Wide Open Spaces

I highly recommend the book Wide Open Spaces by Jim Palmer, author of another great book, Divine Nobodies. This is some of what it has inspired in me:

Following high school I attended a small junior college, met my wife, got married, and went to Bible College for full-time ministry training. After two years of working third-shift at a meat packing plant (pork - no less) I finally got my first gig in ministry at a church of about 300 people (a church that was following all the mega-church models… and I mean all of them).

That is where I spent the next twelve years of my life. I went from maintenance person/youth pastor, to youth pastor/associate pastor to executive pastor/young adult pastor. The church grew to about 1500 people… and I was running around in circles trying to help make things happen. There was huge emphasis placed on how we “did church”.

So, from twenty-three years of age until my mid-thirties, all I knew was a life of full-time ministry at that church.

I was so unsettled the last couple years there. I began to be convinced that there had to be something more meaningful to being a follower of Jesus. I began to be convinced that church was not something you “did”, but the essence of what it meant to be a follower of Jesus in community with others.

Eventually, God nudged (or shoved) me out of that place (and by “place” I don’t just mean the actual church itself, but the place I was in… my mindset and understanding of what it meant to be a follower of Jesus and my dependence on the system).

I interpreted the nudge to mean that we were supposed to plant a church – which we did in Raleigh, NC. My intention was to lead a church that would look more like the book of Acts than what I had been a part of. While that is still a passion of mine, things have gone very differently than I thought they would have (as if they were supposed to go the way I planned).

Life is happening at a much slower pace. There are many times when I feel compelled to be busier, to be doing more. But, God seems to be constantly reminding me just to “be”.

When I think of what I am experiencing in the wide open spaces… I think of the space that God now has available in my life. There is so much less clutter and business that He has to compete with. He now has the space to deal with aspects of my life that I stuffed deep down inside and didn’t have time or energy to focus on.

And that has been painful and beautiful at the same time.

Advent - Birth

Advent Reading for Monday, December 24 - Luke 2:1-20

The birth of Jesus... his entrance into the world has to be the most monumental and the most celebrated event in the history of the world. Not just a day, but a whole season (beginning with the retail store decorations that arrive on the scene in November) is devoted to the celebration of this event.

But, has Christ been lost in Christmas?

Did God intend the celebration of his Son's coming to earth to become what we have today? Think of the glaring contrasts between the humble birth of Christ and what has become of the "celebration" of his birth.

There are grassroots rumblings that give me hope that there is a restoration coming to the kind of celebration God intended. The birth of Jesus definitely deserves to be celebrated, but how can we celebrate this monumental event in a way that honors the purpose of his birth and life?

I am going to continue to listen to the rumblings... and will be encouraged to celebrate more appropriately in years to come.

Advent - Breath

Advent Reading for Monday, December 24 - Psalm 150

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord".

Advent - Prepare

Advent Reading for Sunday, December 23 - Malachi 3:1

¹ "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.

How is this message being conveyed today? How am I pronouncing to others that Jesus has come?

Advent - Branch

Advent Reading for Saturday, December 22 - Jeremiah 33:14-16

¹⁴ " 'The days are coming,' declares the LORD,
'when I will fulfill the good promise I made
to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

¹⁵ " 'In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.

¹⁶ In those days Judah will be saved
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it ^[a] will be called:
The LORD Our Righteous Savior.'

Advent - Worship

Advent Reading for Friday, December 21 - Matthew 2:11

I love the visual I get when I think of the magi arriving at the house where Mary and Joseph were staying with Jesus. Their first reaction was to bow down and worship him.

They made their intentions clear when they asked (as recorded in vs. 2), "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."

These men traveled a great distance to worship the Messiah and to present him with gifts.

Do I have this kind of heart? Am I willing to sacrifice in order to worship the Messiah?

Advent - Conflict

Advent Reading for Thursday, December 20 - Philippians 4:4-9

Last week at our weekly gathering at our home we began talking about how our lives are like a story, with a protagonist (hopefully us), antagonists, conflict, resolution, etc.

This week we talked about how Jesus' birth had all these elements. The beauty we try to capture in our manger scenes and Christmas productions rarely pick up on the conflict and the challenges experienced by Mary and Joseph.

Teenage pregnancy, orders from a puppet-king to kill all boy babies, fleeing to Egypt for safety, the long journey to Bethlehem (while very pregnant) only to be told "there is so room in the inn", giving birth in a dirty stable.

The circumstances surrounding the birth of Christ were not conflict-free. But, sometimes I expect my life to be this way - which is unrealistic.

Paul reminds me in Philippians not to be anxious, to be thankful, and to think about what is true, noble, right, pure, etc.

Advent - The World

Advent Reading for Wednesday, December 19 - John 3:16-17

Many times I have heard preachers refer to this Scripture and encourage people to write their own name in their Bible where it says "the world" - so it reads, "For God so loved [Bill] that he gave his one and only Son..."

I think I understand where they are coming from when they encourage this, but at the same time I think it fosters too much an individualistic gospel.

I used to tell people all the time, "If you were the only person left on earth Jesus would still have come to die on the cross for you."

But, the fact is that there are over six billion people on earth. Six billion!

And there is more to the world than people.

God loves all of his creation. He tells us we (humans) are the most important of all he created, but "it was good" when he created everything else too.

This season I am trying to think beyond myself as I think about God's love being expressed through the sending of his Son to the world.

Advent - Star

Advent Reading for Tuesday, December 18 - Matthew 2:1-2

Think of what it must have been like for the "magi" to have seen the bright start in the sky... and to know that it was a sign that the Messiah had been born.

I wonder if they thought of the ancient story of Abraham... and how God promised that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Galatians 3:16 says, "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say 'and to seeds,' meaning many people, but 'and to your seed,' meaning one person, who is Christ."

The star the magi followed may have reminded them that people would populate the Kingdom of God as the stars fill the sky.

Advent - A Child... A Son

Advent Reading for Monday, December 17 - Isaiah 9:6-7

Hundreds of years before the "child" was born, Isaiah spoke of his arrival. He said a child would be "born" and a Son would be "given".

Today I am thankful that Jesus was born and that, as the Son of God, he was given to the world to redeem all things.

Here is a quote that has appeared on our family Christmas card for the second year in a row: "The cry for meaning and hope and life was met one morning far away in the cry of a tiny babe... and with that cry time stopped and started again... and it was new."

A Quote Woth Quoting

"The American church as a whole needs to move from selfish consumerism to unselfish contribution. Those are poles apart. To start with a woman who's most interested in how many diamonds she's got in her tennis bracelet, and move her to sit under a banyan tree holding an AIDS baby- that's a giant leap. People in this culture are trained to think about me, me, me; I've got to do what's best for me. Even when we go to church we have this consumer mentality."

-Rick Warren serves as pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Taken from "It's Not About Rick" in the Summer 2007 issue of Leadership journal.

Advent - Mary

Advent Reading from Sunday, December 16 - Luke 2:15-20

I have to believe that Mary was chosen for this incredible responsibility partly because of her humility.

While many (maybe even most) people in her position would make an announcement to everyone they know, 'You are not going to believe this, but I am going to be the mother of the Messiah...', Mary simply "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart".

The shepherds went away and spread the word. Mary quietly meditated on this amazing world-changing event... the birth of her son - the Messiah.

I feel that some Christian groups have taken their thoughts of Mary a bit too far (I don't think God ever intended that we pray to her), but I have to say that I have great respect for her.

She serves as a great example of how to respond to a calling from God that carries with it much responsibility.

Advent - Wow!

Advent Reading from Saturday, December 15 - Colossians 1:15-20

This is huge! The writer is saying that Jesus is everything.

The image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, the One through whom all things have been created...

This is so much more than 'the figurehead of a world religion'.

Is that how we have portrayed him? Is that how I have portrayed him?

If all that is said about Jesus in this passage is true, I have minimized his place in creation, in the world and in my life.

May I have a greater grasp of his significance...

Advent - Life

Advent Reading from Friday, December 14 - John 10:7-10

Jesus came to give us life.

About 2,000 years ago a baby was born into the world. His new life has brought us life.

Advent - Everything

Advent Reading from Thursday, December 13 - Psalm 148

I feel like the psalmist is saying that everything in creation points to God... from the creation of Adam to all we see around us today - everything points to God.

Paul said something similar in Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

Jesus, through his life on earth, revealed God to the world more than any other element or person in all of God's creation.

He said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).

May we see our Father through the celebration of the birth of his Son this Advent season.

Advent - Good News... Great Joy... For All People

Advent Reading from Wednesday, December 12 - Luke 2:8-14

Through an angel the shepherds were given a message that must have been shocking to them, as Jews.

Not only had the Messiah been born that day, but the good news of his arrival was a message of great joy "for all people".

For Jews in that day, the Messiah's coming was their thing... they expected the Messiah to come to rescue and deliver them... not necessarily "all people". In their minds "all people" didn't need deliverance. They did.

But, the deliverance Jesus came to offer was not a political deliverance, or a military deliverance. It was a deliverance from the bondage of sin and spiritual oppression.

And it was for all people... everywhere.

Advent - Jesus Was Homeless

Advent Reading from Tuesday, December 11 - Luke 2:6-7

Shane Claiborne and his friends from The Simple Way in Philadelphia designed a t-shirt that simply reads, "Jesus Was Homeless". You can read the story of how the t-shirt impacted a Philadelphia court decision here.

Jesus WAS homeless. His life began that way - as a baby lying in a feed trough (manger). And it could be said his life on earth ended that way.

At one point in his life, he said, "Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20).

The humble way Jesus entered the world gives us incredible insight into how his life would be lived and the kind of message he would proclaim. This really makes me think about what the focus of my life should be as someone who calls myself one of his followers.

Advent - Adoption

Advent Reading from Monday, December 10 - Galatians 4:4-5

Just today we received Miyah's official Social Security card in the mail.

When I read this passage, I thought of how we have adopted Miyah into our family... and how God has done the same for us.

He has sent his Son to redeem us and to make us his children. Amazing!

Advent - Rough (Not Just) Around The Edges

Advent Reading from Sunday, December 9 - Luke 3:1-6

The Gospel writer, Luke, connects John the Baptist's calling to the prophet Isaiah in this passage.

He quotes the words of Isaiah that spoke of a way that God created for Israel's returning exiles. Things were crooked and rough for them in Babylon, but, by delivering them from slavery there, God provided a way that was straight and smooth.

I get the sense that God is doing the same in my heart.

In the areas of my life that I am rough around the edges (or not just around the edges), he is lovingly chipping away and smoothing things out. In the places where things are a little crooked, he is doing some straightening.

And I pray that through this, others will see his work of salvation.

Advent - Friend

Advent Reading from Saturday, December 8 - John 15:9-17

Jesus says, "This is my command: Love each other." Just before saying this, he says, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."

Is he saying that to love each other we must lay our lives down for each other?

This seems like a lot to ask.

I am spending some time today to think through what this means. Do I lay my life down for my friends? Am I willing to do so?

Maybe this is one of the things Jesus was talking about when he said, "narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Advent - Babies

Advent Reading from Friday, December 7 - Luke 1:39-45

A coworker of mine is pregnant. Her due date is about two weeks away and she is very much ready to have the baby.

I know what she means when she says she is ready to "have" her baby, but I was thinking... in a way she already "has" her baby!

There is a living, moving, human being growing in her womb. He IS alive. He IS living! she talks about his movements all the time.

It reminds me of the days (fifteen years ago) when I would lay my hand on Cherie's belly just to "feel" the movement of Ben & Alex. It was an amazing feeling. These living, moving twin boys were making their presence known on a regular basis.

Apparently, John was making his presence known the day when Mary greeted Elizabeth.

He was alive and well. And years later he made his presence known by drawing attention to Jesus by echoing the words of Isaiah, "Prepare the way for the Lord."

Advent - Are You Sure?

Advent Reading from Thursday, December 6 - Luke 1:5-23

As long as I can remember, I have always had an issue with wanting to be right... needing to be right. In order to be "right", you have to "know"... you have to "be sure".

In the past couple years I have been learning to let go of wanting and needing to be right. But, in order to do this I have had to let go of needing to "know" and to "be sure".

This is tough.

When told by an angel that his wife would give birth to a son in her old age (after years of being unable to bear children), Zechariah's response was, "How can I be sure of this?".

I think I would have asked the same question. When God says he is going to do something that is amazing or out of the ordinary... I want to know that he is going to follow through. I want to be sure.

But where is the journey of faith and trust when we "know" and are "sure" of what God is going to do?

The sign that God gave Zechariah that he was going to do what he said?

Zechariah became mute for the rest of his wife's pregnancy!

When I am looking for proof of what God has said... rather than asking "How can I be sure of this?"... maybe I should just shut up.

Advent - The Bullet-Point Version

Advent Reading from Wednesday, December 5 - Matthew 1:18-25

I don't like this aspect of my personality sometimes... but I can be a "bullet-point" kind of person. So, work with me on this. Let's summarize what is going on in these verses in bullet-points:

• Joseph and Mary get engaged
• They abstain from sex
• Mary finds out she's pregnant
• Joseph decides to divorce her
• Joseph has a dream
• In the dream an angel appears to him
• The angel tells him not be be afraid to marry Mary (I could type something very corny here but I won't) because the baby in her womb is "from the Holy Spirit"
  
• He is told that Mary will have a boy, his name will be Jesus, and he will save his people from their sins
• Joseph wakes up from the dream
• Joseph does what the angel tells him and marries Mary (again I am resisting the temptation...)
• Even after the wedding Joseph and Mary abstain from sex
• Mary gives birth to a boy and they name him Jesus

I have to believe that this story is communicated by Matthew in a 'bullet-point" sort of way. I have to believe a lot was happening between each of the points listed above. Joseph and Mary fell in love (or maybe it was an arranged marriage). They go through the challenges of abstaining from the physical expression of their love. Mary has her own visit from an angel (Luke 1:26-38) and discovers that she is miraculously pregnant. Joseph freaks out.... etc.

I am grateful for the summary of this story. But don't you want to know more? Don't you want to know what emotions were bursting inside them? Did Joseph and Mary have fights during all of this? Did they ever "almost" have sex? What was Joseph's initial reaction to this dream? Did he wake up in a cold sweat? Did Mary ever sob and wish she wasn't pregnant? (If you haven't seen it - I would highly recommend The Nativity Story if you are looking for a true-to-life portrayal of the events leading up to Jesus' birth)

Knowing that Joseph and Mary were real human beings, I have to believe this whole thing didn't play out in a clean, neat, bullet-point sort of way. It had to be an emotion-filled, absolutely crazy time in the lives of these two and their families.

I am reminded of what Chad said in one of his recent posts, "I know Joseph doubted, but ultimately trusted God. How outlandish and messy this story really is..."

Sometimes things in life just have to be summarized, but even when all we can do is give the bullet-point version I think it is important that we have the realization that there is a lot going on between the bullet-points... and it can be messy, chaotic, confusing, beautiful, joyous, mysterious.

This is life.

Advent - Mary's Song

Advent Reading from Tuesday, December 4 - Luke 1:46-56

The line that grabs me from this song of Mary's is:

"he has brought down rulers from their thrones, But he has lifted up the humble."

I get the sense that Mary has a "gut feeling" that there is going to be something different about this child than any other ruler that has ever lived. She has this intuition that his kingdom is going to be an "upside-down kingdom"... where the focus is not on the proud, the successful, the leaders, the powerful, but on the humble, the oppressed, the outcasts, the poor, the insecure.

God's choice of Mary (not a woman of noble birth), God's choice of Bethlehem (not a prominent city), God's choice of the stable and the manger (not the Ritz-Carlton) all give us a clue that Jesus was coming to turn things upside-down.

It makes me wonder... 'what needs to be turned upside-down in my life?'

Advent - The Virgin Mary

Advent Reading from Monday, December 3 - Luke 1:26-28

What an amazing moment it must have been for Mary... to be visited by an angel carrying the message that she was "highly favored" and that "the Lord was with her"!

From what I can tell Mary was an unsuspecting young girl in a remote community. And although I believe there was only one virgin birth, I believe God is still sending messages out to people that they are highly favored and that He is with them.

So many of us need to be reminded of our value to God... and reminded that He is with us. I need this reminder today!

Advent - Light

Advent Reading from Sunday, December 2 - John 9:5

Jesus said, "While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

After reading a story from a friend's blog (thanks Denise!) I have been thinking about the fact that there is really no such thing as "darkness" - it is simply the absence of light.

There was an absence of light prior to Jesus coming to earth.

The Roman Empire ruled the land with oppression... and the Pharisees controlled the spiritual landscape with their legalistic manipulation. Darkness!

And then The Light arrived.

But, he said, "While I am in the world..." What does that mean for us now? He is no longer "in the world" in the flesh. Where is the light now that Jesus is no longer living here on earth as Immanuel?

It is humbling... and overwhelming to think that we are the light that is now in the world (Matthew 5:14).

Where is light absent around us? Where can we "let it shine, let it shine, let it shine"?

Advent

I have been intrigued lately by the traditions of the ancient followers of Jesus.. actually I think I have always been intrigued by them, but I have been thinking more lately about their ancient practices and traditions - which has led me to think more deeply about "Advent" this year.

Advent (like Lent is to Easter) is a time of reflection leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The word comes from the Latin advenio, which means "to come"...focusing on "the coming of Christ" as the Divine embodied in the human.

Too often I have celebrated the secular version of the Christmas "season"... only to direct my attention to the spiritual aspect of the holiday on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

It has been our family tradition to read the Luke 2 account of the birth of Christ every year on Christmas morning before we open presents. But this year I am following an Advent Calendar from December 2-25 ... reading passages that deal with the coming of Christ and preparing my heart to fully celebrate Christ's coming on Christmas Day.

We'll still read the Luke 2 account on Christmas morning... but I think it will mean just a little more to me this time around.