What does it take?

 

As a child I was overworked.  My parents made me do practically everything around the house.  It was my job to clean my room, haul firewood into the house, feed and water the pigs, weed the garden, dry and put away the supper dishes, take out the garbage, feed the dog and anything else my parents assigned, which included just about everything.  Sure, my older brother helped…if you actually call shaking your face, day dreaming and laughing, help. 

I remember sitting at home in front of the television enjoying a well deserved break from all of my back breaking labor, while my mother was cooking up supper and my dad was shoveling 28 inches of snow off of the roof.  Just as I was finding a moment to breathe, my mother began barking orders for me to set the table while at the same time my dad burst into the house and insisted that I add more wood to the furnace.  Do you see what I mean? OVERWORKED!!

I grudgingly left my beloved Hogan’s Heroes and told my older brother that Mom wanted him to set the table and my little brother that Dad wanted him to  add wood to the furnace.  I then sat back down to watch more of Sergeant Schultz…feeling completely exhausted. 

I remember bringing this to the attention of my parents during one particularly laborious Saturday afternoon.  “Ugh…I can’t wait until I have my own kids so I can make THEM do all the work!”

These filled both of my parents with a great deal of mirth.  So much so in fact that supper was late because my mother could not stop laughing enough to get the ground burger into the pan let alone on my bun. 

I have taken the liberty of instilling this same work ethic into my own children.  They too have had to learn to do their own chores.  My children, however, have it so much easier.  For example, as opposed to having to wash and dry the dishes by hand, all they are required to do is empty “their” portion of the dishwasher.  Yet, this simple task has, at times, proven to be too laborious for my offspring.  One of my sweet laborers, who had been merely assigned to put the flatware away at the completion of each wash cycle, deemed it too extreme and defaulted to dumping the flatware into the drawer entirely unsorted, rather than neatly away as required.

After emphasizing my desired outcome, I expected the silverware drawer to look different.  Yet, day after day it looked as if an earthquake has struck the utensil drawer.  Even after expressing my exasperation and frustration…still no change. Finally, with veins protruding from my forehead I asked, “Seriously! What does it take? What does it take to get you to put knives where the knives belong…and the spoons where the spoons belong…etc!!.”

“I don’t know” She said.

“How about this!  For every fork that is out of place, you pay me $1.  For every knife…$1, and for every spoon $1!

“What!? One dollar for each! I can’t afford that!”

“Exactly! So please, take the extra time and put it away right! It will be like you are making money!”

I am please to say that to this day, our flatware drawer has never looked better!

When we encounter the portion of scripture found in Matthew 11:16-28, we find a similar question evidenced.  Jesus speaks of his works and miracles in the cities where he has been ministering and in a sense is asking the question, “What does it take? What does it take for you to believe and repent?”

What about us?  What would it take for us to believe in Jesus?  What would it take to trust him with everything?

It is a good question to ask…and an even better question to find the answer to. 

May we come to believe and trust in all that Jesus has to offer.

 Excpectations Gap

I expected to post this sooner. But then again I expected the weatherman to be wrong…or right…which he was I guess neither and both.  Before my son is slated to head off to his second semester of college tomorrow and we decided to have one last hurrah ice fishing up north.  Additionally, I expected the fishing to be decent, with crappies practically jumping out of my hole and into my bucket.

Truth be told my expectations were left unachieved.  The bite was slow and the snow forecast was not as proclaimed.  After not catching a limit of crappies, we loaded up our equipment and pointed the truck toward home. 

We encountered more snow than expected…earlier than expected…and more traffic than expected.  It was an absolute mess! What could potentially take an hour and 15 minutes, our manic drive home took nearly 3 hours. 

To top it off, I expected my truck heater to keep the windshield clear of ice and water.  No such luck. 

Life is full of expectations that are not fulfilled in the way that we anticipated.  Whether it be marriage, parenting, Vikings games or weather forecasts…our expectations are rarely fulfilled as we…well…expect.

We find that expectations of Jesus are often different from the reality that we experience.  As we know, God’s ways are not our ways.  In Matthew 11:1-19, we find that Jesus confronts this “expectations gap.”  People had expectations of who Jesus was and what he came to do, including John the Baptist. 

May we come to see the reality of who Jesus really is…not who we “want” him to be…but who he really is!

 Unfriended

I recently came to a realization and honestly, I am not sure how I feel about it.  I just became aware that I have absolutely ZERO Facebook friends. This revelation made me sad.  I believe that most people have at least one Facebook friend, but here I am…with none.  I brought this problem to the attention of my wife.

“Sarah, I don’t have any Facebook friends.”

“I know that.” She said.

“I feel sad about this.”

“Look at the bright side…since you do not have any Facebook friends, you don’t have to worry about ever being ‘unfriended.” 

“Well, don’t you feel bad for me and stuff?”

“I feel bad for you that you are concerned that you don’t have any Facebook friends.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you don’t HAVE a Facebook account.”

It is possible that part of that conversation is imaginary, yet something within me is indeed wrestling with this reality of friendship.  I remember my first experience of being “unfriended.” 

The event took place in my 1^st grade classroom and it preceded both Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg. One morning Johnny approached me and asked if I would be his friend.  I saw no problem with this so I readily agreed. 

“Sure Johnny.”

“Great! Now that we are friends, you can’t be friends with Eric anymore.”

“Huh?! Why not?”

“Because…that’s the way it is. If you want to be friends, then you can’t be friends with Eric.”

I must admit, that even in 1^st grade this seemed very Jr. High, though it would be several years before I would come to realize the irony. 

After being given no other rationale to the preposterous protocol, I went about my day, only to find Johnny had passed me a note via the hands of Lucinda.  I read the note which pronounced that I had just been unfriended by Johnny for violating rule 103b sub paragraph 3.4 stating that “Frienship with Johnny shall terminate where-in a friendly conversation is ensued toward or in relationship with Eric.”

“Huh,” I thought, and came to realize that my half day friendship with Johnny had ended before it ever really got started.

As I reflect on this past event, it is obvious that the invitation was anything but genuine.  To this day I still have no concept as to what motivated the brief, but fake friendship. But I do know this; Johnny was never interested in really being friends. It is clear that there were ulterior motives lurking among the invitation for friendship.

Likewise, our thoughts, words and actions as a follower of Christ can appear genuine on the outside, but may be far too often laced with selfish motivations.  Perhaps where these expressions generate from is the real indicator to our beliefs…after all, Jesus himself said, out of the heart the mouth speaks. 

Matthew 10:1-42, is an extensive passage, where Jesus gives instruction and reveals expectations to the 12 disciples as he sends them out.  I am struck by the concluding moment, where Jesus invites them to offer up a “cup  of cold water” to the least of ones they may meet. 

Is it really about the water?  I don’t think so.  I think it is about the heart behind the water. 

May the testimony of a cup of cold water reveal the Christ who has changed our hearts that offer it.

Pure

One sunny spring day I walked into the store.  I was sweating, not from the heat, as it was a cool day, but rather from the stress.  Never had I been quite so anxious about walking into a store before.  My heart was thumping against the inside of my chest like a caffeine hyped hamster in a snake tank.  My palms were sweating. My throat was dry and my pocket was bulging with 200 one dollar bills.

I hadn’t taken two steps past the sliding glass doors, when a tall man in a dark suit named Andre accosted me, “Hello sir, what can I help you with today?”  His French accent was smooth…and fake.  (I had watched enough Pink Panther movies to know that much.)

“Well…umm…I guess I am looking for a ring…I’m just looking though…you hear me!?...just trying to see what is out there.” I stated with mock authority.

“Of course, of course, Monsieur. Might I ask what the occasion for such a ring might be?  Class ring? College Ring? Or perhaps, it is…how do you say, something a little more special?”

“An engagement ring…or wedding ring…or whatever…I am not sure which is which and stuff.”

“Congratulations! Right this way Moi Garcon. She said oui then?”

“Well…umm…no, not exactly.  I haven’t asked her yet.”

“Of course, of course! A little surprise for the girl, oui?”

“Umm yes.”

Andre led me to a vast display of rings.  As he did I had wished that I had brought my sunglasses to shield my eyes from the shine of the glittering diamonds and gold. 

The fake Frenchman opened a glass case and pulled out the largest ring resting amid the vast array of options.  The diamond was the size if an almond and as the light struck the facets I fully expected John Travolta to leap out of the back room and dance to Staying Alive under the disco ball like light.

“This is a nice one! It is a full carat marquee cut, very nice…very nice.”

Apparently he had not noticed the Pizza Hut uniform that I donned, as I was on my way to my next delivery shift.

“How much is it?

“Very good diamond, very high quality,”

“How much”

“How do you put a price tag on your love?”

“Easy…is it over $200?”

“Oh…I see,” said Andre, his French accent being suddenly replaced with common upper Midwestern. 

He slipped the ring back into the case and waved me further down the line of cases.  Near the very end, tucked into a corner was a small case of about 5 rings.  “Maybe something like this is more in your realm.”

I pointed to a dainty and simple ring with what I felt was a respectable diamond and asked, “Tell me about this one?”

“Sure, it’s simple…maybe a bit plain…1/4 carat…but if you like it.”

“Are there any flaws in the diamond?”

“Ha! We don’t sell flawed diamonds…here let me show you.”

He took the diamond and placed it under the magnifying machine and said, “Take a look.”

I did so. I noticed a couple of tiny black spots and white streaks. 

“What about those black spots and that white streak?” I asked.

“Oh…well every diamond has some of those…that is to be expected.  There really is no such thing as a 100% pure diamond.  Three factors are used to evaluate diamonds; cut, clarity and carat.” He said.

“Are they not still considered flaws?”

“Ehh…kind of…but not really…”

It didn’t make sense to me, but I let it go.  I told him that I would take it and provided him with every dollar in my pocket…which covered a mere 25%.  I came back several weeks later after I had earned enough tip money to pay for the remaining balance.

This has caused me to wonder, is there anything in life that is 100% pure? Even what is known as pure raw honey has impurities, though the antibacterial properties keep it from spoiling.  We can purify water, killing perhaps all bacteria and still when the liquid makes contact with your glass it has suddenly become unpurified.  Our disinfectant wipes only kill 99.9% of germs. You get the idea…is anything really pure?

I have come to learn that I have no mental compartment to contain what it would mean to be “totally pure.” Yet, Scripture has a word for it…the word is HOLY.  God is HOLY.  He is the great I AM…the Holy One.  JESUS…IS…THE I AM…JESUS IS THE HOLY ONE.

John 8:12-58, reveals Jesus as the I AM! He is pure and he is Holy!

The pure and Holy one of God…God himself, came to be born and laid in the most impure place…the world…in a cave…with animals…in a feed trough. 

May we see that the HOLY ONE of God has come.  He is Immanuel…God with us…the Great I AM.

 GPS (A Light has Dawned)

 

I have hunted deer in the North Woods of Minnesota for 37 years.  Astoundingly, I have never missed a hunting season in the vast northern wilderness.  There may come a day when I am no longer able to navigate the challenging hills and valleys of the tumultuous topography, hopefully not until the day that I am dead.    

My affection for this land runs deep.  It began many years before my 12 year old maiden voyage into a deer stand.  Even as a preschool boy, my dad used to take me and my brothers into the forest each October in preparation for the upcoming November hunt. 

For nearly 45 years I have been navigating these lands, committing all of the ridges and vales to memory.  I know this land exceptionally well and yet on several occasions I have found myself in a position where I no longer knew where I was. 

On one such morning, I led my son to his stand while it was still dark and began to walk the relatively short distance to my own stand.  Unfortunately, I could not seem to find my regular trail and wandered aimlessly for 45 minutes looking for any sign of my trail or my stand.  My son would later express his confusion as to why the light of my headlamp was wandering all over the woods while it was still dark that morning.  In order to save my dignity, I assured him that I was just trying to trample down all of the brush around his stand to give him a clearer shot, should the opportunity arise.   

After working up a fully drenching sweat and finding my glasses fogged thicker than grandma’s mashed potatoes, I flopped myself down on the side of a hill, exhausted and blind.  By this time it was fully light and still nothing looked familiar.  I had meandered for nearly an hour on familiar knolls and dales and yet had no idea of which direction to head.  I could head south and eventually find the road, but I knew that I could not be all that far from my stand and so I resisted the notion to completely start over. 

At this time I slid out of my backpack, pulled out my water bottle and took a big draft.  Next, I dug deep into the bottom of the pack and found my GPS.  I powered up the handheld device and waited several minutes for the unit to lock into the satellites and triangulate my position. 

Once my position was found, I commanded the device to take me to waypoint #1…”Ryan’s Stand”.  I selected “Go to,” and instantly, I knew where I was and where I needed to go.   I was a mere 75 yards south west of where I needed to be.  A few minutes later I was in sitting in my stand, with my sweat soaking the ground below me. 

I believe that every human being has suffered this same fate…though in a spiritual sense.  I fear that far too often however, we never realize that the answer is there right before us…and we never turn to the proverbial GPS. 

In roughly 740 BC, God gave a prophecy to a man named Isaiah.  To this man God said, “A world living in darkness has seen a great light, on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned…for unto us a child is born, a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders and he will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God everlasting father, prince of peace….He will reign on David’s throne…forever.”

Approximately 800 years later this prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus.  Jesus himself speaks of this light that is fulfilled in him, but says that “people loved the darkness instead of the light.”

We have the answer…it has been given to us…we simply have to put our trust in Him and not ourselves.  He is the light…He is the way…and I am not.

May we come to see Jesus as the light and follow his ways and not our own ways this Christmas.

Watermelon

I remember my Social Studies textbook sitting open atop my desk in Mrs. Wright’s 4th grade classroom.  It was not uncommon, that I would find myself in a panic as I awaited my turn to read the one of the upcoming paragraphs.  Mrs. Wright would regularly have each student take a turn reading one paragraph at a time from the assigned portion of the day’s unit.  I rarely listened to what the other students read, rather, I spent my time counting students and paragraphs in order to identify which paragraph would be my assigned portion.  Once I found the prospective section, I would attempt to read it over several times before the arrival of my turn, so that I could read it smoothly and avoid embarrassing myself any more than my poor reading skill usually warranted.  Despite my preparatory efforts, Anna Harrington usually derailed it by reading her paragraph flawlessly…and then the next one…and the next one…throwing the whole rhythm of the unified recitation. Anna would continue to expel the words fluently from her lips…the lips of the devil if you ask me. 

On one occasion, I recall Mrs. Wright blowing my dyslexic mind by saying, “Everyone…take a moment and look at the picture on the bottom of page 61.  What do you think of that image?”  It was a famous picture depicting the revolutionary war.  The image included a piccolo-ist with a bandaged head along with a couple of drummers and someone carrying a very tattered version of an early U.S. flag.  I don’t recall all of the details but I do remember Mrs. Wright stating with pleasure, “You know a picture is worth a thousand words!”

“Wow!” I thought.  “If Social text books could be written with strictly pictures it may solve all of my reading problems.”

The words are important.  Words express thoughts and ideas.  Words contain power, but not all words are true.  I remember my dad telling me one time that I had a watermelon growing in my belly after I had swallowed a watermelon seed.  Needless to say, I believed him.  In fact, not only did I believe him…I worried about the excessive fruit growing in my belly for the next couple of months.  Honestly I was scared to death! I had no idea what this would do to me…and how in the world would I ever get it out!  I had heard of mothers having babies and they always talked about the excessive pain in child birth…is that what this was going to be like?

Six to eight weeks after the initial lie from my father I asked him, “Dad, how long does it take for a watermelon to grow?”

“Most of the summer, why do you ask?”

“Because I swallowed that watermelon seed.”

“Oh yeah! I forgot about that.  Let me see your belly.”

I showed him.

“Yep, looks like it is growing to me!”

This did nothing to ease my panic.

Here I am 43 years later and no watermelon has passed…at least that I am aware of.

I have come to believe that the things that we say should reflect who we really are at all times.  Despite the fact that I believe this…I do not live this.  Perhaps this is one reason why John 1:1-14 is so impactful to me.  This powerful passage speaks of Jesus as being the very Word of God…and that Word is God.  Jesus is the expression of God himself…in the flesh. Everything that God says is trustworthy and true.  Jesus is full expression of God’s truth and love to mankind. 

May we come to see the truth of who was really placed in that manger more than 2000 years ago…it was God himself…in the flesh…named Jesus.

 The Sheep and the Wolf

I remember my first varsity wrestling match. I was in 8^th grade and worked off 7 lbs to drop to the next weight class and claim a spot on the Wadena Varsity Wrestling Team.  I still recall the excitement of running out with the team under the low lit gymnasium and the pep band playing an anthem by Queen.  As I ran around the circle, second from the front, I almost believed that I…even I…a lowly 8^th grader at 112 lbs…would in fact… “Rock You!” as the song suggested. 

Despite my brief wave of confidence, I was quickly brought down to reality as our 103 lbs wrestler, the first of the night, received a quick forfeit and propelled my time to shine to the forefront.

Beings that this was my first varsity match ever…and that I was a mere 8^th grader…and the fact that I was going up against a state ranked senior…I was a strong underdog. 

After our sweat-less 103 pounder received his hand raising and walked off the mat; the coach gave me a swat on the back side and said, “Go get him!”

Even at this young age I was a believer in my Savior Jesus Christ, and so I took to the scriptures to find comfort.   However, the only passage that I could bring forth from the nether reaches of my mind was, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves…you will be hated…don’t be afraid of those who can kill the body…we are considered sheep to be slaughtered…”

This was not comforting…it was terrifying.  Yet, there was no other choice before me.  It was my job to walk out onto the center of the mat and do battle with an elite wrestler 5 years my senior. 

The outcome however was better than I had expected…it only took 34 seconds.  My opponent graciously helped peel me off the mat after he had laid me out with a half-nelson that nearly broke my neck.  He smiled at me, we shook hands and he said to me as the referee raise his hand, “Good match.”

Obviously this guy didn’t have any qualms about lying.

This passage in Matthew 10 is a challenging scripture for sure.  In this text we find Jesus taking the time to describe what his disciples (and followers of Christ) should expect as they continue to follow him and do the things that he is asking them to do.

Yet, woven throughout these verses, we find a canvas of encouragement.  In no way do the commands of Jesus seem easy, however, the love of God is revealed and it is good! 

When we truly come to learn to put our trust in Jesus, we will live our lives as a testimony to him.  Jesus tells us that this testimony that we live will lead to heavy persecution, but the eternal promises of God…are worth every bit of it.

May we come to live our lives as a testimony of the saving grace of our great Savior…trusting that He will do all that he says that he will do!