The Juggler

I possess a few skills, carefully honed over a lifetime of discipline and effort to an almost butter knife level of sharpness. I can cook on an outdoor grill without ever once - in 40 years - burning down a house. I can vacuum a carpet or squish a bug - often at the same time! I can drive a stick shift, 3-, 4-, even 5-on-the-floor, not to mention 3-on-the-tree. Impressive, I know. But one of the skills I’m most proud of is, of course, my juggling.
Many years ago, I came across a book in the library that promised to teach anyone how to juggle in just minutes a day. I checked it out, read a few pages and looked at diagrams, and then did something that few attempt. (All the self help books on your shelves are no use if you don’t actually help your self!) I grabbed 3 tennis balls and went out in the backyard (to minimize damage) and tried. And tried. Amazingly enough the book was correct. Any idiot CAN learn how to juggle!
Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings, not unimportant people. Proverbs 22:29
I like to think I have a reasonably accurate grasp of my limitations. I never acquired a level of skill that would get me on TV, not even cable access. And I have yet to be informed of a Command Performance for any semblance of royalty. Three balls with the occasional drop is as far as I’ve gotten, but I did get one other thing out of my afternoon in the backyard - a glorious sense of accomplishment, and a sneaking suspicion that my Dad was right - I really CAN do just about anything I set my mind to!
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Yes, I really can. I can discern what’s going on in people’s lives - not mind reading, spiritual awareness from the Spirit of God. I can stand firm on the Truth of the Gospel. I can love the unlovely, forgive the unmerciful, bless those who curse me, bind up the wounded, search for the lost. Everything that God wants me to do, He empowers me to do. I stand before the King of kings and Lord of lords, juggling for the souls of men and women.
I used to hear people say about people who were full of themselves, “He has delusions of Grandeur”. Me? I don’t even have Delusions of Adequacy, which is great because instead of trusting in my own skills and talents and resources, I’m forced to trust in His. No, I don’t have an Inferiority Complex, just a valid assessment. And I’ve learned the Secret. His resources are Abundant. Sufficient. Superior to the best humanity has to offer in every conceivable way. The skill that stands me before my King is not some parlor trick learned in afternoon once upon a time, it is Faith, the activity of the Redeemed - Forsaking All I Trust Him.
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
Is anything too hard for Him? I don't think so!

The Right Tool?

He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ; Ephesians 4:11-12

I went in to the bathroom the other day and saw something on the counter that really disturbed me, so much so that I just had to ask my wife about it.

“Honey, I know I don’t know much about make up or beauty products, but I can’t imagine what a woman as pretty as you are needs with a steak knife as part of your equipment.”
Happily, there was a logical explanation. The shampoo bottle had a little sticker over the mouth that she couldn’t get open with just her fingernails, and her normal opener (me) was unavailable. At least, that’s HER story, and of course I believe her. But I’m watching my step, and if it shows up in the bedroom, I’m sleeping on the couch!
You know the saying, “The right tool for the job”? I carry a Swiss Army knife most of the time, so I’ve usually got a tool I can use, at least for small jobs, and I know that in pinch, “Any tool can be the right tool”, but mostly you’re better off with the tool that was meant for the job, and there are quite a few jobs that would ruin the wrong tool.
That’s why you have people with different skills and inclinations in the church. We are tools in God’s hands, crafted for a purpose and intended for use. I know that some people have their tools carefully placed on a pegboard in their garage and even outlined so they have a visual cue about which tool goes where - although I think that’s more about decoration than anything else. Wouldn’t surprise me if those tools are as fresh as the day they were purchased, never moved once placed, with the working tools kept in a box in the work area. But God doesn’t do “decorator tools”. He always has purpose for the tools He chooses - even you.
For some reason, people want to act like decorator tools, potentially useful but very surprised if they’re pulled off the shelf. But if each of us is available to God, then things that are either being done poorly or not done at all will instead be done well. Another good old saying: “Many hands make light work.” By uniting our efforts, we share the burdens, making them lighter and we share the joys, making them sweeter by the sharing. Be the right tool in God’s hand, and be worthy of that highest of blessings: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”
And let’s keep the steak knives OUT of the bathroom!

The Vine

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. John 15:1
For nearly as long as there have been people, we have cultivated and used grapes. The ancient Code of Hammurabi even includes tips on growing them. The first mention of vineyard in the Bible is in Genesis. After the flood, Noah planted a vineyard and made wine, and in the Bible, the mention of a vine painted a picture of home and comfort.
Throughout history, the march of civilization carried viticulture with it. When people and nations began to move and trade (and conquer), their favored wines and grapes went with them. And when Europeans came to America, they tried to bring their own grapes - even though there were so many varieties here that the Norse called the part they saw "Vinland." Trouble is, European vines - notably French ones - didn't survive here. They would start well, but before long they would just wither and die.
Time passed, and in the 1850's, it is believed that the reason for their failure stowed away on a steamship to France, a little bug called "phylloxera", a sort of aphid which attacked the roots and poisoned the vines. By 1863, what became known as the Great French Wine Blight was in full swing, affecting up to 40% of the harvest. No pesticide seemed to have any effect, and it appeared that the French wine industry was doomed.
Obviously, there are still snooty Frenchmen getting people drunk and convincing them to eat snails and wear berets, so someone found a solution. It seems that this native American bug did not harm the native American vines, so all they had to do was (swallow their pride and) plant the American rootstock, then graft on to it the favored French branches. The only reason that we have high-priced hoity-toity French wines today is because of American vines. You know that has to sting - which is why you probably never knew about it until now!
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5
French wines and grapes have been world renowned for quite some time. The combination of climate, soils, dedication, and varieties have made them elite, but it comes back to the Vine. Without that living rootstock, it would all just be a memory. Branches on the native vine are doomed, but transplanted onto the Living Vine, they not only have life, they have abundance.
If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. John 15:6
If you've never been grafted on to the Living Vine - Jesus - you are on the doomed, dying vine of this world system. The Good News is the Vinedresser is not only able but willing to graft you in and pour the life of Christ through you. Choose life that you might live!
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10

God's Messing

If you are not praying and not going to church, may I tell you why you're not? Forget all the theological junk. You simply do not want God messing with you. Admit it. We want His blessing but not His messing. Joe McKeever
There was an old time "fire and brimstone" preacher filling the pulpit in a small country church. He started off by warning about the perils and dangers of alcohol. A sweet little (old) lady sitting near the front just beamed out Amen after Amen. He moved on to the problem of lust and pornography, which got her to throw in a couple of extra "Praise Ga-a-a-a-w-w-wwd"s. When he jumped on the smokers, she jumped up and shouted "Preach it, Brother!", and it just kept rolling and rolling. But when he started in on those who had a snuff-dipping addiction, she hollered on her way out the door, "You've done quit preaching and gone to meddling!"
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say? Luke 6:46
I bet that woman had never taken a "drink" in her life. She probably wasn't struggling with lustful thoughts, and if she thought about smoking, it was only to comment, "That stinks, and it's killing you!" But when it got down to her personally, it was a different story. Most of us have more in common with her - and the Pharisees - than we'd like to admit. Seeing someone else's struggles is much tastier (easier) than dealing with our own, isn't it? But then, when we're faced with our own guiltiness, we'd rather run away than face it and deal with it. When God's Holy Spirit starts doing His work in our life - convicting of sin, righteousness and judgment - we'd much rather avoid it. And to avoid it, we avoid the places He's likely to show up - our churches, Bibles, and Christian friends. If only God would let us come and get a Warm Fuzzy Feeling and not trouble our consciences!
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21
Umm, did you get that? God's "messing" IS God's Blessing! If He left us to our own devices, we would choose lives of selfish indulgence that would lead us to destruction, so He blesses us with indignation at our sin so we won't assume we're all right when we're not. When we seek His blessings, we are really seeking for His messing, too, which is good since they are a "package deal". You don't get one without the other, because they are 2 sides of the same coin. His blessing is for His own, and His own do His will - even when it goes against their human wants. And I really like what someone much wiser than I said: "God's Will is what we would choose if we had all the facts."
We never have ALL the facts, but we can trust the One who does, so let God's messing lead you to God's Blessing!
Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

Metamorphosis

Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
When you compare a caterpillar with a butterfly, you find a host of differences. The caterpillar eats leaves, the butterfly sucks nectar. The caterpillar looks yucky to most girls - hence the squeals and squirms - while the butterfly is gorgeous - hence the "ooo"s and "ahhh"s. And of course, one crawls slowly and the other flits gloriously. Who would ever imagine there's a connection between them?
Maybe you've done what I did as a child. I watched a caterpillar spin a cocoon about itself on a limb, took the limb and placed it in a mason jar with holes punched in the lid, and waited an eternity (10 days or so) until the butterfly emerged - when it was admired, and then released.
They call that "metamorphosis", from the Greek for "change of shape", usually translated transformed in the Bible (like in that verse at the beginning). The change in our minds from a relationship with Christ is supposed to be a metamorphosis - such a dramatic reorganization of our attitudes, actions, and goals that it's unimaginable that one springs from the other. It's miraculous to find that a lowly caterpillar becomes a lovely butterfly, and it's even more miraculous to find a person transformed from sinner to Saint. So how could such a thing happen?
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17
The Greek word for "repent" - metanoia - is a sort of word cousin to metamorphosis, meaning "change of mind". As a person repents - turns from their sinful ways and turns toward the life of faith - a transformation begins. It doesn't always look lovely, it's never very easy, often painful, and sometimes it seems to be taking forever, but it IS happening. We are being transformed from objects of disgust and disdain to inspirations of Joy and Wonder.
Do you see us in our caterpillar phase and doubt we'll ever soar to the heavens? Honestly, we do too. But we are Standing on His Promises, Acting on His Principles, and Becoming like His Portrait, and so can you! Repent, and begin the Metamorphosis to a Heaven-bound Glory...
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. But we know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is. 1 John 3:2

Something Amazing

Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Luke 2:25-26
In the movie The Incredibles, Mr. Incredible is a super-strong former hero living a government ordered quiet life undercover. One day, furiously frustrated with his life and his car, he picks it up off the ground and is about to hurl it into the air when he hears a small boy behind him. He puts the car down and walks into the house with exaggerated nonchalance. The next day when he comes home, the little boy is there, so he asks "What are you waiting for?"
"I don't know. Something AMAZING I guess."
"Me too, kid. Me too."
I love that scene. It reminds me that I often find myself waiting for something Amazing, too. Especially when there's a tree in my house and wrapped boxes under it!
But look at Simeon. Day after day, week after week, waiting for the revelation of God to come to pass. Was it years, maybe even decades? I get antsy waiting in line at the store! But Simeon endured patiently. Having received God's promise, he believed it and kept watching for it. And one day, Something AMAZING...happened!
[Simeon] took [baby Jesus] up in his arms and blessed God and said,“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation..." Luke 2:28-30
Mr. Incredible spent his days and nights reminiscing about days gone by, his "Glory Days". His dreams of the future are the simple desire to relive the past, but better.
But Simeon has a different perspective. He is keeping his eyes open, and he is putting himself in a position to be part of something New, and yes, something Amazing - the fulfillment of God's Promise.
If you're reading this, the hysteria over the Mayan calendar has gone the way of the Y2K bug and the many other End of the World scenarios that have captured popular imagination over the years. Many times when we think about the Promises of God, that's the kind of scene we think about. Fire from Heaven. Earthquakes. Devastation. Antichrist. Those things WILL happen...in God's good time. But the promises I'm thinking about are pretty Amazing without a Doomsday feel. Promises like "My joy will be in you, and your joy will be complete", or "Lo, I am with you always", or "Peace I give to you. MY peace I give to you," or "Come unto me you weary ones, and you will find rest for your souls."
In this season, we remember Something Amazing because of Some ONE Amazing, the One Simeon found. When you find that carols and trees and lights and packages don't open the Amazing door, come to the One this season is named for. Come to the Lord's Christ, and let the amazement begin!

Sleep in Heavenly Peas?

Have you ever wondered what would be so heavenly about sleeping in peas, or just who John Virgin was, and what made him so round? One kid had drawn the manger scene, and off to the side was what looked like a snow man. His mom "ooo-ed and ah-ed" over his artistry, but said, "I don't think Frosty belongs here".
"Oh, that's not Frosty. That's the guy we always sing about in "Silent Night". You know, Round John Virgin."
Close! Funny how 'almost the right word' can be so, well, funny. Like the teller at the burger joint we stopped at. After she took our order, she asked my name to put on the receipt. I told her, she typed it in and handed me my copy. I glanced at it and snorted cola out my nose. "Wreck".
Ok, it was noisy, and I tend to save my outside voice for outside (or the pulpit), but "Wreck"? Who uses a name like that? Well, it was worth a chuckle, and then we forgot it. Until a couple of weeks later at a different restaurant in a different town, when the woman thought I said "Fred". Maybe I should start wearing a name tag. Or working on my enunciation. But I'll probably just blame them for not paying attention.
For if the trumpet gave an uncertain sound, who would prepare himself for war? 1 Corinthians 14:8
Back in the days before walkie-talkies, military movements were directed by bugle calls. You had calls for Charge, for Retreat, for Left and Right and more. There were a sufficient number that some sounded alike, and a commander had to be sure he had heard correctly. Otherwise, he might be zigging when he should have been zagging and be out of place or in the way. The bugler was given no leeway for winging it or improvisation - jazz musicians need not apply! He had to be both clear and precise in sounding out orders, or chaos was going to disrupt everything.
As a preacher, I'm very concerned that I be heard AND understood. If it's important that messages not be garbled in mundane matters, how much more important is it that they be clear in heavenly ones? So let me be clear: Eternal life, salvation, "getting right with God" is NOT about your denomination or baptismal status. It's not about your bank account or the kind of car you drive or the good things you're going to get around to doing "one of these days". What must you do to be saved? Here's what the Bible says:
...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10
Want more?
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:17
Hope that clears it up for you!