Friday Week 3

Today, we will look at a third reason God's Way is by desert. First, let's look at the passage again:

"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you." Deuteronomy 8:2-5

The word in the NIV is "discipline." When I think of discipline I think punishment. But here it is qualified. The passage says: "as a man disciplines his son." Now, I have a personal knowledge of this kind of discipline. This kind is more in lines with training. My Dad helped me to become a man. He showed me. He challenged me. He threw me in the fire a time or two. In the same way, I am now training my son.

Here is another way to look at it: Yesterday, I mentioned that my feet didn't swell on the 80 mile hike. The reason is because I happen to be training for a marathon. I have been disciplining my feet. They could take the pounding because I have pounded them already. God does the same kind of training with us.

For what it's worth, God is preparing you right now for something. I don't know what it is. You might not know what it is. But it's coming. It might be soon; it might be in 40 years. It might be in the life to come. But it's coming. And it matters to God that you are ready for it.

What kind of exercises is God using to train you up?

Thursday Week 3

We are continuing to look at why God leads us through the desert. Yesterday, we saw that one reason was that God wants to teach us to trust him. The reason for this, hence a second reason, is that God wants to do things for us that we cannot do for ourselves. Look at these verses again.

"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you." Deuteronomy 8:3-5

your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years...

Last week, I went with two other guys on an 80 mile hike. I can tell you after one week, my clothes looked like crap. And my feet were ok, but Ross and Ben's (I'll have to show you pictures) they looked like Will Smith's face after he ate shellfish in the movie Hitch. They were balloons. That was one week! This was 40 years!

The truth is God wants to take you to a place only he can take you. Will you let him lead you today?

wednesday Week 3

We have been looking at how the Way purposes to humble and test our hearts. The next few days we will look at why he does this.

The Way is not easy or comfortable. It involves suffering. But it is not meant to be torture. Nor is it meant to be punishment.

This is what how the passage continues: "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you." Deuteronomy 8:2-5

So there are multiple reasons. One is to teach us to trust in him. Man does not live by what he can provide for himself (bread) but instead on what God promises to provide for him (manna). Where is God teaching you to trust him? Where are you finding manna in your life?

More tomorrow.

Tuesday Week 3

Yesterday we looked at this verse:

"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart." Deuteronomy 8:2

This is what I struggle with...I don't like to be humbled and tested...

What I strive for, work toward, and fantasize about is a life of ease and comfort.

But when I look at Jesus I never see him looking for this kind of life. He sure didn't live that way. So if I want to follow him I shouldn't be expecting ease and comfort any time soon. Not now. Not never. The way of Jesus is through desert. It is a life that will humble me and test me.

Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Luke 9:23

In other words, it's time for me to lay down my idols of ease and comfort so that I'll have my hands free to pick up the cross.

Monday Week 3

A special thank you to my wife, who sent these out on my behalf last week while I was out in the woods. All of the strange out of order entries are a result of my poor instructions. She did great under the circumstances.

My circumstances had me on the Wonderland Trail, a 93 mile loop around Mount Ranier in Washington. In nugget form, the experience brought to mind this passage from Deuteronomy.

"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart." Deuteronomy 8:2

What does it mean that God purposefully leads us to places in order to humble and test us? How is he leading you right now in this way?

More on this subject this week...

Friday Week 1

"God is responsible for the relationship between you and him. Your role is to open spaces where he can come and commune with you. As such, solitude and silence are more about what we "undo" than what we "do." Fil Anderson

"When you're waiting you're not doing 'nothing,' you're doing the most important thing there is." Sue Monk Kidd When the Heart Waits.

Friday Week 2

John 5 records an encounter that Jesus had with a lame man who was sitting by this "healing pool." Turns out this man had been an invalid for 38 years. When Jesus learns this, he asks the man: "Do you want to get well?"

At first, the question seems pretty dumb. Of course he wants to get well. Of course we want to get well. Don't we? The thing is, and I think Jesus knows this, once this man gets well that's really the beginning of a whole new set of problems.

All of the sudden he's going to need a place to sleep, a way to make money, and get food. What skills does he have? He's been out of commission for 38 years! What kind of work could he qualify for?

These were not problems before he was healed. Jesus knew this. Maybe that's why he asked him if he wanted to get well. In other words, "Are you willing to accept the burdens that this healing is going to place on your shoulders?"

As it turns out, the man doesn't handle his healing so well. He basically turns Jesus in because he is afraid of getting in trouble with the temple officials.

The bottom line, be careful what you ask for. Perhaps all those prayers you have been praying for deliverance and healing are not really what you want. Perhaps a prayer for wholeness, intimacy with him, even in the midst of your brokenness, will bring about a better result than a prayer for the pieces of your life to be put back together.

Wednesday Week 2

think Aslan.

Tuesday Week 2

"God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him." Psalm 18 - the Message

Notice the order of things:

God made David whole while he was still in pieces.

God wants us to come to him broken as we are. He doesn't want our poor attempts at a putting ourselves back together. He doesn't even put us back together. Not at first. Maybe not right away. Maybe not in the way we want.

What he is after is our honesty. In other words, the real you.

Thursday Week 2

"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes." Psalm 18 - the Message.

Focus on this one thing: total, ruthless, brutal, naked honesty.

Before you do a thing for Jesus. Get naked.

Monday Week 2

I was interviewing this guy a few months ago. He shared this with me:

Ned,

Nine years ago, the Lord was taking my life down a new road. I was experiencing brokenness like I had not experienced before and through it all, I was asking, or maybe even begging God to show me what His purposes were behind it. Incidentally, I was working with a professional career coach and author who had been telling me for about a year that my passion for youth, worship and ministry might be God's way of saying "this is what you were made for." Perhaps I was missing my calling as they say. On November 4th 2000, I was processing all that was going on in my life and praying when finally the feeling began to settle in that God could be calling me to into full-time ministry. I had been told this for years and frankly wasn't interested. That was reserved for people who had life dialed in, figured out...and certainly were closer to Christ than I felt.

We gathered folks to pray then, especially many Pastors I had relationships with through my professional work with the Boy Scouts of America. These Pastors became a "multitude of counselors" for me...which the Bible tells us to seek more or less. They began asking me tough questions. One that will always ring in my mind, even as I counsel others, "what does God break your heart over?" For me, that was the easiest question I've ever answered. My wife and I knew instantly- teenagers.

The question goes to you: What does God break your heart over?

Thursday Week 1

I was watching Tinkerbell the other day. It's one of my daughter's favorite movies. All right, you got me, I like it too.

The basic premise of the story is that Tinkerbell is born with a talent she doesn't appreciate. She wishes she had a different one only to find out in the end that her gifting is not all that bad - in fact, there is something about it that touches that deepest part of her...that's something to explore...

But this is what happens to me: I'll be watching and Tinkerbell will say the word "lost things." That's what she loves. Lost things. She loves finding lost things, putting them back together, and taking them home. And every time she says the phrase I start crying. Now why is that?

I think what it means is that I love lost things. I don't know if I always have, or if it is something that has happened to me over time. But I know this: Jesus loves lost things, too! He is crazy about them. His favorite thing to do is to find a lost thing, like me, like you, and put us back together, and take us home.

Somehow, now, I love it, too. When me and Jesus go after lost things, I'm participating with him in one of his favorite things! That's why I sense his presence so strongly when I do it.

So what do you love? What would it look like to do what you love with Jesus?

Wednesday Week 1

For me photography is to place one's head, heart and eye along the same line of sight. It is a way of life. - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Replace the word "photography" with "following Jesus"

Tuesday, Week 1

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

Come to me...Get away with me...Walk with me...Work with me...Keep company with me...

It's pretty clear. The priority for Jesus is relationship. He wants one with you.

Look at those phrases again:

Come to me

Get away with me

Walk with me

Work with me

Keep company with me

which phrase is Jesus saying to you right now?

Monday Week 1

Jesus does not want you to be like him. As if it was even possible...so get it out of your head. Stop it. Seriously, stop trying.

Think about it. Jesus never tried to be somebody he wasn't. Why would he want you to be?

So what does he want? Well, you. He wants you to be you. But here's the twisted crazy thing: you can't be you without Jesus. You only get to you when you get close to him...when he's so close to you, he takes up residence in your heart.