"Our Father in heaven..." - Happy Birthday Pappy

Those words take on a new meaning as today would have been my dad's 92nd birthday. This is our first year without him and his absence hangs in the background, an unfilled vacuum. Not overly communicative would be an understatement as my weekly phone calls to him would usually end within 10 minutes with a "Well that's about all from here.." But he was always the first one we would go to with a prayer request as he was a prayer warrior. His communication to his Heavenly Father was regular and extensive... I would say they were on a first name basis. It had always been his habit to rise early to read and pray and two distinct memories are engraved in my memory and heart to reinforce that practice. 

The first is at an early preschool age, bursting into my parents bedroom with an urgent need to see my dad on his knees by the bedside in prayer. I quickly and quietly backed out not wanting to intrude on that conversation.

The second is within the last years as I was visiting dad after mom had gone. Dad's hearing had diminished and as he still continued his practice to rise early for study and prayer, I overheard his conversation with God as I sat in the kitchen with my coffee. I felt a sudden urge to take off my shoes for surely I was standing on holy ground. 

The other day the words of the Lord's Prayer caught me off guard as I realized their new meaning. No longer was I able to ask my dad to pray for my life situations and circumstances. But it also made me realize that my father was an imperfect reflection of the love, care and concern that our Godly Father showers on us. And as I at one time went to pap, I saw the significance of my own prayers as I went to my Heavenly Father. The vacuum has been filled with something much larger than I could ever hope for or imagine.

26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8)

Poem from pappy when I left for college.

Isaiah 53

a personalized version (changes emphasied in italics.)

--------------------------------------------------------

He Was Pierced for My Transgressions

53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
² For he grew up before him like a young plant,
    and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that I should look at him,
    and no beauty that I should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by me,
    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom I hide my face
    he was despised, and I esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he has borne my grief
    and carried my sorrows;
yet I esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for my transgressions;
    he was crushed for my iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought me peace,
    and with his wounds I am healed.
⁶ I, like a sheep, have gone astray;
    I have turned—each time—to my own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of mine.

⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
    and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
    stricken for my transgression?
⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked
    and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make me to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear my iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore my sin,
    and makes intercession for me, a transgressor.

Peace...be still

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!”Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:37-40)

Sometimes He speaks peace to the waves....Sometimes He speaks peace to our hearts... But the result is still the same as we trust in Him who has power and authority over both...

Crunchy Communion Bread

our church changed the type of communion bread they use over the last few months.    i am not sure of the reason but i think it had to do with  individuals who were allergic to gluten.    the ushers in the back of the sanctuary would have a gluten-free option where individuals could get up and go to participate in communion.    i am glad for the change because who wants to be singled out in order to participate in a corporal observance of the Lord's supper.


interesting thing about this new communion bread is that it is crunchy.    the pastor reads the scripture, breaks the bread, prays, and directs us to eat together with the words, "...Having given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, broken for you. Do this to remember me.” (MSG)

with no music background and no one speaking, the sound of hundreds of people crunching bread distinctly echoes through the congregation. almost humorous.... but not quite.    the words of the scripture resonate with me and suddenly the crunchiness conveys a symbolic and powerful message.    the body that was broken, was broken by me as a direct result of my sin.    the burden of my personal sin and guilt is expressed by the 'crushing' of the bread as i truly participate with my fellow worshipers and recognize my culpability in the death of the Saviour. a very somber moment.

but it also conveys that message of grace and hope as He said, "This is my body, broken for you..."  His sacrifice was purposeful, intentional and redemptive. and THAT is something to remember, something to celebrate. "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ...we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (Rom 5:8,11).

i hope we never change from our crunchy bread because it brings it all home in a very simple way.

Do this to remember me....

A New Thing...

I like to explore...my wife likes routine. When we take our walk, I like the variety of different routes,  where she is content to stick to the same route. Driving through the mountains, I see a dirt road and say, "I wonder where that road goes to...should we try it?" And she says, "Ah no..." (I do remember following this urge in my single years and discovered that a standard, 4 cylinder Mustang II can not go up a 50 degree incline)....

Isaiah 43 has been a wealth of insight and encouragement to me over the past several months and I continually review this chapter. What recently caught my attention was the difference in my expectation of how God answers prayer to the reality of how God will answer prayer. I want the routine.... God will be creative in His provision...

Isaiah 43 speaks to God's attention to our fears of life:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." (vs 1)
"Fear not, for I am with you;" (vs 5)

It speaks to God's provision for all of our struggles:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. (vs. 2)

And it recalls God's faithfulness to deliver Israel in the past by referring to the deliverance from Pharoah:

 Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: (vs 16, 17)

However, while calling us to remember God's faithfulness, love and provision, it also calls us to forget the manner in which God answered prayer:

 “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (vs 18,19)

The creativity of God extends to how he accomplishes His will. Will it ever be the same or always creatively different in how He accomplishes it? If we look to God to accomplish His will like we have seen in the past, we deny Him His character to be creative....We deny the CREATOR. We can only look at the past to see His faithfulness to accomplish His will and keep His promises, not to set the pattern for answers to our future. The recalling of God's faithfulnes to 'the formers things.." leads us to ..."know and believe me and understand that I am He." (v. 10) But we can trust God to continue His creative character in how he accomplishes that in a way that we have never seen before.

So, "Hang on honey... we are going to see where this road takes us...."

A Burden Shared

After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. (John 13:21-26)

The 'disciple whom Jesus loves' shared an intimate moment and insight into Jesus' emotions on the night of His betrayal. John  records that 'Jesus was troubled in his spirit...' We hear about the impact on John and it is often applied to our current situation of how we are to 'lean on Jesus,' but perhaps we have overlooked the support and comfort this provided Jesus as He took on the burden of the cross.

Also note that there was a physical closeness, a friendly touch, an intimate interaction that revealed the familiarity of two friends. Much like we reach out to touch a friend who has shared a grief or loss, to touch an arm or a hand, to embrace, to put an arm around a shoulder, John leaned over to 'touch' Jesus.

What drove Jesus to reveal His upcoming betrayal? Could it be possible He needed to share His struggle with someone whom He could trust? Sometimes we just need to know that others understand our situation and our pain. Not to give answers, not to solve, not to attack the aggressor, but to help lighten its weight. By sharing His burden with His close friends, Jesus was able to bear it to completion... "IT IS FINISHED!"

Psalms 23 - A Different Perspective

Early spring hiking is best at Hell's Canyon due to the hot temperatures that occur in the summer. The canyon walls act as a baker's oven, reflecting the sun's rays back and forth significantly raising the temperature in the semi-arid climate. The trail traces the Snake river, rising  and falling along the banks sometimes right next to the water and sometimes hundreds of feet above it. Having done this hike 3-4 times, there is one section on the trail that is permanently embedded in my mind. With the cliff face crowding you on one side, and a 400 foot drop 3 feet away from the cliff wall, there is a section of the trail that has broken away where you actually have to step across to continue on the path. With a backpack on and crowded by the cliff, you become acutely aware that if you twist your body to hug the canyon wall, your backpack will strike the cliff and throw you off balance and over the edge. It's a very real adrenaline rush just to take that step.

Every time I read Psalms 23, I think of this spot on the trail. It's interesting to note that the 'normal' imagery Psalms 23 usually produces is peaceful, quiet lakes...sheep resting on green grass, eyes closed in rest or gently grazing, unhurried and free of any danger (just google images for Psalms 23 and see what I mean). But in the midst of this beloved Psalms, there are two phrases that stand out starkly against that image of peace;

•  "...the valley of the shadow of death..." (vs. 4) and 
• "...in the presence of my enemies..." (v. 5). 

When I isolated those two phrases and contemplated the imagery produced by them, I came up with the following descriptions:

• "...the valley of the shadow of death..."
• danger
• life-ending, 
• dark, 
• cautious, 
• uncertainty, 
• obstacles, and 
• "...in the presence of my enemies..."
• animosity, 
• hatred, 
• injustice, 
• defamation, 
• insults, 
• lies...

The words of Psalms 23 take on a whole new meaning when I begin with those images in mind. In the midst of the valley of the shadow of death...I can trust that HE leads me in paths of righteousness. I can take that step across the void, trusting HIM to lead me to still waters. Amidst the accusations and injustices thrown at me, I can sit down to all the goodness HE has prepared for me. My cup is full because HE overflows it. I will not want...HE restores my soul...I will not fear...HE comforts me...my cup overflows...I am followed by goodness and mercy...I will dwell with HIM forever. 

Now that's peace...

“Danger and oppression are never too much for faith….Evil is always temporary. “The worst does not last.” Nothing counter to God’s justice has any eternity to it. Paul’s witness was “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it” (I Cor 10:13 The Message). “He knows when to say, It is enough.”  Eugene Peterson, "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction":