A Place For The God-Hungry

Tip of the Week

Ask people questions.  Your questions communicate a genuine interest in another's life.

Perhaps you've seen or even been a part of a moment like this.  Friends get together who haven't seen one another in a long time.  One person is asking questions about the other's life:

"OK---now tell me about your job."
"What do you really enjoy about what you do?"
"What do you find most stressful?"
"Now tell me about this place where you are living!"
"Wow--that is interesting.  What do you enjoy most about that part of the state?"

Meanwhile, the other person never asks his friend any questions, other than a limp question such as "So, how's it going?"  So throughout the conversation,  one person talks while the other listens.  One person expresses a genuine interest in his friend while that friend shows no real interest in the other's life.   

Some people do not ask questions because they think, "I know all about that person already."  Really?  Perhaps you are thinking in terms of information.  Yet, these questions are not just about exchanging information.  Your questions reflect that you really care how the other feels and what he or she thinks.  Your questions communicate that your relationship to that person, whether friend or family member, is important to you.

Today, you might observe your own behavior with a friend, family member, or even a fellow worker.  Do you ask questions which reflect that you care about another's thoughts or feelings?  Even more important, do you ask questions that reflect a genuine interest in your relationship with that person?

Pay Attention

Today, I am off.  Am I ever glad!

This has been a long week.  (Yes, I remember that Monday was Labor Day.  But--even a "short" week can end up being very long.)

Lots of people.
Lots of tasks.
Some frustration.
Some disappointment.
Moments of joy.
Moments of satisfaction.

Today, I need to be attentive to replenishing.  I've learned to pay attention to what I'm sensing.  I've learned to not ignore tiredness.  Oh, I used to.  I thought that if I was very tired, it was important to just keep working hard.  Of course sometimes that may be necessary.  However, to ignore a warning sign is not the wisest thing to do.

It's sort of like the person who is driving and  sees that he is low on gas.  What is he going to do?  He can stop as soon as he sees a place with gasoline and refuel.  Or, he can do what many people do and see how long he can go on empty.

I think I'll refuel today.  I really don't care to see how long I can go on empty.

For me, refueling today will mean a combination of things:

• Reading my Bible and praying.
• Reading a portion of Darryl Tippen's book,  Pilgrim Heart: The Way of Jesus in Everyday Life.
• Working out.
• Doing something completely unrelated to my normal workday (got it planned).
• Doing something enjoyable with Charlotte this evening.
• Talking with a friend on the telephone (started doing that last night).
• Reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee.
• Watching a football game sometime this weekend.

Nothing profound.  Nothing earthshaking. 

Yet, I've learned to be attentive to what is happening in my life.  I've learned to be attentive to where I am with my thinking, with my emotions, and with my body.  Paying attention to where you are and then dealing with it is not selfishness.  Rather, it is a part of good stewardship or management of the "self" God has given you.

When our children were small, I tried to be very attentive to them.  We played together a lot.  But--there were times when I would tell them that I was about to go on a short run and we would play more when I got back.  I can remember telling them, "I will be a more fun Daddy if I can run first."  I would get back from the run refreshed and we would play.  Now obviously there were times when we played whether I needed a nap or a short run or not.   However, I did want them to see that I took care of myself and they benefited.

Pay attention today and deal with where you are today so you can prevent completely running out of gas later.  I've learned this the hard way.  Maybe you have too.   

Places I've Been

Gordon MacDonald writes a very good article on patience.  I've been blessed for many years through his writing. 

Pictures that lie at CNET. Interesting.

Regent College Bookstore has a very good blog which some might find helpful for keeping current of new books, etc.  You can find it here.  Regent College (Vancouver, B.C.) has a fine bookstore and one of the best audio collections.   Both books and audio can be ordered on-line.

A good piece by John Alan Turner on the woman at the well.  This post gives me renewed appreciation for this story.

Andre Agassi's goodbye remarks.  What a moving moment!

From Wade Hodges, I learned about this link to People Groups.  A very interesting site!  A lot of information could be gathered here about your area.

Did you read the conversation I had with the gentleman in his 20's called, "God Works in Difficult Places (child of divorce)?"

Short quote from Brennan Manning regarding what causes atheism from Dying Church.  Worth thinking about.  Manning has caused me to think ever since I read his wonderful book, The Ragamuffin Gospel.

Some good comments on procrastination at Seek Him.  I suspect many of us deal with this one.

A nice piece on Security from Bill Williams.  I want to remember that my security is found in Jesus alone.

Staying at Home

Last night, Charlotte and I were taking the trash cans to the road.  The garbage pick-up guys come this morning.  For some reason, as we walked in the darkness back toward the garage, I said, "You know, we don't have little children anymore."

Every once in a while, I long for the days when they were little.  When we were all together in our house.  I've known other people who every once in a while begin to feel wistful about the home in which they grew up.  They say that on occasion they would like to go back home and be a kid again.

In Lynn Anderson's book Longing for a Homeland, Lynn reminds us that home is not a place.  Nor, is it a people.  After all, people don't stay with us.  Children grow up.  Others eventually die.  Yet, many of us wonder if we can't come to a place in life where just the right relationships with people will do away with loneliness forever.  He quotes Henri Nouwen (one of my favorite writers):

We desire to break out of our isolation and loneliness and enter into a relationship that offers us a sense of home, an experience of belonging, a feeling of safety, and a sense of being well connected.  But...when we are lonely and look for someone to take our loneliness away, we are quickly disillusioned.  The other, who for a while may have offered us an experience of wholeness and inner peace, soon proves incapable of giving us lasting happiness, and instead of taking away our expectation that another human being will fulfill our deepest desires, the pain grows even greater when are confronted with the limitations of human relationships.  (Nouwen, Here and Now, pp. 124-125)

Do you relate to this?  I look back to wonderful memories:

• When Charlotte and I were with a young church and everything seemed so fresh and new.
• The sound of my grandmother (Searcy, Arkansas) humming and singing at 4:30 AM as she cooked her breakfast.  As I write this, I can almost smell bacon and eggs.
• Hearing a screen door slam behind us as we walked out of the house with my grandpa (Monticello, Arkansas).  It was December and usually cold.  We were about to get in his pickup truck and head toward the fireworks stand.
• Being with our small children at Christmas.  Hearing their laughter.
• Being with some of our closest friends in times that seemed less complicated.
  

What happens?  Well--people grow up.  They move.  They die.  Things change.

These moments never stay the same.  I've learned they are like snapshots.  These moments are here and then they are gone.

The one home that remains is the presence of God.  Or as Lynn writes,

...home--real home--can be anywhere, any time.  Home is not so much being present somewhere as it is a presence that can go with us everywhere.  And yes, oh yes, it is still wonderfully possible to get back home again.  (Anderson, p. 122)

Today, I want to live with a sense of God's presence--my real home. He will be with me everywhere.  I will never be more at home than when I am with him and he is with me.   He is unchanging.  His love is perfect.  In his presence, I can always be home.

Creek Bottom Faith #4

For some reason, I still remember the sound of the radio voice.  It was summer in Kansas City (Missouri).  It was hot and humid.  I left the office about noon en route to Office Depot.  My car had been sitting in the sweltering sun all morning.  I was driving down  Oak Park Trafficway, listening to the radio, and pulled into the parking lot of the Office Depot.  Just as I turned into the lot, a commercial for a certain brand of ice tea came on.  The announcer talked about how wonderful this tea was and he poured it over ice.  I could hear the crackle of the ice through my speakers.  Then he sipped the tea and the next sound was:

Ahhhhhhhhhhh

Now that was the sound of relief, enjoyment, and satisfaction.   I almost immediately thought, "I have got to have something to drink!"

When the "creek is dry" (your life or mine), it is natural to want relief.  The question is, "What will satisfy?"  The Psalmist writes:

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  (Ps. 63:1)

This writer is convinced God himself will satisfy.  In fact, he goes on to say "My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods..." (63:5)

OK.  Not so quick.  I don't know that all of us are necessarily sure that God himself will deliver us from this dryness.  I'm not so sure all of us (I'm referring now to Christian people) are convinced that God himself satisfies.

Some of us are addicted to self.  "If I could just get what I want, then  I would find satisfaction."  Mark Galli writes,

We are addicted to self like some are addicted to alcohol.  One small drink leads to two, two leads to four, four can lead to drinking binges.  And with each drink, it is more and more difficult to get control of oneself; the alcohol skews one's judgment and sabotages the will.  The more one drinks, the harder it is to stop, the harder it is to hear people telling you that you must stop.  Any alcoholic--anyone addicted to anything will tell you that.  How much more for those addicted to a self-centered existence. (Mark Galli, Jesus Mean and Wild, p. 97)

Some of us thirst not for God but for his gifts.  Some of us thirst not for God but for a feeling we would like to have.  Some of us thirst not for God but nevertheless desire to use to him to get what we want.  After all--we live a self-centered existence.

Stephen Charnock wrote in his 17th century class, The Existence and Attributes of God, the following (forgive the older English):

A heart quickly flitting from God makes not God his treasure; he slights the worship and therein affronts the object of worship.  All our thoughts ought to be ravished with God; bound up in him as in a bundle of life; but when we start from him to gaze after every feather, and run after every bubble, we disown a full and affecting excellency, and a satisfying sweetness in him.  When our thoughts run from God, it is a testimony we have no spiritual affection to God...

Bottom line--In God himself, there is a satisfaction that can be found nowhere else.  Maybe the question is, "Do I look to God with my thirst, trusting that he, himself, will satisfy?  Or, am I still focused on myself, thinking that if I could only have what I desire, then life would be good?"

I'm Thankful

Labor Day weekend is over.  I'm ready for the next one.   I could get used to long weekends.  And today...

I'm thankful

Saturday evening, we were with friends.  A good meal and then we --OK, two of us--watched bits and pieces of three different football games (the first day of football season).  It was a good evening.   We enjoyed just being with friends and catching up with one another's lives.

We talked with both of our girls this weekend on the telephone.  Jamie in Oklahoma City, Ok.  Christine in Murfreesboro, Tn.  I was reminded again of how blessed we are to have two daughters who love us.

Yesterday morning, Charlotte and I went to Panera Bread.  Drank coffee, ate a roll, and read the newspaper with no pressure to be anywhere at anytime.  (When is the next holiday like Labor Day?)   Later, we returned home and worked around the house.

Last evening, we were with other friends and their children and grandchildren.  Again--a nice evening.  Good food.  Laughter.  Most of all, being with good people who we like and care about.

I really am thankful.  I'm thankful for moments of pleasure.  Being with my wife.  Being with friends.  Opening day of football season.  A nice meal.  A good cup of coffee.  The energy and innocence of lots of little children running around.  Working around the house.  Seeing a garage look better.  Sitting at Panera Bread, reading the newspaper. 

I take none of that for granted.  I thank God for these small but important moments in life.

Tip of the Week

When in conversation with another person, use that person's name.  When searching for the right words, don't forget to use his/her name.

Recently, I thought about a very nice conversation I had with a gentleman not long ago.  I remembered some remarks he made to me.  It's interesting.  The remarks I thought about had my name at the beginning of the sentence.  "Jim, I think you have a good point...."

My name (like yours) is special.  It is the only name I have and is a very important part of my identity.  My name is personal.  I react differently to hearing my name than other words I might hear.

Have you ever had an experience like this?  You come across a person in the mall or Target who you met elsewhere a few months ago.  The person says, "Hello (your name)."  You talk for a few moments and then you go on with your errands.  But--as you walk away, you immediately think, "She knew my name!  She remembered my name from a few months ago."

I'm not talking about a gimmick or a technique.  People see through such insincerity eventually.  I'm talking about showing a genuine interest in other people by taking the time and trouble to learn a person's name and then using it.

You might say, "Well I'm not good with names."  OK.  But don't give up on this.  Not yet.

When I meet someone (Like many of you, I meet a number of people each week, especially visitors at our church), I write that person's name down if at all possible.  Writing the name down helps me to remember.  Also, if I see that person across the room and still don't have the name, I usually ask someone else to help me with that person's name.   This may seem obvious to some of you.  I am just trying to stress that making an effort is important.

If I see that person again and I still don't have the name, I might as him again.  Usually, I will smile and say something like, "Now I met you not long ago and I really want to get your name down.  Will you help me again?"

I have found that most people are more than willing to give you their name again--and again.  This is especially true if they see that you are genuinely interested in knowing their name.  In fact, many people will appreciate the effort you are making.

I once knew a person who seemed to make little effort, if any toward learning people's names.  She would constantly meet people and address them with, "Hey there!"   

Yes, there will be many times when you or I will not remember a name.  But--we don't have to settle for "Hey there!" 

A name really matters to the person who owns it.

Ever Feel Taken For Granted?

Silly question.  Like so many of us, I suspect you do.  Being taken for granted is the sense that you are really not appreciated or valued.

Maybe you've felt taken for granted by:

• Your spouse.  Perhaps the "thank you's" are rare, while the complaints are being expressed far too often.
• Your children.  A child shows little appreciation for what you've done for him but complains strongly when you have not done exactly what he wants.
• Your parents.  Maybe they show little interest in who you are as a person. 
• Your friend.  You are the one who usually initiates anything that you do together. 
• Your company.  You have high standards for your work but do not feel appreciated by those for whom you work.
• Your church.  You have served in a variety of roles with little thanks. 

What would God's list look like?  This morning, I think about how often he is taken for granted.  I think about how often I take him for granted.  At this moment, I would like to step in and declare that I am a very grateful person.  Grateful to God for every breath he has given me.  But--that wouldn't be true.  Far too often I have taken God for granted.

Not good.   

After all, I certainly don't like being taken for granted.  Yet, this happens to most of us and maybe quite often.  I can brood about this or just accept that even God experiences this.

Maybe by the grace of God, I can do what God does.  After all, he does not take his creation for granted but continues to love and sustain us each day.  I don't want to take people for granted either.

• I don't want to take the woman at the cleaners for granted.
• I don't want to take the clerk at Target for granted.
• I don't want to take my wife or children for granted.
• I don't want to take the Crestview church for granted.
• I don't want to take God's gifts for granted.
• I don't want to take God himself for granted.

I don't want to take my life or the people in my life for granted because that is so unlike God.

Tomorrow, our daughter Christine will have been married one year.  She married a wonderful young man, Phillip.   They  are both committed Christ-followers.  I take none of that for granted.  And---I don't want to ever take them for granted.  I want to appreciate Christine and Phillip and be thankful for who they are.  It is important that they hear that I appreciate them.  It is not enough to just think about it.

People are not mind readers.  If I appreciate someone, I really need to tell them.  Far too many people rarely hear a word of appreciation from their parents, their children, their church, etc.  How does that change?  It begins in my little corner of the world.

Today, I want to be grateful to God for who he is and for the many good moments I will experience today. 

Today, I want several people in my world to hear the words, "Thank you."

(I am also wondering, why do churches often seem to take people for granted?  Why is it that in some churches people rarely hear a "thank you"?  Maybe I'm off here, but I sense there are many in churches who really don't feel appreciated.)

 

Keep It Simple--Life is Complicated Enough

Yesterday, about mid-afternoon, I noticed that I was down.  Low.  Not real low, but low.  On a scale of one to ten, I was about a five. 

Now I don't often notice these things right away.  But, for some reason I did yesterday.  I took a quick inventory of my thought world.  Hmmm. There were a couple of negative, troubling situations I had been dwelling on. It's interesting that just being able to identify these and then put them in perspective actually helped the way I felt.  I think it was actually better to recognize what was behind a low feeling than to go throughout the day unaware.

Some people experience very little joy in their life with Jesus.   For some, that may be due to what is going on in their head regarding Jesus.  I wonder if some don't feel burdened by it all, thinking that Jesus is basically measuring their lives against a list:  "101 Things Jesus Wants Done Today."  Of course, no matter how hard they try, they never measure up.  (But then there are people who do believe they measure up.  "We've got it right."  That is another story...)

Jesus once warned a group of people that their approach to God could be described as "straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel" (Matthew 23:24).  In other words, when they were about to eat their bowl of soup they became really concerned about a gnat in the soup.  In the meantime, a big hairy camel had his leg in the middle of the bowl.  They were ignoring what was big and obvious.

At this point, let's stop.  Think about how you will live today.  Will you focus on the gnats or will you be attentive to what is much larger?  Will you focus on what is really important to Jesus today?  Jesus told the people of his day that they needed to be attentive to the "weightier matters of the law" such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matt. 23:23).  Earlier in the same book he spoke of the two most important commandments of the law:  Love God--Love People (Matt. 22:37-40). 

Right now, I am at my desk at home.  It is early morning and I am enjoying a cup of coffee.  Soon, I will begin to get ready for work.  First, I want to think about how I am going to approach the day.

Today, will I focus on the things Jesus said were most important?  Or, will I get bogged down with lesser matters?

A few suggestions:

• Don’t start with a list (101 Things Jesus Wants Me to Do Today).  Start with what is located at the center--the most important matters.

•Love God.  Love people.  Practice the weightier matters – justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

•Then, look at the rest of Scripture in light of these priorities.

Today, I don't have to complicate life.  Life is complicated enough on its own.  I want to keep what is most important to Jesus front and center in my life.  He has enabled me through his Spirit to do anything he wants done, especially the things that are most important to him.   

Jesus has given me great clarity about what it means to live as a human being.  He has a way of simplifying what I want to complicate. 

I'm glad he's in charge.

 

Creek Bottom Faith #3

He looked in the mirror and realized that in the middle of the night, he had received a haircut!

Remember the story of Samson (Judges 16)?  Part of his vow to God was to not cut his hair.  However, the Philistine woman, Delilah, wore him down and he finally told her the secret of his strength.  So, in the middle of the night when he was asleep, she cut his hair.  And--he lost his strength.  He ignored his covenant with God (symbolized by the vow he made regarding his hair) and lost his strength.

Recently, I began a short series about dryness.  What does it mean to be dry?  How do I move on?  I mentioned that during these summer months (105 degrees the other day under this Texas sun), I noticed that the creek behind our house had dried up.  In some places it was cracked.  I can think of times when such a description fit me.  There have been periods of time when I have been dry and didn't even realize it until later.  Perhaps you can relate as well.

Whenever I experience a period of dryness, I need to ask at some point, "Have I ignored the covenant I made with God?"  Of course, that is not always true.  But--I do think the question ought to be asked at some point.  In other words, maybe a place to begin is repentance.   Maybe I need to take a good look at myself.

Yet, sometimes, this is the last place I might look.  Perhaps it is like an alcoholic who sees a number of sources for her problems--except one.

Darryl Tippens, in his fine book Pilgrim Heart, writes:

Our inability to confess our obvious and hidden failures greatly damages our spiritual lives and our credibility.  Our witness rings hollow.  Our carefully packaged faith that hides faults haunts us and angers others.  When things go awry, as they will, it becomes second nature to blame others rather than take responsibility.  Thus, Christians can reside in communities where the truth is rarely spoken and where disappointment, bitterness, cynicism, and anger simmer for years.  Finally the day comes when the frustration explodes.  Nearly everyone is surprised at the intensity of the blow-up.  What happened and why?

Often the explosion is the inevitable consequence of Christians not telling the truth of their lives--their hurts over their troubled marriages, the disappointment with parents and children, their sadness and anger over harsh and unfair words spoken at church, the chronic pain of a dysfunctional relationship at work. Mark it down.  A Christian who is not confessional is in peril--a danger to himself and to the community (p. 100).

Perhaps during a period of dryness, when the bottom of the creek is parched and cracked, I ought to at least entertain the possibility of my need for confession and repentance.  Maybe, like Samson, I have not been attentive to the covenant relationship I have with God.  Perhaps I have allowed myself to become worn down by the nagging temptations of the evil one.  Now--I have no strength.

Again--perhaps a place to begin is in confessing my sins and failures.