Ways

Home, as far as I can tell, is too powerful a thing to fit inside a feeling, and too large a thing to fit inside a location. Home is a presence. A unique and most Holy presence that holds together every moment, every breath, and every thing. This presence of God is what we are made for, and it’s what we are made from. Or, as stated by the poets of old, 

“In him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28

We all know the old proverb that goes something like this… “ we become what we behold.” Although it rolls off the tongue, applying this to our lives is a bit like a punch in the gut. It forces us to ask ourselves the often hard and embarrassing questions like, “How do I spend most of my time?” and “What do I give most of my attention to?” If the answers to those questions are in fact directly related to the person I am becoming, then I for one have a lot of work to do. (insert sweating face emoji). 

The song “Ways” is an attempt to behold the right thing. The one thing; the only thing. It is a pursuit of the presence. It’s a declaration and prayer sung from the deep place. The soul place. The thing about the soul is that it can’t be tricked or lured into the fleeting and counterfeit things our flesh can. The soul drinks from the living water. My prayer is that this song would help us all sing from the soul. When we do, we find what the psalmist speaks of…

 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of Joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Psalm 16:11

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Catch Me Singing

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV)

Have you ever heard of the Biosphere? It’s a research facility out in the Arizona desert originally designed to study plant life inside artificial ecosystems. Perfect conditions, perfectly secure, perfectly climate controlled… sounds great right? Here’s where things get interesting. At the start of the experiments, the trees planted in the Biosphere grew at a much faster rate than any of their siblings in the wild, BUT at a certain point, they literally just uprooted and fell over. Not just one or two, but every tree in the Biosphere would reach an age where it could not bear its own weight. Eventually, the scientist realized the cause of the problem… there was no wind. Translation: there was no tension, no resistance, no uncertainty, no inconsistency, no reason for the root systems to learn their purpose: to grow deep.

To put it gently, this has been quite the year (said with a desperate smile). Most of us are facing more uncertainty and tension than we have ever seen in our lifetimes. Living in the struggle is hard work. We hide from it, we ignore it, we despise it. Often times we act like it will be the death of us, but it might be the thing keeping us alive. Could it be that God is more concerned with our growing rightly than our growing quickly? Could it be that God is not scared of the process though often times we act like He is? It’s good for our souls to remember that the promises of God are eternal. They do not run away from the process; they carry us through it. Remember, God knows what it's like to walk through the desert. Moreover, if our hope is truly in the resurrection, then we must always remember this: God does some of His best work in the dark. Plant your trust by the river today, friends. Let your roots grow deep into the promise.

You’ve been God for a long time

You’re the final word

You’re the finish line

Everything is gonna be alright

You’ve been God for a long time

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The Great Migration

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

2 Timothy 1:9

Of all the wonderful and mysterious things we’ve discovered in nature, migration has got to be my favorite. Have you ever heard of the Arctic Tern? This marvelous bird migrates from the arctic waters all the way to the antarctic waters. Just to make sure we are all on the same page here, that’s across the whole world! Who teaches them to do this? What compels them into the unknown? What pushes them forward? There are no great explanations for this phenomenon, but the most beautiful things can rarely be explained. Instinct? Call it what you want, but somehow, with the help of something bigger than themselves, they find their way home.

In some sense, I think the love of God works this way. It's as if the center of gravity that God’s love creates is so strong it just beckons us toward it. It is patient and persistent, but never passive. Always working, always calling.

Every moment of everyday we are given the opportunity to follow that call of the Father. A choice crackling with potential and endless possibility. Every time we say yes, it closes the gap between who we thought we were and who God has made us to be. That is the great migration.

Through the valley / Through the river / If You’re calling / Then I’m coming / Over mountains / Through the wasteland / If You’re calling / Then I’m coming

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Step into the Light

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.

Ephesians 5:8

Wake up, sleeper,

    rise from the dead,

    and Christ will shine on you.

Ephesians 5:14  

Do you remember the moment when everything changed? It is surely impossible to put perfect language around the human heart bursting to life for the first time. But, do you remember? When all of a sudden, the voice of God sounded like singing. All anxiety was overtaken by destiny, and fear was overrun by faith. Purpose replaced aimlessness, and pride was no match for surrender. You were a nomad given a home. You were a peasant made royal. You were once in darkness, prone to wander in the shadows, but now you are light. You have been crowned with a new name; “child of light.”  

Or is it possible that you are lost today? Still struggling to find some way through the darkness. Don’t try to carry this life alone. You were never meant to. Come trade your ashes for beauty, your mourning for dancing, and your sorrow for joy. This whisper of the Father never stops. Can you hear it today?

out of the shadows / it’s time to let go / let freedom take hold / come alive / come taste the morning / the fathers calling / don’t waste a minute / step into the light

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Live Again

            When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

John 6:5-8 

Feeding the five thousand is such a wild story. That’s a lot of hungry people, and hungry people can get irritable and even dangerous. All the gospels have an account of this story and in each of them you can feel the nerves and tension among the disciples. They had a big problem, a very big problem, and all of their ideas and solutions were not big enough. Apparently, they just weren’t thinking small enough. As it turns out, Jesus had all He needed in the open hands and open heart of a small boy and his small lunch.

The ministry of Jesus was full of miraculous events. Marvelous signs and wonders demonstrating a breathtaking collision of heaven and earth. Jesus called it the Kingdom. If you are anything like me, I find it interesting which events we put in the “miracle category” and which ones we exclude. For example, most of us would throw Jesus feeding the five thousand in the box right away, but what about the woman at the well? In this story there is no grand event, there is no physical evidence, there is no spectacle, but this woman was completely transformed, from the inside. Everything that had once been touched by shame and regret and guilt was now touched by hope and grace and love. Sounds like a miracle to me.

The blind will see / The sick will stand / Sing hallelujah with confidence / Let healing come / Let mercy in / Sing hallelujah and live again

As we live and breathe today, let us not be so stunned by the large problem that we miss the small step of faith. If we are too caught up in searching for the grand spectacle, we just might miss a conversation with the King Himself.

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

John 4:25-26

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Can’t Live Without You

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

The Genesis account is mesmerizing. What a beautiful, challenging, powerful, mysterious, compelling, and tragic beginning to the story of creation. While reading the account, one can’t help but get the sense that God is creating with a smile on His face. He is excited. Everything He makes He calls good. Well, except for us, humanity that is, He calls us very good. Human beings, dirt and breath, flesh and spirit.

Apparently, according to the text, it is not oxygen that sustains our life. No, it is the very breath of God that is the life animating source coursing through us all. God Himself is in us, with us, connected to us. How marvelous! Deep in the soul of humanity we have been pre-programmed to need communion with God, which also means that it is in the very heart of God to want to be in communion with His creation.

He did not make you to stare at you from a distance. You are not a life size board game. You are not a science experiment to be poked at and tested. You were made for love and by love. Love is not a game to be won; it’s more like the home you needed all along.  

I can’t live without you / the closer I get / the closer I want to be / I can’t live without you / The deeper I go / the deeper you’re calling me

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Bigger Than I Thought

I throw all my cares before you / My doubts and fears don’t scare you / You’re bigger than I thought you were

            There is a very beautiful and challenging story found in Mark 9 starting with verse 14. It’s about a man who is trying to get his son some much needed help. Help that could only come from Jesus. You should read it. Ok, you probably have loads of questions after reading a story like that. Good. So do I. After meditating on this story, here are the two things that left me compelled and encouraged.

            (1) Put yourself in the shoes of this father. His son is in really, really bad shape. This man has got to be gripped with all sorts of fears and questions and possibly some anger or doubt; all the kinds of things that life has a way of throwing at us. But, instead of running away from God with all those things, he ran straight towards Him. He threw it all at the feet of Jesus. Even his honest faith. “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

            (2) Jesus doesn’t turn him away. Not only did Jesus heal the boy, but He also helped the Father surrender. In the Kingdom of God, surrender always leads to freedom.  

Are there hurts, fears or doubts in your life that cause you to run away from Jesus instead of toward Him? Don’t be afraid. He won’t turn you away. He’s bigger than that. The King is on your side. Surrender it all. Find your freedom.

I will leave you with this passage from Philippians 4: 6-8.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

 I pray this over your life; your present and your future. May you never let your fear or anxiety rob you from the fullness of your Fathers heart. May you never shrink the world down to only the things you understand. And, may the scope of His majesty and love grow fuller in you with every sunrise. He is bigger than you think He is.

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All Praise

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:5

Have you ever swum underwater with goggles? I remember my first time like it was yesterday. Growing up in Florida, I was in the water more than dry land it seemed. We were coastal kids. Pools, lakes, and ocean fronts were our playground. One summer afternoon, my dad came through the door with a few pairs of goggles. Not the Olympic swimmer kind that look like glasses from the future (or maybe the past). These were the ones that cover your whole face with a snorkel strapped to the side. He tossed them to my brother, sister, and me and we all made a mad dash for the pool. With the goggles suctioned-cupped to my face, I jumped. My body took its instinctual cannon ball shape and before I knew it, I was underwater. I had done this thousands of times before, but this time it was different. I could see. Clear as day. It was a whole new world. Well, it had always been there, but now I could see it. Perspective is powerful; at least, Jesus seemed to think so. He spent so much of His time and energy helping people wake up to a new way of thinking, seeing and living. He saw through the setting or circumstance and went straight for the heart. We see this most often in His parables. The Master takes everyday situations and flips them upside-down and inside-out, with each story causing you to think rethink, reexamine and relearn what it means to be human. Jesus wasn’t only concerned about getting you into heaven, He also wanted to get heaven into you. As followers of Jesus, we don’t get to know the details of every chapter of this story, but we do know the ending. In light of where we believe this is all going, we’ve got to let that inform the way we view our life right now. It's all praise.

every breath it is a gift / every moment is a treasure / every table is a feast / every heartbeat is an alter

I fix my eyes upon you

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