Grumbling over the weather or grateful?

        "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Col.3:1-2)
         "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit." (Rom.8:5)
         You know it's funny.  Lately, it seems like everywhere I go, folks are complaining about the hot weather.  Okay, duh, it's late July in North Carolina...so it's steamy and stifling most of the time.  And yes, it's not tons of fun to get in your furnace-like car to run an errand and burn your "sit-upon" the moment you get in.  And yes, this is some serious sweatin' weather, no doubt about it.
           But here's the thing: along about January, everywhere you go, people will be moaning and groaning about the cold, the ice, and the grey.  (And in the interest of full disclosure, yours truly--who is NOT a winter gal--will be Numero Uno in the complaint department.)  So people, are we never satisfied?  Will we always simply default to grumbling over the weather...or the traffic...or the busyness of life...or the political climate...or the whatever??
          Seriously, where does all that complaining get us?  Does it help?  Does the temperature somehow mysteriously drop a few degrees if we whine about it?  Are we better able to cope with life's minor or major difficulties in a pervasive atmosphere of fussing and fretting?
          I think we all know the answer to those questions.  Because as the Bible tells us over and over again, our mindset is key.  Will we set our minds on things above or on things below?  Will we set our minds on the things of the flesh (with it's continual tendency to complain) or on the things of the Spirit?  Will we allow our minds to simply drift along with the sewage-like stream of our grumbling, ever-discontented culture or will we consistently go to God's Word so that our minds will be renewed and we will be transformed?  Transformed into people of joy, hope, peace, love, grace, forgiveness...in other words, transformed more and more into the image of Jesus.
            Enough of the grumbling over the weather.  Enough of the complaining about everything under the sun.  (I'm preaching to myself, by the way).  Let's choose to fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb.12:1-2).  Let's choose to renew our minds in His Word.  Let's choose to set our minds on things above.  Let's choose to think about--and discuss--whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable (Phil.4:8).  Let's choose to use our mouths to build up, encourage, and thank rather than tear down, discourage, and complain.
           And it all starts with one tiny choice at a time.  One decision to read the Word rather than scroll the internet.  One decision--on a moment by moment basis--to set our minds on Christ and on things above rather than things below.  One decision to count our blessings rather than list our complaints.  One decision to speak words of gratitude rather than words of dissatisfaction.
           No matter how hard or challenging or painful our circumstances, the one thing we always have is the choice as to how we will respond.  We choose how we will set our minds.  We choose the words we will speak--whether words of gratitude or grumbling.
           So how about we start today?  Right now, in fact.  Thank You, Lord, for the bright, hot sun that gives life and light to this lovely earth You've given us.  Thank You for the beach, the mountains, the pool, the ice cream place, the air conditioning that provide us wonderful respites from the heat.  Thank You for the more relaxed pace of summer.  Thank You for children that are home during these months. Thank You for the change of seasons.  Thank You for Your Word that renews our minds and transforms our attitudes.  Thank You most of all for Your Son, the Lord Jesus, who is with us through all of life's ups and downs, in season and out of season, in all the highs and lows.
          Father, keep us fixed on You.  Keep us in Your Word.  Keep us thankful.  Keep us focused on things above.  And keep us speaking words of grace and gratitude to everyone we meet.
         To God be the glory.

Seeing and savoring the beauty

        We're back from the mountains, but I'm still remembering and savoring the extraordinary beauty of those majestic green hills and dancing streams.

 There were moments throughout each day that I would pause, inhale deeply of that pure mountain air, and offer my simple praise to Almighty God for the wonder of His spectacular handiwork.  Thank You, Father, for eyes to see Your beauty as reflected in Your creation.  Thank You for ears to hear the chorus of birds, babbling water, and gentle breezes in the swaying trees.  Thank You for a nose to smell the scent of pine and purity.  Thank You for feet to climb over big rocks and stomp through cold water.  

 Thank You especially for the priceless gift of sharing Your magnificent creation with loved ones.  How grateful I am for my family and my friends.  What multifaceted treasures they each are.  Here are just a few of them.  My sweet sister, Jane, showing off her big catch!  (Don't worry--we throw everything back!)

  Some of our crew (we were really missing some of our family, but thankful for every one we got to be with!).

 A few good men...in front of a few good mountains.

          But most of all, I'm thankful for the beautiful Creator who is so clearly reflected throughout all His breathtakingly lovely creation.  I can't remember who said it, but someone once pointed out that all of nature is one giant finger pointing clearly to the Creator.  Creation is the finger that points to the One who so perfectly and wondrously crafted every atom of every square inch of creation.  Every slippery, colorful trout...every blooming rhododendron...every soaring mountain peak...every pebble, rock and boulder...every stream, lake, and ocean...and every uniquely different and remarkable person made in His image.
         Oh might we be even more captured by Christ's beauty, by His wonder, by His glory.  Might we see His creation and give praise to the Creator.  Might our enjoyment of all of His gifts point us inexorably and unmistakably to Him and His goodness and grace.  
         "You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Ps.16:11)   Help us Father to see and savor the Lord Jesus in all His beauty, power, splendor, and glory.
        Thank You for the gifts of this beautiful world.  Thank You for the gifts of our loved ones.  Thank You for any and all gifts--big and small--which are all from Your hand for You are the Giver of all good gifts. (James 1:17).  And thank You, thank You, thank You for the Gift of all Gifts--our Savior, Redeemer, Lord, and Friend, the Lord Jesus.  Help us to see, savor, and treasure His beauty this day and every day.  To God be the glory.
        To God be the glory.    

Upgrading our earthly tents

        "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens...So we are always of good courage.  We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith not by sight." (2 Cor.5:1,6)
         As life and time marches on, so too the departure of loved ones.  Recently a number of good friends have had to say goodbye to dearly beloved parents.  And I don't care how old someone is or how sick or how much pain is involved, it's still hard--so extraordinarily hard--to lose someone.  Of course, I need to restate that, because believers never truly "lose" someone, for we know exactly where they've gone and where they are.  If we know where we can find them and know that we will see them again, then they are not one bit lost to us.  Just relocated...or should I say, infinitely upgraded.
         I've recently been reading a powerful book by Levi Lusko entitled Through the Eyes of a Lion.  It's about the experience of the shockingly unexpected death of their family's five year old daughter, Lenya after she suffered a catastrophic asthma attack.  This happened just days before Christmas.  I won't go into all the details of the book, but suffice it to say, this pastor's brutal honesty and yet indomitable faith, hope, and love have left an indelible mark on all who've heard this family's story.
         But I loved these words Lusko wrote: "As agonizing and painful as it can be, death is the ultimate upgrade for the believer: moving from the tent into the home Jesus has been preparing for you. Charles Spurgeon once preached, 'Death, as it pulls away our sackcloth canopy, will reveal to our wondering eyes the palace of the King in which we shall dwell forever, and, therefore, what cause have we to be alarmed at it?'
        The tent you leave behind is not you.  You are not your body.  You will never be buried.  There is not a single person in a cemetery.  Those who used to inhabit those tents have moved on into eternity. Death is not the end of the road; it's just a bend in the road...
        We must fight to remember that the grave doesn't get the last word.  The body that was taken from us will be returned in our resurrection...The very word cemetery itself comes from the Latin word dormitory and means 'sleeping place.'  When the coffin lid closes it sure seems final, but it is only a temporary arrangement.  One day Jesus will give a wake-up call to the bodies in the dorms, and they will rise.  This promise is the hardest to remember when you need it the most, but you must force yourself to look at death through this lens." 
         Praise God for the gift of our Savior who conquered sin and death and whose resurrection assures us of eternal life in heaven.  For every believer, death does not, not, not have the final word...  Jesus does, and His Word promises that the moment we die, we're instantly relocated, upgraded to heaven--a place of incalculable wonder, beauty, love, perfection, joy, and glory.
         So yes, we grieve the loss of our loved ones.  But while we weep over their departure, at the same time we rejoice over their arrival.  Our temporary loss...their eternal gain.  Our sadness over missing them...their joy over finally and truly being home.  And our hope and happiness because we believe--we know--that we will see them again one day in glory.  No more sorrow or pain or fear or separation or disease or weakness.  But they--and we--perfected.  Glorious.  Radiant.  Joyful.  Powerful.  Christ-adoring, Christ-exalting, Christ-reflecting.
         Thank You, Father, for the certain promise and hope of heaven.  Thank You that because of Jesus, we know that we will see our loved ones in You again, and we will enjoy the wonder of Your priceless gift of salvation forever.
          And thank You that those we love in Christ who are already home in heaven are not dead.  No, no, they are more vibrant, more joyful, more gloriously alive than any of us still here on this old earth.  Give us eyes of faith to see and hearts to trust in You and Your unfailing Word.  And when we struggle with fear and doubt in the face of death, help us to cry out like that father coming to Jesus with his sick child, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)  You will never, ever turn away such a plea for You are the infinitely good, wise, powerful, and loving Father.
          "I am the Resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die." (John 11:25-26)  Thank You, Jesus, our Resurrection and our Life.    
          To God be the glory.      

Help us to remember

        Remember.
        Over and over again in God's Word, we are told to remember.  
        Remember God.  Remember Who He is.  Remember what He has done.  Remember His goodness.  Remember His greatness. Remember His grace.  Remember His promises.  Remember His power.  Remember His love.  Remember His countless gifts to you.
        "While I was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple." (Jonah 2:7)
        "Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me." (Isa.46:9)
        "Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth." (I Chron.16:12)
         "And He took the bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.'" (Luke 22:19)
        "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first..." (Rev.2:2)
        "So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it and repent..." (Rev.3:3)
        You'd think I'd have learned this lesson by now.  I mean, after all, how hard is it to simply remember?  Evidence of God's extravagant goodness is all around us.  We have His Word.  We have the church.  We have other believers.  We have our past history of God's unrelenting faithfulness to us.  Surely remembering should be simple, right?
         Well, maybe for you, but not for this slow learner and quick forgetter!  And come on, truth be told, don't we all tend far to easily to default to those bad old destructive habits of worrying...or complaining...or fretting...or doubting?  And whenever we do that, we're failing to remember.
        "Yeah sure," we think, "Father, You've been faithful in the past.  Your Word is true.  You are forever faithful and true and unchanging and good.  I can say all that.  I know all that intellectually, but, but, but..."
          Oh mercy, in the heat of battle, in the darkness of disease, in the cauldron of pain, in the fires of affliction, in the nitty gritty of life's muddy trenches, we forget...or at least I sure do.  In fact, just today, I realized to my horror and shame that I completely forgot about a baby shower.  Had it written down on my calendar.  Had already ordered the presents from the registry.  Had excitedly planned to attend....and utterly forgot.  I wanted to cry when I realized my terrible lapse in memory.  What on earth?  How could I be that ridiculously and terribly forgetful?  Even as I write this, I feel like weeping.    
           Well, what a vivid and sad example of how prone I am to forgetting.  Sigh.  Oh Father, forgive me and help me to remember.  Help me to remember You. Help me to remember Your faithfulness. Help me to remember Your promises.  Help me to remember Your love...and forgiveness...and grace...and power...and provision...and mercy.
          Father, from before time began, You always remembered me...please, please help me to always remember You.
          I close with Tim Keller's powerful prayer: "Lord, I worry because I forget Your wisdom, I resent because I forget Your mercy, I covet because I forget Your beauty, I sin because I forget Your holiness, I fear because I forget Your sovereignty.  You always remember me; help me to always remember You."  Amen and amen.
          Oh how thankful I am for my Heavenly Father who never, ever, ever forgets.  And how thankful I am for grace.  Help us, Lord, to remember.  To God be the glory.

Trust in the unseen

        Another beautiful sunrise in the mountains.  God, You are amazing.
       The low lying clouds completely hide the vibrant green carpet of earth and trees and roads that spread out underneath.  You'd never know anything at all was there--yet just under those clouds is teeming, sprawling life.  

  And another hidden view.  The boys playing golf on hole 17 that has a spectacular view off the mountain...but today, the clouds conceal the beauty of verdant valley and foothills below.    

         I couldn't help but think of Paul's words: "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Cor.4:17-18)
         Focus on the unseen.  Remember the unseen.  Don't allow what you can see to blind you to the fact that far more, infinitely more, is going on behind the scenes.  Oh my, it's so easy to get caught up and preoccupied with what we see, taste, and touch that we miss, ignore, and forget the exponentially more important unseen.
         Here's what Levi Lusko says in  his powerful book, Through the Eyes of a Lion: "This is the war: every moment of every day, we must make the all-important choice of whether we will rely on the naked eye.  Will we trust what we can see is there, or believe what God says is there?  It's a decision we are continually confronted with."
        "Will we trust what we can see is there, or believe what God says is there?"  
         Will we trust that God is in sovereign control of every single thing that happens in this universe...even when disease or death or disaster hits us broadside?  Will we believe His perfect eternal Word...even when culture denigrates and denies it at ever turn?  Will we place our faith in our Almighty Lord and in things unseen...or in what we can see, what others tell us, and what we feel?
         It's a moment by moment choice we have to make, and as Lusko says, it's a battle.  A daily battle for our hearts and minds to trust in God's unseen instead of the seen.
        Yep, that valley, those foothills, those trees and roads were all still there today even though I couldn't see a one of them with my eyes.  They were merely hidden for the moment, and so I trust what I know is true, though unseen.  And I'm thankful that God's Word reveals what is true.  The true Truth.  The unseen Truth.
        We can trust in the unseen, because behind it all is the Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth who sees all,  knows all, and does all for His greater glory and our ultimate good.        
       Trust in Him.  Trust in His Word.  Trust in the unseen.
       To God be the glory.
     

Bare, brown sticks...

         Just remembering...in the heart of winter, in the depths of cold, grey, and ice, our lovely camellia bush bloomed and bloomed--

         Oh my, how much joy that beautiful bush has brought me!  Some friends gave it to us when my daddy went home to heaven a number of years ago, and despite my abysmal gardening skills, this camellia has flourished and grown.  Truly, against all odds, this bush and it's blooms have proliferated and stunned us year after year.  Have I said "Thank You, Lord?"
         But apparently this bush needed to be "trimmed," as it's hefty roots are supposedly starting to interfere with our house's foundation.  (Do you sense that I'm a bit dubious?)
       And so, this is what our "pruned" bush looks like today--

          Yes, that pitiful bunch of brown, bare sticks is our camellia bush.
          For the record, this stinks.  Seriously.
           I look at our camellia and want to weep.  The bush is literally one fourth of it's lovely, towering size just a few weeks ago.  Gone are it's profusion of shiny green leaves...in fact, there are no leaves at all.  And no more comfortable shade under which Bingley enjoyed taking sweet summer naps.  And absolutely no possible prospect of any bright red flowers anytime soon...or as best I can tell, ever.  
           Frankly, as I'm gazing forlornly at my beloved camellia, it appears completely hopeless.  This lovely bush will never recover, I'm quite sure.  Forget it.  Lost cause.  No way, no how.  Will never, ever happen.
           Or at least that's what my senses shout to me.
           But I'm just wondering if what's appears differs dramatically from what's actually happening?   If what I feel doesn't at all reflect what's really true?  If the tiny, limited slice of what I can see has no correlation with what the Lord is doing and knowing and seeing?  
           Somehow, someway, I have the tiniest glimmer of hope hidden deep in my heart that our Almighty God is working and moving and growing and redeeming in countless ways that I cannot see and do not know.  And maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what He's doing not just with our camellia bush but with all the hard, dark, scary, bewildering things going on in the lives of countless dear friends.
            Well, my fallible, ever- vacillating feelings might exclaim "maybe" but my faith says "definitely!"  I have dear friends dealing with cancer...and heart surgery...and lost jobs...and death of loved ones...and despair.  But we can know, know, know that the sovereign Lord of Heaven and Earth is at work and is doing mighty and wondrous things we cannot begin to imagine.  "I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone." (Isa.42:16)
           And in those dark, difficult, discouraging places, He's moulding, equipping, reviving, restoring, redeeming, and teaching.  As Isaiah 45:3 reminds us, many of God's choicest lessons are revealed only in the darkness. "I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name."
           So today, Lord, we join the psalmist in declaring "I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him." (Ps.40:1-3)
         Yes, Lord, yes--do it again and again!  And while we wait, we will trust in You. Our lives may look like a bunch of bare, brown sticks, but we're waiting and trusting in You, our omnipotent God of Resurrection and Redemption who is even now making all, all, all things new.
       To God be the glory.  

Preach it!

         I love these wise words from  Paul David Tripp--
We just never stop talking
to ourselves.
We never stop preaching
some kind of gospel
to ourselves.
It's a gospel of
aloneness,
partiality,
poverty,
inability--
of functional hopelessness--
or
it's the true gospel of
Jesus Christ,
a gospel of
hope,
mercy,
forgiveness,
rescue,
love,
transformation;
of never being alone,
of never being without help;
of One who is near,
of One who cares;
of a beautiful forever
awash in victory.
We're always listening
to
what we're preaching.
        I've repeated it ad nauseam, but we (or at least I) need to be reminded ad infinitum!  We're always preaching to ourselves, and we--yes we--each decide what we will be preaching and preaching and preaching to ourselves.  Stop blaming your parents or your siblings or your boss or your friends or your politicians or your enemies or your circumstances or your whatever!  We choose what we preach to ourselves, and what we choose radically affects our thinking, our attitudes, our behavior, our everything!
       So what will it be: the life-giving, joy-sustaining, hope-infusing, strength-reviving Truth of the Gospel or the negative, worrying, destroying, despairing, fretting, complaining lies of the enemy and of our selfish flesh?  We choose.  On a moment-by-moment basis, we choose what we will preach and repeat and imbibe and digest.  And what we choose slowly but inexorably transforms us into people of faith, hope, and love or into people of fear, despair, and hatred.
       "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season," Paul says in 2 Tim.4:2.  And this written by a man imprisoned for what he knows is the last time and facing his imminent execution.  But he's still preaching to others and to himself.  As he nears the end of his life, these are some of his final words: "I have fought the good fight.  I have finished the race.  I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2 Tim.4:7-8)                   In a dark Roman dungeon.  Alone.  Cold.  Facing execution.  And Paul's preaching it all the way to the end...which for him meant the beginning.
        How about us?  What are we preaching to ourselves on a daily basis?  What are we preaching today?  Let's choose the Truth of the gospel, the word of Life, the very Word of Almighty God.  Preach it!
         To God be the glory.