For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders;

and he is named

Wonderful Counselor

Mighty God

Everlasting Father

Prince of Peace

~Isaiah 9:6

The multi-named messiah, love labels

On a faith shape, every name a promise

And every promise a present, made and named

All in the same breath. I accept.

~Eugene Peterson

"Uneven Performers"

What are your talents?

Are you afraid to use them?

The world needs your talents!

Whether it's the talent of bringing laughter to others,

the talent of kindness towards others,

a talent for saying the right thing to a hurting heart,

the talent of being a willing worker in time of need,

a talent for wise counsel,

the talent of a listening and patient ear...

Do us all

a favor and

start

"singing"!!!!

“All the persons of faith I know are sinners, doubters, uneven performers.

We are secure not because we are sure of ourselves

but because we trust that God is sure of us.”

― Eugene H. Peterson

The Hard Task of Love

Last week was a “learning week” in which I felt God was challenging me to see things His way -with loving eyes - instead of relying on my own inadequate, myopic attempts at understanding. First, I was confused and upset, then asked God to lead me, and finally acknowledged that I can’t see the big picture (or my place in it) yet.
As I wondered what my place was, what was being expected of me, how I could be relevant, I picked up and re-read a short book by Henri Nouwen, entitled In the Name of Jesus.

Nouwen, writes how he “stepped away from the academic life to accept a call to be a priest for mentally handicapped people and their assistants...[and moved from] the best and the brightest, wanting to rule the world, to men and women who had few or no words and were considered, at best, marginal to the needs of our society.”

Nouwen points to how the first temptation Jesus faces in the desert is to be relevant, to change rocks into bread. Anyone who has a business, works, guides a family, loves a spouse, teaches a class, serves on a committee, has a blog that you want people to read, or any other numerous activities is prodded by this same temptation to be relevant. I know I am.

As I read along, I was struck by the idea that God does not need us to be relevant, He needs us to love others. My first thought was, “Easier said than done.” Here’s how Nouwen writes about it:

“The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results?
But: Are you in love with Jesus?”

Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. My kids get annoyed when I repeat things to them, but when I use this tactic, it’s because I want to be sure they heard me right, that it really sinks in and that later, they won’t say, “I didn’t hear you say that.” My repetition is a way of making sure they get it. Jesus wanted to make sure Peter “got it” and he wants us to “get it” too.

The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.”
~John 21:17

In the same manner, if we love Jesus, we will feed His sheep. Feeding his sheep means we will act even though we fear, give even when we don’t feel generous and love even though it’s hard.

It seems easier to be God than to love God,
easier to control people than to love people,
easier to own life than to love life.
~Henri Nouwen

Designated Driver

As you may or may not know, I design the slides that go on the screen at our church on Sundays. Of all the ones I’ve designed and prayed over each week, this one continues to make it in my list of top 3 favorites.

The photo was taken by my daughter on a road trip. I found it intriguing that the play of motion and light on this wet highway caught her eye. I would not have considered it picture-worthy, but when she showed me, I was delighted. I tucked it away into my photo file and waited for the right scripture to come along. The Message Bible translation of Mark 8:34 provided the match.

I sometimes wonder why I like it so much. Maybe because every time I read it I think, “Oh yeah…I could use a refresher course on that one.” You could stir up some pretty good conversations about freedom of choice and God allowing individuals to make their own decisions, but I don’t think that’s where Jesus was going with this. Our minds are automatically focused on the part about WHO is in the driver’s seat, when the first verse really says it all. “If you are coming with me, you have to let me lead.”

Eugene Peterson writes:
Traditional Christian spirituality is not taking bits and pieces of doctrine and putting them to use, it's entering into the life of God that is already in motion. There is already movement in the Trinity. It's a matter of shifting your image of what's going on. Are we in a spiritual bazaar where we are picking out verses and texts that we can use, or are we in a home that is ordered by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, where we can enter into what's already going on? We can learn to be obedient, participant, learn to receive affection and give it. But it's not our home, we're not the ones in charge of this.

Newsflash! God’s plans are already in motion. He’s not waiting around for our great ideas. I’m pretty good at wrapping myself in that “all about me” blanket and often catch myself getting carried away with my own plans and how God will be able to help me live my own “best life.” We aren’t being called to insert God into our plans, we are being called to insert ourselves into God’s plans. There’s no Holy Quadrangle with our names included in "the Trinity + [insert your name here]."

Designating God as your driver may mean giving up the wheel, but when you agree to turn over the wheel and follow Him, I have a suspicion you end up learning “all about Him” and the “real you.”

Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? Mark 8:35-36 (MSG)

“If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”
~Unknown