the love that got away

Looking into his eyes she says, “I love you. You’re the love of my life.”

“I love you too, Kelly," he manages to reply. "More than you’ll ever know."

They kiss a final time, never to speak or see one another again.

If there’s a sadder moment in movie history I don’t know what it would be. The movie is “Cast Away.” After four years stranded on a desert island, Tom Hanks’ character is rescued and discovers that his fiancé, played by Helen Hunt, is married to another man.

How agonizing it must be to know they were meant to be with each other, but it would never happen. Ever.

How can somebody possibly get over something like that? Wouldn’t it haunt you all the days of your life? I’m thinking it would.

Yet imagine how God must feel since the majority of the people made in His image reject Him. More than that, many of them actually use His name as a curse word and live in out-and-out rebellion.

Despite giving them the gift of life1, despite forming them in their mothers’ wombs2, and

despite providing them with essentials such as sunlight and rain3, they reject their Creator and engage in idolatry4.

While I’m not comfortable saying their rejection “haunts” God in any way, I do believe that in some way it breaks His heart. I know that from Jesus’ reaction to the unbelieving Jews shortly before He’s crucified.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”5

Can’t you just hear the disappointment in His voice? He wants so much to gather them to His side, but they’re not willing. This is unquestionably one of the most dramatic moments in the entire New Testament.

Can you imagine how excruciating it would be to know you will never—ever—be with the love of your life?

Painful, painful, painful.

Now imagine how God must feel.

1  Acts 17:28

2  Psalm 139:13

3  Matthew 5:45

4  Romans 1:22-23

5  Matthew 23:37

spiritual maturity

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

Job 1:21

the whisper

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.”1

you gasp when you read it—how can a verse so accurately capture your mood?

the dam bursts and out flows sobs of despair and a steady stream of tears.

you are never more alone than at that moment, not after what’s just happened.

the verse is quickly memorized in order to call upon again and again and again.

aware of the day’s responsibilities you steady your legs and rise to your feet,

and decide to get some fresh air in hopes you will be able to face the day.

but the moment the cold wind hits your face the tears flow all over again,

and your anger bubbles over like a volcano with creator god as the target.

you choke on the verse, “i love you, oh lord my strength,”2  

for your heart won’t allow the words to be uttered, at least sincerely.

screams of “now what?!” and “how do you expect me to go on?!” roll off the tongue,

giving little or no thought to who—other than the Lord—may be in ear shot.

and then it happens, just as your rage reaches its climax,  

someone whispers in your ear, “my grace is sufficient for you.”3.

the tears and anger quickly subside because you know the source of the message,

for there is no one else around and the words did not come from your own spirit.

how long you will enjoy the grace of god no one really knows,

for you are hurting, vulnerable and human to the core.

so more pain and tears are likely to come during moments of weakness,

but for now, for now, his grace is, indeed, sufficient for you.

1  Psalm 25:16

2  Psalm 18:1

3  2 Corinthians 12:9

Editor’s note:

For all those who have a broken heart. For all those who have nothing to look forward to. For all those who are burdened and unable to go on.

Know that you are in my thoughts and prayers, my friend. Also know that not all is lost. It never is when the Lord’s involved.

“My grace is sufficient for you.”

i'm number one...not

"It's not about you.”

Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life

The words hit me like a ton of bricks this morning, especially after my wife told me yesterday that what I was contemplating doing was selfish.

My wife and Warren are right: It’s not about me.

And yet…I still want to do what I want to do. Can’t get away from it. And if it’s selfish, well, I’ll just say “Sorry” up front and then go ahead and do my thing.

That’s because I’m obsessed with me. Despite what I might say or do, deep down I believe the universe revolves around me. Or, at the very least, it should.

·         Whose needs am I most concerned about? Mine.

·         Whose feelings am I most concerned with? Mine.

·         Who am I most concerned about pleasing? Me.

“Me, me, me.” The fact is I’m pathetic and consistently self-absorbed. Even now, as I’m writing these words I’m thinking, “Well, so what? Is that a problem?”

Yes, Scripture tells me, it is a problem. You see, the proper worldview is it’s all about the Lord, not me or anybody or anything else.

Need some convincing? Okay. How about starting with the first verse in the Bible?

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”1

Simple question: Who is more important, God or me?

And then there’s one of the most humbling verses in all of Scripture.

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.”2

Simple question repeated: “Who is more important, God or me?

The inescapable answer is the Lord is infinitely more important than me. By a lot. By a whole lot.

And at the risk of piling on, not only is it all about God (and not me), there are many others who are more important than me. Not only am I not second to God in terms of importance, I’m called to be dead last on the list.

Read it and weep.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.3

Yeah, that’s right: Each of us is to consider “others better than” ourselves.” Like pouring salt on an open wound, isn’t it?

So what do we do? How do we keep ourselves off the throne, and serve and look out for the needs of everybody else? I mean, come on, this doesn’t come naturally. At least it doesn’t for me.

It seems to me this is a life-long pursuit, one which none of us ever fully attain. Try as we might, keeping God as priority number one and considering everyone else better than ourselves is difficult to pull off, at least consistently.

Can I make a suggestion? Instead of getting overwhelmed with this concept, why not start simple?

First of all, stop what you’re doing, bow your head and tell God—and mean it—that He’s the most important person in the universe. Bar none. And you’re sorry you don’t always think and behave as if that’s true.

Second, choose a person in your life and do something completely unexpected and kind for them.  How can you serve the person?

Here are a few suggestions, in no certain order:

·         Make her a cup of coffee.

·         Give him a ride somewhere.

·         Watch what she wants to watch instead of what you want to watch.

·         Listen to him talk, even if it’s boring or you’ve heard it a million times.

·         Thank her for something specific.

·         Tell her she looks nice.

You get the idea. And why should we do this? To get our eyes off of ourselves.

Repeat after me: “It’s not about you.”

1  Genesis 1:1

2  Isaiah 46:9

3  Philippians 2:3

our refuge in times of trouble

Her sobbing and sniffling enter my ear and go straight to my heart,

I ache as she aches, even though we are miles apart.

My tongue waits patiently for occasional slivers of silence,

and whispers of comfort and sympathy make their way to her ear and her heart.

Problems of every size, shape and color are ganging up on her very soul,

trapped by dark thoughts and a life void of joy or meaning.

Her tears become my tears as our sorrow becomes one,

and a symphony of sobs and sniffles flood the phone line.

Eventually her “Why?” changes to “What?” as analysis begins,

potential solutions surface and are bandied about.

She lets out a laugh and I do as well, as light finally pierces the darkness,

her sobs and sniffles now gone for good.

One laugh leads to many as the Lord begins to heal her many wounds,

supernatural salve oozes out of heaven, bringing hope and optimism.

Words of praise and God’s will be done rise to His ears and hers,

the crisis now over she ends my prayer with a “Thank you, Jesus."

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love;

for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

O my Strength, I sing praise to you;

you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.”1

1  Psalm 59:16-17

keeping in touch

I recently came across some old photos of me and my co-workers from the business world and it’s brought back a flood of good memories.

Remembering my past lives as media relations boy, speech-writer boy, competitive intelligence boy and international marketing boy has been fun. While each job had its share of stress and frustrations, my brain has been mercifully selective, choosing to focus on the positive.

But the best memories of all come from remembering the people themselves, my co-workers.

There’s my old boss, who was a good friend, somebody I could confide in and who looked out for my best interests. Then there’s my old buddy who became a friend because we were both being abused for our faith in Christ.   

I miss my old co-workers. Not all of them, of course, because there were some stinkers, but many of them.

That said, I haven’t kept in touch with any of them. None. I searched on Facebook for a couple recently to no avail, but am going to keep trying.

Why I do mention this? Because friendships are a gift from God. (I don’t have a Bible verse to back that up, but believe it to be true.) Because of that, we should do everything in our power to maintain those friendships, even over time and distance.

It’s a cliché, but life’s too short to pass up or abandon relationships with people who give us joy and much-needed companionship.

So who do you need to look up after all these years? A childhood friend? A co-worker from many years ago? Someone you played sports with? A fraternity brother or sorority sister?

I encourage you to do it now, while you’re thinking about it. Sure, you might have nothing in common anymore and it might fizzle out a second time. But considering how valuable the relationship once was, isn’t it worth a shot?

So get busy. Google the person. Search for him or her on Facebook and LinkedIn. Do whatever it takes.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man (or woman) who falls and has no one to help him up!”1

Friendships—even those of long ago—are too precious to let fall by the wayside. Keep in touch and stay in touch.   

1  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

examining the scriptures

Lots of kids growing up pretend to be things like animals, professional athletes and rock stars—I certainly did. But I wonder how many kids pretended to be a college student like me?

You see, I’ve always loved to learn new things and my dad encouraged that zeal by bringing me to the university where he taught. I remember hanging out in his lab and watching him perform experiments, visiting the library, and walking the busy campus.  

Those experiences made such a big impression on me that I’d go in the basement at home—where nobody else was around—grab a pile of my dad’s books and become a college student. That is, a college student in my imagination.

Naturally I was exceptionally bright and made straight “A”s, despite being a star athlete in several sports. And yes, in case you’re wondering, I was also pretty popular with the ladies.

Alas, my imagination was never based on reality.

I am, however, still passionate about learning new things. It’s what drives everything I do and my appetite for new discoveries is never satisfied. Thus, when I became a Christian as a 35-year-old man, my zeal to learn was devoted almost exclusively to learning about the Lord.

In fact, I’ve always identified with a couple of verses in the New Testament book called Acts. The Apostle Paul and his ministry colleague are going from town to town teaching people about Christ. And while there are all kinds of way to react to the good news about Jesus, these people take home the prize.   

“As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”1

Now, I’m not saying I’m noble like the Bereans—in fact, those who are closest to me wouldn’t be caught dead putting that label on me!—but I do like to examine “the Scriptures.” In fact, I like it a lot. A whole lot.

What about you? Do you examine “the Scriptures” on a regular basis? If so, you’re no doubt growing in your faith, especially if you’re implementing what you’re learning. Spiritual maturity here we come.

On the other hand, if you’re not examining “the Scriptures” on a regular basis then you’re probably struggling in your faith and short-circuiting your spiritual maturity. I don’t want to be mean—just calling it the way it is.

When it comes to growing in our faith and becoming more spiritually mature there’s nothing like learning and re-learning biblical truth. But in order for that to happen we need to consciously and diligently read our Bibles, always seeking more truth, always absorbing as much as we can.

While some of you no doubt are examining “the Scriptures” on a regular basis, some of you may not be. Don’t fret if you find yourself in the latter category because it’s never too late to get started.

You could just open your Bible and come up with your own reading plan. Or, if you’d like a little help, I suggest you check out a free online resource at  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/.

You can choose a Bible reading plan that fits you and your lifestyle. Heck, you can even have stuff emailed to you every day to keep you on track. It’s easy and it’s free.

So what do you say? Why not follow in the footsteps of the Bereans and become noble like them? Examine “the Scriptures” on a regular basis.

As a kid I pretended all kinds of things, but that didn’t make them come true. The only way to move our dreams and goals from imagination to reality is diligence and discipline.

I encourage you to develop a thirst for biblical truth, and then go for it!

“(The Bereans) examined the Scriptures every day.”

1  Acts 17:10-11

breathless

He is in the frozen branches,

sparkling in the morning sunlight,

sending shivers of delight to my very soul.

You take my breath away, my Lord and my God.

You take my breath away.

He is in the snow-covered fields,

stretching as far as the eye can see,

bringing a weighty sense of awe and humility.

You take my breath away, my Lord and my God.

You take my breath away.

He is in the cardinal and the blue jay,

providing color to an otherwise sea of white,

causing my heart to soar to heights unimagined.

You take my breath away, my Lord and my God.

You take my breath away.

He is in the deer that crosses my path,

leaping and jumping for joy through the forest,

generating jolts of joy to both body and brain.

You take my breath away, my Lord and my God.

You take my breath away.

You take my breath away, my Lord and my God.

You take my breath away.

a heavenly perspective

I knocked on their dressing room and the trainer answered in a gruff voice, “What?!”

"It’s time to go," I said, pointing at my watch.

“All right,” he said, closing the door.

A few minutes later out they came, the opposing team. I told them to line up according to their number, but they already knew that. They had done it a million times.

Once they were in line and ready to go, I cued the announcer. One-by-one they were introduced to the crowd and sprinted onto the field.

The introductions went quickly and the crowd booed several of them, some because they were talented and others because they were perceived as dirty players.

That done, I stood waiting, as always. Waiting for the crowd to get antsy as they eagerly anticipated their team—the home team—being announced.

Once the clapping and stomping started, I knew it was time. Walking over to the St. Louis Steamers’ locker room, I knocked on the door. A friendly face answered, saw it was me, and said “We’ll be right out.”

As the players filed out of the locker room towards the south goal, I said the magic words into my headset:

“Dump the house lights and ballyhoo the house.”

Instantly the lights in the auditorium were turned off and the spotlights began spinning wildly around the now darkened building. The stomping and cheering got louder, louder and louder.

Once it reached its peak—and the players now lined up ready to be introduced—I cued the man operating the dry ice machine and fog started pouring out. At the same time, I told the audio guy to start playing the team’s theme song.

And then, finally, the fans get what they want as their favorite players are introduced slowly and dramatically. Each of them sprint through a cloud of fog and wave to the crowd with “Aint no Stopping us Now” blaring on the speakers.

“From Glasgow, Scotland, number twenty-twooooo, Tony…Glaaaaaavin!”

Remembering back to my St. Louis Steamers indoor soccer days always brings a smile to my face. I never got tired of game nights, with the old Arena stuffed to the brim and the thrill of coordinating team introductions. I get goose bumps just thinking about it.

As exciting as it was, however, there’s something that will be infinitely more thrilling. Something so exciting I can hardly wait. The time when I’ll be with the Lord—along with all the other children of God—worshiping and praising at the top of our lungs.

“Then a voice came from the throne, saying: ‘Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!’

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)’”1

Ever been to a wedding? Well, this will be the wedding to end all weddings, when the church of Jesus Christ becomes His bride in heaven. And worship? Oh my, there’s going to be some serious worship going on.

While I don’t pretend to totally understand the full meaning of the above verses, I do know this: The wedding of the Lamb is going to make coordinating Steamers team introductions look pathetic in comparison.

What about you? Are you looking forward to heaven or do you focus more on this life?

If you have trouble getting your eyes off this life and thinking about heaven, I get it. I do the same thing. It’s called being human.

Because of that, sometimes we need to be a little more deliberate when it comes to having a heavenly perspective. Practically speaking that means re-reading the verses above and contemplating what heaven will be like.

What do you say? Are you up for a little excitement today? Then let’s take a few minutes and imagine what heaven will be like.

·         What will it be like to be with our heavenly Father?

·         What will it be like to be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

·         What will it be like to no longer experience sin, death, pain, suffering and grief?

·         What will it be like to see loved ones who have passed away?

Think about it. Savor it. And enjoy it.

Doing Steamers introductions was a blast. But heaven, oh my goodness, heaven…

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!”

1  Revelation 19:5-8

 

wrestling with faith in christ

The building manager smiled and said he wanted to show me something, but I had to promise not to tell anyone. I agreed and he led me down a maze of hallways and down a steep flight of stairs.

Pushing a large steel door open, we walked into something that looked like a cross between a basement and an underground parking garage. After walking a short way he turned towards me, smiled, and pointed to the far end of the large room.

Two cars were parked at the bottom of what looked like a ramp. A door on one of the cars opened and one of the biggest men I had ever seen got out. Then a door on the other car opened and an equally large man stepped out.

It was Hulk Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper of professional wrestling fame.

They had laid down on the backseats of their respective cars and entered the building secretly. It seems they wanted to practice for their upcoming match without anyone knowing it.

That’s right, they came to practice for their upcoming match. Can I be blunt? If the fact that professional wrestling is fake shocks you, you don’t get out enough.

While I suppose there may be some fans of professional wrestling that are under the illusion that it’s spontaneous and the real deal, my hunch is even the most avid of fans know—deep down—that it’s merely an elaborate show, pure entertainment.

And even though they know the reality, they still play along.

That may be fine when it comes to the world of wrestling, but that’s not fine when it comes to the Christian faith.

As Christmas approaches and people whom I haven’t seen for the last 12 months show up for church, I can’t help but feel sad. Sad because I’m so concerned about their spiritual health.

Are they really followers of Jesus? And if they are, why don’t they hunger and thirst for biblical teaching, corporate worship of the Lord, and fellowship with others believers?

On the other hand, if they’re not really followers of Jesus, why do they bother to play the game? Why do they bother to show up and get all dressed up, sing the songs, follow along in their bibles, say “Amen!” and then disappear for another 12 months?

I mean, until I began following Jesus at the age of 35 I didn’t go near a church. No way. You couldn’t drag me. Didn’t believe and wasn’t interested in even pretending to believe.

Forgive me if I’m not supposed to talk about these things, but I truly do get sad and concerned about many people’s walk with the Lord. Or lack of walk with the Lord.

And—may I be blunt again? If you’re feeling uncomfortable right now and maybe even angry, does that tell you something? If you’re ticked off that I’m expressing concern about the spiritual health of those who rarely if ever go to church, why is that?

If I’ve gone too far and been too bold, please forgive me. It’s just that I’m really and truly concerned about people. I want them to open their eyes as I did 20-plus years ago and commit their lives to loving, serving and worshipping our great God.

Professional wrestling may be fake, but God’s love for you is not.

"For God so loved (YOU!) that he gave his one and only Son, that (if you believe) in him (you) shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.”1

1  John 3:16-18

a prayer for you

Dear Heavenly Father,

I pray that those who read this blog lift up their eyes to the hills—where does their help come from?

Their help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

May they recognize that you will not let their feet slip—you who watch over them will not slumber.

Indeed, you who watch over them will neither slumber nor sleep.

Lord, I thank you that you watch over each and every one of them—thank you that you’re the shade at their right hand, and that the sun will not harm them by day, nor the moon by night.

Lord, please keep them from all harm—watch over their lives.

May they have peace knowing you are watching over their coming and going, both now and forevermore.1

Father, I also pray they rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: May they rejoice!

May they let their gentleness be evident to all. You, Lord, are near.

I ask that you help them to not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present their requests to you.

And your peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard their hearts and their minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, Lord, may readers of this blog take heed of this Scriptural advice: Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--I pray they think about such things.

Whatever they have learned or received or heard from Scripture, or learned from the Holy Spirit--I pray they put it into practice.

And the God of peace will be with them, forever and ever. 2

I thank you in advance for how you will answer this prayer in their lives.

I thank you in the name of Jesus that each of them is going to have an awesome day in the Lord!

Amen and Amen!

1  Based on Psalm 121

2  Based on Philippians 4:4-9

mourning christmas

Taking off my glove, I reached out and stroked the side of its head. It was a beautiful Calico cat and the warmth of its body was a welcome contrast to the cold winter wind.

It wasn’t mine, but I still felt compelled to pick it up and take it home. Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I did. After all, it didn’t have a collar or any identification and I felt sorry for it.

Once home, I walked over to the trash can and gently, oh so gently, laid it to rest atop a bag of garbage. Later, when I left for work, I stopped the car at the end of the driveway and looked at it once last time.

Yeah, still beautiful. And yeah, still dead.

I found the Calico a few weeks ago, but the memory is still fresh in my mind. And the memory is of a dead stray cat. A cat I didn’t even know.

Can you imagine what kind of Christmas it will be for someone who has lost a family member or friend recently? It’s a good bet there’s not going to be anything “merry” about this holiday season. Not for them.

And what of those who lost someone in years past near Christmas? Each year this time comes around, it brings grief and sorrow because of a person’s passing.

Why do I bring this up? Because there are people all around us who, because of a death, will be mourning at some point during the upcoming holiday season. Because of that, why not reach out to them this year?

While I know many of us shy away from such topics, in my experience people want to talk about their loved one, and are not offended when others bring it up. In fact, many—perhaps even most—actually appreciate it when people remember their loss.

So, do you know someone like this? Someone who will spend their first Christmas without their loved one? Or someone who lost somebody near this time of year in the past?

If so, how about a quick phone call, a visit, a note, a card or even an email? Does it take a little time and effort on your part? Sure. But isn’t it worth it to make a positive difference in somebody’s life, somebody who may be feeling desperately alone and depressed right now?

I still get sad thinking about a stray cat from weeks ago, one I had never even seen before. How much more painful is it for those who have lost a loved one?

So, who are you going to contact and how are you going to contact him or her?

Please don’t let yourself off the hook—it may just be the best present that you’ll give this year.

“All of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.”1

1  1 Peter 3:8

the window seat

Frosted windows and howling winds,

I am so cold, so cold, so cold inside.

Yet the sun penetrates both body and soul,

Rescued, rescued, yet again.

Time stands still and deafening silence,

I am so empty, so empty, so empty inside.

Yet my purring kitty reminds me of a friendship,

Rescued, rescued, yet again.

Dark thoughts and weighty failures,

I am so sad, so sad, so sad inside.

Yet the distant sound of birds is music to my ears,

Rescued, rescued, yet again.

Curtains lifted and a new day dawns,

I am so hopeful, so hopeful, so hopeful inside.

For God’s creation is my constant companion,

Rescued, rescued, yet again.

"God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good."1

1  Genesis 1:31