Reconciliation

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. 20We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. 2 Cor. 5:19-20

Every believer is called to be an ambassador for Christ. David Egner is a believer who has taken that appointment seriously. As Christ’s ambassador, David regularly spends time teaching prison inmates about Jesus through Bible study classes. He lets them know that God loves them and because of what Christ has done, they need not be separated from Him.

One day when David arrived at the checkpoint to enter the prison, he was told that his identification card had been misplaced. In order for him to get in and teach his classes, the guard had to fill out a temporary permission slip.

After David got inside, he glanced at the piece of paper and laughed. In the space provided to indicate whom he was representing, the guard had written, "God."

Later, as he drove home, David thought about the permission slip more seriously. Although the guard may have had a sense of humor, he was right. While David was officially representing a prison ministry, he was really representing God.

All believers in Jesus represent God wherever they are, and by whatever they do. They are his ambassadors.

In 2 Corinthians 5, the apostle Paul speaks of our calling to be ambassadors for Christ – ambassadors with a very specific and wonderful message. We are to let the people of this world know that they are reconciled to God. The dictionary defines reconciled as: 1) put people back on friendly terms; 2) end conflict.

Wouldn’t it be incredible if people truly understood that the conflict has ended and they can be on friendly terms with God? As ambassadors, we have the joyous responsibility of telling them. And the best news is, the reconciliation is not because of something they have done or need to do: it’s because Jesus has already done the work of reconciling the whole world to God.

If someone were to ask who we represent, may our message of reconciliation be so clear that the obvious answer to the question would be, “God.”

With Love,

Mike

Trust

Do you trust God? Taking a leap of faith and learning to trust the Almighty is a means of drawing ever closer to God. But most of us grasp for control. We look for security, never realizing that the only One who can provide security is God.

John Powell, in Prayer as Surrender, illustrates this principle:

I used to carry my aged mother up and down the stairs of our home here in Chicago. And she would grab onto the banister while I was carrying her up or down the stairs and hold on to it so tightly we couldn't move.

I'd say, "Momma, you have to let go of the banister or we can't move."

And she looked at me with her plaintive little eyes and said, "I'm afraid you'll drop me."

I said, "Momma, I'm going to drop you right now. When I count to three, I'm going to drop you!" And then she would let go, and we'd go two more steps, when she would grab on again.

That is in microcosm my interaction with God. I'm hanging on to the banisters of life. I'm hanging on to these little things that make me feel secure. But God loves me more than I love my little mother, and God would never let me come to any harm. God knows where we're going.

Today, take a moment to meditate on the psalmist’s words about trusting God. May you find it to be true in your own experience.

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!

For my soul trusts in You;

And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,

Until these calamities have passed by.

2 I will cry out to God Most High,

To God who performs all things for me.

3 He shall send from heaven and save me;

He reproaches the one who would swallow me up.

Psalm 57:1-3

With Love,

Mike

His Eye is on the Sparrow

Written in 1905, "His Eye is on the Sparrow" is a hymn loved by millions. Civilla Martin based the hymn on words spoken by Christ to the disciples. "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Luke 12:6-7) There is no trial missed, no cry unheard, no life unseen by our caring God.

The hymn imparts, "'Let not your heart be troubled,' His tender word I hear, And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." When it seems as though we are wandering in the fog of worry and fear, the promise is as necessary as a lighthouse to a ship. The Father’s eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

The hymn is a poignant reminder that though we will find discouragement and loneliness, we were not intended to. We long for home because at present we are not home. Yet God’s careful eye is on even the sparrow, God’s Spirit is on our trail, and one day, we shall make it home.

What must Christ be like if he can tell us not to let our hearts be troubled on the eve of his own violent death? Who is this God we follow, this God who knows every sparrow and know the hairs on our heads?

Civilla Martin's hymn was inspired by a couple she knew – Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden with illness for almost twenty years. Confined to a wheel chair, Mr. Doolittle was also fraught with adversity. Yet despite their afflictions, they offered inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. When asked how they could have hope in the face of their sufferings, Mrs. Doolittle replied: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know God watches me.”

With Love,

Mike

Embracing the Gracious Gift

Writing in a book entitled With Open Hands, Henri Nouwen asserts: “The challenge of the gospel lies precisely in the invitation to accept a gift for which we can give nothing in return. For the gift is the very life breathe of God, the Spirit who is poured out on us through Jesus Christ. This life breath frees us from fear and gives us new room to live.”

Nouwen’s words remind us that the Christian faith is founded not upon your action or my action, but upon God’s action: God loving us with a love that will not let us go; God choosing to dwell among us in Christ, taking human form; God seeking relationship and reconciliation with all the world; God adopting persons of faith as daughters and sons.

Our task is but to receive the gift, to recognize and live in the assurance that all that we have in life—and indeed, all that we are—comes as gift from God. Once we embrace this gracious gift that we cannot earn and which cannot be repaid, only then are we freed to become gracious givers.

If you have not yet received the gift, why not accept God’s gracious gift of salvation today. It will change your life.

With Love,

Mike

Hunger for God

Whether we realize it or not, we are all hungry for God. The problem is that most of us don’t know how to satisfy that need. We tend to spend our lives searching for something to satiate our inner hunger.

One way of satisfying our need for God is by studying the Bible. It has been referred to as “meat in due season.” However, surprisingly few people actually feast on this banquet of God.

In Yellowstone National Park you will see this sign: "Do Not Feed the Bears." Most tourists probably assume it's there to protect humans, thinking, "If you're close enough to feed a bear you could be in a position of real danger." Not true! The sign is posted to protect the bears.

Each fall, when the feeding tourists have long since departed, the park service must carry off the remains of dead bears who became so dependent on tourists that they were no longer able to gather food for themselves.

We can become like the Yellowstone bears if we depend on others to spiritually feed us. Each day we must take the initiative to gather spiritual nutrients for ourselves from God and his Word.

With Love,

Mike

Playing in the Big Leagues

Satchel Paige (seen in the photo above) threw his first major league pitch at the age of 42. He was good enough to play in the majors at the age of 18, but he couldn't: Satchel Paige was black. Finally, seven years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, Paige, an undisputed superstar everywhere but in the major leagues, got his chance.

Most people doubted his ability to compete effectively at his age, but Paige silenced the critics when he won his first three games as a pro, shutting out Chicago twice in the process.

All along, he knew he was good enough to pitch in the major leagues, and when he finally got his chance, he proved it. He went on to win 28 games during his pro career and even made a brief comeback at the age of 59, pitching three innings for the Kansas City A's.

He approached his major league pitching debut no differently than he approached any of the 2,500 games he pitched during his career. "It was just another game," he said, "and home plate was where it always was."

Though Paige had the ability to make throwing a baseball look effortless, he spent his life perfecting the art. Eventually, he got his chance to show the world he was capable of competing with the best.

King Solomon said, "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." (Proverbs 22:29)

Solomon is emphasizing that commitment to quality is more important than self-promotion. Do your job well, he says, and you'll get your chance to serve before the best.

In the work that you do, you may have to wait years before you get your chance to play in the big leagues. Even if your chance never comes in quite the way you would like it to, you can work with the assurance that your job -- even the most menial tasks -- are performed before your King. That is why you pursue excellence.

Your time will come; never give up on the dream of being the best you can be.

With Love

Mike Tucker

The Father Who Runs

Rembrandt’s massive painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son, hangs on the walls of the St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum. It is one of the last paintings the artist ever completed and remains one of his most loved works.

In the painting the elderly father is shown leaning in an embrace of his kneeling son in ragged shoes and torn clothes. With his back toward us, the son faces the father, his head bowed in regret. The father reaches out with both hands, his eyes on the son, his entire body inclining toward him.

The painting is restful, but the parable is anything but restful. Jesus tells us that while the son was "still a long way off," the father saw him and "was filled with compassion for him" (Luke 15:20). This father was literally moved by his compassion. Dramatically, the father runs to the son, embraces him, and kisses him. Jesus described a scene far more abrupt and shocking than that depicted by Rembrandt. It is not the son whom we find kneeling, but the father. It is the father who runs to his wayward son -- runs without any assurance of repentance; runs without any promise that the son is even home to stay. There is a line in Jewish tradition that would likely have entered the minds of the first hearers of this parable. According to ancient thought, the manner of a man's walk "shows what he is." Dignified men in this ancient culture simply did not run. In order to do so, long robes would have had to be lifted up, exposing the legs, which was inherently shameful. And yet, this father runs to the son who had blatantly disrespected him, and eagerly embraces the one who once disowned him. All measures of decorum are shattered by this father's great love.

God is that father – He is your Father. And He is moving toward you with a gait that thoroughly counters any thought of a distant and absent Father. However far we wander, God is waiting and ready for our return. More than this, He is the Father who runs to close the distance.

Blessings,

Mike

Live Bravely

Philippians 4:12-13 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

When day-to-day problems, mistakes, and failures become discouraging, encourage yourself by thinking of the many successful people who overcame personal handicaps.

“I thank God for my handicaps,” declared Helen Keller. Blind and deaf from birth, she became a prolific writer.

Gene Littler overcame cancer to make an incredible comeback in golf. Before him, Ben Hogan amazed the golf world. He won the Masters, the PGA, and the National Open golf championships after a severe auto accident. Doctors thought Hogan would have a lifetime of difficulty walking and thought he would never play golf again.

Napoleon responded to his extremely short stature to become a giant in military conquests.

They teased and tormented him, called him the “ninety-seven pound runt” as a boy. He worked endlessly to build his muscular physique. Charles Atlas created a physique that has been used as a model by numerous famous statues in America.

David Sarnoff, head of Radio Corporation of America, once declared, “Nothing worthwhile has been attained except by overcoming obstacles.”

Norman Vincent Peale also knew obstacles had to be overcome. Shy, tongue-tied, and suffering from feelings of inferiority, he became one of America’s great preachers and religious leaders. He responded to his weakness, faced the challenge, and took control of his life.

The masterpiece Messiah was written when Handel was debt-ridden, spiritless, and failing in health. His creditors were threatening to throw him in jail.

Physical deformity, baldness, and “hefty physique” didn’t stop Socrates from becoming a philosopher whose impact is still felt today.

Franklin D. Roosevelt served the United States as its president from the confines of a wheelchair.

Now tell me how it is that God cannot overcome your obstacles in order to use you for His glory! By His grace and for His glory, you can do all things.

With Love,

Mike

I Have a Dream

Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, delivered at the March on Washington, is one of the best-known speeches in history. Less known is that the actual speech he had before him on the podium that day had no mention of a “dream” at all.

For years, Dr. King had been writing and speaking about his dream of America as a society where all men are, indeed, created equal. He spoke so often of having a dream, in fact, that his inner circle was afraid the phrase had become overused and trite. The night before the March on Washington, Dr. King and his closest advisors worked together to come up with a new message. "I have a dream" did not appear in the manuscript at all.

The speech was titled "Normalcy--Never Again," and before a quarter of a million hearers, King began to deliver this new message. Several minutes into this speech, he paused and turned the manuscript over. Then he launched into the words that were closest to his heart: "So I say to you today, my friends, that even though we must face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream."

Dr. King's decision to talk about the dream God had given him is wrought with the vision and wisdom of God. It compels me to ask: How do I learn to live with such a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that I could completely shift gears against the advice of the experts and before a crowd of 250,000 onlookers?

Dr. King may have launched that day into an old message, but it was a message somehow made new for a world that needed to hear it. Clarence Jones, one of the men who had helped with the new speech the night before, recalled the transition in King's speech and remembered bowing his head in defeat after all his hard work. Little did he realize what could become of four familiar words when the Spirit is moving and active! "I have a dream" became the phrase that came to define the civil rights movement itself.

The Holy Spirit is anxious to be active in your life today. He is the keeper of the greatest of dreams, and He is the keeper of the dreamers themselves.

Don’t be afraid to dream God’s Dreams. Listen to the Spirit’s voice and follow wherever it leads.

With Love,

Mike

She Ain't Heavy

Danielle LaNoue, a high school student, was competing in a cross-country race when she experienced a runner’s worst nightmare: her knee buckled and gave out. She collapsed in agony, made an attempt to get up and walk, and then collapsed again in tears.

After several runners passed her by, Melanie Bailey, a runner from a different school, stopped to check on her. She encouraged Danielle to walk with her while holding her up, but the pain was too great. Danielle couldn’t go on. So Melanie did what few competitors would: she lifted Danielle on her back and carried her to the finish line. They reached the finish line long after everyone else, but they finished.

This is not how you’re supposed to run a race, much less win a competition. But Melanie couldn’t imagine doing it any other way. She couldn’t leave a fallen fellow runner behind.

Danielle and Melanie’s story, and the picture that tells it, reminds me of the sixties’ song with gospel implications: He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother.

Do you remember it? It was inspired by a phrase that was first spoken in a sermon in Scotland somewhere around 1910 and was later used as the slogan for Father Flannagan’s Boy’s Town. The song talks about doing just what Melanie Bailey did. One verse says…

So on we go

His welfare is my concern

No burden is he to bear

We’ll get there

For I know

He would not encumber me

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

Maybe today you’ll encounter someone who has slipped and fallen. Most runners will pass them by, too focused on the finish line to stop.

But if you remember Melanie’s story and this song from sixties – and the following words of Paul – maybe you’ll stop and carry your brother or sister a few steps along the way.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

With Love,

Mike

No Guesswork

In one of the Peanuts comic strips, Peppermint Patty came to grips with a shocking truth. She was turning to Marsha for a few answers in school. Marsha exhorted Patty to stop asking her for answers. She exclaimed, “I don’t have all the answers. Sometimes I just guess.”

Peppermint Patty was shocked. Very distressed, she replied, “You guess? You’ve been giving me answers that you just guessed?”

Unfortunately, Peppermint Patty’s predicament doesn’t exist only in the fantasy world of comics. Every day, countless people depend upon others to give them answers that may be nothing more than a guess. And it’s quite possible that the guess is a bad one!

This new year of 2023 is still in its early stages. Days and months of decisions and challenges lie ahead, but God does not leave us without direction. As Christians, we don’t have to bank our eternity, or even our wisdom for daily life, on a guess – ours or someone else’s. We can find answer in the truth of God’s Word.

I love the message of Psalm 119, extolling not only the virtues and truth of God’s Word, but the benefits that come from following it.

How sweet are your words to my taste; they are sweeter than honey.

Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.

I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise again:

I will obey your wonderful laws.

Psalm 119:103-106

Praise God that life in 2023 is not about guesswork. It’s about following the path He has illuminated by his Word.

With Love,

Mike

My Favorite Bible Verse

Eons ago, when I was in college, I was struggling. Having been raised in a fairly legalistic home and church I struggled with assurance of eternal life. I also was confused about what God wanted me to do for a life’s work.

During my senior year, a group I sang in was invited to sing for a youth congress. The meetings were being held in a gymnasium, and famed Voice of Prophecy radio preacher, H. M. S. Richards, was the speaker.

After Richard’s sermon I felt impressed to ask him about my two questions: “Is my salvation secure?” And, “What should I do for my life’s work?” I made my way to the platform where Richards was shaking hands and praying for people. He saw me, grabbed my hand and began to speak.

Richard’s never let me say a word. Remember, I had two questions to ask but I never got to ask them. Instead, Richards quoted Romans 10:9. “If you will confess with your lips, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Question number one was answered.

Then Richards looked at me and said, “Son I don’t know what you are going to do with your life but whatever you do, keep it simple.” Then he turned and walked away.

God had answered my questions through this wonderful man of God. From that day my favorite Bible verse has been Romans 10:9. God gave it to Paul, who gave it to H. M. S. Richards, who gave it to me at just the right time in my life.

So, do you have a favorite Bible verse? Why is it your favorite? How does God speak to you through that verse?

As we step into a new year, I pray that you will immerse yourself in God’s word, and that you will find, as I have, that His word is truly alive and relevant to every situation of life – no matter what you may face in 2023. Happy New Year!

Mike Tucker

Christmas Triumph

Triumph, this time of year, seems to come in many shades of success in the Western world. Many of us feel most ready for Christmas when we have met every shipping deadline, reciprocated every Christmas card, or averted every scheduling conflict. Victories that we might otherwise find slight seem to become great feats during the holidays—finding a parking spot, getting the last box of Christmas lights in stock, beating the mailman to the mailbox. Though we seem confused over who or what we are fighting against—the clock, the perfect hostess, the family stressors, the agendas of others—we seem to work toward Christmas one insignificant feat at a time.

But the lyrics to a song we all sing during this season introduce us to a victory we need do nothing but join.

Joyful, all ye nations rise,

Join the triumph of the skies;

With th’angelic host proclaim,

“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

The triumph we are invited to join is far bigger than our best Christmases and more real than our worst. The cry of victory shouted on the very first Christmas night was: Christ was born! God came near. God is with us! The birth of Jesus was orchestrated at the hands of God long before the inn would be full or the shepherds would be in their fields by night, long before my traditions would seem etched in stone, or my culture would remove the Nativity from the public arena.

While there may be some ‘victories’ to rightfully seek this season, many others can be forsaken. The triumph of a God who so cares for creation that He joins us within it is a victory already won. God is with us. The triumph we invite the world to join as we celebrate Christ’s birth is a triumph won on our behalf by God Himself:

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'”

With love,

Mike

Are You God?

Recently, I was reminded of a story told years ago by Dr. John Maxwell. It’s one you’ve probably heard, but it brings a message that is worth contemplating again and again.

Shortly after the end of World War II, Europe was in ruins. Perhaps the saddest sight was the little orphaned children, starving in the war-torn streets. Early one chilly morning in London, an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks. Turning the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little boy of 6 or 7 years, who was standing with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. The hungry boy stared in silence as the baker prepared dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts.

The soldier pulled his jeep over, got out, and walked to where the little fellow was standing. Through the steamy window, he gazed at the mouthwatering treats. The soldier's heart went out to the child, so he asked, "Son, would you like some of those?" Startled, the little boy peered up at the tall American and cried, "Oh, yes, sir, I would!"

Quietly, the soldier stepped inside, bought a dozen doughnuts, and exited into the London fog. Turning to the child, he smiled, held out the bag, and said simply, "Here you are." As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. He stopped and smiled back at the boy, and heard him quietly ask, "Mister, are you God?"

Obviously, the soldier was not God – or was he? At that moment, his tender heart of compassion conveyed the heart of God to that child. The soldier saw the need and met it in a loving and caring way.

Christmas is a demonstration of God’s heart. God saw our need. We were pitiful victims, battered and bruised in a war-torn, sinful world – and He did something about it. He sent His one and only Son to save us for eternity. God’s heart is a heart of generous, compassionate love.

Our gifts this Christmas can never match God’s indescribable Gift, but perhaps we can find the opportunity to demonstrate the effects of that Gift by revealing His heart to those around us who are in need. Perhaps we can be His hands and feet to a person who needs to know someone cares.

Maybe, just maybe, when you walk away this Christmas after soothing a hurting soul, they will know that they have seen Him. They have seen God.

With love,

Mike

Gratitude: The Cure for Impatience

You've probably heard the humorous prayer of the impatient person: "Lord, please give me patience—right now!" Most of us struggle with impatience, but according to a potentially landmark research study, there's a surprising way to reduce impatience. The way is gratitude. That's the tentative conclusion from a team of researchers from three distinguished universities. You can reduce impatience with gratitude.

Their paper on the study, titled "Can gratitude reduce costly impatience?" looked at impatience in adults. Participants in the study were told they could get $54 now or $80 in 30 days. But before they could decide they were assigned to one of three groups. The control group was left to whatever feelings they came in with, while the other two groups were told to write a short paper about a time when they either felt happy or grateful.

The participants who felt either neutral or happy showed a strong preference for immediate payouts – as in, "Gimme that 54 bucks now!" But those who were in a grateful frame of mind showed more patience. What's more, the degree of patience exhibited was directly related to the amount of gratitude any individual felt. One of the researchers suggested, "[Displaying gratitude] opens up tremendous possibilities for reducing a wide range of societal ills from impulse buying and insufficient saving."

Perhaps curing impatience is a worthy objective for our Thanksgiving celebrations. As we lift grateful hearts to God, our patience with each other will grow.

Love,

Mike

We Give Thanks

We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds. As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. Psalm 75:1, 9

Giving thanks may at times be simply a matter of perspective. Those who are able to keep things in perspective are able to adopt an attitude of gratitude. Those who do not maintain the proper perspective are always dissatisfied, unhappy, and longing for more.

A fascinating study done by Professor Vicki Medvec reveals the relative importance of perspective in adopting an attitude of gratitude. Medvec studied Olympic medalists and discovered that bronze medalists were quantifiably happier than silver medalists. Here's why: Silver medalists tended to focus on how close they came to winning gold, so they weren't satisfied with silver; bronze medalists tended to focus on how close they came to not winning a medal at all, so they were just happy to be on the medal stand.

As we approach Thanksgiving, this most American of holidays, will we be able to maintain a perspective on life that will enable us to join the Psalmist in giving thanks for God’s wonderful deeds, or will we choose to be unhappy and dissatisfied? The choice is ours alone.

This Thanksgiving, I vow to banish complaint and focus exclusively on praise and thanksgiving. Won’t you join me?

As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob. Psalm 75:9

With Love,

Mike

Streets of Gold

We all know that gold is considered to be a precious substance. You pay a high price for gold jewelry or other items made of gold. History is filled with “gold rush” stories of people who gave up everything to try to find their fortune panning or mining for gold. But just how rare is this metal?

Even today, mining companies still work in places where the yield of gold is just one ounce for one ton of worked dirt. It takes a lot of work to find gold on this planet because there isn’t much of it. If you melted down all of the gold that has ever been mined, it would fit into a cube measuring twenty yards on each side.

Gold is so limited that the international monetary system is no longer based on gold but on paper currencies like the dollar. In fact, the full gold standard only lasted from the 1870’s to World War I.

But what is scarce on earth is abundant in heaven. When John caught a glimpse of heaven he said, “The great street of the city was of pure gold” (Rev. 21:21). It’s another vivid reminder that what we frequently pursue and consider to be of greatest value is nothing more than pocket change to God.

What a beautiful thought that the One who owns every resource has given this promise: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19. We can trust Him to take care of us here on earth and to share the beauty of His riches, including the glorious streets of gold when He takes us to Heaven.

With Love,

Mike

Success

Success is something we all seek. We want to succeed in our careers, our relationships, in raising our children. We want to make our mark in the world and be remembered for our achievements. But success is a variable concept, and one that is not easily defined. What is success?

In a special feature on the DVD of the movie The Natural, baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. talks about his view of success. Even though he is one of the greatest individual players in baseball history, what mattered most to him was succeeding as a team. In the interview, he says: "I'd much rather be referred to not as an individually great player, or someone who tore up the record books, but someone who came to the ball park and said: 'Okay, I'm here. I want to play. What can I do to help us win today?'

Amidst still photos and replays from the World Series, Ripken speaks directly to the issue of how true success is a team accomplishment, not an individual accomplishment. He says:

A lot of people ask, "What is your greatest play—your greatest accomplishment?" I say, "I caught the last out of the World Series." It wasn't a great catch—I didn't dive, I didn't do a cartwheel and throw the guy out at first base. People's mouths didn't drop open on the play. We all want to be part of something bigger. But we all have our little jobs that we have to do as a member of a team. Everybody has their individual responsibilities, but they all have to come together for a main goal, and that's to win. I've had great years when we haven't won, and they have not been really fulfilling. I've had not-so-great years, but we've had a good success as a team, and they were more fulfilling. So the most fulfilling moment I could ever have, again, was catching the last out of the World Series—knowing we did it!

As believers, it is important to realize that we do not succeed as individuals. We succeed because of Jesus. In fact, our connection to Him gives us absolute victory in every arena of life. He has won our salvation and given it to us by His grace, and now He walks with us to guide us through every single day of life. And on top of all that, through Him we find fellowship with other believers, who become our flesh-and-blood teammates. Some of our greatest successes will be those we accomplish with God’s team, the church. I’m praising God today that Jesus is the definition and the fulfillment of my success.

With Love,

Mike

Mastering the Mountain

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first climber, along with his partner, Tenzing Norgay, to reach the top of Mount Everest. It happened on his third try. On Hillary's second attempt, he not only failed to reach the summit, but his team also lost one of its members.

After the failed attempt, Hillary spoke to an audience about his experience. Behind him on the platform was a huge photograph of Everest. Hillary turned toward the photograph and said, "Mount Everest, you have defeated us. But I will return. And I will defeat you. Because you cannot get any bigger ... and I can."

When it comes to facing mountains, how do we get “bigger”? It starts with faith. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)

Edmund Hillary became 'bigger than Everest' through better planning, more detailed research, greater teamwork, and tenacious perseverance. And it started with faith -- the faith that this mountain could be conquered.

No doubt you're facing a mountain or two today: a mountain of debt, a mountain of fear, a mountain of uncertainty. Mountains don't move without determined effort, thoughtful planning, or courageous perseverance.

These things all begin with faith. It is faith that gives you the wherewithal to attempt something bigger than you. Not faith in yourself, but faith in the God for whom nothing is impossible.

Love,

Mike

New Each Day

Patrick Henry, whose primary contribution to the history books is the phrase "Give me liberty or give me death," made another memorable statement.

He said, "I know of no way of judging the future but by the past."

Repeat this before a group of your friends, and you'll see many heads nod in agreement. It has the ring of good common sense.

Be careful, though. This axiom might be true when it is applied to politics or history or investing, but it provides a lousy foundation for developing relationships. And it certainly doesn't reflect the way God relates to us.

God gives us a chance to let go of the past and start over -- each and every day. Jeremiah wrote in the book of Lamentations, "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

God doesn't judge our future by our past. He didn't do it with David or Moses or Peter or Paul or countless other Bible characters. As the Psalmist wrote, He does not treat us as our sins deserve. Every day is a new day.

A good way to start the day with God is to remember that you've just been given brand new mercies -- the chance to start the day with a clean slate.

It's also a good way to start the day with others. God doesn't allow our past to prevent us from a having a great future, so enjoy the fresh start – and pass the gift along to others as well.

With Love,

Mike