Prosperity!

I thought that a little perspective and musing on the topic of “prosperity” might be a good thing as a new year begins.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV), “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Question: What sort of prosperity do you think disciples of Jesus experience? G.K. Chesterton is credited with saying, ”Jesus promised his disciples three things—that they would be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble.”

  

Chesterton’s statement starts out great but has a troubling finish (no pun intended). What is that trouble he refers to? Deep down I know what it is and it challenges me. I ask myself if I’m one of those who pray for God’s will in my life but I have another track of my will and goals that try to steer clear of the “trouble”. How often do I pray that I would have God-honoring devotion in my life, to my ministry work, toward my career, toward my business ... especially in troubles? I wonder how many truly pray for God’s plan, God’s outcome – whatever troubles may come and rest in the day to day battles that present themselves as part of the prosperity that He promises? How many people live lives of challenges and setbacks, victories and disappointments that they lay equally at the foot of the Cross no matter what? How many struggle with unbelief and disobedience but cling to God, repent and appeal to His grace and mercy - and grow?

“ We can stand affliction better than we can withstand prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God.”  ~ D.L. Moody

Os Hillman pointed out in a recent TGIF devotional titled “Elevated From The Pasture” that, “Joseph’s greatest test was not his temptation to be bitter against his brothers. It wasn’t the sexual temptation that came inside Potiphar’s house. It wasn’t even the discouragement of years of imprisonment for being wrongfully accused. It was the temptation of prosperity and ownership. Once he was elevated, he was given choices that he never had before. It was totally up to him as to which choice he would make. Stewardship reveals what we believe about God and ourselves.”

I should make this clear; God is not predisposed to disfavor the affluent. God led Joseph to affluence. In fact, God favors the affluent - who are good stewards of their affluence. Consider Zacchaeus and a host of others in the Bible who were available to God with themselves and the fruits of their prosperity. 

The author of the best selling book, Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby, points out that our character determines our assignment. The Bible is full of the stories of great men and woman who submitted to God’s will and plan. a few willingly, many not so much, some even unwittingly. Many suffered, most waited, many endured setback after setback. In the end God came through. There was a resulting prosperity. In the process, character was developed. In whose hands was their character development? In whose hands do we relinquish our trust and belief? Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen. Does our faith have this sort of substance? Does our faith show evidence of things unseen?

Prosperity, when we define it our way, is an illusive thing - and fleeting. There should be no doubt that the prosperity that God has in mind for us is not at all the sort of prosperity that this world defines for us. His prosperity is other worldly prosperity. Pray for prosperity but know what sort of thing God has in mind when you do.        

Many of us struggle with unbelief. As we endeavor to point ourselves toward that standard of total reliance on God we go from wishful thinking to trusting belief when it comes to some of the goals we set and our expectations of the characteristics of a good life. In Mark 9:23-24 we find a story of a father of a possessed child who approaches Jesus for a cure and encounters the grace of God. The scripture goes like this; “Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes’. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” I am so taken by the account of this man’s honesty before Jesus about his unbelief. He is so transparent. And Jesus tolerates him and blesses him. I too believe but am often reminded of my unbelief. That is double-mindedness. And so blessings are often withheld as my character is developed. I don’t know about you but if all things are possible to him who believes then that “belief” Jesus is referring to is not always what I think it is. Jesus’ sort of belief requires His mind and heart.

So let me lay out these verses … James 4:13-16 (NKJV), “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”   The presumptuousness of it - eh?         

With those verses from the Book of James in mind I must say that many people pray to God for prosperity and success and their pleas often come with an expected outcome in mind. It’s hard not to get the impression that these people view God as some sort of genie in a bottle who is rubbed from time to time to dispense favors. You can count me in that group. I’m guilty of limiting God to my definition of success, prosperity and outcome – not His. And I’ve prayed “let’s make a deal” too – like anything that I have to offer is something God really needs. The Apostle Paul himself laments of this in Romans 8:26, "... for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

It often goes like this: I’m going to set my goals and do it my way and when that doesn’t work I’ll cry out to God, maybe even try to bargain with Him and if the outcome I have in mind still doesn’t manifest - I’ll question God. This kind of praying just shows me how shallow my faith has been and how little I think of God.

When I was a young and aspiring professional, a man of “great expectations” you might say, I spent a few years in commercial real estate development in the late 1980s. To be specific, I started in 1987. Those of you who may recall that time will know that it was the period of another great recession led by what is now called “Black Monday” in October 1987. Along with a stock market decline of nearly 25%, the bottom fell out of the real estate market. You could do everything right and the outcome was wrong. Prosperity eluded me. It was discouraging. I didn’t know God as I do now and I remember being angry and frustrated. Outcomes were out of my control. So I worked harder and grasped at superficial victories and sought an alternative route to prosperity in a more secure corporate setting. That “solution” eventually ran its course of disappointment as well.

I remember a elderly gentleman I came to know during that recession who owned a lot of income properties in an affluent section of Rhode Island. He was considered "prosperous". He took a liking to me (I think he took me under his wing) and he’d treat me to lunch at his favorite delicatessen every now and then. He's ask how I was doing and in a "professor-ly" manner help me understand the ins and outs of the local real estate market. He drove an old diesel Mercedes Benz with cracked leather seats that oozed yellow foam and a falling headliner. The radio was broken and the car made a chugging sound as it ambled down the street belching sooty diesel exhaust. The car was reliable though - it always started.

I wouldn’t have called this man “rich”, more like “wealthy”. He could have driven any car he wished and bought and sold most people in that city many times over. One thing that drew me to him was that he radiated confidence and contentment. He loved what he did and nothing rocked this man. He always ate a liverwurst sandwich with a thick slice of onion, brown spicy mustard and a kosher dill spear on the side washed down with a bottle of some locally made root beer. I forget what I had. But I remember one time sitting at a little table behind the potato chip rack in the corner of that little deli with our sandwiches sitting atop the white wrapping paper that overwhelmed the table and this fellow asked me how I liked my sandwich. It was a good sandwich. Then he said this, “You know you can only eat one sandwich at a time. Can that satisfy you?” What that man said and how he lived held a key to contentment.           

We pluck verses from scripture that promise prosperity (like Jeremiah 29:11 quoted above …) or “the desires of our heart” (as in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” ) or for God to give us influence and authority (like the prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10, “ And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!”) But we take these verses out of God’s context and pray them in our context.

God has a plan - His plan. The “desire of our heart” is something He plants deep inside us that resonates with His plan. We have to stir it up and He will help us do just that if we invite Him to do so. Our own desires and plans may or may not be realized - God is gracious much more than we know.

We often confuse what we think our desires are for what He has placed in our heart. We confuse what the world and others think our heart’s desires should be and we neglect to go to God first with this plea, “God what is the desire of my heart that You have placed in me where I will find the joyful, peaceful, successful and prosperous outcomes that You have intended for me?”

Prosperity, as a word, conjures thoughts of success, power, influence and affluence. Here are some words that describe the biblical Hebrew and Greek meanings of the English word “Prosper” (e.g. to prosper) found in God’s promises of it in the Bible;

To:

·        be tranquil

·        be secure

·        be happy

·        be content

·        be safe

·        be prudent and skillful

·        understand

·        have wisdom

·        be wise

·        guide wittingly

·        push forward

·        break out from

·        come mightily

·        “go over”

·        “cause to”

·        be profitable

·        reach a destination

·        finish a journey

·        receive help along the road

To me the concept captured by the descriptions above regarding biblical prosperity is not all about destination but more of a state of character qualities, a state of being and prowess, a state of protection, a source of confidence and a demeanor of energy and power to carry in oneself as a journey or adventure unfolds.

As I look out into 2014 I am being careful to try to articulate visions of a future and to ask God to help me with the condition of my heart in the various areas of my life that contribute to my character and His definition of prosperity. Will my prosperity be for myself only? Is one sandwich enough? Are the things I aim to accomplish of any eternal relevance? Who am I lifting up? Who am I investing in? What am I responsible for? What mission am I on?

The question that remains for me is this; Am I and can I be satisfied with God’s form of prosperity.

So – in this context I truly wish you a prosperous New Year!

Blessings,

 Bill 

Plowing Rocks

In New England we boast many historical features. One such feature, albeit more obscure than most are our “rock walls”. These walls are not unique to New England but we do have a lot of them. At one point in history much of New England had been stripped of trees and was farmed. To this day as you ride down an interstate highway or country road beside what looks like a well wooded forest you will see random stone walls race in and out of view along odd lines and angles that may not make any sense relative to property and fence lines that exist today.

Like spectral ghosts of the past these walls conjure images of the people, now long gone, who built them one stone at a time – so long ago. The fact is that those wooded forests of today are mostly secondary growth on ancient farm fields retaken by nature. The walls were created over time by farmers as they cleared forests and meadows of tress, pulled or burned out the stumps, cleared brush and then plowed the virgin fields. The rocks were plentiful (as anyone will attest who has dug a fence post hole in these parts) and the farmers would deposit the stones at the edges of their fields – one by one. Backbreaking work. Larger rocks may have been initially “steered around” until another helper could assist in hauling it to the side of the field. Perhaps a wagon followed the plow and the rocks were deposited there.

The rocks or stones were so plentiful that the resulting “piles” became a nuisance and so the farmers painstakingly stacked them like puzzles into narrow walls. In time these walls became convenient property line markers and also served as defensive barriers during conflicts and hiding places for valuables. Treasure hunters to this day will recover artifacts and valuables from remote walls, items hidden there secretly in the stones away from their homestead.

Some of the rocks encountered would have been huge and require teams of horses and men to move. Once “harvested” these individuals would be used for construction in foundations or hewn into shape for window and door frames, entrance thresholds, mantels or gateways. If a rock was too stubborn, anchored and established in its location it might be left where it lay and plowed around - a barren monument in the midst of an otherwise fertile and fruit bearing field.

Believers who share their faith in New England often refer to the kingdom building efforts in their mission “field” as that of “plowing rocks”.

Once a sphere of influence (a field) has been established the spiritual farmer sets about determining the boundaries and clearing the ground for planting. Every square foot is precious with potential. And so the plowing begins and every "rock" encountered is dealt with; big or small. As these rocks are converted they become, like living stones, a living structure, a church, a body that defends the field and provides a haven in which to take refuge and produce fruit. 

“You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” ~ 1 Peter 2:5

A farmer’s commitment entails season after season in the field - long after the initial clearing. It will take many seasons before all the rocks are identified and united with the wall. The farmer becomes a stone handler, wall builder and a wall repairer in the process. All of it built on THE Rock. With every successive season the field yields greater crops and the harvester may enter adjacent wild fields for clearing, plowing, rock harvesting and planting. Once a farmer, once a harvester, once a stone handler, once a church builder always a farmer, always a harvester always a handler and builder. There is no turning back on this work, there is no where else to go.

"For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building."

~ 1 Corinthians 3:9

And every once in a while, even in the most established of fields, an amazing thing occurs. A stone is uncovered that somehow was missed by the plow after so many seasons. The discovery is a reason for rejoicing and that rock is cradled and brought to rest with the others. And there is always a place for that rock with its unique shape and form and it fits just so in the body of the wall.        

 Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” ~ Luke 9:62

Blessings,

Bill

Taken as I am

A whisper suggested that I do it. A whisper that called me to take a retreat day with the theme “Forgive everyone who has ever let me down”. A curious assignment. It turned out to be a long and deep day.

My thoughts brought me back to my childhood, schools, college and jobs. My mind recalled faces of my own family growing up, close and distant  relatives, friends, bosses and co-workers. Pastors and fellow believers flashed before my mind’s eye as I purged whatever perceptions I had ever held of being “let down” by anyone. And it didn’t stop there. There were also all the institutions and organizations that had, in my view, let me down when I had counted on them for something or some vague idea of an expectation or outcome.

Deflection of responsibility? Entitlement mentality? Call it what you wish but all of us reflect on these disappointments. And they hold us back. They snare us in the past. They take our spirit hostage. They are food for self pity and self deification.

I’m on the list of those who have let others down. Maybe even you who are reading this. Despite my best intentions, I have let many down. We are all human, lazy, distracted and often self absorbed. We tend to care for ourselves first. 

Try it some time – to forgive everyone or thing that has ever let you down. Start from the beginning and be honest. When you go through the list and run out of faces there will be one left who, if it has been revealed to you as a Christian, stands alone without blame. That is Jesus. If you chose to blame Jesus, however, well then you may be entering the “self-pity” zone.

I needed that retreat day to truly reveal to me the ABSOLUTE DEPENDABILITY of Jesus. He has truly never let me down. And here’s the real kicker – I’ve been very wrong to depend on others and so very remiss by not depending on Him, the One who is truly dependable and worthy of the most intimate of relationships.

Why have I been this way?

In the days that followed that retreat I struggled with the realization of my relative in-dependence of Jesus and over-dependence on other things. Lo and behold, out of the blue, a “movie” was re-introduced to me.

“Good Will Hunting” won 2 Academy Awards in 1998. Aside from its unfortunately gratuitous coarse language, the movie has a message of redemption. There is an exchange between Will Hunting (played by Matt Damon) and his Therapist (played by Robin Williams) in which Will is asked how his relationship with a girl is going and Will says words to this effect, “It’s perfect right now and I don’t want to ruin it.” What is implied is that Will doesn’t want to get more intimate for fear that the reality of who she is (imperfect) and who he is (imperfect) will be a tragic disappointment and the end of their budding courtship. By taking no risk he avoids what he fears and we all know that he will miss out on the adventure of life. To quit is to take charge of the outcome by guaranteeing that there is no outcome at all – good or bad. What he misses is the possibility of the good through risk and stepping up and out into the unknown, the uncertain, on faith and belief.

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” ~ Hebrews 11:1 

But we are all imperfect and we know it. We say it in generic ways and we proclaim our imperfections with a chorus from our lips at church. But this is intimate stuff at its core and we don’t always practice what we profess with our lips. In private we shrink from His presence as if the words of Psalm 139 didn’t apply to us;

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.” (NKJV verses 1-10)

And our imperfection shames us and our pride prevents us from approaching the Throne of Life that calls us to come as imperfect as we are. And still we shy away.

Bang! There it is; the fundamental essence of it. Jesus never fails and TAKES ME AS I AM. I cannot clean myself up enough. There is no way I can let Him down. With all my shame and all my weakness and all my faults – I am taken as I am. He is THE power, He is my power and He gives me authority over what ever tries to stand between me and Him.

But we don’t let Him in, and we don’t rely on Him. We try and then we fall back to relying, instead, on an imperfect world and on imperfect people with all their good intentions who cannot help but let us down.

That which we truly depend on is what we give power to over the outcome.

What do you depend on? Is it yourself? Someone else? A job? A boss? A university? A business? A career? A formula? A diet? An organization? A title? Do any of these truly accept you as you are? What do they want from you? Do they have all power to perform? Can they guarantee an outcome? Jesus does.

I’m tired of hiding behind, transferring ownership to and placing my expectations on what is imperfect. I need to remember this daily and to truly let everyone off the hook and simply love them while I embrace the only One I need to and should rely upon - JESUS.

Jesus knows the end from the beginning and He does all things well.

Blessings,

Bill

THE Way To Wisdom

There are two systems at work around us and through us; a world system and a heavenly system. One is anchored in what is below and temporal and the other in what is above and eternal. In the middle we are suspended in a sort of tug-of-war.

In human "condition" parlance there is a notion that, as human beings experiencing life we exist and are exposed to environmental stimuli, data, information and circumstances that we process with our mind and convert into knowledge. We then take this knowledge and through circumstance and experience develop an understanding and from that we develop a sort of wisdom - over time. I would call this a worldly wisdom and it is a self-relative wisdom. It is wisdom anchored in our unique personal experience interpreted in terms of whatever values we develop over time. As such it is self-centered wisdom.

In the worldly wisdom model our experience is: Stimulus >to> Information >to> Knowledge >to> Understanding … leading to a worldly wisdom - our wisdom. In the end, with this approach, it is our understanding that leads to our wisdom. Wisdom from others (parents or mentors) may be imparted and become ours if we submit to it. But who has not had to learn from experience despite the warnings of those who have gone before them? There is a significant element of pride in wisdom derived from our experience. Worldly wisdom can take a lifetime to develop.

 There is another wisdom - wisdom from above - Godly wisdom. This sort of wisdom need not take a lifetime to develop - it is a gift. The Bible says a lot about that wisdom and here are a few of many such mentions; 

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 3:17  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

Proverbs 2:2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding;

Proverbs 4:5-7 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of My mouth.  Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

Proverbs 24:3 Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;

In the Godly Wisdom system the order is first wisdom, then understanding and knowledge. Wisdom is God’s Word that, through love expressed by faith, trust and obedience, becomes understanding. When we submit to His Word we receive wisdom directly from the top and it trickles down into understanding and knowledge of the truth.

And so with God’s Wisdom first, we convert it into understanding the world around us by trusting in it and so we are established. Seek first His Word and what occurs around and to you will be sorted out in truth. God is the Word, God is Wisdom. Wisdom is the first of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom is the watershed of the Christian life. God’s order of Wisdom to understanding to knowledge is the opposite of the order of worldly wisdom. This paradox, in my view, validates its eternal authenticity.

Wisdom has been defined as ‘the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting.’ Godly wisdom is that and so much more because it is everlasting and bringing peace that surpasses understanding.

Paul exhorts the Philippians in Chapter Four (verses 6 thru 8) of his letter to them to, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” God’s Word, His Wisdom, His Peace is a collection of such things.

Beware that there is a very real tug-of-war in the pursuit of this thing called wisdom. It is a war between worldly and Godly wisdom and the Bible has this to say about that in 1 Corinthians 1:19, For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Blessings,

Bill

What Cannot Be Done?

As we submit ourselves to God’s will we will be challenged to enter into and join God’s plan, God’s work – God’s God-sized ambitions that He means to accomplished through His people by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our character will determine our assignment.

By world standards and by the fleshy lens through which we look His plan is dim, fuzzy and distorted. We struggle to grasp it. We think we have to do it by our own power. We think we have to invent it or embellish it. So He reveals the true plan a bit at a time according to our capacity to understand clearly and handle it. Only upon reaching the destination can we appreciate the grandeur and the profundity of His vision. One saved soul and a great global mission work are all the same to God if they glorify Him and the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But that one saved soul and that great mission are equally resisted by the world.

Where God guides he also provides. Philippians 2:13 “… for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  We have to take that scripture to heart and rely on His provision to DO IT. What we are to do is what He convicts us to fearlessly and cheerfully do moment my precious moment. This is hard in a world full of its expectations and models for success that push and pull us away from a calm, patient, God-centered focus and demeanor.

In Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” Act 4, Brutus proclaims, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.”  I like that quotation because it resonates with my belief that God provides those opportunities and those tides that we are to take advantage of in performing His inspired and Spirit initiated works. The “shallows” and “miseries” are the frustration and regret we experience for having taken control through our disobedience and fear. When God says “go” and we respond “later” – the tide does not wait.

 All of us have a ministry and all who are His are called to obedience and trust – because that is how we express our love for God.

Our responsiveness to His initiatives will effect to a greater or lesser extent our joyful experience of God throughout the adventure He has for us. We will be convicted to lay down sin and take up righteousness. Decisions will be made and God will be obeyed or ignored. We will listen to Him or we will listen to others. We will tire of trying, on our own power, to measure up to the expectations of people (perhaps well-meaning and even loved ones) – or we will embrace God’s love and rest in His guidance and draw from His reservoirs of refreshing strength. Psalm 1:3, John 7:38, Jeremiah 2:13 …

Every day is different but some mornings my devotion time is mired by my worries, my plans, the distractions of others and the world. I broadcast pleas and send up supplications and “jam the frequency” with my transmissions without allowing the Creator of the Universe to respond. I find no peace or fellowship and I enter those days without a peace that surpasses understanding. The truth be told - that is probably the majority of the time. But there are days when I manage to untangle myself from myself and submit in silence to Him. What follows is resource, understanding, order, calm and security.

Today He led me by way of circumstances and one connection after another which I cannot possibly recount here - to a poem mentioned in an obituary of a man who died over five years ago. Oddly it was a man who lived a few streets away from me. A quiet man, somewhat misunderstood in our neighborhood. A man of the sea who took walks along the shore of our community beach in his knee high seamen's boots and an old foul weather jacket. He seemed to favor foul weather days to be on that shore. A retired Navy career man of WWII and Korea who I never got to know despite, as I found out in the obituary, all that we had in common. I might have shared a few yarns and the Gospel with him … cause for pause and a twinge of regret.

This man’s favorite poem was mentioned in his obituary, the obvious recollection of a loved one who was impacted by it. The poem is titled, “It Couldn’t Be Done” by Edgar Guest and it perfectly ministers to me and the challenges I presently face;

It Couldn’t Be Done ~ Edgar Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn’t,"
but he would be one who wouldn’t
say so until he had tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
on his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle it in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "couldn’t be done," and you’ll do it.

God willing ....

All the best!

Bill

To Father

Fathering is so much more than the mere siring of a child and our culture often cheapens what it means to be a true Father.

The word Father is a word of action that encompasses loving - selfless action, intervention, courage, commitment, sacrifice and endurance.

Fathering is about rejecting passivity and getting involved, intervening and even INVADING – with fierce love - a situation and fighting for the welfare of a child who may be at risk or threatened by a bad influence.

Fathering is courageous leadership. It is strength under control. It is power directed toward the defense of those who are dependent and defenseless. It is displacing fear and uncertainty just by being there. It is being responsible and never quitting, never giving up  --- never leaving. It is about following through.

Fathering is looking for the greater reward - it is turning the other cheek to rejection from even loved ones when they don’t perceive the outcomes and consequences of their actions and the impact on the horizons of their lives that you, from experience, can see so vividly as you strive to protect them from themselves. 

It’s doing what’s right and doing the thankless thing, when no one else gets it - - - and to keep on doing it.

Fathering is a narrow, difficult, long walk. But it is a walk toward honor and profound joy and gratification in its steadfastness.

Father’s Day is the day we celebrate those who truly “Father”.

And that’s not easy. And we don’t always succeed every day.

Fathering is in many ways STRATEGIC in scope. I encourage all fathers to persevere for the rewards of Fatherhood because those rewards do not always come quickly.

The Bible says, in Proverbs 22:6 to "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

It is a fact that Fatherly sacrifice, deeds and guidance may not yield fruit for decades. But take encouragement from the scriptures and have patience.

James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

And isn't it really true that we are honored as a Father not just on Father's Day but on every day when our children display God honoring character?

Like;

• When our child chooses truth over anything false.
• When our child chooses purity over compromise.
• When our child chooses charity and sacrifice over self indulgence.
• When our child chooses virtue over going along just to get along and succumbing to peer pressure.
• When our child chooses hard work and responsibility over short-cuts.
• When our child respects his or her mother.
• When our child gives their heart and life to Christ!

In Psalm 127: 3-5 we find these powerful words, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, but shall stand up to their enemies at the gate."

So, like arrows – we prepare our children and launch them out into the world like flaming missiles of light – illuminating, glorifying and edifying to God and Godly principles. Our children are, after all, what we TRAIN THEM UP TO BE.

SO - 

If you have CLAIMED your children and walk the narrow walk I have described – Happy Father’s Day to you!

If you have stumbled as a Father and realize that you need to RECLAIM your children and are committed to doing it – Happy Father’s Day to you!

If, perhaps, you don’t have natural children but you have been presented with an opportunity to mentor or Father a child or to graft yourself into a broken family as the Father figure - and have taken up that responsibility – Happy Father’s Day to you!

God bless and all the best!

Bill 

Be Of Good Courage & Succeed!

The cowardly lion in the Wizard of OZ gives this speech;

”Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the Sphinx the Seventh Wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the ape in ape-ricot? What have they got that I ain’t got? Courage! - - - You can say that again.”

Poor cowardly lion. All the size and physical might of the real thing and he uses it to bully weaker things - even the small dog Toto - who stands up to him and sends him whimpering off. He attributes just about everything, every mundane action – the waving of an inanimate flag, even a syllable in the word apricot - to courage.

Poor action-less, victimized lion! Everything seems to have courage but him. Or has he simply rejected courage for fear of what it may require of him? How was he convinced that he, the very emblem of courage, was left out of the courage distribution? Was it a past failure? A string of failures? Was it a compelling lie that he bought? The absurdity of it all is very well made by his proclamation.

But isn’t he us, at times, in a way?

Our cowardly lion eventually finds courage in fellowship with others in a cause far greater than himself through circumstances running away from the things he feared and toward something he didn’t understand. At the end of the day, though his posture has somewhat improved, he is really the same individual that he was at the beginning of his adventure - just a bit more conscious of who he is and what has been revived inside of him.

I find that courage and success are close relatives. Randy Alcorn writes, in the May 13, 2013 CBMC “Monday Manna” titled, “Courage in the Workplace”, about the Courage to Stand, the Courage to Proceed Despite Danger, the Courage to Persevere and the Courage to Act on Convictions. These all underscore perhaps the most popular notion of courage which is action in the face of fear or danger.

Courage is power. Would not a life lived with such power be a successful one?

Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Thomas Edison said this about success, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Bill Cosby; “I don’t know the key to success but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

I knew a successful salesman who learned from experience that for every one hundred prospecting calls he could expect a success rate of five. Every rejection was met with this enthusiastic response, “That’s one more rejection toward my goal of 95!”

Where does the kind of power to Stand, Proceed, Persevere and Act on Convictions come from? I think it comes from an inner power activated by a love connection with God.

Courage is an essential element of the character God had in mind when He created us in His image. It is imprinted like programming language on our hearts. Whenever we observe a selfless act of true courage something resonates in our hearts that stirs a call to courage.

After much thought and contemplation I believe that love is most expressed by one's obedience and trust toward another. True obedience covers trust so – let’s simplify it to love being obedience to another regardless of self. Think about it. True courage is an act of love because to love God is to obey and trust God and to obey God will require courage.

The Bible is full of commands to stand firm and to be courageous such as in 1 Corinthians 16:13; “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

A brother in the faith recently pointed me to the book of Joshua, first chapter, verses 1 through 18. He knew that God often emphasizes His most profound instructions and commands by repeating them, but what he found remarkable was that in Joshua God uncharacteristically repeats Himself TWICE on the topic of courage! Remarkable indeed. So I looked it up and sure enough God does repeat Himself not once but twice for Joshua to be courageous, to be of good courage, not to be discouraged. Why? Because God knows what Joshua is going to face and go through on account of Him. Good knows what we are going through and will go through on account of Him.

Jesus Himself on his final evening with His disciples before the crucifixion (the Upper Room Discourse) in John 16:33 (NIV) sums it up; “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus is encouraging them to take courage.

Let’s not leave out God in the person of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26 (NKJV); “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

The voice of courage is that still, small, often whispering, compelling, convicting voice that rises like a trumpet call for us to GO, or WAIT, or DO IT, or to STAND FAST and not compromise in the face of a threat to our faith, our testimony or His glory - despite the (apparent) risk. It is the voice of truth.

Philippians 2:13 (NIV) seals it with; “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” There it is! God is that power. That courage and all courage comes from God. Courage is God rising up through us. And so every act resulting from this noble sort of courage is to His glory, His account. This power, this courage is released through love that manifests in the form of trusting obedience. And we know the victory has been won by the blood of Jesus.

Living in the moment, responsive to His commands, trusting in His wisdom and love we can focus on the process and release the outcome to His providence. This is courageous living, the key to a successful life.

Randy Alcorn defines courage as; “willingness to step beyond the confines of the familiar, established and dependable.”

What is your definition of courage?

Oswald Chambers writes, in what might be a definition of success; "God's call is for you to be his loyal friend, to accomplish His purposes and goals for your life."

What is your definition of success and a successful life?

All the best!

Bill

Idols & Integrity

Years ago before I got serious about my faith I carried a number of false gods on the throne of my heart. One was the god of cruising sailboats. I grew up around boats and learned to sail and to be a boatman. But I coveted the boats of others who had boats larger and “nicer" than the ones available to me and I built an altar in my heart to a 30 foot sailboat.

The throne of our heart is a battleground and the true and living God will share it with nothing and no one. Money, power, success, toys, sex, pleasure, even family must come second to God – or He will have no part of us. I didn’t make this up – it’s in the Bible. In fact, read the second commandment closely (Exodus 20:4) to find that God considers any idol on the throne of our heart other than Him as a major affront and an act of hate toward Him. The second commandment is, in fact, rather lengthy on the subject.

God will not be fooled. He knows our heart even if we don’t. We cannot simply worship him with our mouths and serve another (2Kings17:41, Isaiah 29:13).

He is a jealous God – thank God. He loves us and pursues us like a jealous lover; He is the ‘Hound of Heaven’. Does He allow for money, power, success, toys, even sex and pleasure? Of course He does and He delights in our pleasure in them - in their proper place and perspective. And family, of course He loves family and the idea of family and He wishes for us to have and to be loved by family – in their proper place and perspective. But He must be first – and all these other things He will add.

I remember the day my wife and I with our young children drove from the marina where we had just signed the purchase agreement on a 30 foot racer/cruiser sailboat. I remember it very well. I was bursting with pride ... I had arrived! My idol, my golden calf, was on its throne at last!

We bought that boat with money we didn’t have and took care of it with money we didn’t have. But the lenders and the credit cards didn’t complain or advise against. I named the boat “Integrity”. As I think back on it, the name was more a statement or maybe an attempt to seize the word for myself as the label for my life ... a noble gesture. The boat was older and needed work and I threw myself into the task with singular purpose to make my emblem of success as shiny as possible. Rain or shine, wind or no wind, we used that boat. We launched it in early April and hauled it out after Thanksgiving to maximize the sailing season. We sailed in storm and calm. I made us a slave to it, to justify its expense and what it meant to me. It sat firmly in the throne of my heart and became its dictator.

"Integrity" under sail on Narragansett Bay

That boat never loved me and though I referred to it as “her” and "she” our love affair was one-sided and quite impersonal. Truth be told, I was rarely myself on that boat. I was on edge and anxious most of the time. My temper was not my own there and I snapped at my wife and children often in the heat of an “important” maneuver or situation. I had no patience there. Nothing met my expectations of perfection, my expectations of this idol I had so worshipped in my mind. We would sail to a destination and as soon as we were anchored and secure my mind was racing for the next thing to do to justify and satisfy this idol. So I would busy myself with a task or sedate my angst with alcohol in the spirit of seafaring. I would lay awake in my bed on stormy nights wide-eyed wondering if I had secured “her” proper. The next day I would drag myself down to the marina before work to satisfy my anxiety and adjust the lines and fenders – after the fact.

It is true that the best two days of a boat owner’s life are the day he purchases and the day he sells his boat – at least in my case. It is also true that a boat is indeed like a hole in the water into which one throws money. The cost had become too much and the work to maintain her in the image of the idol I had crafted in my mind was endless. Selling her was a frantic effort and I let her go for far less than my heart believed she was worth. The new owner didn’t seem to appreciate anything about her – all the intimate details of her. I gave her away never having truly owned her – she had owned me.

Many years after I had sold that boat I came across a classified ad for a boat described very much like mine. The ad even listed the name of the boat: “Integrity”. My heart leaped like the heart of a lover for a lost love and I took the drive to the boatyard in the listing. There she was propped up in the corner of the yard. I almost didn’t find her. I almost didn’t recognize her. She looked awful and surprisingly small.

Her subsequent owners had taken poor care of her. Vestiges of improvements I had made and details I had invested in her were weathered, tarnished and decaying. My heart was wrenched to see it – this idol I had so worshipped – so shoddy and forgotten - set aside to this forgotten corner of the yard where the boats that are not likely to sell - or abandoned - are stored. Even the name on the transom was faded. Integrity, just a word. This vessel did not reflect its name. She called to me to rescue her and for a fleeting moment I thought I might. But she had no hold on me anymore and I saw her for what she was and I turned away. I had a different perspective.

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the lines of a beautifully sculpted sailboat and I love the feel of the surging swells under a hull humming along on a brisk broad reach. Oh I do so love that! I believe that God wants me to enjoy that too – in its proper place and in perspective. For the time being He has me busy with other things and so I will wait patiently until that time, if it comes. What is more important now is that “this” earthen vessel be labeled “Integrity”.   

~ "He who walks with integrity walks securely." ~

 Proverbs 10:9

All the best!

Bill   

My Day With Jesus

The following essay "My Day With Jesus" is the result of a "homework" assignment from my Truth @ Work ® Christian Business Roundtable Group. I recommend doing the exercise for yourself ...

I wake in a haze at 5:45AM on a weekday as my wife gets out of bed and heads to the bathroom to prepare for her day. Drifting in and out of sleep, my inclination is to sleep-in since I work from a home office and I’m just a little lazy but something, a presence in the room, brings me to full alertness. Someone is standing beside my bed! Is this a dream or is it real? I open my eyes. It’s real!

It’s Jesus! He’s standing beside my bed looking down on me – a slightly amused grin is on His face. His eyes widen.

He doesn’t speak but His warm smile projects a calming message and assurance that all is well and that I am His beloved. Beloved! I rise from bed just as my wife enters the room dressed in her “scrubs” (she works in health care). She’s at first startled by His presence but immediately processes the situation and declares, “It’s You - Jesus!” He nods yes. They share words and thoughts - like old friends. I don’t hear everything but there is a detailed conversation going on. The conversation is intimate and I am deeply gratified by it. I had no idea …

Somehow time goes by and Jesus sets my wife on her way without much ceremony – and she’s gone – to work. I am there alone with Jesus. He tells me that He is here to spend the day with me. I don’t know how to act. He assures me to just do what I would normally do and that he will just come along for the ride.

I shave and shower (all the while wondering whether or not He's poking around and what He's discovering while I'm getting ready) and then go downstairs to make some coffee. He's standing in the living room in front of my book cases looking at the volumes there. I grab a cup and offer Him one as I return to Him in the living room and my reading chair where I normally do a brief morning devotional. Jesus settles in the other chair in the room (my wife’s reading chair) and just gazes at me. I’m a little self-conscious. I pick up my Bible and open it to the book of James and begin to read but cannot help looking up at Him as He watches me with an approving smile. I feel like a little boy under the watchful eye of a loving and supportive teacher. I feel “right”. My mind drifts to prayer and somehow I feel Jesus’ thoughts flooding me with supplications for others I know in my life. The needs are extraordinary and deep and burdensome – I had no idea how others struggled compared to me. I begin to realize just how Jesus has cared for me and interceded for me in ways that I could never imagine praying for. I resolve to pray less for my needs, more for the needs of others and rest in thankfulness for His care and wisdom because He knows far better what I need and what to protect me from.

I have a coffee appointment with a Truth at Work ® contact so Jesus and I leave the house and head out. At the café where I regularly meet people, I get my coffee and grab a quiet table for my appointment. Jesus lingers at the counter talking to the women from whom I normally get my coffee and scone. They are entranced as He speaks to them about peace and love. He is so natural and relaxed and so genuinely interested in them. They are naturally drawn to Him. I wonder why it can seem so hard for me to project my faith to these people I regularly encounter and who know me. After a while He comes and sits with me just as my appointment, David, arrives.

David is a little confused at first when he sees my companion, so I introduce Jesus and David responds a little guardedly. David doesn’t recognize Jesus and I’m a little surprised since I thought David would be excited to meet Jesus face to face. The meeting starts to fall flat and David fumbles around a bit for an excuse that he has another meeting to attend. I’m a little embarrassed but Jesus keeps looking alternatively at David and then me reaching out with His hand and touching David’s arm gently while urging him to stay a little longer. I can feel His love flow toward David and I can actually see David’s posture change from tense and restless to relaxed and restful right there in his chair. Then Jesus plainly says to David that He loves him and David begins to weep softly. I am overwhelmed as I realize that right then and there Jesus is drawing David to Himself and David is releasing his life to Jesus. Everything that is going on around us in that café seems to melt away. The next thing I know we’re outside the café with David. We’re saying our farewells and embracing with the promise of meeting again soon. David looks remarkably different.

We walk down the busy street past people going about their business and I turn a corner toward my parked car. It isn’t long before I realize that Jesus is no longer with me. I backtrack and find him stooped down having a conversation with an old man sitting at the doorway of a building. The man is unkempt and weathered. Jesus looks up at me and asks, “May I have the eight dollars of cash in your pocket?” I check and that’s exactly what I have. After a moment of hesitation (now I’ll have no cash) I hand it over. Jesus places the money in the man’s hand and places his other hand over the money as he whispers a blessing on the man and says that He loves him and to remember what He said. The man genuinely appreciates the needed gift and nods, gently folding the money and putting it in his pocket. I don’t know what Jesus said to that man but it was obviously very personal and convicting. The man keeps looking at Jesus as we leave.

Then we are in my car headed to a meeting with one of my clients. We arrive in the lobby of the old building and the receptionist behind the glass panel recognizes me immediately but looks a little puzzled at my companion. I sign us in on the visitor log; Names: “Bill Girrier / Jesus Christ”, Company: (I pause - then write) “The Kingdom”. I’ve been calling on this account for two years and it occurs to me that I’ve never really told or indicated to the receptionist that I am a Christian. Then an expression of recognition crosses her face and she lifts from her chair, slides the glass panel open and, looking right past me and directly toward Jesus, her face explodes with joy as she exclaims, “You’re Jesus!”. “Yes I am Debbie”, He responds, “How are you and how is your daughter?”  Debbie disappears for a split second as she darts to the door that separates us from her small office. In an instant Debbie is with us in the waiting area and throws herself into Jesus’ arms. She’s crying and telling Jesus how her daughter is struggling but that she knows there is a plan and that no matter what the outcome that God knows best. I’m dumbfounded. Then I notice the picture of Jesus and the rosary beads hanging on the wall in Debbie’s small office. I remember seeing them and thinking that her religion was not as authentic as mine and writing off all chance of ever sharing my faith with her on account of that judgment.

Somehow, Jesus and I disengage from Debbie and we meet with the owner of the company, my client, in his office. I sort of awkwardly introduce my client to Jesus and I’m a little ashamed at how I’m almost apologizing for His presence with me. Jesus’ expression does not change but I feel a pang of regret for having let Him down. It occurs to me that Jesus has always been with me every time before only that He was invisible. Was His significance to me as invisible? Jesus has a way of putting my client at ease and the conversation takes off. I find my client asking Jesus many questions about life and business and decisions that I would have loved for my client to ask me. Jesus doesn’t answer every question that my client asks directly but His responses are thought provoking and ooze with wisdom and discernment. I marvel at how well He handles my client and how much my client appreciates what he imparts – even if it’s not a direct answer - but more a way, an approach or an attitude toward dealing with things. As we leave my client says something about how Jesus really impacted his heart on the matters that were important to him. His heart!

I take Jesus to lunch and the whole affair is one opportunity after another to express love, offer a kindness or express compassion and friendship toward the people we encounter. And we encounter SO MANY people. I just sit back and let Him lead. I experience no fear or self consciousness and it’s so easy with Jesus along.

I decide to finish the day by taking Jesus to my favorite beach and to a specific spot where I have spent many hours over the years alone contemplating and praying to Him. He knows the place very well and we walk together picking up beach glass of the most extraordinary colors, shapes and lusters. We look out over the water and I experience a fullness of the creation that blows my mind. I can actually see the wind and see the subtle temperatures of the water and fish below the surface. I can see for miles and miles with extraordinary clarity and I can see planets and stars and galaxies in the sky in broad daylight! It’s too much and I have to close my eyes. But then my ears pick up on so much that I have to beg Jesus to close them – and He does. And He puts His arm around me and whispers “my beloved” - and I am undone.

I ask Him what He thinks about the political, social and economic issues that have me and many others I know wondering about the path of the world. He gives me a knowing half-smile and shakes His head a little. With that I experience a surge of consciousness that He drew me to Himself and when I had surrendered to His irresistible attraction that He gave me a new heart and that I was no longer OF this world and not to concern myself so much with the superficial matters but simply to be anxious for nothing and follow Him led by my new heart. Then all those things swirling around about me came into perspective with a whisper – “love one another as I have loved you”. 

That night at dinner I marvel at the animated discussion Jesus is having with my wife. Our dog has taken a position at His feet, curled up, eyes closed tight and peaceful and he has not moved a molecule since taking his station there. I say a grace over our meal that is the grace of my life and it goes on and on and I don’t want to stop. My wife and I must have eaten but I don’t remember it, only that Jesus told us stories that I could have listened to for eternity.

The time passes and then Jesus gets up and says that He will be going. I experience a surge of grief, but only for a passing moment. His smile reassures me that He is not really leaving but merely passing from my sight and physical consciousness. Then He is gone.

My wife and I retire to our bedroom silent in our thoughts. As I get ready for bed I check the pockets of my pants for those dazzling pieces of beach glass that Jesus and I had found but they are not there except for one small, fairly plain and common looking artifact. It’s nothing that anyone would remark about and maybe it was already in my pocket from a previous trip to the beach. It doesn’t matter.

Laying back in bed I kiss my wife who is absolutely glowing, then turn and melt into the mattress slipping off into a deep, carefree, effortless sleep. Tomorrow is going to be different.      

All the best!

Bill