Grace

I've learned more about grace lately by seeing the contrast between those who extend it and those who expect it. It seems those who are most gracious, humbly expect less grace from others. While the ungracious virtually demand grace. I find that the ungracious are not neutrally lacking grace as a still day lacks wind. They are a vacuum of anti-grace, sucking in the favor and pity and long-suffering of all who surround them. The gracious are the opposite. The well of life in them flows out, showering their peers with a sweet rain of mercy.

Experiencing Radical Hospitality

We recently transplanted to Las Cruces, NM. Our hope had been to close on our house prior to coming but despite the hard work and vigilant efforts of our realtor and banker, also our new friends, we were unable to do so. So Tuesday, I purchased a plane ticket and prepared to spend a week or more without my family as options for temporarily housing a family of seven and their four pets were slim. Those that did exist were prohibitively expensive. I shared my plans with my new pastor. In less than an hour, I got the call that began our experience with radical hospitality.

One of the elders of our church volunteered to take my family and our pets into their home. We have now spent three nights in a beautiful, brand new home, filling up their spare bedrooms. Gary and Pat Henderson have not withheld anything from us. They have shared their rooms, their food, their vehicles. They've allowed our pets to freely roam their home.

I have never experienced such intense hospitality. I and my family are awestruck and beyond grateful. Our time together is precious and I am aware that every minute I get with my family is made possible by these two incredibly generous people. We will be forever thankful.

We will also carry with us a heightened standard of hospitality.

The rest of our church family has also given us a warm welcome and we are looking forward to the church wide event that will serve as the official welcome. We are in love with our new church and community and overwhelmed by how God has showered His love on us through them.

Be Not Against Me Lord

I was having my quiet time this morning, reading a little Jeremiah. Not really light reading but I was a little detached from God's declarations of wrath and redemption toward's Israel. Detached until I got hit in the head with a 2x4.

Jeremiah 23:29-32 reads, "Is not My word like fire" - the Lords's declaration- "and like a sledgehammer that pulverizes rock? Therefore take note! I am against the prophets" - the Lord's declaration- "who steal My words from each other. I am against the prophets" - the Lord's declaration- "who use their own tongues to deliver an oracle. I am against those who prophesy false dreams" - the Lords' declaration - "telling them and leading My people astray with their falsehoods and their boasting. It was not I who sent or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people" - the Lord's declaration.

It took my breath away as one who has been given the responsiblity to communicate the Lord's word to His people. What a powerful thing the Word is. Hard hearts beware, God's word pulverizes rock. What an enormous responsibility I've been given. From these verses I learn that I am not to take the words the Lord has given to another pastor, I should not consider it myself who is speaking when I preach but the Lord and that I should never try to sell my dreams and vision but trumpet the Vision God has for my church. Three times God says, "I am against the prophets."

Lord, please be not against me. Help me to seek your words, speak your words and see your vision.

Just His Robe

A casual reading of Mark 5:25-34 could lead us to wonder if Jesus was limited in His knowledge of people and his surroundings. But a closer look reveals that is not the case. We know that Jesus often knew what people were thinking. He had the ability to know what was in the minds of people. But why then did He ask the question, "Who touched My robes?" I think the answer is found in the disciples response. They said, "You see the crowd pressing against You, and You say, 'Who touched me?'" The were thinking, "everybody is touching you, Jesus." Jesus asked the question to highlight the difference between those who were just bumping into Him and the one who reached out in faith.

So many people bump into Jesus. They go to church and bump into His name and His word and His people. They read His word and bump into His wisdom. But so few reach out to Him in faith. And I notice where He was in proximity to the sick woman. When she reached out to Him, He wasn't in Heaven. He was walking down the street of the town she lived in. He had already reached out to her and left virtually no distance between them. Touching His robe was just her outward demonstration of an inward spiritual reality, faith. She touched Jesus because she trusted Jesus.

Jesus, I'm reaching out to you. Your nearness is my good. I trust you. Please heal me.

The Dark

When its dark, you are still there.
When I don't know how or where
Though I'm blind, you help me see.
I'll trust you because you love me.

Its dark today Jesus, I'm scared, alone
Be my light, please be my sun
Let the glory of you shine through.
I'm afraid of the dark but I trust you.

Crying out

Its been I awhile since I journaled a quiet time. The summer really got away from me. I am out of Chronicles and into the Psalms. Reading the Gospel of Luke and Paul's letters. Reading the Psalms today was reassuring. I was reminded its ok to weep.

Women get a free pass on this one. Everybody expects women to cry. For some reason, girls like to cry. Guys don't understand this. What makes us even more confused is the prevalent mindset which says guys aren't supposed to cry, and weeping is cause for institutional commitment. From what I understand we are allowed a single, solitary tear when we are torn up inside. More than that and we are crybabies. We are supposed to choke down whatever emotional churning are squeezing our heart. That's the common understanding.

But I read Psalm 6:6. Written by David. David as in, "Saul killed his thousands and David his ten thousand." The warrior king with an elite team called his "mighty men" who followed him and were willing to die for him. He wrote, "I am weary with my sighing; every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with tears."

He was tired of being sad, so sad in fact that he was weeping until his sheets were dripping. Not the sole tear that dries before it gets to the edge of his cheek, but torrents of gut wrenching sobbing. In vs. 7, he says he is literally crying his eyes out. Stop reading if you don't want to hear a confession. I've been there. I've had those nights. They were times I had begun to be ashamed of until this morning. Then I realized the only sin in crying is forgeting that God has, "heard the voice of my weeping."

I'm still not a girl in that I'm not looking forward to the next time my heart breaks and gets tears all over my bed. But the next time, I'll weep on an altar and make a sacrifice of my tears. And I'll remember that He hears me, is not ashamed and sits with me, putting, "my tears in [His] bottle."

Father, strengthen my heart and soften my heart. Help me not to be ashamed of tears. Don't let me just cry but rather help me to cry out to You.

Forgiveness

The world says "tolerate." The theology of toleration is a perverted form of grace. Some say it is gracious to just leave people to their sin and let them do what they want. But it is a twisted variation of grace. It is forgiveness divorced from consequence. Paul instructs the church at Corinth to first respond to the wrong in this way, "the punishment by the majority is sufficient for such a person." However, he goes on to say, "so now forgive and comfort him instead; otherwise, this one may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. Therefore, I urge you to confirm your love to him.

The world wants to just tolerate, which doesn't go far enough. Paul, however, warns us not to go overboard and so thoroughly punish the offender that he despairs and is overcome with grief. While God is serious about sin, He is also committed to restoration. Here Paul teaches that theology by putting forgiveness and comfort after the punishment. The world wants to drop punishment and forgiveness and just comfort people when they do those things which compared to absolute truth are considered sin. 2 Cor. 2:6-8 instructs us to punish, forgive and then comfort. How strong we would be if we held each other accountable, not with a fierce and terminal attitude toward sin but with a heart of true grace that is quick to address wrong, even quicker to forgive and always read to comfort and restore.

I love how Paul characterizes the work of comforting the restored sinner as "confirm[ing] your love to him."

Father, help me to love others enough to carry grace all the way through. Help me to rebuke, but then to confirm my love by forgiving and comforting them. Let your model of true grace strengthen your people.