the little lost ball

i wrote this piece years ago, but was thinking about it again the other day when i was talking to a friend of mine who seems to be so worn out right now. like they were true to a ministry they felt they were called to, but then was left to figure the details out for themselves. like.. where's God to get me through?

and so.. here is my piece on 'the little lost ball'.

ever feel like a little ball left in the tall weeds? like God went out to play and left you there when He got called in for dinner? then He came out to get you later and couldn't remember where He'd left you and couldn't see you for all the weeds?

kind of sounds like a gary larson comic, doesn't it? but don't you ever feel like that?

many people are assured of their salvation - the formula's easy: you're a sinner, you ask to be forgiven, you're saved.

but ask your friends if they know what God's will for their life is. how many people will tell you that they know they are doing what God wants them to do? are you on the right track?

sometimes we can feel so lost even when God is so close. we just forget He's right beside us waiting for us to cling to Him and follow Him. we wander in circles looking for His outstretched hand without noticing it's on our shoulders all along.

why is that? is it because there's no formula for spiritual maturation? where in the Bible does it say X amount of prayer times Y amount of scripture will produce Z growth?

but the bible does tell us how we can test ourselves for spiritual maturity. look at james. the whole book is an assessment for us to recognize growth (or lack of) in our lives; are you joyful through trials? do you refrain from partiality? does your faith produce good works? this book isn't a recipe for maturation in the sense that we're provided quantities of each ingredient, mix well and serve. but we are given a road map to show us signs along the way that we're going in the right direction.

joy in the midst of trials doesn't make you grow - it's a sign that you are growing!

and that's what God asks of us.

who has known the mind of our Lord? there are many things in our very own lives we will never understand or even know. but God has placed them there to offer us opportunities to mature into a likeness of Him. we don't have to understand why things are the way they are to respond to them. and as our responses slowly begin to mirror those illustrated in james, we will know we are becoming the person God waits for us to be.

sometimes we are that little ball in the tall weeds. who's to say why. but God has not left us nor forgotten us. He's got a built in GPS and He knows right where we are. in fact, He may be using those weeds we think are hindering us from rolling out into the open, to protect us from our enemies.

trust God and walk on. er,... roll on.. !

strangers in heaven

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Mahatma Gandhi

Christ. we call Him brother. we are even a joint heir with Him. and the Bible teaches that the Lord God of all is to be known by us as “Father”.

that’s family. adopted family, but family. the adoption is legal, binding and eternal.

and like any family (yes, even those bound by a seal on a document and not just those bound by blood and genetics) there are resemblances. if not physical, then certainly behavioral. temperament. ideals and humor. it’s learned and shared. you spend enough time with someone and you inevitably pick up on some habits or character traits. it’s why ‘best friends forever’ have private jokes and why spouses can finish each other’s sentences.

clusters of people have their own accents and styles, their own pace of life and sometimes even political leanings.

there’s probably even a scientific term for it or has been studied by psychology students. it’s just an accepted and understood practice. as we adopt into each others lives, we adopt each other’s ways of living.

it stands to reason then, wouldn’t it, that we would look like Christ to our world? that as we become part of the family of God, that we would begin to take on familial characteristics?

but i thought one day: what would the rest of our lives look like, if we didn’t? i’m not talking about this life, either. i’m talking about the eternity kind of rest of our lives.

if we failed to take off the old and put on the new, if we squelch spiritual seeds so that they never blossom into fruit, if we cling to the world and conform to it.. how much of that – no! how much of us – will remain in our empty grave after we have left it for the glory of our final home?

i’m just dreamin’ here. i don’t know what heaven will be like. but pretend with me for a moment that as a place with no pain, no fear, no heartache, and no sin.. in a place like that, where will there be room for all the things we are stocking up right now? like,.. pride. self-exaltation. oh, that whole laundry list of sinful desires! let’s say from death we get to heaven through a sieve, filtering out the gunk and allowing in only what is pure. how much of the me i’ve built will actually make it in?

or what if we do travel an upward path? but we’re so quiet about it, so private and tight-lipped that no one really knows the heart God is molding in you? if your entire spiritual experience is kept at bay and people know you in this life as a great person, but spiritually... blank. not good not bad. just.. not known. that heart inside you would make it through the sieve. but if no one ever saw it on earth, would they recognize it as yours in heaven?

would we wind up a stranger to our dear ones because we failed to become like Christ in this world, or simply neglected to display the work He’s doing in us?

this concept of strangers in heaven is disturbing, because i fear the truth of it. i fear that most unbelievers and maybe even fellow Christ-followers see what gandhi saw: a family that just didn’t act like it.

my adoption is eternal. i know where i’m going to spend the rest of my life. but i want more than eternal life insurance. i want to walk through that sieve and everyone to see me and know it’s me and call out my name just like they yell “Norm” in the Cheers bar whenever he walks in. because i lived a life that looks like Christ. such a life that everything about me that i’ve become is pure and will make it through. that nothing is undesirable, nothing is filtered, that i was open and honest and loving and giving and fruit-bearing and God-honoring, that people knew me as all those things, so when they see me enter those gates – i’m still all those things they knew me as before. and that the only thing different about me is that my body is now glorified. and maybe a little taller.

let it be said that “your christians are so like your Christ”. and that we will live on earth such that we won’t become strangers in heaven.

string of pearls

i was talking to my friend who recently returned from a mission trip. we were discussing how you ‘pray up’ for events like that – prepare with prayer. it’s like, you know you can’t get through things like that without having your heart in the right place and things dealt with in your life and protection from the enemy. and so you pray.

as we were talking about it, i thought of those events as pearls. moments in your life where you feel like you’re under incredible pressure and do everything you can to be prayed up. and when you look back afterward you realize how precious a time that had been in your life and will most likely be an event you will treasure forever.

pearls.

we pray them up, knowing the consequences for not doing so.

but what about the times in between? on a pearl necklace we’d call it the string. here, we call it life.

and it dawned on me. why do we pray up the pearls but relax on all that stuff when it comes to our regular ole life? what about ‘just life’ makes prayer less important?

why do the pearls get all the prayers?

i know we experience a lot of spiritual warfare when we are on a mission trip – because we are doing the Work Of God, so of course - of course! we pray. but.. and i feel a little silly asking this.. shouldn’t our lives be about the work of God? and if so,.. why aren’t we praying up our lives?

i mean, afterall, if the string holds the pearls together, shouldn’t it be strong enough to do so? our lives need to be so prayed up that it can withstand an attack. our enemy knows where we are weakest and he’s gonna strike full force at those points.

when i was a kid, i was pretty tiny. i’m sure that surprises you. and back then participation in p.e. wasn’t a choice. so when the teacher had us play red rover i would tremble knowing i was obligated to play and that i was the weak link on whatever team was punished to have me. inevitably, the person called over would run full bore at me and whomever was grasping my arm so tightly they were giving me indian burns. even my teammates’ strength was no match for my small stature and our link would burst wide open from the crashing blow of our opposition. and i’d have to go back with them to the other side as their winnings. their kill.

satan does that. he finds the parts that aren’t prayed up and heads straight for them. and just because they’re being held by strong, solid pearls on each side, they still may be no match for the lack of prayer at the point that’s been targeted. strings are already thin. why weaken them with neglect?

it absolutely makes sense to pray up those times when we are taking a huge step of faith or on mission for God or ‘making ministry’. of course we need to do that! what i propose is that we recognize that is our life. that is the string. the pearls are the beautiful moments we can look back on and see God’s handiwork, the huge growth, the momentous occasions, but the string.. that’s the lifeline. the thing that holds it all together. and if it isn’t prayed up, those pearls are going to split apart, spill, scatter and get crushed under someone’s heel.

keep those pearls in tact and pray up your life! it’s all worth it. every last strand of it.

pray up and walk on.

stop drop and roll

you remember those little lessons in elementary school, don't you? where the firemen come in wearing their yellow, rubber pants with suspenders and hard hats with a big number on the front (and for us california natives, they would usually be accompanied by a big guy in a bear suit who would point at the classroom full of kids and say in a deep, growling voice, "only you can prevent forest fires")...

they taught us not to play with matches. they taught us the word 'flammable'. they taught us that when you smell smoke, you stop, drop and roll. and for us excessively bright students, we would go home and lecture our own parents on fire safety. because, well, we were seven and we knew everything.

ok, but the point is that we are taught that fire is not something to take lightly. it's easily and carelessly started - a cigarette flung from the window of a car, a candle left burning unattended, matches in reach of children. but not quite so easily extinguished.

and the damage? oh! the damage! houses and precious family heirlooms charred beyond recognition, official documents consumed by the flame, and so many lives! folks have lost parents, siblings, children and very dear friends to that great beast we call fire.

fire.

it's a small word with huge consequences.

as is sin.

in fact these two beasts are very similar.

sin, too, is easily and carelessly started. all it takes is a little pride and a little less self control. and next thing you know, it begins to spread. and just like a fire, it damages and chars whatever is in its path. be it your home, your work, your loved ones,.. or yourself.

unfortunately, sin prevention isn't taught in schools. we aren't taught not to play with spiritual matches. we aren't taught what actions or words may be 'flammable'. and I've never heard smokey the bear say that "only i can prevent succumbing to temptations"!

but we can still take smokey's advice. we just have to listen with christian ears. we were taught to stop, drop and roll whenever we smell smoke. i think this sound advice is just as applicable when we smell sin.

when we find ourselves in sin,... stop! stop whatever we are doing, saying or thinking. just stop.

then,... drop! drop to our knees and pray. seek His strength, His wisdom and His guidance.

and then,... roll. roll to safety. in a fire, we roll away from the smoke. in the face of sin, turn and walk the other way.

smokey forgot about the last step, though: to keep on keeping on. stay away from the fire, but don't hide your light under a bushel!

stop. drop. roll.
and walk on.

the ultimate compliment

it's after 11pm and i'm up (unusual) watching david letterman (really unusual). he's featuring a comedian who does impersonations. i just watched him mimic john travolta, nicholas cage, al pacino, ray romano, bill cosby, and a few others i'd already forgotten before the commercial break.

i thought it was kind of interesting that this man was applauded and given kudos for pretending to be someone else. who is he? dunno. but he plays a mean barbarino! he is making a name for himself by acting like someone whose made a name for themselves. hunh!

and i noticed he selected figures that had traits unique enough be recognizable when duplicated. just any joe wouldn't do. it had to be someone who would stand out above all the others.. there's a huge pool of famous people to choose from, but he wasn't up there doing tom hanks, sony bono, or donahue - even though they are just as well-known. he hand-selected people that were easily identifyable for one reason or another.

i don't even think the traits that distinguished them are easy traits to mirror. but they are so unique that even when the copy isn't perfect, it is still recognizable.

and haven't we always heard that imitation is the highest form of flattery? what better way to tell someone how much you value them than by trying to be like them? it's saying.. i like you so much that i wanna be like you!

these late night comedians might be onto something and probably don't even know it. i think we can learn a thing or two from them. in fact, why don't we try impersonating an impressionist?

there's a Famous One most worthy of being followed. His traits are unique - and recognizable without question. we can't be exactly like Him - not perfectly. but when we attempt to display His character to others, it is unmistakable who we are trying to imitate. and we can make a name for ourselves simply by acting like Him.

but i'd rather not make a name for myself, thankyouverymuch. i'd rather point to Him.. pay Him the ultimate compliment by modeling Him in my life.

i'm working on it already. and everyday, i take it on the road. and i hope the more i work at it, the more people will see it in me: my Jesus-impression.

my life is a dash

anyone here entertain themselves by strolling through cemeteries, trying to solve the histories belonging to those buried beneath your feet? yikes! am i the only one?

actually, i don't. but, since we're on the subject - i wanted to consider the lovely sentiments we find carved into the headstones that capture the lives of the deceased. their entire venture on this earth; their laughs, their misfortunes, their pleasures, their pains, EVERYTHING between their first and last gasps of breath, grouped together in one simple gesture called the dash:

1947-1999

how insignificant a representation of all one’s trials, desires, worth,... how impersonal, how belittling!!, that a mere dash can say it all. and this same dash is used for everyone. the dates vary, the names change, but the dash stands there - a common symbol for all, stating that our travels, though diverse and uniquely intricate, really amount to no more than the guy's in the next plot.

this really bothered me. so, i decided to investigate. webster's dictionary says that a dash is


"n. a short, fast race" or "v. to complete, execute, or finish off hastily"

hellooo! i am a fleeting splash through the universe? get in, wipe your feet, get out, write soon! i don't think so.

so i have decided to take it upon myself to modify that silly tradition. i am requesting a hyphen on my tombstone (it's in my will, really!) sure, it looks the same, and many will confuse it with the dash and that's ok. because i will know! and think about it: you're browsing through the morning paper, your eyes reach the right-hand side of the column of type. do you stop? no, we read on, because the hyphen says, "hey folks, there's more to come! the line has stopped, but the idea continues... stay tuned." just because we will no longer walk this earth, does not mean our walk is over.

or perhaps i can use a minus sign. a minus prepares us to subtract one thing from another. or put another way: it makes a difference. picture it: a tombstone... the date of birth, the date of death, and in between... a life that made a difference. that's how i'd like to be remembered. “yea, i remember her. she made a difference.”

and, you know, it all looks the same written on that stone anyway. a dash is a hyphen is a minus. it's all how you choose to look at it.

so, what's it gonna be? want to sum up your life's events into a dash - a brief flash through a vast and timeless galaxy? or do you want to make a difference? and continue on to answer for that difference? because i'll tell you what, friends, we WILL continue on (even if you settle for the dash). and we WILL answer for the difference (or lack thereof, if that be the case).

besides, i think God sees that short, linear symbol as a scar. a remnant of our trials and tribs, marking us wounded, but ultimately triumphant.

sound good? walk on.

i forgot my words

tonight during a creative meeting for the revolution service, i was reminded of a little inspirational piece i'd written a long time ago.. actually several things i'd written.. and had forgotten all about! isn't that amazing that you can do that? create something and then forget it exists?

we were planning a service on "leaving a legacy" and we were discussing leaving an impact and how people will remember you. one of things i mentioned was that we could have people write out their own epitaphs.. i know i know.. i'm so macabre!!

but it reminded me of a something i'd written about our tombstones with our dates of birth and death and a dash in between. meaning that our lives were essentially boiled down to a little line separating the beginning and the end,.. called "the dash". i went back and read it aloud and it sounds like it might be used in some way for that service.

now i'm going back and rereading my old stuff.. and i will be posting some of those writings in the next few days or weeks. i don't have very many and they aren't great, but the dash one i'm proud of.

it's the one my dad read and enjoyed so much that he asked my permission to share it with his congregation. he and i hadn't had the greatest of relationships. not that we were on outs with each other, but women in my family weren't necessarily appreciated for their intellect, creating a complex in me i've attempted to overcome all my life.

and so to have my dad value something of mine like that, words that were born in me, that i formed and painted on the page, truly touched me. i felt worth. i needed that so much from him at that time in my life.

my next post will be that piece. and i dedicate it to my dad.