Lent: Invitation to a Journey with God

Spring cleaning is a wonderful and sometimes traumatic thing. When the weather warms up, The Lovely Joanne opens the house and lets our prevailing westerly wind sweep through, duct-tapes me to the vacuum (just kidding) and we clean things I didn't even know could get

Bearing Fruit For a Long Time

A Chinese proverb asks "What's the best time to plant a tree?" The answer is "Twenty years ago!" Trees are symbols of stability and strength (Psa. 92:12), long life and contributing to one's surroundings (Psalm 1). Jesus uses a grapevine in John 15 to

Hangin' Out

A full week of summer camp is just finished, and The Amazing Joanne and I spent that time with a wonderfully charming and crazy-energetic bunch of teens and staff at 8,500 feet near Buffalo Creek.  We ran around together doing sports, chapel, meals and a lot of other fun things.  For me, the best was just hangin' out -- after a meal, before an activity, a chance encounter along the path, even a conversation while putting clean dishes away.  To have that kind of relaxed fun with a friend (old or brand-new) was a treat. 

Jesus hung out with his disciples a lot.  The video "Matthew," shot using the NIV of the Gospel of Matthew as its script, shows Jesus (played with depth and passion by Bruce Marchiano) laughing, teasing and conversing with his disciples; a real look at God in the flesh. Rather than just preaching all the time, Jesus is shown hangin' out with his followers, whom he treats as friends, and having conversations with them.  There is plenty of teaching, of course; but a lot of it is in the process of everyday life with its ups and downs.  He settles arguments, uses everyday events as teaching moments, and even engages in a water fight with his 'dorm' in a local stream.  (It doesn't show who won, but I have an idea.)

The Boss said at the end of Matthew, 28:19-20, that we should make disciples wherever we go; and then, he said "And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  His words "I am" are in the plain ol' present tense, not anything conditional.  So he's still walking around with us, hangin' out as it were, teaching us as we go, and helping us figure out what this "discipling" thing is about. 

So I think the best thing we can do is to learn how to 'hang out' with Jesus better and better.  To be more aware that he is here (in the person of the Holy Spirit, who "will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13) and be more careful to listen.  We know he wants to lead us; so we need to 'listen up' as we sometimes say at camp, to be able to hear him.  He'll teach us through the written Word, through awareness of the spiritual realities all around us, through the good words of friends, and other ways.  Let's see what happens if we 'listen up' even better, shall we?

Cats and God: Mornings

The Lovely Joanne and I have developed a routine with the girls (our cats Haley and Susie).  Every morning when we get out of bed, we spend 5 minutes or so playing with them -- wrestling on the floor, playing chase-the-string, and giving them some affection.  They meow at us, perhaps telling us what they did during the night, and asking us how soon breakfast will be.  They love this routine, and we've grown to enjoy this time with them every day.


Our heavenly Father deeply wants the same kind of closeness and enjoyment of fellowship with us.  He walked and talked with our first parents in the garden, remember?  And in the end of the book, he says he will live among us forever:  "I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, 'Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.'" (Rev. 21:3)

He wants the relationship to be mutual -- so we will want to be with him just as he wants fellowship with us.  In Psalm 42, the psalmist expresses longing for God, comparing his desire for God to a thirsty animal: 
"As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God."  And several of the psalms begin with encouragements to worship: for instance, 108, 111, 113, 117, 118, 122, 134, 135, 136 and the crescendo in Psalms 145 to 150.  Some talk about rising early; others about pursuing a relationship of awe, worship and love with God.  Psalm 100 is a good example of a heart filled with joy and energy from knowing God and wanting to know him better. 

So we would know him better, and so we could know his love for us, the Father sent the Son into the world (John 3:16, John 14:9; Heb. 1:2).  It's been his plan -- which means he really, really wants this, and that's why he has invested so much in creating that relationship with us -- from the beginning.  God loves his children, all of them, and he loves it when we turn to him in repentance, faith and love, to come closer to him.  It brings a smile to my face to see the kittens come bounding up to see me every morning; and even more, our desire to know and love God brings great pleasure to him. 

Would it be worth it to spend that first few minutes every morning thanking and praising God?  I know of one man who pivots himself when he gets out of bed, so his knees hit the floor first, and spends a few minutes there talking to his Creator.  I enjoy taking a cup of coffee to a quiet place to connect with him.  What could you do to create a 'holy space' in your life to spend with him, every day?  It will be worth it!