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It’s 11:15. Things are starting to wind down. The day has had its share of sound and fury, and it isn’t quite over yet. Not in the world I inhabit these days. But as the curtain does begin downward on this day it brings a change in the vocabulary. The language of commerce and connections gives way to something different.
I love it when I’m drawn to the rhythm and melody of The Quiet Words.
In a world filled with the shrill and loud words, the passionate and proud words, where turning up the volume and dialing down the listening are commonplace, does your heart ever yearn for something more… still?
Calm?
Intentionally peaceful?
Mine does. I find myself drawn to, and longing for, The Quiet Words.
Behind the din of the marketplace, the duties of the workplace, and the drama and demonstrations of the worship-place, I’m ready for Elijah’s surprise. [click to continue…]
Heart Reef - Part of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia
Earl Nightingale once told of a visit he made with his son to the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches nearly 1,800 miles from New Guinea to Australia. On the trip he noticed that the coral polyps on the inside of the reef, where the sea was peaceful and quiet in the lagoon, seemed pale and lifeless. On the other hand, the coral on the outside of the reef, beneath the surge of the tide and power of the waves, were bright and vibrant with color and flowing growth. Mr. Nightingale asked his guide why this was so.
“It’s very simple,” came the reply. “The coral on the lagoon side dies rapidly because it has no challenge for growth and survival. The coral facing the surge and power of the open sea thrives and multiplies because it is challenged and tested every day. And so it is with every living organism on earth.”
And so it is with us!
I wish I could tell you that because you are a Christian you are promised a stress-free, test-free life. But you and I both know that simply isn’t true. [click to continue…]
Got caught in my underwear last week.
Not literally – you can exhale and imagine something less disturbing. But what I experienced was on a similar emotional and mental level.
It’s been a c-r-a-z-y season time-wise for me for about the last month. I generally stay pretty busy, but this was my version of silly season – the time demands were beyond ridiculous. And under that kind of stress, I tend focus on what I do well and throw everything else into automatic pilot.
Probably not a good plan. In fact, not much of a plan at all – I was pretty much in survival mode. And so, in the process of focusing on what absolutely had to be done and what I’m good at, I dropped my guard over my weaknesses. And boy did they show up in some embarrassing ways.
Weaknesses are like underwear. We all have them but most of us would prefer not to expose them to the world. And we spend quite a bit of energy or money covering them up. [click to continue…]
Yes, this is me mocking my grandson. Or maybe Cason's mocking me. Hmmm.
Tucked away in the third stanza of a familiar hymn, Fannie Crosby penned these lines that were years ahead of her time:
Down in the human heart, Crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore.
Except for the grace of God, every single one of us will go to our graves feeling guilty about our feelings. Can you relate to any of these?
- “I didn’t love my mother enough.”
- “I hate my father.”
- “I don’t like being a mother.”
- “I will never forgive her as long as I live.”
- “I love one of my children more than the other.”
- “Why can’t he just die?”
One person has said, “Emotions are what we have the most of, and know the least about.” One of the longest, and most frustrating searches that many people have is why do I feel the way I feel, and what can I do about it?
On the other hand, some people (stupidly) dismiss all that and passively allow themselves to be led around by their feelings as if they are helpless to do anything about them. Ever hear something like this? [click to continue…]
There’s a well-known philosophy in some leadership circles that leaders never admit their mistakes. This being an election year, you can expect to see that in full force.
The problem with that philosophy is that being in a position of leadership – formally or informally – puts you out in front of people where they can see your mistakes loud ’n’ clear. So when you pretend you don’t have any, you look worse than proud. You look rather stupid.
The biggest issue with mistakes in leadership is not whether you make them, but whether you repeat them. Show me a politician, a corporate executive, a pastor, or any other form of “leader” who dodges the issue of failures, I’ll show you a leader destined to repeat the same mistakes.
On the other hand, if it’s true that being a leader means being “first learner,” then one of the best places to start is with your own lessons learned the hard way. Here are 10 lessons I learned by getting it wrong before I ever got it right: [click to continue…]
You show me Grace in the cases
Where I would be tempted to give up on me.
Yet you see past the walls and the falls to the work of art
Hidden in this cold heart of stone.
You alone have the faith to see what I could be
When You finish the good work You started in me
When You first showed me Grace.
And I’m amazed. And I thank you.
You show me Grace in the places
Where I’m still resisting the changes You make.
So you shake my desire from the mire of my stubborn will –
Patiently waiting till I bend.
You intend only good for me – to flourish, free
From the lifeless and broken man I used to be
When You first showed me Grace.
And I’m amazed. And I thank you.
You show me Grace in the spaces
Between where I should be and where I remain,
With a stain from a past that still casts a dark shadow when
All I can see is sin and shame.
Yet you came to restore the years and store the tears
That I’ve cried in my brokenness, longing and fear
When You first showed me Grace.
And I’m amazed. And I thank you.
You show me Grace in the faces
Of people who touch the untouchable me.
They can see through my blindness, with kindness they lovingly
Call out the best in me to grow.
And You know how I need to feel what You can heal
Through the tangible goodness You chose to reveal
When You first showed me Grace.
And I’m amazed. And I thank you.
You show me Grace in the traces
Of glory that whisper to me of my home.
While I comb through the aches and the breaks of a world that yearns
For the day You return to claim
Those you came to redeem from the grave and captive slaves
Like I was when You found me and paid all to save -
When You first showed me Grace.
And I’m amazed. And I thank you.
It’s dandelion season again. Truth be told, in some places and hearts, they never go out of season. And here this year, for some reason, they’re back with an attitude. Deep roots that say, “I’m here to stay.” Those big, ugly leaves that just invite themselves to your next salad. The bright yellow blooming heralds of spring. And of course, the seed head that remains the fascination of children of all ages and life stages.
Here’s a cure for all kinds of blues and blahs: The next time you see a dandelion in all its glory, pick it up and free those windborne seeds to sail into the breeze. So what if you’re holding a briefcase, wearing a business suit, and late for a really important meeting? Let it fly! I don’t care if you’re still snared by the pursuit of an immaculate lawn. Pull the roots if you must – but be a kid again for a few seconds in the process.
You see, dandelions are God’s version of a helium balloon or a birthday candle. [click to continue…]
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil” (2 Chronicles 18:7).
If the guy who’s always right is also the guy who’s always talking about repentance or judgment, here’s a thought: repent and avoid judgment.
The solution is NOT to find a different collection of advisers who only tell you what you want to hear. [click to continue…]
It’s a common subject of conversation I’ve had with countless people.
If you’re ever more than toe-deep in Church World, eventually the conversation will make its way to the pastor of whatever church.
Your pastor.
My pastor.
You-the-pastor.
He the pastor-wannabe.
And so it goes…
- I don’t like my pastor.
- I love my pastor.
- My pastor’s a jerk.
- I’m not getting fed by my pastor.
- My pastor just resigned.
- I wish my pastor would resign.
- We’re looking for a new pastor.
- We have a new pastor coming.
- My pastor can’t preach.
- My pastor isn’t very organized.
- My pastor left under a cloud of suspicion.
Hey, I get it. I’ve been on both ends of those conversations and have had all of that and more said about me, and often for good reason. People a lot smarter than I am have done quite a bit of research about members of the clergy, and they have made some startling discoveries. Care to guess what the most shocking of them all is? [click to continue…]
The earliest known drawings of you-know-who. From the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco
Suppose you could travel back in time and witness some event as it happened. What would you like to see firsthand?
My family and I played that “what if” game on a trip a few years ago. There were the obvious answers, of course, – to see the Red Sea divided into two walls of water, the resurrection or ascension of Jesus, to hear Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.
But lately I’ve been working on another list, because it speaks not just to the past, but to my future and yours.
If I could be a fly on history’s wall, here are some things I’d like to see, in no certain order:
I’d love to see Walt Disney show his wife sketch of a cartoon mouse he drew on the train ride home – one he called “Mortimer.” Lillian had a better idea. “Call him Mickey,” she said.
I’d love to see Oprah Winfrey’s first screen test.
I’d love to hear Billy Graham the first time he ever stood to preach.
I’d love to see Norman Vincent Peale’s wife, Ruth, mail his book manuscript – still in the trash can – to yet another publisher because he forbid her to take it out of the trash. (The book was The Power of Positive Thinking. It sold 30 million copies.) [click to continue…]
It’s 11:15. Things are starting to wind down. The day has had its share of sound and fury, and it isn’t quite over yet. Not in the world I inhabit these days. But as the curtain does begin downward on this day it brings a change in the vocabulary. The language of commerce and connections gives way to something different.
