The Connection Between Worry and Humility

I read this little tidbit in 1 Peter: "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you." It seems to me that most of us, especially those who serve in some kind of ministry as volunteers or paid staff, don't always live this way.

We serve, but then we look for our significance from those we serve or those who supervise or watch our service. We don't do it completely humbly, expecting and waiting on God to honor us rather than others. As we think about how and where we will serve, our decisions are sometimes based on the honor the position or location will bring us and not our calling.

When it comes to giving our worries and cares to God, we're not sure he'll want them, or we see them as petty, or we view it as something we are supposed to do because good Christians aren't supposed to worry. But do we really believe that the motive is because "he cares" for us and doesn't want us burdened with them?

I'm learning to put the two together in ministry. To serve humbly and when I become worried about my importance and significance, I give that to God because it says he cares, and it says that at the right time, he will honor me. I need to leave that up to him.

Dead Man Walking

"plenty smart, in control, success is mine"
says the dead man walking

"never perfect, but not too bad, bred religious"
says the dead man walking

"power positioned, people affirmed, look at me"
says the dead man walking

fissures widen, cards collapse, failure finds
the dead man walking

eyes now open see the death which precedes dieing
in a dead man walking

panic stricken, seeking life outside the grip
of dead men walking

the lowly one, bruised and beaten, crucified
for the dead man walking

"on my knees, I receive, your saving grace"
says the dead man walking

faith, hope, joy, love, thanksgiving in
this dead man living

Rage

Here is a reflection I had while flying home from Florida. It's about anger...not righteous anger that is self-controlled (note, that doesn't mean stuffed down); but defensive anger that is unleashed with no love or grace.

I drew the knife and sliced your skin,
I waved it 'round and cut again.
I plunged it deep into your heart;
I drew it out and left you scarred.

I swallowed it, a circus act.
Then deep within the knife attacked
until I was no longer me.
Death has come so bitterly.

The Word

Speak and it is
Say and it comes to pass
Tell and good news resounds
Whisper and your beloved knows.

Conquering Fear

This from Graham Cooke:

My dear one, you are not in the grip of fear but in the hands of Love itself. Fear of man, fear of the unknown, fear of making mistakes, fear of looking foolish, of trying new things, fear of not being loved, or being good enough. Fear makes you tense, dark, unable to see things the way I see them.

Let Me touch your heart with My perfect, all-embracing love and so drive out all your fears. This next season is about your journey into the heart of My love for you. I need you to turn your back on fear and face up to My love. We are not battling fear - we are embracing the love that is always present in every circumstance. For every fear that has gripped you, My love will overwhelm your heart as you learn to stand before Me as a much-loved child.

Beloved, it is My desire that you thoroughly enjoy this season of freedom from fear to fully embrace My love. You will know what it is to stand and live in the perfect love of the Father's heart. ENJOY THIS! I intend to enjoy you becoming more loving and more intimate with My grace. The breaking of fear will give you a whole new lease on life. I'm looking forward to love, every day with you.

The Pane of Separation

I see my baby beyond the glass
I hear his voice through speaker’s rasp
The pane of separation brings pain of separation

Institutional cloth swaddles him
Recycled flags of unfurled freedom
My only son is overseen by unknown guardians

Connected to a “correction” box
Computers controlling cell activity
The Machine monitors and measures his meals, movements, life

A buzzer beckons bars to open
Our hands reach out but only touch
The pane I see my boy beyond, pain of separation

Good Friday

For the Good Friday service this evening, seven of our pastoral staff spoke on the final seven sayings of Christ. Here is mine on "I am thirsty."

This is the one; the Word of God. By him the waters that covered the earth were contained. Like a parent with a child, he tucked the seas into their beds and then stocked them with life.

This is the one, the master of water. Who, from his sleeping post in the front of the boat said to the rain “be still,” and it listened. The original surfer, who took an evening stroll across the wind swept lake and invited his friend to join him.

This is the one, the rock in the desert from which saving water flowed to the Israelites; a water fountain for an entire people.

This is the one; who honored his mother’s wishes and overcame a wedding reception’s shortfall by changing the chemical properties of water until it was wine. Not just any old wine, but the best wine.

This is the one who sat at a well with Ms. Disgrace in the heat of the desert day and said, “this well water will only make you thirsty again, but I can offer you living water and you will thirst no more.” Thirst no more…really? How does that work? You have no bucket, no spicket, no hose or Evian bottle. No matter…because this is the one. He IS the water. The living water.

We just did a series called Identity about the “I am” statements of Jesus. …I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the gate, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way the truth and the life. But this one sounds strange in our ears; I…AM…THIRSTY. Now, today, the wellspring of living water says, “I am thirsty.” Here he hangs in utter agony, beaten and bloodied like an animal led to the slaughter. Here he hangs from a tree of shame, he who has no sin bearing all sin; the innocent sufferer of all our suffering. He references the 22nd Psalm, and now it echoes back over him, “I am poured out like water…” The quencher of thirst is emptied of the essence of life. “I am thirsty.”

What a blessing. What beauty this simple statement has for us. I am thirsty. Think I’m crazy? Imagine you are an alcoholic. You fight and you fight but you can’t seem to kick the habit. You promise and you hope, but willpower is not enough. So you finally, reluctantly come to an AA meeting. As you sit down you look up to see the person you admire and respect the most in the entire world. You try to hide, but there is no hiding. He must be here to speak to the group. He must be here to tell us how we ought to be living; how we ought to have more respect for ourselves, how we should have known better. Perhaps he’s just here to spy on us, to know who he wants to avoid in the future. Then amazingly, he approaches the microphone and says those words you knew to expect, but never from him, “Hi, my name is Respectable, and I’m an alcoholic.” Everything changes. He understands. He knows my aches, my deathly desires, my shame, my guilt. He knows me in a way that no sober person could ever know me.

I am thirsty. Everything is different. This Jesus, this Christ, this chosen one doesn’t just know about my sin and suffering, he knows it like no divine-man could have without the cross. He has not been poured out like a broken pot, but like a drink offering. He has intentionally emptied himself to intimately know my condition. Here he hangs, knowing thirst…knowing you…knowing me.

In the last book of the Bible a prophecy says, “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

A lamb shepherd; do you catch the significance of that. The shepherd leads the flock to springs of living water because he is also a lamb who knows what it means to say, “I…am…thirsty.”

Humility and Compassion

Can true humility and compassion exist in our words and eyes
unless we know we too are capable of
any act?

- St. Francis of Assisi

A New Launch

I have given a new face to the FEETCLEAN blog, and I've cleaned up the old posts. This is a new launch. I'm committing to posting more frequently. Some of the old posts may show up from time to time as well. My hope is that we may encounter God together as we walk through this life. May he bless you.

What a Gift

I was reading 1 Corinthians 2 this morning and was once again blown away by the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this second chapter we are told that the Holy Spirit searches the depths of God to know him(self) completely, is the vehicle by which God reveals/imparts himself to us, and then does the job of interpreting the spiritual truths of God (or better said, the spiritual truth who is God). The result is that the mind of Christ develops in us.

Imagine a teacher who does all the research on, oh...let's say brain surgery, until she completely understands all about it. She then somehow is able to internally plant all the raw information into our minds, and then supernaturally makes us know how to apply the information so that anyone around us would say, "hey, look, a brain surgeon."