Some (including my wife) call me a coffee snob.  I just say that I like my coffee.
Hey, if I’m going to buy my own coffee, I’m going to get the good stuff!  Bad coffee isn’t worth the bag it’s packaged in.
Regardless whether you get your coffee from a local microbrewery, a national chain, Wal-Mart, or the fields of Africa, you need to know that coffee has an expiration date.  The countdown to coffee’s “death” starts when the coffee is roasted.  Why, might very, very few of you ask?

When coffee is roasted in its green bean form, the natural oils from inside of the bean make their way to the surface.  These oils are the flavor of the coffee (nutty, winey, citrus-y, etc…not flavors often added later, such as hazelnut, French Vanilla, etc.).  So if you were to pick up a freshly roasted coffee bean, you’d notice that it is quite glossy.  In fact, that oil transfers to your cup of coffee, too…next time you get a cup from a reputable coffee shop, look at the top layer of coffee, and make sure you see a bit of oil there.  That’s a mark of a good cup of coffee!

That all to say: even the best coffee has an expiration date.  The oils on the surface of the bean evaporate.  Or go rancid.  (I was going to say that you’ll never notice oil on grocery-store coffee beans because by the time they make it to the shelves, the oil’s gone…but I won’t say that).  And the coffee loses its flavor.

And isn’t it the same with our faith?  Left in the bag, it loses its flavor.  The freshness dries up.  The passion we once had for pursuing Christ evaporates, leaving us dry and weary.

The oils can’t be added back to the coffee bean.  But they can be added back to your faith.  You just need to ask.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:12)

 

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You’ve heard of Noah, right?

In Genesis 6, God “was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” (Genesis 6:6).  So He “determined to make an end of all flesh.”  All flesh!  Gone. Washed away (pun intended).  Except for Noah and his family.

So, God was going to destroy everything and start all over…but decided to let Noah “ride it out.” (pun intended again…sorry, I’ll stop now)  Of all the people on the earth, all the animals, all plants…every living thing, God chose Noah to live. What was so special about Noah?  “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord…Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation.  Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:8-9)

So Noah, our great, great, great (x200) grandfather survived the worst rain storm ever.  Thankfully, God saw fit to save him.

But that’s not the only thing I’m thankful for when it comes to Noah.  Read this little doozie:

“Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.  He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.”  Then it goes on to say that Noah’s youngest son, Ham (who has an awesome name, by the way), stumbled upon his naked, drunk father, and instead of honoring him by covering him up, Ham made a spectacle of the whole ordeal, going outside and making fun of his dad to his two brothers, Shem and Japheth.  (see Genesis 9:20-24) Way to go, Ham.  Way to go, Noah.

So Noah didn’t hold his alcohol all that well.  And Ham didn’t hold his tongue all that well.

Welcome to life after the flood.

But even though Noah had this indiscretion (to put it mildly), God chose to use him.  Why?  Because…

God uses imperfect, messed up people.

God uses messy families.

God uses people who make stupid decisions.

God uses people who have brought shame on themselves and their family.

God uses people who have returned to the same sins they struggled with in the past.

God uses people who aren’t perfect parents.

If God can use you and me, even though we’re messed up, just like He used Noah.

How have you let your past failures determine what you think God can use you to do in the future?

How has the fear of future failure paralyzed you from doing what God is calling you to do right now?

I’m reading through the Bible in a year, using the Chronological Plan.  Care to join me?

 

I was able to see Rob Bell at TPAC’s War Memorial on December 9th.  I like Rob.  I think he’s innovative, pushing the Church to think outside of the proverbial box.  I thoroughly enjoyed his lecture.  It was a fascinating look at suffering, seeking to not answer the question of “Why, God?!?” but “What now?”  It was a compelling lecture/sermon, and if Rob Bell happens to come to your town, I highly suggest picking up a few tickets, and taking a few key leaders along with you.  You won’t be disappointed.

But can I nitpick for a minute (and that’s all it is…nitpicking.  If Rob could further explain himself on this point, it might have made more sense.  But, nonetheless…)?  In talking about the “art of solidarity, and the ways that suffering helps to bond us as we build community through shared suffering,” Bell mentioned “the cross, the ultimate act of peace and reconciliation.  God didn’t avoid suffering.”  Instead, God is with us through it.  Then he shared this:

The point of the incarnation is that there’s someone else screaming alongside us.

I get what he’s saying.  There’s comfort in the midst of suffering when we know we’re not alone.  And I believe that.  Suffering is eased when we live life in relationship with others who can share that burden with us.  That’s part of the goal of the Church (and the means of achieving that goal, too).  And knowing that God doesn’t leave me to my own devices when I suffer is a source of comfort.  However, it is not the point of the incarnation.

The main point of the incarnation is not that we have someone to walk through painful situations with us.

The point of the incarnation is that we weren’t good enough to save ourselves. Because of our sin, we needed God himself to come and die the death that we deserved.

A sidebar (and I think it’s important to make that subtle distinction) of the incarnation is that God is with us through suffering.  But it’s only a sidebar, at best.  The much better news is not that God is present with us through suffering, but that the suffering Christ endured is ONCE FOR ALL!  I don’t want to serve a God who merely weeps with me.  I want to serve a God who redeems me, who is more powerful than suffering, and who is willing and able to create a world where there is no suffering (Revelation 21:4), no crying, no pain, no death.

Don’t point people to the incarnation as God’s identifying suffering and weeping along with us.  Point people to the incarnation as hope that suffering will one day be complete.

Do you want a God who weeps with you? Or One who will redeem you from the curse of pain?

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

 

Snickers Satisfies.

At least, that’s what their slogan says.

But why, after I eat one, am I still left feeling hungry?

Why, if I eat more than one of them, am I left feeling sick?

Because we all know that Snickers bars don’t provide true satisfaction.  They satisfy only for a moment.  Or, when overindulgence happens, satisfaction exits.

Don’t settle for false substitutes.  Jesus Christ is the only true satisfier in this life. (John 6:35)

Power, money, “stuff,” food, sex, influence, busyness, success, health, safety…all leave you hungering for more, .

A Snickers bar tastes good.  A meal with steak and potatoes is better.

Busyness seems good.  Serving others is better.

Safety is good.  Living life to the full is better.

But placing your hope, and finding your soul’s satisfaction, in any of the above will leave you salivating for more.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:25-26)

Can you say that with the Psalmist?  Where does your heart find true satisfaction?

 

Exodus 20:7 (the 3rd commandment), says,

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

I’ve seen some people use God’s name in vain by saying that God has “called” them to do this…or say that…or go there.  Ever heard somebody say, “I know I’m supposed to do this, because God has told me to…” and the whole time thought, “There is absolutely no way God has told him/her to do that!”

I believe that God does still speak today.  Let me be clear with that.

But we can easily manipulate others, and misuse God’s name, when we attribute things to Him that He would not/could not condone.  Often, I believe, when this methodology is employed, it’s a cop-out.  It’s a misguided way of justifying sinful, self-seeking endeavors.

In order to know God’s will, we must start by knowing God.  Loving Him.  And loving what He loves.

Check out this video.  I find it funny that Anderson Cooper is disgusted over Heidi Montag’s thanking of God for this performance.  My favorite quote from this video: “If God has the time to work on this production, and that’s the best that God can do, we’re all in trouble.” (Anderson Cooper)

 

I love the “Save Draft” button that I have access to for my blog. Often, in fact, for 99% of my blogs I’ll write a first draft, then save it. I’ll come back to it later on that day, or the next. Maybe even a week later.

Then I’ll save it again.

It helps me to look over it again and catch some mistakes. Refine my thought. Make sure I said what I meant to say.  Make sure what I said is constructive, and not destructive.

I wonder how it would work if we had the opportunity to click the “save draft” button in “real life.” Instead of just spouting off whatever came into our head, what if we stopped and waited?  Swallowed our pride?  Prayed?  Asked God to season our words with salt (Colossians 4:6)?

Something tells me that it might work pretty well.

After all, “Do you see a man who speaks in haste?  There is more hope for a fool than for him.” (Proverbs 29:20)

 

Rex, our 1 year old son, is walking.  Well…sort of.  He’s taking lots of steps.  But he’s taking lots of falls, too.  In fact, at least half of every attempt at walking ends up with him falling to the ground.  Does that mean that I scold him and shame him for even trying to take a step?  Constantly tell him he should’ve tried harder?  Should’ve asked God for more help?  That now he may never be able to walk?

We’d like to think that change happens overnight.  But in reality, it rarely does.  I mean, we reward the overnight change.  We give those people stage time.  We herald their stories on videos and movies.  We stand shocked when those folks share their stories with us.  We want to capture them on video so that the rest of our church can see them.  We venerate the “big” salvation experiences.

Oftentimes, change is much slower than we’d like.

More often than not, it’s, “I got saved 2  years ago, and I’m still struggling.”  or “I got saved 6 months ago, and still have to fight against sin on a weekly…daily…hourly…basis.”  or “I’ve been saved since I was 16, and I’ve been fighting against sin, but I still mess up…but with the power of Christ, I soldier on.”

I’ve written about Josh Hamilton before, HERE.  He’s got one of “those stories.”  However, even after having gone public with his fight against drugs and alcohol, after having been saved, after having been restored to his family, he messed up.  But you know what he did after he messed up?  He told his wife and his family.  He sought their forgiveness.  And they granted it.

Change, at one level, happens in an instant.  We are saved, from one specific point in history, forever into eternity.  But from another, very real aspect, we’re still in the process of being saved.  Let’s be honest about this.

You’re not perfect.  Neither am I.  Lets take off the mask and quit acting like something we’re not.

I cheer for Rex every time I see him take a step.  Because that’s one step closer to walking.

Do you need encouragement?  I’ll clap for you.

How can you celebrate and encourage someone today who’s taken a step towards Christ?

 

Spending time with the Lord is essential to your spiritual growth.  But how essential is the location where you do that?

I grew up hearing the importance of separating yourself from others, in a dark place, with no noises or distractions…in fact, they called it a “quiet time.” If I couldn’t find “the holy place” and “the holy time” then I needed to evaluate my life’s priorities.  Anybody else ever hear that?  My question for us today is this:

Is that the only true way to spend time with the Lord?

I was recently talking with a small group leader at Grace, and he said that the most powerful time he had with the Lord recently was when he was on an airplane.  Looking out at the open sky, he was able to appreciate, all over again, the beauty, majesty, and power of God.

Each of these statements below represents me, and what I found most important and helpful, at different points in my spiritual journey. 

1. It’s vital to spend time with the Lord daily (well, that’s even an understatement…the Bible says, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)).  When I don’t spend time with the Lord daily, my spiritual life shrivels up and dies…quickly.

2. The Lord speaks most clearly and definitively in the Bible. In fact, we need to spend much time in the Bible in order to discern His working and His voice in other areas (such as art, music, nature, etc).  When I consistently look to other sources in place of Scripture, I lose focus.

3. God doesn’t live only in a box…especially one of our own creation. Therefore, spending time with the Lord only in a “quiet” box is not only nonessential, but it may also be a detriment (if that’s the only time you have with the Lord).  I have to get outside of the box.

4. With our society becoming more and more mobile, it’s not feasible to set aside “quiet” time in the same way that our ancestors did. We need to find different (though not less meaningful) ways to spend time with the Lord.  I’m constantly on the go, and if I only spend 10 minutes in the “quiet zone” in the morning, that’s not enough.  I have to get creative in the way that I spend time with Him.

5. With our society becoming more and more mobile, we need time set aside to actually be quiet. To still the thousands of voices in our heads.  To not hear the cell phone ring.  Or our boss yelling.  Or our kids yelling. Or the doorbell ringing.  Undistracted time is a huge blessing.

Which one (or more) of these statements connects with you right now?

 

We sang this song this past Sunday at Grace:

Jesus Paid it All

I hear the Savior say
Thy strength indeed is small
Child of weakness watch and pray
Find in me thine all in all

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Lord now indeed I find
Thy power and thine alone
Can change the lepers spots
And melt the heart of stone

The Gospel is offensive!  It says:

You are helpless ( Psalm 10:12, Daniel 10:8, Matthew 9:36)

You are hopeless (Proverbs 24:19-21, Ephesians 2:11-12)

You are dead (Ephesians 2:1, Romans 5:12)

You are needy (Psalm 79:7-9)

You are not perfect (Romans 3:8-10)

You are weak (Romans 5:6)

You are not God (Job 38-40:2)

The Good News is that we have been redeemed by a Savior who is none of these things.

 

I had stepped out of the room and left my son to himself for just a second.  Typically, I hear him all of the time.  Sometimes he’s banging a toy on the table…or hitting his head on it…or crying…or crawling.  This time, when I stepped out, I listened for him, but couldn’t hear him.  As you can probably guess, 9 times out of 10, that means he’s up to no good.  This time was no exception.  Here’s what I said about it on Twitter:

Caught my 10 month old son snacking on dog food. Probably tastes better than his pureed snap peas.

I am positive that his pureed peas, though they look and smell pretty gross, are vastly more tasty than dog food.  Dog food was created for, well, dogs.  Pureed peas, while not created for me (thank you very much, I’ll stick with non-pureed veggies), were created for humans to enjoy…or at least for humans to consume and receive energy from.

I can’t imagine that Rex was truly satisfied with the dog food.  Though he cried when I took it out of his mouth, but at some level he was saying, “Thank you for taking that nasty stuff out of my mouth!”  I didn’t discipline him…he didn’t know better, the food was accessible, and it was something new.  I simply removed it from his mouth, and carried him away from the food bowl.  Like I said, he did cry, but it was only for a moment.

I wonder how many of us need some junk removed from our lives.  How many of us need God to come in and remove that thing that is ultimately unsatisfying?  That will ultimately leave a bad taste in our mouth and our stomachs unnourished…that “seemed like a good idea at the time.”  It won’t be fun in the moment, but looking at the bigger picture, getting rid of the nasty dog food is what’s best for you.  Go ahead and spit it out.  Turn from it.  Run away from it.  That’s what repentance is.

God’s ready and willing to forgive.  Even for our dumbest mistakes.  Why not give Him a shot?