Friday, June 4, 2010
Crazy Love
Well, I said I wanted to learn to love well and God responded ... He gave me a book to read that confirmed my suspicions that I needed to draw closer to Him and let Him help me love. Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love, is an amazing explanation of God's radical love for us and the the radical love demanded as our response. I am not a book reviewer ... I no literary critic ... I just want to bear witness that this book can change your life ... it can convict you ... it can inspire you to love God more deeply and pursue him with all of your being.
Monday, May 31, 2010
I want to love well
During faculty devotions Jennifer Taylor, a colleague of mine, encouraged the faculty of Houston High School to love well as we went about teaching lessons, coaching athletes, and fine-tuning the performances of artists. At graduation she commended the class of 2010 on their collective ability to love well. Loving well is a theme that not only a theme of Jennifer's speeches, loving well is something that Jennifer does. It is something I want to do well, too. It is my newest passion.
Now, I am not great at it. If loving were swimming, I would still be wearing floaties. If loving were riding a bike, I would still be using training wheels. If loving were driving, I would still have my learner's permit. But ... I know it is important ... and I have some great examples, including The Greatest Example, Himself.
Consider 1 John 4: 7-12
"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us."
Loving well is of ultimate importance ... it is the way that God's love is perfected in us and evidence that He lives in us. The most challenging thing for a goal-oriented person such as myself is that the way to become loving is to get to know God and let Him enable me to love ... "love is from God." He must live in me and his love must flow through me. My efforts are a poor substitute.
It really makes sense: the GREATEST commandment is to love God ... the SECOND is to love my neighbor as myself. The first is primary, the second is derivative. "'...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Once I love God with all that I am, I will know him. Not to sound overly dramatic, God's love is lavish, that when I spend regular time with him I find that his love overflows into all areas of my life. Loving my neighbor will be natural.
My problem has been that if I think I need to be more loving, I tend to try to act more loving instead of drawing closer to God. Silly me. I am impatient. I get tired. I get hot. I get hungry. All of which tend to make me cranky ... which makes it very hard to ACT loving. God, however, IS love. He is long-suffering. He never gets tired. I don't think he gets hot or hungry or cranky ... and I am promised that if I love him with all that I am, I will know him, and I will love others ... and I will love well.
Now, I am not great at it. If loving were swimming, I would still be wearing floaties. If loving were riding a bike, I would still be using training wheels. If loving were driving, I would still have my learner's permit. But ... I know it is important ... and I have some great examples, including The Greatest Example, Himself.
Consider 1 John 4: 7-12
"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us."
Loving well is of ultimate importance ... it is the way that God's love is perfected in us and evidence that He lives in us. The most challenging thing for a goal-oriented person such as myself is that the way to become loving is to get to know God and let Him enable me to love ... "love is from God." He must live in me and his love must flow through me. My efforts are a poor substitute.
It really makes sense: the GREATEST commandment is to love God ... the SECOND is to love my neighbor as myself. The first is primary, the second is derivative. "'...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Once I love God with all that I am, I will know him. Not to sound overly dramatic, God's love is lavish, that when I spend regular time with him I find that his love overflows into all areas of my life. Loving my neighbor will be natural.
My problem has been that if I think I need to be more loving, I tend to try to act more loving instead of drawing closer to God. Silly me. I am impatient. I get tired. I get hot. I get hungry. All of which tend to make me cranky ... which makes it very hard to ACT loving. God, however, IS love. He is long-suffering. He never gets tired. I don't think he gets hot or hungry or cranky ... and I am promised that if I love him with all that I am, I will know him, and I will love others ... and I will love well.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Hide and Seek - given as a faculty devotional 05/17/10
I was blessed to grow up on a quiet street with six families who had children my exact same age. We waited for the school bus together in the morning, played together at recess, and bounded off the bus together in the afternoon. Of course, the most joyous bounding off of the school bus took place on the last day of school. That was the beginning of three long months of sleeping late, watching cartoons, and roaming through our neighborhood. We rode bikes. We caught fireflies. We reenacted scenes from Star Wars …even though some of us had never seen the movie. We had a blast … but some of the best times were playing hide and seek … especially once we were allowed to stay out after dark.
After fourth grade the old neighborhood-wide rule of “be home by the time the streetlights come on” was changed to “come in for dinner when the streetlights come on” and then you can go back out until 10:30. (I guess the parents all wanted to be able to watch the evening news and then go to bed, knowing that their chicks were all back in the nest.) So, during those couple of hours between sunset and 10:30, we would have neighborhood-wide games of hide-and-seek that were nothing short of tween madness. We could hide anywhere that was part of the participants’ parent’s properties … so long as it wasn’t actually in anybody’s house. So trees, tree houses, beds of pickup trucks, the backsides of sand piles, were all free game. My favorite part of hide and seek was being so quiet and hiding so well that when the seeker approached me, I could jump out, yelling, and scare the seeker as I made a break for base. Ahhh, good times.
So, what does this have to do with a devotional? Well, I want to encourage you to hide and seek this summer. At this time of year, it is apparent, that we all need renewal. Hide and seek is still one of the best ways to spend a summer, especially if we want renewal!!! …. But the hiding and seeking I want you to do is part of a special version of hide and seek. This time, we are going to hide from all the other distractions in our lives and we are going to seek God.
Jesus had to hide sometimes when he wanted to seek God. In Mark 1:35 we are told “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” Jesus advised his active workers to take time to hide and seek renewal. Listen to Mark 6:30-31. Keep in mind this takes place upon the return of “the twelve” when Jesus sent them out in pairs to teach and drive out demons. “The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” I know some of you can relate! … and I am certain that somewhere in your soul you know that the Holy Spirit is saying the same thing to you. Listen to the appeal of Jesus found in Matthew 11: 28-30. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” How great is that? If we will hide and seek Jesus, we will find him. On top of that, we will learn from him AND we will find rest for our souls.
This kind of hide and seek reminds me a little bit of the hide and seek Jim and I used to play with Jack when he was about three. We would play in the house and every time Jack would hide, he would go stand in the bathtub … and no matter how hard he would try to be quiet, he would giggle. There was no question of where Jack was … but … to build anticipation Jim and I would make a big deal out of going through the house, loudly announcing all of the places we were seeking but not finding, Jack. The giggling would grow louder. Finally, we would go open the bathroom door, wondering loudly “If Jack might be in the bathroom.” When we would open the door, Jack would yell “RAWR” … something he learned from his mother, I am sure … and, then he would be overcome with giggles. We all would. Those were moments of sheer delight. We were parents and a child and we were enjoying being in relationship with each other. Jack also loved playing the game in reverse … he loved coming to look for us … and he loved finding us … with, of course, a loud “RAWR.”
I may be wrong, but I think this is an illustration of one way we are supposed to become like little children … allowing ourselves to be totally enthralled in the prospect of both finding our Father and being found by our Father.
So, this summer I encourage you to become like a child and hide from your “adult” responsibilities and seek God. Enjoy Him. Love Him. Learn from Him … and be renewed.
After fourth grade the old neighborhood-wide rule of “be home by the time the streetlights come on” was changed to “come in for dinner when the streetlights come on” and then you can go back out until 10:30. (I guess the parents all wanted to be able to watch the evening news and then go to bed, knowing that their chicks were all back in the nest.) So, during those couple of hours between sunset and 10:30, we would have neighborhood-wide games of hide-and-seek that were nothing short of tween madness. We could hide anywhere that was part of the participants’ parent’s properties … so long as it wasn’t actually in anybody’s house. So trees, tree houses, beds of pickup trucks, the backsides of sand piles, were all free game. My favorite part of hide and seek was being so quiet and hiding so well that when the seeker approached me, I could jump out, yelling, and scare the seeker as I made a break for base. Ahhh, good times.
So, what does this have to do with a devotional? Well, I want to encourage you to hide and seek this summer. At this time of year, it is apparent, that we all need renewal. Hide and seek is still one of the best ways to spend a summer, especially if we want renewal!!! …. But the hiding and seeking I want you to do is part of a special version of hide and seek. This time, we are going to hide from all the other distractions in our lives and we are going to seek God.
Jesus had to hide sometimes when he wanted to seek God. In Mark 1:35 we are told “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” Jesus advised his active workers to take time to hide and seek renewal. Listen to Mark 6:30-31. Keep in mind this takes place upon the return of “the twelve” when Jesus sent them out in pairs to teach and drive out demons. “The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” I know some of you can relate! … and I am certain that somewhere in your soul you know that the Holy Spirit is saying the same thing to you. Listen to the appeal of Jesus found in Matthew 11: 28-30. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” How great is that? If we will hide and seek Jesus, we will find him. On top of that, we will learn from him AND we will find rest for our souls.
This kind of hide and seek reminds me a little bit of the hide and seek Jim and I used to play with Jack when he was about three. We would play in the house and every time Jack would hide, he would go stand in the bathtub … and no matter how hard he would try to be quiet, he would giggle. There was no question of where Jack was … but … to build anticipation Jim and I would make a big deal out of going through the house, loudly announcing all of the places we were seeking but not finding, Jack. The giggling would grow louder. Finally, we would go open the bathroom door, wondering loudly “If Jack might be in the bathroom.” When we would open the door, Jack would yell “RAWR” … something he learned from his mother, I am sure … and, then he would be overcome with giggles. We all would. Those were moments of sheer delight. We were parents and a child and we were enjoying being in relationship with each other. Jack also loved playing the game in reverse … he loved coming to look for us … and he loved finding us … with, of course, a loud “RAWR.”
I may be wrong, but I think this is an illustration of one way we are supposed to become like little children … allowing ourselves to be totally enthralled in the prospect of both finding our Father and being found by our Father.
So, this summer I encourage you to become like a child and hide from your “adult” responsibilities and seek God. Enjoy Him. Love Him. Learn from Him … and be renewed.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy 2010!
My resolutions:
I will turn forty this year. When considering New Year's Resolutions, I first thought of last minute accomplishments and time/gravity-induced flaws that I might want to correct before reaching this milestone ... but I really don't want to focus that much on me. It is depressing ... it is not enough ... and it is not what life is about. I am who I am and, although I try to be eat healthy, exercise, and be a better person each day than I was the day before, I am an imperfect person. If I focus all of my energies on trying to perfect that which cannot be perfected, I am simply wasting my time and sentencing myself to certain failure and frustration.
So, this year I am going to embrace this life God has given me with every ounce of my being! So here are my resolutions:
Love with abandon! Laugh often! Learn all you can!
Do good even in the face of evil!
Count your blessings!
Make the most of what you have! Be thankful!
Find joy in the little things and be completely blown away by the big things!
Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength!
I think 2010 is going to be a good year! Embrace it!
I will turn forty this year. When considering New Year's Resolutions, I first thought of last minute accomplishments and time/gravity-induced flaws that I might want to correct before reaching this milestone ... but I really don't want to focus that much on me. It is depressing ... it is not enough ... and it is not what life is about. I am who I am and, although I try to be eat healthy, exercise, and be a better person each day than I was the day before, I am an imperfect person. If I focus all of my energies on trying to perfect that which cannot be perfected, I am simply wasting my time and sentencing myself to certain failure and frustration.
So, this year I am going to embrace this life God has given me with every ounce of my being! So here are my resolutions:
Love with abandon! Laugh often! Learn all you can!
Do good even in the face of evil!
Count your blessings!
Make the most of what you have! Be thankful!
Find joy in the little things and be completely blown away by the big things!
Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength!
I think 2010 is going to be a good year! Embrace it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
