gym thoughts: some things can't be replicated

Today I went for a bike ride after work.  The rain had just stopped and the pavement was still smelling like fresh moisture.  The clouds in the sky were turning blue, purple, and red while the sun was setting over the tree line.  I followed the pavement to my favorite trail and marveled at the tall prairie grass that was beginning to turn brown as autumn approaches.  I saw squirrels, rabbits, and birds.  Geese were walking around the marshland, searching for sustenance.  Gravel was crunching beneath my bicycle tires as I listened to the sound of crickets in the woods around me.  I had to pause to thank God for His beautiful creation and allowing me to be a part of this wonderful sensory experience tonight.

I couldn't help but contrast this rich moment with my experiences exercising at the gym.  Just last night I was on a mechanical stationary device whose sole purpose was to help me increase my heart rate by moving my legs up and down in a repetitive motion for 20 minutes.  All of this takes place in a sterile environment while watching TV and listening to Top 40.  Three times a week I walk into an indoor exercise room where I "clock in" and do my duty to help ensure that I don't die and early death due to cardiac arrest and high cholesterol.  I had a moment where I realized that not only do I subject myself to doing repetitive motions on a man-made device in order to participate in physical activity, but that I also think that it's NORMAL to do so.  Something is just missing.

Perhaps it's the fact that I am not actually going anywhere while I'm moving.  I am not feeling the wind as I run, or my feet hitting the pavement.  I don't see the sunset over the horizon, or the suicidal chipmunk that runs in the middle of the path.

Or perhaps its because I'm a slave to a machine all day, every day.  I sit in front of a machine at work.  I check a machine throughout the day to see if someone has tried to contact me.  I drive a machine to and from home.  I am so inundated with machines, that at times, you start to wonder if you ARE one.

Or perhaps my discontent with the gym comes from the lack of dynamic opportunities.  I don't walk away having felt like I experienced much of anything (besides other people's body odor).  I don't feel like I participated in something "bigger" than myself.  Sure, I feel healthier.  I feel stronger, and those things cannot be discounted, but there's something to be said about being in creation and realizing how truly small we really are.

So, will I go to the gym tomorrow?  Probably.  But will I long for something different?  Definitely.  In the meantime, I will keep attempting to lower my cholesterol.

I'm A Qualifier

I have recently been reading through some of Paul's letters in the New Testament--you know, the "General Electric Power Company"--Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians.  Well, throughout this process various passages have caught my attention that have never stood out to me before.  Colossians 1:12-14 was no exception.  The passage says, "...giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.  For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."  

The word "qualified" really grabbed my attention. I thought it was interesting that Paul used this word in particular.  I recently ran in the Chicago Half Marathon, and perhaps sports analogies were on the brain, but I thought immediately about what it means to "qualify" for something.   There are lots of things we have to qualify for in life, in order to "get ahead."  You must "qualify" for the Boston Marathon.  You muse have the work experience necessary to "qualify" for a promotion.  Your ACT scores must "qualify" you for college admission.  In all of these examples, you must meet a certain standard in order to be able to attain the positive outcome.  There are certain qualifications that must be met.  

In this passage, Paul says that we have been "qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."  What standards would be necessary for such an inheritance?  How would we go about qualifying to be a part of this kingdom?  The word "light" seems to give us a big clue. It would seem like I need to be good, pure, and clean.  "Light" isn't rusty, rotting, or dirty.  It isn't broken down or corrupt.  It's shiny, bright and new.  So, that leads me to believe that I am immediately disqualified.  My abilities to produce things of light seem quite low.  If left to my own devices, I will not be able to meet these standards.  

It's interesting that Paul doesn't describe God as just overlooking our abilities to meet the qualifications.  He doesn't say that God ignores our faults and weaknesses.  He isn't like the coach who turned a blind eye while his player used performance enhancing drugs.  He isn't like the supervisor that promoted an employee simply based on politics.  Nor is he like the professor who let his student cheat during an exam.    Instead, he gives us what we need to meet the qualifications.  

How does that work?  Don't I need to be perfect to meet the qualifications? Well, yes.  You do.  

The Greek word for "qualified" means to "make sufficient, to render fit." And God has done just that.  He  offered up the perfect sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we might qualify.  We have now been imputed with His righteousness, so that our shortcomings, faults and failures no longer keep us from fulfilling the standard.  We have been made "fit" for the kingdom.  

Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!  So, the next time that you feel that you just don't "qualify" and are tempted to be discouraged, remember this truth.  God has not just turned a blind eye to your shortcomings, but instead He has "qualified" you for an inheritance in the kingdom of light! He has given us all we need to meet the standards for the most amazing qualification we could ever hope for.  

rebuilding, renewing, restoring

"I can't believe my baby is in heaven without also believing I am going to hell for the choice I made." --client who experienced an abortion

"The last thing I remember is setting my drink down and going to the bathroom. Then, I woke up the next morning and couldn't remember what happened." --client who was sexually assaulted at a party

"The family had an intervention. She agreed to go to rehab. She goes to the program, talks to the staff and decides that it's not a good fit for her."-- friend who's family member is battling addiction 

This week, I have listened to stories about abuse, addiction, and brokenness. It's in these times that it is easy to become weighed down by the pain around you. Yet, in the midst of this I was reminded of a verse of Scripture: "They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations." (Isaiah 61:4)

I'm so glad, in the midst of these moments, that I never have to lose hope. I serve a God who is in the business of rebuilding, restoring, and renewing. Regardless of the level of "ruin" that exists or the amount of time it has existed in our lives, God is able to turn it into something worthwhile. He is able to take even the toughest, darkest parts of our lives and bring about something beautiful. This is my prayer not only for these women, but for you and me as well. May we never lose sight of HOPE. 

"be with Him and be sent out"

Yesterday I was reading from Mark 3. In this passage, Jesus has just recently started His ministry. He has been healing the sick, paralyzed, and demon possessed. He has already gained so much attention for these acts, that he can no longer go into a town without a huge crowd demanding his attention. So, in Mark chapter 3, when he wants to have some quality time with His disciples, he walks up a mountain and asks them to follow. Mark doesn't record the words that were spoken up on that mountaintop that day, but this was the moment of "calling" for the apostles. This was the time they can point back to and say, "this is where it started." Christ imparted a powerful sense of direction for their lives and future ministries. As Mark describes it in verse 14, "... (Jesus) went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out."


Here's an excellent example of what leaders call a "statement of purpose" Jesus calls 12 of those closest to Him and gives them two mandates that they are to order their lives and ministry around from this point forward: 1) Be with Him and 2) Be sent out.


If you think about it, the same mission that was given for these 12 apostles 2,000 years ago is awaits us today. The two simple mandates for us to live our lives by, are also imparted as our own: be with Him and be sent out. Yet, how often do we struggle with either the lack of implementation or the overexertion of these purposes? We either add 10 million other things to our "list" of mandates or we feel like the two we were given are far too impossible. Beware of falling into either of these traps. We can't live a life of self-defeat, nor a life of Christian perfectionism. We must get back to this original "statement of purpose" for our lives. As modern disciples, it's time for us to reorient ourselves to the two same mandates given all those many years ago: BE with Him and BE sent out! Can you imagine how the world may be impacted if we were to dedicate our lives to this? 2,000 years ago, the original disciples left their mark on the kingdom due to following these mandates. May the same be said of us 2,000 years from now.

realignment

I was reading a devotional this morning and walked away feeling both challenged and encouraged.  We don't realize how impactful having an incorrect (or small) perception of God is on our day-to-day lives.  "We must see and believe Him as big enough, kind enough, real enough, and strong enough to move in power in our everyday lives..."  Indeed, we must. May we be enamored by the "bigness" of God, so much so, that our own finite perception of the world, our problems, and ourselves, is aligned with His infinite perspective--a perspective that contains never-ending love and all-surpassing power.  

We Could Change the World by Matt Redman

“We believe that Your grace is stronger than all our faults and failures, we believe that Your love is deeper than our hearts could fathom…so could we live like this?”

A big view of God is a cure for so many of the things in life that would stand in our way or slow us down in ministry. When we really grasp the heights of who He is, and the depths of His heart for us, and the strength of His power in us, we can live a whole different kind of life. The way we view God will radically affect how our lives operate. Do we really get the fact that His grace is so strong it can cover all of our faults and weaknesses? Have we faced up to the fact that He is strong and wise enough to see us around, or through, even the most difficult of obstacles?

There must be nothing in our hearts, minds or lives that overshadows the truth of who God is. We must see and believe Him as big enough, kind enough, real enough and strong enough to move in power in our everyday lives- no matter what we’re facing. The first step for a worshipper is to confidently get to grips with just how magnificent and mighty He is. The next step is to let that confidence in God seep into the very depths of our hearts and minds, forming a holy confidence on the inside of us. When that truly happens, we will dream bigger dreams and live brighter lives.

Psalm 18 contains the heart-flow of an optimistic, bright-thinking worshipper. He approaches life with a great big view of who he can be, and he can do, in God:

“With Your help I can advance against a troop, with my God I can scale a wall”…He enables me to stand on the heights.” (v.29, v.33)

I wonder if you are in the depths today, struggling to think brightly or find a solution to a dilemma? Perhaps you are facing a battle you feel too weak to fight- or obstacles you feel powerless to climb? Let the optimistic outlook of the psalmist inspire you today. You are not alone in the struggles you face, or the help you need. Join with that ancient biblical songwriter in his confident proclamation, right here and now, and let it become your motto for today: “He enables me to stand upon the heights.”

Thoughts From A Tennessee Cocoon

This was a poem that I wrote in a poetry class in 2008.  I minimally edited it for this blog.

This poem seems fitting as the sweltering heat of summer finally begins to settle in.  It also feels particularly poignant now that I have moved away and not only reminisce on childhood summers, but also summers in my home state of Tennessee.

Thoughts From A Tennessee Cocoon

Fireflies flitter,
electrify the night.
A cricket's melody floats
on pockets of sticky air.
Tennessee summer heat,
too stubborn to leave with the sun,
too reluctant to relent.
Even the cool bed sheets,
a cocoon too soon occupied,
now cramped with clammy air.
Still the constant zephyr,
the sweet solstice swoons,
sweeping over my face,
whispering pleasures of life,
pleasures of summer.

Before drifting asleep
on a cricket's-sung tale,
another story settles in my ear,
summoning recollection--my own
days at Cherokee Circle,
sun-bleached hair, bicycle fringe.
Exploring the mimosa,
tanned body clambering,
resting in its arms,
outstretched.  My bony fingers finding
its pods, patiently peeling husks,
bean by bean,
the entertainment of onlies.
Here awaken days of my own--
days of summer.

Now at the end,
I quietly surrender
to the comfort of my own bed,
to the call of the cicada's tune,
and the cool wind's breath
mumbling sighs of a forgotten time--
uttering murmurs of childhood,
murmurs of summer.

What is our Foundation? Devotional Thoughts from 2003

I read 1 Corinthians 3:11 this morning and I was reminded of a devotional I gave about 10 years ago.  I was chaplain of a club in college at that time and had shared some thoughts about this verse.  I rummaged through my old journals and was able to find the entry from this devotional.  It was an encouragement for me to read it this morning, so I thought perhaps it might be an encouragement for you as well.  :)  (I have slightly adapted it to make it more applicable.)

WHAT IS OUR FOUNDATION

"What is something that we strive for? What is our sole pursuit? What do we desire above all else?

When I think of this, I am reminded of a verse I ran across last semester--1 Corinthians 3:11.  'For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ.' My prayer is that this would be our theme.  When I was asked what my vision was for this club, I said 'love and unity,' but above all else I desire that we get back to our foundation, that we renew our passionate pursuit of Christ.  For you see, unity, friendship, and loving one another are all noteworthy causes, but they are not a foundation.  Fellowship, Bible studies, serving others, and all the things we stand for are good fruit, but they are not a foundation.  Christ is our foundation and our pursuit is to glorify Him.

For if we fail at this, we fail completely.  If we fail to glorify God, we fail at serving others.  If we fail to glorify God, we fail at unity.  If we fail to glorify God, we fail at fellowship.  If we fail to glorify God, we fail at loving one another.  'For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ.'

I am reminded of a person in the Bible who truly understood this--the lady with the alabaster jar.  She was so focused on Christ that she was willing to be shamed, willing to sacrifice all, willing to risk everything to break her alabaster jar at the Savior's feet.  The disciples, when they saw her act of worship, thought it was a waste--even though they loved Jesus.  Matthew 26:8-9 says that they were 'indignant' because the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor.  But Jesus commended the woman because she had realized what was most important.

See, the disciples had a good cause.  You could even say that they desired to do an act of service to Jesus by offering money to the poor, but they came about it in the wrong way--their focus wasn't in the right place.  Although the woman with the alabaster jar may have seemed wasteful in the eyes of others, she was commended in the sight of her Lord, for she sacrificed all she had to glorify Him.  She put everything aside for her passionate pursuit.  She knew WHO her foundation was and did all she could to honor him.

Can the same be said of us?  Are we more like the disciples--pursuing good 'causes' but forgetting our focus?  Or are we more like the woman--remembering the most important thing, our Foundation, and giving all we have to glorify Him?  For no other foundation can we lay, than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ. "