Lessons from Max #1 - DANCE OVER THE LITTLE THINGS

A word about LESSONS FROM MAX:

What are to come in this and the following posts are reflections and applications. They will come randomly. If ever compiled, I will do the work of prioritizing and tying them together with some flow. But for now...

DANCE OVER THE LITTLE THINGS!

Much of my house has tile floors. And one of the first things that comes to mind (and emotion) when I think about Max is the sound of his nails on the tile when he danced.

Max danced when it was time to eat. He danced when someone came to the door. He danced to go out, he danced when he came back in. He danced when he was about to get a treat. Max was a dancer... over the little things.

It is easy to take the common for granted. We march, sometimes drudge, along through our day. String enough drudge days together and they turn into drudge weeks, months and years. A drudge life.

Lesson #1 (from Max): 

DANCE OVER THE LITTLE THINGS!

One of my favorite themes in the movie Evan Almighty is that of "the dance." Evan's children loathe "the dance." They are embarrassed by "the dance." The movie ends with a great scene in which God says to Evan, "It's time." Then God and Evan dance on a hill under a tree.

We should not withhold celebration for the big things only - the major events of life. They are too distant between. Most of life occurs in the interims. Dances should not be reserved for destinations. Dances must be part of the journey.

I return to OKC in a couple of nights after a week of travel. I will miss the white snout looking through the upper glass of the front door at the sound of my car pulling in. And the silence will strike me. I miss the sound of nails on tile. I miss Max's dance. But I'm thankful for the lesson. 

For now...
D

Don't be embarrassed - Own that dance!

MINE...

You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.
-- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

It's one of my favorite scenes in Finding Nemo 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-3e0EkvIEM

Mine...

The seagulls seem to know only one word: MINE. And they repeat it in staccato machine-gun like fashion. Mine... mine... mine... It is a funny scene. We laugh... then get slightly irritated... then realize...

We are seagulls!

What is it that we consider "MINE?"
My house... my car(s)... my career... my kids...?
My life?

There are a couple hard realities within the true Christian life (and the following is certainly not an exhaustive list):

1) Nothing is truly ours. (We might argue that our faith is ours - our relationship with God. And though it is a gift, I'll concede on this point.)
2) Everything - in this life - is temporary. (See #1.)
3) It's not all about us. (Ouch!)

No, not even our lives are our own. A ransom was paid for us. A price - a high price - was offered up. A sacrifice was made. And we were purchased with the price of Christ's blood.

The Apostle Paul was a great example of one who understood that nothing - his stuff, or even his very life - was his own. And he learned this from the one who was the perfect example of sacrifice.

Jesus said:
For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve; and to give his life as a ransom for many.     -- Mark 10:45

No, we are not our own... we are not the owners of self. Mine... mine... mine... is the cry of the selfish, the self-absorbed, or at best, the immature. (And it is often what I exclaim; whether out loud or with an internal scream.)

God created us for a purpose. His purpose. And when we realize and rest in the truth that we are his - completely - we experience joy. Not the temporary happiness of stuff (Mine!), but true joy.

God, I am yours...

For now...
D

REAL...

Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?     -- 1 Corinthians 5:6


Authenticity is vital to our life of faith. Deception, and especially self-deception kills life in Christ.

Our church once spent three months working through what would come to be known as The Twelve Words - our core values.

One of my soapbox topics is that of TRUTH. And in a culture that values relativism and seems to fly upside down both morally and logically (in my opinion), truth is often lost. Without doubt truth is an undervalued commodity. That said, when we worked through our Twelve Words, truth was not our first (word).

Jesus said the truth sets us free (John 8:32). However, many that heard him speak on hill sides, beaches and synagogues walked away un-free. They heard the words, saw the miracles, and yet they remained shackled in doubt, regret, sin and hopelessness. Or worse, many walked away with a false sense of justification, thinking they didn't need the forgiving grace this would-be Messiah was peddling. (Enter self-deception.)

The first of our Twelve Words was AUTHENTICITY. When we are authentic, we are both open to truth and opened by truth. (Think about that statement, and yes, there is a bit of chicken and egg...) We must approach truth with a right attitude to allow it to do it's work in us. At the same time, truth exposes our attitudes.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing... 

and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.     -- Hebrews 4:12

The Christian life both requires and produces authenticity. And inherent in authenticity is an attitude of humility. Paul warned the Corinthian believers that a little deception, a little inauthenticity, a little sin left unchecked will spread.

Christ said the kingdom of God belongs to the childlike. And it is with the authenticity - the openness and humility - of children, that we will find our strength in him.

God, create in me an authentic heart...

For now...
D

GIFT...

I couldn't decide which of two thoughts to go with from this morning's reading. So you decide...

What do you have that you did not receive? If then, you received it, why do you boast...?
-- 1 Corinthians 4:7

Everything is a gift. What we have... who we have in our lives... and for that matter, our very lives... all gifts.

We must always be mindful that: We brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world; (1 Timothy 6:7).

We can choose to be thankful. We can choose to be miserly, selfish and miserable.

Grace is undeserved. And I am glad. The nature of grace negates my need to perform; to be good enough, do enough, be special enough. Grace flows from the goodness of a giving God, who is the Father of light, and in whom, there is no shifting shadow (James 1:17).

God is pure in nature and in his love for us. There is no shadow, no dark-side motive.  (I won't pretend to fully understand the ugliness that also exists in this world, and that discussion is for another time. I do know that grace overcomes ugliness, and in the midst of each difficulty, grace is working.)

So what is our response to grace? We simply receive with a thankful spirit. We do not boast. Why? Because we have absolutely nothing to brag or be conceited about. My next heartbeat is given by God's grace. I have no power to effect one more heartbeat or breath. ALL is a gift.

Receive... and share...


(Well - after writing for a bit, I'm going with that. So just one thought on the other.)

For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk, but in power.
-- 1 Corinthians 4:20

It's Election Season. There is plenty of talk about what this one or that one is going to DO if elected. And most of it is just that... talk. Let's not be like that with our lives. Let's not be like that with the gift of life given us in Christ. Today, don't talk Christian... BE CHRISTIAN.


God, my very breath is a gift. Help me live a thankful life...

For now...
D

FOUNDATIONS

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
-- 1 Corinthians 3:11


Often, that which is unseen is most important.

What lies below the water line makes all the difference in keeping a massive ship upright, under power, and able to steer away from trouble and toward safe port.

Likewise, the tallest skyscraper's glory is completely dependent on what lies below grade. It is in what lies beneath that the building finds it's strength to stand.

You and I are much the same. Our lives are built on a foundation. And the foundations of people's lives vary in depth, strength, capability and dependability

There is one foundation that is completely reliable, and upon which we can build a life. Financial foundations can crumble. Health foundations can falter. Foundations of career, social standing, physical beauty, reputation, etc. are inherently cracked.

All of these, and more, are great finishes, trims, and decorations. They are important, but not most important. The secret to successful and purposeful living lies below the water line. It is beneath grade. (And, sorry for the mixed metaphors - let's stick with buildings and foundations).

Jesus told a story about two different men, two different houses, and one storm. One man built his house on sand. The other, on a rock. My guess is that as time passed - and weeds grew - the houses were indistinguishable. Then came the storm. One house fell. One house stood. The difference between the two was not in color or style. The distinction was in what could not be seen. One had a strong foundation. One did not.

Two things about storms in life: 1) They will come. They are inevitable. As surely as the tornado sirens blow to usher in an Oklahoma spring, the tempest will come. 2) Storms reveal foundations.

So the question: What is your foundation? What is it that you are building the house of your life - of all your are - upon? There is one foundation that is completely reliable, and upon which we can build a life. The old hymn put it this way:

On Christ the solid rock I stand, 

all other ground is sinking sand...

God, you are my rock and my foundation...

For now...

D

THE SUBSTANCE OF OUR FAITH...

...that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.        
-- 1 Corinthians 2:6

Spiritual gurus abound. They can be seen on television and heard on radio. Their writings adorn the shelves of Barnes and Noble, and their sayings are constantly memed on Facebook (I may have just invented a verb).

For the most part this is good and positive. But with all this access it is convenient for us to listen to the voices... and forget to listen to God's voice.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers about this. Ultimately, he says that our faith is not based on the wisdom of men and women - the voices out there. These voices can encourage and teach. They can inform and inspire. But these voices cannot - and must not - become substitute to the voice of God.

Frankly, it is very easy to become spiritually sedentary. Couch-potato Christianity sits idly waiting on crumbs of wisdom to be podcast, memed, etc. (And yes, I am overstating to make a point). Instead, you and I must be about the disciplines of spending personal time in prayer, meditation, worship, listening and reading scripture. This is how we primarily hear the God's voice.

Our favorite guru's faith is not our faith. It can add to, increase and aid our faith. But it is not our faith. For that matter, our parents' faith, pastor's faith, whoever's faith is not our faith. Our faith is based on the reality of a personal God who gave his son for each of us. Our faith is based on the truth of scripture that comes alive in us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Our faith is as personal as our God is personal.

God, help me to hear your voice... in, and sometimes in spite of, all the voices speaking around me...

For now...
D

LESSONS FROM MAX

Smiling Max

Less than a week ago, my children and I said goodbye to the sweetest soul. Max was our nine year old Golden Retriever.

Max was a constant for my kids and for me. He was always there. Always loving. Always accepting. Always more pleased with us than we were with ourselves.

And he was my buddy. I like to say Max and I were both old puppies. Though his snout turned white and he sighed when getting up or lying down, he was a puppy in spirit. He loved to explore. He was ever ready for new adventure, for new places and new people. 

I've wondered since we said goodbye to Max if he might have been a guardian angel with blondish-red fur (that shed everywhere!). I'd like to think so. 

We lost a friend. And watching my children hurt so badly was difficult to say the least. But my purpose here - or at least in the posts to follow - is not to mourn. Nor is it to memorialize the loss of my buddy who was with me through some pretty difficult times. Instead, I want to reflect on some lessons I learned from Max.

So what follows in posts to come will be Lessons from Max. Each post will center on one theme or lesson.

We'll get started soon.

Miss you buddy!

For now...

D