A Stumbler's Walk | A DESOLATE PLACE

Now when it was evening, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the day is now over..."
-- Matthew 14:15

The disciples are tired. They have served as crowd control, screeners, healer-helpers, etc. all day long and into the evening. They are worn out and the sun has set.

Then they realize they are in a desolate place.

What does the word desolate conjure into your mind?

Desolate can speak to location. The drive from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles comes to mind - plenty of desolation, broken up by the occasional wind farm.

There is a sadder, and darker, version of desolation though. It is not a desolation of locale, but a desolation of the heart. We can at times be surrounded by crowds and yet feel desolately alone.

Desolation of the soul robs us of vitality. (I realize I am trying to extract too much from a simple narrative statement in scripture, but indulge me for a moment; I'll try to rein it in.) The disciples begin to sense the desolation surrounding them. By the way, this after a day of miracles witnessed. Finally they decide, "... the day is now over."

Forgive my triteness, but the day is not over until Jesus says it's over. There is a miraculous feast yet to take place; one that people will talk about for millennia to come. Oh... and water-walking.

No, the day is not over. And no place is desolate when Jesus is there. Look a few verses above. It was Jesus who withdrew to the desolate place. The news of his friend John's death had come to him. He wanted to get away. But people came. People living lives of desolation.

My guess is that none in the crowd left that place feeling it was desolate. Jesus brought life to desolation. He brings light to darkness... love to emptiness... healing to brokenness... hope to hopelessness.

Jesus never leaves people in desolation. He may allow the temporary desert sands to blow in our eyes, but always with purpose. The empty ocean torrent may threaten to capsize us, but in perfect timing he comes walking across the waves.

The day is NOT over...

God, be present in my desolation.

For now...
D

A Dollar

I found a dollar tonight. One dollar. It was laying in the parking lot near my car as I left the coffee shop where I was reading.

Just one dollar. It was folded up kind of funny. I honestly thought it might be stuck to the ground or a group of pranksters nearby might yank it away with fishing line as I bent down to claim my treasure. I briefly pondered it might be one of those tracts that made you think, "Hey, I found a buck," then when unfolded it reads, Money is the root of all evil (which by the way, is not an accurate quotation of 1 Timothy 6:10).

It was however, an authentic American one dollar bill. And I began to wonder. I wondered not so much about the dollar's history - although it could be fascinating really. I didn't even give a thought to the person's $1 debacle of dropping it in the parking lot. What captured my mind was the potential. What could this one oddly-folded dollar do? What could it become? It is a bit ironic that these were my thoughts having just purchased a four dollar cup of coffee with the only real cash on me. That said, I was reading Tim Ferriss' latest book in the coffee shop.  So maybe that is where the brain-scamper originated. (Ferriss authored The Four Hour Work Week, calls himself a human guinea pig, and is a noted paradigm buster.)

But here is where my creativity dies, so I'm asking for input. Can a dollar make a difference? Can one dollar grow to make real impact? If so, how?

Think with me. The wilder the better. Let's leave out, "Find 999,999 more and you can retire," - trust me, I looked. Or, the obvious, "Give it to someone holding a sign on a street corner." Let's go big. We aren't looking for a 100 penny impact here. Let's think exponentially and unselfishly.

You can leave a message at the end of this blog. You can Facebook message or PM me. Could a dollar become something that might change a life some day?  Get creative and let's experiment.

For now...
D

(By the way, if I don't hear from anyone, I'm tying it to a string and hiding around a corner at the coffee shop. I'll upload some video.)

A Stumbler's Walk | DULL

For this people's heart has grown dull, 

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed, 

lest they should see with their eyes, 

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, and I would heal them.

-- Matthew 13:15 (Jesus quoting the prophet Isaiah)

Isaiah said it centuries before. People would close their eyes, choosing darkness over light. They would so consistently tune out the love song of the universe, as to eventually think the chaotic notes of selfish loneliness were the only chords played or sung. But closed eyes and deaf ears are only symptoms. The true problem lay deeper.

Jesus said the ones spoken of by Isaiah were right in front of him. He walked among them. Deaf ears missed the life in his words. Closed eyes missed the light shining in their darkness. Wounded, dying, dull hearts missed the invitation to be truly restored.

Jesus said the ones spoken of by Isaiah were right in front of him. They still are. We still are. Many were blind, deaf and dull. Many still are. We all are in some ways.

It is telling that Jesus literally opened the ears of the deaf and made the eyes of the blind to see. It is telling because on a deeper level, a spiritual level, an eternal level, this is what he does. On a few occasions he literally made the dead heart begin to beat with life. Again, what he does.

Jesus often healed with the cooperation, sometimes even at the request, of the person to be healed. At other times there was no initiative shown - for instance, a dead person doesn't ask to be raised. Jesus often asks us to take steps of faith, to do what we can do, before he does what only he can. Sometimes in our weakness or woundedness we are incapacitated, and he reaches us with grace.

God, I will open my eyes as best I know - heal my blindness; I will open my ears as best I know - heal my deafness. I will turn my heart to you as best I know - restore it as only you can. 

For now...
D

A Stumbler's Walk | TEMPLE SHADOWS

I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.   -- Jesus, Matthew 12:6

To those within sound of Jesus' voice, the Temple was everything. It is difficult for us today to truly fathom it's iconic power and deep significance. The Temple stood as the center of faith, culture and national identity. More so, the majestic message of the columns and stone was one of hope and freedom from oppression. Most deeply, and most easily overlooked, the Temple symbolized the presence of an immanent God who lived among his people.  

But there is a problem inherent with Temples. Though erected to symbolize something (or someone) greater, eventually marble and mortar become the focus.

I am amazed so many missed Jesus' message when he stood in their midst. He healed, and they complained he did it wrong. He freed agonized people, and was accused of using devil-power. He spoke words that ignited their souls and soothed their fears, yet they clung to have-tos, can'ts and damned-if-you-dos. 

The God of the universe walked in human skin in the very shadow of the Temple built to honor and worship him. And most chose the symbol over the Savior. 

We often do the same. I am speaking metaphorically. A temple can be anything religious, spiritual, moral, or even intellectual that we build initially to honor God. Temples are tangible and comfortable. But temples can become traps. They are sometimes just grand enough to remind us of God's past presence or a hint of spiritual truth. But they can distract us from the abiding reality of the One they were built to glorify. And sometimes we miss Jesus as he walks in the shadow of temples we build.

God, One who is greater than any temple I've built is here. Help me not to lose sight of him due to the shadows cast by the walls of my temples.

For now...

D  

EQUATIONS OF LOVE...

Home after a crazy Saturday morning full of (kid) car care followed up by a great leg workout. (Whoops... I quit working out! See Why I'm Quitting Working Out - January 7th.) 

Anyway I flipped on the TV and caught the end of A Beautiful Mind. In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech John Nash says the following:

It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reasons can be found.

-- Russell Crowe as John Nash, A Beautiful Mind

There is much I want to write based on that line; both on relationships and faith. But sometimes we should just step back and admire beauty. And that statement paints a beautiful picture. So:

For now...

D

The Doubting Faithful

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him (Jesus), "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

- Matthew 11:2-3

Never fear (your) doubt. Doubt is neither faith's opposite, nor faith's destroyer.  

You can no more have faith without doubt than be brave without fear.

- Anonymous

John the Baptist was as great a person of faith as ever roamed the planet, (according to Jesus a bit later in Matthew 11). Yet John dealt with the fog of doubt. 

He was in prison for doing the very thing he was born to do, the thing he was called to do. He was imprisoned because of his faithfulness. And in that prison cell - not long before giving his life for the cause - the fog settled in. 

He was not condemned or scolded by Jesus for expressing his doubt. Jesus did not respond, "Wait a minute, you saw the heavens open and the Spirit descend at my baptism. Come on John! You heard the voice... remember? What's wrong with you? Suck it up man!" Instead, Jesus gently reminds John (via his friends) of what John already knows, and has believed about Jesus. Then Jesus boasts on John's faithfulness.   

There is something beautifully powerful here that we should grasp. We need not fear our doubt - nor that of anyone else. And almost as importantly, we should not be made to feel guilty by our doubts.  

If I were preaching I might put a nice little three point outline together based on John's struggle: 1) Take inventory of your doubt; 2) Take action on your doubt; 3) Take your doubt straight to Jesus. (The short version might be: Assess it, Express it, Access it.)

Doubt only debilitates when we begin to fear it. We blow doubt up into a snarling monster that freezes us. Doubt should not debilitate though. Doubt should motivate. Its presence should motivate us to seek... to search... to call out to God. 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart

- Jeremiah 29:11

I think God is not offended by our doubt. He is bigger, he is more powerful than our doubts and questions. Doubts turned toward Christ become opportunity for greater faith. But doubts turned away from Christ become greater fear. And fear does debilitate. It freezes our faith, or it morphs into close-minded religious hypocrisy. 

Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving

- Frederick Buechner

Doubt is not a sign of faithlessness. Doubt is simply part of the exhaust of ...faith working through love (Galatians 5:6). 

Never fear your doubt. Take it to the One who understands... who loves... who overcomes...

God, you gave me a finite mind and with it, I attempt to know an infinite God. I will at times doubt. But I will bring you my doubts, because your love consumes them. And in love there is no place for fear. 

For now...

D

THE UNLIKELY

And he called to him his twelve disciples... the names of the twelve apostles are these...

-- Matthew 10:1-2

It is really not the best way to start a movement; certainly not one intended to change a planet. 

The roster is missing the names of A-listers. No moguls of industry. No celebrities. No national heroes. No influencers. 

Instead, on this list are fishermen - not the kind with TV shows and endorsement deals - but the hard-living, smell-like-fish-innards type. A tandem of power-hungry brothers are on the list; Jesus calls them Sons of Thunder, and I don't think for good reasons. Then there is the smoldering animosity between a nationalistic religious zealot and a tax-collecting sellout to occupying Rome. (And we think our political climate is volatile.)  A few other no-names are included. Oh yes, then there is a betrayer. 

It is not the best way to start a movement; certainly not one intended to change a planet. But here is something to think on: EACH ONE WAS CHOSEN. Though some of these guys may have stumbled into Jesus' path (from their perspective), Jesus didn't stumble when he walked directly into their lives. 

And what was true for them millennia ago, remains true today. We may take a stumbler's walk through life. But Jesus intentionally steps into our path. And he chooses us. 

He chose us before we were. Forever ago from the glory of heaven (wherever and whatever that is), he saw us. He chose us. And at the risk of melodrama I will say, hanging from a gruesome bloody cross, he looked down once again - this time through swollen eyes, but with perfect vision - and chose us. And daily as we stumble, he chooses us. 

By us, I mean for God so loved the world... US. Not just twelve. Not a select group of super-spirituals or special people. US. All of us, and maybe more powerfully, EACH of us. 

It is not the best way to carry on a movement; certainly not one intended to change a planet. Or maybe it is. 

God, you chose me, a stumbler. That blows my mind, breaks my heart, and gives me hope. 

For now...

D