'Tis the Season

‘Tis the season of giving.  Opportunities are everywhere.  Bell-ringers at storefronts.  Charities year-end needs in your mailbox.  Special offerings at your church.  ‘Tis the season we can be otherish in our love. 

Otherish love is God-powered, self-sacrificing, & other-centered.  Otherish love is God’s love.  “God so loved the world that he gave his one & only son,” says John 3:16 (italics added).

But with so many choices, what's a person to do?  Wouldn't it be nice as a follower of Christ to make Spirit-led choices?  Guilty-conscience choices can dominate your mind & rob your joy.

Your time.  Your talents.  Your treasures.  Each of these resources have limits.

How can you make good choices with your resources?

• Know your heart.  What are you passionate about?  There will be many appeals to you, but which appeal best fits your God honoring, personal passion?

• Know your budget.  Have you ever got into financial trouble through giving too much?  Not sure?  Think back to recall previous January’s credit card bills.  Give generously, Brothers & Sisters, but not at the expense of your financial obligations or into debt.

• Know your God.  God is a giver.  He has blessed you with time, talents, & treasures to give.  Ask Him where He would have you give each of them & obey.

• “No” what doesn’t fit.  If any request to give doesn’t fit the three “knows” above, then kindly say, “No, thank you,” with no regret.  You give as God calls.

I pray that you become more deeply aware of who God has called you to be & how He desires you to serve Him & others.

I pray that you give generously as you share God’s otherish love by word & deed as God calls.

I pray that you know God's abiding joy as you give this Christmas.

God so loved.

So He gave.

You so love.

'Tis the season.

To give.

Love Well

Have you ever wondered why God allows things to go on like He does?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why the suffering of innocents all around us?

If God is real, loving, & powerful, why does He allow all this mess?

Why do some appear so blessed & others accursed?

When I look around the world.  When I stop to count my blessings.  When I seek to name all I can give thanks for.  I am staggered of just how blessed I am.  That God chose me.  That God loves me.  Due to no good on my own, but His sovereignty.

In response I feel a responsibility to do something.  To be something.  To love in a God powered, other centered, self sacrificing way.  To be like.  To love like.  Jesus.

Steve Saccone writes (Relational Intelligence p.18, italics added):

(God) could have chosen to give us extraordinary powers to heal the sick or help the paralyzed walk.  He could have given us the ability to bring sight to the blind, or even given us the ability to coerce people to believe in God.  He could have told us how to become super human in our talent or intellect.  But instead of teaching us to be loudest with our voices, Jesus invited us to be abundantly free with our love.  He didn't admonish us to dominate with power, but to bend a knee and serve others.  He didn't indulge the part of us that wants to rule, but instead appealed to our hearts & invited us to love well.  He didn't command us to force our opinion of truth on others, but to live out His truth with love in our lives.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving.  As you count your blessings.  Hear God's appeal to your heart.

Accept His invitation.

Love Him.

Love others.

Love well.

In Suffering

I am young.  I don't know much.

But I have learned.

God.  In His sovereignty.  Has purpose.

In suffering.

How have you suffered?

Hurting.  Broken.  Rejected.  Weak.  Anxious.  Humiliated.  Worried.  Mistreated.  Ridiculed.  Depressed. Insulted.  Ashamed.  Despised.  Questioned.  Downcast.  Sick.  Diseased.  Wrestling.  Discouraged. Sleepless. Slandered.  Exhausted.  Overcome.  Spent.  Done.

Suffering.  Each of them.

God.  Has purpose.

In suffering.

Walking through suffering with Christ & one another will draw us closer & make us stronger.  Closer & stronger than we ever dreamed.

Walking through suffering with Christ & one another will grow greater love within us.  Greater than we ever imagined.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.  Ephesians 3:20 (MSG)

Glory to God.

In suffering.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the suffering of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.  1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)

Glory to God.

In suffering.

Before One Came To Be

Above is a photo of framed portrait that my loving linebacker three year old, John Mark, & I just talked about.  

John Mark, this picture is five years old now.  When we first moved to Nebraska.  Who is in this picture?

You & Mama.

Who is that little boy?

Seth.

And who is that toddler?

Mary Elizabeth.

And then I asked, expecting a Mama's tummy answer, And where were you?

Big blue eyes looked up as the sweetest voice replied.

In Mama's heart.

I held my precious son tight as the Spirit spoke Psalm 139:16 to me.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

God knows you.

God loves you.

Before you took a breathe.

Before you were conceived.

You were in His heart.

Stories

I tell stories.  Always.  It's one reason I write.  Who I am.

I tell stories not to one-up someone.  But to connect.  

Stories help me connect with people, connect ideas, & connect the thoughts in my mind.  My StrengthsFinder themes confirm it.  And, if you know me, then you confirm it too.

Let me tell two quick ones.

In a Tanzania gift shop I picked up a wonderful children's picture book, Hot Hippo.  I read the author's name aloud, Mwenye Hadithi, to which our missionary friend replied, "That's not his name."

"How do you know,?" I queried.

"Mwenye Hadithi means, 'the one who has stories,' in kiSwahili," she replied.

At that mention I had a new name.  My mission team mates proudly bestowed Mwenye Hadithi as my name for the remainder of the trip.  You see I'd told a few - or maybe a few dozen, but less than a few hundred, I think - stories about other Africa experiences to prepare & compare all along the way.  It's just me, Mwenye Haiditi, the story guy.

Sometime later during a Sunday evening sermon I extemporaneously exclaimed, "I've got a story for anything.  You give me a topic.  I'll tell you a story."

After the sermon a unique young lady approached me eyes alight & blurted out, "quantum physics."

"What?," I asked struggling to make a connection with anything I'd just preached sermon.  She was unique & made some, uh, interesting, yes that's a good word for it connections of thoughts at time. 

"Quantum physics," she repeated to my befuddledness.

"You've got a story about everything, how 'bout a story about quantum physics?" she offered with confidence.  

Searching my mind quickly I surrendered.

"You've got me.  I had no quantum physics story... until now.  You've given me a story about having no stories & a story about quantum physics.  Thank you." I redeemed the exchange.

Stories.  We've all got them.  We all love to hear a good one.  Some of us even cry.  Others hide it.

Your story has power.

Your story has a purpose.

I was reminded of this in a recent pastoral visit in which I was overwhelmed by the depth & tragedy of the story I was hearing.

Whether a follower of Jesus or not you can know that the God of this broad universe loves you more deeply than you can ever know.

He has a purpose for you.

He knows your story.

He does not love you in spite of it.

He loves you because of it.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one & only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 

We'd love to hear your story.  Post a comment below.