Recently, I read through the Beatitudes, Jesus' prosperity message (Luke 6:20-26). The one word that is repeated is the word, blessed. I don't know how you've allowed for the word blessed to be defined in your understanding. Maybe to you to be blessed means to be in a good situation...better than others. As I read through the six verses that captured Jesus' teaching on the matter, I couldn't help but think that this was not Jesus' intended emphasis. Blessed doesn't mean separation. The emphasis that jumps out to me is that to be blessed means to embrace.

To those who know me, it's no secret that I'm not a first-reaction optimist. I see the glass half empty. I'm not so sure that's actually a good thing or a bad thing. Idealist, realist, rationalist...whatever you want to label it, seeing things through pessimistically tinted lenses is just how I see things, initially, at least. I'm sure my lean towards pessimism is blend of nature and nurture. I'm convinced that my pessimism is a crutch that slows my hobbling pace. But as I hobble along, I see path in more of a panoramic way. Weird, but somehow true.

You see, I have always resigned my pessimistic perspective to something that only erodes my faith. Instead, I have come to recognize that it tests my faith and helps to reveal God's perspective in the situation. Don't misunderstand me here. I'm not glorifying the pessimism. Absent of God's grace and redemptive work continually active in my life, I'd be hollow, broken and fragmented. God's grace coats the wiring within me and causes everything to work as it should.

All too often, smiling faces hide broken hearts.

We hide behind spiritual mantras that are plastic optimism, i.e., 'too blessed to be stressed'. What Jesus calls blessed is not pretty or attractive. You will be stressed, you will be blessed.

For the rest of the week, I'm going to share my take on Jesus' words. I'd be happy to hear your reflections and feedback.


one love. one life.
Guy

There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

1 John 4:18 (MSG)

The cure for fear is not the absence of fear, but rather, the exposure to it. A common reaction to fear is avoidance. But avoiding situations teaches you one thing: fear. And a life guided by fear is a life stolen away from you.

The day we moved from Louisiana to Texas to help start Journey church was one of the scariest days I have ever lived. Not to make more out of it than what it really was, but I experienced a level of fear that literally seized me. Marianne and the girls drove our van and followed me as I drove a moving truck filled with all of our possessions. I had committed to being part of a team that I didn’t really know, was preparing to move into a neighborhood where we knew no one and I was starting a job in an industry I had zero experience in. To top it all off, our family would have to make it all happen on a much smaller income than ever before.

There you go.

There it is.

My source of fear was trusting God. Never before in my life did I literally have to depend on God for so much. Never before was so much on the line. My thoughts were filled with more question marks than definitive statements. In the context of so much newness, these questions didn’t do much to enrich my confidence.

To this day, eleven months later, I still wince at times during the month when we don’t have the money required to make it.

But one thing is very different.

Fear is being banished, overcome by love. The reality and depth of God’s love for me was understood as I was exposed to the fear that consumed me. There is not one day that we have gone without. In fact, we are more confident in God to provide for us in all ways than ever before. And the result is a well-formed, more complete love.

So here’s a question for you: What fearful thing are you avoiding?

I thought this was an interesting read. Click on the picture below to read what Bono has to say about culture looking ahead.
cheers!

one love. one life.
Guy

Have you ever not finished something because you had the overwhelming feeling that you can't get it done?

...Maybe given up on a dream, let a friendship die due to conflict, let goals and hopes fade away...

Maybe the problem is that God is not much bigger than we are. At least in the way we have programmed our thinking. When things are good and going our way, God is capable and on our side. When we walk through difficulties, God is seemingly incapable of helping us and the situation is too big. According to this way of thinking, God is not much bigger than we are and actually, quite small.

I know fully well that I am incapable of doing lots of things. To myself and everyone else (well, except my kids), it is accepted as fact that my strength, wisdom, resources and ability have a ceiling limit. In fact, if I took the time to measure my past, I would probably find more failures than successes reminding me of my limitations. The redeeming factor is that my past is neither my present nor my future.

One thing of gravitationally impairing importance is that I am not God...i am guy. God operates in my life despite me. And the goal is for me to embrace Him for who He is and who I am not. God is beyond fully capable to sustain me and provide for me in every way imaginable. I cheat myself when I try to operate in my own strength and ability because of my limitations. I am challenged daily by the fact that the best thing that I can do is to simply embrace what God does for me.

Romans 12:1


one love. one life.
Guy

"Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits."
(Anonymous)

We live our lives structured by routines, traditions and habits. Even the most spontaneous of us. This year we discovered a new family tradition because of a planned family event that couldn't happen due to weather. We were snowed in for Christmas Eve...in Texas, mind you. Because we couldn't get out (safely, at least) we quickly shuffled around to put a meal together. It was the most fun! All of us played a part in cooking. We ate together, talked about the past year, told odd jokes and capped it off with Miracle on 34th Street. We made a family decision to repeat this new tradition every year. I really hope we remember.
Habits are another thing. It's more of a personal process and rythym. Here's how I look at the year. I set goals, things that I want to accomplish in the upcoming year, and then I try to determine what it's going to take for me to get there. Established habits are going to take you somewhere. Pre-determine what habits will get you to where you want to be and repeat them.
Yesterday I mentioned that a spiritual goal of mine is to read through the Bible completely in 2010. I've read through the Bible a few times before. But this year, I'm reading through the Bible using the Message translation. Why? For contextual reasons. The Bible is full of events and happenings that get lost in routine reading. This year, I want to read it through with different descriptions. Same content, different flavor.
May the year ahead of you be full of new habits, goals met and dreams lived. Don't discount your dreams and don't let life distract you from them. Take time to pray, reflect and let God guide you in the year ahead.

What new habits will be old for you at the end of 2010?


one love. one life.
Guy