A Stumbler's Walk | PROMISE?

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. - Romans 9:8 

How we face difficulty speaks deeply of our faith life. Difficult people, hard circumstances, seemingly unfulfilled promises; each of these are character testers… character revealers… character builders.

Our tendency is often to whine and complain. Ultimately these responses arise out of our insecurity, self-centeredness and fear. In other words, our lack of faith.

Hope you are uplifted, and happy Sunday! Kidding, I wouldn't leave it there.

In difficult times, our focus makes all the difference. And it is our choice. Will we focus on ourselves? Our circumstances? Or will we choose to focus on the One who is at work in the midst of every circumstance to produce in us what he desires? The writer of Hebrews puts it this way, "…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

We need to know a few things: (And not just know with our heads; but unshakably hold in our hearts also.)

1) God is at work in our lives: 

Paul writes "…he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…" (Philippians 1:6). God does not grow tired. His patience is incredible. He is invested in us. (Just look at a cross - that invested).

2) God always fulfills his promises: 

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him…" (Deuteronomy 7:9). Not sometimes. Not when he remembers. But not in our timing either. (We'll come to that.)

3) God's word is alive and powerful: 

"For the word of God is alive and active…" (Hebrews 4:12). Isaiah writes, "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth... so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it," (Isaiah 55:10-11).

4) God's timing and our timing are based on different perspectives:

In short, he sees all. He knows all. We don't. He is infinite. We are not. Through the prophet Isaiah God says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts," (Isaiah 55:8-9).

In the midst of trial, God is at work.

When the promise seems so long ago and so hopeless, God hasn't forgotten.

When the circumstances are overwhelming, the One who calmed the storm can do the same IN you.

God has not forgotten us. His word has never failed. He is intimately at work, forming our hearts to be more like Jesus.

Easy? No. Comfortable? Nope.

But good!

God, you have never failed me (and I know you never will)!

For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk | FORGETTING & PRESSING

(I need to begin with a disclaimer; more of an admission really: Have you every committed your time and energy to a movie that sets the problem, builds and captures you emotionally... then ends? No resolution. No closure. No aha moment. This post may be like that.)

Sometimes I write with an end in mind. Sometimes there is a big idea that forges its way through to conclusion. Sometimes I begin and just see where the path leads. And sometimes there is just a gnawing - a bit of a bleeding beginning point. (That alliteration was brought to you by four years of seminary and countless sermons.) This one feels like a combination, with a leaning toward the last. 

So here goes...

Over the course of closing out an old year and launching a new, I read multiple writings on the clean slate that is 2019. I reposted something I'd previously written centering around this idea, (see A Personal Note to the New Year.) And though I agree with most I read, and certainly (you'd hope) with what I wrote, there was that gnawing. 

Here's the giant premise: 

As much as we'd like to think it so; 

as resolved and motivated for change as we'd like to be; 

the whiteboard that is the new year - 2019 - is not clean. 

It is not blank. 

Wow! I feel like an anti-positive-thinking deviant or faithless pessimist to ponder the thought - much less to write it. (Don't check out yet! I have a feeling this may actually go somewhere.) 

There was no magical Y2K like barrier that suddenly erased our whiteboard when the clock struck 12:00:01 on January 1, 2019. (BTW... if you remember, there wasn't one corresponding to Y2K either, and that caused huge relief!) 

Back to the giant premise: I posited the whiteboard that is the new year is not clean. The fact is we began writing on that board long ago. We crossed the divide into a new year carrying luggage. Each of us made the voyage with bags fully packed - packed with past hopes, past fears, past regrets, past happinesses, past hurts, past resolutions, past lookings-forward... You get the idea. (And sorry for the mixing of metaphors.)

So giant premise part 1? Simply stated, the whiteboard has a lot of crap on it already. Good stuff. Bad stuff. And a ton of stuff so illegible it can't be deciphered. 

Giant premise part 2 (pt.1b? - I don't know, I'm making this up as I go): 

Things have to be erased. 

You are either WAY ahead of me, or disappointed with my lack of Aha inspiration (or both - see disclaimer!). But the fact of the matter is, space must be cleared. Writing, doodling away with the various colors, is fun. It feels - and is - so creative. But erasing can be exhilarating. It is cathartic. It is freeing. And it is necessary. 

White space must be created. (I would posit that it can be equally as creative as multi-marker doodles.) And the only way to do this erasing is with vigorous and intentional swiping left-to-right and up-and-down. Some spots will require work. We will have to break out the spray and rags. Two-handed full-body waggle action will be necessary to scrub away some of the long-written remnants. 

And somewhere along the way, someone has written on our boards with permanent marker; some of it in tiny script, some in 42 point bold Helvitica. It is not easily erased. But it is not really permanent. It doesn't need be. I hesitate to ask this, but I'm asking: Trust me...?

It is not permanent. 

It can be erased. 

It can be cleared. 

The white board can be cleaned. 

Will it take some scrubbing? Yep. Will it be easy? Nope. Can it be erased? Yep. 

Those of you who know me may wonder why I haven't brought the Bible into this as of yet. Well, not to disappoint. We often read the following quote from the Apostle Paul; it pops up in motivational memes and rear-window stickers:

...press on toward to goal... - Philippians 3:14

Notice the ellipses before and after the quoted phrase. Let's focus on the one preceding. Something comes before the pressing. The context...context...context within me wants to back way up; but for now we'll just move halfway back into verse 13:

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind 

and straining forward to what lies ahead, 

I press on toward the goal...

Before the pressing comes forgetting. There cannot be real pressing without some forgetting. Staying with our white board metaphor: Before the writing comes the erasing.

There are things we must be free of. Free to press by forgetting. Free to write by erasing. Oh, and some good news:

Whom the Son sets free is truly free! - John 8:36

God doesn't call us to write on already jumbled, decipherable scribbles. He frees us to write on clean spaces. He frees us to erase and create. 

New year, 

You are a whiteboard, but you are not clean. 

I want to write new things - incredible things on you. 

But space has to be cleared. I will scrub. And I will write. 

You don't have to be completely clean before I begin my new doodles. 

I will clear one spot at a time. 

I will the reread the good with a smile. 

I may weep over some of what is written. 

But neither will lock me in. 

I am free to erase. 

I am free to write. 

I am free to forget. 

I am free to press on...

For now,
D

A Personal Note to the New Year

(Note: I wrote this as last year's calendar fizzled. It popped up as a memory and kick-started by hamster-wheel brain. I plan to follow it up in the next few days with a couple corresponding posts dealing with "IFs". Finally, I think it will come full circle. I have some thought percolations on the dry erase board of 2019.)

A Personal Note to 2017 & 2018

Dear 2017,

Thanks and it was good to know you. You were good to me for the most part.

You certainly brought highs and lows; but overall, the highs were higher than the lows were low. Once in a while I will look back upon you with fondness; and hopefully, very little regret.

Honestly though, it will not be often. I'd rather keep my eyes forward - and in a bit, you will be behind.

You'll have to see yourself out. I plan to sleep through your retirement. So I'll say goodnight old friend. I hope the brotherhood of past years welcomes you to their fraternity and treats you kindly. (Though I'd keep an eye out for 1350 and 1918 (both anno domini), the Dark Ages, and most of the BC years - they can be a bit grumpy and old fashioned.)


Dear 2018,

Welcome. I'm excited to meet you. Forgive me that I'm not up when you arrive. I'd rather have coffee with you after sunrise, than shots with you tonight. Besides, you are going to be meeting a lot of new faces in the next few hours and if you're anything like me with names... well...

I look forward to exploring all you have in store. There will be joys as well as pains, but I have a good feeling about you. I think we will be friends. As a matter of fact, I might make it my resolution.


You know, I just realized something: 2017, like age, you are just a number. You were what I made of you.

And 2018, you are the same; a perfectly clean whiteboard awaiting my squeaky marker. I won't write neatly. There will be misspellings. But I hope to fill you to the borders with love, joy, purpose, family, friends... and a host of passionate pursuits.

It's kind of funny; I wrap up this note in a limbo time between the two of you. And yet here I am. One of you is on the way out, the other coming. And yet I have now. Maybe that is the lesson from all the years past and for those upcoming... I have now. Now is all I have. So now is what I will make the most of.
(And 2018, I promise to try to stop ending sentences with prepositions. Another resolution? Nah.)

So, goodbye and hello.
Your friend,
D

A Stumbler's Walk | WHAT IS TRUTH?

Pilate said to him (Jesus), "What is truth?" - John 18:38

Pilate looked into the face of The Way, the Truth, and the Life and asked him, "what is truth?" With a conflicted mixture of arrogance, ignorance and longing, Pilate stared into the eyes of the Life-Giver, and wondered aloud about the meaning of life.

We may not voice the questions. But they are there. We believe in a God we cannot see. We trust the guidance of a Spirit we cannot hear. We rely on the goodness of an all-powerful Creator, and yet see the devastation that takes place daily in our world; sometimes personally, and close to home.

Paul wrote: "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed," (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

"What is Truth?"

Jesus knew Pilate. In the moment that Pilate asked the question, Jesus saw beyond the power and the pomp. Jesus knew Pilate's heart; and the pain and fear that resided there. A few moments later Pilate washed his hands of Jesus (both literally and figuratively). But Jesus went to the cross for Pilate; for all the Pilates. He went to the cross for the Pilate in you and in me.

Our fear, our arrogance, our questions of Why?… Jesus took them with him to the cross. And there he proved the truth of love. And ultimately, if we will allow, his love overwhelms our questions.

"What is Truth?"

The answer is not a philosophical one. It is not a religious one. Nor is it merely theological.

"What is Truth?"

The Answer is a person. Look to the cross. There Truth demonstrated himself in love. And he is the same for us today.

God, overwhelm me with the truth of your love.

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | IS CHRISTMAS OVER ?

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. - Galatians 5:1 

A friend and I played what's your favorite Christmas song? yesterday. The list was too long, and we couldn't agree on some: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas almost had us parting ways.

We did, however agree on most; and near the top of both lists, O Come, O Come Emmanuel. The song comes out of the Dark Ages and is rich in depth, meaning and emotion.

From the seldom sung third stanza:

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

It is Christmas night as I write this. It strikes me that this night is the most silent of the season - presents opened, meals eaten, hugs given, family parted. Now quietness, silence. And a time to reflect.

As a child I used to be very sad at this time. Christmas was over. The magic ended for another year. But that is not the case. Christmas is not really over, because Christmas is actually about beginnings.

Christ came for a reason. He did not step into this earth to give us nativity scenes (or plays). He did not come to be reminisced in song or story. The incarnation is not the story of what was. Christmas is about what is.

Christ came to set us free! He came to put death's dark shadows to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel - God is with us!

And you are free. 
I am free. 
The gloomy clouds of night dispersed. 
Because the story does not end in a manger.

God, thank you for beginnings. 

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | EMMANUEL

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father! 

- Galatians 4:4-6

I still look forward to Christmas, just as I did growing up. I love the season, the vibe - with the lights, the decorations, the music, even the busyness. I like the crescendo of Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. It was mysterious and wonderful as a child. And the wonder hasn't worn off.

Human history also has crescendos. The greatest occurred - maybe I should say, began - when God stepped into time and space in a far off land, and, of all things, as a baby in a humble stable.

"When the fullness of time had come," Paul writes. Mary's pregnancy and the pregnancy of time coincided. Then the crescendo: Emmanuel - God with us!

He split time in two. 

We may now say BCE (Before Common Era) instead of BC (Before Christ), and CE (Common Era) rather than AD ("Anno Domini" - Year of our Lord). But politically-correct terms cannot dull the crescendo.

The cymbals of eternity roared… 

Voices of angel choirs bounced off the stars...

Shepherds gasped...

Heaven thundered

Hell shuddered

Wise men journeyed

A baby cried.

Emmanuel - God with us!

With us to redeem us…

With us to free us…

With us to call us his children… (In Aramaic, "Abba" is a term of endearment meaning "Daddy.")

Yes, I still love Christmas. 

O come, O come, Emmanuel.

God, be my Emmanuel.

Have a Blessed Christmas! For now...

D

A Stumbler's Walk | THE DAY BEFORE THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 

- John 1:9

I love Christmas Eve. I always have.

At one time it was the anticipation of sleigh bells, red noses in the night sky and clandestine visits that left the remnants of strategically placed cookies. Later, Christmas Eve became about stressed late night assembly and construction projects, and overeating (or careful disposal of) said cookies.

Christmas Eve has taken on a more reflective tone in later years. Perhaps more on that later... all this really has little to do with the thought precipitating this quick post.

What about Christmas Eve Eve.... The day before the day before Christmas?

Thinking back a score of millennia, the day before the day before Christmas wasn't so festive. It was a stressful day of dusty journey for a pregnant couple. (We men like to say it that way, but we really do know differently!) It lead to a night of little and restless sleep, either along the side of the road  - with another travel day ahead - or in a cave housing smelly, flatulating animals.

The day before the day before Christmas was difficult. It was a day with not much hope. It was a day that seemed darkness and dankness would be the forever norms.

The difficulties of life-journey can bring a heavy fog to hope and expectation. Especially on the day before the day before Christmas.

But light is coming. He is coming.

Wise men are mobilizing in the East. Stars are about to burst through the velvet of night where stars have never burst before. Angel choirs are putting the last touches on heavenly choruses and shining up halos for a shepherd audience.

It is dark on the day before the day before Christmas. But light is coming. He is coming.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world... 

In him is life, and life is the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, 

and the darkness cannot overcome it. 

- John 1:9,4-5

Light of the world, shine on me this day before the day before.

For now...

D