Living in the Overflow

Is the cup half empty or half full?
For those who cultivate a heart of gratitude it is neither.

I found this little ditty; not sure of who the author is, but thought it was appropriate for the Thanksgiving season:

I’ve never made a fortune and it’s probably too late now,
But I don’t worry about that much, I’m happy anyhow.
And as I go along life’s way I’m reaping better than I sowed,
I’m drinking from my saucer, ‘cause my cup has overflowed.

Haven’t got a lot of riches and sometimes the going’s tough,
But I’ve got loving ones all around me and that makes me rich enough.
I thank God for His blessings and the mercies He’s bestowed
I’m drinking from my saucer ‘cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong, my faith wore somewhat thin
But all at once the dark clouds broke and the sun peeped through again;
So Lord, helped me not to gripe about the tough rows I have hoed;
I’m drinking from my saucer ‘cause my cup has overflowed.

As God gives me strength and courage when the way grows steep and rough,
I’ll not ask for other blessings, I’m already blessed enough.
And may I never be too busy to help others bear their loads,
Then I’ll keep drinking from my saucer, ‘cause my cup has overflowed!

3 things that keep me from enjoying the overflow:

• Complaining and having a critical attitude;
• Jealousy;
• Lack of prayer.

A Thanksgiving Hymn

In the Ancient Hebrew Hymnal (The Book of "Psalms" in the Bible) there are many songs of praise to God. Perhaps the most popular Psalm is a great song for the Thanksgiving season:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want"
– Thank you God for meeting all my needs.

"He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul"
– Thank you God for nourishing my body and spirit.

"He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name sake"
– Thank you God for giving me wisdom and courage to make decisions that please you.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me"
– Thank you God for your presence and your peace.

"Your rod and staff they comfort me"
– Thank you God for your protection and discipline.

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies"
– Thank you God for vindicating me, for blessing me as I honor you.

"You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows"
– Thank you God for your abundant blessings.

"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life"
– Thank you God for your constant care, your patience and forgiveness.

"And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"
– Thank you God that death is not the end of the road, just a bend in the road. Thank you for meeting my eternal needs as well as me everyday needs.

Giving Thanks

In our church we often sing "The Doxology":
"Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen."

All kinds of people have a hard time being grateful:
Suffering and/or sick people often feel angry and abandoned;
Poor people may think God’s given them the shaft;
Rich people sometimes take their blessings for granted;
Working people, perhaps, think they earned it with their own sweat and don’t see God as part of the equation.

For me, the path to real "Thanksgiving" is to Focus on God’s character and unfailing love:

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." (Psalm 107:1)

"Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
(James 1:16-17)

It is easy to be deceived about the source of our blessings, or decieved about the apparent lack of blessings.

The truth is our lives are full of blessings and good gifts and God is the source of them all.

I choose to give credit where credit is due. How about you?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Taming the E.G.O.

Phil Hodges gave me some good insight into my all-too-frequent lack of gratitude:

He says I need an Ego Check.

E.G.O. – Edging God Out

We as humans are wired for worship. Whether it be God, or stuff, or self, or someone else we will "worship" something.

The object of worship; who or what a person worships —that is, where one finds security and self-worth— is a crucial question.

Phis maintains that when we put self first, we tend to operate out of fear and pride, focused on our own needs and a sense of self-preservation. This often lleads to isolation, distortion and separation.

On the other hand, when we put God first and worship Him -- whwn we find our security and self-worth in Him -- we tend to operate out of confidence and humility...and this often leads to community.

"For everything in the world--the lust of the eyes (cravings of sinful man), the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life (bragging about whate one has and does) comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." (1 John 2:15-17)

The remedy for "the Enemy's" limited and predictable strategy is:
Lust of the Eyes: instead of focus on one's passions focus on purity.
Lust of the Flesh: instead of focus on possessions ask God for a spirit of generosity.
Pride of Life: instead of pursuing position and titles seek humility.

I find that Phil to be a pretty smart fellow.

Little Nyasha

Our neighborhood was rocked last Saturday evening when three young men, between the ages of 18 and 21, entered an apartment and began shooting.

Three people were shot, one of them fatally. A grandmother frantically tried to protect her granddaughter. One of the bullets went through the woman's hand. The bullet stopped when it hit little Nyasha. Little Nyasha had celebrated her first birthday on October 15.

Upon hearing the shots ring out, the baby’s mother, who had been sleeping in the back of the house after a hard-day’s work, ran about 75 yards to a nearby fire station. By the time the paramedics had suited up, the grandmother arrived at the fire station with the infant in her arms. The ambulance took them to the hospital where little Nyasha later died. Nyasha's body was buried earlier today.

All of this happened within 100 yards of the front door of our church. Our neighborhood is becoming plagued with criminal activity. On the same block in April, a police officer was shot during an attempted robbery at a pizzeria.

Please pray for this family as they grieve the loss of this precious child. Please pray for us as we seek to respond to the increasing gang activity and violence in our community.

Peace.

I'm Okay, You're...You, I'm Not So Sure About!

When I was in Tibet a couple of years ago, my companions and I encountered an old Tibetan woman who stuck her tongue out at us as we passed on the street. "What kind of greeting was that?!"

Out translator laughed and then explained to us the custom. She was showing us that her tongue was pink and not black, thus signifying that she was neither a demon, nor demon-possessed. Of course, she already knew that. She was mainly inviting us to return the gesture because she wasn't so sure about us!

I was recently reading some research by Gallup pollsters about American morality trends. It was interesting that the majority of respondents indicated they had never been unfaithful to their spouse or significant other; had never done drugs, cheated on their taxes or lied to their boss...but they were quite certain the majority of their neighbors and co-workers had done all of the above.

Back in 1969 (I've heard) there was a bestselling book entitiled, "I'm Okay, You're Okay" by Dr. Thomas Harris. He introduced the concept of "Transactional Analysis" and observed that "for a huge portion of the population the feeling is "I'm Not OK -- You're OK." The culture has certainly changed in the nearly 40 years since Harris' work and today a more accurate title might be "I'm Okay--You I'm Not So Sure About."

In fact, there have been several "take-offs" on the title over the years: "I'm Okay--You're Dead", "I'm Okay--You're a Brat", etc. One of these books with a message for the Christian community in particular is a humorous work by John Shore entitled, "I'm OK -- You're Not: The Message We're Sending Unbelievers And Why We Should Stop."

One reviewer had this to say about the book...

"How refreshing then to find a book on Christianity which is intelligently written and loaded with gentle humor. A book which takes a slap at the arrogance of contemporary Christianity, yet manages at the same time to convey what is truly beautiful about it.

Over-zealous Christians will learn a lot from the quotes of non-Christians used as examples throughout this book. Harris provides some of the best writing on religious themes I've encountered anywhere. This kind of Christian exposition, coupled with the rising tide of ecologically and socially aware Christianity, gives me hope that Christ's church is being reborn as he intended it."

Christians far too often send the message, "I'm okay, you are not." "Arrogant", "judgmental", "intolerant" and "irrelevant" are words often used to describe the church today. A far cry from the one who was known as "a friend of sinners", the compassionate, humble, accepting and always relevant Jesus.

~ Father, help me to be an authentic Christian, more accurately portraying the character and actions of the one I claim to be following. Amen.

What a Deal!!

Curt Shilling, 41-year-old pitcher for the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox, signed an $8 million deal for one year, plus an additional $2 million for losing weight!

I wish someone would pay me big bucks for losing weight!

Before and After

I'm still losing weight, eating right and headed toward a more fit and healthy body. I have lost 58 pounds since mid-June, in 148 days to be precise. One of the things that keeps me motivated is to hear other people's success stories and see their Before and After pictures.

You know how it is, you're channel surfing and see some infomercial for the latest exercise equipment or training program and..."Here's Christy...she lost 137 pound in a year...and kept it off..." or see how some guy buys some workout CDs and gets absolutely "ripped" in just 90 days, muscles bulging all over.

I see those pictures and think to myself, "Yes, you can do it! This is possible!" Many people not only need a physical makeover, but a spiritual makeover as well. I love this passage of scripture I ran across in the book of Colossians, in the Bible. It describes my Before and After experience after coming to believe in Jesus and begin following His Way:

"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation." (Colossians 1:21-22)

I like that part about being "free from accusation." There is a verse is the book of Revelation that says "the Enemy accuses the Brothers before God day and night." But the accusations don't stick--it's not that they are not true, they are, every ugly, deadly one of them. The things is that they don't matter to God anymore. When God looks at me He doesn't see my sins and failures. In His sight I am now holy, without blemish, and therefore free from accusation.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has gone, and all things have become new...Jesus died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." (2 Corinthians 5:17, 15)

~ Father, thank you for paying the price to set me free--free from the penalty of sin, and daily freeing me from the power of sin in my life. Thank you for making all things new. Amen.

The Advocate

In yesterday’s post I included a prayer, part of which read: “Father...forgive me for setting myself up as Judge, rather than seeing myself as one in need of a good Defense Attorney. Amen."

In need of a good Defense Attorney; that’s me. That’s you, too. That’s all of us as we stand before a Holy God.

The ancient scriptures tell us "we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another."
Romans 14:10-13 (NIV)

I picture the scene, God sitting as Judge, the Prosecutor, bringing up every bad thought and wicked deed we’ve ever committed; or good deed we could have done, but failed to do.

Many of the ancients believe in an Enemy (the devil, Satan) and the Bible describes him as "the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night..."
Revelation 12:10 (NIV)

There we sit: guilty, scared, hopeless. And then, in walks our Defense Attorney, the Judge’s son, Jesus.

"My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate, one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One; and He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2

That is amazing! Even if we are found "guilty as charged", our Defense Attorney has already served our sentence, paying the price for our sins, and not only for "christians", for for the sins of the whole world!!

The word 'gospel' means "Good News". I am convinced that the Christian message of forgiveness and reconciliation is Good News for everyone, not just Christians.

In Isaiah 44:22, God declares, "Return to me, for I have paid the price for your freedom. Come on home, you are already forgiven!" That is good news indeed!

Turning the Tables

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you... Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit."
Matthew 21:31, 43 (NIV)

I have found during 25 years of ministry that the church, like the Pharisees in the New Testament, often falls into the trap of judging who's in and who's out. The words of Jesus should be unsettling for those who consider themselves "religious".

Who are the "tax collectors and prostitutes" of our day? Who are the outsiders, the ones the religious elite judge as having no chance of being part of the kingdom as they are?

"The kingdom", says Jesus, "will be given to those who produde its fruit". Those who indicate that the Spirit of God is with them and within them by producing "the Fruit of the Spirit": love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Galatians 5)

Some modern-day Pharisees quote passages that indicate they are the gatekeeper to the kingdom, determining who is qualified, or not, to enter into it. Jesus had a way, and still does, of sending to the end of the line those who promote themselves as the arbiters of grace.

I often hear Christians dodge the charge of being judgmental by saying, "I not judging, I'm just inspecting fruit." Perhaps it's past time for the church to focus more on fruit production and less on fruit inspection--or stick to inspecting our own fruit and not that of our neighbor.

Father, as one who has received grace and mercy, help me not to withhold from others. Forgive me for setting myself up as Judge, rather than seeing myself as one in need of a good Defense Attorney. Amen.

Unraveling

Some have noticed that this blog site has been uncharacteristically silent for the past two and a half weeks (BTW, thanks for checking on me, B.D.). I've been in kind of a funk emotionally, and swamped with demands on my time, but who's not these days?

I have had time to get informed about Christian Nudists, as our friends over at Mr. Beale's Epiphany hosted a lively and informative discussion a couple of weeks ago. I'm not a convert, but had never heard of this before and find the whole "movement" interesting. I uncovered a new segment of the Christian sub-culture in America that I heretofore never knew existed.

My biggest problem is I've been reading Brian Mclaren again, which is always a dangerous endeavor for me. Things are beginning to unravel, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I blame my friend Tom. He warned me it would happen if I kept chasing some of my thoughts and ideas to their logical conclusions.

I guess for the past several month I've been going through a(nother) mid-life crisis. A new crisis of faith, or sorts. Or just the continuation of one that's been going on for the past twenty-seven years. I've been disastrous with relationships (which is not a good thing for a pastor), too frequently silent and/or absent during much of the past ten months.

Questioning everything. Sifting. Holding on the old treasures and tossing aside things proven to be no longer useful. Some "truths" lose their luster as time goes on. Real truth become more precious with the passing of time. When we do something for a long time we delude ourselves into thinking that's the only (or best) way to do it.

My blog on October 1, "The Glory of the Longing Heart" quotes the lyrics of a song by John Fischer. That is an apt description of where I've been most of 2007, but sometimes it feels far less than "glorious". I've been undertaking an outward makeover since my birthday, more out of necessity (make changes or die, literally) than vanity. All the while God has been undertaking an inward makeover of sorts. Destroying old assumptions and long-held, but misguided, "certainties."

Lately I have found spiritual resonance with King David of Israel who lived nearly 3,000 years ago:

"I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live." Psalms 116:1-2 (NIV)

I like to pray it back to God in present tense: "I love you, Lord, for You hear my voice; You hear my cry for mercy. Because You turn Your ear to me, I will call on You as long as I live." Amen.

The Glory of the Longing Heart

Once again, our friend John Fischer left a "Catch of the Day" in the FISCHTANK that is worth repeating:

"I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of human beings; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11).

It is part of the supreme wisdom of God that he made us and put us here on earth to “seek him, and perhaps find him, though he is not far from any one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:27-28 (NIV)

In light of what it takes to find the truth, a longing heart is our most prized possession. And it is important to realize that seeking isn't over once you find. In truth it has only just begun.

The Longing Heart
O the glory of the longing heart
O the aching of the wind
The groping fingers straining in the dark
To know what lies beyond the end.
Eternity is trapped in time
Beauty tarnished by the beast
Hope expires at the finish line
Where the universe is creased.

State the answer; don the uniform
Throw conclusions at the soul
Cash the question; kill the unicorn
Press neatly at the fold.
But still it opens at the budding rose
Still it wonders at the child
Still it knows what it refused to know
Who makes wild horses wild?

O the glory of the longing heart
Casting questions to the wind
Let it carry the soul searching far
Let it bring it back again.
But not so far that it will lose its way
Not so near that it will scorn
Near enough to give itself away
Far enough to know it's torn.

So give the longing heart room to roam
Let the truthful seeker speak
For in the seeking it will find its home
And in the finding it will seek.
O the glory of the longing heart
O the aching of the wind.