Prayer for the New Year

You who are from everlasting to everlasting, God, be with us as we enter the new year. You who knows the end from the beginning, guide us through the perplexing paths ahead. You who remains unchanged, establish our hearts and strengthen our wills as we set forth upon the days alloted to us. You whose years do not fail, work in us an unchanging and unchangeable faith so that, in the midst of time, we may live, like You, in Eternity. To You be glory, by Christ Jesus, in the church and in our lives, forevermore. Amen.

- Stuart R. Oglesby

Nobody Knows the Troubles I Seen

We are so focused on ourselves. Everyone is out to top everyone else in what troubles or suffering is really about. "Oh, you think you have it bad? I can top that- listen to this . . ." I get it- whatever is going on in our lives is the most important to us. Too bad. It's our loss.

You know what really counts? Others. It's about time we dropped our own introspective worldview and opened up to those around us. If we would just look at the world through their eyes and stop naval gazing, we'd be so much better off.

Jesus was such an amazing example of this. He left all he had in heaven to become one of us. But even while he was with us in person, he concentrated on others. He washed his disciples feet (a lowly task of the day) because he was concerned about them. He gave up all so we could be brought back to a positive relationship with his Father.

I've been told the world's smallest package is someone all wrapped up in themselves. Sounds about right to me.

It's Revelation or Nothing

I wish my brain worked like God intended it to work (I know, I'm going to get lots of comments about that one!). I wish I used more than a measly 10th of its capacity. Darn The Fall and our loss because of it! We think we understand so much, but it all boils down to the fact that when it comes to God's Kingdom, we only understand what he has chosen to make known to us. It's revelation or nothing.

I can rationalize, theorize and speculate all I want, but until God touches my brain with his truth, I might as well be entertaining myself with play-dough. By itself (in its current state) my brain doesn't even have the ability to grasp the basics of spiritual issues. I'm in sad shape! How can I possibly teach others?

God told Isaiah to tell the people, "You will hear my words, but you will not understand. You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning." What a bummer!

I can lecture, argue and debate until I'm blue in the face, but other people are not going to understand my spiritual ramblings unless (or until) the Holy Spirit chooses to enlighten them.

Therefore, I must pray for them. I must pray that the Holy Spirit will open minds; open eyes and open ears- as I do with each entry in this blog; as I do with each sermon I prepare; with each person I talk to. As I do for myself!

O Lord! Give us revelation. Give us the priveledge to see the lightbulb go off over people's heads.

S. A. D.

S. A. D. Know what it stands for? If you live in a cold climate where the days get short in the Winter, you've probably heard of it. Seasonal Affective Disorder. It's when you get too little sunlight and it affects your disposition. Too much darkness actually causes sadness and depression. For those who are affected and want to deal with it, you can buy a special UV light that you sit under for about 1/2 an hour in the morning. It makes a world of difference to your outlook.

How do I know this? I looked it up when I realized I was "down" way more than I ever remember being. By the way, I live in Bangor, Maine- it's way North and way cold with short days in the Winter! So I bought an expensive S. A. D. light. I've only been using it for a short while, but I already notice a vast difference (thanks, Donna, for the suggestion)! As I write this, the cool bright rays are soaking into my face!

It just dawned on me as I was spending some face time with God- there is such a thing as S. A. D. for Christians. Spiritual Affective Disorder. It happens when we don't get enough of The Son in our daily lives. Too much spiritual darkness actually causes sadness and depression. The remedy? It's a costly use of your time. And I recommend spending that time in The Son first thing in the AM! A half hour dose is a great way to start and you'll notice the difference in your spiritual life almost immediately.

How appropriate for a blog titled Light Seeker!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas and we were packing up from a whole season of helping people (sorry, this isn't going to rhyme!). We were tired and looking forward to crashing, but two more ladies came in asking for last minute help to make their kid's Christmas better. Sighing heavily (in our hearts), but smiling heartily to them, we headed back to the toys and clothing to help put together another couple of packages. We bent over backwards for these two- asking special preferences for their kids and such. When we were finished we whispered a prayer and felt real good about what we had just done.

Later that night, we couldn't seem to find the cell phone that had been donated to our Christmas Center for the season. We had shut it off, packed it up and placed it on the counter for the return to the company. Now it was nowhere to be found. The longer we looked, the worse we felt. Where did we place that thing? We turned the Christmas center upside down looking. We searched the entire corps with no results. Sleep was dampened with worry about that phone. Would we have to pay for it? So much for the "donation!"

Monday, we reached the phone company and found there was usage on the phone since Christmas Eve. Sure enough- there had been many calls! Aha! It wasn't misplaced, it was stolen! And stolen by the very ladies we worked so hard to help at the last minute. We didn't have to help them, but we did. Now to think they took such advantage of us!

The end of this story will play out over the next few days as we try to get the lifted phone returned. Our first response was: "Thanks for the phone return ladies. Now don't ever come back to The Salvation Army for help again." But the more I think about this, the more I don't think that will be our "final answer."

What if God treated us that way when we screwed up? We'd be out in left field, that's what. Good thing he shows his mercy and forgives. But his desire is that we be more like him as we walk this Christian path. WWJD? in this situation? Probably tell a parable, forgive and show them how much he loves them. Then make sure they understand that they are welcome back anytime. He'd be only too glad to be taken advantage again, if it meant he'd be able to show his great love for them one more time- that next time might be the time they get it and believe in him. That would be worth all the times he'd been taken advantage of.

I hope we get our phone back. But more importantly, I hope these ladies get what we're doing and living. Maybe this time these ladies will get the message of the Jesus we talk about.

There's Victory for me!

While I'm on the topic of fighting (and being victorious), I want to share an encouraging song from our Songbook heritage. We sang it just this morning in our meeting and was again reminded of its powerful message: We don't have to live under the thumb of sin! Praise our Lord!

There's Victory for me!

1. Why should I be a slave to sin,
To foes without or foes within?
Sometimes I mount, sometimes cast down,
Sometimes all smile, sometimes all frown.

Chorus: There’s victory for me! There’s victory for me!
Through the blood of the Lamb there is victory for me;
He came to set his people free
And give them perfect victory.

2. Sin will abound till grace comes in,
Then grace shall triumph over sin;
Just now, dear Saviour. let it be,
Now give me perfect victory.

3. Be thou my strength, be thou my all,
Then surely I shall never fall;
If none can pluck me from thy hand,
I more than conqueror shall stand.

4. ’Tis true I have no room to boast;
When most I’m saved I’m humbled most;
Kept low by grace, and not by sin,
My soul shall make her boast in him.

- William Baugh (1852-1942)

To Win You've got to Fight!

Imagine someone meandering out of the starting blocks for a big race. Sounds like they don't care about winning, right? Bottom line: you're not going to win if you don't try.

That's the problem with many Christians- they don't try. They think everything is going to come to them without them having to put in any of the work. Or they get bogged down in the daily battle, allowing depression, sadness or lack of progress to overwhelm them.

We should be reminded that this is a war we're in. We're fighting for our lives and the lives of those around us. And the only way to win a war is to fight. It doesn't happen "just because," there's got to be intention involved- some hard work on our part.

Good thing Jesus went this way before us and gave us the directions to make it.

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 (John 16:33). Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).

William Booth got it right when he gave his ultimate battlecry:

While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight;
While little children go hungry, as they do now, I'll fight;
While men go to prison, in and out, in and out,
as they do now, I'll fight;
While there is a drunkard left,
While there is a poor lost girl upon the streets,
While there remains one dark soul without the light of God,
I'll fight- I'll fight to the very end!

Don't let The Enemy pull you down- stand like the brave with your face to the foe- fight!

The Sign of God's Blessing

Whew! We made it! Today around 6:00 PM EST, we finished bagging the last of our season's kettle income. Everyone is still living and we passed last year's total income 2 days ago! And last year was a banner year, raising more than we ever have. We are so blessed by God!

When I write that and begin to think about it, I cringe a bit, wondering if that's really what God's blessing is about. Sure, God promises prosperity to his own, but I would trade it all in (in a heart-beat) for the blessing of bringing people into His kingdom.

I seem to recall that in the early church, the sign of God's blessing was adding and multiplying people daily . . . and miracles.

Go Tell it! (redux)

One of the problems with being a better witness to those around us is the "secret" nature of The Kingdom. Only those who know of it can actually see the truth, so it is easy for others to make us feel like we're the crazy ones. And let's not forget that The Enemy is seriously involved here- trying to get us to "feel" bad, "feel" out of place or "feel" silly. It would be much easier if The Kingdom were more obvious.

1) The secret nature of The Kingdom is a tough one for us. It's hard to convince someone of something without showing them. But they won't be able to see or understand the truth of The Kingdom until they actually accept it. This can become a serious viscious circle! Yet God has designed it so that to see the truth, you must first believe the truth. Because of this, it is terribly important that we realize that there is nothing we can do to convince someone else of the truth. Argue though we may, we will never be successful. Only when The Holy Spirit gets through to them do we have any chance of helping them see The Light.

2) Feelings mean absolutely nothing! As humans in a physical world, we naturally place a lot of emphasis on what we feel. Again, God has designed things in such a way that we need to ignore (suppress?) our feelings when it comes to the truth. Truth is not based on how we feel any particular moment. When The Enemy tries to make us feel silly or out of touch, we need to act by what we know to be true, not how we feel.

I wish The Kingdom were more obvious to our physical selves, but it's not. Thus comes the struggle between the dark and the light within. However, one day The Truth will be made known to all! I can't wait!

Alas! Such Nonsense!

There is some old advise that one should always hold a letter written in anger for a couple of days or so before it is sent. That gives you time to cool off and respond from a better place. I have used that advise to great advantage many times and can look back to see how grateful I am that I did not respond in the heat of the moment. This is especially wise advise in today's world of email. How easy it is to throw something down and get it off your chest . . . then watch the damage get out of hand before you have the chance to rue the fact that you did not wait.

Alas! I did perform such nonsense as of late! I responded to an email from an acquaintance too quickly. And I copied someone else who might have some sway over the first, thinking he'll show that guy the error of his ways. Ugh! Both of them responded to me with words I had unexpected, but truly deserved. As I read their notes, I did not get angrier, rather realized my mistake and felt the awful pangs of sorrow. It was a dumb thing to do, but it was too late to take any of it back (Delete's not working!). Thankfully, the situation was resolved and I believe I have been forgiven. But I still feel quite sad that I would have acted in such a way in the first place. Don't you just hate it when The Enemy gets one over on you?

Yet, there is always forgiveness in Jesus! No matter where we have strayed; no matter what we have said, what we have done, he is more than willing to drop it all when we see the error of our ways and return to him with humility and repentance. Good thing!

Touche!

I didn't blog yesterday. I tried. I sat there with the edit screen in front of me, but couldn't bring myself to say something "spiritual." Right now I'm feeling much the same way (I'm still in that brass heavens thing).

I've gotten some great responses to my last couple of posts. Both Tara and Tom are making me THINK!

Touche, Tara! I guess my public post of my private prayer is an oxymoron. I find myself trying to figure out a way to make it look like it's not . . . I guess what I was thinking, is that 1) I told only a few people about my new blog, so I really know who might be reading it, 2) I really did pray that prayer for whoever read it and 3) I hope to make a point about the huge impersonal Christmas card task many find themselves "competing" in. How's that? If that doesn't impress you, then you win that one! :)

I think I'll deal with the other two issues later. My brain is spinning!

Go Tell it!

This time of year, we usually talk about Jesus coming down to Earth to be The Light of the world. That's true, but Jesus tells us that we are to be the light of the world. I figure that means we're supposed to bring his light into dark places so that those who live in that darkness can see what things really look like.

But that's often the tricky part, isn't it? Some people think we should separate the God-things (sacred) from the worldly-things (secular) in our lives. Or even that we should totally do away with anything in our lives that isn't specifically spiritual. Baloney! That sounds too much like making ourselves "so heavenly minded, we're no earthly good." How can we possibly affect the world around us, if we don't have anything to do with it? How do we expect anyone to listen to us, if we don't have a basic frame of reference to start from?

So how do we bring Christ into the things we do; into the situations we find ourselves in on a regular basis? I've been thinking about that a lot this week and I really don't have an answer for you. I think we each have to discover the way we can get Christ to "move into our neighborhood" (John 1:14 Msg) and become a regular part of our daily lives. Maybe I can place some conversation starting knick-knacks on my desk. Maybe it's as simple as just bringing Jesus up more often in my casual conversations.

Jesus isn't supposed to be this great secret we've found, that one day, others may get "in on." We're supposed to tell everyone this Good News that all the world needs to see clearly. The Message version says it like this:

You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. - Matthew 5:14

I think the Christmas carol says it well: "Go tell it on the mountain!"

A Christmas Prayer

This is a Christmas email I sent out to some friends. Many of you qualify as such, so we offer this Christmas Prayer for you as well.
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Dear friends,

It's that time of year again, when everyone is hectically rushing around buying gifts, raising money and basically tearing their hair out- you guessed it- the season of peace and silent nights. Right. Somewhere in the midst of it all I find we are in danger of losing the deeper reality of the Christmas season.

Years ago, Deb & I decided we weren't going to go the route of "the ever-growing Christmas card list," so we cut it down to only a few close friends and family. Doesn't it just drive you crazy when you get a card that's been mass-produced and has the person's name printed on it? Real personal greeting, huh? We'd rather people pray for us and spend the money on World Services or a missions project.

Now to practice what we just preached (praught?). Here's our Christmas prayer for our friends (by the way, we bought a goat for a needy family through World Vision this season):

Friend, Savior and Lord Jesus,

We praise you this season because you thought us important enough to lay down your rights as God and be born a fragile little baby. A baby that would one day offer his own life for ours, so that we could get right with your Father. We recognize your great love for us and at this special time of year, want to let you know how very much we love you in return.

Thank-you for our friends. Thank-you for their value in our lives. Let them know we care and are lifting them before your throne of great mercy and grace. Bless them with peace this season- and throughout the year to come. May they know your deep abiding manifest presence in their daily lives. Give them joy in service; power in ministry and favor with those who do not know you- yet. May they be instrumental in bringing them into your kingdom.

Give them growth and steadfastness in difficult times. Give them influence and compassion in good times. Give them a deep desire to offer a helping hand to those who need it most and in so doing, become the light we were meant to be in this world.

May The Light of the world shine upon you as God bares his mighty arm on your behalf yet gently watches over you, his beloved.

Richest Christmas blessings!
Doug & Debbie

More faith, Lord, please?

Does anyone else have any problems with that green grass on the other side of the fence? It often seems like I'd like to be enjoying the success I see in someone else's ministry. "Man, why can't I be doing what he's doing, Lord? Why is my place so hard? Why am I stuck in my situation while she's getting to do all the 'fun' stuff?"

When I came to this situation, it was prophesied repeatedly that it was strategic on God's part. So I looked it up-

Strategy: 1) The overall planning and conduct of
large-scale military operation. 2) A plan of action.
Plan: A detailed scheme or method for the accomplishment
of an objective.

God has some BIG plans for me; I know this well. I've heard it too many times to doubt. But I still get caught up in the daily "grind" where it all becomes routine and mundane. It's hard to see the fruit that has been produced, because I'm looking at someone else's results, thinking "I wish that was me!"

Every person has a vital role in God's strategic plan to win the world, but we are all so different! God uses each of us just where he wants to; just where he has planned. After all, he made us to do those very things and be in those very places. We are NOT a square peg in a round hole- we fit exactly where God wanted us to. The problem is we don't always KNOW what that plan is. God doesn't always give us the info we want, because he's all about building our trust in him. "Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6)."

Lord, I want to do my part. I want to do the things you've made me for; reach the people you've sent me to. I want to be faithful in the place you've set me. Help me be satisfied with my lot- which is NOT random, but at your strategic will for me.

More faith, Lord, please?

I Need God

I read a daily devotional booklet called "Indeed," by Walk Thru The Bible. Today's devo was pretty powerful for me. Check it out:

"The way to get to know God is not through intellectual inquiry or self-righteous behaviour, but through humility and a still, quiet soul. That has always been the case."

I read this after I had spent a long time just sitting quietly soaking in God's presence. And his presence was powerfully on me today- still is; I can actually feel it! Man, I need it. I've been going through one of those "dark nights of the soul;" a "brass heaven" season. Problem is, I've not necessarily been doing the things I need to do to stay as close as I should have during said time! Know what I mean?

Good thing God understands our foibles. I'd have certainly been tossed aside long ago if he was looking for me to be more intellectual or self-righteous. I screw up more often than not!

"God cannot be figured out, only needed."

I need God.