Bread

Lisa asked me to stop at the local Safeway recently to pick up a loaf of bread that was on sale. I don't even remember the brand anymore due to the flood of choices that awaited me at the store. She said the brand was something like "Nature's Own" but when I began to look at my choices I saw things like: "Nature's Cupboard", "Nature's Pantry", "Nature's Pride", "Open Pantry", "Nature's Bakery",  "Open Cupboard" and on and on it went. I stood there frozen in confusion. I think I finally just bought something that had a plain label and was cheap - "Wheat Bread'!!

Our culture increasingly is a world filled with choices and it is not just in breads or cereal or coffee shops but involves ideas, priorities, lifestyles, morality and everything else. Rarely does our world attach any labels on these choices as though one might actually be the right choice but they all receive equal validity. In our culture's quest for valuing personal choice and a "unified" diversity we really end up awash in chaos and a lack of any defining clarity.

As believers we often fall into a similar "chaos". In words we claim that the Lord is at the center but we too often disconnect that center from all the details of our surrounding days as we constantly change priorities and effectively fail to have a unifying ground to our decisions and purposes. I love Zechariah 14:9 - "And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one."  A day is coming when that truth will be recognized by everyone but for us we know it to be true now! For those of us in whom the Holy Spirit dwells there is only one focus, only one choice about the ruling element of my day,only one choice about the grounding point of all my hours - it's Jesus and nothing else! Today, at all times and in all places lets make Jesus our preoccupation and worship our every activity.

Progress

A brief note: One of my favorite books is "Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan. The actual title is "The Pilgrim's Progress From This World To That Which Is To Come; Delivered Under The Similitude Of A Dream: Wherein Is Discoverd The Manner Of His Setting Out; His Dangerous Journey; And Safe Arrival At The Desired Country" Whether you read it long ago or have never opened this great book let me invite you to take a journey through it. I have an additional blog that introduces the book, gives reasons to read it, and will include several meditations from each chapter. You can find the blog at:
http://www.ponderingprogress.blogspot.com/

Pat

Last night we gathered to remember our dear brother Pat. We did so with a great shout of music and I believe the Lord was honored and Pat would have been delighted. As I thought of him I was reminded of the closing passage in Pilgrim's Progress when Christian enters God's presence. May you be encouraged with it and may it create a fresh longing for the presence of God.

Now I saw in my dream, that these two men went in at the gate; and lo, as they entered, they were transfigured; and they had raiment put on that shone like gold. There were also that met them with harps and crowns, and gave them to them; the harps to praise withal, and the crowns in token of honor. Then I heard in my dream, that all the bells in the city rang again for joy, and that it was said unto them,

   "enter ye into the joy of your lord."

I also heard the men themselves, that they sang with a loud voice, saying,

   "blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth

   upon the throne, and unto the lamb, for ever and ever."

Now, just as the gates were opened to let in the men, I looked in after them, and behold the city shone like the sun; the streets also were paved with gold; and in them walked many men, with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, and golden harps, to sing praises withal.

There were also of them that had wings, and they answered one another without intermission, saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord. And after that they shut up the gates; which, when I had seen, I wished myself among them.

Traditions

Tucson is a crazy place. Sunday morning I woke up to snow on the ground, by Tuesday I had the top down on my Jeep enjoying the sunshine. I was driving  yesterday - with the top down - the sun was warming my face and suddenly a brief hint of cigarette smoke blew through the Jeep and I was instantly transported to old memories. It felt as real as if it was yesterday - I was about 15 years old, sitting on the cooler in the boat as my Dad and I were out fishing, the sun was making me drowsy and I could smell my Dad's cigarette smoke. The memory of those days was a good one and it caused me to reflect on what kind of day I would give to my own son - would it be a good memory - one more small foundation stone in his own life. How will I build those memories for him(minus the cigarette smoke of course)?

Memories can be a good thing when they trigger in us a further step with Jesus. It is like when we hear a particular worship song and we experience all over again the touch of His presence and the call to worship. The Puritan's often built these memories through the establishment of traditions in the home. By creating regular traditions that had specific connections to the values of the family they built into their kids  lifelong opportunities to reflect back and then press forward. As long as the traditions continue to bring us to Jesus they are valuable assets. So, what traditions, memories are we building and creating and do they point to Jesus?

Basketball

Everyday - I mean everyday - I walk in the door at the end of my work day and my son, Micah, calls me out to the basketball court (otherwise known as our dirt and gravel backyard). His great joy is to challenge me on the court. We alternate between games to 5 and games of  p-i-g. As of late , this 12 year old upstart has been soundly beating his old dad! Often he will be up 4-1  ... I don't mind losing but I don't want to lose 5-1! To avoid a complete massacre I'll suddenly take full advantage of my only remaining weapon - I've got about 6 inches of height and 50 pounds on him so I'll use it to dominate and crush and by some chance grab a couple more points before he closes the door on me with a basket! Considering his shoe size has surpassed mine I don't think I will be able to use my advantage much longer.

I have been thinking about parenting - we're called to guide, nurture, encourage, love ... and so we do, but what happens when our kids push back a bit on an issue or just plain act badly - too often I abandon the nurture and encouragement and figuratively throw my weight around and squash it on the spot. I suppose there is some kind of victory in that - but not really. Paul speaks to the church in I Thessalonians 2 verses 7, 8, 11 and 12 and  compares his ministry to that of a mother and of a father. He speaks of gentleness, affection, sacrifice, care as well as exhorting, imploring and encouraging. Of course this makes sense because it is how the Lord treats me even when I push back a bit or just plain act badly!

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control...incredible ingredients for great parenting and a demonstration of God's great love for us

Pipes

Sitting here in Tucson with the temperature in the 70's it is hard to believe that a few days ago it was only 17 degrees. Like many others we woke up that morning to frozen pipes, no water, no shower. So, instead of a trip to visit ASU with Paige, I was on my way to Home Depot to pick up pipe insulation since the next night was supposed to be very cold as well. I shut off our water and then watched as the day warmed up. Sure enough, around noon, I noticed one of our outdoor pipes dripping - further investigation revealed a 1/2 inch split in the copper pipe. As I headed back to Home Depot I saw many driveways with water pouring down them - all the pipes with weak spots in our neighborhood were making themselves known. At Home Depot the pipe repair aisle was a circus - panicked homeowners like myself trying to correct problems that would have never happened with a little preventative care. Fortunately a 12 inch piece of copper pipe and some connectors solved my problem.

Sunday, for communion, we looked briefly at Colossians 2:6 - "as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him". Verse 7 goes on to say, "having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith." Our walks with Jesus can be much like those pipes. Of course, our relationship and righteousness is taken care of - He "rooted" us in Himself, but we need to continue on - participating in His ongoing, daily work of "being built up in Him." Those small, daily disciplines of depending, trust, worship, community, being in the Word - strengthen and establish us. Neglect of those habits leads to an anemic, weak faith. When the pressures of life come along - and they always do - that weakness makes itself known.

Two lessons come  from the frozen pipes. 1) If there is a weak spot - it gets revealed when the pressure is turned up. 2) Taking small, simple steps of care and maintenance in advance bring long term strength under pressure. When life begins to cave in is not the ideal time to turn our hearts to the Lord (although we should) - rather it is in all the days preceding the difficult times - there are endless opportunities for us to be strengthened and built up today - it beats the trouble that comes when the pipes burst.

I have a little piece of copper pipe sitting on my desk - it has a split in it - a daily reminder to walk daily with Him!

Bread

This Sunday we will celebrate the Lord's Supper/Communion and I have been reflecting on taking communion as a kid. On Sundays we were always on our own for breakfast so I usually went with my favorite - Captain Crunch. Inevitably my stomach would start growling - loudly - about halfway through the Pastor's sermon. I'd spend the remaining time - an eternity - thinking about lunch! This posed a particular problem on Communion Sundays. The ushers would first pass out the "bread" - they were actually little crackers less than a half inch square - then they would pass out the juice and we would have to sit holding both until the Pastor led us to take them. I remember fidgeting with the little plastic cup and on several occasions I would squeeze it too hard and the plastic cup would crack and the juice would start running out all over the pew causing a minor disturbance in the DeHaan row! Anyways, I would sit there with my stomach growling and longing to gobble up that little cracker - something to put in my stomach! Of course it wasn't nearly enough to even touch my hunger (20 of those little crackers might have added up to one saltine) but even so, that little cracker always tasted so good!!

I used to feel really bad about all this because I was only thinking of how it was going to taste instead of thinking about Jesus and the cross ...but perhaps I had it right all along! If Jesus had been sitting in the pew next to me perhaps he would have said - "Take a whole handful, Chris - enjoy it - eat it up!" His death was bitter and painful yet for us it is LIFE! If we listed every good thing that we have received through His death we would would be overwhelmed - filled up with gratitude and joy. We get "every spiritual blessing" and we can hardly even begin to count them. No wonder the Scriptures say "taste and see that the Lord is good" and that Mary sang out "He fills the hungry with good things!"

Do I really hunger for Him - the Bread of Life? Do I daily taste and see? He doesn't offer up some little token serving size of Himself - He offers us daily the full measure of His goodness. I love the invitation of Jesus in John 21:12 "Jesus said to them, 'come and eat.'"