Maundy Thursday—A Holy Remembrance…

“Maundy,” or Holy, Thursday, which is the fifth day in Holy Week, represents the day before Jesus is crucified and, also, the night when we remember His celebration of The Passover Feast, or, in Christian tradition, The Last Supper, with His dearest of friends.

There is a wonderful recounting of this event in Luke’s Gospel (Luke’s “Good News”—Gospel means Good News, because IT is!!).  I’d like to pick up the story in verse 14 of Luke 22.  Will you join me?

Okay…Luke 22:14-20…

When the hour came, Jesus and His apostles reclined at the table.  And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.  For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.”

After taking the cup, He [Jesus] gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you.  For I tell you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My Body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way, after the supper He took the cup saying, “This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood, which is poured out for you.”

As I read these words, I can literally feel myself right there with Jesus and His apostles.  With the sun having gone down, perhaps no more than an hour before, the night is alive with the sounds of the many creatures stirring just outside the Upper Room, as it has been called, right there in Jerusalem—The Holy City of God.

During all of this, I can just sense the great joy Jesus is feeling.  He knew the pain He was about to suffer, but, at this point—in this very moment, it was the joy of what would soon be accomplished that was central to what He was feeling and experiencing.  I believe the author of Hebrews captured it well what he wrote in Hebrews 12:  "And let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising it’s shame, and sat down at the Right Hand of God.”

For the joy set before Him. 

Yes…great joy was being felt in THE celebration, for Jesus’—and our—JOY was about to be made complete in what He was about to do in the next many hours…

Taking up the cup and turning to those He loved so dearly, Jesus spoke of that which had never been spoken before…

…words that countless multitudes people had longed to hear...

...but never had…

This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood, which is poured out FOR YOU.

The NEW COVENANT…

…IN…

…MY…

…BLOOD.

Jesus was initiating on that night a New Covenant; a covenant wherein we, as the people of God corporate, would become literally and in reality the Bride of Jesus (His Dearly Beloved) and The Oasis (The Seventh Day Resting Place) of God's Holy Spirit.  Finally, IT would be accomplished!!  No longer would God be OUT THERE somewhere.  No!!  With—and in—This Covenant, He would take up full and complete residence within each of us and become our Immanuel, our “God with Us,” individually and, more importantly, corporately.  Can you see how utterly cataclysmic and forever-history-altering this event was going to be?  The ushering in of a New and Perfect Covenant to replace—actually, render null and void—the previous sacrificial covenant?  And Jesus was going to seal this Covenant with the shedding of His Own dear and precious Blood.  Blood that would do what the blood of bulls and goats could never do, and that is, take away sin.  It brings tears to my eyes…

Want to read a startling statement?

Um...sure.

Yeah???  Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you.

 

Here's my startling statement...

 

Jesus didn’t make atonement for my sins.

WHAT??!!

Okay...once again:  Jesus didn’t make atonement for my sins.  (I told you it'd be startling!)

Dave, Dave, Dave...Dude!!  What do you mean Jesus didn’t make atonement for your sins?  Of course Jesus made atonement for your sins—for OUR sins.  THAT, dear brother, is what the Blood of Jesus is all about!

Ummmm....(No it’s not!!!!!!)

Now...before you hall off and rap me in the mouth, please take a breath and hear me out, okay?

Okay...here we go...

Atonement is an Old Testament concept, and, try as you might—and despite our English translations—you won't find the word atone in the New Testament Greek.  In Hebraic terms, the word atone means, to cover (and that's it!), which is what the blood of bulls and goats did.  It provided a covering (of nakedness), whereby the justice of God could be satisfied, a sinner could be forgiven, and the detestable ugliness of his or her sin could be blotted out from God's Eyes, but it really did nothing for the sinner.  The atoning blood did something for God, in that it satisfied His justice, but it did little for the sinner.  It could not make that person different.

Some additional clarifications about the Blood of Jesus are needed, though.  While the sacrifice of Jesus does (And I confess it to be so!) cover sin (our nakeness), His Blood does so much more than just cover sin.  MUCH more, in fact—HALLELUJAH and THANK GOD!!  More than just satisfying the justice of God and providing a covering, the Blood of Jesus ELIMINATES sin (our naked need to be covered) and provides THE ONLY means for reconciling its cataclysmic effects.  The atoning blood of the sacrificial system, which was set up under the old covenant, COULD NOT take away sin or its effects.  But what the blood of bulls and goats was powerless to do, the Blood of Jesus accomplished.

The Vindication of God...

 

And then there’s what God did for Himself on the Cross.  The Cross became God’s great vindication…where His justice and His love came together and united in perfect harmony.  While our sin “partially” separated us from God (and I write “partially” because, though we were sinned-stained and at enmity with God, we were still a part of God’s ousia and, as such, held together by the divine substance that IS God Himself) and mounted an ever increasing, infinite debt that we could never pay, all creation (including the created beings in heaven and those banished to hell) awaited that time when God’s justice would be fully (and finally) satisfied.  That time when mankind would once and for all be destroyed by God to pay our sin debt.  For God had said in the Garden, “If you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you will surely die.”  And neither He nor the witnesses in heaven or hell had forgotten those words.

So God waited, and, as He waited, He suffered the many jeers of Satan and his legions:  “And you call yourself just and true?  You said death would come, but it hasn’t.  You are such a liar, and, by consequence, unfit to retain the Throne of God.”  God listened.  And waited.  Waited until “the fullness of time,” the scriptures, read.  When the past, the future, and the present would all “fittingly” and “ordinately” and “fully” collide at the cross, where God, Himself, would carry-out the death sentence, and, as a human Himself, become humanity’s Kinsman Redeemer, and buy back—win back—all that was lost.  ALL that was lost.  And, in the realest sense imaginable, recreate man in His Own Resurrected Image.  So that man, in looking unto His example, might become like Him in His willingness and ability to lay down His life—His own instincts for power, self-protection, and self-preservation—and, paradoxically, create the conditions for taking it up again in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen!

In Jesus, you and I have been made the righteousness of God.  And, because of that very re-creation, God and I and you can dwell together in inextricable union.  Never before, since the fall of Adam and Eve, was this even possible.  And now, because of what Jesus did for us, it is not only possible, but a very present reality.  And a reality that God intends for us to enjoy and take full advantage of.  (I'm sorry for ending that with a preposition; I think it just reads better that way.)  THIS, my friends, is what Jesus did for me and for you…

…and for you, my friend…

…and for you, my brother…

…and for you, my sister….

God’s blessings on all’y’all…

Bling

Tomorrow morning, I begin my practice of a tradition I began several years ago:  After my prayer walk, I will watch The Passion, which just completely wrecks me each time I watch it, and then head over to Duke Chapel, where I will park myself and spend most of the day soaking in God’s Presence as I listen to the organ music that wafts throughout the chapel.

Have a fabulous Good Friday, everyone, and, Lord-willing, I’ll see you soon.

Peace…

Turning...in an Aggressively Non-Aggressive Manner!!

Today, I’ve been struggling with things a little.

And I know why.

I want to be different, and, yet, it's not AT ALL in my power or grasp to bring any such things about.

And yet I still keep trying.  :o(

"Insanity" defined, I would suppose.

My focus is not where I want it.

HA!  But THAT is something I can be a part of changing...

Holy Father…I confess that my eyes have not been on You, today, and that I’ve been a little lackadaisical about inviting you to be a part of my thoughts and internal conversations.  In this moment, I‘m turning my eyes toward You and asking You to come and share my thoughts and feelings with me…and to share with me some of Yours as well!

Gracious God...Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change—which is everything in my life, the courage to let You change the thing Your Finger is on in this molment, and the wisdom to accept me just as I am—and just as You do!—and to drop completely even the smallest hint of self-aggressiveness in my life.  You, my Papa-Bear-Daddy, are the Author and Finisher of my faith, and, because of Jesus, I have become righteousness, peace, and joy in Your Spirit.  Thank You, Father, for turning my eyes toward You.  Your grace is soooo marvelous and wondrous to me,  And IT is enough.  I’ve really missed hanging out with You, today.  Please…come and be a part of every aspect of my evening.

Ah, Lord God...Yes!!  Let it be so...

My Heroes When I Was a Child

Note:  I will, in the next day or so, write a little of the why and how the folks listed below were heroes to me when I was growing up.

The Six Million Dollar Man

Billy Graham

My Dad

Mike and Edith Stohl

Jeff Ling
"Ponch"

Bruce Lee

Sonny Jorgensen

Charley Taylor

Daryl Green

Art Monk

Spider-man

Chuck Norris

Jesus Christ

Jim and Elizabeth Elliot

Chuck Yeager
Maynard Ferguson

Whenever I Think about God...

Whenever I think about God, which is basically all the time, I think of and am drawn to the historical figure, Jesus.  I am keenly interested in what your understanding is of Who this Man was (or is, if you will) Who claimed to be the infinite God in human form.  Rationally speaking, I can very much imagine an all powerful, loving, and interested God taking on a form that we could, in some ways, understand.

When I read through the Old Testament (OT), which is very often, I find the pictures of God painted in many of the texts to be confusing at times.  God’s commands to wipe out entire populations of people (men, women, and young children) are disturbing, if not downright offensive, to me.  Have any of you ever felt that way reading about some of these things?

But the OT, too, is replete with example after example of aspects of God’s character that point to His awesome and genuine Heart of loving-kindness.

The portraits of God painted by David in the Psalms are, I think, some of the most beautiful I’ve ever beheld, and I know that millions of people have been inspired similarly by such things…

Your love is better than life.—Psalm 63

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done.  The things You planned for us, no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.—Psalm 40 

Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.—Psalm 119

The Lord is my Shepherd…I shall not be in want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still and quiet waters, He resotreth my soul.—Psalm 23

The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?—Psalm 27

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I trust.”—Psalm 91

Surely goodness and loving-kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever and ever.—Psalm 23

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.—Psalm 63 

I waited patiently for the Lord.  He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit—out of the mud and mire.  He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.—Psalm 40

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth, I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations.  I will declare that Your love stands firm forever, that You established Your faithfulness in heaven itself.—Psalm 89 

My soul clings to You; Your Right Hand upholds me.—Psalm 63

By day, the Lord directs His love; at night, His Song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.—Psalm 42

In the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.—Psalm 27

And then there’s Hosea, who was commanded by God to marry a prostitute to demonstrate graphically to the Children of Israel the pain God experiences when His children turn from Him and pursue adulterous relationships with man-made gods.  For those of you who are or have been married, can you think of anything more painful or devastating than to learn that your husband or wife was or is having an affair?  Having experienced what it's like to have a spouse fall into an affair, it's hard for me to imagine anything more painful, and, yet, that is what God feels when those He loves so tenderly dessert Him and pursue other loves.

And then there’s Jeremiah, who gives great voice to the very Heart of God…

“For I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord.  “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you a hope and a future.”

I’ve wondered sometimes if part of the reason Jesus came to earth was to show us what God is really like (even at the risk of confusing us more) and, perhaps, to clear up some of our wildly divergent misunderstandings from the past.  

Throughout His teachings, Jesus sought to emphasize how important we are to God as individuals and as a family of human beings.  He sought, also, to remind us that each of us are eternal beings intended to be a part of God’s eternal family.  Central to His message, too, was the fact that we need God to do for us something that we cannot do on our own.

My understanding from my limited study of history is that Jesus lived on earth about 2,000 years ago, claimed to be God in human form, did and said things no one else ever did or said before him (or since), predicted his death and resurrection, was killed by the Romans and religious establishment of the day, rose from the dead three days later, and commissioned his friends to spread the news of God’s great love and plans for humanity.  It is my understanding, too, that many of his closest friends were murdered, not for their belief, not for patriotism, not even for a cause, but for what they’d seen:  This Jesus, who had been brutally murdered just a few days before, alive once again.  Was Jesus Who He said he was?—God in the flesh?  I believe He was, but, under my own admission, this is my belief and is not intended to be a statement of fact.  Please understand that I am not trying to convince you of anything—because I can’t.  I just want to give you a glimpse into the perspective from which I draw most of my conclusions about life, death, God, and eternity.  And, to be perfectly honest, I am very interested in understanding your perspective as well.

It was suggested to me once, many years ago, that, to find true illumination in life, I needed to give up my concept of God and of life eternal.  (By life eternal, I mean my continued existence [beyond death] and my eternal consciousness of that unique existence.)  Quite honestly, to give up my concept of God and of life eternal does not feel enlightening at all; in fact, it feels like a pathway to complete and utter despair.

And here’s why…

If there is no God or life eternal, then life has no meaning, and, as Bertrand Russell, the great atheistic philosopher and humanist wrote, “When I die, I rot.”  While I appreciate his honesty, I can think of no greater place of despair than to conclude that there is nothing more to life than this physical world.

If there is no God, life has no meaning, includes no design, and has no ultimate purpose.  If there is no God, then the notion of human life having value and dignity is a joke.  You and I are no more than just hunks of primeval slime evolved to a higher order.  You, my friend, are a good-looking accident, and that is what I am (regarding me, some might argue otherwise!).

If there is no God, then don’t talk to me about morality.  Don’t talk to me about injustice or the slaughter of innocent human beings as being absolutely wrong.  Don’t talk to me about the sex-trafficking of children being absolutely wrong.  Don’t talk to me about rape being absolutely wrong.  If there is no God, then morality is totally relative, totally subjective.  Morality is really just a matter of personal opinion.  You have your opinion, and I, of course, have mine, and mine is just as valid as yours.  Maybe you think that rape is wrong, but maybe I have an uncontrollable sex drive.  And maybe I think rape helps me to release my sex drive.  And, since there really is no right or wrong, my beliefs are just as correct as yours.  (I’m just being brutally honest here.)  Maybe you think it’s good to give, but maybe I think it’s better to get—and to get as much of whatever it is I want as possible.  For you see, my atheistic/agnostic friend, statistically speaking, I probably have no more than 60-80 years here on planet earth, and when I die, I’m not taking any of it with me.

Friends...I can think of nothing that will lead to greater despair than such a world view.  To me, living in accordance with such nonsense is, I believe, a lousy response to the evidences of created purpose, value, and design that life provides all of us.  For some of us, perhaps, we just need to wake up and smell the cosmos.

I believe in God because I have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to point to His existence.  I believe in Jesus because I believe that the evidences of His life, teachings, death, and resurrection point to His being the Truth.  And, if He is the Truth, than everything He said is true (and anything that's said that contradicts Him is a lie!), and, believe you me, I take GREAT comfort in the Truths He’s spoken.  One of those Truths, perhaps one of His most famous, is recorded in John 3:16, which reads as follows:

For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

I, my friends, take great comfort in those very Words.

The Bible teaches that God is Spirit.  Quite honestly, I’m not really sure what that means.  I do believe God intends for me to have a consciousness of Him as a Personal Being.  He doesn’t necessarily have to have a physical form on which I can focus the eyes of my mind, but I do think I need a concept of Him.  I can’t see air, but I know it’s there when I breathe or when I’m running and can feel its invisible substance as it moves past me.

I’m very invested in me as a person and in my relationship with God and with those I love in my life.  I don’t want “me” to end, you know?  Yes, someday I will die.  How much of “me” will be in the “I” that dies, I have no idea.  I believe and, I think, NEED to believe (perhaps even desperately so) that, when I die, a part of me will live on and that I will be conscious of the “me” that does live on.  Jesus spoke of heaven often.  He called it His Father’s house, and He said He would go there ahead of us to prepare a room for each one of us.  Again, I find His Words to be so very comforting.

As far as my own person hood is concerned, I do believe that I am the result of an idea birthed in the very Mind and Heart of God.  But I am an idea farther down the line than just the idea of human.  I am the unique idea of Dave, a sub-idea somewhere under the idea of human.

Jesus promised that, when we die, our souls will be united with new bodies.  What does that mean to you?  I’ve spent a lot of time observing nature.  It’s interesting, to me, that nature really has no garbage, that everything is used and reused again and again and again.  Will I, as Dave, be recycled too?  And if so, will the consciousness I have as Dave be lost in that recycling?  I don’t believe so, but, again—and I’m just being honest, here, this is probably one of my single greatest fears:  that the unique idea of Dave will be gone forever when I die.  I don’t want to lose my consciousness. 

Jesus commanded us to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  And Jesus said that loving others is just like loving God.  To love myself and my neighbor is to love God, for He is alive in all of us.  To love another is to cherish and honor that person and to wish for that person the highest good.  To love myself is to cherish and honor who I am and to wish for me the highest good, too.  And what is that haighest good?  The highest good that I can wish for me or another?  I can think of nothing greater than life eternal in the presence of a loving God, family, and good friends.  I so do not want to lose what I have in being me in my spirit and consciousness.  Do you feel these kinds of things, too? 

As much as I am in love with the Lord Jesus, and as much as I believe Him to be the Truth, I know (and God does, too) that I am quite fragile as a person and that I am one who still carries within him some very real questions about things.  I’m not sure if I’ve succeeded in painting a complete picture of the things stirring within my soul, but, it is my hope, that I have succeeded in letting you know that while I am a man of deep faith, I am, also, a man fraught with a multitude of human frailties.  When you get a chance, I would love to hear your perspective on some of what I’ve tried so very hard to put into words.  Thank you for, at least, taking the time to read through what I’ve written.

God’s peace to all of you, and may your celebrations of Holy Week, this year, draw you close in to the embracing and loving Arms of Jesus.

Your friend,

Daver

Regarding the apologetic nature of the above, I wish to express my deep gratitude to Cliff Knechtle (http://givemeananswer.org), my brother in Jesus, who was, at one time, an evangelism specialist with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship.  Cliff has had a huge impact on my life since I first met him at Virginia Tech in the spring of 1985.

Beef.…It’s NOT What’s for Dinner

Okay…for those of you who’ve known me for a while, you know I’ve had a beef allergy for about three years and have, of course, been muddling through a lactose intolerance issue for almost a decade.  Bacon double cheeseburgers, which I think are just heavenly, and shamrock shakes, which are heavenly, too, just in a chemically derived, synthetically redeemed manner, will never be a part of my diet again.

And I’m okay with that.

Have been.

Late this past fall, though, I encountered a little touchiness from several folks who, for one reason or another, found my rapidly narrowing food preferences to be a little off-putting.  So…to try to expand on what I could eat, I experimented with organic buffalo one Sunday afternoon in early January.  I was hopeful that things would go okay.

They didn’t.

Within about fifteen minutes, I started to experience a very familiar itchiness inside my ears.  I can remember thinking to myself, Dang, the moment the itchiness began.  I immediately took Benadryl to try to counter the allergic reaction, but, within a few minutes, my entire body became just one big hive.  (Jumping ahead to later, when I was in the emergency room at Durham Regional, the ER nurses kept saying stuff like, “Impressive,” as they surveyed the hives all over my body.  I’m not quite sure why they used THAT particular word, but I will grant that my hives probably were impressive.).  Needless to write, things here in my apartment got really, really uncomfortable in a very short time.

To help me pass the time (and get past my allergic reaction), I laid down for a few minutes only to get up as I began to feel my breathing deteriorate into a scratchy wheeziness.  When this kind of thing has happened before, I discovered that standing up seemed to help me feel a little better.  So that’s what I did.  And it seemed to help.  But, as my breathing improved, my mind quickly returned to my hives, which were, as I alluded to above, becoming really, really uncomfortable.  To try to take my mind off my hives, I sat at my computer and tried to write some, which I did for about a half an hour or so.  Since that seemed to work (as the itchiness seemed to subside a little during that time period), I thought that, perhaps, I was finally on the mend.

Until I stood up.

And discovered that, rather than getting better, things seemed to have gone from bad to worse—much worse, actually—as I almost lost consciousness.

Everything—and I mean, EVERYTHING—around me got really bright, and, at the same time, I began to feel myself pulling back to somewhere deep inside myself.  If you’ve never experienced such a thing before, it’s a very weird feeling.  The only other times when I’ve felt such things were when one of my training partners or opponents clocked me pretty good in the ring.  In a former life, I was involved pretty heavily in Muay Thai and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), and it was not uncommon to experience such sensations when my head and my opponent’s foot connected at precisely the right moment.  The hollow echo one feels in one's head after such an event is not particularly pleasant either, but discussions about that shall be reserved for another time and place.

Anyway…as everything went light, I remember stepping back away from my computer and putting my hand on the kitchen counter to steady myself.  I kept having this sinking feeling that something really, really wrong was happening.  And I was right.  I didn’t know it consciously at the time, but my blood pleasure was tanking…dangerously so.  I remember crying out to God and asking Him what to do.

Immediately, in my spirit, I heard, Call Chris and Kristen, which I did.  On a phone, mind you, that had not been working properly for several days.  This time, though, it worked perfectly—miraculously so.  (Yep...God’s Hand—Thank you, Father!!)

And here's another cool thing, too:  I got Kristen just as she was leaving the third service at church.  She made it to my apartment in about five minutes and drove me to Durham Regional.  Her husband, Chris, who oversees all the church tech stuff on Sunday mornings, met us at the hospital a little later.

I spent about five hours in the emergency room that afternoon as the ER staff politely monitored my condition and pumped me full of things that really did help me feel better.  I am so thankful to have the kind of care we have here in the United States.

A couple weeks later, as I was sitting in my allergist’s office, he talked with me a bit about the incident of two weeks before.  What he said shocked and scared me a little.  With a sternness that perhaps only a doctor, teacher, or parent can muster, he said that had I NOT gotten myself to the emergency room it's quite possible that someone might have found me in my apartment some several days later.

THAT got my attention!!

So...as a result of all of this, I got tested for food allergies, and, as it turns out, I am severely allergic to the following foods:

• Red meat (beef, buffalo, etc.)
• Pork
• Deer
• Sheep
• Goat
• All shellfish (EXCEPT shrimp—YES, God does love me!)

I discovered, too, that I am mildly allergic to the following foods:

• Wheat
• Oats
• Barley

Add to all of the above, my lactose intolerance, and you’ve just eliminated a good portion of the common American diet from foods available for consumption by YT (yours truly).

Bummer?

Maybe….maybe not...

I’m opting for maybe not.  And here’s why…

I now eat fish, chicken, turkey, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds in abundance, and I feel the best I’ve felt in…well, probably my whole life.  I’m 45 years old, and I can do things now that I never dreamed I could do when I was in my twenties.  Yeah, my stamina isn’t quite what it used to be, and I do experience soreness sometimes, but in terms of how I feel, I feel just pretty dang fabulous.  I love what I eat, I eat until I’m satisfied—completely (which I love!), I sleep until I no longer feel tired, I get to hike, run, bike, lift weights, stretch, kick and strike the crap out of my heavy bag, and, on occasion, even spar with a friend or two.

God is so very good to me, and I am so very grateful to have all of this really useful information, now.

I was telling some friends the other day that I have a new goal in life, and that’s this…to see all my epi pens expire each year.

Peace out, y’all,

Bling

Doing A Good Work and the Plains of "Oh No!"

For some reason, I’ve been spending A LOT of time, recently, in the Book of Nehemiah.  Even, today, as I was driving out to a job site, I pulled up Nehemiah on my cell phone and listened to someone with a British accent (which I just LOVE) read the first six chapters.  It made for a fabulous drive.

For those of you who may not be familiar with Nehemiah, Nehemiah was a prophet in the Old Testament that God raised up to help the Children of Israel to not just rebuild their community but to reestablish themselves as a people devoted to God.  If you’ve never read the book of Nehemiah, I HIGHLY recommend reading it.  It’s a wonderful story that’s just chalked full of image after image of how God comes alongside us—His people—to help us rebuild our lives and to reclaim that which was lost.  Give it a read sometime, and, if we ever get the chance to talk, I'd love to know what you think.

Okay…a little from the actual book itself…

There’s a really cool passage, at about the half-way point in the story, that I want to hone in on tonight as I kick-off the weekend.  The passage is found in Nehemiah 6:1-9, and it reads as follows:

When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not yet set the doors in the gates— Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.”

But they were scheming to harm me; so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”  Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.

Then, the fifth time, Sanballat sent his aide to me with the same message, and in his hand was an unsealed letter in which was written:

"It is reported among the nations—and Geshem says it is true—that you and the Jews are plotting to revolt, and therefore you are building the wall. Moreover, according to these reports you are about to become their king and have even appointed prophets to make this proclamation about you in Jerusalem: ‘There is a king in Judah!’ Now this report will get back to the king; so come, let us confer together.”

I sent him this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.”

They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”

But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this passage.

Doing a Good Work

How many of you can say that, in your life, you’re doing a good work?  It is my most sincere and genuine hope that ALL of you just shot your hands up quickly in response to my question.

For those few of you who didn’t, will you do me (and all of us, actually) a favor and just throw them up there any way?  As an act of faith?

Let NO ONE tell you otherwise.  YOU are doing a good work.

Do you know that doing a good work has NOTHING to do with how good or bad you think you might be or how close to or far from God you might feel in this moment?  NO!!  It has NOTHING to do with your feelings; it does, though, have EVERYTHING to do with God and His pre-planned work in and through you.   

Again, you, my dear brother or sister, are doing a good work—whatever it might be.  If you are a sincere follower of Jesus, I guarantee that YOU are doing a good work.

And that work—even in the midst of the sinful state of your soul—was ordained by God long before you were born...long before you set foot on this planet...long before your Mom and Dad even knew each other.

It’s true, my friends.  ABSOLUTELY true.

In Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul writes, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

You, as a blood-bought, child of the Most High God, are His workmanship.  And you have been created to do good works, which, as Paul wrote, God—and NOT you—created (or prepared) in advance for you to do.

In Philippians 2:13, which was also penned by Paul, we read, For God is at work within you both to will and to do His good pleasure.

In this very moment, God is working in you and in me to give us the desire and the ability to do that which pleases Him.  He’s the Author of it—all of it—from the beginning to the end.  From the very first spark of desire all the way to the actual doing of that which pleases Him.  And it's THAT very thing, my friends, that comprises “the good work” that God, in direct partnership with you, is up to in your life.

The Nehemiahs and the Sandballats, Geshems, and Tobiahs

God has a brilliant and wonderful plan for your life...right now, in this very moment, as well as globally, meaning, over the entire course and breadth of your life.  Despite how “sinful” you might feel—and we are ALL dreadfully sinful—because of God’s grace, He is working in and through you to accomplish something grand.

While there will be some in your life, like Nehemiah, whom God will bring alongside to train, mold, support, encourage, correct, and challenge you, there will be many, too, who, when you encounter them, will do nothing but try to thwart that which God wishes to accomplish in and through you.  These people—and, sometimes, he or she might, actually, live right inside you (or me!)—are, what I like to call, "The Sanballats and Tobiahs of Life," who, it would seem, wish only to distract you and I from that which God has ordained for us.

Have you learned to recognize them yet?  If not, ask God to help you begin to do just that, and He will.

You are doing a good work, my friends.  A GREAT work, in fact.  Keep it up, and keep at it, okay?  Despite what some might tell you, you ARE doing a good work.  I urge you to follow the example of Nehemiah and resist the Sanballats and Tobiahs when they poke at you…when they goad you...and try to coax you to “Come…meet together…on the plain of Ono.”  When such things happen, may something within you rise up and say, “The Plain of Ono?  OH NOOOO!!...ABSOLUTELY NOT!!  I'm carrying on a great project, here, and can't go down.  Won't go down.  Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down and meet with you?” And, if they persist, resist all the more, knowing that God  will “strengthen [your] hands” in response to your asking Him to do so.

If there's one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s this:  And that is that God loves me and that being in the center of His purposes and plan for my life is the happiest, safest, most fruitful place on earth.

Stay the course, my friends, and hang in there, okay? When tempted to leave your post, stay where you are in your Father's Hands, stand your ground, and resist any urges to dessert the great work you and He are doing together.

To help in times of crisis, consider adopting the following slogan:  Beware the plains of “OH NO!”  I've found such a thing to be immeasurably helpful in my own life.  May you as well.

Prayers falling your way, y'all...

Dave

And then There Were Five, and God Said, “These Are for You, My Friend!”

1. Go out of your way to be the first to greet another—be it a friend or a total stranger; be the first to smile and say "hello."  Greet people properly:  smile, look them in the eye, and speak clearly, genuinely, prayerfully, and playfully.  Smile before you answer the phone or before someone even says “hello” to you.  Go out of your way to acknowledge the person waiting on you in a restaurant or in the check-out line at the grocery store.  Learn—and remember—his or her name.  When someone comes in to your office, stop what you’re doing—immediately (unless you’re on the phone)—and give that person your full time and attention.  Respond to everyone with an almost overwhelming kindness, respect, dignity, and compassion.
2. Be super-expressively grateful, and open yourself up to those around you—almost to a point that’s pretty much unheard of in our culture.  But do so in a manner that is sensitive to others, though.  Be open, but kindly.  And respectful, too.  WRITE…with all your heart and mind, and let loose what’s inside you.  Tell of God's Goodness and Love, and share who you are with as many people as possible.  Speak the truth (or what you know or believe to be the truth) in kindness with everyone (even yourself), all the time, in every situation, and without hesitation.
3. Enjoy people, build friendships with a patient relentlessness and unquenchable resiliency, and tell those you love how much you love them and what they’ve meant to you in your life—even when they don’t love you in return, for Love does not consider not being loved in return all that big of a deal.  When communicating with another, stop thinking about what you’re going to say while that person is speaking.  Take the time, instead, to really listen and absorb what’s being said (or what that dear one wishes to say).  Then, after that person feels that he or she has been heard AND understood, think about what you might like to say.  Dine on your conversations with others.  Sip—don’t gulp-their soul’s wine.  It will change your life, dude.  And theirs, too! 
4. Create missional culture by living it and by inviting those you love to practice such things with you.  Pursue Acts 2 community living within the newhope community…and in Haiti-Kenya-Durham—where you and your heart live!
5. Pray for people on the spot and whenever they come to mind, for prayer is and will always be your first, middle, and final work, Dave.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.—Acts 2:42-47

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer 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.  For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.  Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.  If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.  Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.   Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.  If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  On the contrary:  “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.—Romans 12

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.—1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.—2 Corinthians 9:8

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.—Galatians 5:22-23

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.—Ephesians 4:15-16

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.—Philippians 4:4-8

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.   Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.—Colossians 3:12-17

Be joyful always; pray continually;  give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18