexual or non-sexual discontent in my marriage. Then if I start to entertain those thoughts the path can lead to some level of unfaithfulness to my wife. So Solomon is not wrong in his advice. He is just not complete in it. That prostitute to whom he refers has a story that led her down that road. In modern times, that porn star or even the woman willing to be promiscuous and make poor decisions usually has some damage from her past. She’s a person and not just a thing.

Father, help me to keep myself pure. Help me to guard against…well, to put it like Jesus put it, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 15, 2021 in Proverbs

 

Philippians 3:17-21

14 Jun

Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
Philippians 3:17-21

Dear God, I am struck by the emotion Paul has as he writes these words. He says, “…I say it again with tears in my eyes…” he’s writing with passion. He hurts over both his own suffering and the contempt with which some are treating you. He is longing for your quick return to end it. I wonder if he died disappointed that you never came back before he was killed or if he had grown more at peace with his situation as time went on.

I’ve certainly been disappointed with you and my circumstances before. I probably will be again. But you seem to teach me through those times, and I can usually see, in retrospect, what you were doing either for me or to further your kingdom and your plan. For Paul, I would imagine he had figured out at least part of your plan before he died, but I’m sure he didn’t realize just how much you would use his life, suffering, and death for thousands of years to come. He didn’t realize his name would be in the pantheon of names that will be known for hundreds of generations because it would lead Christianity through history, including to me.

Father, thank you for an example of a believer—a great leader in Christian history—who often didn’t understand more about his present situation than I understand about mine. Thank you for not sparing me frustrations, but for teaching me through them. Thank you for giving me as much life as you’ve given me. Help me to not waste it, but to maximize my moments for you, your kingdom, and your purposes.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 14, 2021 in Philippians

 

You Can Do Anything You Want In Life

13 Jun

Dear God, I have a friend who is dying. While I sat watching him lie in bed yesterday and then listened to people talk about him in the times when I wasn’t in the room with him, I started to kind of put some things together.

First, earlier in the day, he wasn’t ready. He was scared. He was fighting the oncoming death. He’s been on hospice for weeks. He’s been terminally ill for years. But he wasn’t ready. He didn’t want any medications to ease his pain or anxiety. Yeah. He wasn’t ready. Then, and for his privacy’s sake I won’t go into too much detail, but about the middle of the day he was tired. He was ready.

So what was he ready for? Well, as I sit and think about myself and what I hold onto in life, I think there might be a few things.

  • Ready to stop participating in the world and its history.
  • Ready to stop contributing to the lives around me.
  • Ready to accept that I’ve done all I will do and the world will now go on without me, perhaps forgetting me completely.
  • Ready to say goodbye.

So how does that relate to the title I gave this prayer? Well, when one mom was talking about this friend’s influence on her children, she said he always instilled in them that they could do anything they wanted to do, but it would take hard work. When I heard this, I started to put some things together–even in my own heart. For so many of us, this is how we approach life. We have things to accomplish. We have things we want to achieve. We have power to attain, influence to acquire, and admiration to earn. Ultimately, we want to be able to stack up our life against someone else’s and hope we compare favorably. And I use all of this broadly and from a worldly perspective because these are the things the world calls us to do.

But what if we take the philosophy of doing anything we want in life and bring it under your authority? When we get to the end of the road, what is it that you would like us to stack up for comparison?

  • We we able to be humble, admit our faults/weaknesses, and share them with others?
  • Did we pursue relationship with you and become more Christlike in the process? In other words, were we Jesus followers, and not just Jesus believers?
  • Were we in close enough relationship with you that we knew to stop and listen for your still, small voice to call us to action?
  • Did we love richly and give your mercy to others?
  • Did we bring others the hope and peace of relationship with you?

Out of the 350 million Americans, or 6+ billion people in the world, the odds are long that my life will be remembered more than a few years beyond my death. Few people achieve the notoriety of leaving a mark on the world like presidents of the United States, great captains of industry like Steve Jobs, etc. No, my life will be smaller than theirs. But that’s okay.

Father, what I want in life is to be found faithful. I want to be open-minded to the idea that I don’t know as much as I think I know–about the world, or myself. I want to be willing to do what I think is right even though it might cost me the love of someone I love, even if what I’m doing is for their good. I want to have touched lives in a way that plays throughout history, and it’s okay if I do this anonymously. It’s okay if my name is lost to history. I know it is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. That’s all I need.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 13, 2021 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

Matthew 7:13-14

09 Jun

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Matthew 7:13-14

Dear God, I know that ultimately only you know how the afterlife works. These two verses leave me wondering why it would be so hard to spend eternity with you, but something tells me I’m not going to figure it out in this moment, or really at anytime this side of death, so I’m not going to dwell on it. What I do want to appreciate this morning is the value in choosing the narrow road.

I’ve sinned enough in my life to appreciate how wide the narrow road is and what it’s like to live on it. One thing I always find on that road is guilt and shame. It’s a cloud that follows me when I’m on that road. Of course, when I feel shame then I want to hide my sin and even hide from you. I don’t want to pray. I don’t want to pursue you. I get past the initial euphoria of being on such a wide road with so many self-indulgent options and find myself feeling isolated and alone.

Father, the narrow road is hard, but it’s where I find peace. Thank you for making the narrow road attainable, both at the beginning of my Christian walk and when I stray to the other road while on my journey. Thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus. Thank you for the Holy Spirit. I’m prone to wander, Lord. I feel it. I’m prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart. Take and seal it. Seal it for your courts above.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 9, 2021 in Matthew

 
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