GETTING OFF MY "HIGH HORSE"

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When was the last time you rode a horse? Maybe you’ve never ridden one? I’ve only been on a horse twice in my life, the first time during a children’s camp. I was petrified. Later, as an adult, while spending the day at the beach, my friend suggested we go horseback riding. Considering my earlier experience, I’m not sure what possessed me to agree but I did. We rode out of the barn where the horses were stabled and crossed the road, heading to the sandy beach. So far, so good...
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IN THE MEANTIME

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In my post last week, I referred to two questions by Anglican bishop and theologian, N. T. Wright: “What are we waiting for? And what are we going to do about it in the meantime?” (Surprised by Hope). Today I am waiting for my internet connection to be reinstalled. An electrical surge burned up our internet router three days ago. In the meantime, I am thinking about the fact that one day life as I know it in this finite body will end. In the meantime, there is work to do in the kingdom. And in the meantime…
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ESCAPE ARTISTS

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I am not talking about Houdini. I am referring to how easy it is not to deal with the world’s oppressive and broken systems, violence on every street corner, abuse happening behind closed doors, and our own judgmental and passive attitudes. How many times have you read these words spoken by Jesus as He stood before Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36)? How many times have you heard these words used to justify that the “kingdom of God” is only a spiritual kingdom called heaven where we, if we are believers, will go someday, where at last we will escape the depravity of this world? I know I am treading on dangerous ground here, but please hear me out. The bottom line is that heaven has often been portrayed as a “way out,” an escape route.
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Do I really want to know God?

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"Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him" ( Matthew 6:8 ). Then why should you ask? So that you may get to know Him (Oswald Chambers, Utmost for His Highest, April 27). “So that you may get to know Him”…Have you ever prayed, “God, help me get to know you today”? When I really think about it, I have to ask myself, this an honest prayer? Do I really want to know God?
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An "Excedrin" Headache

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Dear Friends, I have “another” confession. I use to hate goals and sometimes still do! In my mind, goals were like the law of the Old Testament – I could never measure up 100%. They reminded me of my proverbial lack of discipline, bringing condemnation and discouragement. Goals injured my pride. “What do you mean I have to set a goal? You think I am not responsible enough to do this on my own?” In short, goals gave me one big “Excedrin" headache. Could it be that I was setting goals for the wrong reasons?
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NEW EYEGLASSES

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It’s time for new eyeglasses! This morning as I adjusted the font size of my e-mail messages so I wouldn’t have to strain my eyes, I wondered how I could find an optometrist, considering I don’t speak the local language. I thought about putting out a request on an e-mail message board that I subscribe to, but instead I reached for my daily devotional. Today’s reading started out with these words, “ ‘. . . the Lord Jesus . . . has sent me that you may receive your sight . . . —Acts 9:17’…
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IN CHRIST ALONE

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I've been plagued with a lot of irrational guilt this week. One of my favorite hymns commemorates Jesus' suffering, death and glorious day of victory, a victory won for us. The words of this hymn have become my battle cry against the adversary when accusations already "under the Blood of Jesus" are thrown at me. When Jesus comes again, I want to be found "standing."
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BEING LAZY

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Why is it that some of my laziest days turn out to be the most productive? Usually, once I wake up in the morning, I’m out of bed, read a short devotional, take a shower, get dressed, make coffee while I eat some breakfast and I am off and running…well, maybe not running, but at least functioning at my normal speed. Other days, pulling myself out of bed is like pulling teeth, an excruciating experience. But if I stay in bed and go back to sleep past my usual wake-up time, I feel like an Oregon slug, groping my way through a mud lake of guilt the rest of the day.
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WHAT TIME IS IT?

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Have you synchronized your watch with God’s clock today? Or does it feel His clock is running slow? I guess it depends on what time zone you are living in. Is your focus only on Pacific (Eastern, etc.) standard and daylight time or... where earth linear time intersects with spiritual time, where “all things are possible” and where you are conscious of the “the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4)? The book of Ecclesiastes has a lot to say about time, that there is a "time" for everything. For me, it is a time to search…
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WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHT?

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Has God given you a vision for your life, your family, or your community and beyond? Does it feel like there is one set back after another and that the vision will never come to fulfillment? At these times, it can seem like someone has turn out the light. Instead of flipping the light switch back on by remembering God’s countless promises and His faithfulness, do you stumble around in the dark wondering, “Did God really say that?” Oswald Chambers gives a hint of why the vision is slow in coming...
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ON STAGE

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“Rehearsing your troubles results in experiencing them many times, whereas you are meant to go through them only when they actually occur. Do not multiply your suffering in this way! (Jesus Calling, January 16).” These words penetrated deep into my heart. When I rehearse something that is troubling me over and over again, the adversary cunningly interjects a script into my mind that sets itself up against the Author of the play.
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WHAT DID YOU EXPECT TO FIND?

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Think of today as your promised land. When you woke up this morning, what did you expect to find: “clusters of grapes” or “giants”? Before the Israelites settled in Canaan, the land that God had promised them, He told Moses to send scouts to explore the land. I can imagine Moses giving them instructions: Find out all you can about the people. Do they have an army? What kind of weapons do they have? What’s the land like? Are there roads? What kind of crops do they grow? How far do they have to go to get water?
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RODEO

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I’ve never been to a rodeo. I’ve never seen a bull snorting in his pen (except on YouTube), nor smelled the dust from his clawing hoofs, but at a shopping mall not far from my apartment, there is a mechanical bull set up in the middle of a wide open space. Restaurants line the outer edges of the space so one can sip a cup of coffee or tea or munch on a burger and watch youngsters try their luck at staying on this jerking form. Most kids last about 30 seconds and down they go. Some of them get up and try again. Sometimes living in this unpredictable world feels like I’m riding a bull!
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STUCK IN THE MUD

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This has been a rough week, one of those times when “faith meets the rut in the road.” (Be careful what you say. You may find yourself in the middle of one of your own sentences!) The week presented a number of situations where my faith needed to wear hip boots because I was in danger of sinking in mud up to my knees! The mud of frustration, exasperation, pride, selfishness, anxiety, and fear all rolled up into one, ready for a mud-slinging fight or two.
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