An Olympic Moment

So we started a fire in our wood stove and settled in for a night of pouring through a couple 5 hour recordings of the Olympics....

Ice dancing = no throws or jumps, not enough danger >>> (fast fwd) cross-country skiing = great workout, pretty boring, aren't they supposed to carry a rifle and shoot targets every once in a while? Heard one person mention it should involve prairie dogs. That would make it interesting >>> Long-jumping = not the same with those railings on the sides, meaning you can't get another Wild World of Sports "agony of defeat" moment >>> Giant slalom = now we're talking excitement with heated rivalry, skiers mad at each other, egos, stealing the limelight, oh, and the skiing...

The personal stories are pretty cool. My wife likes them the best. It does help connect you to the person and the event. We were especially impacted by the gal on the bobsled who was hit from behind by another bobsled in practice, thrown 30 ft, broke her shin in 7 places and told she'd not be walking for months. She was back in competition in 6 months and in these Olympics.

I love seeing athletes who have devoted everything to training for years, all for a few moments (or hours) of competition. It is exciting to watch athletes who have an "extra gear" that puts them ahead of others. I appreciate the expressions of love for country. Genuine humility is refreshing.

Our "Olympic Moment" so far? The chocolate chip cookies I made from scratch during the ice dancing. Seriously, probably Apolo Ohno capturing the silver medal in the 1,500 after the 2 Korean skaters wiped out in the final lap. Never give up :)

Why read the Bible?

I'm periodically asked "where do I start reading in the Bible?" When I first started reading I wondered the same thing.

Over the years, the bigger and more impacting issues have become "Why and how do I read the Bible?" If I'm reading just to get some brownie points or get through an obligatory chapter then it can be dry as dirt.

I read because it is my "daily bread" - the place Jesus leads, guides, sustains and encourages. That pretty much answers the "why" question for me.

Jesus, like every good Jewish boy, had the practiced habit of being in the Word day and night. This practice was beyond religious duty. I don't believe Jesus had some sort of Biblegateway chip in his brain whereby He didn't need to read, ponder, and reflect because He was God's Son. He lived daily in the reality of his own words "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." His habits were not only necessary but essential to the kind of life He lived.

The picture of my mom reading every morning still lingers in my mind.

She was seeking to please God, to stay close to Him and to help our family do the same. She sought ways to get that Word into us, reading to us from a daily devotional while we wolfed down our breakfast. Even when I wasn't receptive she didn't let that stop her. And today I'm soooo thankful for that.

In every season of life, God has highlighted something to me while reading. It doesn't happen every day, but it does happen. It is amazing how He makes His Word come alive. It is truly living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, it pierces as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow and judges the thoughts and intents of my heart.

Here is an example from today...

I was reading Psalm 82:7 "But you will die like mere men..." What hit me was the fact that while we are made in God's image, we are all subject to physical death. This has some application right now as a friend of mine is dying. It is heartening to know something isn't wrong with a person who dies like others, whether accidental, disease, or old age. The victory is that death no longer has the final say and that we are free from the fear of death (Heb 2:14-15). For a long time I wrestled with this, thinking that having greater faith should somehow exempt a person from the ugliness of death...

So where should you start reading? Start reading by asking for God's presence to lead and guide you. Start in one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) so you can look at and interact with the life of Jesus. And try reading one of the Psalms in tandem with a chapter from the Gospels. Keep it relational and interactive (meaning pray before and during).

God will guide you and He will highlight exactly what you need.

Anxiety, adrenalin and "peace at all costs"

Anxiety

Fear and anxiety are part of life. You may feel anxious before you take a test or walk down a dark street or go rock climbing. This kind of anxiety is useful - it can make you more alert or careful. It usually ends soon after you are out of the situation that caused it. But for millions of people the anxiety does not go away, and becomes debilitating.

So what was up when Jesus said "do not worry?" What does God mean in the Psalms when He repeatedly says "do not fret?"

Jesus addressed anxiety in relationship to material possessions. He said others would be freaking out (paraphrase) but you need to trust that God sees and He will provide. He also said we would get into situations and be at a loss for words, but to not worry as He would give us what we need in the moment.

Psalm 37:8 says "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil."

So there are obviously some areas we are to exercise trust and self-control. Not always very easy to do...

Adrenalin

It appears our management of anxiety is also affected by an addiction to adrenalin. One website asks the following questions in order to determine if you might be experiencing adrenal fatigue:

• Tired for no reason?
• Having trouble getting up in the morning?
• Need coffee, colas, salty or sweet snacks to keep going?
• Do they call you "Red Bull" at work? (I added this one)
• Feeling run down and stressed?

Two different people shared recently how they were diagnosed with adrenal fatigue where doctors said their adrenal glands basically said "enough is enough."

We thrive on stimulation. How else can we explain being "bored out of our minds" when we are "busier" than any previous generation, mentally stimulated, technologically over-connected, entertainment-addicted, on data and information overload, and sleep deprived???

Okay, makes me a little tired just thinking about it.

Imagine the controls on your stereo. It is as though everything is turned up full blast. There is no equalizer balancing the "levels," in order to bring out the most accurate reproduction of music. It is like we hit the loudness button to drown out everything that sounds bad. Then we obscure the beautiful song God made us to sing.

There is hope! God intends for us to connect with Him, which does bring the levels down (and refreshes us). The only problem is, when we connect with God, all the places where things are "off pitch" are more pronounced and obvious. It can be more painful in the moment to allow God to make adjustments than it is to just hit the loudness button again.

Peace at all costs

Sometimes the loudness button is simply a "peace at all costs" mentality (which always results in anxiety and chronic pain of some sort). The very attitude of ignoring what is unhealthy drowns out the still small voice of God. Anxiety results because we're not being true to what is true. We end up living a lie.

Paying the price to be honest with ourselves and others (in love and humility) can bring acute pain.

The ultimate challenge is to trust God... to hit the pause button and allow Him to bring some balance. And once He begins to reveal what is unhealthy, we have to pay the price of being honest in the short-term (with ourselves and others) so we can be free for the long haul. There is hope!

Prayer

Father, help us to trust you. Free us from fear and anxiety. Refresh us in Your presence.

Moved By Compassion

Pulling up to an intersection and seeing somebody with a sign asking for money... I don’t know about you, but quite a few thoughts run through my mind. First of all, I like to read their sign without them seeing me read it. If they see me read it, they tend to walk closer and that can make things quite awkward. So I use my “peripheral reading skills.”

Then I check out their clothes and backpack. If they have a nice clothes and expensive backpack then I’m suspicious.

After doing a little research on this I’ve read that some are “working this” as their job, which is where the suspicion comes in. I don’t end up responding very often. Sometimes, but rarely, I’ll give a bottled water or food if I have any.

Not too long ago I drove up to this intersection and saw a guy with his sign about family and needing $, and something in my heart sank. I’d never seen him before. I was trying to figure out why I was hit by this guy’s situation. I prayed quickly under my breath (“God is this you wanting me to do something?”). He came over to the car and I gave him some money and told him I’d pray for him.

Something just seemed right about the whole thing.?!

Anyway, there is this dynamic of God giving us His heart in different situations. You never know for sure if it is God, but there are some helpful indicators which can include the following:

• An increased focus and awareness of someone’s plight or pain.
• A feeling of compassion and desire to do something.
• An almost natural response of praying (maybe just a simple “Oh God, help!”).
• A sense of urgency.
• Feeling like a jerk if you walk away and don’t do anything.
• Thinking about it on and off for a few hours after the situation (typically a call to pray, or maybe conviction for not responding).

My son was driving down Chambers Road and saw a guy repairing his broken down fence. He “felt” compelled to stop and help. He kept driving but couldn’t shake it so he turned around and went back. After walking up to the guy he sheepishly asked if he could help. The guy was a little shocked (as you could imagine) and said he needed to ask his father if it was okay. Once they figured out he wasn’t gonna do anything weird, they welcomed his assistance, which they desperately needed at just that moment. Pretty cool.

On several occasions the Gospels record that Jesus was “moved with compassion.” It always preceded Him healing or feeding people.

When we look at making a difference, there are many practices we can incorporate to make it a part of our lifestyle. One practice is learning to pay attention to God’s compassion for others.

Of course there are times when we feel nothing and so “feeling” compassion is not the ultimate gauge. However, it can be a natural part of following Jesus.

One of my favorite quotes is from A. W. Tozer’s Pursuit of God:

I venture to suggest that the one vital quality which they (great men and women of God) had in common was spiritual receptivity. Something in them was open to heaven, something which urged them Godward. Without attempting anything like a profound analysis I shall say simply that they had spiritual awareness and that they went on to cultivate it until it became the biggest thing in their lives. They differed from the average person in that when they felt the inward longing they did something about it. They acquired the lifelong habit of spiritual response.

So how about trying this little experiment - ask Jesus to move you with compassion this week in some situation. Ask Him to remind you when it is happening and to give you wisdom in how to act. Then go for it and see what happens.