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When we take time to seek God in simple things hope permeates our lives.

A few weeks ago, as Candace and I raked leaves, she pointed to a small bird jumping from branch to branch in one of our cherry trees.

The sight reminded me of Jesus’ words, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

We finished our work, and as more leaves fell on the ground, I thought of what Jesus said to Nathaniel, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51, NASB.)

Angels coming and going like autumn leaves stirred by a gust of wind.

As we raked that day, the air was smoky from the devastating fires in northern California. We breathed the ash of their tragedy, and I felt heartbroken for them. My efforts to help seemed futile. I’m part of the family of God, and we are bound together by one Spirit, so I share in the suffering of my brothers and sisters. Such events give us abundant opportunities to show the love of Christ, even if imperfectly.

 During Advent, many things remind me of God’s love for us. The falling leaves also reminded me of the angels descending on the shepherds in the field to announce the birth of Jesus that first Christmas.

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests’” (Luke 2:9-13, NIV.)

First one angel, then a host, like the leaves.

“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told (Luke 2:20, NIV.)

They were “caused great joy” just like the angel said.

 I’ve read that Christian joy is an attitude of the heart, not a feeling. I know God changes my heart, but I praise and glorify Him because I feel joy knowing that I’m His child. In church, we sang halleluiahs to the Lord, and I felt joy.

Our Savior said, “I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing”(John 15:11, AMP.)

Synonyms for the word joy include: delight, great jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy, rapture, enjoyment, felicity, joie de vivre, jocundity, and thrill.

 It gives me joy to know Jesus, and to know my Father is watching every detail of my life, and sending His angels to do His bidding, and affecting my life in ways I don’t see, or can’t understand. He remakes my imperfect efforts by His perfect love.

“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11, NIV.) His angels, his messengers, watch over us.

At times I struggle with joy, especially because I miss loved ones who are absent. Often the Spirit lifts me in wonderful ways, like Christmas music and hymns. David Jeremiah wrote, “Music brings the celebration in our hearts into fruition in our very being. It brings the joy of the angels into our lives.” (Turning Points, December, 2018, p. 39)

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the  blast of the ram’s horn–shout for joy before the Lord, the King” (Psalm 98:4-6, NIV.)

A sparrow, falling leaves, and angels.

They tell me God loves me, and when I focus on this truth, I feel joy.

For Christmas, and always, that is my prayer for you.

Selah.

When we take time to seek God in simple things, we find Him, and hope permeates our lives.

My wife, Candace, and I spent a few days at the coast. Every evening we made sure to watch the sunset. Just before the drive home, we spent an hour on a bench looking out to sea.

I watched the Shearwaters (specifically, the Sooty Shearwater, Ardenna grisea) glide just above the surface of the water, and eventually dive beneath, presumably to snag a tasty fish. The Sooty Shearwater migrates thirty-five thousand miles each year, in a kind of figure-eight pattern over the Pacific. They can dive up to fifty feet for food. I’ll bet some of the fish swimming below felt surprised when Sooty snagged them for lunch!

As we watched the ocean, an ambulance sped past, its lights and siren alerting traffic. Someone’s day had taken an unexpected turn, like the fish in Sooty’s beak.

The evening we arrived home, I saw on the news a head-on collision occurred just an hour after we drove through the same road–another unexpected turn in someone’s life.

Some unexpected occurrences result in good things. I’ve harbored a fanciful dream for years about the ideal cottage on the coast. Even my novel project contains a similar cottage. Via an online search, I found “A Victorian Light Keepers Cottage” available for rent in Cambria, just down the street from our hotel!

Cottage ownership remains a dream, but I never expected to find my dream cottage actually exists.

Back to Sooty.

As I watched the shearwaters dive for fish, it reminded me that my life has taken a few unexpected turns. God is sovereign, but He is also our God Who delights in surprises. He shows up in unexpected places, and acts in my life in ways I never could predict, even during the worst times.

In A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis said, “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.”

I understand. Once, someone I loved and trusted betrayed me. I felt devastated. Friends huddled around to help, and invited me to the local watering holes. They meant well, but this did nothing to improve how I felt about my life.

Some Christian friends invited me to their Bible group on Sunday mornings. After the first meeting, I felt like I’d taken a breath of fresh air. In time, I could see myself growing more sensitive, aware, and forgiving, and God led me to a loving, Christian wife.

John Piper said, “In all the setbacks of your life as a believer, God is plotting for your joy.”

I want more in my relationship with Christ than to simply lean into the headwinds of life, believing God will sustain me. By the way, I do believe He will sustain me.

In his letter to the church in Rome (12:1), Paul says, “I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Is my life a living sacrifice? An altar is a place where a person makes a sacrifice to consecrate himself to God. Many churches have altars for prayer, communion, weddings, and other sacred purposes. The human heart holds an altar, a place to surrender to the Holy Spirit. If I’m honest, it’s hard to do, and sometimes I take things back. When one builds an altar, you must first carry the stones, but God offers so much more.

There’s a key to a more intimate relationship with Christ, found in the four words, “In everything, give thanks.” It’s easier to do when He provides for our needs like food, shelter, clothing, and daily needs. What about the hard stuff? Should we thank Him for divorce, cancer, or financial loss? Yes! It is God’s will for me as a believer.

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)

I’ve set upon an effort to see where this “everything” business takes me. When the hard times come, and I don’t feel thankful, I want to thank Him on faith alone, because this is His will. He may choose to surprise me, not just in the bad times, but any hour of any day. I want to practice this expectation, trusting in my heart that God rules over every detail of my life.

“Look at the nations and watch, and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” Habakkuk 1:5 (NASB)

Sure sounds like He takes great joy in surprising us!

                ^“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (NIV)

Thank you, Father. I can’t wait for your next surprise.

            Selah.

There is something universally special about gatherings.

 Many animals gather at certain times to migrate: fish, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, insects, mammals, and even slime molds. They range in length from 1/16 inch to 80 feet.

In Bracken Cave, Texas, where Mexican Free-tailed bats live, twenty to forty millions of these winged critters exit the cave to eat 200 tons of bugs every night. That’s a lot of bugs.

Names for animal groupings sound weird, or fitting, and even majestic, such as cobras, called a quiver, buzzards, branded a wake, ducks dubbed a paddling, lions labeled a pride, and one of my favorites, porcupines get pegged a prickle.

We humans gather as well. A crew of sailors weigh anchor. Students make up a class. Relatives comprise a clan. Ballplayers make a team. Workers organize a union. Companies establish boards of directors, and theaters create troupes of actors.

A huge crowd gathers into a horde; when confused, it becomes a melee, which turns into a dangerous mob, and subsequently, a noisy rabble, organizes into a regiment, which moves in one direction as a troop, and finally arrives as a wave.

I’ve attended committee meetings like this.

When we who hope in Christ gather, God calls us His church. I’ve heard the saying, “Christians don’t go to church, we are the church.” While true, this phrase sounds a little cranky to me, but our Father does intend we should gather regularly.

When we assemble to worship, the Lord offers us a preview of heaven.

The scriptures tell us, “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” I Peter 2:4-5 (NLT)

I know Christians who have stopped going to church. When asked about it, they say something like, “Oh, we’re fine. We read our Bible, and look at church podcasts online, we pray. We just don’t need it right now.”

My wife and I neglected to attend church for a time. We read our Bibles, watched church on TV, prayed daily, occasionally socialized with Christian friends, and tithed. Things were okay.

Except things were not okay.

We knew it in our hearts. Oh, our relationship with the Lord mattered to us greatly. Yet, it felt like, somewhere, in our garden of faith, a tree stood dying. God intends for His chosen to gather and give Him glory.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:23-25 (NASB)

There are many admonitions in scripture for believers to worship in unity.

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”  Colossians 3:16 (NLT)

So why did my wife and I stay away from church? I have no complete answer.

I believe part of the answer lay in “self-ness.” We put aside the principle of, “J-O-Y”: Jesus, Others, and then, Yourself. We lost our joy in the Lord as our focus turned inward.

The dying tree embodied that joy, a tree that thirsted for the Living Water found in gathered worship with our brothers and sisters.

You know, all those Christians who are just as flawed and broken as me.

And you.

“But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body.” I Corinthians 12:18-20 (NASB)

Our society today places high value on self. People snap and post “selfies” all the time. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with taking a picture of yourself at some event you want remember. It’s fun.

It’s all the rage, not just because of the availability of technology, e.g., cell phones, but it’s also a symptom of our obsession with self, as an outgrowth, in part, of that same technology.

People now have options. Before a doctor visit, people google their symptoms. This drives doctors and nurses crazy. Someone wants to buy a car, so they research all available within a hundred miles.

In this post-modern age, people don’t trust leadership, or institutions. People see the church as an institution.

People have a strong sense of self-sovereignty. Some Christians believe, since they have a personal relationship with Christ, they can self-direct their spiritual growth. This has never been true. Our grace comes from God; our faith comes from God; our growth comes from God; He grants us our right standing before Him; we are used by the Spirit to further God’s plan and will for His church in the world.

“For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].” Ephesians 2:8-10 (AMP)

It’s pretty amazing God chose to use us, broken people, to carry out His grace in the world, and He delights in us.

This astounds me.

He had other options. He is God. He formed His chosen into His church to build each other up for the work of serving Him.

“God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 3:10-11 (NLT)

Some people can’t attend church because of illness or some other reason. I know several people who have for years visited those who are sick, housebound, or recovering. They bring church to them.

We read in James, “Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;” 5:14 (NASB) “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” 1:27 (NASB)

When a Christian stays away, God’s assembly misses the absent brother or sister. God intends for those who follow his Son to meet regularly. It’s His plan.

Broken people lifting up broken people.

This morning I woke up tired, with painful back, and  I thought about staying home, but Candace and I were in church.  As we waited for service to begin, a man with a walker shuffled by to take a seat in a front pew. Another celebrated her 90^th birthday today.

Okay, Father, I see Your point. We must gather.

Bees gather in a swarm, hyenas cackle, plovers congregate, zebras dazzle, hares warren, goats tribe, squid audience, jellyfish smack, and eagles gather in an ostentation.

And God’s chosen gather as a church. He meant for us to do so, as brothers and sisters in Christ, to honor Him.

Gather.

Blessings await.

Selah.

When we seek God in simple things, hope permeates our lives.

I frequently associate Scripture with what I see in  nature, and focus on ordinary and everyday occurrences. I’m passionate about this.

Most of our daily lives consist of small things.

The other day my wife, Candace,  misplaced a checkbook. She had it on her desk, and then it went missing. I helped her search high and low, even under the car seats. Nothing.

Desperate, we both prayed. A little while later, she opened a box of new checks, and bingo, there it lay. One could say this was a logical place to put the checkbook, and the Lord had nothing to do with finding it, but I’m thankful to give Him the credit.

God cares about small things.

In Psalms 56:8, we read, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (NLT)

The idea of praying for the commonplace brings bumblebees to mind. Yep, bees.

Scientifically, bumblebees belong to the Tribe Bombini, which is kind of a cute name. These chubby little critters love my abelias, Abby and Leah, and I love to watch them buzz among the blossoms.

A popular myth tells us bumblebees should not be able to fly. The truth is amazing. When bumblebees fly, they rotate their wings up to 600 beats per second, and make mini-hurricanes to lift their bodies, so the truth is bumblebees do abide by God’s laws over this world.

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Ps. 119:18 (ESV)

So what do bumblebees have to do with praying? They underscore just how much our Father cares about our lives. They tell us we can depend on Him. If God lets fat bees fly, then He wants to hear our prayers, our everyday, ordinary and simple prayers.

He already knows your heart. We don’t pray to our Father to inform Him, but to know we trust Him. God knew Abraham would lay his son, Isaac, on the altar, but Abraham needed to know too.

Our faith is gifted to us by God, but He loves us enough to allow us to choose to trust Him with every detail of our lives. We fear our circumstances, but God has compassion for our fear (Psalm 103:13).

We say we want to know our Father’s will: whether to turn one way or another, but God has a question for us, “Will you trust Me, and take Me with you, on every path you walk?”

Corrie Ten Boom said, “Is prayer your steering wheel, or your flat tire?”

Maybe you misplaced your checkbook. Maybe you’re exhausted from a long, tense bedside vigil with a loved one: not all things are simple. He wants you to talk with Him. He cares.

When I’m not sure what to pray, I pray the prayer that never fails. (Matthew 6:10)

^“So let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3 (ESV)

Jesus told his disciples a parable, to show them they should always pray and not give up. Jesus told the story of a judge who refused to grant justice to a widow. The woman pleaded persistently for him to grant her justice, until he finally gave in (Luke 18:1-8).

Jesus said, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?” (Luke 18:6a, NIV)

Day and night. He’s always listening. I love my “sweet hour of prayer,” but sometimes concerns come to mind, and I may not be able to retire to a quiet place just then.

I have a long-time friend, who is a teacher and a gifted music minister. Years ago, he told me about “arrow prayers.” When something came to mind during his day, he’d shoot up an arrow prayer. God loves to catch our arrows.

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV)

Bumblebees.

Arrows.

Simple prayers.

Whatever stirs your heart, pause, and talk to Him. He is Jehovah Jireh. He is Jehovah Rapha.

Selah.

When we value simple things, hope and encouragement permeate our lives.

Recently, some family and friends visited, and we shared a delicious meal, and enjoyed an afternoon in our back yard by the pool.

At one point, Sis, known as the “hummingbird lady” in the small Oregon town where she lives, pointed out one of these fast little flyers seeking nourishment from the silk red flowers in a pot. This sight spoke to me. 

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it, “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.”

The little animal reminded me of what our Lord said, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matt. 6:26 (NKJV)

The hummingbird returned to the fake flowers several times. Hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of any creature on earth, about 100 times that of an elephant, and often eat 1.5 to 3 times their body weight in food per day. Hummingbirds must visit hundreds of flowers daily, and one day of bad luck can spell death. I gain weight reading a recipe.

So, I understand why the bird kept coming back to the fake flowers for food, even though trumpet vines, lemon blossoms, gardenias, and my two hydrangeas, Alice and Henrietta, waited to feed him.

People do the same thing. I want a car, so I jump ahead rather than submit the purchase to prayer, and give it more thought and research. Regret. Some young people decide to get married before they’ve had a chance to know each other well. Regret. We say angry words to a loved one because it felt good at the time. Words wound, even after an apology. Regret.

I thought of the story of Jesus and the rich young ruler, found in Mark 10:17-27. Although the man deeply desired right standing with God, he knew he fell short.

Yet, he refused to place God before his desire for power and wealth, and went away saddened and “unfed.” He returned to fake flowers for food, even though he knelt before the One Who is the bread of life. Regret.

Jesus said, “Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures [and leads] to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you; for God the Father has authorized Him and put His seal on Him.” John 6:27 (AMP)

Farther on in this passage, ^“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.’” John 6:35 (NASB)

We never again read about the rich young ruler in scripture, but I like to think the young man, now penniless, was among the three thousand saved in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. (Hmm, perhaps a novel awaits?)

Our relationship with Jesus is always about the condition of our heart. We can’t buy or work our way into heaven.

King David said, “You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” Psalm 51:16-17 (NLT)

It’s not hard for me to find someone who looks for spiritual food in places where none is to be found. I only need a mirror. I ask myself, “Do I see anything that draws me away from Jesus?” Too often, I do.

We can see this same conflict, looking for spiritual food in temporal things, in others. Like the hummingbird, we frantically beat our wings in search of real food, but settle for far less.

Even local fellowships do the same thing. I believe, when church leaders attempt to relate scriptural truth to modern life, they can become arrogant. God doesn’t need our help to move the human heart. Indeed, we can’t help.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”  Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)

Yet, it is common for churches to go to great lengths to modernize their appeal to a secular audience, to focus on easy and immediate application of the Word, a quick take-home, in an effort to make the scriptures relevant the modern age.

            Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The blessedness of waiting is lost on those who cannot wait, and the fulfillment of promise is never theirs. They want quick answers to the deepest questions of life and miss the value of those times of anxious waiting, seeking with patient uncertainties until the answers come. They lose the moment when the answers are revealed in dazzling clarity.”

Paul contrasted of the milk of the Word and solid food.

            “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?” I Corinthians 3:1-4 (NLT)

Doesn’t this sound like the frequent strife in congregations between traditional worship and “seeker” worship? It’s a complicated discussion. If both groups kept their eyes upon Jesus, I believe there would be more love and less strife. Neither group has a better hold on grace.

Given the definition of grace, unmerited favor of God, none of us deserves. So it is silly for one group to think they deserve it more, unless they believe they can earn it.

I agree with Chris Hutchinson when he says of the “seeker” movement, “its chief problem is not innovation but unbelief—unbelief that God saves people through sincere, rich, sin-and-grace-based preaching. It would rather believe that God needs our help through new and creative methods. And since its methods are essentially man-centered and works-based, its disciples will be the same.” (citation reference below)

Below is a link to the article in Tabletalk Magazine, written by Chris Hutchinson, senior pastor of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg, Virginia. He explains the tension between “seeker” and traditional sin and grace preaching, between accessibility and practicality and mystery and urgency. Cut and paste the address. I had to read this one a couple of times, but it’s worth it.

The link: https://tabletalkmagazine.com/posts/2018/06/preaching-seeker-driven-churches-and-unbelief/

My point is, all this relates back to our hungry hummingbird, and the search for food. We can seek fake food, or real spiritual food from Christ our Savior.

William Cowper (1731-1800) wrote several hymns, but lived his life a troubled man. He lost his mother at the age of six, and the rest of his life he struggled with depression and doubt. John Newton, the writer of the hymn Amazing Grace, became his spiritual father, and together they penned many of the Olney Hymns.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “Nothing that we despise in other men is inherently absent from ourselves. We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or don’t do, and more in light of what they suffer.”

Shortly before Cowper’s death in April, 1800, he wrote “There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood.” He overcame his doubts and accepted the scriptural truth that nothing but the blood of Jesus saves. Nothing.

This truth opens wide the door of hope.

As Christians, we seek to do good works because of a changed heart, not to earn our salvation, or to boast we have a better hold on grace.

^“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:13 (KJV)

A few lines from Cowper’s hymn say it well, “The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day; and there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away. For since by faith I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply, redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die.”

Bonhoeffer also said, “The Church is the Church only when it exists for others . . . not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others.”

Don’t be like our hummingbird, searching for food in places devoid of nourishment.

I love snuggling up with a good mystery book on a rainy night. The Bible is like that, but infinitely more. It is full of wonderful mysteries, and our Heavenly Father has amazing things to tell us. He wants to dazzle us. Be patient, but diligent.

He cares.

When we value simple things, hope and encouragement permeate our lives.

This time of year, doves try to make nests atop our columns. When we allow them to build, we experience an unsanitary mess. Twigs and nest-building debris lay on the ground, and worse, tiny brown orbs with white dots scatter about, looking like so many eyeballs.

Despite our diligence to shoo the doves away, one persevered, and we discovered her sitting on a nest. I dubbed her, “the dove who triumphed,” but as I thought about it, I changed that to “the dove who rested.”

Yes, rested; it’s not a typo. If  you think perseverance merits the main idea here, stay with me.

Back to our bird. We hear chirps in the nest, and the droppings have increased, but we don’t have the heart to remove the nest until the chicks have fledged.

This diligent dove reminds me of the words spoken by Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) in the movie Jurassic Park; to paraphrase, “Life finds a way.”

Perhaps a better way to phrase this is, God made a way.

The scriptures often speak of the Creator’s work, and He provides lessons for us through nature.

                ^“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matt. 6:26 (NASB)

Christians often ask God, when faced with a decision, whether to turn to the right or left. I believe that often God says to us, “The real decision isn’t which way to turn, but will you take me along with you? Will you trust me?” This is the connecting thread: God tells us to rest, to trust in Him, with the events of our lives, the good and the bad.

I have a boyhood memory: my cousin Joe and I decided to ride our bikes down a steep gravel road. My handlebars turned into a two-inch wide blur, but I hung on for dear life and made it to the bottom. At times, my life has felt like this bike experience. I grab the handlebars and hold on for dear life.

C. S. Lewis wrote in one of his letters to the Reverend Peter Bide, on April 29, 1959, “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us, we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”

I try to remember what Jesus said about “the birds of the air.” I know I need to rest in Him, submit to His will, and talk to Him about my concerns.

Fear is not from God (2 Tim. 1:7.) Yet, I fear. I hear a whispered lie: I can’t trust God to forgive me. He’ll give me the punishment I deserve, and I have no way to change my fate. I don’t, but our Heavenly Father does.

God made a way. He offers His redeeming love, unmerited favor, His grace, as a gift to those who call upon the name of Jesus.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12 (NASB)

When I hold tightly to the handlebars of life, I’m saying I don’t trust God for His love, and His watchful eye upon my life, the life over which I chose to make Him Lord.

Hebrews 11:6 says, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” (NLT)

In good times and bad, I have learned to pray, and pray some more. When I bathe my thoughts in scripture, something miraculous happens.

I rest in Him, like the dove. This peace comes from the Spirit.

                ^“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (TLB)

Dr. Robert Jeffress referenced the writings of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:21-30. Jeffress wrote, “There are times when it is good to have a case of holy indifference—to not panic about what will happen.” Paul, in prison, faced possible execution, but he rested in God, and “ironically, Paul’s holy apathy gave him tremendous determination,” to travel and preach the gospel.

I’m not advocating laziness. My mom used to tell me, “If you pray for potatoes, you’d better have a hoe in hand.”

I see the “holy indifference” Dr. Jeffress describes as a combination of deference and diligence.

Paul didn’t worry about his life. He deferred to God’s control. Yet, he pursued his ministry with diligence. ^“I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.” Philippians 1:23-24 (NLT)

So many times in scripture, God tells us to lean on Him.

“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’” Isaiah 30:15 (NIV)

There you have it. The Lord tells us to find strength by resting in Him, like the dove.

I could do better, but when I practice trust, holy indifference, He’s always there, giving peace, even when His best turns out to be painful. I don’t need to fiercely grip the handlebars of my life.

The psalmist wrote:

^“‘Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.” Psalms 46:10-11 (NASB)

I find it interesting this verse ends with the word, selah. When we see the word selah in a psalm, we’re invited to pause to carefully weigh the meaning of what we have just read or heard, lifting up our hearts in praise to God for His great truths.

The same applies to life. God provides a way.

I want to trust God more. I hope to live like The Dove Who Rested.

Selah.

When we value simple things, hope and encouragement permeate our lives.

I’ve spotted a lot of tractors at work. There is something beautiful about the smooth, clean dirt of a newly plowed field. It’s a promise of new of life.

An old farmer’s adage says life is simpler when you plow around the stump. In former days, when clearing land, a farmer would plow around large stumps to save time to get the planting done. Later, therewould be time to clear away the stumps.

Sometimes avoiding a controversy or disagreement will spare people from harm and hard feelings. Yet, it seems to me many people choose not to take the simpler path these days. They rail about their rights, and whine about what they deserve.

I have learned there are some things I have to put aside, or risk wasting much energy and time struggling with something I can’t change, and might cause pain and heartache to myself and others if I pursue the issue.

I recently lost someone dear to me. My sister-in-law, Sandy, visited for a birthday party in mid-December, and three months later, she was gone. Almost every day of those three months, I watched cancer steal more of her life. I’m a nurse, and still I found it hard to believe how fast disease ravaged her body. I need to take this in a little at a time.

Many of the wonderful people who supported Sandy, and my wife and me, during this experience don’t call or visit anymore. Their busy lives call them away. I understand, and I’m grateful for each one of them.

This brings to mind some thoughts on thankfulness, forgiveness, and hope. It seems to me these three hold hands.

Christians celebrated Easter a month ago, when we emphasize Christ died to offer us a Way to a right relationship with the Father, a free gift we can’t earn. Afterward, some Christians get on with their busy lives, and forget Easter. I’ve done it myself.

Not this time.

Before Sandy went home, she told me she felt thankful for the many good things she had enjoyed in life, all gifts from God, but what mattered most to her was her salvation. She looked forward to seeing Jesus. The controversies of this life meant little to her.

Scripture tells us avoiding controversies often makes life simpler (2 Timothy 2:22-26.) Dr. Robert Jeffress calls this “holy indifference” to the tribulations of life, like the Apostle Paul (Philippians 1:20-22.) I need to humble myself before God and acknowledge He’s is control. When I lack humility and hold a hardened heart, I can’t offer thankfulness or forgiveness. I become ungrateful, think I’ve earned, and deserve, status, money, position, learning, influence, and leave God out of the picture.

Except He’s never out of the picture.

^“But whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God, the Creator of all light, and he shines forever without change or shadow.” James 1:17 (TLB)

We need to forgive others because God forgave us. To forgive, we must choose thankfulness. To have a thankful heart, we must choose forgiveness. As I said above, they hold hands. I know I can’t do this on my own steam. I need the Holy Spirit.

“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:12-15 (NLT)

Have you figured it out yet? The field refers to the life God has given each of us, and God intends for us to plant it and be fruitful for Him. We can spend time digging at every stump in the field, and righting every wrong in our lives, or we can get on with the business of planting for the harvest, and plow around the stumps.

We need to trust Him and leave the hurts, controversies, betrayals, the pain of loss, disappointments, and heartaches, and failures to Him. God will take care of these things in His time.

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Romans 12:9-13 (NKJV)

Sandy planted and watered her field, and God gave the increase in her life. She had plenty of stumps along the way, but the harvest was plentiful. God used her.

At the end of my life, I hope to hear God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

We all get a last day, and today could be the one. I don’t want to waste it digging at stumps. Until the Lord takes me home, I want my life to reflect a line from an old hymn by William Cowper:

“Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.”

 

When we value simple things, hope and encouragement permeate our lives.

I love orange marmalade, especially on a crispy English muffin at breakfast. My wife, Candace, not so much. Until last year.

I picked the oranges from my backyard tree, looked up how to process and jar orange marmalade, and I was off to the races. I knew Candace enjoys fresh pineapple, so I determined to toss some in my orange marmalade mixture.

It worked. She loved it. I’ve tried cranberry-orange marmalade, and she likes that as well. Now, she even likes my plain orange marmalade. Success. (Except she still won’t eat the stuff in the little restaurant packs.)

Once you have the right equipment, apply a little work, and you’ll be on your way to marmalade heaven. It’s fun to listen for the pop-pop of the lids as the jars cool and seal.

The humble, sweet orange is transformed into something different. It seems supernatural to me.

I’m reminded of Jesus after His resurrection. He had a new, eternal body. I’m not trying to equate Jesus’ resurrection to marmalade. He made the oranges. He also made us. (John 1:3) He promises us a body like His at the resurrection.

He appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, and said, “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” Luke 24:39 (NASB)

The Lord spoke the heavens, earth, moon, and all kinds of life into being, except one. For humans, He formed us from the dust of the earth and breathed life into us. (Gen. 2:7) This is how special we are to Him. He desperately desires a relationship with us.

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.” Psalms 103:11 (NASB)

This same God Who spoke life into existence, in the fullness of time, can change our bodies into a form meant for heaven, bodies without sickness, pain, or aging. No more tears.

Paul told the Philippians, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” Phil. 3:20-21 (NASB)

Paul also wrote to the Corinthians, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” I Cor. 15: 51-52 (NASB)

God is able to transform us more easily than we can transform a few oranges into marmalade. As King David said, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” Psalms 139:6 (NIV)

You know someone right now who is suffering, perhaps with a terminal illness. For believers, this life is not the final chapter.

God has a plan for you if you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior, and if you have not, today is a good day to do it.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12 (NASB)

I recently heard a pastor tell a story about a woman standing on a third-story window ledge of a burning apartment building. Below, firefighters waited with a net to catch her; they had a plan to save her. It was her only way to safety, so she jumped. Whether she had a lot or a little faith in the net, she jumped. 

God provided one way to safety, Jesus Christ.

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.” John 10:9 (NIV)

For all of us, the building is burning. So jump. Trust Him. He’ll catch you.

When we value simple things, hope and encouragement permeate our lives.

A few months ago my citrus trees, a potted lemon and an in-ground orange, were overgrown.  I trimmed them severely to shape them. My arms looked like I’d been catching stray cats. Why do citrus trees need three-inch thorns?

I expected neither tree to produce this year, and I was wrong. They both hang heavy with fruit. I’m looking forward to limoncello, lemonade, orange juice, lemon cookies, lemon meringue pie, chicken piccata, and, well, you get the idea. The juice freezes well.

Some life experiences leave wounds.

I’m reminded of Jesus’ words, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2 NASB)

Maybe you’re thinking, “Here comes another one of those talks on how we’re pruned by life experiences, and this is a good thing.”

Sorry, not today.

The phrase “Be thankful. God is pruning you through this experience,” doesn’t ease the pain of hard times. Sometimes I’ve responded, “No thanks, I’ll decline the blessing.” When I couldn’t avoid the problem, I felt anger, frustration and sadness.

The thorns of the orange tree hurt. What do we do with those feelings that demonstrate the opposite of the victory we’re supposed to live as a Christian? When the trouble becomes too much for one person to bear, trite comments sound very empty.

The other day, my wife and I walked out of a store and into the rain, so we rushed to the car. Candace alerted me to a homeless man in a wheelchair by the entrance, mumbling. He only needed to move three feet to find a dry spot. As I watched, a customer entering the store gave him a sandwich.

Sometimes hope comes in small steps, like that sandwich.

One of the main practical duties Christians ought to be concerned with is helping other believers when the burdens they carry threaten to cause them to stumble (Gal. 6:2).

In Philippians 2:3-4, we are told, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (NASB)

In my experience, this doesn’t always happen.

Often, what we really want is for our trouble to disappear now, or at least, to have reason to hope that it will end soon. Meanwhile, our sense of isolation magnifies if we put up a front, to hide our struggles from our church family and friends, or to avoid criticism for our lack of faith.

Hope is a close cousin to faith, but they are separate. Hang with me here a bit.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, NASB)

Faith is complete trust in something, based upon what we know.

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.” (Luke 15:5-6; NASB)

So how many times have you seen flying mulberry trees heading for the beach? Yeah, me neither.

I don’t think the amount of our faith impresses God, and I believe He knows how difficult it is for us to hold fast to it, especially when trials, loss, fear and sorrow overwhelm us.

He knows because our faith comes from Him.

^“Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it.  It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago he planned that we should spend these lives in helping others.” (Ephesians 2:8-10; TLB)

So what does this discussion about faith have to do with pruning in our lives, you know, the pruning we’d like to avoid? We can’t avoid it.

And we’re not alone, even when we feel alone.

Hope springs forth from faith. Hope is confident expectation that grows from what we know as truth from experience. Jesus wants us to know that He is there in the midst of our troubles. He wept with the others outside the tomb of his friend, Lazarus (John 11:35).

“ For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].” Hebrews 4:15-16 (AMP)

All good things come from God (James 1:17). Remember the sandwich? The homeless man received an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment. That sounds like limitless hope just wearing everyday clothes.

Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (Luke 15:11-12 ESV)

At this time of the year, we celebrate the Hope that came to us, Emanuel.

 The Christ child entered into this world in the fulfillment of prophecies foretold in the Old Testament. A friend once told me that God took a big risk when He sent Jesus into this world in the form of a helpless baby. I don’t agree. God is always in control, and His plan will not be defeated. Legions of angels must have surrounded the Child. Yet, the Father’s plan was to sacrifice His Son for us at the right time.

That sounds like a Father Who cares for us deeply. Think of faith and hope this way. A father promises his daughter he’ll take her to the park for a pony ride on her birthday. She believes him, and that’s faith. When the little girl squeals with joy thinking about her upcoming pony ride, that’s hope kindled from her faith in her father’s promise.

Again, hope often comes in small steps, perhaps as a phone call from a friend, or a good result from an MRI, or a hug when you’re at your lowest. Take the sandwich, and yes, rejoice.

^“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:6-7 (NASB)

When you feel alone with your anger, fear, or sorrow, He puts His arm around your shoulder, and says, “I’m here, and it’s okay to feel as you do.”

I’ll offer a few lines from a poem I wrote a few years ago, during a dark time. If you’re feeling the thorns of life, I pray these words will lift you.

 

How strange, this candle lights so little way,

bright Infant flame in the ink of night.

Still, love remains as yesterday.

 

May the joy and peace of the Christ Child be with you. Noel.

When we value simple things, hope and encouragement permeate our lives.

I love autumn. The heat of summer wains, fun holidays and gatherings draw near, smells of baking waft from houses, trees reveal beautiful yellow, orange, and gold colors, and leaves flutter to the ground.

The trees represent a promise.

Before I talk about that, perhaps you’ve asked the question, “Why do leaves turn color and fall to the ground?”

Less light and cooler temperatures trigger a miracle. Chlorophyll, a green pigment in the leaves, breaks down, which allows the beautiful shades of autumn to emerge. The fall colors abided there all along!

The tree reabsorbs the nutrients in the leaves and stores them in the roots. Trees rest during the winter, using this stored food. It’s God’s fingerprint on nature.

Ants employ the same strategy. Proverbs 6:7-8 says of the ant, “Which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.” (NASB)

Back to the trees.

After a leaf changes color, a process called abscission cuts the leaf away by the growth of special cells where the stem attaches, and these same cells seal the wound. The bare branches in winter help protect the tree from harsh weather, and in spring allow wind-blown pollen to travel longer distances and reach more trees.

So what’s the promise? Though trees look barren and forlorn during winter, they’re not dead. In time, they’ll burst forth with new growth. It’s a done deal.

I see a parallel in my life. I’ve felt the grief of losing my dad and mom, the agony and betrayal of divorce, serious financial stress, and the uncertainty and fear of cancer treatment. As an R.N., I’ve comforted others going through difficult times. Many of you have experienced similar trials.

I’ve also known healing, renewal, and the joy of a supportive Christian wife who shows me love every day no matter how unlovable I am.

In bleak and empty times of my life, I’ve tried to remember sadness won’t last forever.

Lamentations 3:22-23 gives us hope beyond the winters of our lives, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness.”

Charles Spurgeon phrased it, “Fear not, Christian, for Jesus is with you. In all your fiery trials His presence is both your comfort and safety. He will never leave one whom He has chosen for His own.”

When I feel distant from God’s faithfulness, I rely on the encouragement found in scripture, and recall all the things He has done for me.

I think about how He manifests Himself in the world around me, the qualities of His nature, and on His compassion and mercy.

I pray to Him directly, seek His will in the situation and wait upon Him.

Yes, I stumble through this process, often with the help of trusted friends, but I have learned times of distress and sorrow will pass.

The tree of life will blossom again into a beautiful new season.

I hope you’ll know the same during winters of your life, one prayer at a time.

Enjoy the wonders of fall.