Lent Day 4: It's complicated

Do you find life complicated? Some people try to make everything bigger, harder, weirder, or more dangerous than needed. I prefer things simple. Direct. When they're embracing rather than off-putting.

"Are you afraid?" people often ask us, about our call to Indonesia. Some wonder if the move from here to there is so huge and complex that it will suck the breath out of us.

Well, yes and no, as far as fear goes. We're not afraid of volcanos, violence, or opposition. Stuff happens here as well as there, and there's no safer place than under God's watchful eye. We'll try almost anything once (including food). The big thing for us? God shows up every time his people gather, so that's a delight we're anticipating.

We are occasionally cautious or feel trepidation about what we don't yet know. How will it go 'over there'? Will we learn the language? Will we fit in and love the culture (as we expect)?

The planning is complicated. And perhaps the landing will be, too.

That said, God assures us that we CAN understand his intentions through scripture. We don't have to make trusting him more complicated than it is. The secret stuff belongs to him (Deut. 29:29) and the rest belongs to us. The goal is obedience that leads to abundant life in Christ.

During Lent, let's open our hearts and our minds to receive the gospel (Good News). Let's embrace the things we know, don't know, and our fears.

Surely a God who could perfectly spin the Earth on its axis can help us negotiate today and tomorrow!

Read more:
*They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Nehemiah 8:8 NIV

*The large crowd was listening to Jesus with delight. Mark 12:37 ESV

Moravian Prayer: May your Word, Lord, go out to all the world. May all who follow your precepts find great delight in loving one another—and serving you. Amen.

Lent Day 12: Panic stations

What makes you panic? Chokes off your breath and makes your stomach heave?

Do you remember riding the roller-coaster or Zipper at the fair as a teenager? I loved loved loved the upside down, flip me over, screaming-with-adrenaline jolt of those rides. I tried them a few years ago and hated it! My life had become so hectic and stressed that there was no margin for physical shocks. Besides, older bodies handle balance differently. (Don't believe me? Try soaring high on a tree swing. There's a reason - besides weight - that kids use them more than their parents!)

Some people start out timid. They lack courage until they become confident, one small success after another. Others begin with a roar, climbing the fridge at age 2, skiing the bunny hill at 3, and never looking back. Many of us like learning new things, but learn caution as we go along. A few become debilitated by fear: their experiences devastate their confidence.

Among Jesus' disciples, Peter was the early adopter and fearless flyer. Thomas was more cautious about accepting what he was told. Each of them found a role in God's kingdom. Jesus accepted them as they were and built character and stamina into his followers.

He can do the same for me. And for you.

What are you afraid of today? How can Jesus help you through? Start here:
1. Commit your whole self to God, fears and all.
2. Admit that you're not in control .. and never have been. We often fear what we cannot anticipate, plan for, or dominate.
3. Cast your cares on God, who knows the past, present, and future. He is big enough, smart enough, and loving enough to see us through and to make things go as He has determined they should.
4. Lodge your present fears and future hopes in God's reliability--His unchanging Goodness and Justice.
5. Live in the moment. Enjoy the day. Though it is wise to plant crops for a future harvest, anxiety about future rain or hail ruins the view of today's sprouts or a field of golden grain!
6. Be grateful. "This is the day The Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Count your blessings!

Read more:
You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. Psalm 30:3 (NIV)

*She [Wisdom] offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly. Proverbs 3:16–18

*The disciples woke Jesus up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. Luke 8:24

*For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, "Don't be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you." So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. But we will be shipwrecked on an island. Acts 27:23–25

Moravian Prayer: Master of wind, wave, and fire, we are terribly aware that the fiercest storms that threaten us can come from within rather than without. Lead us to the calm center where you are with us. In Christ’s name, Amen.

First responders

Who's the first responder at your house? Who is the person who jumps up to take care of things when milk spills, the toddler tips over, or the car gets a dent? Or, who thinks up wild schemes and forces you out of your comfort zone?

Depending if assistance is asked for, a helper can be perceived as welcome or annoying. Some people demand such control over everything in their job title that it's impossible to add to their boxed-in view of "expertise." They may do a good job or even be great at part of their work, but they'll never reach full potential because they grab on tightly, hollering, "THIS IS MINE! Back off!" Funny story: I watched a grown man stomp his foot in public just like a toddler, frustrated over something he perceived with ownership rather than partnership of ideas. Very astonishing, I admit. (And not impressive to a mother of four kids. I was happy he didn't throw himself on the floor in a tantrum. HAHA) He proved to everyone watching that he was neither a team player nor a trustworthy partner. In one instant, I lost interest in his work and the ideas he would offer me.

In contrast, creative designers come alongside with new thinking. Ideas from coworkers and alums rated as one of the best parts of my former job as alumni director. Sure, we can't always do "the dream." And many of us have to ignore "smaller" and "tightly controlled" offers to gravitate toward "bigger" thinking. God gave us such different worldviews and experiences that we benefit by valuing each other rather than shivering in fear that "our" project will be ruined by others' participation.

It's great to have someone on the team who blows our "that's-how-we've-always-done-it" out of the water. They may not be the one you scream for when the house is on fire. And not everyone reacts right away; some people need more time to ponder. Those individuals act as counterweights for impulsive go-getters who would constantly get stuck on a high wire without a balancing pole.

When your work is in the doldrums, when you feel boredom creeping in, when life as usual seems bland, find those inspiring persons. They won't mind if you tell them you probably won't use 90% of what they come up with. They love ideas for the sake of thinking and talking. They enjoy exchanging possibilities and impossibilities almost equally.
 
Jesus talked about the different ways people comprehend, embrace, or reject the gospel. He said some people never "get it." They miss the point of the gospel altogether, so the offer of salvation gets whisked away before they realize what they've missed. They're safe but blind. Others add Good News to a heaping menu of activity, only to lose it in life's shuffle. 

Yet there are a handful--oh God let us be like them--who respond wholeheartedly. Though Christian life runs against our human nature, though we don't understand God's ways, and though the journey overflows with bumps and challenges, such people open themselves to God at work. Such responders embrace the gift of faith, knowing following Jesus is not easy, not risk-free, and not comfortable. Sometimes it looks entirely different than what we planned.

And from such willing hearts comes fruit that remains to bless those around them. 

Read more:

* This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, "When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them."

But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn't see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn't hear it. 

Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced." Matthew 13:14–22 NLT