1 John 4:1 GNT
My dear friends, do not believe all who claim to have the Spirit, but test them to find out if the spirit they have comes from God. For many false prophets have gone out everywhere.
I used to think religion tasted horrible, but now I know I was eating the fake stuff. (bg)
The Gospel message is so very simple: love God; love one another. That's it! Religion adds all the rules and regulations that sometimes distort and confuse this basic message. People who say they are spiritual but not religious are often those who have been duped too many times by the trappings of religion and the artificial faith that sometimes accompanies it. I sat in on the Presbytery meeting this past weekend, not as the delegate but just to watch and listen. For the most part, our Presbytery is one which strives to remember the basic message and not get TOO caught up in 'dutifully and in order' which is the trademark Presby phrase. I like order, but not when it stands in the way of the Spirit at work. I have a meeting to attend this afternoon that is definitely rules and regulations and polity and policy work. May the Spirit be at work in and through me that I may be authentic in my voice and actions in attending to business I know is perhaps important to smooth functioning, but is a struggle for me.
"...It seems like a lot of people who say they know Jesus have all the right words and all the right moves, but what they don't have is sincerity and authenticity. They talk a big game and use a bunch of twenty-pound words to describe an otherwise simple idea about faith. But in reality, they never do anything. ,,,,,Jesus is asking me and the rest of the world to stop faking it." (bg, p. 96-98)
MONDAY, April 20 Faith
Galatians 5:6 MSG
For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: FAITH expressed in love.
I used to think words were all the same, but now I know there are some words I shouldn't use. (bg)
This statement by Goff probably needs a little explanation. He writes of an author friend who told him to never use the word 'that' in his writing. Goff says he never really understood the reasons why, but trusted his friend. Jesus often didn't explain everything in detail. But because we trust Jesus and God, we listen. It's the faith that makes the difference. It's our hearts that make the difference. "[Jesus] just asked people to join the adventure. It's almost like Jesus came to say, among other things, that a relationship with Him isn't supposed to make complete sense or provide security. Faith isn't an equation or a formula or a business deal that gets you what you want........Jesus didn't give people a lot of directions about what they should and shouldn't say either. But He did talk quite a bit about their hearts. He said their hearts would be better if they stayed away from certain things. It was kind of like He told them not to write the word that into their lives......I think God doesn't spell out everything for us in life, but He does tell us how we can write our lives better; and trusting Him implicitly is always the right place to start." (p101-2)
TUESDAY, April 21 Reverse Rules
Proverbs 3:27 GNTWhenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it
. I used to think rules were made by someone else, but now I know we get to make up some of our own. (bg)
Bob writes of buying candy in a corner shop where the owner told him a new rule one day when he was a couple cents short of cash: shiny pennies are worth two. And the shop owner proceeded to polish a couple of Bob's pennies for him. He changed the rules of economy because it was an opportunity to DO LOVE. Goff goes on to write,
"Jesus talked about how if you want to receive, you give. If you want to lead, you follow. That the poor are rich and you only really live for certain things if you are willing to die to them. What I learned from the storekeeper that day, in retrospect, is eerily familiar and shows me that we have more power than we think to make our own rules about life to live out the economy that Jesus put in place." (p112)We have the power to make the choice for good, for love. I used the Good News translation for my scripture today, however, because it omitted the phrase, 'who deserve it', which shows in other translations. Somehow I have the impression that we should practice love regardless and let God be the judge of deserving and undeserving. God knows the whole picture; we do not.
Wednesday, April 22
Unlikely Instructors
Luke 8:9-10 MSG
His disciples asked, "Why did you tell this story?"
He said, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom - you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren't going to get it: their eyes are open but don't see a thing, their ears are open but don't hear a thing.
I used to think the best teachers wore tweed jackets and smoked pipes, but now I know they flip over and leak. (bg)
Bob Goff learned some pretty important lessons about life from his Jeep. When he was broadsided in it, he learned that God 'is big enough and loves me enough to forgive me'. When that happens and we don't forgive ourselves and move on, it's like we don't trust God. Like a battered jeep, maybe we need to leak a little Jesus in our life, as trials make us stronger. When Goff's jeep was stolen, he chose not to replace it, to learn dependency on others, much as we must learn to depend on God. Where have we found unlikely instruction in our lives? It may not have been in the usual places at a church, a school, or in a book. What events might have taught us lessons? What inanimate objects (like a favorite truck) have we learned from? Jesus used the everyday objects and events to craft his parables to teach the disciples and people. Who is telling us a parable today? Are our ears and eyes open to receive the instruction?
THURSDAY, April 23 Travel Mates
Luke 15:2 MSG
The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, 'He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.'
Mark 2:17 MSG
Jesus, overhearing shot back, 'Who needs a doctor; the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit."
1 Corinthians 15:33 GNT
Do not be fooled. "Bad companions ruin good character."
Proverbs 6:27 ESV
Can a man carry fire next to his chest and not be burned?
I used to think life could be shared with anyone, but now I know choosing the right people is pretty important. (bg)
On the surface, I struggled with today's statement by Goff. You can find Scripture, especially from the Letters of Paul, Proverbs and Psalms, indicating we tend to become like those we hang with. Advice to marry within the faith, avoid bad company, etc. Yet we also find Scripture quoting Jesus about the call to heal the sinner, to work with those who need to know the love of God. Jesus did spend time with sinners, he spoke with them, touched them and dined with them. But Jesus also surrounded himself with the disciples, he spent a great deal of time alone with God. He didn't spend ALL his time with sinners.
So....we need to do both. The people with whom we spend much of our time, our travel mates so to speak, should be those who support, encourage, and nurture us in our faith. They should be people who are traveling to the same destination! As Bob Goff notes in describing his hitch-hiking adventures, "...I had alot of power over who I'd hitch a ride with. ....Life is like that. You become like the people you hang around, and to a great degree, you end up going wherever they're headed....."
Yet, as I process on a deeper level, I realize there is a difference between a repentant sinner and pure evil, Satan, or whatever we choose to call it. Jesus didn't take time with evil. He sent the Devil packing. And I think we can usually see that difference as well within a few moments of conversation. Or, as we find in Luke 10, greet in the name of 'Peace' - if the greeting is shared, continue the relationship. If not, leave!
There is much that could be said about today's quote and I realize that I am just touching the surface. Love reaches out. Love has the best interests of others in mind. But in general, we should make sure that our companions have the same Love-Destination in mind on this journey we call life!
FRIDAY, April 24 ADVENTURE with GOD
1 Corinthians 1:7-9 MSG
God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.
I used to think knowing God was like going on a business trip with Him, but now I know He's inviting me on an adventure instead. (bg)
Ad-ven-ture. Noun. An unusual and exciting, typically risky, experience or activity; exploration into the unknown.
Where would I rather go - on a business trip filled with boring meetings, rules and regulations, or on an adventure filled with unexpected surprises and encounters?? God calls us to adventure - both spiritual and physical - in this journey we take on earth. God calls us to a perhaps risky path into the unknown, based on the faith that God always is traveling with us and guiding the way. What a trip! There will be dangerous moments, adrenaline rushing moments, and moments of sublime reflection and relationship with the Almighty. And all we have to do is say 'Yes' and climb on board!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JED!....The first in my two-part life-adventure of parenthood!
SATURDAY, April 25 Selective Hearing?
Matthew 11:15 MSG
Are you listening to me? Really listening?
I used to think God wouldn't talk to me, but now I know I'm just selective with what I choose to hear. (bg)
We ALL suffer from selective hearing, or perhaps more accurately selective 'listening'. We hear, but we don't listen. Our hearing is inattentive. Multiple times in Matthew, Jesus asks the disciples or the people, 'Are you listening? Really listening?' We hear what we want to hear, what we agree with, what we want to do. If we don't like what we perceive God to be saying, we voice, 'God never talks to me.' But we will find that God talks to us in a myriad of ways if we tune up our God-Hearing-Aids. My list of God-Moments is helping me see how many times during the day I can tune in to God. Perhaps God is talking at that moment, perhaps not. Perhaps God is simply giving me a gift to enjoy. But if I am tuned in to the station, I have a better chance to really HEAR a message when one is sent.
Does our God-Hearing-Aid need fresh batteries? Volume control? Let's tune in to love!
SUNDAY, April 26 Navigation
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Matthew 7:12 MSG
Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them.
I used to think following God required a lot of navigation, but now I know all I need is a line and a circle. (bg)
Goff set out once with friends in a sail boat without anything more than the very basic of navigation tools or skills. Rather like our journey through life. God doesn't lay out for us a step by step plan for each day. God gives a destination and a general outline. We are going to stray off that line from time to time, but if we stay within the overall circle, we'll get there! And what makes for a good line of direction? Love and God. Back to the basic commandments: Love God. Love each other. We can't go wrong with that navigational chart.
Goff writes....
'When I don't know the answer to where I am or what God want me to be doing....I try to get a bearing on a least a couple of fixed points that I can trust. One is Jesus...unencumbered by religion, denomination, and cultural overlays... The other fixed point I use is a group of people I feel God has dropped into my life...my cabinet so to speak. ...I draw line from them to me. From these points dead reckoning is actually pretty easy. Where all of these lines cross is where God probably wants me to be. Navigating a relationship with a living God can be just that easy, and the math is easy too. It's Jesus plus nothing."
"I used to think following God required complicated formulas...big stacks of books. People said that for me to know God, there was a whole pile of things I'd need to know first....What I realized, though, is that all I really needed to know when it came down to it was the direction I was pointing and that I was somewhere inside the large circle of God's love and forgiveness....Most of the time this has been good enough. I think that's probably because I see myself floating in a massive sea of God's love. The circle of His grace and forgiveness is big enough and the line leading to Him is long enough that I don't need to always be measuring latitude and longitude to find myself....I find Jesus, keeping toward Him, and stay somewhere in that circle. That's it. " (p155-6)And when we finish our journey and arrive at our heavenly home, God will be there to welcome us, regardless of the path we took or our poor navigational skills. We were heading in the right direction within a very big circle of love.
MONDAY, April 27 LOSE THE CAPE
Matthew 9:30 CEB
Their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, 'Make sure nobody knows about this.'
I used to think I should talk about everything, but now I know it's better to keep some things a secret. (bg)
I had to go back and re-read this chapter to remember the point of Goff's statement about secrecy. He uses a super-hero analogy and our fixation on mission statements and faith statements are like a cape that sometimes trips us up from DOING the super work of Christ. "It's about doing capers without the cape." (p. 161) Goff's mission statement is 'BE AWESOME' and it should be worn on the back of our undershirt where only God and ourselves know of its presence. That's all that matters, anyway. 'Jesus hardly talked to anyone about what He'd done. The Bible never depicts one of those end-of-camp slideshows where Jesus goes over all He had done with His disciples. Instead, Jesus modeled that we don't need to talk about everything we've done. It's like He was saying, what if we were just to do awesome, incredible stuff together while we're here on earth and the fact that only He knew would be enough? If we did that, we wouldn't get confused about who was really making things happen....(p162)God isn't looking for superheroes. He usually picks the ordinary plain folk like you and me to do God's work. And the best way to tackle the job is just to do it - without fanfare or promotion. Kinda reminds me of the first live of the well known song, 'They'll Know We Are Christians by Our LOVE' - Be awesome in LOVE!
TUESDAY, April 28 The Door
Psalm 34:17 MSG
Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you.
I used to think there were some prisons you couldn't escape, but now I know there's no place I can go where God can't rescue us. (bg)
Bob Goff is a lawyer - an unconventional lawyer - who devotes considerable time to justice issues for children of Uganda. His organization, often through audacious love, has been instrumental in bringing to court many cases for children unfairly imprisoned and gaining their release. Goff ripped a old broken-down door off the entrance to a now empty prison cell that had previously held a dozen forgotten youth.
No matter the situation, God can be present and at work. What we have to remember is that often God works through us to tear down the doors and walls of injustice and despair. Perhaps we are part of a rescue and we simply need to answer the call. Are there doors WE need to tear down?"...when the last kid was dropped off at home after their trial, I had the old wooden door ripped off of its hinges. It now stands in the corner of my office. It's a reminder to me that God searches for us, no matter what dark place we're in or what door we're behind. He hears our impossible, audacious prayers for ourselves and others. And He delights in forgiving us and then answering those prayers by letting us return home to Him. It reminds me that when we take Jesus up on His promises, He doesn't just stand in our lives knocking. He rips our small view of Him and what He can make possible right off the hinges....I told the warden that he didn't need the door because justice had arrived in that dark place and there was no one to keep in. The thing Jesus said about setting captives free actually works, so I haven't given the door back and I told the warden I'm not going to. " (p182)
WEDNESDAY, April 29 ENGAGE
James 2:17 MSG
Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
I used to think I needed to record stories, but now I know I just need to engage them. (bg)
I write every morning. It helps me focus on various spiritual aspects of my life and it definitely prods me to read books of more depth. I keep travel journals and blogs....I record lots of 'stories'. But how well have I engaged myself in those stories? How often do I get so hung up on the words, that I forget the doing? The 'God-talk without God-acts'? Goff writes, "....'I think what I'll do instead of writing things down now is to just do lots of things, and then maybe when I'm done doing cool things, I will write them down later.' (Son, Adam)....If Adam is right about memories being reserved for folks who don't do anything cool anymore, then I don't want to just collect memories anymore. I've been thinking I'll follow love's lead and find some capers worth doing, ones so saturated with whimsy they have to be rung out like a wet towel to be understood fully." (p188)That's it for today. Time to engage. Time to DO LOVE!
THURSDAY, April 30 Skin & Steel
1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 MSG
It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.
I used to think I needed to pick sides, but now I know it is better to just pick a fight.
"Love is a like a sword without a handle; sometimes we'll get cut when we pick it up."
When I blocked out which chapters of the book I was going to write about, I skipped this one titled, 'Skin in the Game'. Not sure why, maybe because I'm rather non-confrontational and I don't like fights! But this morning as I was glancing through the book looking for what is now tomorrow's section, I came across the final words of Goff in THIS chapter and they struck me in a profound way....share this.
I can't make a real need matter to me by listening to the story, visiting the web site, collecting information, or wearing the bracelet about it. I need to pick the fight myself...Sure, it's easier to pick an opinion that it is to pick a fight. It's also easier to pick an organization or a jersey and identify with a fight than it is to actually go pick one, to commit to it, to call it out and take a swing. Picking a fight isn't neat either. It's messy, it's time consuming, it's painful, and it's costly. It sounds an awful lot like the kind of fight Jesus took on for us when He called out death for us and won." (p196)I think I tend to pick the easy ways - the bracelets, the websites, the jerseys. I haven't really got any 'skin in the game' in some issues that matter. Maybe in terms of housing inequality - on a hot afternoon pounding in a hundred hurricane clips, that wasn't easy. But hunger? Refugees? Intolerance? What am I DOING? Two important things to remember: One, we can't fight every battle, we need to pick one or two and fully engage. And two, we aren't fighting alone. The Holy Spirit is the 'steel' we need for the conflict.
FRIDAY, May 1 BIBLE-DOING
James 2:17 MSG
Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
I used to think I could learn about Jesus by studying Him, but now I know Jesus doesn't want stalkers. (bg)
I had to go back and use the James 2 scripture again because it fit perfectly. Goff writes considerably in this chapter about how much we 'study' Jesus - arguing over this word and that, deeper meanings, background info, how many times this appears where in the Bible, etc. - without the 'doing'! He equates it to any kind of relationship - we don't just 'study' one another in a relationship - we DO things together. No stalkers!
Goff's Bible group is mostly concerned with putting faith into action.
What would a Bible-Action group look like? Sometimes I feel like our missional group is too much of a Bible-Study and not enough Bible-Action. While I enjoy the discernment process and waiting for the Spirit to guide us, I sometimes wonder if the Holy Spirit is waiting for us to get busy....'when are they going to DO what I have been trying to tell them?'What's up with equating 'Bible study' with knowing God anyway? Wouldn't it be horrible to we just studied the ones we love instead of bonding with them in a deeper way?.....So I started getting together with the same guys each week and instead of calling it a Bible study, we call it a 'Bible Doing'....I've found there's a big difference between the two. At our Bible doing, we read what God has to say and then focus all of our attention on what we are going to do about it." (p199)
SATURDAY, May 2 Palms Up!
1 Corinthians 12:10 GNT
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
I used to think clinched fists would help me fight better, but now I know they make me weaker.
I learned this technique from Jesus actually. I used to walk around with my fists clinched, defensive, afraid people were going to take advantage of me. There are also many evils in the world that caused me to clinch my fists. I wanted to be angry and swing at the horrible things people do to one another, especially the things done to kids. But it was Jesus who taught me there was nothing I could really lose if I had Him. He taught me to be palms up, just like He was. Palms up means you have nothing to hide and nothing to gain or lose. Palms up means you are strong enough to be vulnerable, even with your enemies. Even when you have been seriously wronged. Jesus was palms up, to the end. (p205)
Something tells me this is good advise for ANY situation. It takes us off the defensive and into a listening mode, an open, receptive position where true communication and relationship can exist. As a lawyer, this is what Goff grills into his clients when they are being questioned for a deposition. Too bad all the rioters in Baltimore and all the wars raging in the Middle East couldn't adopt this attitude. Palms up!
So...... NOW WHAT?
Its basically the end of Bob Goff's book, LOVE DOES. Where do we go from here? Well, perhaps Pick a fight that matters, grab the un-handled sword, keep your palms up, and engage! Quit all the talk and be prepare for action! We might get a little bloody, but that's what LOVE DOES!
