MSG, Going Organic, and Jesus

More and more people are getting into organic food. The movement is not lost on retailers who have decided that for anything they can label "organic" they can charge double. I find that most people who go organic also become little encyclopedias about the multiple dangers of non-organic food which I like to call "regular food". I used to be blissfully ignorant that my milk was laced with steroids and my frozen lasagna chock full of the mysterious and evidently demonic MSG. Whenever I talk to an organic friend about food I find myself being virulently skeptical. Maybe you can sense it in what I have written so far. I question and I challenge and I defend Stouffers and to be honest I am much less educated about all of it than my organic friend. So, the question is why. Why do I battle so fiercely with so little ammunition? I think the answer is pretty simple. I don't want to change. I like my diet. I like frozen lasagna and Ritz crackers and just about anything with high fructose corn syrup. So, all this has me thinking about Jesus. Jesus comes into my life and offers to provide me through his sacrifice on the cross a meaning in life that I have never really had. It is a life of freedom from being addicted to approval of others, or position, or money or pleasure, or how I look or how my kids are turning out. It is instead a life of gratitude and freedom and forgiveness and grace that fills the deepest recesses of my soul. It is maybe why Jesus called himself the "bread of life". My organic friends would say that MSG and corn syrup and the other things that have become such staples in my life increase my appetite without ever really satisfying it. These are the things that are causing the obesity epidemic in America. All of the things that I use to fill my soul are the same. They increase my appetite without ever really satisfying me. But, man oh man, I love the way they taste. Letting the truth and the power of the Gospel go deep down means a fundamental change in my diet. I don't like change but the price Jesus paid for me to be filled is steep. And I thought organic was expensive. So, every time I look at a label I will remind myself of the cross, the deep love of Jesus and the wonder and power of the real Bread of Life.

Waxing and Waning and the Bucket

I went to see the movie "The Bucket List" the other night. It was a very thought provoking movie. Most of you probably know the premise of the movie from the trailers. The idea is that two men who are dying (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) decide to make a list they want to do before they "kick the bucket". One of the things on Morgan Freeman's list was to "witness something majestic". It was a very cool list. I was driving early in the morning the other day and the moon was spectacular. It was one of those moons that hangs low and full and shines so brightly that it is hard to remember that it is only a reflection of the sun. It had been a while since I had seen a full moon. I like routine. Those who know me realize what an understatement that is. But there is something wonderful about variation. I need that too. I love the moon when it is full. That is the truth. But it is also true that I would not appreciate it or even notice it if it did not change a little every night. God created the earth and all that is in it for us. Beauty is something that only the human animal can appreciate. I still picture God waking Adam up and sitting with him as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and saying," Look at this. I made it all for you". God gives us creation, the moon and the stars and the wonder of the seasons like a lover who opens up the little box to present the diamond ring to his beloved. God also programmed us to need variation in order to really appreciate beauty. The waxing and waning of the moon itself sings of the love of God. So, the other morning what I saw was not just the moon at a particular stage. I saw the exquisite care and love of my creator for me. I experienced the God of the universe opening up a box just for me. The big surprise for me is that God decided to get involved in my bucket list. I didn't even have to go anywhere special. A full moon, the longing for beauty in my soul, and the love of the Father. "Witness something majestic"...check.

Good news, Bad news, and the Big Picture

The other day I noticed one of the tires on my wife's car was low so I took it in today. There was a screw right near the sidewall. It was irreparable. Now I need two new tires. Is that good news or bad news? My oldest daughter slid off the road on the way to work this morning avoiding a deer. Her car is pretty banged up but she is fine. Is that good news or bad news? I am 48 years old now and I am not as sure as I used to be. There is a fable about an old man who was very poor and owned a beautiful horse. All his neighbors said to sell the horse. He wouldn't. One day he woke up and the horse was gone. All his neighbors told him he was a fool. He should have sold the horse and now the horse was gone. Bad news. The old man said,"You don't know if it is bad news. You only know that my horse is gone". They laughed. A week later the horse returned with 20 wild horses in tow. The neighbors all said,"You were right old man. It was good news". The old man said,"You don't know it is good news. All you know is my horse has returned with 20 other horses". They laughed. A month later the son of the old man was breaking one of the wild horses and got bucked off and broke his leg. The people said," See, old man, we were right after all. Bad news." The old man said,"You don't know it is bad news. All you know is my son broke his leg". They laughed. A month later a war broke out and all the sons had to go to fight. The son of the poor man was excused because of his broken leg. I think you probably get the point. So, at 48 I have decided to try not to pay attention to details. The big picture is there is a God in heaven who loved me enough to send His son to be my Savior. Everything else is details. Whatever is going on in your life today, keep in mind how little you really know. Most of us wouldn't know good news if it came up and bit us in the ankle. Instead of sweating every detail, let's keep our eyes fixed on the big picture. The idea that we have a Savior really is something else.

Passports, Golf and Galileo

I will be traveling later on in the Spring to Indonesia to speak to some of our missionaries. It is a group of about 25 who call themselves HCC Cafe Indonesia. They connect with us every week. I think it is pretty cool. Anyway, I went and had a couple of photos taken for the Visa. You know, the kind you get for a passport. It seems like every time I have one of those photos taken I look like I am staring into a distorted mirror. But I wonder if I am the person who always thinks the photo doesn't do them justice but everyone else thinks it looks exactly like them. Why is it we think that pictures don't look like we do? They kind of have to, don't you think? I must have this idea in my head of what I really look like. It is probably made up in the same area of my brain that tells me that I am a mid 80's golfer. I've been reading a little about Galileo and the trouble he had convincing both the scientific and the religious community that the earth was not the center of the universe. God made the earth a tiny little ball that revolved with all the other planets around the massive sun. It was hard for scientists and priests alike to believe the earth was not the epicenter of the universe. It is hard for me to believe I look like my passport photo...ever. It is hard for me to believe I am not even a bogey golfer. Maybe when God made the earth revolve around the sun he was trying to prepare me for a little disappointment.

Change

I have belonged to a health club for 10 years. The first two weeks of January is always packed. I went today and the ranks were pretty thin. Change is hard. Any one who has ever made a New Year's resolution knows that. There was only one time in my life that change seemed to be easy. It was when I was falling in love. I rearranged my schedule, paid more attention to hygiene, was polite and chivalrous, heck, I even dressed better. When I was romancing my wife, change was my middle name. What is it about love that gives the power to change? I think of the words of Paul the Apostle when he says," I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes". The Gospel is all about love. More and more I am praying that the truth of the love of God for me will sink down deep. It is my only hope for real change. My will power really doesn't do much. Fear and guilt and even pride have limited success in changing me for the good. But Love can change me. I have seen it happen and felt it's power. There is no greater power on the earth than the Gospel because it is the distilled love of God in Jesus. The day I understand the depth of that love is the day I change into the person I have always wanted to be. So, if 2008 is going to be a year of change, then it will be a year of believing that God really loves me even though I deserve it less than anyone I know.

Jesus Going Home

I am absolutely captured by the idea of the Great Exchange. I have been preaching a series on identity and so I am forced to look at all the mirrors I use to figure out how I should be feeling about myself. I can find a mirror almost anywhere. How I look physically is just one mirror. If I think you like me, my possessions, my job, my kids, even my blog can all be used as a reflection to help me figure out how I should feel about me. It is crazy, a little sick, and completely sinful. But then Jesus came and went to the cross to exchange my frantic need to have everything be about me for his deep peace and his relationship with his Father in heaven. "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin so that we might in Him become the righteousness of God". But the price was enormous for Jesus. On the cross he lost his relationship with the Father,(the Father turned his face away) and it made Jesus scream. It was like he came apart. Anyway, I was reading in Acts 1 when the disciples were saying goodbye to Jesus after the resurrection. It says, "and as they were speaking He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight". In the Old Testament God's visible presence was portrayed as a cloud. It was called the Shekinah glory of God. It struck me as I sat in my chair in the early morning that this was the reunion. God the Father rushing down to grab hold of His Son Jesus. It was Jesus rushing to grab his Father. For whatever reason it brought tears to my eyes. I was genuinely happy for Jesus. After all he had done for me, after coming undone and losing the love of the Father, there in my chair I could see them in my mind's eye coming back together and all the universe including me felt the joy reverberate. The Big Bang has nothing on that.

More Like an Egg Than a Man of Steel

Some things are fragile like an egg. Some things are strong like a steel beam. I guess I am not captivated by either of those. It is the things in life that are both fragile and strong that surprise me and seem like the most precious. Primarily I am thinking of relationships. I have seen marriages weather sickness and unemployment, relocation and even the death of a child. At times I think there is nothing stronger in all the world than a marriage. But there are few things more fragile than this mysterious union. A cruel word can damage it for weeks. An indiscretion can take it out completely. It has me thinking about my relationship with God. It is true there is nothing so strong in all the world as grace. Real grace, straight up 100 proof. Grace has the power to make a bad man good, to heal a brokenness caused by decades of poor decisions, to give hope when all else seems to be hopeless. There is nothing quite like grace. I try to start my day right in the middle of grace, I try to take a big swig of grace first thing in the morning. I remind myself that my worth is tied to a Savior and there is nothing that can separate me from that love that burns like the sun. And yet, one cross word, or even better, one really genuine compliment and I find myself trying to justify myself by what I do rather than what Jesus did. There is nothing quite as powerful as grace in all the world and yet there is nothing quite as fragile as living in that grace minute to minute. I am thankful today for a God who does not quit loving me even though the container he pours his love into is as fragile as an egg shell.
"Love is as strong as death, as unyielding as the grave. It burns like a blazing fire.
Many waters cannot quench love, rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all
the wealth of his house in exchange for love, it would be utterly scorned"
Ecclesiastes 8:6-7

My Friend's Son

I just met with a friend who has a son with autism. He often talks about how much he learns from his son. It is a pretty cool relationship it seems. Anyway, today he talked about the joy he has when his son will come and jump on his chest and be ready to engage. His son will even say,"I love you daddy, I love you". Autistic kids have trouble engaging. It seems they are often locked in their own little worlds and once they are locked in it is very difficult to get them to come out. So when they do emerge and connect full face it must be absolutely exhilarating. My friend's face just lit up as he told the story. One of the great things about this friend is his stories all move to the bigger lesson. He is always figuring out how life fits together with his faith. I think seeing the bigger picture is something his job has trained him to do and it transfers over nicely to faith. But he looked at me and I knew the story was about to make the turn. He said,"That must be the way it is with God. He must just wait for me to come out of my own little world and throw my arms toward him and say,'I love you daddy'". I think my friend is right on don't you think? I think God must long for those times and get the greatest joy when we finally focus on His face even if it is just for a moment. Once again, the world is chock full of lessons and every bush ablaze with the glory of God for those who have eyes to see.

The Beginning- 2008

Today marks the beginning of a new year. Today the date ends with 2008. The events of the past year are now boxed neatly and put away and the next year stands pregnant with mystery. I look back on the past year and am amazed at how many changes have taken place and what 2007 brought. I look toward the next year with 365 days yet to live in it(the Lord willing) and wonder what will happen. I am old enough to know there will be pain involved in the year to come. There will be hardships that will surprise, waves that will bowl us over, wind that may threaten to tear away the sails. I think of the disciples in a little fishing boat many, many years ago. The storm came out of nowhere and as seasoned as they were they thought they were goners. There may be a time or two this year when you will think you are a goner. One of the disciples finally remembered that Jesus was in the boat somewhere and went to find him. They shook Jesus awake and said," Don't you care we are about to die"? Jesus wiped the sleep out of his eyes, spoke a word to calm the storm and then looked them over and said,"Where is your faith"? That is a poignant question. What is it you are trusting in? In the middle of a storm I grab onto oars, I ask advice, I wring my hands, and I forget that Jesus is in the boat. Looking back on 2007 I see him now. In the midst of all the turmoil there he is asking the same question, waiting for me to recognize his Presence. So, I look forward to 2008. I don't know what it will bring. There will be storms, maybe some big ones, but the One I can count on is already in the boat. So, I sail, with my face toward the wind and my eyes peeled for adventure. There is joy even in the wonder of the uncertainty of what life can bring when I know I am not alone. Some of you may already be in the storm of a lifetime. Look around, you are not alone. The One with the power to speak to the waves and the wind is with you. I will not pray for a storm free 2008 but only for eyes to see the closeness of Jesus and the wisdom to answer the question of my Lord,"Joe, where is your faith"?