The Last Laugh on Good Friday

Out of the corner of my eye I saw an older woman quickly stand to reach up and touch the cross as it came crowd-surfing overhead. Everyone wanted a piece of it. To touch it. To do our part, if even for a moment, to keep it lifted, and then pass it forward to the worshippers who stood directly in front of us.  It was the least we could do—dare we say, for Jesus?—who 2000 years ago had carried a much rougher and heavier tree-like cross all the way through the crowd-lined streets of Jerusalem, for heaven’s sake. 

None of us wanted to let the others down.  So we each stood tall, reached up and grabbed the cross as it came surfing overhead, and did our part to keep it surfing on ahead.  I couldn’t help but notice the old woman again, now that I had turned around to receive the cross as it swiftly advanced from the back. I didn’t think she would make it before the cross had passed us by.  But she twisted and strained to quickly move a body that clearly preferred slower movements. And in one last burst of desperation she helped to carry one of the cross-arms for a split second on the tips of her three longest fingers.  Success! 

I stood in awe as I turned back around and watched the cross continue to sail overhead all the way to the front, held up and passed on only by the hands of ordinary people.  People for whom the Jesus who had carried it originally had been later put to death.  For their sake.  To give them a 2^nd chance, and a new lease on life.

The cross was gently laid to rest upon pillows, placed carefully on the marble stone steps of the altar area as if the cross was the body of Jesus himself.  The last three candles were extinguished, except for one.  Then even that one soon disappeared with its bearer down the aisle with the great hall growing darker with each step.  An “earthquake” quickly filled the whole cathedral with a loud, chaotic roar, punctuated by timpani and cymbals.  On and on it rumbled and roared and thundered and crashed until those assembled just wished it would stop!

When the candle was finally returned, the air was filled with the feel of death.  Stuffy.  Quiet.  Dark.  Like the funeral home where I went at age five to visit my grandmother, the first dead person I had ever seen.

We all stood, hesitating… waiting for the next movement in this world drama.  Yes—there would be one final scene.  A subtle moment of joy, and perhaps… humor.  At least I interpreted it that way.  Out of the heavens, above where the cross had been gently laid, tumbled down a waterfall of bright red rose petals.  Dozens of them.  Hundreds of them.  Fluttering down like red butterflies.  A sight to behold!  Like one “last smile” out of  the corner of the Father’s mouth, as a Final Statement to the scene that had just unfolded. A Final Statement that was revealing the deeper truth about what we had just witnessed.  A  foreshadowing of the magnanimous love that was about to awaken the world.  A Final Word by the One who really had the Final Word about this whole ignominy.  In another three days time. 

Call from God on my Samsung Galaxy, part 2

Every morning God calls me on my smartphone.  At 8:00 a.m. to be exact.  And He’s always on time.  It doesn’t matter if I’m traveling or in the middle of eating breakfast or fast at work catching up on emails.  He always calls.  For that I'm deeply grateful.

Sometimes if I’m in another room when God Calls, my wife calls out to me, “Steeeaaave…God’s calling.”  I’m not sure I’m totally comfortable with this however.  I mean, think about it.  If I happen to be missing God’s Call, that’s bad enough, but now I’ve also got my wife reminding me that I’m missing God’s Call!  See what I mean?

So how does it work?  My daughter’s pastor, Tammy Melchien, gave me the idea in her sermon one Sunday when she was talking about how Scott Peck (author of The Road Less Traveled) learned the difference between “praying” and “being available to God.”  You can read Scott Peck’s story in my previous post, below. 

 

After hearing and seeing that there IS a difference I decided to test it out.  So in my Quiet Time the next week, I worked it out with the Spirit, asking “when would be the best time to be available to God every day?”  We chose 8:00 a.m.  So I set a reminder on my phone to go off every morning at 8:00 a.m. and labeled it, “Time with God.” 

 

Now you might say, “wait a minute, that’s not God calling… it’s just you setting an alarm to remind yourself to pray.”  In the beginning, that’s what came across my mind sometimes too.  But after doing this for several months I’ve come to see that God is actually at work through this system.  Even though it’s a human creation, God can and does work through it.  Just like He works through all of the ideas, technology, discoveries, culture and structures that we create.  Even the printing up of a Bible on pieces of paper, using ink, and binding the pages together between two pieces of leather—is a relatively new invented technology.  And God has no trouble working through this new technology—speaking through it, even.

 

It’s reassuring to hear God Calling each morning, without fail.  It reminds me of the character of God:  God’s faithfulness, for example.  Unlike a friend who may quickly give up after a minute or two, God’s Ring never stops until I turn it off.  Or, His unfaltering love for me—He calls me just the same the very next day even after I have traveled to a breakfast meeting the previous morning and had to hit the “Dismiss” button while in the car.  (It’s unnerving to hit the “Dismiss” button when the phone message reads, “Time with God.”)

 

Read more about how to be available to God on my blog, "Call From God on my Samsung Galaxy, part 1."

Call From God on my Samsung Galaxy, part 1

M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled, one of the best-selling books of all-time, tells a story about after he became a Christ-follower. He started going to a local convent for spiritual guidance.  A sister there asked him about time for praying – personal celebration.  

Peck said, "Oh, I pray.  I pray when I'm out walking, when I'm going to sleep at night, when I'm listening to a patient and when I don't know what else to do. I pray a lot.” 

She pressed him gently, "Do you set aside any specific times to pray?" 

"Well, no," he said, "that seems unnecessarily rigid and un-spontaneous."

She pushed back again, "Maybe so, but what I hear you saying is that you simply pray to God when you feel like it, whenever it's convenient to you.  That sounds a lot like a one-way relationship to me; as if you are willing to relate to God only on your terms.  If you love God as much as you say you do - and I suspect you do - then I think you owe it to Him to set aside some times to be available to Him whether you feel like it or not, some time that will be His and not just yours."

Peck says he found that difficult to argue with and so he set about carving time out of his life every day when he says he does “'nothing' in the world's terms other than attempt in my own inadequate way to be available to God.”   

My daughter’s pastor, Tammy Melchien, (Community Christian Church/Lincoln Square) shared this story from Scott Peck as part of her sermon one Sunday when she was talking about the difference between “praying” and “being available to God.”  Putting this into action has been a turning point in my own daily prayer life.  You can read about it in part 2 of this blog, “Call from God on my Samsung Galaxy.”

Renewed at Noon

I made an exception on Ash Wednesday this year because two of my dear Chinese kids invited me to a basketball game as their guests. But I felt strange on the morning of—. Something in my Spirit hungered for the familiar but unsettling words when the ashes are drawn across my forehead, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Is that weird or what?

 

So I searched for a noon service.  Of course--who better to turn to than my Catholic brothers and sisters?  I jumped in my truck and took off for the Basilica, downtown.

 

Already streams of people were flowing in from everywhere—just like going to a game at Target Field.  Lots of young people.  For the next hour I sat among hundreds—at noon!  In a Church.  On a Wednesday.  In the middle of downtown Minneapolis.  Surrounded by rich smells of incense and monastic-like music, dawdling along in an un-hurried pace, in an other-worldly setting.  It was a “perfect storm” that recharged my spiritual batteries.

 

The enormous heights of the ceiling kept drawing my eyes and mind... up.  And there, all around us, were brothers and sisters from centuries gone by looking down on us from their painted faces in the stained glassed windows perched high above our earthly worship. The sweet haunting verses that were chanted from somewhere unseen floated out upon the Assembly and imbued our collective spirit with a touch of the heavenly realm.  Sweet.

 

Words were spoken and read and preached and sung and prayed. Words were used to confess wrongs… things that we wish we could have back to do over again, but can’t.  But then, sweet life – giving words were issued to wash clean those areas where the enemy had once again infiltrated our spirit and stained the spiritual garment in which we had been “clothed with Christ.”

 

Something in my body and spirit becomes aligned when I kneel for prayer and confession rather than sitting or standing. Kneelers invite that posture before God. It’s really something to behold, when you look out and see hundreds of people kneeling in a posture of humility, even in our Madison Avenue 21^st century world of suits and skirts and jeans and sweatshirts. No matter what your stature in the world, all are the same before Christ.  Hmmm.  If only….

 

I remember the young woman who could not kneel on her left leg – a sports injury?  She sat on the aisle so that when it was time, she could kneel on her right leg with her left leg extended out into the aisle.  No excuses I guess.  This was important to her.

 

I faded into one of the human rivers that streamed out of all eight doors in all directions back into the world, feeling full and fed with the Word and the Word-made-flesh that was given up in death—even for my sake.  Amazing… that the God of the ever-expanding, 9 – billion – year – old universe would notice me, hear me when I speak, speak into my life when I hurt or am lost, and even die for me in my place.  Really?  

 

It’s still hard to grasp the reality of that Act on the cross. But … now I’m getting ahead of myself. That Act is still ahead, on Good Friday, still another 39 days ahead on this year’s 40 day journey.

Does the Church Thrive Under Persecution?

"Does the Church Thrive Under Persecution?"  Unfortunately, "no" says theology professor and Dean of Western Seminary in Portland, OR, Marc Cortez. 

Take a look--a well thought out and written article: http://www.christianity.com/Home/Christian%20Living%20Features/11674936/

You might have to check some of your assumtions at the door as you read this.  Takes 5 min. 

I pray for the persecuted church, and for pastors and Christian leaders facing persecution much more frequently than I did even a few years ago.  Maybe because my world perspective has grown wider.  Or, because communication is much better than it was even five years ago, so we know what is going on in nearly every part of the world, almost instantaneously.

My heart goes out to them.   And I'll continue to pray for them, almost all of whom remain nameless to me, except for the few of whom I read about.

Sky is the Limit for Christianity in China

Hardly a week goes by anymore that the exponetial growth of Christianity in China doesn't seep into the news somehow. 

In 1949 when Chairman Mao took over and soon chased out or put to death the leaders and clergy of the church it seemed like the end of an era.  Maybe the end of time for Chinese Christians.  Yet today, millions and millions of new Chinese are embracing the Christian faith like never before, says the World Council of Churches (WCC). 

Three days ago Christian Today  reported that Mathews George Chunakara, Director of WCC's International Affairs and Public Witness, said there had been a "unique and explosive growth" of Christianity among the Chinese people.

"I have been visiting China for the last 15 years. I am astounded to see the tremendous growth there. Their worship places are now overflowing," Chunakara told Christian Today.

"It is not just the poor you see in churches, even the rich and educated are embracing Christianity. Beijing and Shanghai are the proof,” he added.

The ecumenical leader compared freedom of religion in the country now to a decade ago, when the church kept a tight grip on the goings on in churches. He said the situation had "much improved" and that the government was now starting to "favour" religious people.

"The Chinese government will not raid unless provoked. Now being the fastest growing economy, they know the importance of a harmonious society. To promote such a society, they are giving religion a special role," says Chunakara.

 For instance, the Communist Government amended the Constitution two years ago to accommodate the role of religion.

 "You could not expect such a thing to happen 15 years ago," Chunakara said.

When you read about the explosive growth of Christianity in China, do you ever wonder... why?  What is it about the Christian faith that is so attractive to Chinese?  What do so many Chinese "see" in Jesus that they don't see in Budhism, or Shintoism, or Hinduism? 

The answers may be a no-brainers for Christians, but it's still a cultural phenonmenon that one can't help but sit up and take notice, no matter what your religious views or background.

The Reason for God, part 4

Just finished reading Tim Kellor’s book, The Reason for God.

What’s really unique about Christianity? Is Christianity just another religion? Is one just as good or helpful as another? If we were born into another culture, wouldn’t we have been brought up in a different religion, and felt faithful to that?

Kellor believes there is a tremendous difference between Christianity, and other “religions.” He writes:

There is a profound and fundamental difference between the way that other religions tell us to seek salvation and the way described in the gospel of Jesus. All other major faiths have founders who are teachers that show the way to salvation. Only Jesus claimed to actually BE the way of salvation himself. The difference is so great that, even though Christianity can certainly be called a religion in the broader sense… we will use the term “religion” … to refer to “salvation through moral effort” and “gospel” to refer to “salvation through grace.”

Religion operates on the principle “I obey—therefore I am accepted by God.” But the operating principle of the gospel is “I am accepted by God through what Christ has done—therefore I obey.”

In Christ I could know I was accepted by grace not only despite my flaws, but because I was willing to admit them. The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself or less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less. I don’t need to notice myself—how I’m doing, how I’m being regarded—so often.

This means that I cannot despise those who do not believe as I do. Since I am not saved by my correct doctrine or practice, then this person before me, even with his or her wrong beliefs, might be morally superior to me in many ways. It also means I do not have to be intimidated by anyone. I am not so insecure that I fear the power of success or talent of people who are different from me. The gospel makes it possible for a person to escape oversensitivity, defensiveness, and the need to criticize others. The Christian’s identity is not based on the need to be perceived as a good person, but on God’s valuing of you in Christ.

What's your take on religion? Worthwhile? Or waste of time?

The Reason for God, part 3

Just finished reading Tim Kellor’s book, The Reason for God.

Many who are leaving the church have found that they cannot tolerate an institutional culture which comes off as "judgmental, exclusive, homophobic, too political and hypocritical" (Kinnaman, 2007).

Unfortunately, the church has not reflected well the teachings of its Lord, Jesus Christ, in this regard. In fact, Jesus taught and lived (and died) a life that reflected just the opposite. Kellor writes:

One of the paradoxes of history is the relationship between the beliefs and the practices of the early Christians as compared to those of the culture around them

The Greco-Roman world’s religious views were open and seemingly tolerant—everyone had his or her own God. The practices of the culture were quite brutal, however. The Greco-Roman world was highly stratified economically, with a huge distance between the rich and poor. By contract, Christians insisted that there was only one true God, the dying Savior Jesus Christ. Their lives and practices were, however, remarkably welcoming to those that the culture marginalized. The early Christians mixed people from different races and classes in ways that seemed scandalous to those around them. The Greco-Roman world tended to despise the poor, but Christians gave generously not only to their own poor but to those of other faiths.

Why would such an exclusive belief system lead to behavior that was so open to others? It was because Christians had within their belief system the strongest possible resources for practicing sacrificial service, generosity, and peace-making. At the very heart of their view of reality was a man who died for his enemies, praying for their forgiveness. Reflection on this could only lead to a radically different way of dealing with those who were different from them. It meant they could not act in violence and oppression toward their opponents.

If this sounds refreshing to you… welcome to the Christian faith, and to the Jesus who established this New Life and turned upside down the established norms of human culture.

If this sounds foreign to you, or even objectionable… let’s go back and read the Gospels again and discover the roots our church.

Tell us what you think...

The Reason for God, part 2

Just finished reading Tim Kellor’s book, The Reason for God.

Question: Does the evidence point to a gradual dying out of religion in the West, or it on the rise? Not sure? Seeing signs of both? Kellor writes:

Is skepticism or faith on the ascendancy in the world today? The answer is Yes… Skepticism, fear, and anger toward traditional religion are growing in power and influence. But at the same time, robust, orthodox belief in the traditional faiths is growing as well….

In short, the world is polarizing over religion. It is getting both more religious and less religious at the same time. There was once a confident belief that secular European countries were the harbingers for the rest of the world. Religion, it was thought, would thin out from its more robust, supernaturalist forms or die out altogether. But the theory that technological advancement brings inevitable secularization is now being scrapped or radically rethought….

People are opting instead for a nonreligious life, for a non-institutional, personally constructed spirituality, or for orthodox, high-commitment religious groups that expect members to have a conversion experience.

For those of us in the Church, this has one of two effects: it’s a terribly frightening prospect that threatens our current church-culture.

On the other hand, it’s a terribly liberating prospect that paves a clear way for us to adapt the Christian faith to a new emerging culture that has different needs, different values, different perspectives on the world and new forms of mistrust of institutions, technology, government and “religion.” In other words, it gives the church (if she takes advantage of it) a way “in” to speak the language of this new culture. And learning to speak the language of the culture is always the first and most important task of any missionary that is newly arrived in a foreign culture.

What's your take?

The Reason for God, part 1

Just finished reading Tim Kellor’s book, The Reason for God.

Very well written. Provocative. Well-reasoned. Challenging. Convincing. Inclusive. Thorough.

Kellor asks and addresses such common questions as,

• “Why does God allow suffering in the world?”
• “How could a loving God send people to Hell?”
• “Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive?”
• “Hasn’t science disproved Christianity?”
• “Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God?”
• “Can you really take the Bible literally?”

Pastor Tim Kellor is a friend of skeptics, unbelievers, and doubters, who form the core of his Manhattan congregation, and writes as a best friend would write to his friend… with compassion, respect, reason, and conviction. His primary audience has been New Yorkers for the past 20+ years. A tough crowd to convince, much less to have a reasonable conversation with about God and religion. But his experience imbues his writing and he succeeds in addressing each common objection or question that people have with sensitivity, and with all the nuanced complexity that each issue demands.

I highly recommend it as an engaging primer for non-believers or new believers to understand the why’s, what’s, how’s and therefore’s of the Christian faith. I’m planning to buy several copies and give them away. It's that good.

I also highly recommend it for Christians. It will challenge you to rethink why you believe what you believe and will make you the stronger for it. It will give you much deeper insight into the breathtaking brilliance of your faith that will leave you coming away saying, “wow, what an amazing faith.”

Those of you running an Alpha course... this is a great companion!

Sad Commentary on Islam

Compass Direct News reports that Islamic militants in Somalia tracked down an underground [Christian] church leader and killed him last week. Islamic extremist al Shabaab rebels shot Madobe Abdi to death on March 15. He had escaped a previous attempt to kidnap him on March 2. Abdi's death adds to a growing number of Christians murdered by Islamic militants.

In another incident, alleged members of the government-aligned Islamic Courts Union last month set fire to the house of an underground church member they suspected of having left Islam. After learning that a Bible and Christian pamphlets were inside, the militants stormed the house in Hamarwien district of Mogadishu as a warning to those who dare possess any Christian literature, sources said. The assailants looted the home before setting it afire.

It’s a pretty sad commentary on Islam when its followers have to resort to persecution, violence, threats, and murder to keep fellow Muslims from reading or owning Christian literature, and to keep any non-Muslim influence out of their territory, and to prevent the free flow of other religious thought, speech and ideas from “infecting” Islamic culture.

It reminds me of the tactics of the old Soviet Union where rule by fear and intimidation was the only way to preserve a weak and ineffective system of government. And we all know how that story turned out with the out-of-the-blue smashing of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent quiet implosion of a nation. My take is that if Islam can’t stand up and offer the world something more valuable than fear, intimidation and violence (something we already have enough of anyway) … it’s only a matter of time before the pages of history preserve more of the Islamic faith than the hearts of living human beings.

Made in China

What made this Chinese dinner particularly delicious was Yuan's own words when we asked him how it tasted: "Ummm, just like home."

After 7,000 miles of travel by jet, four days of living in an unfamiliar country, in an unfamiliar culture, with an unfamiliar host-family, eating unfamiliar food, on a 13-hour time-difference schedule, breathing unfamiliar cooler air, walking among unfamiliar Anglo people, sleeping in an unfamiliar bed... it was time for something familiar. It was time for a little bit of "home."

Yuan and Youkang asked if they could cook FOR US, since we had been cooking for them these last four days after arriving from China. “Sure!” (A night off, we naively thought.)

MJ took them to Cub—first grocery store they had seen in the U.S. It was HUGE. But they loved the “Asian Aisle.” It was filled with just what they needed. MJ thought she should buy more pork—10 oz. would not nearly be enough! But Yuan was insistent. So, she bought only what they needed… some mushrooms, cabbage, pork slices, tomatoes, and "Chinese soy sauce"--none of that U.S.--type stuff.

“The secret to Chinese cooking” Youkang told us “is high heat and plenty of oil.” MJ and I watched. “Hovered” I suppose you could say. But they did just fine, electric heat and all (electric burners are hard to control). We laughed and learned in the kitchen that night (sounds like Alpha!) as they prepared and cooked the food. Fried eggs and stewed tomatoes mixed together, fried cabbage (uummm!), fried pork in a special flour batter (uummm!), and, of course, rice.

It was delicious. No matter how hard we had tried to cook food that would be familiar to them with our best “Chinese” touches and knowledge, it just wasn’t quite the genuine thing. THIS meal was definitely MADE IN CHINA.

I asked if I could pray for them… “bless them,” as we sat down to eat. This was our gift to them each evening over dinner. We are growing fond of our new friends. And we want them to experience the fullness of God’s love.

Hosting x2

“Could we take another Chinese student?” Phyllis asked? “Let me talk with my wife about it,” I responded as my mind quickly scanned a mental check-list of reasons “for” and “against” it.

Let's see... we just moved into our new home 3 weeks ago. Our living room is scattered with ladders, paint cans and tarps and furniture stacked up in the middle of the room. Both guest bedrooms look the same way. The basement is filled with tons of unopened boxes. The garage is a disaster. My mother is just emerging from brain cancer surgery and needs care. I've just returned from 6 days with my son at Olympic National Park. Oh, and by the way... I have a job. Remember?

I put my cell phone down as I continued driving up to St. Cloud to visit my recuperating mother. "Hmmm. Can we take another student?" The prospects don't look good.

The “we-can-do-everything” side of me was already making plans to host this other student while my weaker “wait-a-second-let’s-think-this-through” side of me was stepping on the brakes with both feet!

As I prayed about it the next morning just after I had come up with six solid reasons that it would probably not work out at this time, I heard a clear voice say:

“Daaahhh! Who cares if the bedroom is not painted yet? Who cares if the living room has ladders and paint tarps scattered about? Who cares if there’s no room in the garage to walk? Who cares if there are no pictures up yet? Let’s look at the facts: 1. You have two empty bedrooms in your home. 2. Two new graduate students from China need a place to land for several days after they fly in from China, begin to get settled, get registered, open bank accounts, get cell phones, find an apartment, prepare for classes at the U., etc.”

“Well….?” I heard the voice say. “OK, we’ll do it,” I said. “When you put it like that, it’s a no-brainer.” And it is. My wife agreed.

If I was the visiting student, for example, I would ask myself, “would I rather sleep on the street, or in an unpainted bedroom?” It’s a no-brainer. Right?

I’m glad God speaks to me so clearly sometimes. I’m even more glad when my brain is sufficiently unclogged to actually “hear” God’s voice, and my heart is sufficiently motivated to be agreeable. Because whenever you hear and follow God’s voice, you get blessed. And we have been. Tons.

Fasting for Larry

May 2, 2009. I’ve been meaning to fast and pray for quite some time, but I just never seem to get to it. Until Thursday. Now it was urgent. And maybe that’s what it requires in the first place: an urgency.

One of our House Church members had a “suspicious mass” show up in a CAT scan, so he was referred down to Mayo for a closer look on Thursday.

Our group was stunned when we heard the news. Larry is so healthy!

Since our group had just started to study fasting, we decided to just do it. We would fast and pray on Thursday, throughout the day, for Larry while he ran through a battery of tests. That Tuesday evening in our group meeting we anointed him in the name of Jesus and prayed for our brother. He said it was already bringing him great strength just to know that we would be fasting and praying throughout the day.

I didn’t remember it being so difficult. Fasting, that is. The morning was pretty normal. But around lunch time my stomach went on strike and let me know it for the rest of the day. Which is what a fast is all about: giving up something as an act of faith and sacrifice.

Our House Church gave up food for a day as an act of sacrifice to demonstrate our sincerity before God as we prayed for Larry. The lack of food functioned as a constant alarm clock, reminding us to pray throughout the day. The act of fasting itself demonstrated our oneness with our brother. We would voluntarily suffer a few hours without food, while he involuntarily suffered an invasion of his body by unknown forces.

We received the preliminary results around 3:15—an encouraging prognosis!

That night I savored plain white rice with a little butter. Rice never tasted so good. Unity with my brother Larry never felt so good either. And the prayer-mode that I entered into that day was new, and rich, and deep.

A Chat in the Woods

She appeared unexpectedly just 40 yards up the trail. My first instinct was to look between the trees to see if she had a dog before Toast could get a glimpse of it and yank me off my bike with one of her sudden lunges. No dog—so I loosened my grip on the leash as we approached.

As the woman in peach came into clear view I noticed that she was slowing down, just like friends do when they prepare to greet each other for a brief chat on the sidewalk. I didn’t know who she was, although I think I had seen her walking on this trail before.

Her eyes lit up and she spoke with a big smile as I braked to a stop. She focused completely on Toast… “Oh, aren’t you a lovely little puppy? What’s your name?” She reached out to pet Toast, which was always agreeable to Toast. I was impressed with how friendly she was, and so plainly delighted at her good fortune. She marveled to me at how well-behaved Toast was. (If she only knew the truth.) “I would love to have a Golden,” she confided. “But it’s only me at home and I work all day. That wouldn’t be good for the dog.”

For the next few minutes we chatted on the trail. Comparing brief notes about life, and kids, and work. Two strangers drawn together almost as if by some Great Design, by means of the animal kingdom. It’s silly, really, that it takes an animal to facilitate social intercourse between two of the same human species.

I climbed back on my bike with Toast at my side. “Thank you for stopping,” she said. Thank you for stopping? It had been a no-brainer for me. She acted like she wanted to stop and pet my dog. (A common occurrence on my neighborhood trails.) So I stopped. Turns out that simple action brought a little delight into her life that day. Toast seems to have a knack for that. And somehow… I think it brings delight to God as well.

Next time I see this woman in peach I’m going to ask her if she’d like to dog-sit for an afternoon.

Day 30—Surprised.

Wow, the last day of our 30-Day Faith Experiment has come. Seems like we just started.The goal of this 30-Day Experiment was to begin each day with the simple prayer, “Surprise Me, God.” Each day we invited God to barge into our lives anytime, anywhere, anyhow He pleases, and in the process, for us to become better aware of God’s presence in our lives.

If you’ve been following along you may be wondering …well, did He? And—were we? So I went back over the last 29 days to see what happened:

First, this little 30-Day Experiment Group is a God-story in itself. We formed it with one other couple from the neighborhood. None of the other dozen-or-so neighbors that I invited were interested. (Mostly I invited neighbors who didn’t appear to be engaged in a church.) So, initially it felt like a bust. But then, it turns out that the one neighborhood couple who did join us was just learning about an impending family crisis. They had no other group to be there for them. No one else to talk to. But Shazzam! Now they did. You have to admit that the timing was… well, “providential.” We had our “group” (although it wasn’t at all what I had envisioned) and Jesus was keeping His promise to this couple (“behold, I am with you always until the end of time”) through this little group.

…oh yeah, and then there was the “coincidental” sale of our home. Our next door neighbor came over one day and asked if we would consider selling to his mother so that they could live next door to each other. Even though we had no immediate plans to sell it seemed like a gift that dropped out of the sky, especially in today’s housing market.

…and then there was the mysterious “healing” of our dog’s front leg. (Her limp disappeared a few days after our small group prayed over her. See “Day 26.”)

…and the beginning of a new partnership with some Kingdom-oriented people in the downtown area of the city.

…and as I continued to meet with and counsel several individual guys, I was privileged to witness how God was transforming their lives, their relationships and their hearts into new men. During the last 30 days I have witnessed a new strength and confidence in my own faith (the ability to stay focused in the middle of chaos).

So…did God surprise us? Did we see the hand of God working these last 30 days? Yeah. It’s a no-brainer. He did indeed. And—we were.

Day 25—(part 2) “Faith” (or A Ride on the Steel Viper)

(for part 1, see below on Day 24)
Now, what do you suppose prompted my friend’s former colleague to phone-call him, on this particular day? Ten years later? Without any previous communication or contact between them? Just out of the blue? And here’s an even deeper wrinkle… why this particular person, for whom the life situation was just the reverse ten years earlier? Why not just a close friend?

I know it sounds flaky and half-baked to say that God’s hand was in this. I know that it doesn’t stand up to reason. I know that there’s no way to “prove” it’s not just a coincidence. (Which is why it’s called faith.) But, on the other hand, there’s no way to “prove” that gravity exits either, except by observing its effect on certain objects in relationship to other objects. Because of the way that objects interact with one another we conclude that there must be a “force” that causes this particular interaction even though we can’t directly see “gravity.” And there’s no way to “prove” that quarks and neutrinos really exist either. No one has ever actually “seen” one. We commonly accept that they exist because of the way particles behave and don’t behave when certain forces are applied.

In a similar way when I observe certain coincidental events, or coincidental meetings between people, or coincidental experiences that are shared, I “see” the Spirit of God working. Answering prayer. Guiding and directing with counsel and wisdom. Planting thoughts. Opening our eyes of awareness. Softening hearts. Healing broken bodies and spirits. Shaping and forming a new Spirit inside the human heart—all because it was asked for in one way or another.

For me, I choose the way of faith as I interact with the world. Because I believe that God’s Spirit is still very much active in the world. I see evidence of it by Its effects on people and events. I observe it over and over, even though I can’t “prove” it, and even though I can’t “see” it directly.

The Bible talks about it this way, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1). Actually, this is really a perspective from which to interpret the world and make sense of life—a biblical perspective. It’s a way of doing life. A way of interacting with the world.

I love my life of faith. I find it to be very life-giving. I’m thankful to God for leading me into it. It allows me to catch glimpses of the divine mechanics behind the multiplex networks of life.

Day 24—“Faith” (or A Ride on the Steel Viper), part 1

Today’s surprise: a wild roller-coaster ride in the cab of life! Sparks began to fly (in a good way) in the middle of a meeting when a friend and I began to realize that our paths, and the paths of several mutual friends and colleagues, have been recently crisscrossing all over the place! We laughed and giggled like kids in a candy store the more we talked and shared a mutual vision for working together.

There’s a part of me that identifies this kind of thing as a movement of God, a brush with the Holy Spirit, a glimpse of the Grand Arranger for those who have eyes to see. Another part of me holds back though, wondering if I’ve just stumbled into a dazzling array of coincidences, looking for a pattern where there is none. At least, none that is intentionally planned. There’s no way to know for sure, is there? You can’t prove it either way. You just have to choose which way you want to go in life. And you choose based on what you believe, what you know, and what you’ve experienced.

One choice is often called “faith.” The other is often called “reason.” They’re not always mutually exclusive, but in this instance they are.

For me, I choose the way of faith. I choose to see the hand of God working behind the scenes. Bringing people together in one-off ways. Prompting long-lost friends to phone-call one another out of the blue… for no particular reason, at just the exact right moment. That just happened to a friend of mine yesterday. He hadn’t seen or heard from this former colleague for ten years. Then, on the very day that he needed a key word of encouragement and “sign” that God was still walking right beside him in life—he got a short phone call. From a long-ago friend. To say just what my friend needed to hear.

The timing could not have been more perfect if it had been scripted by Hollywood (where everything always works out just perfectly in the movies).

(See part 2, continued on Day 25)

Day 11—12 Guys Striving

Twelve ex-cons listened as I explained how to beat temptation and resist evil. I began by telling them who I was, including a number of natural disasters and life-crises that I have lived through. I told them that I hoped that I could earn their trust by the end of our time together. I didn’t want to presume anything. I shared what I knew and what has worked for me in resisting evil. I shared what the Bible says about resisting evil and how to overcome temptation. This was a subject they were very familiar with. Some had seen more victories than defeats. Others more defeats. But they all wanted more victories. Many shared their own tricks of the trade and secrets in defeating the enemy. The younger guys took notes. It was a good night. I was blessed. My prayer is that they were too.

Day 9—Church

I’m in awe. I don’t know how else to describe it. Every two weeks I walk away from our Tuesday night House Church meeting amazed at what God is doing in our midst. In an ordinary house. In an ordinary neighborhood.

Grandmas and emergents laugh together, appreciative of what the other brings to the group. The limping and healthy offer lavish compassion and prayer for one another. Smiles emerge from faces that have seen long days. Small talk provides a sweet appetizer. Tears flow freely, sensing hope within this body of Christ. Plenty of food somehow finds its way onto the table, but always shy of an over-abundance. Worship is led using a karaoke machine (I know, I know… but you have to experience it to believe it!). Scratchy voices mix with baritone voices, sweet voices, and off-key voices, all rising together in an amazing cacophony of sound that is pleasing to God, even if not to a trained audiophile. Scripture, teaching and discussion play together with the spontaneity of children who come to the park on a summer day ready to play but not knowing what the game will be until they get there. And—you might have guessed it—through it all God richly pours out His Spirit upon this gathering that comes to worship Him in the name of Jesus.

This is church. It’s not “going to church” so much as it is “being the church.”