God

Complete Nonsense

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How many pounds tall are you?

How many inches do you weigh?

What’s your net worth in ounces?

Does this sound like complete nonsense to you?

It should.

After all, the wrong measurements are being used to answer some fairly standard questions.

The truth is, it’s equally foolish and nonsensical to try to measure and define a person’s value using questions like these:

How much money do they make a year?

What kind of car do they drive?

How high up the corporate ladder have they climbed?

Our identity is not found in our place of employment.

Our value is not found in our net-worth.

Do you want to know how valuable you really are?

1 Corinthians chapter seven says,

“God paid a high price for you.”

He gave His life for you.

He loved each of us enough to lay down His life so we could live.

What about your identity?

1 John 3.1 says,

“See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!”

We are loved by God.

We are members of His family.

We are valued.

We are loved.

We find our true identity in Him.

I hope this serves as an encouraging reminder of who you really are in Christ.

Let Me Do It!

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“I wanna do it myself!” is heard often around my house these days.

I guess it’s pretty standard in a home with four kids seven years old and younger.

Lincoln, our two year old is really working to break free from parental control.

He wants to do things himself at any cost.

Will it take longer? Yes.

Is it likely he’ll spill on himself? Yes.

Is he in danger of hurting himself or others? Yes.

Does any of this matter? No.

He’s stubborn.

He wants freedom from control.

He wants his independence.

As frustrating as it is I can’t help but think of my own humanity when I watch little Lincoln struggle.

He is a mini-me. Really, it’s rather amazing. But it’s more than just looks.

His desire to take control of his destiny and do things “his way” is so much like my own.

Charting your own course, doing things on your terms is ingrained in us from birth.

Even though it takes longer, creates a mess and at times, puts him at risk it’s all part of growing up.

Life with God is like this.

We want to chart our own course, do things on our terms and control our destiny.

God is kind enough to allow us to give it a shot.

People might make many plans, but what the Lord says is what will happen. (Proverbs 19.21, Easy-to-Read Bible)

He’s always there when we fail. He’s there even when we’ve pushed him away. He loves us despite our own stubbornness.

When I Lincoln fights me for control it’s a gentle reminder to me to remember who really is in control of all things and holds my future.

God does. He is good. I can trust him.

God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8.28, NLT)

I don’t have to fight.

I can relax and let him lead.

Now if I could only make Lincoln believe this…

Home

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I know it may come as a shock to you, but I am kinda, sorta, a mama’s boy.

I am the oldest of four kids and our family is close.

When it came time for me to go away to school it was a bit of a traumatic experience.

I was far away from home. A distant land known as Bellingham, WA. It was an hour and a half away from my childhood home.

I attended Whatcom Community College, home of the Fighting Orcas.

For the first month, okay, two months, alright… for the first year I was home nearly every weekend.

I would do anything to come home. Bum a ride, borrow my girlfriend’s car, I even took Greyhound a few times.

I got used to the drive to and from Bellingham. Every time I had to go back to school it hurt all over again.

Whenever I returned home, I would bring laundry. I would proudly walk through the door with it hoping my mom would feel compassion for me and take care of it.

She did.

She made sure the laundry soap was stocked and the washer was clear and ready for ME to use.

I can’t ever remember a time while driving home, through the scenic Skagit valley or the not so picturesque Everett industrial sprawl when I felt I wouldn’t be welcomed home.

Our family didn’t work that way. I was always welcomed home. They were always happy to see me and vise versa.

I never felt nervous driving home. I never wondered if I would be accepted when I got there.

I knew my place was secure.

I also knew that more than likely we would share at least one fantastic family dinner cooked up by my mom.

I am blessed to be raised in a setting where this is my picture of “home.”

For many others home doesn’t evoke such happy memories.

Home is where hurts feel fresh again. Home is full of heartache. Home is broken.

Jesus paints a picture of home in which the heavenly Father is ready and eager to welcome us home in Luke chapter 15.

In this story the son has wandered off and isn’t missing home at all, in fact would rather forget his family even existed in the first place.

Yet the heart of the Father (God) still beats for his missing son.

I like to picture the Father pacing back and forth on the front porch scanning the horizon to see if his son is approaching.

Finally, as the story goes, the son reaches his low point. Broke and starving to death he returns home in hopes his father will make him an employee.

He even prepares a speech.

“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” (Luke 15.20, NLT)

The son attempts to explain himself with his prepared speech and the Father interrupts and commands his servants to tend to his son and get the party started.

That’s the heart of God for us.

He loves us. There’s a party waiting for those who return home.

God doesn’t need you to explain yourself.

He just wants you to come home.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a mama’s boy or a rebel. He loves you regardless and can’t wait to see you again.

Welcome home.

I’m Perfect

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It’s only a simple little quarter of a lowercase ‘l’ but it makes all the difference.

The apostrophe is key in discerning meaning in communication.

Depending on where it sits in a sentence we’re able to determine who owns what.

Possession is often signaled with the use of our little friend the ‘

The apostrophe also helps us interpret short phrases such as the following:

I’m perfect

vs.

Imperfect

One little apostrophe makes a big difference.

Imperfect is the more accurate when describing the human condition, yet it’s funny to me I personally feel the temptation to live out the “I’m Perfect” kind of life.

Why do I act this way?

The “I’m Perfect” life is pressure packed. There is barely enough room to breathe. Someone is always watching over your shoulder and checking your work.

Harsh critics (usually yourself) are plentiful in the I’m Perfect world. The score is kept constantly.

There is no grace in the I’m Perfect world.

When I live the I’m Perfect life I don’t need God, because I’m my own God.

Contrast the I’m Perfect mindset with a slight change in punctuation with the “Imperfect” life.

Living an Imperfect life makes me human. It allows for growth and allows me to change and get better, if I claim to be perfect than I have no need.

Imperfect is attractive because it’s relatable and allows others to connect with me.

Imperfect takes the pressure off of me. I can breathe again.

Living the Imperfect declares, “I am not God, because I am flawed.”

The Imperfect life is in need of God, a Savior.

It’s time to start living authentically.

I’m not perfect.

He is.

I need a Savior.

Jesus could claim, “I’m Perfect,” yet at the cross he became the “Imperfect.”

Because of him I can relax. I can breathe. I can depend on him.

Taking Ownership & Some Credit

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It’s the project that knows no end.

Like so many backyard projects it started innocently enough.

A small suggestion from my wife to expand our patio is approaching its fourth month; it was supposed to take a weekend.

As I continued to dig over the weekend something wonderful happened.

My seven-year-old daughter Andrea put on her boots, grabbed a shovel and started digging with dad.

She worked hard. She grunted as she strained. She kept me company.

As the Saturday sun beat down on us Andrea slowly tired. Between wheelbarrow loads she caught her breath and rested. Her face was red from all the earth moving.

With her hands proudly on her hips Andrea stepped back to survey the project and said, “Phewww, we’ve gotten a lot done today dad.”

I smiled.

Yes “we” had.

To be totally truthful “we” was a bit of a stretch.

While it was great having my daughter with me, I did any work of real consequence.

Sure she had boots on and was holding a shovel. She even knew what we were trying to accomplish.

But physically she wasn’t able to contribute to the project.

In many ways it was actually more work to have her out there helping me.

She talked a lot, needed guidance and she slowed me down.

Yet, having my daughter work with me on the patio project was pure joy.

I loved the time we spent together. I loved having her talking with me. I loved taking a soak in the hot tub with her and the rest of the family afterward.

Life with God is a lot like that.

He does all the work of real consequence. We think we know how it’s supposed to be. We try our best to aid in what He’s accomplishing in this world.

We love to take ownership of his initiatives.

We take credit for moving a few rocks as He continues to move mountains.

Yes, we love taking a step back with hands proudly on our hips and declaring, “Wow, look what we’ve done.”

God isn’t impressed by our human struggle and strain to work hard for him.

I believe God’s happy when we choose to be with him.

He loves when we talk with him and stand close.

Yeah we probably slow down his projects but He loves being with us.

Perhaps the best part is when we lay our shovels down and simply rest and laugh with him after a long hard day’s work.