It's A Family Thing

15 years ago I married a Greek. Little did I know how much my life would change. You see, when you marry someone who is Greek, you don’t just marry a  man, you marry into a family and a culture. 

When we first got married, I knew very little about what that meant. I had been exposed to some of it while we were dating but, that was just scratching the surface. Over the years, I’ve learned how to cook Greek food, and I am learning how to read and speak the language (slowly). I’ve learned about the celebrations and because we visit Crete regularly, I know how to find my way around, ask for things (in Greek) and I understand a little about the culture…what’s important to them, what’s not. I’ve learned that while I am there I have to change the way I do things because the way I do things in America, are done differently in Crete. I’ve learned mannerisms and nuances…..like this slight nod people (at least my family) do which means “no.” (Who knew a nod could mean no?) I have stories; some funny, some not so funny, of me learning all this stuff.

Recently, it occurred to me that this transformation of being Greek by marriage is similar to becoming a Christian. When you first get to know Jesus, you start out not knowing anything about being a Christ follower. The things you care about are different. The activities you do don’t seem to be in line with where you are going. Sometimes, it feels like you don’t fit in - like you are an outsider. 

As you spend more time with Jesus each day, you begin to learn things. You adopt different habits, talk about different things, what you care about shifts. You begin to identify with Jesus and what he cares about. There are stories, both funny and not so funny, that happen along your journey. 

One of the blessings that I had when I got married was an amazing Greek family  that helped me. They showed me things; taught me to cook (thanks Mom), explained different traditions and nuances, corrected my pronunciations of words and most importantly, loved me. I never felt like an outsider. 

Hopefully, as you walk with Jesus and learn about Him and His “unforced rhythms of grace”, you have a Christian family that will help you do the same. A family that will walk with you on the journey, always include you, share Jesus with you with their love and actions and help you feel included.

If you don’t have this….go find it. It makes the journey so much easier. The journey with Jesus is supposed to be full of ease and grace. (See Matthew 11:20-30 MSG). We aren’t supposed to walk this alone. It’s always about the relationship with Jesus. The relationship with Him and with the people you call “family”. Super important when you are learning to live this new life and even more important after you’ve been on the journey for a while. We all need each other to grow.

There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that “the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” Philippians 1:3-6 (MSG) Find someone to walk it with and lean into the grace that helps you keep walking. 

Who's Power?

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT)

I have some weird health issues. Every now and then, this one thing will happen and when it does, it is super unnerving. It’s scary to me and to anyone who notices it. It happened again recently, while I was preaching. By the grace of God, I finished the sermon and most people (except for those closest to me), didn’t know.

But I did and let’s just say my first thought was that I wasn’t going to preach ever again. Even though God finished the sermon, I became super afraid that this would happen again and what if it didn’t go so well the next time? What if?

Those what if questions pop into your head a lot when there is something in your life you can’t control. And as I ponder those questions, they get worse and the fear grows more intense. So, I pray. Because hey, the only person who can control it is God.

During my prayers I think of Paul who had a thorn in the flesh. I keep praying because that didn’t make me feel any better. (just being honest.) Everyone keeps saying I should slow down, I should rest. So what? I sit on a couch my whole life and do what? I believe God has a call on my life (by the way, I believe God has a call on all of our lives). If that is so, I am pretty sure it isn’t to sit on the couch and rest. And, that is not how God wired me.

But, I don’t want to be afraid either. I don’t want to not step into my calling because of fear. That would be a tragedy. So I prayed some more. And God brought today’s text into my worship. Jesus died so I would not live my life as a slave to the fear of dying. And I’d like to take it a step further. Jesus died so I would not have to live my life as a slave to fear. Period. He broke the power of death. He broke the power of fear. He broke Satan. WOOT!

This verse spurred a talk with God about what it was I was actually afraid of. And as I discussed these things with him, this verse popped into my head.

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

I guess I have two choices. One, walk around being afraid and have that limit what I do or two, lean into the power of Jesus Christ. The rest of that verse says:

So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

I’ll still be praying because it is still scary sometimes but I will also turn it over to Jesus. I will boast about my weakness so Jesus can shine through. He loves me so much he died so I could live being sure of who holds my life and my future..

Stop Trying So Hard

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

If asked, I would have to admit I am a Type A personality.  Even though I believe that as I get closer to Jesus, that A inches more toward an A- or B+ because I am learning to let the Holy Spirit lead in my thoughts, my decisions and my reactions.

This is solely the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Nothing I do saves me. Nothing I accomplish helps me be Heaven-Bound. This is all the gift of God through Jesus. Imagine if getting to heaven were accomplished because of the tasks we did. Heaven would be filled with a bunch of competitive, over-achievers.  That might be a little annoying.  (Smile)

Today’s verse was summed up best by a paragraph in The Voice (a translation of the Bible):

The relationship between faith and works is often misunderstood. Some think that salvation is God’s reward for good deeds. If that’s true, then it can’t possibly be a gift. If it were a reward, then heaven would be a place where people might compare notes on what they did to make it through the gates. But Paul is confident in the truth of the gospel. The truth is that salvation is God’s gift through Jesus. Grace and faith make salvation real in us. When we are transformed by grace, then we become His new creation and begin to live out the good works He has planned for us. Works, then, aren’t the cause of salvation; they are its result. To put it another way, works aren’t the means of salvation; they are its presence. 

If you are working to be saved; if you think that you have to check the box to be “right” with God; stop. What he wants is a relationship with you.  He wants your heart, not your deeds. When you give him that, he’ll do the rest.  He already has a plan. 

Grace Reimagined

God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled. Acts 19:11=12 (NLT)

Can you imagine? Can you imagine being able to heal someone? Can you imagine being able to have a piece of clothing touch your skin and then touch someone else and heal them? And later in the chapter it says that the demon said "I know Jesus and I know Paul" (v 15). Even the demons knew his name.

I can't imagine that kind of power. It's not that I can't imagine it, I can do that. I know God has the power to do anything and it says in the passage that God gave Paul the power. What I can't imagine is being able to do that and still stay focused on God.

How do you stay humble enough to serve God and serve others when God is working in your life like that? I think as a human I'd get awfully distracted. I'd be tempted to start believing I had something to do with it. Even if you are thinking things like "Look at the way God is using me" or "Look what God is doing through me", those are not feelings of humility. And as soon as you start down that path it's a slippery slope.

How did Paul do it?  He stayed connected to Jesus. He knew who had the power and where it came from. He also knew his place. In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul said "I am the worst of all sinners." Notice the word am? He didn't say "I was." He said "I am." Currently. Presently. As I walk around healing people and leading people to Jesus, I am the worst. Paul knew deep down inside something we often refuse to think about. Paul knew that he alone had nothing to offer. It was Jesus and only Jesus. And he embraced it.

I want that. I want to know that no matter how much I do or how great it looks on the outside that I am the worst of sinners. I want to know deep down in my soul that it is about Jesus and only Jesus. It will be then that I truly understand grace.

Shhhh, Don't Say A Word

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:36 (NIV)

A few years ago I was having some personal difficulties with someone. If I am to be honest in my feelings, this person was just downright mean. He said mean things and was about the business of shaming people. Not only that, he was in a leadership position in an organization where I volunteered. Man, did I want to give him a piece of my mind. Not only that, many other people wanted to share pieces of their mind as well. His behavior was toxic and was causing the organization to flounder.

I prayed and prayed asking God how I should address this. Could I tell him off? Could I share how hurtful he was? Could I let him have a piece of my mind? God only ever responded with one word "Mercy." Oh come on! Seriously? But the response every time I prayed was the same "Mercy." To be honest, I wasn't totally sure what "Mercy" meant but I did know I was being told to do nothing. What was super hard was when other folks came and said "What are we going to do? We should report him! We should do something!" I had to share what God said and I had to do nothing. I couldn't get on the bandwagon.

Recently I discovered what mercy actually means. I was reading something (sorry, I don't remember what it was) and it said that grace is getting something you don't deserve and mercy is not getting what you do deserve. I remembered this story and wondered why God wouldn't give this person what they deserved. And then it hit me, he does that with me every day.

Every day he extends grace and mercy to this soul who doesn't deserve either. Every day he overlooks my behavior and my not so kosher thoughts and shows me mercy. When I processed this, my heart overflowed with gratitude.

God is always about growing us and others. As I look back on this situation I am really thankful I didn't say anything. It wouldn't have changed a thing (honestly) but it did allow me to show God's love with my words (or lack thereof). No matter how I feel about someone's behavior, that is always the most important thing.

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. Ephesians 6:19 (NIV)

It's Subtle, But Huge

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” John 12:13 (NIV)

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowd went wild. Here was their King! He was going to save them. He was going to change their world. They shouted "Hosanna!" which means save us." And Jesus was planning to do just that. But, not the way they expected.

There was a subtle detail to Jesus entrance into Jerusalem that they overlooked. Jesus was on a donkey. Historically, if a King was coming as a conqueror (which is what the Jews wanted) he rode into the town on a horse - probably a war horse. Jesus rode in on a donkey. When a king rode in on a donkey, he came in peace.

How often do we expect Jesus to show up and with a sweep of his mighty hand remove all of our troubles. We want him to crush our enemies! We want him to squash our problems and give us the peace we deserve as his followers! We almost expect it. We forget. We forget that the most important thing to God is our hearts.

Jesus doesn't want to charge in and take over. He wants to enter in and grow a relationship. Sure, he wants to be our King - not a king who will conquer us - but a King that will bring peace to our world. He wants to deliver a peace that will transcend all the enemies and the problems; a peace that is beyond understanding.

Do we, like the Israelites, miss the donkey? Do we miss the message Jesus is sending each day as he communicates with us? Do we want something so badly for ourselves that we lose sight of the bigger picture?  How about you? As you look at Jesus, what are you expecting?

The One Great Thing

He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Romans 4:25 (NLT)

This past weekend in church the Pastor asked "How many of you have had God do something great for you?" I raised my hand. I started thinking about my prayers and the answers I'd received. Then, I thought about my outstanding prayers - the prayers without answers still.

How about you? Has God done anything great for you lately? Take a minute...think about it.

As I was thinking through this, the Pastor said "Well Jesus died for you. Wasn't that great?" We all should have raised our hands. Made me think. As Christians maybe we take the death, life and resurrection of Jesus for granted. After all, to be a Christian you have to check that box. Then you can say, "I'm a believer."

There is so much more to it than that. Does it make a difference in our lives? Do we realize what a gift we've been given? Do we live like people who were on death row and were given a pardon? Do we live like people that are loved beyond more than we can ask or imagine?

My prayer this Easter season is that as we look once again at the GREAT thing God did for us, we become changed. We become a people who always raise our hands, jump up and down and shout Hallelujah whenever we can especially because no matter what our recent answers to prayer are, the greatest thing God did for us happened over 2000 years ago. Let's not forget.

Tuesday, Mar 21

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9 (NLT)

Being approached by a snake. Now that's something special. How many of us come face to face with a talking snake? If that isn't an excuse to sin, I don't know what is. In actuality, we've all come face to face with a talking snake. Except it doesn't look like a snake any more. Now, it looks like a temptation that is personal to each and every one of us. To some of us it may be justified in a sale which leads to a shopping spree or a night out with friends that leads to a drinking binge which leads to a one night stand or maybe a way too stressful day which leads to a day of losing our temper with our loves ones. These are all our own personal talking snakes. Satan is an expert at gettingus to hit the pause button on what God wants; jjustify what Satan wants and he disguises it in the form of what we think we need.

And we fall for it. Then, we wish we hadn't. Then, we wish we could take back the one night stand or the day of angry retorts or the "Final Purchase" items sitting unopened in a bag on the closet floor. But we can't. Queue this thing called grace.

As with Adam and Eve in the garden, God comes looking for us. He knows our hiding places. He knows where we go when we feel bad. He's there...gently calling out to us and hoping we'll listen. He's saying "Why are you hiding? I saw what you did. I see you now. Let's talk about it. Let's move on." This is grace. This is who God is. And just as with Adam and Eve, God is calling out to us "Where are you? I am here waiting. You are forgiven." And this....this is where we should be overwhelmed.