So, in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.                                   Matthew 7:12

“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.                                                              Galatians 2:19

I have always thought that Jesus was a “lightning rod” for public opinion and criticism. What I mean by that is, people are not really neutral about Jesus. One is forced to take a side and have an opinion when it comes to Jesus. You love his message and live it out, or you reject his message and live a self-directed life.

During his ministry, Jesus did not shy away from controversy. He challenged people in the way that they looked at God. That is, you love God by loving other people. He called out the religious leaders of the Jews and explained to them very clearly how they had missed the mark. Specifically, he did not like religious leaders who leaned into the letter of the Law to the exclusion of those for whom the Law was written.

People who rigidly favored strict interpretation of the Law over the needs of people were singled out by Jesus as examples of those who had missed the mark. Many parables of Jesus remarked about the failure of those leaders to love others. Those leaders then justified their behavior by the letter of the Law. They had failed to see why the Law was even written.

When I wrote my novels about Joseph Shepherd, I saw him as a type of Jesus. That is, when he showed up in 17^th and 19^th century history, he was treated by people as shabbily as Jesus was treated in the first century. That happened because people either loved or hated Joseph Shepherd. Eventually, Shepherd was persecuted by his contemporaries, even though he loved people, served them, and always tried to live by a moral code. Because of that, he was reviled and rejected by those who perhaps felt judged by his very presence.

So, let’s think of Jesus as the radical that he was. He challenged mainstream Judaic Law with the true fulfillment of it. Because of that, he was rejected, and ultimately crucified.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see past the barriers that stop us from showing love to others, Amen

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.                     Romans 15:13

I had a dear friend named Denny Mikel who passed away several years ago. Denny was a mentor to me, and I remember one day when he told me a story about what he felt he had heard God clearly say to him. It was nothing earth shattering or strange. No momentous challenge or “special revelation”. It was just this- Trust Me.

That was his guiding light to a simple faith. Trust Me. I often think about that as I wonder about things that I do not understand. Believe me, there are a lot of things I do not understand about how God works, or the faith journey we are called into.

I think maybe that simple phrase, Trust Me, pretty much sums up a faith journey that we are never going to puzzle out on our own. God delights in our trust, not our ability to figure everything out. Yes, God has given us amazing mental capacity, the ability of performing abstract thought, and this amazing thing called sentience which allows us to be truly aware of our own presence and existence. Yet, the thing that pleases God, and gives us rest and peace is just that simple phrase…

Trust Me

Prayer: Lord, I trust you, Amen

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will                                                       Romans 12:1-2

On Ash Wednesday, of course, many Christians will go to a church service where ashes are imposed on their forehead. In Old Testament times, when people mourned or were in a state of repentance and humility, they often wore “sackcloth and ashes”. That appearance was a reflection of an inward condition. Wearing ashes and sackcloth let others know that one was experiencing some inner reflection, even turmoil.

Wearing ashes in public after Ash Wednesday service makes a statement. Others will be able to see this outward sign of personal devotion or submission. They will see that the wearer has decided to make public their inner faith.

In the times of Jesus, the Pharisees (a subset of Jewish adherents) often were very public in making it known that they had been fasting. They would make their faces pale with chalk or other whitening agents to give the impression of suffering. Their need for external approval was the exact opposite of the intent of fasting.

Only we as individuals know our own heart and our intentions in this preparation for Easter. Ash Wednesday is a good start for this preparation. May this Lent be a time of renewal and honest assessment of our own condition.

Prayer: Lord, renew us in this Lenten season, Amen

Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?                                                        Matthew 16:24-26 (The Message)

Yesterday I spoke about fasting and the idea that it is an exercise to get us in touch with the passion and death of Jesus. It puts us in mind of our mortality. Even in the start of the Lenten season, Ash Wednesday, there is a reminder that our time on earth is limited.

As we make decisions on what to fast for Lent, we should be in mind of this- simply giving something up, or denying ourselves of a certain pleasure is only half of the equation. The small act of giving something up, as noble as that may appear, is insufficient in our quest to get in touch with the true experience of Lent. We need to fill in the blank that is left by the omission of the practice we just gave up.

Nature abhors a vacuum. When there is no practice or behavior put into place by what we have omitted, the thing we have fasted or given up loses some meaning. For example, if we decide to give up the pleasure of chocolate for Lent (no small sacrifice, I might add), we need to fill in that void by making a positive gesture in its place. If I were to spend about $1.25 for a candy bar a few times per week (yes, I might do that- don’t judge), then I should earmark that amount of money toward a good project for the benefit of others. That way, my little sacrifice benefits others, it does not simply give me a sense of well-being that I have denied myself that pleasure.

The idea of making our little sacrifice a benefit to others is the essence of the run-up to the Cross of Good Friday. So, consider how that little sacrifice we make for Lent can be used for the benefit of others.

Prayer: Lord, give us discernment as we consider our Lenten mindset, Amen

“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.                                     Matthew 6:16-18 (The Message)

Lent is coming up this week as we celebrate Ash Wednesday on February 22. Interesting that Ash Wednesday falls on that date, because February 22 is my mother’s birthday. My mother was a devout Catholic, and she observed the church’s rules on Lenten fasting. I know that she also added her own extra fasting rules and did not proclaim these to others. She just had her own disciplines, and she adhered to them rigidly, all in the name of “offering it up to God” for the sake of her family and others. That was her mindset until the day she died.

During Lent, Christians are often encouraged to fast (that is, to give up for a period of time) certain foods, pleasures, or practices in order to prepare for the celebration of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Ash Wednesday calls to mind, with the imposition of ashes, that “from dust we came, and to dust we shall return”. The reminder of course, we are all going to die.

Preparing for death is not something that inspires our best energies. Better I think to consider it another way. So, since we have limited time on earth, how do we redeem that time in the best possible way? How do we live out our faith in the example that Jesus taught us? How can we bring heaven to earth even in a small way? In other words, the big question is, how do we choose to live?  

In the next few days, I will share some more thoughts on fasting and Lent. I hope you stay tuned…

Prayer: Lord, during this Lenten season, help us to prepare our hearts in meaningful ways, Amen

A particular perspective is a particular way of thinking about something, especially one that is influenced by your beliefs or experiences.

Collins Dictionary

I was speaking with a couple the other day and we were discussing their marriage. I had talked with them two weeks earlier, and they had been making progress in their relationship, treating each other with more understanding, respect and patience. In this session, they talked about how the prior week up to this session, they had been arguing, and they wondered how it could be that they were not agreeing on anything.

It struck me that they were concentrating on the past week, and that they had discounted the progress they had made in the months earlier. I told them that from my perspective, the past week had been a blip on the screen, and that they had somehow managed to not remember that overall, they had been doing better- doing the homework I suggested, feeling accountable for new behaviors, etc.

I reminded them that it is easy to forget, in the present moment, the big picture. Overall, they were doing better. I asked them not to make the past week the benchmark of their progress. I used the example of perspective. I often put my hand right in front of my face, and all I can see is a dark blob of flesh. I have a very small and bleak picture if I concentrate on that.

However, as I move my hand away from my face, my perspective changes, and my view gets much wider. I can see the whole picture, and my hand is just a small part of the view.

So it goes also with our recency bias. We tend to be prisoners of the moment sometimes. Take a look at a broader picture, and it probably looks a lot brighter!

Prayer: Lord, help us to see perspective when we get bogged down in the moment, Amen

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts”                                                                                          John Wooden

I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching                                                                                  Proverbs 4:2

John Wooden, for those that may not know him, was the Hall of Fame basketball coach of UCLA. He won 10 national championships with UCLA, the first coming in his 18^th season of coaching. Between 1964 and 1975, Wooden’s UCLA team won 10 of the 12 national championships, seven of them consecutively. He is known for his insightful and meaningful quotes, as well as a genuine faith and an incredible coaching ability.

This quote above gives insight into his humility and wisdom. We all need to be lifelong learners, and that takes humility. Keeping our minds and hearts open to new things is especially important these days. None of us has the corner on truth or knowledge, but that humble and open pursuit of truth and wisdom is what counts.  

As I am open to the leading of the Holy Spirit in the pursuit of God’s daily plan, I am open to learning things that I currently do not know. A guy who toiled for 18 coaching season before his first championship shows discipline, tenacity and perseverance. He also kept learning.

I think John Wooden was on to something.  This is a guy who won his first championship at age 54. His best professional years were ahead of him at age 54.

I like John Wooden.

Prayer: We are open to learning your ways daily. Thank you for giving that daily instruction, Amen.

“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’                                                    Matthew 25:45 (The Message)

“Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I’ll be there.”                                                                                               Matthew 18:18-20 (The Message)

I heard a story from a client recently whom I had challenged to attend an AA meeting. He knows that he is an alcoholic- at least now he does. It took a trip to the hospital Intensive Care Unit to convince him, but he knows that he is an alcoholic.

However, it was not solely my recommendation to attend AA that convinced him to attend a meeting. It was the behavior of another man in recovery who won him to the AA community. This man offered to talk with my client day or night, whenever he needed to call. He offered to drive from his home (not geographically close), if necessary, to help my client whenever he might need it.

Such behaviors are those of people who care about and understand the needs of others. They become interested in the needs of fellow travelers on this journey which often includes some rough detours.

The Church is where we find it. It is not one denomination, nor a building, nor a system of religious practices and worship. Church happens where need meets loving compassion in the name of our Creator.

Church is at an AA meeting; a support group; a funeral home; a Hospice Center- it is wherever loving compassion is shown by sacrificial service.

That’s where church is.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the plan to love you by loving others, Amen

Some of my readers followed a serialized version of my first historical novel, Joseph Shepherd, a story set in 17^th century England and America. Imagine Jesus, or someone sent from heaven, who lands on Earth in the 17^th century. He meets and influences the towering figures of the entire Enlightenment era, changes the course of history, gets involved in amazing discoveries and rebellions, heals people in curious ways, and for his efforts gets persecuted and arrested.

That book is now available as a Kindle edition at Amazon. But the news I want to share is that the sequel Joseph Shepherd, The Adventure Continues, is now available at Amazon also. The sequel finds the character, Joseph Shepherd, showing up in 19^th century America. His adventure takes him through the Civil War, and he is a first-hand witness to three presidential assassinations. Along the way, once again, he meets leading world figures in science, industry, and the military world.

Both books are historical novels and they portray history in a way that makes one think about “what could have been”. You can follow Shepherd and his traveling companion through their great adventures. In the end, you get what may be a shocking ending.

So, if you have read the original Joseph Shepherd, thank you.  If you want the “rest of the story”, pick up Joseph Shepherd, The Adventure Continues.  

Kindle and paperback editions are available now at www.amazon.com.

I trust that the books will enlighten your knowledge of history, will entertain you, and will give you a spiritual lift as you see a man of God do work that he was sent to do.

Enjoy!

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

II Timothy 4:18 (NIV)

The Golden Gate Bridge began construction in 1933, with an estimated cost of $35 million dollars. In those days, the estimate was that there would be one construction death per one million dollars spent. Therefore, planners assumed that about 35 men would accidentally die during construction of the bridge.

The builder and designer, Joseph Strauss, decided that this project would not cost the lives of 35 men. He decided to install a safety net underneath the bridge to catch any unfortunate construction worker who may fall. Not only was this a great humanitarian concept, it led to greater efficiency. Workers could now concentrate more on the job of welding, riveting, and all the other tasks of building a bridge. The project came in under budget and ahead of schedule. Eleven men did die during construction- ten in one unfortunate situation where an entire platform fell and the net could not hold that weight. Nineteen other men fell into the net and were saved. Overall, the net indeed saved many lives.

I used this analogy with a client the other day about God’s provision for us. He wants us to feel secure in his love because he has paid the price for our salvation. We don’t need to hang onto our relationship with him- He is holding us!

Prayer: Thank you for the plan to hold us, rather than our meager efforts to hang on to you, Amen.