Give thanks to God in all things, even in the midst of your difficulty.

I spent some time walking a few days ago.  I was refreshed by the crisp air and the sound of nature all around me.  But a devastating truth lie everywhere I look.  Death.


We have experienced a severe drought over the last few months.  It has taken its toll on the landscape everywhere.  The grass is brown and dry as hay.  Flowers are withered. The crops are suffering and look poor.  It's a desert land where a typical green lush is usually present.

The heatwave has finally lifted.  Knowing so, I awoke extra early to take advantage of the cool morning air that was to come.

Even in the midst of the drought.  Even in the midst of this dry parched land.  Even in the midst of a dying landscape, I could see the beauty of God.

 A wildflower standing tall and reaching for the heavens.  A weed surviving despite the dead grass all around.  Trees shouting praises as their leaves rustled in the wind.  And birds singing their morning song.

There is hope.  The hope that someday the rain will return, and it will.  With it will come new life and a restoration to the full beauty that God intended.

May our lives reflect that of God's full creation.  May we stand tall, fight, praise his name, and sing no matter what, even in the midst of this drought your are experiencing in your life.

Your circumstance may seem devastating or difficult, but there is hope.  There is hope in Him.  And your hope is knowing His refreshing rain will once again pour over your life.

May you be renewed, refreshed, and restored to reflect the greatness He has brought you to be.

Give thanks to God... in all things!

"To be the hands and feet of Jesus."

It's a phrase commonly spoken in the church community.  It's a desire to carry out the work of Christ.  In mission.  In service.  In love.

Too often I hear questions from within that community as to why some may be doing more than others.

It's important to know that as the Church, we are the Body of Christ.  Within that body, there are many, many functions, just as in the human body.  Take a look at 1 Corinthians 12:12-26. The question one must truly ask themselves is, "Am I serving as I was designed to serve?  Am I utilizing the gifts God has given me?"

I note the importance of our limbs.  They are important, but they are not vital.  We can live without them.  It was Christ in his Sermon on the Mount who said, if your eyes and your hands offend you... get rid of them.  In His words, pluck it out and cut if off!

These are parts of the body of which we have a level of control.  When we look at something, we can choose to look away.  When the urge to touch that which is prohibited arises, sometimes our overwhelming desires get the best of us, and we budge.  Only by our choice.  It was a figurative charge by Jesus, but one that would require serious measures to see real change in life!

Vital organs, on the other hand, function on automatic.  No only do they do what they were designed to do, they are something we cannot live without.  The heart, kidneys, lungs, or liver.  Remove these and that's it!  They are essential for life.

So what part of the body is more important?  The answer is none.  We cannot place one part of the body above the other.  What good are hands and feet without a beating heart?  Together, these separate physical functions form one physical body.

Just the same, we the Church are joined in unity to create the Body of Christ.  Our understanding of what we are called to do within that body help make it function with great effectiveness.  When we attempt to function as something we're not, we hinder what others are meant to do.  Not only do we get in the way, but we might even make a mess of things!

So don't fret if the big toe is walking, while you're doing all the talking.  That toe just might get stubbed.

Ouch... Bet you'll know how important they are then!

At the end of a Wednesday night kids service a few weeks ago, I was handed an envelope and told someone contributed an offering towards the church bus ministry.  I asked the deliverer who gave the offering?  They were unsure.  In the busyness of the evening I took the envelope, placed it in my shirt pocket, and went on with the evening.

I placed the envelope in my desk at the end of that event filled night, with the plan to get to it the next morning.  When I arrived the next day, it was the first thing I handled.  I noticed the envelope felt empty.  My initial thought was perhaps they wrote a check.  I looked on the front of the offering envelope to see the words 'big green bus' written, designating it to that particular vehicle.

Every week our church fills an old school bus, painted candy apple green, full with kids from our community.  Someone wanted to give towards that ministry to keep it going.

I looked at the name written on the envelope, only to realize it was one of the kids themselves who gave this offering.  When I opened the envelope, two pennies fell out.

I couldn't help but smile.

My mind immediately went to the widow at the end of Mark 12.  As Jesus observed the giving of those in the temple that day, he used the opportunity as a teaching moment to show the true intent of a person's heart.

The very wealthy came in that day, giving quite well, in fact.  I can imagine the great pride they must have had as they entered in their fine linens and upright stature.  I can almost see them lift their eyes and look around, hoping to see that they were being watched.  Surely people would take notice as they gave extravagantly?  Surely people would say, "look what they have done?"  They came, gave, and left without any worry or concern with what life might bring next.  What if they knew Jesus had been watching that day?

A small widow then came.  She had two coins left to her name.  She dropped them in.  No pomp or circumstance.  Her fear may have been that she might be noticed.  The judgment she might receive for such a small offering.  It was all she had.  No business expense account.   No savings to fall back on. Nothing.  What if she knew Jesus had been watching that day?

I'm certain their was no concern with how much either party gave, but rather where their heart was in giving.  Both gave out of obedience.  Both did what was necessary.  The difference lie in their expectations once they released any treasure they might have.

Those with abundance could give only out out their excess, because what they desired was notoriety. And that's what they got... noticed!

The poor widow woman gave everything she had.  What she had was not impressive by our set human standards.  What she truly had was a heart of worship.  I am quite sure she left that day without any concern that all would be okay.   There was no concern in her life, except one... to worship God!

A young child gave two pennies that night.  A small token showing they believe in what we do, because what we do has a direct effect on their life.  True worship, to say, "thank you God for the 90 minutes of hope, peace, and the chance to learn more about You every week.  I don't want to be noticed for this, but thank you God for a group of people who notice me!"

Two cents can go a long way.

The story of Jonah is one about repentance.  It's about a man who refused to fulfill the call of God on his life.  A few days in the gut of a whale made him change his mind real quick.  It would me! Repentance is all about doing a complete 180º.

I'd like to back up a few lines, before he got swallowed up.  You'd think if Jonah knew he was about to be dinner he'd a changed his mind about going overboard?  Not sure about that... just a thought.

What's interesting about this point in the story is that Jonah "asked" to be thrown overboard.  Why didn't he just jump?

To refresh your memory a bit, Jonah was on this ship trying to get as far away from what God was telling him to do as he could.  Because of his "stubbornness" a great storm was brought his way.  He did, by the way, pay for the trip on this choppy cruise.  Jonah's problems brought this storm onto people he didn't even know!  When the ship's crew realized he was the reason this storm was upon them, they kindly asked him to do something about it.

So, he opted to be thrown overboard.  In his mind, that would fix the problem.  So I'll ask again... why didn't Jonah just jump? Why did he think it was necessary to be thrown overboard?

Sadly, Jonah wasn't finished with his cowardly acts for the day.  I believe, first of all, he knew if he could be thrown out to sea, it would mean death for sure.  That would be a definite way out of God ever buggin' him again about doing anything again.  Secondly, if someone else threw him overboard, then it wouldn't be his fault.  After all, he could say, they threw me over God, I didn't jump!

Eventually in the story, Jonah came to his senses.  He finally began to fulfill the calling that God had on his life.

There's a great lesson to be learned from Jonah.  Number one, why do we work so hard to avoid what God has called us to do?  Really, it's harder not do it, than it is to do it.  Then there's that storm.  If Jonah would have just listened, he never would have been in that position.  It's just like us really.  Sometimes we've got to be honest with ourselves, and realize we bring a lot of our own troubles on ourselves.  And finally, the whole jumping or being thrown overboard part.  That's all about taking responsibility in your life.  Don't expect someone else to fix your problems for you.  You made this mess, so you need to own up to it, and fix it... not by bailing out, but by doing what you know is right, and being obedient when God tells you to do something.

The moral of this story?  Stop running from God's call on your life.  Recognize that what you do has a direct effect on everyone around you.  And finally, take responsibility in your life.

It's tiring running from God.  It's tiring running to Him.

Either way, ask yourself... which has a better reward?

Just recently, I spent time with my church team who worked with relief and aid organizations in Henryville, Indiana. The town recently experienced a devastating blast from a tornado.

Unless you've seen such devastation, your mind cannot adequately prepare you for the experience.  You try to make sense of where a home once stood, when all you see is a foundation.  Mixed in with piles of shattered wood, glass, and insulation you find an odd blend of family portraits, clothing, Christmas decoration, and toys.  The recipe was never the same at each location, though eerily similar.

By this point a full week had passed.  People have not had adequate time to process what has happened, but I was struck by the upbeat nature of those within this community.

When you're stripped down to nothing, all you really have left is the people around you.  That was most definitely the display.  More became of just acquaintances, neighbors, and friends.   Suddenly a common experience brought these people together.  Now, they were family.

In Matthew 12:46-50, a group of unrelated individuals stood, sat, leaned, and listened as Christ poured into them.  Jesus has just challenged the establishment, gave an amazing display of his miraculous power, and then warned of the consequence of speaking against the power that enabled him to do such works!

It probably wasn't the gentle-sweet-loving-Jesus moment some might had imagined.  His speech that day was somewhat radical; but radical events were about to take place.  It was a preparation.   It was an induction.   It was consecration.

Jesus was interrupted in that moment.  His mom and brothers were outside waiting on him.  The messenger demanded he come outside.  I can almost sense a pause in this moment.  Jesus looking at the messenger.  The messenger looking back.

Jesus responded with a new definition of what it means to be family.  His mother stood just outside the door.  His own flesh and blood.  The one who gave birth to him.  And yet he says to this man, "Who is my mother, who are my brothers?  You see these people here.  This is my mother. These are my brothers."

Christ came on a mission.  While biological connections are important to us as earthly beings, he was stressing the importance of something even greater.  Eternity.

Our human minds have a difficult time grasping that.

Yes, we often have an obligation to our earthly family.  More importantly our focus should be on eternity, and increasing our family in that capacity.  This life is but a moment, a mist as scripture says in the book of James.  Our commonality as Christians is what make up this beautiful mix of acquaintances, neighbors, and friends, then turns them quite simply into family.

It was a turn of terrible events that brought a community together and created a family last week in that small Indiana town.  It was a small family of Christian strangers who came to their aid.  Christ came to unify that which was not meant to be together.  Our existence on this earth is not in part to separate ourselves from this world, but rather to go out into this world, and with truth, make them a part of our family.

As family, we are eternally linked.