Pay It Forward
The La Verne Online Update recently related an inspirational story of when recording star Tina Turner split up from her husband Ike and worked for three years as a hotel maid, until The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger heard about her situation and made her the opening act for his show. After rebuilding her financial situation, and reinventing herself as a solo artist, she went back and purchased the hotel and gave it as a gift to the hotel manager who had treated her so kindly during those years. Although it’s probably a little beyond most of us to purchase a hotel as a token of gratitude, we can ALL find ways to express our appreciation to those who have helped us along the way. Luke 17 tells of the time when Jesus healed ten lepers from their gruesome disease and yet, despite their miraculous cures, only one of them took the time to stop and thank Him. It says of the grateful one that, "when he saw that he had been healed he turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet giving thanks to Him." This Thanksgiving season, let’s make that descriptive of us! Let’s be thankful people who never forget the many shoulders on which we’ve been privileged to stand.

No Understudies Allowed
The Christian religion centers on the Bible’s teaching that Jesus became a man who lived and walked among humanity before dying on the cross and rising from the dead to rescue mankind from their sins. Have you ever wondered why He chose to do it that way? Since God is God, I’m sure He could have chosen a lot of different ways to heal us from the disease of sin and grant us access to heaven. So why did He opt to identify so closely with us? It’s amazing that He did so, but it’s also a bit confusing. Why all the drama of becoming human? Why weren’t the prophets and the Holy Scriptures enough? Why didn’t He dispatch angels to lead and guide us into truth? I think there is only one answer that fits: when it comes to love, understudies aren’t allowed. Matters of the heart can’t be delegated; they must be personally attended to. So by coming personally, Jesus was sending the message that it was all about love. Love leaves no room for someone else to stand in; that’s why love left heaven and came to Earth, and then left us with that same pattern to follow.

Maya
Well, I’ve gone and done it. I’ve joined the ranks of a certain demographic that I NEVER thought I would join. I am officially a dog-lover. It’s not that I’ve ever had anything against dogs—we had a wonderful dog named Conan, a monstrous St. Bernard/German Shepherd mix when I was a boy and I loved him fiercely—but as an adult I’ve never had any desire to own one myself. In fact I’ve been so reluctant to get one that I’ve even tried to curb my daughters’ longing for a dog with multiple goldfish and a cat named Pawsy (we dog lovers know that goldfish and cats don’t quite cut it). I’m learning something, though, as a dog-lover. I’m learning that there’s something in the human soul that eventually melts against the force of unconditional, non-judgmental, adoring love. And that’s making me think about God Himself and the fact that He created puppies (granted, He also created cats and great white sharks but that’s not the point), and I’m overwhelmed with the fact that a household pet could be the repository of such profound love. Interestingly, the name Caleb means "the heart of the dog." Caleb, if you recall, was the dude in Joshua 14 who, at 85 years old, still wanted to fight God’s enemies. I never thought I’d say it, but I’m actually learning a lot from Maya.

"You know, Dad..."
Earlier this week, somewhere in between walking Maya (our newest family member—an adorable Maltese mix that we rescued from a shelter), making school lunches, and running late for school, Amber said something profound. She said, "You know, Dad, we change the world every day by our decisions." I looked up at her from my coffee, and she said it again. "The world changes a little bit every day based on what we do in the day."

In addition to being swept off my feet by her cuteness, I was reminded of Psalm 8:2 that says, "Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants, you have ordained strength." There’s a lot of strength in Amber’s statement: today could be the day that our world changes. Dr. Phil says it this way, "Every day is a turning point." The Apostle Paul said it this way, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). That’s our portion as followers of Christ—to walk in a continuing rebirth from the inside out, and then to positively affect the world around us. Our daily exploits might not make the headlines of the evening news, but Amber’s still right; we can change our world today by how we live today.

Fully Present
"Modern society has upset the rhythm of life." At least that’s what Dr. David L. McKenna, former president of Asbury Theological Seminary, said. Do you agree with him? Is time your friend, allowing you to prioritize your priorities, and pursue your God-given passions and dreams, or are you trapped in the vicious cycles of stress, busyness, and a profound lack of time? McKenna suggests that to live the fullest life possible we must strive to master our time and adhere to a rhythm that balances a combination of worship, work, rest, and play, with each of these components being essential for our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

"Work [he says] has been devalued and play has been invaded by the purpose of work. With so much leisure and so many options, play has been subjected to a time-clock schedule with its demand for successful production. In many instances, worship has been eliminated from the rhythm of life and rest has become a dreaded experience on a ‘crash pad.’ The result is that work is a necessary evil, play is work, worship is idolatry and rest is a short course in death." Unfortunately, my own experience affirms his conclusions.

When I’m praying, I feel guilty that I’m not spending time with my family. When I’m with my family, I lament my lack of prayer. When I’m talking with people I get distracted by the things I forgot to do earlier in the day. When I finally get back to work, I regret not maximizing the time I had with people. Sometimes I feel like I’m everywhere except the present moment—and that’s tragic because the present moment is all I really have. James said it this way, "Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (James 4:13-14). This certainly isn’t intended to depress us, or make us complacent about preparing for our futures—it’s to remind us that all we really have is this present moment. So let’s continually ask, "Am I fully engaged in this moment that the Lord has given me? Am I maintaining a healthy rhythm of life that allows me to give God and my loved ones my best efforts, or are they stuck with my distracted leftovers?" Let’s discover (or re-discover) the rhythm of life and experience what life could be like when we live it fully present.