Making Plans

Want to make God chuckle; tell him your plans. 

Want to make God beam with pride and joy, ask him for his plans and join him.

     I cannot tell you how many times over the years I’ve shared my plans with God – really good plans that I was just sure he was going to get excited about. Plans that would have helped me financially; plans that would have helped our church grow numerically; plans which would have given me opportunity to reach a lot of people with the gospel; really, really good plans that I was just sure would make God happy.

      I would often share these plans with others and ask them to pray about the plans. I believed if I got the support of others, surely that was affirmation the plans were good and God would be even more impressed. After all the work I put into my plans, it seems God isn’t always in agreement with me. Sure, there are times he seems to bless my plans, but other times he seems to ignore them. It took me a long time to believe the phrase: if you want to make God chuckle, tell him your plans.

    To that statement I would add the following, “if you want to make God beam with pride and joy, ask him for his plans and join him.” Doesn’t this make more sense?

     God does listen to our plans because he loves us; just as I listen to my children’s’ plans because I love them. Some of their plans are good and I want to give them all the support I can. Other times I can tell right away the plans are not good. And there are the times when their plan might be good, but I know the plan I have for them is better. I believe we can trust that God’s plans are always better.

     While I’m limited in how much I can look ahead and determine whether my children’s plans are good or not, God is limitless or unlimited. He can see the end from the beginning. He is the master-planner. In fact his plan for us was made before the foundation of the world and he has never let go of that plan. He also has plans for us today, and tomorrow, and next month. He will never force us to follow his plans, but he does have a journey laid out that will prove to be a blessing to us and others. Again, I believe we can trust his plan.

     “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me” (Jer. 29:11-13).

     Let’s continually seek God’s plans and join him. – Rick  

In Love with Papa

Before our daughter Kayla was born, Cheryl and I loved her. But Cheryl loved her in a way I could not. As Kayla formed in Cheryl’s womb, Cheryl could feel life and she formed a relationship with our unborn child I was not able to form. It wasn’t until I saw Kayla’s birth and held her in my arms that I could experience relationship and love the way Cheryl had already experienced.

     And that was just the beginning. As the days progressed our love for Kayla grew and 24 years later it is still growing. The same is true for both our boys. This is the way it is with love – it grows as the relationship grows.

     The same is true of our love for God. All my life I was told the most important thing (greatest commandment) is to love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. I tried to love God as I grew up. I constantly told him I loved him, thinking that would help. I did my best to obey (at least most of the time) because I knew the Scripture said to love God was to keep his commandments – so love was based on obedience, (or so I thought).

     I admit I struggled loving God because I was trying to love without relationship. My attempt to love was based on a sense of duty coupled with a fear of disobedience. It was frustrating and often left me feeling like a failure. I believed if I just tried harder to love God, I could get my life in order and all would be well. It was an effort of futility – until I discovered the truth that God was a Papa who loved me and wanted to be in relationship with me.

     Jesus was quite intentional in revealing God as a Father who loves us. He wanted us to see the relationship he had with his Abba (Papa or daddy), Father. Jesus’ love for his Papa was based on the relationship they shared. His Papa loved him and he loved his Papa and that love grew as they spent time together.

     Just like my love grows for my children as I spend time in relationship with them, my love for my Papa grows as I spend time in relationship with him. This time is spent reading his story about his love and faithfulness for me and for humanity and talking to him about everything and worshipping him.

     The funny thing is, as I spend time with my Papa who loves me more than I can imagine, I begin to keep his commandments because I want to. What are those commandments? Love Papa and love others. In other words, build relationship with Papa and with his children by spending time with them. I can do this. – Rick

Filthy, Messy, Unconditional Love

The two best friends were playing in the back yard sliding down a hill into a pile of mud. The boys were laughing and having a wonderful time until they slid down the hill at the same time and smashed their noses together, both noses erupting in blood.

     The parents of the two boys were sitting on the patio sharing drinks and conversation. They had just commented on how filthy the boys were getting and wondering how they were going to get the boys to the bath without getting filthy themselves. The parents were going out later that evening and were already dressed for the occasion.

     When the boys smashed their noses together and both noses erupted in blood, all four parents leapt from their chairs and rushed to the boys. By the time the boys were calmed down, all four parents were covered in mud and blood, but the boys were reassured of their parents love and compassion.

     Later that evening one of the parents compared that event with his understanding of God’s love. “All my life, I believed I had to get cleaned up before God would love me,” he said. “I was afraid to go to God because I knew my sins made me as filthy and messy as the boys were today. But I wonder if God is more concerned about his love for us than about our sins and filth.”

     His wife said, “I wondered the same thing. When I saw the boys hurt, the last thing on my mind was how filthy or bloody they were. I just wanted to love them and tell them we were there for them. I think God is like that.”

     The other mother agreed. “When the boys needed us we dropped everything and ran to them. I think that’s what Jesus was telling us with the story of the prodigal son. God runs to us in spite of our filth, in spite of our mess and he just loves us.”

     The last parent, who was listening to the other three talk about God and this event, suddenly felt his eyes well up in tears.

     “I never understood the idea about God being my Papa until I listened to you three talk. I wanted to believe he loved me, but always felt he was keeping an arms distance because of my sins. You’ve helped me understand that God loves me just as I am. Amazing how God uses our children and you guys to help me understand that he is a Father who unconditionally loves us in the midst of our filthy and messy lives.”

     God doesn't mind at all being covered in our filth and mess. He's more concerned with reassuring us of his love and compassion.

The 12 Days of Christmas

People love to find hidden meaning in songs. Many claim the song “The 12 Days of Christmas” was written so people could remember their faith in times of persecution. Day one referring to Jesus, Day 2 to the Old and New Testaments, Day 3 to the Trinity or the three gifts of the wise men, Day 4 to the Gospels, Day 5 to the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), Day 6 to the days of creation, Day 7 to the seven sacraments, Day 8 to the eight Beatitudes, Day 9 to the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, Day 10 to the Ten Commandments, Day 11 to 11 faithful apostles, and Day 12 to the doctrines in the Apostle’s Creed. It’s interesting, but there’s no real truth to it.

     There’s no harm in finding meaning in the song, but there’s also no harm in simply enjoying the song as it is – about a person who tried to show his or her true love with different gifts.

     The truth is more exciting. The 12 days of Christmas was part of the Christian worship calendar focusing on the time between the celebration of Jesus’ birth, and the festival of Epiphany, celebrated on January 6. Epiphany commemorates the first manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi who came to see Jesus, as well as the first manifestation of Jesus’ divinity, which occurred at his baptism in the Jordan River. The period of time between Christmas and Epiphany was called the 12 days of Christmas or 12 days of focusing on Jesus.

       The early church believed the incarnation was too vital to simply observe for one day and then put aside for the year. Christmas is not a day; it’s an event that changed everything. As the early church fathers pointed toward Lent and Easter, they saw the need to first focus on Jesus’ life.

     The fact Jesus was worshipped by the Magi was significant – Gentiles worshipped the Son of God. These astrologers from the East recognized who Jesus was before the Israelite leaders had a clue. The religious leaders rejected the one worshipped by the wise ones of the world. Interesting thought to ponder.

     Most don’t celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, but neither should we go forward as if Christmas is over. Jesus born and lying in a manger is the incarnation – when God became flesh. But from that day forward our life with Christ begins and we proclaim Emmanuel – God dwelling among us. Let’s never stop celebrating that Good News.  – Rick

No Separation

“The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love, he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival,” (Zephaniah 3:17).  

I spent most of my life believing I was separated from God because of my sins and I had to work to get back into his good graces. I grew up believing God was like my dad, he was ultra strict, quick to punish and someone to fear more than love.

     Scriptures like the one above, or Romans 8:35-39, which speaks of God’s amazing love, baffled me. How could God love me when I was so far removed from him?

     I did not understand incarnation. I did not realize that incarnation refers to God taking on flesh, and not just any flesh, but all carnal flesh. “In carnal flesh,” is how some define incarnation. I did not understand that Jesus came to show us we were not separated – at least on the part of God.

     God never separated himself from man; we turned our back on him. He never stopped loving us; we simply stopped loving him. We determined we didn’t need God and, because of his love for us, he never forced himself on us. We built the gap of separation and then we blamed the gap on him. We believed the lie that God was too holy to be in our presence. We believed the lie that God could not be in the presence of sin. Further, we fell for the lies that we are not good enough, or worthy or loved. This is not the gospel.

     The incarnation tells us the truth about God’s love. “For he so loved the world…” The gospel is not that we can receive Jesus into our lives; the amazing and good news of the gospel is that Jesus has received us into his life. He’s brought us into the relationship he lives and shares with the Father and the Spirit. The gospel – or good news – is that we are in a union with Christ. At the very core of our being is Jesus Christ, in union with us and with the world. The good news is that we are good, we are worthy, we are loved, we are already in Christ and he is in us.

     God became flesh (incarnation) so he could dwell among us (Emmanuel). No separation. That is Good News!  – Rick