That's Gratitude For You

A grandmother was watching her grandchild playing on the beach when a huge wave came and pulled him out to sea. She pled, "Please God, save my only grandson. I beg of you, bring him back!" Suddenly, another big wave came in and washed the boy back onto the beach, good as new. The grandmother looked up to heaven and exclaimed, "He had a hat!"

That's gratitude for you, isn't it? Have you noticed that some people just can't be satisfied? Some people -- I'm talking about you and me, not someone else -- have a hard time expressing gratitude. Or even feeling it.

In 2001, Stephen Post, a medical school professor of bioethics, created a research group called the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, dedicated to testing and measuring the effects of love, gratitude, and other positive caring emotions in human life.

Dr. Post's research revealed that spending 15 minutes a day focused on things for which you're grateful can have the following effects on your physical health:

• It increases your body's natural antibodies.

• It increases mental capacity and reduces vulnerability to depression.

• It creates a physiological state of "resonance"-- improving your blood pressure and heart rate.

That's gratitude for you, really. It not only lifts up the recipient, it also gives life to the one expressing it. This is why we're told time and time again in scripture to give thanks. A thankful heart puts us in right alignment with God and one another.

Paul wrote, "And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:15-17)

Today, I encourage you to look for something ... and someone ... for which to be thankful. Take a moment to feel it, and then take a moment to express it.

Love,

Mike

Extravagance

A few years ago, a story hit the news in New York City. A man in the city had been abducted and was being held captive. The kidnappers called his wife and asked for a $100,000 ransom to ensure his safe return. She talked them down to $30,000.

The story is true, and it had a happy ending: the man returned home unharmed, the money was recovered, and the kidnappers were caught and sent to jail. But, don't you wonder what happened when the man got home and found that his wife got him back for a discount?

Calvin Trillin was the writer of this story. He imagined what the negotiations must have been like: "$100,000 for that old guy? You have got to be crazy. Just look at him! Look at that gut! You want $100,000 for that? You've got to be kidding. Give me a break here. $30,000 is my top offer."

I suppose there are some who can identify with the wife in that story, struggling to negotiate an amount that she could manage to pay, but for some reason I find myself identifying with the husband. I'd like to think if I were in a similar situation, there would be people who would spare no expense to get me back. They wouldn't haggle over the price. They wouldn't say, “Well, let me think about it.” I like to think that they would say, “We'll do anything to get him back.”

Sometime it's okay to be extravagant. That is precisely what the cross is all about. Jesus paid the ultimate price for our redemption. He didn’t haggle. His actions said, “I will do anything to get them back.” He was extravagant!

Take some time today to think about the extravagant price paid for your ransom. Realize that Heaven was embarrassingly extravagant for your redemption. Remember and rejoice!

With Love,

Mike

The Opposite of Presence

(From a “Slice of Infinity” blog by Jill Carattini, April 22, 2013)

In a poem titled “Moments of Joy” Denise Levertov tells the story of an old scholar who takes a room on the next street down from his grown children—“the better to concentrate on his unending work, his word, his world.” And though he comes and goes while they sleep, his children feel bereft. They want him nearer.

But at times it happens that a son or daughter wakes in the dark and finds him sitting at the foot of the bed, or in the old rocker—“sleepless in his old coat, gazing into invisible distance, but clearly there to protect as he had always done.” The child springs up and flings her arms about him, pressing a cheek to his temple and taking him by surprise: “Abba!” the child exclaims, and Levertov concludes:

“And the old scholar, the father,

is deeply glad to be found.

That’s how it is, Lord, sometimes;

You seek, and I find.”

Though many would like to say that the majority of our lives have been spent searching for God, perhaps it is more accurate to say that we have been sought. Even so, like the children in Levertov’s poem, time and again I know I find myself bereft of his presence. Sometimes it feels like I am just sitting in the dark.

Here is a truth that may seem difficult to grasp: God’s presence is not the opposite of God’s absence. What is meant by this truth? Even when you are most stirred by God’s nearness—when God’s presence seems an undeniable truth—are you not also stung simultaneously by the ache of longing to be nearer or the reality of not quite yet being at home? In our best encounters with God, presence and absence remain intertwined. What might this then mean for the moments when you are feeling tormented by God’s absence?

When children go to bed at night, eventually they learn that the darkness of their room does not imply the absence of a caring person. Isn’t it amazing that as adults, we must learn the same lesson again as it relates to our Heavenly Parent? The darkness of this moment does not imply the absence of a caring God in your life. “Though an army besiege me,” says David, “my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident” (Psalm 27:3). David’s confidence was not in the absence of darkness, but in the character of the one who watched over him in the dark. “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

Though we struggle when God seems far off, we need not be without hope. The risen Christ is still today the certainty of God’s nearness and the promise of his care—in the dark.

With love,

Mike

Freedom

Prior to the collapse of Communism, East Germany, the GDR, was held under the iron grip of secrecy, paranoia, and control by the Secret Police, called the Stasi. The Stasi featured what was undoubtedly the most comprehensive internal security operation of the Cold War. The Stasi exercised control through a widespread network of informants. Researchers estimate that out of a population of 16 million, 400,000 people actively cooperated by informing on one another. The Stasi kept files on up to 6 million East German citizens--one-third of the entire population.

With broad power and remarkable attention to detail, the Stasi monitored all phone calls and all mail from the West. The Stasi kept close tabs on all potential subversives, even collecting scent samples from people by wiping bits of cloth on objects they had touched. These samples were stored in airtight glass containers and special dogs were trained to track down the person's scent. The agency was authorized to conduct secret smear campaigns against anyone it judged to be a threat; and torture was an accepted method of getting information.

Even those members of society who thought they were flying “under the radar” turned out to have their entire lives on file. The freedom to have privacy, movement across borders, or even differing opinions was annihilated by Stasi agents and informants. Freedom was but a memory and a disintegrated hope.

In the West, by contrast, freedom rules the day. In general, we are free to do and to be whatever we want. We move unhindered toward the achievement of our own personal freedoms and objectives, without worrying about impediment or coercive control from outside forces. We have the freedom to worship, unhindered by government intervention or surveillance. We are free to think as we want, speak what we want, and do what we want.

For the Christian, freedom is given for the sake of service to others. Paul writes: “You were called to freedom; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Gal. 3:13-14

We are called to freedom, not so we can waste it on our own self-interested pursuits, but for the sake of one another.

With Love,

Mike

It's Not Me

A concerned husband goes to see the family doctor: "I think my wife has a hearing problem. I often have to repeat things again and again before she hears me."

"Well," the doctor replies, "When you go home tonight, stand about 15 feet from her and say something. If she doesn't reply, move about five feet closer and say it again. Keep doing this so we can get an idea of the severity of her problem."

So the husband goes home and does exactly as instructed. He stands about 15 feet from his wife, who is standing in the kitchen, chopping some vegetables.

"Honey, what's for dinner?"

He gets no response, so he moves about five feet closer and asks again.

"Honey, what's for dinner?"

No reply.

He moves five feet closer, and still no reply.

He gets fed up and moves right behind her, about an inch away, and asks one final

time, "Honey, what's for dinner?"

She says, "For the fourth time, vegetable stew!"

A running joke on the Seinfeld show was about breaking off a relationship with the line "It's not you, it's me." Sometimes the line is true. Sometimes it really is me. The other person doesn't have the hearing problem, I do. The other person doesn't need to get better, I do.

The same can be said for your situation. There's always the possibility that it's you, not those around you, who can't hear. There's always the possibility that it's you, not those around you, who needs to adapt to the circumstances.

This applies to our relationships with one another and it applies to our relationship with God. Solomon said, "A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord." (Proverbs 19:3) This is the ultimate blame-placing strategy, but it gets us nowhere.

Getting back on track starts with the realization that it may not be the other guy who needs to be fixed. Maybe it's me. Is there a possibility that it might be the same for you?

With Love,

Mike

Creativity

1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

The Apostle John assures us that God knows we are human. While He would certainly prefer that we not sin, He also recognized that we are human and weak. For that reason Jesus serves not only as our Substitute but as our Advocate. As Substitute, Jesus took our sins upon Himself and paid the penalty through the shedding of His own precious blood. But as we continue to be human, He now serves as our Advocate before the Father continuing to appropriate His saving blood for our sinful ways.

While we would never want this to serve as “license” to sin, it still provides a measure of freedom and creativity since the unrealistic pressure to be perfect is off. Knowing that we are loved and accepted, and that one mistake will not remove us from that love, we are free to live with joy and creativity.

The freedom to be creative pays dividends. Not only is this true of the Christian life, but it is equally true in every other facet of life. Take the 3M Company for example.

The 3M Company encourages creativity from its employees. The company allows its researchers to spend 15 percent of their time on any project that interests the. This attitude has brought fantastic benefits not only to the employees but to the 3M Company itself. Many times, a spark of an idea turned into a successful product has boosted 3M’s profits tremendously.

For example, a scientist in 3M’s commercial office took advantage of this 15 percent creative time. This scientist, Art Fry, came up with an idea for one of 3M’s best-selling products. It seems that Art Fry dealt with a small irritation every Sunday as he sang in the church choir. After marking his pages in the hymnal with small bits of paper, the small pieces would invariably fall out all over the floor.

Suddenly, an idea struck Fry. He remembered an adhesive developed by a colleague that everyone thought was a failure because it did not stick very well. “I coated the adhesive on a paper sample,” Fry recalls “and I found that it was not only a good bookmark, but it was great for writing notes. It will stay in place as long as you want it to, and then you can remove it without damage.”

Yes, Art Fry hit the jackpot. The resulting product was called Post-it and has become on of 3M’s most successful office products.

The freedom to be creative pays dividends. Not only is this true in the business world, but in the Christian life. Christ your Substitute and Christ your Advocate gives you security. That security provides the opportunity to live creatively.

With Love

Mike

Rest

"Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

In his book, "Finding God in a Busy World," John Killinger writes:

I thought about this text [Ps 46:10] some months ago as I sat in Sacre-Coeur, a church built atop Montmartre, a high hill overlooking the city of Paris. This marvelous church, built around the turn of the century, is contemporary in many ways, with a great basilica dome containing a Pantocrator Christ figure spreading his arms to embrace the people of the city.

There I watched a little peasant woman, dressed all in black, having her meditations in the middle of the day. Her head was bowed at prayer. She was totally oblivious to all the people rushing about the cathedral.

By midday in any of the big tourist cathedrals, groups have made their way inside. Busloads of people from all the countries of the world stumble against one another, trying to see in the semi-darkness after they've come in from the bright outdoors. These people strain to hear what their guides are saying, pushing and shoving to get closer to this or that site. The crowds are trying to understand and see everything in as brief a time as possible so they can be off to the next place.

In all that hustle and bustle, this little woman sat stolidly with her head bowed, paying no attention to any of the confusion. As I watched, I thought of the text, "Be still, and know that I am God." She was being still, almost to a fault, in the midst of the hubbub.

In the midst of the hustle, bustle, and confusion of our world, we need moments of rest – but this rest must be more than simply lying down to sleep at night. We need the rest of communicating and communing with the One who created us, taking intentional moments to stop and acknowledge that He is indeed God, and we are not. If you are looking for true rest in your spirit, take His advice today: Be still and know that I am God.”

Power & Control

We see it frequently. Well-known sports stars are in the news over charges of violence against a spouse, fiancé, or child. Newspapers, magazines, television and radio shows are abuzz with opinions about the problem of domestic violence in our world. Social Media is going crazy with the stories, but unfortunately much of what is written there is of poor quality, or worse yet, simply nonsense. However, amidst all the inevitable sensationalism, more light is being focused on this horrific problem, and at least for that we can all be thankful.

Through the years as a counselor and a pastor I’ve worked with a lot of people over the issue of domestic violence. I’ve counseled with the victims of abuse, most often children and women, and the perpetrators of the violence, most often men. All are people for whom Jesus died, and all are broken by the results of sin on our planet. And all are people who will carry the scars of the abuse for the rest of their lives.

But something is missing from much of the discussion. The focus appears to be on physical violence. While this is a real problem, it is not the main form of abuse that occurs in relationships. Abuse is primarily about power and control. Whether the abuse is physical, emotional, spiritual, or verbal in nature, it is always about an attempt to gain power and control over another human being.

How refreshingly different is God’s dealings with His children! While Satan, the ultimate abuser, attempts to enslave and control, Jesus offers the ultimate freedom to those who choose relationship with Him. Genuine love never forces, never coerces, never dominates, and never controls. Genuine love invites, entreats, beckons, and then waits patiently for a response. Once we respond we always have the freedom to leave.

Look at Jesus’ words on this subject.

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin. And the bondservant abideth not in the house for ever: the son abideth for ever. If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:34-36

“Free indeed.” While domestic violence and abuse are fostered by power and control, Jesus offers love, partnership, and freedom.

God's Word Forever

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." 1 Peter 1:24-26

A number of years ago, a visitor at an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls remarked, "Just to look at it makes chills run down my spine. This Bible through the ages still says the same thing."

Found in 1947 in several caves near the Dead Sea in Qumran, the Dead Sea

Scrolls include over six hundred scrolls and thousands of fragments. They contain portions or entire sections of every Old Testament book except Esther.

The discovery, which was made accidentally by a young boy herding sheep, revealed the oldest copies of the Hebrew Scriptures hitherto known to be in existence. For those who read them first, it must have indeed been stirring, to see the remarkable precision between the scrolls of Qumran and the text of their own Bibles.

The preservation of the Scriptures throughout the centuries gives evidence of their value and of God’s protective hand over his Word. Before Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1438, there were only 30,000 books throughout all of Europe. Nearly all of these works were Bibles or biblical commentary recorded meticulously at the hands of monks with pen and ink. Even a small book took months to complete, and a book the size of the Bible required several years to produce. Fittingly, the first book printed on Gutenberg's press, completed in 1455, was the Bible itself.

Today the Bible remains the most printed and bestselling book of all time, and the Scriptures we hold in our hands speak the very same message penned in the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls. We can be confident that it is the message of our God.

Centuries after Isaiah spoke this truth, it was quoted again by the apostle Peter: "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." 1 Peter 1:24-26. God’s voice is indeed still among us, speaking to all who will hear.

Criticism

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye; and lo, the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5

The late John Wanamaker was the king of retail. One day while walking through his store in Philadelphia, he noticed a customer waiting for assistance. No one was paying the least bit of attention to her. Looking around, he saw his salespeople huddled together laughing and talking among themselves. Without a word, he quietly slipped behind the counter and waited on the customer himself. Then he quietly handed the purchase to the salespeople to be wrapped as he went on his way.

Later, Wanamaker was quoted as saying, “I learned thirty years ago that it is foolish to scold. I have enough trouble overcoming my own limitations without fretting over the fact that God has not seen fit to distribute evenly the gift of intelligence.”

Like Wanamaker, I have more than enough trouble overcoming my own limitations. Perhaps not surprisingly, criticism from others never seems to help much in that process. I actually am aided more by encouragement and a good example.

It reminds me of another story about Darryl Royal, the great coach of the University of Texas football team. Shortly after his first game as Head Coach, Royal was approached by an alumnus who asked when he and a few fellow alumni could meet with Royal to tell him all that he had done wrong during his game. The man went on to share that this group engaged in this ritual after every game for the previous coach and would like to continue the process with Royal.

Coach Royal told the man that he would never show up for such a meeting since he functioned better in relationships of encouragement and praise than in relationships of criticism.

I have chosen to surround myself with those who encourage and uplift me. In such relationships, should a critique ever be shared, I am certain it is shared in love and is therefore safe to consider. Further, I am choosing to be less critical of those around me. Love and encouragement are far better motivators. And when a critique must be made, it is to be shared in love.

I like what Alice Miller wrote about criticism. “If it is very painful for you to criticize your friends, you are safe in doing it. But if you take the slightest pleasure in it, that is the time to hold your tongue.”

Unconditional Love

Ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a group of citizens in North Platte, Nebraska, heard a rumor that soldiers from their town, part of the Nebraska National Guard Company D, would be coming through on a troop train on their way to the West Coast. Five hundred people showed up at the train depot with food, cigarettes, letters, and love to give the boys.

When the train showed up, it was not the Nebraska National Guard Company D boys on board; it was the soldiers from the Kansas National Guard Company D.

After a few awkward moments, a woman handed a young man she'd never seen the gifts intended for her own son. Everyone else followed that lead, and there were hugs and prayers and love shared all around. It was a spontaneous act of genuine devotion that touched both the soldiers and the people who came to the depot that day. That alone would have been a beautiful illustration of the willingness to "sacrifice for one another." But the story continues.

A few days later, a 26-year-old woman named Rae Wilson wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper recounting the profound experience they'd shared that night. She then suggested the town organize a canteen, so they could do something similar for every troop train that came through. She offered to lead the effort as a volunteer.

For the next four and a half years, the people of North Platte and the surrounding communities met every troop train that came through their town. Every day, they prepared sandwiches, cookies, cold drinks, and hot coffee. They had baskets of magazines and books to give away to the soldiers, and snacks for the train. There were even birthday cakes for anyone having a special day. And they did this, some days, for as many as 8,000 soldiers and sailors.

By the time the last train arrived on April 1, 1946, six million soldiers had been blessed by the North Platte Canteen. Forty-five thousand volunteers had served faithfully until the war was over and most of the troops had been transported home.

Most of the troops had only ten minutes to sprint from the train, grab some food, maybe dance with a pretty girl, hear the appreciation of those present, and sprint back before the train left without them. But in those ten minutes, they got more than a meal. They received a dose of unconditional love that they remembered later—during the heat of battle as well as decades after the war was over.

It would be difficult to find a better example of what the church was intended to be. By God’s grace, this is what we aspire to be. We aspire to be a place of healing and refuge for all people.

The Greatest Sacrifice

Has anyone ever put himself at risk for you? What is the greatest sacrifice anyone has ever made on your behalf?

Early in the 20th century, Dr. Claude Barlow was a medical missionary to Shaohsing, China. While he served the Chinese people, a strange disease broke out among the populace, killing many of them.

The disease baffled Dr. Barlow. He was frustrated that he couldn’t find a cure for the disease! He felt helpless as he watched so many die.

So, Dr. Barlow came up with a daring, dangerous plan. He documented his observations of the disease, creating a notebook for easy reference. Then he filled a vial with the germs that caused the disease and sailed for the United States. He would return to the place he had received his medical training, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, in hopes of finding a cure.

Just prior to his arrival, Dr. Barlow injected himself with some of the germs from the vial, and checked himself in to the hospital. He trusted that his former professors would find the cure!

Dr. Barlow became very sick, but just as he had hoped, a cure was found and his life was saved. He could now return to China with a cure that would save thousands of lives!

Jesus placed himself in a land infected with a deadly virus! The virus was sin, and it was destroying millions. In order to provide the cure, Jesus placed himself on the cross and paid the penalty for the sins of the world.

Describing the moment of Jesus’ death, Luke wrote:

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. Luke 22:44-46

His last breath was the guarantee that you can choose to live forever. The cure for sin has been found. Jesus’ sacrifice has saved your life!

That's My Country

George Shultz, when Secretary of State during the Reagan administration, kept a large globe in his office. When newly appointed ambassadors had an interview with him and when ambassadors returning from their posts for their first visit with him were leaving his office, Shultz would test them. He would say, "You have to go over the globe and prove to me that you can identify your country." They would go over, spin the globe, and put their finger on the country to which sent--unerringly.

When Shultz's old friend and former Senate majority leader Mike Mansfield was appointed ambassador to Japan, even he was put to the test. This time, however, Ambassador Mansfield spun the globe and put his hand on the United States. He said: "That's my country."

On June 27, 1993, Shultz related this to Brian Lamb on C-Span's "Booknotes." Said the secretary: "I've told that story, subsequently, to all the ambassadors going out. 'Never forget you're over there in that country, but your country is the United States. You're there to represent us. Take care of our interests and never forget it, and you're representing the best country in the world.'

As proud as I am of my country, the United States is not my true home. I am a citizen of Heaven! The Apostle Paul tells me that I have been sent as an ambassador to this world. I must be careful to remember that I am here to represent the best place in the entire universe. I am here to represent Jesus Christ, my King! How about you

The Creator of Light

Scientists refer to the year 1905 as Albert Einstein's "annus mirabilis"--his year of miracles. That year, he completed a whole series of important scientific papers, all within a few months of each other, the least of which included his theory of special relativity and the renowned equation E=mc². In addition to these better-known contributions was also his most revolutionary contribution. Einstein submitted a paper that directly challenged the orthodoxy of physics. The paper described his radical insight into the nature of light as a particle.

In 1905, all physicists explained light as a wave. It was a time-honored, unquestionable fact. For over a century, scientists had grown in their certainty of this, citing experiments that made certain the wave nature of light, while overlooking some of its stranger behaviors. For example, when light strikes certain metals, an electron is lost in the process; but if light were only an electromagnetic wave, this would be impossible. Einstein proposed that light was not only a wave, but consisted of localized particles.

Perhaps the most helpful aspect of his theory was the unassuming attitude with which he presented his far-reaching thoughts. "What I see in nature," he once noted, "is a magnificent structure that we can comprehend only very imperfectly, and that must fill a thinking person with a feeling of humility."

You and I comprehend the world around us similarly, seeing it as in a mirror faintly. We are awed because it is beyond us and awed that we should discover anything at all. The Apostle Paul echoed our thoughts when he wrote: "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" Romans 11:33-34

And to think, this God invites us to know Him personally and to learn directly from Him. How shall we respond to the invitation? "This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it--the LORD is his name: 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know'." Jeremiah 33:2-3

Einstein's ideas about light so disturbed the scientific community that his particle theory of light was not accepted for two decades. His theory was and remains a revolutionary concept. It is incredible that we should know light enough to marvel at it. It is altogether unfathomable that God who first commanded light to shine out of darkness calls us by name and invites us to learn of His unsearchable things.

With Love,

Mike

Our Deliverer

I find in the Exodus story a metaphor for how God delivers us from sin, addictions and the other things Satan uses to ensnare us. To illustrate this, I am sharing a story as told by Jill Briscoe.

Not too long ago I was babysitting one of our three, 3-year-old grandchildren. In our family, we had twins and a single birth all within 24 hours. We call them Search, Destroy, and Demolition. I was to baby-sit Demolition. As I waved goodbye to his parents, he looked perfectly all right. We had a little story out of his favorite book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I put him to bed and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, I felt a little hand, and I turned on the light. I looked at Drew: chicken pox from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. ‘Nana,’ he said, ‘Me's having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Why should some things like this happen to I?’

I thought how like Drew we all are. Why should something like this happen to me? We cannot believe it. As Miss Piggy says, ‘Moi? Not moi.’ We cannot believe that God would allow something to happen to such nice people like us.

I gave Drew a bath in porridge--oatmeal. It's a wonderful remedy. It takes away the itch. He swam around in this porridge bath, and then I took him out and wrapped his bumpy, little body in a great, big white towel. As I held him against my heart, he just kept saying, ‘Hold me, Nana. Hold me, Nana. Hold me, Nana.’ I thought of Job as I held my little Job to my heart.”

From time to time we all have a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” But the author of Exodus tells us we have a Deliverer. Our God is mighty to save!

Mike Tucker

Be Bold

Paul wrote, “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” 2 Corinthians 3:12

Paul exhibited what some have called, “holy boldness.” This type of boldness is yours when you realize that as a Christian, you represent the greatest power in the universe. That makes you bold.

Long ago Great Britain was one of the greatest powers on earth. During those days China was very much isolated from the rest of the world and was completely unaware of her standing against the industrialized nations of the earth. The leaders of China were treated as gods. Everyone who came before them bowed and placed their face in the dirt to address the Emperor, who was called the Celestial Brightness, the Brother of the Sun and the Cousin of the Moon. Even merchants from the West were happy to bow in this manner before the Emperor since they wanted the opportunity to trade and make money.

However, when England sent her ambassadors to see the Emperor, they defied the tradition and stood upright. They were told that they could not be indulged with a vision of the Brother of the Sun and the Cousin of the Moon without going down on their hands and knees. "Very well," said the Englishmen, "we will dispense with the luxury of seeing the Emperor. But tell his Celestial Splendor that it is very likely that his Serenity will hear our cannon at his palace gates before long, and that their booming is not quite so harmless as the cooing of his Sublimity's doves." The ambassadors of the British Crown were no cringing petitioners; the British Empire rose in the respect of the Oriental nations.

Our cowardice has subjected the gospel to contempt. Jesus was humble, and his servants must not be proud, but Jesus was never cowardly when representing Heaven before earthly kings, nor must his servants be. There was no braver man than Christ. He could stoop to save a soul, but he would stoop to nothing by which his character might be compromised, or truth and righteousness insulted. To preach the gospel boldly is to deliver it as such a message ought to be delivered.

Blush to preach of a dying Savior? Apologize for talking about the Son of God condescending to be made man, that he might redeem us from all iniquity? Never! By the grace of God let us purpose with Paul "to be yet more bold," that the gospel may be yet more fully preached throughout all ranks of mankind.

Mike Tucker

A Loaf of Bread

In the aftermath of World War II, thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve. Many of these children were rescued and sent to refugee camps where they received food and shelter. However, they had experienced so much loss that many of them could not sleep at night. They were terrified they would awake to find themselves once again homeless and hungry. Finally, someone thought to send a child to bed with a loaf of bread. Holding onto bread, the children were able to sleep.

I love this story, but a young woman in the throes of an eating disorder may find the story troubling. For a growing number, the thought of bread is far from a source of comfort. Eating disorders are a rapidly escalating epidemic no longer thought to be solely an American phenomenon. The Middle East, Africa, India, and various countries in southern Asia, including Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and South Korea are now reporting eating disorders. Many individuals cannot sleep at night because they know that they will face food again in the morning.

The thought of Heaven as a feast that God prepares for us is disquieting for a growing number of people. The images of table, banquet, and feast are clearly intended to bring something positive to mind. As the psalmist writes, "The poor will eat and be satisfied...All the rich of the earth will feast and worship!" (Psalm 22:26, 29). But for some, food is exactly what they have been trying to avoid. The table is a symbol of stress representing a daily battle. Yet how often God invites us to face the one thing we cannot, the very thing that brings us to surrender. God prepares a table in the presence of our enemies, and at times the enemy is us.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, he took bread and broke it and gave it to those he loved. Holding onto him, like children with bread, we are given peace in uncertainty, mercy in brokenness, something solid when all is lost. In his severe mercy, we are invited to the table: Come, take and eat.

Mike Tucker

The Empty Tomb

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Luke 24:1-6a

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the climax of earth’s history! No event in the universe carries so great significance as this event! The clarion call of the Christian faith is: “Jesus Christ has risen from the grave!”

Years ago, Focus on the Family shared a story about a terminally ill student named Jeremy. Jeremy was twelve years old and still in the second grade. He was unable to learn, made unusual noises, and often drooled. Most of the kids laughed at Jeremy. His teacher, Miss Miller, found Jeremy to be exasperating!

Three months before Jeremy died, his teacher gave an assignment that required all of the students to take an empty plastic egg and bring it back the next day with something in the egg that represented new life. Miss Miller planned to call Jeremy's parents that night and explain the assignment so that Jeremy would be able to fulfill the assignment and not be embarrassed. However, she had several emergencies and forgot about calling until it was too late.

The next day when the children opened their eggs, the teacher asked each of them to explain how the object they had placed there represented new life. The first student had placed a flower in the egg, and Miss Miller agreed that the flower represented new life. The second student had placed a butterfly in the egg, and again Miss Miler agreed that a butterfly represented new life. The third student had placed a moss-covered rock in the egg, and Miss Miller approved of that as well.

But when Jeremy’s egg was opened, Miss Miller was chagrined that the egg was empty. Not wanting to embarrass Jeremy further, she simply laid the egg down without comment. But Jeremy spoke up, "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?

Miss Miller said, "Jeremy, your egg is empty."

Jeremy replied, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too!

With Love

Mike

Slow Food

In 1989, Carlo Petrini started a movement known as "Slow Food". The movement exists to counter the world's ever-increasing dependence upon fast food. These preservative-laden, mass-produced meals are neither good for us, nor for our environment, argue Petrini and his comrades.

In addition to encouraging people to eat foods grown locally and attempting to preserve cultural cuisine, Slow Food undertakes what proponents call Taste Education. This process helps people rediscover the joys of eating food made from fresh, quality ingredients.

Many people have lost their taste for the things of God. Innumerable rivals compete to satisfy the hungers of our spirit, and as long as people continue to eat and drink from the world's offerings, they will not be able to see the appeal of the nourishment God offers them. As John Piper writes, "If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great. God did not create you for this. There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened."

If you have tasted God, and you know his goodness, do not be satisfied with anything less. Peter puts it this way, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good" 1 Peter 2:2-3

Mike Tucker

PERFECTED IN WEAKNESS

In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul declares, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." This seeming paradox is difficult for Christians to understand. We often think that we must be strong in order to be acceptable to Christ. But Paul tells us that when we acknowledge our weakness and lean wholly upon Christ, He covers the weakness of our lives with His strength. This in weakness, we are made strong.

A familiar story illustrates this point. The story is about Poland's famous concert pianist and prime minister, Ignace Paderewski.

A mother, wishing to encourage her young son's progress at the piano, bought tickets for a Paderewski performance. When the night arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on stage. Soon the mother found a friend to talk to, and the boy slipped away.

When eight o'clock arrived, the spotlights came on, the audience quieted, and only then did they notice the boy up on the bench, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." His mother gasped, but before she could retrieve her son, the master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard. "Don't quit--keep playing," he whispered to the boy.

Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized.

In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear, time and again, "Don't quit--keep playing." And as we do, he augments and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is created.

With love,

Mike