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Okay. Let's be Real.

We are exploring one of the oldest expressed frustrations in history — disappointment with God. The oldest book in the bible, Job, is an entire book on one man’s discourse with God and friends on how and why God let him down. This series of posts is designed to answer two questions:

Why do we experience disappointment with God?

How do we work through the pain associated with our disappointment? 

I last answered the why question. A great way to answer these types of deep and difficult questions is to return to the ancient stories of our faith. These are our origin stories. Origin stories shape who we are and form what we believe. As followers of Jesus, we see our origin stories back in the book of Genesis with people like Noah, Abraham, and Hagar. As my friend Ed replied to me this week:

“Abraham knew a story. He knew nothing about theology.” 

-Ed Chinn

Many of us don’t know theology. You know stories – your own, your family, your nation. You also need to know the story of our faith, and Genesis holds the origin of your story. Joseph was the great-grandson of Abraham, and he is a model of navigating pain and disappointment. When you read Joseph’s story in Genesis (chapters 37-50), we see this truth:

Pain is a part of your story because pain shapes your purpose.

What was true for Joseph was also true for Jesus. Jesus not only endured the disappointment of the cross, but Jesus chose the pain of humbling himself to live as a human.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,     did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage rather, he made himself nothing     by taking the very nature of a servant,     being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,     he humbled himself     by becoming obedient to death—         even death on a cross! 

-Philippians 2:5-8

So, if disappointment is part of your story and shapes your purpose, how do you work through it to see the purpose and hope on the other side?

Be Real

As a pastor, I interact with people walking through all types of disappointment. I regularly talk with people who are going through marital struggles or are dealing with hurt from their childhood. I have conversations with people who are frustrated with their employment situations or are navigating through major health issues. Many times, these people take on an attitude of resignation — this is just how it is and will always be, so it must be how God intended.

In other words, many of us stuff down our emotions and feelings because we think this is how a true follower of Jesus acts. He wouldn’t question. She wouldn’t feel. We grin and bear it. It sounds good, but this isn’t scriptural.

God wants us to be real with him and others, which means:

Feel the feelings.

Tell God about it.

Release the debt.

These are the three things I will focus on today, and next week I’ll end with one more tip — hold tight to Jesus.

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Feel the feelings

When I was three years old, my parents divorced. I accepted this as normal for most of my childhood and teen years. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t know other kids and families with two parents in the home, but I just accepted for myself. In my home, it was just my sister and my mom. 

On the one hand, it was true. I would live with one parent in my home, which wouldn’t change. However, I also didn’t allow myself to feel the feelings of disappointment, shame, and fear stirring inside me. The 1970s and 1980s were different times, and we were only beginning to understand how important emotional health is. Had I been encouraged, I could have dealt with those feelings healthily. 

This is what Job did, and it’s also what the writers did in the Psalms. Just sit with this gem for a moment:

Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!” Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.  

-Psalm 137:7-9

For context, this was written after the fall of Judah. The remnants of Israel were either carted off to Babylon or subjected as caretakers of a destroyed Jerusalem. The words are dark and disturbing – bashing babies against a rock! But the writer isn’t talking literally. He’s expressing his feelings of anger against his enemies. He shares his disappointment in God and the consequences of a nation’s sin. 

God wants you to be honest with your feelings, too. And here’s why:

God wants you to feel your feelings because he wants you to share these feelings with him.

Tell God about it.

As a society, we are better at being in touch with our feelings. Collectively, we’ve done enough therapy to understand the value of understanding what is going through our bodies. However, we still struggle to include God in our feelings. This is where we take direction from Job, the Psalms, and Jesus. In the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night Jesus was betrayed, Jesus cried out to God:

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. 

-Luke 22:42-44

Jesus did not want to suffer the pain of crucifixion or the pain of separation from God. Jesus was struggling, so he told God how he was feeling. It was messy and real. Drops of blood!

God knows your feelings will be messy. He understands that you are hurt, and he still wants to hear them from you.

The night, God was silent.

Almost 15 years ago, my wife and I were in dispute with our business partners. It wasn’t going well; she had left the business without resolution, so we continued a contentious fight for a solution. I was angry. I was angry with our partners, and I was angry with God. We had been faithful to the business and God, yet we struggled to be on the same page. 

Kia had started a new business, so we prepared a little studio space for her. I spent many evenings cleaning and painting to help get the business started. One night, as I painted an office, I began yelling, out loud, at God. I informed him of all the ways he had let us down. This continued for what seemed like hours but was less than 30 minutes. I ended my rant in tears.

What’s most interesting about that moment is not what happened but what didn’t happen.

Nothing.

Lightning didn’t strike. The earth didn’t shake. God was silent.

We usually take God’s silence as a punishment or form of indifference. But this isn’t the case.

Honestly, God’s silence was refreshing. When my wife is upset and yells at me, she often doesn’t need my wisdom or insight — she needs my ear. What I needed in that moment was to be heard by God. I would have liked resolution and restitution, but what I most needed was for God to listen.

This is where knowing and fully trusting God’s nature is so important. I am convinced God listens when I talk. His response is not a signal of his hearing. He hears whether I hear something in return or not.

God heard my cry.

This story of mine from over a decade ago wouldn’t be complete without sharing what happened next, and this may be the most important step for you to walk through pain to see purpose in your life.

Release the debt

During this time of disappointment, God began to teach me about forgiveness. This lesson saved me from years of bitterness and resentment and set me on a path I would have missed otherwise.

It may sound strange to teach about forgiveness as a response to disappointment with God, but most times, there is a direct correlation between my disappointment and a wrong done against me. Usually, this is the result of the actions of another person or group, but it could be God himself you need to forgive.

Peter once asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21)

As Jesus often did, he answered with a story. This story was about two men and a king. One man owed the king millions of dollars. He could not repay the king, so the punishment was jail. The king heard the man’s plea for mercy, so he had grace with this debtor.

The king completely forgave the debt and set the man free. Yet on his way home, the first man ran into another man who owed him one hundred dollars. The first man demanded this other man repay him immediately. Unable to pay, the second man was thrown into prison. This news eventually made it to the king, who called the first man into his courts, chastised him, and threw him into prison.

Here is what I missed for years in this parable: Jesus equates forgiveness with debt.

My Story of Releasing Debt

When someone wrongs you (whether this is a person, an organization, or God himself), they owe you. In your mind, they may owe you an apology. They may owe you a deeper relationship. It could be you are expecting grace from them. They could owe actual money. Pain caused by someone else is a debt owed to you.

Jesus told Peter we are to release the debts owed to us.

This is the lesson I learned all those years ago — not long after, I spent a night yelling at God. God began to teach me to release the debts owed to me. And further, I learned releasing the debt was not just a spiritual, emotional, or mental action. I learned forgiveness is also a physical act.

When we begin to think or talk about those who have wronged us, we unconsciously close our hands and make fists. We hold onto the things owed us. So this is what I did as I began to forgive those who had wronged me:

I opened my hands and, with my palms up, said, “God, I release the debt that _______ owes me. They no longer owe me anything. I forgive _______.”

This will not be a one-time act. Early on, I stopped multiple times daily to pray this prayer with my hands wide open. Over time, my heart shifted, and I began to release the debt owed to me. 

Today, I can say I honestly forgive AND love those former business partners. 

Hold on tight

These steps led me to a place of forgiveness, helping me find purpose in my pain. But there is one more vital step to getting through your pain, and I could have started with this because it is the most important lesson you’ll ever learn: Hold onto Jesus.

But we’ll save that for next week. For now, dive into your origin story. Learn how the lives of those who came before us shaped your faith. As you deal with disappointment, don’t hide from the feelings inside you. Tell God how you are feeling. Be encouraged that God’s silence has a purpose and is meant to heal you. Release the debt owed to you. It may take weeks or months (possibly years), but this will set you on a path to finding purpose in your pain.

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New Post has been published on Andy Bondurant

New Post has been published on https://andybondurant.com/2024/05/03/disappointment-origin-stories/

Disappointment + Origin Stories

This is the second post on dealing with disappointment with God. While this post stands alone, it may help to have some background context. You can find the first post here. Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear your feedback!

In my last post, I promised a point of hope as you deal with your disappointment with God. To work our way toward this hope, we must begin with your origin story.

The best stories have a good backstory. This is known as an origin story that shapes who you are. 

When I was a kid, my mom would tell me the story of my birth. When I came out of the womb, the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck, and I turned blue. I was rushed from the birthing room to an incubator, where I stayed for a few hours. If I had heard that story once, I would have heard it a hundred times.

The story of my birth shaped me. 

As I recall hearing that story repeatedly, it told me there was a purpose for my life. My life had meaning. I was meant to be alive. As a kid, listening to my mom tell me that story shaped me.

Super Heroes

All superheroes have a good origin story. These origin stories aren’t always clear in the Marvel or DC movies popular today, but they almost always are embedded within the original comic book versions. I only know this because my kids tell me about it (via their YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok research). 

Photo by Jean-Philippe Delberghe on Unsplash

If you are a superhero fan, you probably are familiar with this famous line:

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

Uncle ben

This is, of course, from the origin story of Spider-Man, who is a favorite superhero in our home. A large part of Spider-Man’s appeal is his backstory. This is it in a nutshell.

Peter Parker is a nerdy high school kid who is picked on and struggling to find his place. By chance, He is bitten by a radioactive spider, which gives him supernatural powers. Suddenly, Peter can climb walls, has amazing strength, and can process information rapidly. Initially, he uses this power for personal gain, leading Peter down a dangerous path. But a robbery gone wrong finally gives weight to his story.

Peter’s uncle was the victim of a robbery that turned into murder, for which Peter is partially responsible. At this moment, Uncle Ben utters those famous words to Peter. Sensing that Peter has these new powers and abilities, he challenges Peter to also take the responsibility attached to them. 

This tragedy, wrapped in poignant words, shapes Peter Parker into the Amazing Spiderman.

As followers of Jesus, we have origin stories too. Our stories go beyond our lives to the beginning of time – Genesis. These are the stories that shape you into a true follower of Jesus.

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Noah, Abraham, and Joseph: Origin Stories of Disappointment

When we think of the stories of the men and women in the book of Genesis (and most of the Bible), we think of their amazing faith. Noah trusted God, so he built a Titanic-sized zoo. Abraham believed in God’s word, left his home, and wandered the countryside searching for God’s promises. Joseph heard God in dreams, and he rose to second in power in the known world, saving his family along the way.

They and so many others fill us with faith, but their stories are much deeper and nuanced than that. 

None of those men could display such deep faith without experiencing great pain along the way. Noah saw the world destroyed. All he knew and loved (outside his family) was gone. Abraham was promised not just a family but a nation, yet he waited 25 (long) years to see a legitimate son born to his wife.

But these don’t come close to Joseph’s story of heartache.

Pain was a part of Joseph’s story

Joseph was the next to the youngest of twelve brothers. All twelve brothers shared the same father but had different mothers. This, along with their father’s overt favoritism, caused a deep rift between Joseph and the older brothers (that and Joseph flaunting his dreams of the entire family bowing down to him in the future). 

So, his brothers deal with him in an unbelievably cruel way. They toss Joseph into a pit and only pull him out to sell him to a band of slavers. 

Joseph spends the next 13 years of his life as a slave and prisoner after being unjustly accused of rape. Before rising to power and saving the world, Joseph endures horrific pain.

Pain was a part of Joseph’s story.

I think you see where I’m going with this, but let me give you one more piece of your origin story.

Pain was a part of Jesus’ story

Our backstory is deeper than just the book of Genesis. It encompasses the entire Old Testament—Moses, Deborah, Gideon, Ruth, David, Solomon, Elisha, Esther, and many more. Yet, it’s the New Testament that allows all of these stories to take shape and make sense.

The coming of Jesus changed everything, but Jesus’ life wasn’t easy.

His difficulties began at birth. He was born on the road, in a cave, and his first bed was an empty feeding trough. His earliest years were spent on the run, living in a foreign land, with his parents constantly looking over their shoulders. 

We love the stories of Jesus healing the blind, raising the dead, and casting out demons. We are amazed at the teachings and the insight into life Jesus gave. Everyone applauds Jesus for pushing back against the religious leaders who oppressed the poor in spirit. However, we shy away from Jesus, living on the generosity of others, being threatened by the power brokers, and ultimately assassinated by a ruthless empire.

I hope you see it, but I’ll be blunt if not.

Pain is embedded into your origin story.

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Disappointment will be part of your story, too.

Heartache was in the story of our Old Testament heroes. Pain was weaved in Jesus’ story. The great leaders of the New Testament church knew disappointment in their physical realities, and it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Jesus promised them (and us) that this would be the case:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  -John 16:33 NLT

Jesus top follower, Peter, told a faithful group of Jesus followers something similar in his letters:

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”  -1 Peter 1:6 NLT

The term ‘Christian’ literally means ‘little Christ’. Your goal as a follower of Jesus is to be like Jesus. We should always stretch to transform from corrupt and evil to righteous and holy. This transformation requires heartache, pain, and disappointment.

So, where’s the hope?

I’m sure you are asking, where is the hope? In my last post, I promised this to be a note of hope as we suffer through disappointment with God. God may seem far away, distant, or even hidden to you right now.

You may be dealing with the loss of a loved one, a marriage that is falling apart, or a child who refuses to speak with you. It could be your dreams that seemed so possible and clear just a few years ago are all but lost.

Where is the hope?

Here is the hope…there is purpose in your pain.

Purpose in your disappointment.

In Joseph’s story, he ascended from his jail cell (really the cell of a foreign slave, which might be the lowest of all society). He interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream through the hand of God, so Pharaoh appointed him as the second most powerful man in the nation (and by proxy, the 2nd most powerful man in the known world). Joseph developed a food program preparing for the coming famine, and 20 years after he was sold off into slavery, he met his brothers again. 

Joseph saved his family by moving them to Egypt. Not long after this move, Jacob, their father, died. This caused great anxiety for his brothers. They feared Joseph would finally exact revenge on these brothers. In desperation, they fell on their knees before Joseph, but Joseph’s response shocked them. It should shock you, too.

This is not just for Joseph and his brothers. It is for me and you, too. 

“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”  -Genesis 50:20 NKJV

In other words, God used Joseph’s heartache for a greater purpose.

Again, this is reason for hope. Pain alone does not shape you; purpose is also part of your origin story.

The heartache, pain, and disappointment you are suffering is for a reason. God is not the author of your pain, but God will use your pain for good.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” -Romans 8:28 NLT

This, friend, is the hope you are looking for. 

God’s purpose is your good.

Yes, you may be disappointed with God. He may not be acting as you expected, but God is not unaware. God is preparing to move through you in a way that would not be possible without the pain you are walking through right now.

To be clear, God did not create the heartache you are experiencing. He is the father of light — all good things come from him (James 1). Our fallen nature leads to horrible things (like being thrown into a pit, slavery, murder, divorce, broken relationships, or financial hardships), but God finds a way to use them for good. God’s design is to transform our pain into our good and the good of those around us.

The key is your willingness to move through your pain to find healing and wholeness so that God can do incredible things through you. I’ll share more about this in the next two weeks — being real with God, yourself, and others, and holding onto Jesus.

So prepare yourself to begin walking purposefully through your pain. This will be your guide through your disappointment with God.

Writing Playlist 

I don’t know if we have the same taste in music, but here are some songs to explore. All the links go to Spotify. While writing this post, this is some of what I was listening to:

Jazz-Funk Playlist – Spotify Curated

Worship Music 2024 – Spotify Playlist

Squabble – Miles Minnick + Key’ijah

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New Post has been published on Andy Bondurant

New Post has been published on https://andybondurant.com/2024/04/18/asking-for-a-friend/

Asking for a Friend

In 2024, I began writing in series. This begins a new series on disappointment with God.

Books have been written on these topics, so a handful of posts will never fully cover a topic — especially one as deep as disappointment with God. I encourage you to check out a couple of different books if you would like to dive deeper into this subject:

Disappointment with God by Phillip Yancey

Sandbox to Museum by Jared Scholz

Book of Job

Finally, I know you have walked through difficult, heartbreaking situations in your life. If I address something that triggers a point of pain for you, that was not my intention. I encourage you to seek healing and would love to help you as much as possible.

The Life of Chap

I have a friend who is best described as eccentric. Chap is a great guy who finds himself in all types of interesting situations because he is always interested in others.

Chap recently was in Dallas for a bachelor party and found out our church staff was heading his way for a conference. When he heard the news, he was sitting in the airport, ready to catch a flight home. Instead of doing what most of us would do (think, “Bummer, I missed those guys by a day!”), Chap left the airport and headed downtown, waiting six hours to meet us at the arena to watch a Dallas Mavericks NBA game. The next morning, Chap woke up at 5 AM to fly home.

Chap delivers Uber Eats orders as he puts himself through school, leading to more adventures.

One time, Chap delivered to a group of guys watching the NBA playoffs. Chap is a huge basketball fan and regularly wears jerseys. That day was no different, so these guys invited him to their party. The next thing he knew, he was in the pool with a drink in one hand, a mini basketball in the other, and about to dunk on some stranger’s head.

Chap left with a nice tip.

Time to make a shake.

My favorite Chap story (other than he drives a minivan with an “Archery Mom” bumper sticker on it) is another Uber Eats delivery.

Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash

Chap got a call to deliver an order from a local Steak N Shake restaurant. Whether Chap knew it then is debatable, but this particular Steak N Shake location is sketchy (or ‘sus’ as my kids would say). In the few months since this took place, the location has closed – probably because more drugs were sold there than hamburgers or milkshakes.

So, Chap’s friend Joel received a video text from Chap that night. Chap begins by saying, “Dude, you’re not going to believe this.” Then he proceeds to video himself walking through the restaurant, starting at the front doors. A pattern emerges as he walks through the dining room, then to the front counter, and then to the kitchen doors. No one is around.

The restaurant is empty…of anyone.

Chap walks into the kitchen and then into the manager’s office. The entire building is empty. Then the video ends.

Joel was lying in bed watching this video and leaned over to show it to his wife. As only a woman would do, she began to worry about Chap (guys never think about these things). So Joel texted Chap back. Nothing. Joel called Chap. No answers. Now Joel is truly getting worried.

Just as Joel’s finger began to tap out 9-1-1, Chap called back and said,

“Sorry, dude, I was making a shake.”

Empty shells with God

The Steak N Shake Chap walked into was an empty shell of a restaurant. The doors were open, the lights were on, but no one was home. Just as Chap experienced that night, it is an eery experience to enter an empty shell of a building you expect to be full of life and energy (okay, any energy at all).

It is just as disconcerting to encounter the empty shell of a person.

As a pastor, it is not uncommon for me to talk about their faith with people who are affected like this.

Where they once believed and lived a life full of faith, they are now just an empty shell. Typically, they are dealing with the hurts of life—the loss of a loved one, the break-up of a deep relationship (marriage, friendship, family), a financial crash, a health crisis, the church hurting them, or any other painful experience.

All of these are real, and I don’t take them lightly.

In the past year, I’ve witnessed a mother who learned her son had taken his own life, I’ve had conversations with couples who don’t know if they can continue to keep their marriage together, I’ve walked with people struggling with addiction, and I’ve talked with men and women who have been hurt by the actions (or inaction) of their parents.

It’s easy to allow these experiences to hollow us out. Where once was faith, hope, and joy now reside doubt, disappointment, and bitterness. I talk to people all of the time who are going through the deep struggles of life, and their thoughts often lead to one statement and one question:

”This was not how it’s supposed to be.” “Where was God?”

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Disappointment with God

If I were to condense this into just a phrase, it would be ‘disappointment with God.’

Recently, in Christian circles, it’s been referred to as “deconstruction” or “deconversion.” We may have a new title for this experience, but this isn’t a new activity. It may actually be one of the oldest spiritual crises known to man. We can trace it back to the Book of Job, who lived sometime between Noah and Abraham.

An entire book is written that captures his story of wealth, loss, and reaction.

If you’re not familiar with Job’s story, Job was wealthy in every sense. He had a beautiful family—sons and daughters—and an amazing home. He was rich with cattle, sheep, and goats. Job had everything anyone could want, not just material wealth. Job was respected among all who knew him. Job had it all.

Until he didn’t.

In a matter of days, Job lost everything. His sons and daughters were all killed. His house was destroyed. His livestock was stolen. Even his health was attacked. All that Job had left was his life and his wife, but even his wife told him to curse God and die.

So Job did what any of us would do. He asked, “Why?”

Specifically, Job asked for a meeting with God. He wanted to see and question why God would allow such horrible things to him, who by all accounts was a righteous person. But God was silent.

Job is so frustrated with God’s silence that he says,

“But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.” -Job 23:8-9 NLT

By all accounts, God seemed

absent distant hidden

You are not alone.

It is very possible you feel this way about God.

You may be going through a difficult situation. It might be that your marriage is on the rocks, your health is failing, your finances are plummeting, or your church has hurt you. You may have cried out to God in your pain, and he seems absent, distant, or hidden.

God may be silent in your situation.

Over the next few weeks, I want to share both hope and help. I’ll show you how God uses pain to create purpose and where Jesus tells his followers we are to expect trouble. I’ll share three ways to become real with yourself, God, and others. I’ll encourage you to hold onto Jesus, even when you see no sign of him. Until then, I leave you with this thought.

You are not alone.

If Job’s story and struggle show us anything, it is that faithfully following God will require walking through heartache. All of us who attempt to walk with Jesus experience pain. We all will be disappointed in God. But let me skip to the end (spoiler alert).

Salvation comes to those who endure.

I’ll show you how to endure in the coming weeks, but for now, know we are all walking through this together. We need each other to lean on when times are difficult. I need you to pull me forward today, and you’ll need me to do the same tomorrow.

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You are made for a relationship with God, but you may not know how. My weekly newsletter will show you how to connect with God—to hear his voice, understand the Bible, and walk with him.

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Writing Playlist 

I don’t know if we have the same taste in music, but here are some songs to explore. All the links go to Spotify. While writing this post, this is some of what I was listening to:

Back on 74 (remix) – Jungle + Full Crate

Joy in the Morning – Tauren Wells + Elevation (get to the bridge – about halfway through the song)

Praise – Brandon Lake, Chandler Moore, Chris Brown + Elevation

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New Post has been published on Andy Bondurant

New Post has been published on https://andybondurant.com/2023/06/28/dont-forget-this-is-who-you-are/

Don't forget: THIS is who you are.

I once read an old tale about a village where everyone slowly developed amnesia. In an attempt to battle their amnesia, the villagers labeled everything in their lives. If you were to walk through the village, you find notes everywhere. The notes read ‘door’ ‘chicken’ ‘ax’ or ‘bucket’. It was their own unique way to battle their own forgetfulness. 

Sometimes we forget. We don’t remember the truth of who we are as children of God and followers of Jesus. We forget because we are more tuned into the message the world around us is communicating, and this message washes away who we are.

Don’t Forget: You are a Masterpiece.

Here is one of the messages we’ve forgotten. The truth is also one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” 

Ephesians 2:10 NLT

In this single verse, Paul communicated three important truths to the church of Ephesus (and us) over 2000 years ago. Thankfully, like the notes the villagers made for themselves, it was written down. God made sure it was recorded, so we won’t forget these three truths. Here are those three truths:

1. God created you to be a masterpiece.

This is how God sees you — a masterpiece. To make sure we are on the same page, here is Oxford’s definition for masterpiece

a work of art such as a painting, film, book, etc. that is an excellent, or the best, example of the artist’s work

Oxford learner’s dictionary

Merriam-Webster adds to this definition:

a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement.

Merriam-webster dictionary

You are the work of God, and God sees you as outstanding, an achievement. This is how God sees you. Have you forgotten? 

It’s easy to forget because you can easily see what others look like, where they have travelled, the things they’ve accomplished through social media. When you compare those highlights with the current state of your life, you can begin to wonder how wonderful you really are. Don’t forget who you are. Don’t forget you are a masterpiece.

2. God, through Jesus, is restoring you to your original design.

I used to watch the PBS show Antique Roadshow. Perhaps you’ve seen it too. It’s the show where people bring their “junk” to expert curators to evaluate if there is actually hidden value in the painting, furniture, or jewelry that has been laying around their homes.

Typically, these items have been allowed to decay in some way, hiding any value they may have. When the evaluator looks over the item she attempts to see through the grit and grime to determine what they have in front of her.

This is a great picture of our lives before we encounter Jesus. We are works of art in need of restoration. But let me warn you, our restoration is not typically a snap-of-the-finger action.

Perhaps you remember the restoration work done in the Sistine Chapel. One of the great works of art in the world by some amazing Italian painters, including Michelangelo. The frescoes covering the chapel were restored in 1994. But the process was slow. It was finished in 1994, but it began in 1980 taking almost 15 years.

Restoration is a process.

What I’ve observed over years of ministry is a person will initially experience a big change after finding Jesus, but the fine details happen over years and years of following Jesus. 

This is hard to remember. We live in an instant society. I get upset if I wait in a drive thru longer than a few minutes. We need to remember that God is restoring us, and it takes time.

Don’t forget God is restoring you, but it takes time to get you to the place he designed. But it’s worth it because God has a purpose for you.

3. God designed you for a purpose.

Masters create masterpiece for a purpose. They design art for beauty. We build businesses to make money and solve problems. You start a family to provide joy and meaning. So God created you for a purpose as well. 

The purpose of God creating you is to do good things. God skillfully formed you in a way that only you can accomplish certain (good) things.

Only you can parent your child. Only you can lead your team. Only you can love and serve your neighbor. Only you can speak truth in love to the person placed in your life.

Don’t forget God made you perfectly, so you can fulfill the task he has designed for you.

Never forget

After the attack on the twin towers on 9/11, a common refrain was, “Never forget.” In fact, if you travel throughout the United States, you will still see signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts to remind us of this thought. Most of those signs and shirts have been replaced by monuments and even beams of light. Those terrorist attacks took place over 20 years ago, and people still work to remember the feelings of that day.

Photo by Kaiyu Wu on Unsplash

There is a tendency of us to forget over the course of time. We know all of this is true, but we forget.

Don’t forget.

Here are a handful of ways I remember:

I leave notes on the refrigerator/mirror.

I put sticky notes on my office computer.

I write thoughts on my office whiteboard.

I design a message for my lock screen.

I’m not a tattoo person, but if I were, I would remind myself of big things with a tattoo.

I meditate on this and other scriptures.

After 9/11 Americans took a note of that ancient village, so we left notes all over the country to remember what had happened. You should do the same thing in your life. 

Make a note of who you are – a masterpiece. 

Create a reminder about what God is doing in you – restoring you to your original design. 

Design a message for yourself about why God created you – for a purpose.

Don’t forget.

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Vacation Reflections: Finding Rest for Your Soul

After years of waiting, our family finally embarked on a long-overdue vacation. We exchanged our familiar routines and responsibilities for the pristine shores of Destin, Florida. Days bathed in sunshine and warmth awaited us, providing the perfect backdrop for relaxation. From our idyllic rental home with access to a resort-style pool, we savored moments of leisure, indulging in local seafood joints and basking in the beauty of nature. It was a much-needed escape, a week dedicated to rest.

Amidst this oasis, I found myself contemplating the elusive concept of rest. It was more than just a fleeting break from work; it carried a deeper significance. The idea of rest, promised by God to His followers, resonated within me. The book of Hebrews speaks of a “special rest” awaiting God’s people (Hebrews 4:9, NLT), but what does it truly entail? Is it a future divine vacation or an experience we can embrace here and now?

Entering into Rest

Intriguingly, scholars and theologians have long debated the meaning behind this passage in Hebrews. NT Wright, a distinguished New Testament scholar, suggests that it highlights the tension between the “already” and the “not yet” of a believer’s experience in Jesus. Others, like Martin Luther and John Wesley, perceive it as a rest found through the acceptance of Jesus’ grace and the ongoing journey toward sanctification.

Photo by Muhammadh Saamy on Unsplash

But their understanding didn’t seem to answer this question: How does this promise manifest in our day-to-day lives? Jesus’ words in Matthew echo in my mind:

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”

Matthew 11:28

Jesus’ words in Matthew are not a new bit of scripture for those who have been around the church for a while. I’ve read it and heard it quoted dozens of times. For some reason, when I read this now, Jesus’ words give me more hope than they did in the past. 

Jesus promised us rest…rest for today. Here. Now.

What about you? Does this line give you hope? Maybe it doesn’t because of what he says (for those of us familiar with this passage).

Yokes of Rest?

Jesus makes an odd statement to my 21st-century ears.

“Take my yoke upon you…”

Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭29A‬ ‭‬‬

Jesus says we are like oxen tethered to a yoke. Okay, let’s be honest. His analogy doesn’t sound like a life of rest and relaxation. If Jesus is comparing me to a beast of burden there doesn’t seem to be much rest mixed into his metaphor. How does this give hope? Where does the rest come into this comparison?

Here are a couple of things to remember about Jesus’ words:

Jesus isn’t driving you. He’s not thinking about this from the outside looking in. You aren’t alone to do the heavy lifting. 

No, you are yoked to Jesus. Jesus is tethered to you; he is working alongside you.

“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” ‭‬‬

Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭29‬ ‭

And there it is, true rest.

Rest for your soul.

On my vacation, I had two very different moments that were both “restful” in the sense that I wasn’t doing work. However, only in one of those situations did I experience true rest. 

The first moment was on my way to Destin. We had a several-hour layover between flights. I uncomfortably sat in a noisy, crowded airport during my layover. While waiting in the airport, I ate mediocre fast food, and I had a lukewarm cup of coffee. I waited in a busy lounge so I could cue up in line to board a jam-packed airplane. 

I wasn’t working, but I didn’t experience rest either.

A few days later, after an afternoon of playing in the surf and enjoying the sun, we returned to our rental. On a lazy, breezy Florida afternoon, I lay on the back porch. I read a little; I slept for a bit. 

I wasn’t working, and I experienced true rest.

Jesus offers you true rest.

“For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭30

When you connect to Jesus life is easier. The keyword is easier. Not easy. Easier. Life isn’t going to be easy for us. Jesus tells us, as his followers, to pick up our cross. The cross isn’t a metaphor of ease. But if we yoke ourselves to Jesus this burden is easier to lift. When you tether to Jesus your call is light. Life is manageable. Doable.

Rest + Peace

I’ve been home for a few weeks now, back at work and the normal grind of life. I’ve continued to meditate on this concept of rest. An important element I’ve focused on this year is being filled with the Holy Spirit. A result of being filled with the Spirit is manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit. 

Perhaps you remember these fruit Paul tells us about in Galatians 5. When the Holy Spirit fills you, you can expect nine fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Notice the third fruit in the list above — peace. 

As I live a life constantly and consistently filled with the Spirit, I will display peace. In other words, it is a way to enter into the rest Jesus promises us. Have you asked the Holy Spirit to fill you today?

When I attach myself to Jesus my burden will be light, and my call will be light. When I am filled with the Spirit I manifest peace.

I am calling you up into rest. Will you tether yourself to Jesus? Will you ask the Holy Spirit to fill you? Life will be easier (not easy). Your call will be light. You will experience peace.

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Walk Through Scripture | 1 Samuel 31

Welcome to the final chapter of walking through 1 Samuel. We witnessed the rise of Samuel, then Saul, and read about the trials of David. Today is the tragic end to Saul’s reign in Israel. What had begun with so much hope and promise ends with a flicker of pain and destruction.

Start by reading 1 Samuel 31 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you see and hear from God with what I see and hear. The Bible is alive and active. You and I may not see the same things. And if you’ve missed any of the past posts of earlier chapters, you can find them all HERE.

Let’s jump into 1 Samuel 31!

Light in Darkness

Think back to where this story began. A small boy chosen by God to be his nation’s prophet. Another young man chosen to be the first king of Israel. God’s nation uniting around that king. Yet another young hero rising up in their midst, one who can slay giants. The story had such hopeful trajectory.

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Fast forward a few decades and it’s all fallen apart. The little boy grew old and passed away. The young king grew to be arrogant, obstinate and now dead without much of an heir to his throne (the perceived heir died with the king in battle). The hero (who would be king) is an outcast, and his life also in tatters. The nation is in retreat. It ends with the king and his sons dead, bodies hung on the walls of their enemies.

The darker the dark, the brighter any light shines.

In the cover of night a band of brave and nameless men perform an act of courage and selflessness. They steal the bodies of their king and princes, giving them the burial they deserve as chosen men of God.

These brave, selfless men let their light shine. How can you allow your light to shine in the darkness around you? It may take an act of bravery and courage. It may mean putting yourself in a dangerous (physical, emotional, relational) situation.

In the dark be the light.

PS – Don’t be fooled. The story isn’t over. Begin reading 2 Samuel, and see God is at work in his chosen people!

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Walk Through Scripture | 1 Samuel 30

Welcome to the final week of walking through 1 Samuel. We witnessed the rise of Samuel, then Saul, and now we are reading about the trials of David as he prepares to be the next king of Israel. Today we see David in a place he hasn’t been before. How did he get there, and how will he respond?

Start by reading 1 Samuel 30 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you see and hear from God with what I see and hear. The Bible is alive and active. You and I may not see the same things. And if you’ve missed any of the past posts of earlier chapters, you can find them all HERE.

Let’s dive into 1 Samuel 30!

Crisis Mode Leadership

Over the years I’ve read this passage dozens of times, and I’ve often wondered why were David’s men ready to turn on him? What was the logic behind their anger, besides just irrational rage?

Image by Markus Winkler on UnSplash

Then I considered this. These men have hid in caves, been chased over the countryside by Saul, fled into enemy territory, nearly fought for those enemies and now their families have been taken captive! Each of those and more because of the choices and decisions made by their leader, David.

As a leader, our choices don’t live in a vacuum. They effect and influence those who are following us.

It’s easy to think, “These men made the choice to follow David. They knew what they were getting into.” While technically, true, they also made their choice believing David would care for them and their families. In this moment they felt let down by the one they entrusted their lives to.

Whether intentional or not, you will make bad decisions as a leader. You’ll hurt people. You’ll lead people into pain and heartache. While this is never ideal or preferable, it is also an opportunity to show the true kind of leader you are.

Notice David’s response to this crisis.

David seeks God and finds strength in Him.

David asks God for wisdom and direction.

David takes decisive action, knowing the plan.

David has empathy for his followers.

David recognizes the pain his followers are in, so he doesn’t punish them for not being able to push through their fatigue and sorrow.

You could argue, David proves who he really is as a leader in this moment of crisis beyond anything else he had done up to this point. You are a leader too. Your response to the pain and suffering of those who count on you because of your choices will define your leadership.

Don’t be afraid of making mistakes, but don’t be afraid of fixing them either.

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Contemplation: God in Your World

Today I start with a bold statement: The God of the universe wants to speak…to you. In fact, God is constantly speaking in multiple ways. So then, if God is speaking, do you know how to hear him?

The past few weeks, I’ve shared with you the art of hearing God through contemplation. There are lots of of definitions for contemplation, so I’ll give you my own definition. This has helped me really synthesize what means to hear God in this way.

Contemplation is seeing God in the world around us in order for us to be God to the world around us.

Here are three ways we can contemplate God in the world around us:

We see God in culture (music, art, media).

We see God in creation.

We see God in the place he puts us.

I encourage you to go back to read more on what it means to see God in culture and creation by using the links above. This post will focus on what it means to see God in the place he puts you.

Contemplation in Scripture

In Acts 17, is one of the core scriptures about contemplation through culture. In that chapter, the Apostle Paul was alone in Athens where he experienced God in a godless culture. Through shrines built to false gods, Paul contemplated how they actually pointed to the God he served. 

I want to rewind the story to the beginning of the chapter where Paul and his ministry partner, Silas, had just arrived in the city of Thessalonica (who the letter of Thessalonians was written for). This is what Acts records about their arrival:

“Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.  As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people.”  ‬‬

Acts‭17‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT

Paul found God in his world

Paul was first and foremost a follower of Jesus, but he was also Jewish. It was the world he lived in. Though he traveled through the Roman world, he was living among mostly Jewish people. So Paul entered Jewish places of worship to present the Good News of Jesus in a respectful but direct way to the Jews dispersed throughout the Roman world.

It didn’t always work out well, as was the case in Thessalonica, but Paul always started in the place he knew best. There Paul would contemplate what it meant to love Jesus through the context of Jewish scripture (the Old Testament). When he was forced out of the synagogue, as he usually was, Paul would then enter into the Roman world and do the same thing. This was the case in Athens. Paul was in the Roman world contemplating what it mean to see God in that place.

Contemplation Today

So what does this mean for you? Let me give you a few examples of what it means to see God in the place God has put you.

Contemplation in your world.

My friend Darty owns and runs a conference for portrait photographers – SYNC. I honestly don’t know the whole story (I need to hear it at some point), but let me tell you what I know. After running the conference for several years, Darty and his wife, Michelle, felt they needed to add a Christian element to the show. They saw an opportunity for God to be in the world where God placed them.

To be clear, this was not a Christian conference. It wasn’t a photography convention for Christian photographers. All different beliefs were represented at the show. At the same time, Darty and Michele knew they needed to incorporate their beliefs into the annual conference. So they took a big step.

Several years ago, Darty and Michele, included an interdenominational, Sunday morning worship service. It didn’t interfere with any other programming, but they allowed their faith to shine through in the place God had put them. Darty and Michele contemplated how God could be active in the place he had put them.

Contemplation in unexpected opportunities 

This year, Darty invited me to speak at the SYNC worship service. When he offered this opportunity to me, I jumped. After I accepted his invitation, I spent some time to reflect on the opportunity. It dawned on me that as a pastor I might have more to add that just speaking for 30 minutes. So I chatted with Darty and Michele about being the chaplain for the conference. 

To be honest, I don’t know if Darty and Michele were really able to wrap their heads around what that would mean. I only had a partial picture myself. They were open, but no true agreement was struck. So I arrived in Florida with an open and willing heart to serve as needed. I had no idea what this meant, but I soon found out.

I saw God in a hotel ballroom

During the opening session, there were multiple different speakers giving short 20-30 minute presentations. At one point, a woman stood and walked out to take a phone call, which I thought nothing of. A few minutes later, between speakers, Michele walked to the front of the conference room asking for anyone who knew the lady who had just walked out. Again, this was strange, but I wasn’t bothered by it. Then it got strange.

Image by One Day on UnSplash

In the middle of the next speaker, Michele interrupted him to ask for another person, again someone who knew the first lady. This was not normal to say the least.

This was followed by a text from Darty asking me to meet in the back of the room. There he discreetly shared with me the woman who got up to take the phone call had just received terrible news. Her young teenage son had just taken his own life. My heart was crushed at the news. I didn’t know her at all, but I know what this news means to a parent.

This may sound strange, but I saw God in this hotel ballroom he had put me. Another way of saying this is I heard God. God opened my eyes/ears to why I was there. God had put me in that place, and I was to do something. It was why I was in Orlando at the conference, and it was why I offered to be the chaplain. 

Contemplation = See + Be God

But this is only half of hearing God through contemplation. It’s not enough to see God in the place we are, but we also need to be God in that place. In my case, I needed to care for this woman.

Now, let me be completely honest with you. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to find the woman and enter into this pain with her. So let this serve as a warning, though God wants to speak to you, it won’t always be easy to deal with what he wants you to do with that wisdom and knowledge. 

I didn’t want to but I found this mother, and I walked into her room.

Peace into chaos

There is a lot to this story, but I’ll share the two most important pieces of information with you. First, peace was in my heart and mind as I entered into her hotel room. This year I am practicing meditation (another way to hear God). I also chose PEACE as my Word of the Year, so I had been daily mediating on peace leading up to this event.  Specifically, as I meditated, I saw myself stepping into peace and carrying this peace with me wherever I went.

This is important because the second piece of information was when I stepped into the mother’s hotel room, it was understandably chaotic. Her two friends were alternately attempting to find her a flight home (from Orlando to Denver at 8pm) while also consoling her. Bags were halfway packed. She alternately paced the room asking, “why!?” and fell on the bed crying. She was in shock.

I don’t have any formal training in dealing with family dealing with suicide. I’ve had just one other experience pastoring a family immediately following a suicide. I didn’t really know what to do.

So my contemplation (seeing God in the place he puts me) led me to what I knew most in that moment – peace. I hugged her, sat with her, listened to her questions, did my best to feel her pain, prayed and read scripture with her. I offered this mother the tiniest bit of wisdom I had for the moment. In total, I spent about 45 minutes in the room before they frantically left for the airport. 

I did all of this because contemplation isn’t just seeing God in the place he puts me, but it is also being God to the people he puts me with. It was a very intense hour or so, and I didn’t really know what I offered until a couple of days later.

The Fruit of Contemplation

I spoke as I was scheduled Sunday morning, and afterwards her friends who were in the room with her approached me. This is what they told me: “When you walked into the room, it was like Jesus was walked in.” Other than being obedient to what God had showed me, I take no credit in this compliment. But it is a testimony to hearing God and being God to the world around me through contemplation.

At the same time, the reason they were so singularly able to reflect on this event was the service that Darty and Michele made room for in their conference. They saw a space for God in their world, and they filled it with him.

Contemplation like this isn’t just for people like Darty who own and operate conferences, or myself who minister professionally. This is for you too. God wants to speak to you through the place you are and through you to the people around you. Let me share with you three tips on how to hear God in the place you are. 

1. Ask God to open your eyes.

I’ve made it a practice as I meditate in the morning to ask the Holy Spirit to fill me fresh for the day. As part of this process, I ask him to open my eyes and ears to see and hear him throughout the day. A great first step to seeing God where he has placed you is asking him to reveal himself to you.

2. Move past fear.

When God open your eyes to how he is moving around you, and how he wants you to to engage with where you are, it won’t be easy. Creating a worship service in a secular environment is nerve wracking. Walking into a room of a mother who has just lost her son to one of the more tragic ways possible is fear inducing.

When God shows you himself in your world, it will be simultaneously exciting and sickening. You’ll be forced to do something about it. Move past the fear. Simply take a step in the direction God is leading you and see who opens before you.

3. Share what you see with others.

Maybe this in implied with the above point, but at it’s core contemplation isn’t about ourselves. What we see in the world that is God we need to be to the world. 

In other words, what God shows you isn’t just for you. God blesses you, so you can bless others. The opportunities God is opening before you is for you, but it’s really for your world. 

Share it. 

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Walk Through Scripture | 1 Samuel 29

Welcome to the final chapters of 1 Samuel. We’ve read about the rise of Samuel, then Saul, and now we are reading about the trials of David as he prepares to become the next king of Israel. We see David at what may be his lowest point ever in this chapter.

Start by reading 1 Samuel 29 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you see and hear from God with what I see and hear. The Bible is alive and active. You and I may not see the same things. And if you’ve missed any of the past posts of earlier chapters, you can find them all HERE.

Let’s dive into 1 Samuel 29!

Treasure Hunting

David officially is on the outside. He was forced to flee from his home country, but his newly adopted home also rejected him. In truth, it’s hard to know what David would have done in this battle, but the sting was no less.

David is a man without a country.

God isn’t done stripping away from David. He is continuing to pull everything away from him, so David is fully and completely reliant on God. Why? Because later in life, David will reflect on the faithfulness of God in difficult circumstances.

Photo by Nadjib BR on Unsplash

This is a Psalm written not too long after this time of David’s life:

4 The ropes of death entangled me;     floods of destruction swept over me. 5 The grave wrapped its ropes around me;     death laid a trap in my path. 6 But in my distress I cried out to the Lord;     yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary;     my cry to him reached his ears.

Psalms 18:4-6

I recently read about the concept of treasure hunting through the trials of our lives. In essence, we all go through very difficult seasons of life. In time, we should be able to reflect on those trials and see the treasure they produced. Like treasure, the gems may not be obvious, but they exist nonetheless. This was the case for David.

Does it feel like God is stripping everything away from you? Continue to seek and serve Him. He is faithful, even in hard times, and God honors and rewards our faithfulness to him. In time, you will reflect to find an amazing treasure you never would have found without this season.

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Walk Through Scripture | 1 Samuel 28

Welcome to one of the final chapters of 1 Samuel. We’ve traveled through the stories of Samuel, then Saul, and now we are reading about the rise of David as he prepares to become the next king of Israel. This chapter shifts back to Saul to display just how bad things have gotten in Israel.

Start by reading 1 Samuel 28 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you see and hear from God with what I see and hear. The Bible is alive and active. You and I may not see the same things. And if you’ve missed any of the past posts of earlier chapters, you can find them all HERE.

Let’s dive into 1 Samuel 28!

A Nation in Darkness

The three key leaders of Isreal are not doing well. Samuel, the nation’s moral compass, has passed away. David, who most realize is the future leader, is on the run, hiding among his enemies, and living a double life (chapter 27). Saul is in a moral and spiritual free fall.

God is silent. Literally and metaphorically, Israel is in darkness.

Image by Parth Karchhadiyah on UnSplash

Saul, like David in the chapter before, takes matters into his own hands. In this case, Saul doesn’t display even a shred of righteousness in his decision. David was deceitful and on the run, but Saul seeks the dead for answers.

Darkness (silence) may be the ultimate challenge for the leader. When God is silent and hope appears gone, how do you respond? Neither David nor Saul showed themselves well, and the nation suffered.

How you handle pain and heartache and God’s silence through it all determines the fate of your followers. A bit of a spoiler, but it doesn’t end well for Israel. It won’t end well for your family, business, division, or team if you can’t walk through your own seasons of darkness.

What do you do? It seems trite and simplistic but seek Jesus. Call on him; He is the light of the world. This means Jesus is your light. He is your hope. Even more important, Jesus is faithful. Your problems won’t necessarily disappear, but Jesus will be faithful to walk through them with you. And Jesus will give you the wisdom to lead your team well.

It may be dark, but there is still hope.

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Contemplation: God in Creation

A few years ago, I traveled with our church youth group on their annual Summer Camp. You need to understand something about how our church does youth camp…it’s not normal. Like most church camps, we travel to a remote camp location with activities, chapels and sleeping bags. What sets this youth camp apart is what happens around that tradition.

The Ultimate Road Trip

It’s an ultimate road trip. The year I participated, we traveled from our home in the KC suburbs through Nebraska and South Dakota for a short stop at Mt Rushmore. From there we drove across the plains of Wyoming into the open sky lands of Montana. We rode past Billings and Bozeman and through Missoula until we arrived in Glacier National Park. After an unbelievable hike in Glacier, bathing in an ice cold lake and a few nights in tents we headed to Yellowstone and then finally to our camp location in Wyoming.

There are lots of memories that stand out about this journey, but let me share two with you. First, I had never been that far north during the summer. While in Kansas the summer light lasts until about 9pm, in Glacier, it wasn’t truly dark until closer to 11pm. As we drove to our campsite near the park, I kept wondering when it would be dark. I mean not twilight but truly dark. We were in the middle of nowhere, with no city lights, and it still wasn’t dark. 

I wasn’t prepared for this, but it helps explain the immensity of my other memory. We finally arrived to our campsite a little after midnight. It was completely dark, and we were busy figuring out the sleeping arrangements (setting up tents) for the 40 people with us. After unloading a trailer of luggage, food, tents, arranging and setting up tents, and getting the students to their assigned tents with all their luggage (a much more difficult task when dealing with the dozen or more junior high students on the trip), I finally had a moment to look around. 

I heard God in the silence of the night sky

For years I lived 20 minutes outside the suburbs of Kansas City. I regularly spent time beyond our small town lights. I have often seen the stars in the country night sky. This background doesn’t hold a candle to what I saw in Montana that night. The sky was perfectly clear. The best way I can describe what I experienced was the feeling of being in a planetarium. A doom of stars in 360 degrees surrounded me. A group of 4 or 5 of us stood and looked in awe. 

Image by Denis Degioanni on UnSplash

In that moment I experienced God. To put it another way, I heard God. It wasn’t an audible voice. The experience wasn’t some sort of moral lesson for me to pass on. What I heard was the existence, majesty and vastness of God. I knew God is.

Contemplation: See + Be God

The ancients call this experience I had contemplation. Contemplation, among others, is way we hear God. After a bit of study on the concept of contemplation, I developed this definition of contemplation:

Contemplation is seeing God in the world around us and being God to the world around us.

There are three basic ways I’ve seen to contemplate God.

We contemplate God through culture.

We contemplate God through creation.

We contemplate God through every day life.

Contemplation in Creation: God exists in glory

Of three ways of contemplation, I find contemplating God through creation to be the most natural. When we view and study nature in both the macro and micro, it points us to an intelligent design. Because there seems to be an intelligence to the design of nature, then it speaks of an intelligent Designer behind the design.

The Poet-King, David, wrote about his experience with contemplation in Psalms 19.

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.”  ‭‭‬‬

Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT

Contemplation in Creation: God cares

When I look at nature, I see God. But I don’t just see that God exists, I see that God cares.

Take as an example bats. Yes, the winged, flying bats that get such a bad rap from vampire mythology. It’s estimated that insect eating bats save American farmers between $3.7B and $53B every year in pesticide costs. This doesn’t include the costs on the ecosystem if bats didn’t exist (like the ability for insects to adapt to pesticides). God cares for us by creating bats to naturally suppress insects that would destroy crops and could overrun our world. 

Now think about your own body. Get this, you have between 60,000-100,000 miles of blood vessels in your body. If we were to take these blood vessels out of your body and lay them end-to-end, they would stretch around the world more than three times. God cares enough about you to oversee 60,000+ miles of blood vessels in your body.

Again, David writes about the delicate care of God to put us together perfectly:

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I contemplate nature – whether it is out in the wild or within my own body – I see God is both glorious and he cares for me. Do you see God in creation?

How to Contemplate in Creation

David makes it clear creation is a natural way to contemplate God. So how do we do it? Here are three tips (and yes, these tips are the same as contemplating God in culture):

1. Ask God to open your eyes.

I’ve made it a practice as I meditate in the morning to ask the Holy Spirit to fill me fresh for the day. As part of this process, I ask him to open my eyes and ears to see and hear him throughout the day. A great first step to seeing God in creation is asking him to reveal himself to you.

2. Train yourself to see God in creation.

For many of us, we’ve learned to compartmentalize the secular and the sacred. We have taught ourselves to that God belongs in his box, and the world belongs in a different box.  We need to train ourselves to see God doesn’t remove himself from either box. 

When you take a walk or you make a road trip (even if it’s just an hour away) look at God’s creation. When you learn something about the human body or the natural world ask yourself what that tells you about God. Determine how it displays God’s glory and majesty, and how it reminds you of his care for you and all of humanity.

3. Share what you see with others.

I love talking about my trip to Montana. I have other stories of looking into the Grand Canyon, running from tornadoes and climbing an active volcano. All of them end with sharing the power, majesty and care of God. 

Contemplation isn’t just seeing God in creation, it is using what we see to be God to the world around us. So when you are having a conversation about your walk in the park or discovery about the world, share how creation points you to the glory of God.

God as creator is both glorious and caring. Do you see God in the culture around you?

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Walk Through Scripture | 1 Samuel 27

Welcome to the last of 1 Samuel. We’ve read about the rise of Samuel, then Saul, and now we are reading about the trials of David as he prepares to become the next king of Israel. This chapter sees David evading Saul by taking up residence with…the Philistines?!

Start by reading 1 Samuel 27 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you see and hear from God with what I see and hear. The Bible is alive and active. You and I may not see the same things. And if you’ve missed any of the past posts of earlier chapters, you can find them all HERE.

Let’s dive into 1 Samuel 27!

Impossible Places: Is God with You?

David loved Israel. He loved the people. David loved the God of the people. So for David to decide to live with his bitter enemies, he had to be at his wits end.

Sometimes the best decision you can make will still feel like the worst decision you could make. It will feel wrong, and it will seem as if there is no end in sight. David may have wondered if it would be forever.

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God doesn’t promise us a perfect or ideal life. Things won’t always work the way we think they should. Sometimes we are forced to places we never thought we would go. When you find yourself in this place, ask this question:

“Is God with me?”

We don’t specifically see David ask it here, but it was a pattern for him. God are you with me?

Last night, I spoke to a mother who had lost her son to homicide. Even worse, he left two young daughters without a father. It is up to this grandmother to tell these sweet children their father is dead. It’s a place she never thought she would be forced to go.

Is God with me? That’s the question she needed as she approached this conversation. What are the right words? How do you tell your grandchildren their father is tragically gone? She needed to know that God was with her.

You need to know God is with you in hard and difficult days.

I’ll be honest, sometimes it won’t be clear. But if you can determine God isn’t against your choice (Scripture, counsel, wisdom), then move forward. Believe He is walking with you. Believe God has a plan and a purpose for a greater good in you and for those around you.

Is God with you?

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Walk Through Scripture | 1 Samuel 26

We‘re nearly through all of 1 Samuel. We’ve read about the rise of Samuel, then Saul, and now we are reading about the trials of David as he prepares to become the next king of Israel. Once again David finds himself with the opportunity to kill Saul. It has to be God…right?

Start by reading 1 Samuel 26 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you hear from God with what I see and hear. The Bible is alive and active. You and I may not see the same things. And if you’ve missed any of the past posts of earlier chapters, you can find them all HERE.

Let’s get into 1 Samuel 26!

Finding Balance in Life

There is a fine balance in life between believing God holds the ultimate control of the world and my life and knowing what, if any, action to take in a difficult situation. In this case, David delicately walks this line.

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Once again Saul was hunting David, so David begins by verifying Saul’s presence. Then he takes next step of actually seeing Saul for himself. God allows David to get all the way to Saul’s side, steal his spear and water jug, and sneak out without detection. David took action, but his judgement in the moment shows how he truly believed God was in control of the moment.

First David tells Abner, his accomplice, in the camp, 

““No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? Surely the Lord will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle.”‬ ‭

1 Samuel‬ ‭26:9-10

Then he cries out to Saul after they have snuck away,

“But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the Lord. For they have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the Lord’s people, and they have said, ‘Go, worship pagan gods.’” ‬ ‭‬‬‬

1 Samuel‬ ‭26:19

David truly believed God was both in control, and it was up to God if and when to avenge David. He walked the line between knowing God was in ultimate control, and taking charge of his life.

Can you do the same? You’ll make mistakes – David did, but he always came back to putting his life in God’s hands while moving forward with purpose.

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Walk Through Scripture | 1 Samuel 25

Welcome to the final chapters of 1 Samuel. We’ve read about the rise of Samuel, then Saul, and now we are reading about the trials of David as he prepares to become the next king of Israel. This chapter involves David, but the true heroine of the chapter is Abigail.

Start by reading 1 Samuel 25 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you hear from God with what I see and hear. The Bible is alive and active. You and I may not see the same things. And if you’ve missed any of the past posts of earlier chapters, you can find them all HERE.

Let’s take a look at 1 Samuel 25!

Don’t wait for a Title. Lead.

Title or position doesn’t always do justice to the function a person plays. Nabal held the title of ‘head of household’ in this story. In truth, he hasn’t been a complete failure. He managed to become very wealthy with a large flock of sheep, a large household of servants, lots of ranch hands, with the ability to provide for these and much more.

Image by Jon Tyson on UnSplash

Nabal also is married to a wise and beautiful woman, Abigail, who doesn’t hold a title, but functions well in as the leader of the household and the business it entails.

Nabal (as his name suggests) was a fool with the position of leader, but it is Abigail who led in this story. Abigail stepped into chaos, and she averted what was sure to be a slaughter of her family and staff. She was quick on her feet, generous, well spoken, humble and wise. Abigail saved the day.

Don’t be fooled into believing you can’t lead simply because you haven’t been given a title. Leading is a function of doing. It’s being quick on your feet, generous, humble and wise. It’s stepping into chaos, and averting disaster.

In turn, don’t believe you are a leader (or leading well) simply because you‘ve been given the title as leader. Nabal was a fool. He was arrogant, selfish and rash. He didn’t take the time to listen to the people around him – who could have warned him and told him the truth.

Find the void of chaos in your world, and step into it. Then lead.

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Walk Through Scripture | 1 Samuel 24

Welcome to the last few chapters of 1 Samuel. We’ve read about the rise of Samuel, then Saul, and now we are reading about the trials of David as God prepares him to become the next king of Israel. Today we see David faced with the ultimate opportunity to get ahead.

Start by reading 1 Samuel 24 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you hear from God with what I see and hear. The Bible is alive and active. You and I may not see the same things. And if you’ve missed any of the past posts of earlier chapters, you can find them all HERE.

Ready? Let’s learn together about 1 Samuel 24!

The Values Driven Leader

Let me begin by reminding you of a core belief I have. You are a leader. All of us are leaders in some capacity. It could be within your family, job, church or community. Someone is looking to you – formally or informally – to lead them.

Image by Tim Mossholder on UnSplash

With this in mind, as a leader opportunities will come and go in your life. Some choices will be easy to make a decision on, but others will be much more difficult. How will you know what to do, especially when you realize the choice before you is one of monumental proportions?

In these moments we need guiding principles or values. This is how David makes many of his decisions as a leader.

In this chapter, David is faced with a golden opportunity to simultaneously be rid of his enemy and make a huge step toward his destiny. It seems God has placed Saul in David’s lap to assassinate. How does David make this decision? He falls back on one of his core values — the anointed leader of the Lord is sacred. David values Saul’s life.

In his conversation with Saul, David goes on to share another core value:

“May the Lord judge between us. Perhaps the Lord will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you. As that old proverb says, ‘From evil people come evil deeds.’ So you can be sure I will never harm you. May the Lord therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!” ‬

1 Samuel‬ ‭24:12-13, 15

David believed God was the ultimate judge and defender of his life. It was a value or principle he lived by. But the values David has doesn’t end there.

Finally, David leaves Saul by promising him to spare his family when he becomes king. David valued loyalty – even when those same people weren’t loyal to him!

In this one chapter we see three core values of David:

God’s anointing is sacred.

God is the ultimate judge and defender.

Loyalty to friends and family (even when their actions don’t deserve it).

As you read through the story of David’s life, you’ll find these values repeated over and over in David’s life – honoring God’s anointed leader, believing God is his defender and loyalty. It should cause you to ask the same question of your own life, “What are my core values? What principles will I ‬‬live my life by?”

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Contemplation: God in Culture

Years ago, while sitting in a movie theater watching The Lion King, I had a profound experience of encountering God. The opening credits, accompanied by cinematic brilliance, set the stage for a powerful narrative of kingship, family, and the land they rule. As the heavens opened to shine upon the newborn prince, I found myself immersed in the spiritual practice of contemplation. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of contemplation, specifically focusing on seeing God in the culture that surrounds us.

There are three typical ways we contemplate God:

Through culture.

Through creation.

Through our own world.

Contemplation through Culture in Scripture

When I saw God during The Lion King, I contemplated God through culture. For some people this is a foreign idea — God at work in the things created by non-believers? But we see this in Scripture. The most famous example of this is Paul visiting the city of Athens in Acts 17. 

Paul sees God embedded in culture.

The leaders of Athens invited Paul to speak in front of the city at the famous Aeropagus. It was the center of thought, creative thinking and new ideas. It was an honor and an opportunity for Paul. He begins his talk like this:

“Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭17‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul, standing before some of the intellectual giants of the day, uses their own culture to point out God to them. Now here is an important question to ask, so we can have this same impact on our own world: How did Paul prepare himself use the culture around him to see and be God to the Athenian people?

Image by Jay on UnSplash

Paul began the process as he walked the city alone with God.

“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭17‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul had just been run out of the city of Berea, and he was forced to wait for his co-workers Silas and Timothy. He didn’t waste the time and anonymity given to him. Paul walked the city taking in its culture. Scripture tells us he was troubled by what he saw. Paul used this agitation in his spirit to talk to God about what he saw. He meditated and prayed about it. He compared what he saw to the scriptures.

This is contemplation. As Paul thought about all he was seeing, God pointed him toward the tomb marked for an “Unknown God.” God opened Paul’s eyes to the fact that God had hidden himself within the culture and within the heart of every man. It was Paul’s job to point it out to the Athenians. In other words, Paul was to ‘be’ God to the people of Athens.

Paul sees God in pop culture

Paul saw more than just that tomb in their culture. In his talk Paul goes on to say:

““His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭17‬:‭27‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬ (emphasis mine)

Some historians have compared the ancient lyrical poets to pop stars of today. These poets were invited to perform at dinner parties and festivals. Paul used their popularity to his advantage. First, Paul was not unaware of them or their messages (see God in culture). Second, Paul let them help make his point (be God to the world).

Just like God placed Paul within the Greco-Roman culture of his day, God has placed us within this Western/multi-cultural world. Paul used that opportunity to contemplate God. Are you contemplating God in culture?

In Culture, Not of Culture

Followers of Jesus tend to fall into one of two camps when it comes to culture. We either reject culture out of fear, or we immerse ourselves in culture, become desensitized and miss God altogether. God doesn’t want us to live in either of these two extremes. Our goal should be to walk the fine balance of that old saying, “be in the world not of the world.”

First, let’s analyze the two negative ways of dealing with culture. Culture in and of itself is not evil. In fact, culture is based on the principles God has created. Let’s take the top movies of 1994 as an example. 

The top two movies of 1994, based on box office gross, were Forest Gump and The Lion King. That same year dozens of movies, if not hundreds, were released to the world. The tenth most popular movie of that year was Interview with a Vampire which grossed $99M. Forest Gump and The Lion King nearly tripled those numbers. Each of those two movies doubled the third movie on the list, the Arnold Schwarzenegger film True Lies. To date, combined, the Forest Gump and The Lion King have made over $2B!

Why? What made those two films so wildly successful during the year they were released and in the 30 years since?

God is the creator of culture

God is the creator of stories. His stories tell beautiful and compelling narratives. Forest Gump and The Lion King were runaway successes because the very essence of God is baked with them — a beautiful, well told story.

The Bible is an example of this. It’s God’s creative and compelling story of the redemption of his creation for his glory. The Bible contains stories of heartache, intrigue, and beauty. It is a book full of twists and turns. There is a reason it is both the best selling book of all time. 

Your life is an example of this too. God is telling a creative and compelling story through the heartache and triumph you have experienced. It may not have the storyline of Forest Gump, but the feelings are just as real for you in the moment to experience it. 

Just like most things, the fall of man wrestled story away from God, but the principles of a great story still point us to God. Great stories have a redemption arch. Beautiful stories are full of heartache and intrigue. We shouldn’t be afraid of the beauty in culture because God has created it. Our job is to wrestle it back from an evil purpose. Sometimes this means making our own stories – through film, art, music, literature. Other times it means seeing God in what those who don’t follow Jesus create. In both cases our ultimate job is to use culture to point people to Jesus. 

Everyone is a disciple.

However we don’t want to be so immersed in the culture that we miss God altogether. It’s easy to use contemplation as an excuse to dive headfirst into culture only to find ourselves drowning in the thing we want to rescue. Or we discount the danger that the anti-God nature culture holds. 

A great way to analyze this is through the context of discipleship. Someone or something disciples all of us. In other words, something or someone is growing you as a person. Are you growing in the values of God through his word, other believers, mentors, worship, etc? Are you growing in the values of culture through any number of media channels? 

Here’s a great barometer for yourself: Where is your free time going? Where you spend your free time is shaping who you are. If your time is spent on social media, cable news, or unbelieving friends they are shaping your walk with God. If you use your time to be in Scripture, with Christian friends and meditating on God you are growing as a follower of Jesus.

Transformed not Conformed

In Romans 12, Paul gives us a useful way of dealing with this tension of being in the world but not of it.

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The NIV uses the words conformed and transformed. We shouldn’t be so immersed in culture that we are conformed to its ways of thinking. We counterbalance this by bathing our minds in the things of God, and this transforms our minds.

At the same time, Paul doesn’t tell us to run from the world. He’s clear on this point in 1 Corinthians 5:

“When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I can’t be sure, but my guess is you aren’t called to become a monk retreating from culture. We are to engage with culture without letting ourselves be conformed the culture around us.

How to Contemplate in Culture

It’s clear through Paul’s actions and Paul’s writing we are to contemplate God within culture. So how do we do it? Here are three tips:

1. Ask God to open your eyes.

I’ve made it a practice as I meditate in the morning to ask the Holy Spirit to fill me fresh for the day. As part of this process, I ask him to open my eyes and ears to see and hear him throughout the day. A great first step to seeing God in culture is asking him to reveal himself to you.

2. Train yourself to see God in culture.

For many of us, we’ve learned to compartmentalize the secular and the sacred. We have taught ourselves to that God belongs in their box, and the world belongs in a different box.  We need to train ourselves to see God doesn’t remove himself from either box. 

When you watch a movie, listen to a song, read a book or consider a piece of art ask yourself where you see God. Here are some common themes you’ll see in art – redemption, love, and a search for truth among many others. All of these are basic principles of how God operates. This is seeing God in culture.

3. Share what you see with others.

Contemplation isn’t just seeing God in culture, it is using what we see to be God to the world around us. So when you are having a conversation about the latest movie, television show, book or song with friends, share how you saw God or His principles in that creation.

God is the original creator. God embeds himself into our creations. Do you see God in the culture around you?

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Walk Through Scripture | 1 Samuel 23

Welcome to the final chapters of 1 Samuel. We’ve read about the rise of Samuel, then Saul, and now we are reading about the trials of David as he prepares to become the next king of Israel. This chapter focuses on David as he roams the wilderness evading Saul.

Start by reading 1 Samuel 23 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you hear from God with what I see and hear. The Bible is alive and active. You and I may not see the same things. And if you’ve missed any of the past posts of earlier chapters, you can find them all HERE.

Let’s dive into 1 Samuel 23!

Leading isn’t for wimps.

It’s hard to lead. You are the one making final decisions on what to do, where to go, how to do it. Leading is hard enough, and then throw your people into the mix. And on top of all of this add your enemy (competition, dissenting voice, etc).

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Leading isn’t for wimps.

David learns this lesson in Keilah. He hears of their oppression by the Philistines, and he wants to help. So he asks God, and he feels he knows the right decision to make. Then his men complain. David receives some negative feedback.

David has a choice to make. Listen to his men, or listen to what God said. I love David’s response…he does both. He takes the concerns of his followers in consideration, and he goes back to God,

“So David asked the Lord again, and again the Lord replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.” So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah.”

1 Samuel‬ ‭23:4-5‬

David again hears the voice of God, and he moves forward – army in step.

There will be times you feel you know the exact direction to take in life, and other times you will be unsure. Either way take a step in faith. When you hear voices of concern from those around you, listen and look to God. He will direct you in the path to take. Be confident in what you hear God speak, and people will follow you.

People want to be led, so lead. Don’t be a wimp. They are waiting to follow…you.