A slap in the face and I'm wide awake

CoffeeBreak is guest written by my son, Sean, and is a thoughtful piece about a response to crisis. One my recurrent themes over the last decade has been taken from where the Spirit urges every Christian to be "making the most of every opportunity." (Ephesians 5:16, NIV)  What do you do with the situations, good and bad, that come your way? Sean is right. The Scott family has taken a hit and, by God’s grace, we’re not letting it destroy us.  By the way, he says some stuff about his Dad being heroic. You can discard that part. (smile)  Take it away, son.

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So mom got back from another trip to the hospital today. We're all doing a happy dance now that she's found her way over another hill. Cancer and it's treatments are just that; running up one hill, relieved to hit the top, only to see the next hill right in front of you. But as trying as this time is, as heart-wrenching as it is to watch helplessly as mom fights this alone (physically), our family is experiencing real beauty. No one cares about the idiosyncrasies of the other anymore. No one is focused on who said what to whom. No one is talking about the hardships in our lives. Why? Because all the dumb stuff has become so small in comparison to what we are now facing together.

Our family has always been strong. I've never doubted where I've come from or the love we have. We're an opinionated, often brash, but loving family. (Poor mom is the quietest of us all.  – smile-  She's always trying to keep the peace whenever waves roll through.) But in the past years, as we've all become "busy" with our own lives, we've taken for granted the family unit. We've all chosen ourselves more times than we've chosen the family. And that's not bad, just a normal response when all is good. You think that other visits and holidays will come and you'll take the time then.

But sickness came and shook us all awake. It has broken us from the slumber of contentment of doing "enough" with each other; meeting the minimum requirements for visits and phone calls. Instead, I read texts everyday from everyone. I talk to my brother about priorities and taking care of mom and dad. It's unveiled a side of my dad that is nothing short of heroic. He's broken but steadfast, taking each day as it comes, loving my mom in incredible ways in his actions and care. Without saying a word, he's showing us what loving your wife in sickness and health means. Every day, I think of mom and all she is to our family. I think about what she's given and see that she is giving once again to us is a way she never saw coming. She, through the pain of her sickness, is bringing our family together. She's reminding us how important we are to the other and to remember that. She's centering us. I see my sister, 8 months pregnant, being a champion for my mom's spirit, calling twice a day to keep her hope alive; such a critical job in this time.

And I see the faith in all of us being tested. We don't see answers but that's ok. We're not flailing blindly at God. This time has brought us all back to simply trusting in a loving God that our family has been built around. It's about TRULY believing that He has a plan and purpose, not ours but His no matter what may come.  It's so much easier to say, "Your will be done . . " as a family. Thank you, Mom, for giving this to us. We love you deeper and fuller than you will ever know.

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Thank you, Sean. 

So where are you today?  Is your way smooth, the day bright?  Rejoice, give thanks, and don’t get self-absorbed!  

Is your way littered with obstacles, darkened by grief or disappointment?  Pray, trusting His grace.  Let others love you.

Here’s the word from the Word.

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights." (Habakkuk 3:17-19, NLT)

In the shadow of the mountain

Pike’s Peak, a mountain in Colorado, rises to 14,110 feet above sea level!  I’ve been to the summit twice, once driving up – what a rush; and once taking the cog rail.  Even in the thin oxygen, feeling a little shaky, I was filled with awe. Katherine Lee Bates captured the emotion in her poem which we sing as “America, the Beautiful” which she wrote after a trip to the top of Pikes Peak in 1895.  Looking each, out across the Great Plains,  west over the crags of the Rocky Mountains, a person feels awe and exhilaration. It is a natural ‘high,’ no pun intended!  Reaching the top before roads or rail would have been a feat of endurance!

When we walk with Christ we climb some mountains, too.  At times, on the horizon, there are menacing peaks daring us to move ahead. Finishing a degree, healing a broken relationship, seeing our child through the turbulence of the teen years, beating an addiction, coping with serious illness – are some of those mountains.  We come to the foot of the mountain, so to speak, and wonder if we can make it over the top.  Day after day, we press ahead; sometimes breathless, sometimes exhausted.  We pray and press on. Then, we reach the goal, resolve the issue, and it is like reaching the summit of a mountain. New vistas open.  We discover faith we never knew was possible, a sense of joy we could not have anticipated on the ascent.

God summoned Moses to the mountain! "Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights." (Exodus 24:15-18, NLT) There, in God’s Presence, Moses received the Law, the plan for the Tabernacle which was the center of Israel’s worship, revelations great and wonderful. He was a changed man after his ascent to the top of Mt. Sinai.

John, too, was carried to a mountain where he gained new perspective! "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal." (Revelation 21:10-11, NIV) From the height of his visionary mountain, John wrote of the disciple’s great hope, the promise of God’s victory over sin and suffering in a book that has encouraged and intrigued Christians for two millennia- The Revelation of Jesus Christ!

In the classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, an allegory about our journey to the Celestial City, John Bunyan wrote of the Delectable Mountains that afford the pilgrims, Christian and Hopeful, a view of their final destination. His insight is clear and instructs us well. From the heights of the mountains we have to climb along the way, we catch glimpses of God’s glory that draw us along.

Are you living in the shadows of the valley right now?
Does some peak stand ahead of you, daring you to scale its heights?
Or are you in the climb, feeling exhausted; seeing only more difficulty as you look ahead?

Keep climbing! New vistas will appear when you get to the summit!

"O Zion, messenger of good news, shout from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem. Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming!”

Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms,
holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young."
(Isaiah 40:9-11, NLT)

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By My Spirit

Is there a mountain in your way?

Do doubts and fears abound?

Press on, oh hear the Spirit say,

This mountain shall come down.

“Not by might, nor by pow'r,

By My Spirit,” saith the Lord of Hosts.

“Not by might, nor by pow'r,

By My Spirit,” saith the Lord.

This mountain shall be removed.

This mountain shall be removed.

This mountain shall be removed.

“By My Spirit,” saith the Lord.

Then trust alone the mighty God.

He speaks the winds obey!

Take courage, then oh fainting heart,

For you He'll make a way.

Almeda Herrick | Cyril McLellan

© 1957. Renewed 1985 Gospel Publishing House (Admin. by Lorenz Corporation)

CCLI License # 810055

A few nice words for Sunday morning?

The Supreme Court handed down a decision about religious liberty yesterday (6/30/2014) that made some dance for joy and others seethe in rage. One commentator growled about the “evangelical Christians from Oklahoma who want to push their religion on the rest of us. They should content to keep it in church!”  About half of Americans would probably agree with him. Religion, to that half of the country, is something only for the church or synagogue, neatly separated from the ‘real’ world. I am happy that I live in a nation where the government is not entangled with a specific religion.  I look at the past where Church and King were united and see a lot of misery.  We have seen the terrors exacted on the people who live where mullahs rule.

And yet …  when Christ is Lord there is no division between holy and ordinary. My faith is not just a Sunday sentimentality.

The convictions that grow out of our devotion to Him will form the values that govern our financial choices, the expression of our sexuality, our manner of speech, the way we treat other people, and even the kind of citizens we are!  The rub is exactly how to live in the world without becoming a part of it. Christians of conviction should be prepared to live in direct conflict with those who do not love God in the same way. It is part of the price of devotion. 

Jesus told us that “they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them.  But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.  All men will hate you because of me.  But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life.”  (Luke 21:12)

Our highest ethic is love, deep compassion, other-centered, self-sacrificial love.  Instead crying, “I’ve got my rights” we must lower our defenses.  As Jesus said, ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.”  The Message (Mt 5:39-42)  Christians who grow angry under the pressure of persecution, who lash out at their tormentors, or who respond with violence or threats discredit their faith and their Lord. He calls on us to patiently endure rejection, to love our enemies, to continue to work – steadily – to see His Gospel spread.

Let’s commit ourselves to a robust faith, one that is engaged with life – first in ourselves, then in our world.  When that faith brings us into conflict with others, let’s be humble.  If they are attacking us for hypocrisy, let’s repent and get it right, for Christ’s sake.  If the world hates us because we love Him, then let’s bear it – joyfully.

Here’s a word from the Word. Ponder it, study it, own it, live it.

"Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction." (2 Timothy 3:12-4:3, NIV)

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It's the best feeling

Her thousand watt smile lit up the stage.  She’s a born performer and you can see she is hungry for the applause. She pours herself into her music, heart and soul. I smiled as I watched her and realized that similar desires live in me.  
Well, who doesn’t like appreciation?
Little kids crave their parents’ words of praise. “Thank you,” said sincerely, is a kind of blessing.

There is an affirmation that I desire more than any other: the approval of the Lord.  I keep in mind His promise that He will never forget or overlook.  Won’t it be the best feeling to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things… Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:20-21, NIV)?

Kierkegaard, a 19^th century theologian, wisely reminds us that our lives should be lived in worship that is focused entirely on God.  We look to Him only; the ‘Audience of One.’   Knowing that, we aim to answer just one question: am I pleasing Him?  There is such freedom for the man who chooses to seek that reward. He can stop polishing his reputation; no longer needs to ‘buy things he doesn’t need to impress people he doesn’t like.’  He can let others mis-judge, overlook, and even ignore him without becoming mean, miserable, or mopey!

If Abba is smiling, all is right in my world. How about you?  Ironically, the less we crave the approval of others and get ourselves right with God, living authentically and humbly before Him, a heart-deep beauty will radiate from us. Make your life one of worship. Yes, pour out your song, do your work, speak your words – not to get the crowd’s applause, but for His approval. David’s Psalm captures that kind of life with his prayer: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14, NLT)  Matt Redman’s song, Heart of Worship, says, “I’ll bring You more than a song for a song in itself is not what You have required.  You search much deeper within through the way things appear. You’re looking into my heart!” © 1999 Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

Do something radical today. Sing to God alone. Send an anonymous note of encouragement and be content to let only God know it. Give a gift of kindness to someone who is incapable of returning the favor, knowing that God sees. Serve and don’t look around to see if anybody is watching. Let your soul dance for your Daddy!

The person who looks to Heaven for applause can join Paul in this rock-solid hope. The old apostle was near the day of death, had suffered terrible abuse from Christians and the systems of the world.  But, he knew God’s smile and was eagerly anticipating a rich reward. May his last words be our words to live by.  “I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.” (2 Timothy 4:6-9, The Message)
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Beautiful Things (watch the music video, click on title)

All this pain-
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way?
I wonder if my life could really change,
At all?

 All this earth-
Could all that is lost ever be found?
Could a garden come up from this ground,
At all?

You make beautiful things;
You make beautiful things, out of the dust.
You make beautiful things,
You make beautiful things out of us.

All around-
Hope is springing up from this old ground!
Out of chaos life is being found,
In You!

You make me new,
You are making me new!
You make me new,
You are making me new!

Lisa Gungor | Michael Gungor
© 2009 worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License # 810055