The Father's Touch

When the wound won't heal, when it's set in steel

I'm falling forward to the place called love

The bitter tears, the woeful cry, won't go unheeded by the Father's ear

Movement towards you, gnarled hands, placed upon the broken lamb

Pure love calling, leaning in, feeling something whole again

Singing voices, blending in, echoed chorus of heaven's wind

Darkness moves back at heaven's song, body resonates from the sounds of love

The voice of healing sticks to my soul, It's building a home for love to live

It's not religion that's come my way, it's pure and holy in a simple way

The Father's reached me and settled in, I'm glad to know, I'm home again

Don't Waste the Wait

  Every significant life event and achievement is preceded by periods of time in which we are forced to wait for what we desire to happen. We often view waiting time as wasted time. We want to 'arrive' at our goal, our destination, our end point. But what if our waiting time wasn't meant to be wasted? What if our waiting time was meant to be seized and garnered as a precious resource of preparation for the road ahead?

  Transition and periods of change are an immense challenge. When we sense change in our job, physical location or relationships we are tempted to 'check out' and begin the pursuit of the next thing in life. The mistake we make most often is that we refuse to live fully 'in the now' of life's precious moments. Each moment in life is valuable. We often think that when we arrive at a particular place of achievement that 'real life' begins. You often hear people discuss what they will do once they: marry, graduate, have children, retire, leave home, relocate... you name the place or type of transition for yourself. What if instead of waiting for change we seized each precious moment and fully lived in it?

  What can you do with your life while you're on your way to achieving your goals and dreams? People who are near death offer us some great perspective on not 'wasting the wait' in life. Most people interviewed who knew their lives were near the end said they would have focused more time on relationships and less on working and making money. Visions and dreams are important but not to the point that they cause us to sacrifice people and relationships. While you're waiting... preparing and dreaming for a life of meaning and purpose, pay attention to the people who are living around you right now! No one wants to be a means to an end. Are you so focused on your goals that you have become indifferent to the people in your life right now?

  I live across the street from a University and interact with highly motivated people working towards degrees and dreams. The focus is often on grades, papers, graduate school and career. I admire and encourage the people I meet daily to pursue those goals with faith, hard work and discipline. But I also try to temper my counsel and encouragement with words of caution from Jesus. Jesus said this, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?" When we allow our own personal goals, dreams or vision for life crowd out the things that last forever we've lost our soul....we've lost ourselves....we've lost what really matters most of all.

  Perhaps on our way to where we want to go we can remember that relationships matter more than we realize. Perhaps the things that we achieve and learn and contribute to society were meant to connect us with God and one another.  There are three things that last forever in life and they are all spiritual. "So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)  What are you waiting for? Don't waste the wait. Recognize the people around you as the greatest treasure of all. Learn how to invest and build on the relationships you have right now. There is nothing you can achieve in life that matters so much that you need to forfeit or destroy a relationship to obtain that goal.  A dream without satisfying relationships is a mirage. A vision that doesn't bring hope to our communities is a nightmare. Don't waste the wait.... love God, love people.

Becoming One

  I am preparing to marry two wonderful people on Saturday afternoon in Pensacola, Florida. As I sit here preparing my thoughts for a brief but hopefully meaningful marriage message, I am struck by one powerful verse from the Bible. In Genesis 2:24, 25 we get some powerful insight into the Biblical revelation concerning marriage, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

  I have been meditating on the phrase... and they shall become one flesh.  Two unique people becoming one.... how is that possible? Is that just poetic metaphor trying to capture the sublime wonder of physical union? Or is there something deeper? Is there something that brings a man and a woman together that unites much more than just the physical? There is certainly something uniquely powerful and wondrous in the sexual completeness of a husband and wife dedicated to bring one another pleasure and given the power to reproduce human life together. I believe that becoming one with our spouse is to involve every element of who we are as people: Body, Soul & Spirit.

  Becoming one with our spouse in the true biblical sense involves a 'knowing' far beyond just a physical experience or encounter. To truly know someone involves a life long process of deep intention and commitment... and exploration. For men and women being created in God's image are deeply complex and offer many hidden treasures for the diligent and faithful lover to explore and attend to. To love as God would have us love involves a huge commitment of time, sacrifice and undivided attention and focus. Becoming one is all about process. There is nothing accidental about true intimacy in relationships.  Love from God's perspective and purpose is intentional, planned and engineered with an end in mind. When we really and truly love someone we seek to know every aspect of who they are. We seek to bring pleasure in meaningful ways beyond our own self centered desires and thoughts.  The God kind of love is always seeking to bring lasting satisfaction to the object of his or her desire..... what would bring the one I love the most joy... the most peace.... the most fulfillment.

  We see marriages and relationships collapse all around us largely because we have been sold lust instead of love.  We are enslaved by the physical and lost to the deeper and more enduring spiritual aspects of love.  To believe in another.... to be faithful when all others are found faithless..... to consistently put others before our own temporary and fickle happiness. Those are rare things in our 'modern' world. To be satisfied in our marriage relationship requires a commitment to a life long process of 'becoming one'.  For the believer there is power and a presence beyond ourselves calling us forward into life long intimacy and growth.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 tells us, "A threefold cord is not quickly broken."  When husband and wife immerse themselves in a relationship with God, the power of trinity sweeps into the human covenant of marriage.  Becoming one is in many ways an impossibility apart from God's intervention. Human selfishness is constantly beckoning us to 'look out for #1... ourselves. However, in the gospel of Jesus Christ we find the power of the life laid down for the other.  Jesus displayed brilliantly for us all that, "greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:12)

  Becoming one is God's purpose for marriage.  Marriage is a high calling that when born of and empowered by God acts as an engine of grace in a broken world of lonely souls. Don't settle for less in your relationships than what God promises.  You were born for relationship.  You were born for love.  Let God provide what you can never gain in your own strength.

Be Still

  Do you find it difficult to be still? Are you someone always on the move? The ability to embrace quietness of the soul and inactivity is often a barometer for the condition of our soul. The Psalmist issues an urgent call from God to our hearts, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10)
  We are in desperate need of perspective. Sometimes we are guilty of staying busy for fear of what we might encounter when the noise and busyness stops! When we stop and listen for the voice beyond ourselves we gain a view of reality that will alter our lives for good. The first and central reality we must discover is that we are not the center of the universe! There is a God whose purposes give meaning and direction to all human life and experience. God is to be the central focus of our lives on this planet. God will be exalted.... there is no stopping that and the sooner we join in the chorus of praise, the sooner our lives become whole and healthy.
  We often hear people seeking out a more balanced and healthy lifestyle. We concentrate on the edges and margins of life... an exercise regimen and perhaps a short lived diet. Neither of these are unimportant but when we ignore the spiritual dimension, we might just miss the reason for having good physical health. It's not about strutting your stuff on the edge of the beach... it's for yielding your entire life to the God who shaped and formed you for an amazing life of meaning and purpose. It's in becoming still on the inside and listening to his voice above all others that we find him... and ourselves.
  Be still.... and know, really know the God of the universe... and in knowing him begin to discover who you really are.

Jim

Intimacy Killers: Infidelity

  In order to develop and maintain intimacy in our relationships we must have a character quality known as fidelity.  Fidelity is defined as faithfulness that is steadfast in the face of any temptation to renounce, desert, or betray. Intimacy demands loyalty and devotion to whom we are committed. 

  Infidelity in relationships between men and women is one of the most frequently cited causes for relational failure. It is important we understand the why behind the necessity of faithfulness and fidelity in our relationships. When we go back to our 'relational roots' in the book of Genesis we see that intimacy and satisfaction in relationship was a God idea. Men and women were joined in a mutually satisfying unique creation.... the two were united into one. They were completely intimate, vulnerable, satisfied and without shame. ( see Genesis 2:18-25)

  Infidelity is more than an isolated physical act or relationship outside of marriage. Infidelity is rooted in the false belief that we can find 'what we're looking for' in intimacy outside of a committed relationship. It's a lie that plays upon our broken and sinful nature guaranteeing what it can never deliver. The sin trap begins when we look beyond the truth right in front of us to embrace the lie just beyond us. In the context of relational intimacy, infidelity often begins with lust. Lust is defined as unbridled sexual desire. Lust allows  the eyes and heart to wander outside of what is righteous and true. It seeks to take what it wants. It's not rooted in true love...it demands, it grabs. Lust is rooted in selfish desire though it often acts the part of genuine love. Jesus tells us that 'anyone who even looks on a woman with lust in his eye has  already committed adultery with her in his heart'. In a society and culture saturated with sexual imagery, its little wonder we have so few truly committed and intimate relationships. Betrayal is an act that damages all three dimensions of who we are as men and women. (Body, Soul & Spirit)

  Infidelity impacts our physical, emotional and spiritual selves. Once we cross the line of faithfulness in our marriage, we damage both ourselves and those who we claim to love. If you are married and you seek for intimacy outside of a relationship with your husband or wife, you are guilty of infidelity and in danger of destroying yourself and your spouse.

  There is something uniquely destructive to human beings when we are guilty of sexual immorality. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6 we read, "But our bodies were not made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. And God will raise our bodies from the dead by his marvelous power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead. Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man (or woman) take his body which belongs to Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don't you know that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the scriptures say, "The two become one." But the person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body."

  When we sexually unite with another human we become "one" with that person in every conceivable dimension. There is no such thing as 'casual sex'.  What God created for committed relationship is beautiful and satisfying in the right context. When we take our sexuality and spread it around beyond the safe boundaries of committed love we damage every aspect of our humanity. The intimacy we seek through unbridled sexual relationships often ensures we will never find what we're looking for.

  Real intimacy demands committed and life long relationships which are willing to work through differences, disappointments and disagreements. Intimacy at its core is a spiritual reality that must involve the foundation stones of faith, hope and love. The counterfeits of self, lust and sensuality will never satisfy ultimately. Life long love is built on spiritual substance that will never fail us, never leave us, and never forsake. True intimacy is rooted in the God of love who can make all things new in our relationships. He can heal our broken hearts and give us pure desires. Today, I urge you to forsake infidelity and lust for the real deal of committed love. Intimacy awaits.

After the Storm

When the storm shakes, when the ground quakes

When my heart strains,  when my soul aches

I fall down and listen hard, I need to know your love is near

A whispered word, a turn of phrase, I hear it speak inside

I won't give up, I'm leaning in, I unwrap the hope you've sent

I'm not alone, I see beyond, There's something more beyond the storm

Blue sky dawning, the grey is fading, The Son is coming, I hear the Voice

I'm coming your way, I'm choosing to embrace, I won't let go now

Grace is calling me, back to myself, I'll know who I'm really

When I get to his place

Living Your Dream

  Human beings spend a great deal of time dreaming. We spend fully one third of our lives sleeping..... and thus dreaming. Medical doctors tell us that in order for us to live healthy lives we need a certain type of sleep in order to refresh our bodies physically. They call it REM.... short for rapid eye movement which occurs while we dream.  It is in this phase of sleep that the bodies hormones and cellular functions are restored, strengthened and renewed. Put simply, we all need to dream.

  Dreaming is an activity vital to both physical health as well as for the soul and spirit. God has created man with both a physical self and an inner person who is far more complex than just his or her physical reality. We are born with a desire for fulfillment and purpose in this earthly life. We are born dreamers. When we are raised in a healthy environment of nurture, encouragement and provision we are in a place where our dream life can be healthy and positive. When we are abused, discouraged and neglected our soulish life becomes injured and dysfunctional. Our dreams turn to nightmares. The original purpose for which we have been created is sidetracked till we find healing and unconditional love through Jesus Christ.

  When we grow up or find later in life a community of faith, the dreams we have for ourselves find a soil in which they can grow to maturity. A dream is not a reality overnight. A dream has a long incubation period. Every dream is tested by time, by trial, by temptation and by treachery.

  The first temptation for the dreamer is to prematurely share their vision, dreams and hopes with insecure and jealous people. What God is often calling us to is so uplifting and encouraging to us  that it produces suspicion and jealousy in people who are insecure or hurt by their own failures. A wise dreamer holds their dream close to home while growing in maturity and taking steady steps in the direction of a dreams destination.

  A dream from God however true and noble will be fulfilled ultimately in a process of ongoing personal maturity. We grow into our dream as opposed to inheriting it. The bigger the dream, the more personal struggle and adversity needed to shape us into our dreams.  God fulfills his destiny in our lives by "working all things together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose (dream). (Romans 8:28)  You see, God has a dream too. Our dreams need to conform to his will and purposes in our world. Ultimately, our destiny as dreamers needs to be wrapped around character and conformity to God..... "He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29) Personal ego and pride take our original purpose and distort it into an ugly visage of self worship.

  To be drawn into the future with a God given dream life is a healthy and necessary part of a healthy life style. Parents and friends who want the best for those they love should be dream leaders ( i.e. much like cheer leaders) cheering on those they love in prayer, counsel, provision and encouragement. But alas, due to our own selfishness, unbelief and insecurity. we often hold back people who have expressed their dreams to us. Sometimes we want people to do 'what we want' or we fear the cost of failure and risk for those closest to us. Faith demands an element of risk..... and failure. When we discourage dreamers we inevitably  ensure the destruction and weakening of faith itself.

  So often in churches we find a generational disconnect from parent to child. We want our children to believe...but when we demand of them a lifestyle and direction that looks just like us, we kill the dream process and ensure a prodigal lifestyle. Running away from parents, church and institution just might be needed for a dream to be birthed in the next generation of risk takers....better known as believers.

  Today, we need to release people to dream and experience a connection with God in a fresh revelation of his creativity and compassion for a broken world. Dreamers need freedom.....not constraint and control. Dreamers need unconditional love and space to fail forward in a broken world in need of change and transformation. Dreamers who are released unconditionally, have something we all desperately need in times of transition and change: The Future.

Jim