Believe it or not, my freshman year in college I was skinny as a rail. I had worked hard and was active in high school, but I had not played varsity sports. Really, it wasn’t my fault. I had played football while I was in junior high, and then moved to a town whose high school didn’t even have a football team! I was crushed—and certainly not skilled enough to play baseball or basketball. So I got skinny.
If you’re looking for peace in your life but not finding it, the problem might be that you’re missing it because you’re looking for it. In other words, peace might be eluding you because it comes as an accompaniment to something else. At least one such “something else” is God’s purpose for your life. Peace doesn’t always come simply because you want peace. Peace doesn’t come from an escape from unpleasant circumstances. Peace comes when you pursue God’s purposes for your life.
When God wanted to remind people of the vastness of his promises, sometimes he pointed them to the sands along the seashore (Genesis 22:17, for example). God wants to point you toward your beach, too.
What kind of people make the best worshipers of God? You would think it would be people who are already highly committed and who have a good understanding of Scripture. The story of the magi coming to worship Jesus as…
In 1995, Lisa and I, along with the church we pastored, were going through some tremendous difficulties. It looked as though we would not be able to stay in our pastorate, and even the existence of the church was at stake. In the darkest hour, God used a prophetic word to give us hope for what God planned to do. Lisa and I were inspired to stick it out. We were so hopeful, in fact, that we expected the church to grow by the hundreds in short order.
Here’s what’s crazy about that expectation: God has not yet fulfilled that word by growing our church to the size that was prophesied, but he did the miracles needed to keep us afloat in the short run. Here’s a truth this situation points to: The strongest believers I know manage to keep the tension between faith for the long haul and remaining expectant for God to move at any given moment.
“Don’t be that guy.” It’s a phrase that has been used to warn us off from behavior that is antisocial, weird, or annoying. It warns us from being the person who stands out for doing something different from the norm. Don’t be the guy who walks out of the men’s room trailing toilet paper. Don’t be the guy who has to prove how many pushups he can do during your LifeGroup meeting. Unfortunately, our fear of standing out as different from the norm can also keep us from standing out in ways that are positive. Instead of distinguishing ourselves by over-and-above accomplishments, we just blend in and accept the status quo.
In the history of God’s interaction with humanity, God has always looked for people who are willing to stand out from the pack. When God wants to restore a nation or a group of people, he always looks for a man or woman who will be different. This dynamic introduces some real challenges to us in today’s society.
This morning, the leader of a Bible discussion asked me if I’d seen church people who abuse the concept of a believer’s spiritual authority. The simple answer, of course, is, “Yes, I’ve seen some crazy stuff!” In fact, I’ve seen people think they have authority to stop the power of death all over the world! But just saying I’ve seen that kind of extreme would send the message that we better avoid too much focus on our authority. That would be a shame, because I think the other extreme is even more prevalent.
What is the predominant extreme when it comes to a believer’s spiritual authority?
The Hallmark Channel has really tapped into much of America’s desire for wholesome entertainment that touches the heart. And at no time of the year do they capitalize on their successful movie formula like they do during the Christmas season.
Of course, Hallmark really has a formula for their movies: money, the big city, and corporate America are all bad. They exist in tension with the small town, the family business, and the spirit of Christmas. And usually the fiancé, who is a part of all that is bad and with whom the female protagonist has had a relationship for multiple years, loses out to the hometown guy with whom it is love at first (sometimes second) sight. Then, there is the crisis that almost wrecks the new relationship, but it gets resolved and the young lady is rescued. I guess the suspense that keeps Hallmark fans watching movie after movie comes from variations on the theme. Maybe the down-home guy is really rich but the damsel in distress has already been shot with Cupid’s arrow before she discovers that. At any rate, the primary story is the same. Wow! I’m really tempted right now to tie this in with the prominent, continuously repeated Western culture storyline that is actually a reflection of God’s story of redemption—but I won’t!
So why am I even talking about Hallmark movies and their Countdown to Christmas theme?
Thanksgiving—the act of really giving thanks to God, not just eating turkey—may be the key to the breakthrough you’ve been looking for. Why is thanksgiving so important? It’s your ticket into the presence of God. The Bible tells us in Psalm 100:4 that we are to “enter his gates with thanksgiving.”
“Could I get you started with something to drink?” she asks. “Diet Coke, please,” I respond to our spunky server. “Perfect,” she replies cheerfully. A few minutes later: “Have we decided what we want to order?” “I'd like a cheeseburger,…