Gift Number Sixteen (fixed)

Okay Team. One week from today - the whole planet will collectively go into another experience together. This one we’ve been celebrating together for millennia. It’s commonly known as “Christmas”. A holiday that is all about fulfilled promise, hope, restoration, and the Light of the World coming down to Earth and walking among us.

14 years ago I got to attend a Christmas service in the Balkans. I was at a church that was heavily attended by Christians from all over the world. There were so many people from so many parts of the world that the service was led by 4 different people - one for each of the most common languages in the church that evening. There were dozens of other languages that the service was translated into via an in-house audio system. There were more than a few languages that despite this incredible offering of translation services - had no translation available at all. Can you imagine?

As amazing as that was - the church was packed far beyond capacity. We were crammed onto the pews - jammed up against one another in a way that’s hard to imagine today. There were also so many attending for whom there was no room on any pew that they filled the aisles. These standing-room-only participants were present in much greater numbers than those who’d come early enough to grab a seat. Picture it!

As wonderful as all that was - the real beauty - was when we all began to sing Christmas carols. Familiar tunes blended with unfamiliar lyrics as those around me sang their hearts out, but you could tell that everyone in the room didn’t know that song.

Until, that is, we began to all sing Silent Night. What is it about that particular song? Everyone knew it! Everyone sang along - and knew every single word in their own language. I am just certain that heaven’s worship services will be the same - only we’ll all know what everyone’s singing. It was shocking to think that just a few hours before I’d been in the market with many of the same people - or at the coffee shop or enjoying the same walking trail - but we didn’t know what we had in common. They were all so precious to me in that place as we all sang together about that little baby born on that silent, night so long ago.

For so many reasons and on so many levels we’ve felt separated from one another - but I can assure you - for all we’ve all been through over the last 21 months - all of us preparing for Christmas - all of us especially who prepare our hearts for Christmas, who are so moved by that first Christmas miracle so long ago - without which there would be no Easter - God knows us all as His own. His children. And though we are not all in one building and accommodated with translations and language support - we ARE all in His sight. We are all why He came to live among us. What an incredible thing.

So - a week before Christmas eve - please, enjoy this gift of His perspective on us.

Gift Number Fifteen

Don’t you just love it when there’s something that you can indulge in all you want and there’s just hardly a downside to it all? You don’t have to measure, track, document … just dive in and enjoy. For instance - you can hardly go wrong drinking water. There’s almost no way to take a walk “wrong” - if you can go for a walk, it’s a win! Another thing we can hardly mess up is meditation - which is today’s gift.

Just a minute ago I went to BibleGateway.com and did a wild card search on meditat* (wild card searches - in short - let you search every form of a root word - so the wild card search I did today will pull up results for meditate, meditation, meditates, meditating … you get it). I did the search using the NASB 1995 version and that little search pulled up 24 results. 2 dozen. Easy peasy. I’ve done lengthier studies on meditation in the past in multiple versions and written lengthy word-documents on all I learned - but let me sum up.

The Bible - both in the New and Old Testaments encourages and assumes that we will meditate.

Meditation is one of the few things that we can do and which will - regardless of what we have going on with your or my particular brain, will improve it. Read that again. Whatever you have going on with your brain - meditation makes it better. Jumpy thoughts - meditation helps. Stubborn/stuck thoughts - meditation. Anxious - meditation. Clueless - meditation. Meditation is GOOOOOD for that stuffin’ up there in your coconut. I’m not saying meditation will in one go take you from where you are to some exalted, illuminated plain of bla bla bla … what I am saying is that the more we engage in this practice - the more we benefit.

Meditation stumps some folks - how to do it. There are so many excellent resources on how to do it - I can’t begin to do better than what’s already available out there. Some of you might still be influenced by fearful thinking about how dangerous meditation is - if you find yourself there - I’d encourage you to go to your favorite Bible search tool - whether that’s an old-school concordance (exhaustive - of course!) or an on-line tool - and read for yourself what Scripture says about meditation. The Bible has a LOT to say about when to do it (I’ll sum up again - “often” is the answer) and where to do it (summary: “everywhere”) … The thing we want most to find is how. For that I encourage you to take a page from Isaac’s book - who in Genesis 24:63 - went out into the field. Maybe you live where I live and this time of year is not the ideal time to go sit in a field no matter how great meditating is. That’s okay. Go in your mind. Recall a field - whatever kind of field you like - and sit somewhere with your thoughts there - and quiet yourself. Slow your breathing down. And then I suggest you just start by trying to hold an image of Christ in your mind. When I first began - just keeping my breathing calm was difficult enough to occupy my attention completely.

Successful meditation isn’t perfectly keeping only one image unwaveringly steady in your mind. You’re not a statue - and your mind isn’t a painting. Successful meditation is trying - and the more you try the more successful you can be. The more you try - the better you’ll get at holding your thoughts on one thing - instead of the infinite jumble we usually have going on. This will benefit you in more ways than you can imagine. Be patient with yourself.

In my experience with meditation, since I started doing it daily seven some years ago, meditation is a gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving. It is the greatest spriritual practice that is under-practiced.

Gift Number Fourteen

One of the greatest gifts we receive from Jesus is a new identity - we become co-heirs with Christ, Children of God, and a whole bunch of other new labels and positions, privileges, and responsibilities which are such a game-changing blessing. But so often it’s so difficult to really embrace and grasp that new identity. It’s tricky to find ways to really let that new identity sink in and soak all the way through - not just bone-deep, but soul-deep.

For some, a particular verse in Scripture hits us and a light goes on. For some, a particular worship song communicates in one hearing what a hundred sermons can’t. Sometimes - it’s a moment of service - or receiving help. I know for me it took more than one encounter of each of these types for me to start to even really see just how far the identity I brought with me into my faith was from the new identity Jesus was offering me. Actually - He’s already offered it. It’s mine. I have it. It’s like a whole new outfit - a makeover if you will - but then the next day I go back to my same-old-same-old. It takes work, and rest to really understand what it means to be His. These days I’m finding paradigm shifts, contemplative prayer, meditation, and the like very useful at helping me shift much more deeply into my identity in Christ - there is always more of it to understand, - particularly in terms of my perspective on things, my attitudes and behaviors. It’s humbling to think about how much I’ve worked to grow - and yet how much more growth I need. It’s also encouraging because the more I embrace my identity in Christ - the more I find myself experiencing a richer and richer version of the fruits of the spirit, spiritual gifts. This isn’t any kind of “horn-tooting” on my part - but a testimony to God’s graciously patient and long-suffering work on me. I”m not the creator of my growth - but the recipient of it.

I’ve also been the recipient of really great mentoring and discipling - and of really great teaching and information.

To that end, I’d love to share some of that with you. Today I have in my hands a poster of the image above - and if you’d like to have that poster - and are the first to contact me - I’d love to give it to you. You can message me on Facebook, you can email, text, or call, etc. (contact info is under the ministry friends tab of the JC’s website and scroll down) You can even DM me on Twitter. I’ll get it out in the mail to you. It’d be my privilege.

May we all daily open more of the gift of this new identity we have in Him! It’s a gift that keeps giving.

Gift Number Thirteen

Today’s gift is a LUCKY thirteen!

Yesterday I mentioned Dr. Brene Brown’s TED talks which went so viral. Today’s gift is the relief, the escape, the balm Jesus offers us when it comes to laying down the shame that life lays on us from time to time. Even if you’ve seen these videos before - they’re worth watching again. We’ve all been through a lot over the last 21 months. We’ve all had moments we’re fine with sharing with others. We’ve all had moments that we’d probably rather forget. Today’s gift isn’t just to talk about relief, escape and balm that Jesus offers us - the vast majority of the New Testament, never mind the entire message of the Gospel itself is a message of salvation from sin, and the scar - the shame of sin. Brene’s TED talk helps us see how to do that too.

So - It’s Taco-Tuesday - so how about you grab yourself a delicious taco, and enjoy a couple of quick videos! If you’ve never heard of Brene, or watched these videos before, you’re in for an eye-opening perspective and some of our most human moments.

Brene Brown’s First TED talk is here

Her second TED talk is here

Gift Number Twelve

A number of years ago I stumbled across Dr. Brene Brown’s TED talk that went so massively viral. Since then I’ve read everything she’s written and own quite a few of them. One of my favorites - that I’ve bought, given away, bought again and again - is her book The Gifts Of Imperfection.

Yesterday’s gift was letting go of negativity - today’s is letting go of what for many of us is one of the biggest (and most toxic) drivers of that negativity; perfectionism.

I feel like I get to speak about perfectionism with the expertise that people have when they were once gung-ho, over-the-top junkies on a particular thing - and then slam into a wall and come to realize that all the promises came to naught and you realize you went off the path you actually wanted to be on. I’ve sadly even had people tell me that I “gave” them perfectionism. Not sure it actually works like that - but perfectionism is a trap for sure.

Over a decade ago I began backing away from perfectionism - but when I hit those health troubles - it became crystal clear that perfectionism is a scam. We get told that if we have perfect lives if we buy the perfect things, banish all signs of imperfection and have all the perfect experiences - then we will finally - have … we’ll have … well surely we’ll be the envy of everyone and we’ll have the peace of mind that we are okay - or something. My perfectionism was driven by a desire, among other things, to not look like a fool or lead a stupid life. But the scam is that no matter how “perfect” you can get your life to be - there’s always going to be something else to “perfect” Perfectionism hounds us all - though I do think how it plays out differs by age and gender.

Regardless though - it’s a trap.

You are perfect now.

Let me rephrase that. You’re perfectly worthy now for Jesus to love, save and give all these gifts too.

So today’s gift is embracing imperfectionism, or better put - the beauty and strength of being alive which is to be a work of Grace in progress and as such to be a dynamic, growing, living, and breathing thing. If you have kids - you have a mess somewhere in your house. If you have pets - you have mess somewhere on your floors. If you have a family - you have things that need to be done and if you have a job, volunteer role, you have responsibilities to attend to.

I don’t know about you - but I’m happy to skip the perfectionism of perfect stuff and perfect social media. The victories - if they can be had at all - are way too hollow and fleeting.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Give me the meaningful pursuits of relationships that are healthy and growing, of trust blossoming, of greater peace, deeper laughs, and ever greater awareness of Jesus’ love and grace rattling in my head instead of silly worries about perfect lawns, perfect cars, wardrobes, homes, and vacations and all that. Better to sit with a humble, grace-filled heart laughing over the phone at life’s laughable moments (most of which have a gloriously GOB LOT to do with imperfection) - with holes in my socks, and house chores to be done. I’d rather send another funny meme to someone I care about than empty my email inbox. Imperfection - especially the sort that comes about in pursuit of priceless things - is a far higher achievement.

This time of year especially - perfectionism can be such a crushing thing. Better a desire for more time with loved ones, despite an imperfectly clean bathroom. Better to grow that new friendship than to double down on the perfect decorations.

May your imperfect life be full of all that’s perfectly priceless and meaningful!

Gift Number Eleven

What if there were something you could do, or rather, NOT do, that could make your life - the exact same life you have right now - bump up in quality? Who wouldn’t want that?

If this were a commercial, this would be the moment where the shiny new product would appear on the screen. And in true 2021 fashion - it’d have a monthly subscription - right?

Of course, I’m not talking about a shiny new product or gizmo. I’m talking about relieving yourself of the awful burden of negativity.

I number of years ago I stumbled across a blog on a church website that told of one Lenten season when this particular church gave up complaining for Lent. They got little rubber bracelets made to wear to remind them to give up negativity - if they caught themselves being negative - they moved the little rubber bracelet from one wrist to the other. Simple. So they got to it.

In short order people in the congregation started talking about just how challenging they found this. They’d had no idea how much they’d been complaining. They generally thought that it was those other people over there who were too negative. Ha! Isn’t that the way that goes though? It’s US. It’s me.

So I started this too. My life was a mess at this point. I had some serious health stuff going on - and that was messing up my entire life. I thought, yeah, I’m definitely complaining about this too much - and I was completely clear that complaining was not helping AT ALL. I didn’t have their little rubber bracelet - but I did have a little rubber bracelet - that came home with me from the grocery store on my broccoli. It worked JUST as well.

In a matter of a week and a half - not only did I cut my complaining significantly - but it made me feel less awful, less stressed. I mean - I was still facing the same health issues, the same mess that they caused, but the complaining itself was making things - well - “worser” than they had to be. The complaining FIXED nothing but made me feel worse.

Even better - complaining less did for me exactly what it did for the people in that church’s congregation -

1. Complaining literally makes problems loom larger, weigh on us heavier, and leaves us more stressed. We absolutely FEEL better when we don’t complain.

2. It made it easier for me to feel less overwhelmed by the problems

3. Because I was less overwhelmed - I was better at making improvements - even if only tiny ones

4. BONUS! Not complaining made it easier to see the problems for what they are - and address them more effectively.

Okay - so for the low, low price of Nada-Ninety-Five YOU can go to your kitchen right now - reach into your crisper drawer and grab that little purple or blue rubber, Amy Jo-made “remember to not complain” bracelet and be on your way to feeling better! And it is OKAY to munch on somma dat broc while you’re at it.! Woo hoo!!!

And come back tomorrow for another gift. Trust me - you’ve earned it.

Gift Number Ten

When you get bumped - what sloshes out?

Let me explain what I mean.

Scripture says, “from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” This verse appears in a couple of gospels Matthew 12:34, Luke 6:45. They’re both spoken by Jesus. Usually, these passages get explained and taught that what we carry in our heart - even in our heart of hearts - will come out. It’ll come out in a heated moment. In a moment of passion. In that moment when that thing happens at work again, or your kid does that thing - again. It also means that the hobby you really love, or song you relish every time it plays - it will show.

There’s also that verse in the “Shepherd’s Psalm” that says “my cup overflows” Psalm 23:5c. Usually, this seems self-explanatory. The shepherd in the Psalm has made it through the valley of the shadow of death and now God’s spread a feast table out in front of him. Doesn’t it just mean that God’s gracious abundance means that the shepherd’s cup is filled to overflowing with water?

But what if it’s not just about God filling the shepherd’s cup to overflowing? What if it’s also about the abundance of God’s blessings - especially when we show up with an empty cup.

All the gifts we’ve opened so far - are gifts that directly reflect God’s incredible gracious loving abundance towards us. Humor, gratitude, rest, imagination, creativity, … and so much more. What if we can fill our cups - our souls, spirits, minds, hearts, and - really - our whole LIVES with all these gifts so abundantly that when we find ourselves in one of those moments when - as in Matthew 12:34 - from the overflow of our heart our mouth speaks - what spills or sloshes out - is gratitude, graciousness, humor, playfulness - or whatever other good things best reflect God’s wisdom and love at that moment. What if our spiritual hygiene practice can grow so robust that when we find ourselves pressed - what comes out is fragrant olive oil so to speak. Character, and humility, and dependence upon God to keep filling and filling our cup so full that we’re walking, talking, Jesus-reflecting storehouses of His abundant loving generosity. Not that we’re going to be perfect when we are in stressful moments - but rather that we reflect a different spiritual lifestyle, a different spiritual practice, a different habit of coming to Him daily and asking to be filled up. A different commitment to not running around full to the brim of stressed-out social media stuff, depressing news, frustrating fears from feeling that feeling again.

I started following Jesus and pursuing His ways when I was 18. In the beginning, I was all memorizing Bible verses, prayer times, Bible studies, growing through a deep commitment to community - and it changed my life. But sometimes - it felt like these weren’t quite enough. They were great. They were better than everything I’d done before - but they just didn’t quite cover everything. Slowly I started bringing the light-hearted, silly, playful and all the rest of those priceless human experiences into my spiritual practice - and that’s made such a difference. It’s been amazing.

I hope it does for you too.

Gift Number Nine

Here’s an idea: spiritual spa day.

Time to ex-grumpify that lil’ head o’ yours. First, we’re gonna go in the steam room and steam out all the stuff we can’t change. Then we’re going to go into the sauna and sit there and LIKE it, till we have all those chilly thoughts of self-accusations thawed out and melted away. After that, we’re going to go into that dark room that smells of weird incense and have all of those burdens that are not actually your burdens massaged away with one of those strange, unpronounceable massages that you’ve never heard of before - and we’re going to stay in there until we are so massaged-out that we could not possibly carry a burden that’s not ours ever again. What’s more - after this point - we would not even DARE to DREAM of even thinking about picking up something that’s not really our problem.

Then we’re going to get some of that acupuncture - and they’re going to put one of those little needles …

Okay. Maybe that’s enough spa description.

Maybe it’s also clear enough that I don’t know much about spas.

But I tell what I do know about … I KNOW that there’s something to giving yourself some serious spiritual spa-time and slaking off all the soil and toil of the day. It’s powerful to not just peel off your shoes at the end of the day, but peel off the things you thought that maybe fall somewhat short of the best thoughts you’ve ever thought. There’s something to putting God’s truth back into your head and re-orienting yourself to His ways after a day out in the world, working hard, tiring yourself out.

I bet you’d never consider putting in the garden or cleaning out the basement without planning some clean-up time for yourself when you’re done for the day. Yet so often we go through day after day after day of stressful, draining, situation after situation - and then the evening comes - and there’s dishes, and kids to put to bed - and aaalll the things - and before you know it the alarm’s going off and it’s time to start all over again.

It is HUGE to, as you peel your shoes off, to peel off that tense conversation. It’s SO VALUABLE to as you wipe the negativity, the petty comments, the toxicity - to wipe God’s warm love and gracious patience towards us into your skin.

I do this every day as I wrap up my workday and get ready to wind down before bed - I don’t think there’s a single, one way to go about doing this - but I consciously let go of all those things from today that I don’t want to carry over into tomorrow.

This isn’t something that’s only useful for days that are particularly grimy.

Everyone’s happy to shower and put on clean clothes after a day of volunteering at the camp’s anual clean up. But it’s just as nice to clean up after a holiday or just a day at the home-office getting things done. Yet - most of us only know about having quiet-times and prayer-times. Those are great - but there’s so much more. What if there’s more?

There’s so much more!

So - today when you get ready to leave work and go home - even if you’re just going from one room in your house to another - pause - and do a little spiritual spa-day, a little spiritual hygiene - so you’re refreshed, topped off, moisturized, energized and ready to go.

Enjoy!

Gift Number Eight

Ever meet a perfect person?

Me either.

The closest I come is what I read and know to be true about Jesus.

What I love about spending time with Him is how often it shifts the way I think and feel about everything else so much. Problems shrink from mountains down to molehills. And I often learn a little bit - maybe some days just a spec’s worth about how to be a little more resilient.

And really - that’s what all of these gifts are; nuggets of truth that I hope will brighten your day a bit. They’re all pretty powerful in my experience - at least I rely on them every day.

Can I confess something? When I was first starting out in my walk - a few decades ago - I really believed that for something to really change my life, it had to be BIG, and EXCITING, and ooooh so powerful. But who hasn’t tried to make some substantial positive change in their lives - only to falter or fall.

If you think about it though - big huge changes are pretty rare - and that’s not how we learn most things. Your career - you learned at the pace of one day at a time. Even the big things like marriage and parenting, we at least think about it for a while and then plan, and prepare. I don’t know anyone who opened their door to see their future spouse or child - on the doorstep.

Small is incredibly powerful. Get a spec of dust on your shoe - and you’ll never know it. Get one near or in your eye - and everything stops.

So today’s gift is the gift of the Nudge. The Nudge is the secret sauce to my self-discipline. I take the goal I want to achieve - and I reduce it down to the tiniest possible bit. I want to spend time with Jesus every single day, so I started with 15 seconds. An amount so small - it’s incredibly easy to achieve. Difficult to NOT achieve in fact. It was a long time ago when I set that goal - and it’s evolved into a full-blown rock-solid habit of growing my walk daily.

There’s a reason we plant tomato seeds - not full-blown tomato plants laden with tomatoes.

What good thing do you want more of in your life? Start as small as possible - and grow with that habit and it’ll feel stressless, fulfilling, hopeful - and hey - you’ll be so successful at it right away! This is a fair bit better than trying a little harder (again maybe) to do a lot better and/or different - which can too easily turn into an unsustainable goal as soon as something unexpected comes up.

I think Nudging is something that Jesus is so good at. He woos us closer to Him, reveals Himself to us and with masterful skill teaches us to follow Him better than we’d ever imagined.

Nudging is one of my favorite topics - so if you want to talk more about this - give me a shout. We’ll grab a cup of coffee and let Jesus inspire us completely to walk with Him every day.

Gift Number Seven

Some of you know that when not doing ministry with college students, church friends or the local jail ministry, I like to tell stories. As of this month I’ve been a member of Bluff Country Tale Spinners for six years. Stories are incredibly powerful. I absolutely see why Jesus used them so often in His teaching. They stick around in our heads so well.

There are a lot of things I don’t know about your story - but one thing I know for SURE - is that it’s not done yet.

Here are some things I know about unfinished stories

1. Between here and the ending - twists and turns are possible

2. Twists and turns are key to the greatest stories

3. .There are all kinds of heroes.

4. You are the hero of your story.

5. You get to decide what kind of hero to be - are you a warrior hero, a sage, a great leader, a peace-maker, a teacher, artist, … something new maybe?

6. What kind of hero we want to be has a big impact on how our story progresses.

7. YOU choose the next step in your story.

8. Most of our lives are at least trilogies if not multi-volume series. Where you are now may only be “book two of seven”

Have you thought much about where you’d like your story to go next? Maybe you’re at a highpoint - perhaps it’t time to spin a scene of celebration. Maybe something more somber is called for. Sometimes when I’m not sure how to respond to a situation I imagine lots of different characters from books and shows and Scripture in my situation - and see which ones feel like they fit best. Sometimes picturing an obviously “not at all like me” character helps me get unstuck - seeing in your imagination what you would never do can clarify what needs doing. This can also be an entertaining way to think while out on a walk.

Whatever kind of story you’re writing, may your story encourage and inspire many, my friend.

Gift Number Six

Playful. When were you last playful?

Remember when you were a kid and on a summer day you’d got to a friend’s house next door or on your block - and you’d smoosh your face into the screen on the screen door - and knock - and feel the knocking reverberate through your head? You’d catch a glimpse of your friend’s mom and you’d ask if your friend could come out and play.

You know - you’re still a great playmate. Whether it’s riding bikes, or making a hideout in the backyard, or inventing a game, or playing horse - you have a knack for play. You could even say that you have a gift for it.

Playfulness for adults makes us more resilient, more hopeful, more connected. It can energize and destress. There’s a spontaneity about play that’s just delightful. And play is so wholeheartedly loving-the-moment - it’s like a gummy vitamin for your soul.

We’re coming into that time of year when if the weather’s just right - we could get just the right weather for - a perfect day of sledding, the best snow for making a snowman, or maybe the warmest winter night we’ll have in a bit to go outside and playfully gaze up at the sky and search for constellations.

What were your favorite ways to be playful? Was it legos? Was it yo-yo? Remember the first time you played with an etch-a-sketch or a slinky? Thumb-wrestling?

Most of these gifts take no more time to meaningful engage in than it takes to read one of these posts. It’s not about complicating our lives - but rather freeing the best parts of ourselves up to be more in our lives - right now - with those we love most.

Who do you want to play with again? A sibling? A best friend from long ago - or not so long ago? Maybe there was a game or sport your loved to play with your spouse when you were first dating. Maybe there’s a way you love playing with your kids. Remember playing so hard that you just burst out into fits of giggles and laughter? Remember time flying by? Reliving those memories is almost as invigorating as playing again. Reliving them - over the phone - or whatever - we have so many ways to communicate - with our old play-buddy again is even better.

Take a well-deserved break from all the non-play things you’ve been adulting-through and spend a moment recalling a treasured moment of awesome play. Aaaah. What a time! Let’s do more of that!

I’d really love to keep writing about this - but I gotta go smoosh my face into someone’s screen door and see if they can come out and play..

Gift Number Five

Humor. Gratitude. Beauty. Rest.

Today’s gift is the gift of Imagination.

This is similar to the gift from Saturday (day 3) but what I’m proposing today is that you remember that once you were all about making and creating all the time. Maybe you drew pictures. Maybe you drew battles. Maybe you played your own covers of some music you liked on your band instrument, or while drumming on your desk at school. Maybe you made forts or lego creations. Maybe you created games to play with your friends. Regardless - once there was a whole world of imagination in your head - and you let it out all day long. Once - you engaged in imagination all throughout your day.

You know - as a child I thought it was “very adult” to feel frustrated about Mondays and to watch the news and tell the TV how terrible the news was. Thinking constantly about bills also seemed very adult. Playing make-believe was NOT adult at all. Not one bit.

Small wonder so many of us feel so nostalgic about childhood!

It’s very adult to use your adult mental faculties to imagine innovative solutions, make your work and/or home environment more convenient. It’s incredibly adult to shut off the news (by whatever means you get it) as soon as it starts to tank your mood. It’s okay to imagine getting essential information via whatever means is easiest to digest without affecting your mood for the day. Imagination’s power to help us find solutions to stress, nuisances, wanting to laugh more, helping others, communicating better, fostering community - or whatever thing we feel prompted to improve.

Imagine using your imagination to - lower your stress, or lift your spirits. What about using it to encourage a friend, or get yourself unstuck from a problem that’s been weighing on you.

Perhaps the best thing we can do with our imagination is to use it to help us grow our walk with Jesus deeper, wiser, stronger. I’m always amazed when I talk to someone who’s concerned that more of Jesus’ ways in our life could ever make our lives anything but better. Some folks imagine Jesus as some sort of Principle + Boss + Pastor combo - or whatever passes for intimidating to you. Jesus however - is the best ally you’ll ever find though - He loved you enough to die for after all. How often has anyone else done that for you? He’s the most skillful coach you could ever want. He not only got a solution to every problem but one that reveals more of who He is, illuminating how Good He is, unifying for families and faith communities, faith-building, and instructive in helping us not grow weary of serving Him.

My favorite way to imagine a new answer to an old problem is to pray about it, remember the times in the New Testament when Jesus and His disciples went out onto Lake Galilee just because - and imagine that I’m out in that boat with Him too. Then I go for a walk and pop him my question. That’s just one way. There are loads of ways - I’m sure you can imagine a few of your own. Whatever issue you might want to improve, I imagine you and He can handle it.

Gift Number Four

Humor. Gratitude. Beauty. We can add them at any time to our lives, and they add so much to our lives. Each of these takes us out of the frame of mind we spend much of our day in - struggling to get things done, working against the clock, herding cats.

Today - want to talk about the powerful gift that rest is. I’m not just talking about the sort of rest we get when we’re asleep, but also the kind of restful state of mind we have when we’re relaxed, calm, peaceful, quieted, or even in a “flow state” - of the sort we get into when we’re reading, drawing, playing music, playing a game, or doing deep meaningful work in some field of expertise.

Graham Cooke (who I like to listen to preach - especially his sermon Why Wounded and Betrayed Believers Are So Useful to God) says “Rest is a weapon”. Graham’s referring to rest as a spiritual weapon - defensively primarily. Who hasn’t found themselves in a trying situation that was made much worse by the fact that they were so stressed out, tired and run down.

There are surely times when we cannot avoid this - when a loved one falls ill, when raising young children, when moving, launching a business (or dealing with a season of corporate troubles) - just to name a few but surely not all. Sometimes despite our best efforts we find ourselves facing several or even all of these all at once. I can surely relate to this. Over a decade ago work was crazy, the economy was crazy and my mom was dying. I ran every which way until I was completely worn down. Then it got ugly. A couple years ago - I had several family members struggling with health, work stress, my dog died - and I was completely run down again - but the second time I’d learned to stop and rest as soon as I felt spread so thin, ask friends for help, and I contacted everyone counting on me to get something done for more time. Then I poured myself into staying in that mode until I felt able to pick up and go again. The difference between those two seasons was so profound. The first season caused many years worth long-term problems and hurdles that were really challenging to overcome. The second was challenging - but nowhere nearly as problematic. In fact - the second season led to growth, more strength, and some really, really welcome and valuable lessons. The second season was also over in months - not years.

You are worth being rested, rejuvenated, energized, reinvigorated. You and your family, your friends, your work and even your pets - all get the best of you when you give yourself not just the sleep you need - but the mental rest you must have in order to grow, and strengthen your spiritual gifts, your unique way of blessing the faith communities you’re a part of. God surely can grow us closest towards Himself when we’re rested. Pretty hard to be enthused when we’re dragging ourselves through life. We’d never raise our children that way. God doesn’t want to raise us that way either.

So - today’s gift - is this sleepy post (stretches and yawns big), with loads of slow pokey words. It’s okay to go ahead - and lay your tablet or phone (or whatever you’re reading this on) down - and close your eyes for a moment. You know - to ponder. (another big yawn). Maybe just a quick nap. It is the Lord’s day after all. Sabbath rest and all that. If you think about it - what bigger profession can we make of faith than to … than to …

Rest.

Gift Number Three

Humor and Gratitude are pretty high-quality food for our souls, but there’s more. Sometimes we want more than humor - and need more than that and that’s cool.

So today gift celebrates how amazing all forms of beauty are - whether it’s a breathtaking vista, or an amazingly performed piece of music by a musician, or a beautiful work of art, a lovely evening with friends, a heartening playtime with kids, or a soulfully gorgeous time in prayer with God. There are so many forms beauty can take - and they all hit our souls a little differently. Regardless - I wish you all of them. And I wish you a sharp memory of each of them so you can pull them back up from your memory banks to the forefront of your mind and bask in their warmth.

It’s so easy to find our lives bombarded with things that are just not beautiful - news, social media, uncertainties, … but beauty - and the power of beauty to remind us that there is so much more of value going on right now, right this very moment than just the things that unsettle us or which we find unfulfilling. I like to set my wallpapers, lock-screens, and desktops to scenes of vibrant beauty and end the day by soaking in the incredible gift that God gave us when he gave us just a tiny bit of His capacity to not just enjoy beauty - but create it. If you know me, then you know I like to play around with making beauty as much as I like to gaze upon it and soak it up. One of the things I love about where I live is all the varied sorts of natural beauty here.

And then there’s this sort of beauty …

Your Second Gift

Not gonna lie - I’ve talked to quite a few of you over the course of the year - and a lot of you got more beat up than I’d have liked. A lot of us have spent a lot of time over the last too many months getting bummed over the news, frustrated over social media, heaped on by work and family pressures. We’re carrying some heavy burdens these days.

Thanksgiving was just a week ago today - but Gratitude deserves far more than an annual holiday. Gratitude is the gift that God gave us - that gives and gives. Cultivating a spirit of gratitude not only helps us appreciate the good things in our lives but can shift our whole perspective on what God’s doing in our lives. A regular practice of allowing ourselves to see all God’s blessings in our lives - and really sitting in that gratitude, exploring it, and celebrating it - can soothe our tired and weary souls. Deep gratitude for every single good thing - puts all the imperfections in our lives (even the irksome ones) in their place.

So - I dare you - I DOUBLE DOG dare you - to not only go on a little hunt today for some more funny stuff to laugh at (there are LOADS) of sources of chuckle-worthy content AND take a few moments to think about all that’s God’s done for you and given you that is so gratitude worthy. Gratitude and humor together are like a gummy vitamin for your soul - at the very least. More than that when we embrace gratitude - it’s easier to laugh at whatever hilarity we come across. It’s also easier to relax and to build resilience. But don’t bother too much thinking about those downstream benefits to gratitude - just go ahead and enjoy all the gratitude you can step into right in this moment. The more gratitude we take time to feel - the more grateful we feel and the more it starts to feel like there’s not so much so out of place in our lives. Even Jesus paused in the midst of His short public ministry to give thanks in public and in private with just His disciples.

Who are you grateful for? What priceless gifts - such as family, opportunity, health, talents, and such has God given you that make your life what it is?

Monday Funday! Food memes

Saw these - and thought of you all. Hope you like the feast for your funnybone!

Well y’all - bon Appetit and I s’pose …

Monday Funday! Throwback Funny

Found an old writeable CD in my desk last week while spring cleaning - it was labeled “Funny” - but dated from 2002. It was FULL. FULL, people, with “funny” things people had emailed me - over the previous 5 years. Remember when we thought receiving LONG e-mails full of stuff like this was a good thing - and we laughed?

HOW TO RECOGNIZE IF YOU DRINK TOO MUCH COFFEE

1. Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.
2. You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
3. The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.
4. You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
5. You lick your coffeepot clean.
6. You spend every vacation visiting "Maxwell House."
7. You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
8. Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
9. You're so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
10. You can jump-start your car without cables.
11. All your kids are named "Joe."
12. Your only source of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low."
13. You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
14. You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
15. People get dizzy just watching you.
16. When you find a penny, you say, "Find a penny, pick it up. Sixty-three more, I'll have a cup."
17. The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you.
18. Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.
19. You're so wired, you pick up FM radio.
20. Your life's goal is to "amount to a hill of beans."
21. Instant coffee takes too long.
22. When someone says. "How are you?", you say, "Good to the last drop."
23. You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.
24. You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
25. You're offended when people use the word "brew" to mean beer.
26. You name your cats "Cream" and "Sugar."
27. You get drunk just so you can sober up.
28. Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position.
29. You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
30. You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.
31. You think being called a "drip" is a compliment.
32. You don't tan, you roast.
33. You can't even remember your second cup.
34. You introduce your spouse as your "Coffeemate."
35. You think CPR stands for "Coffee Provides Resuscitation

WORST ANALOGIES IN A HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST

These are actual analogies written by high school students and submitted to the “contest” by their teachers.

 1.     He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with the pinhole in it, and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with the pinhole in it.

2.     She caught your eye like one of those pointy hook latches that used to dangle from the screen door and would fly up whenever you banged the door open.

3.     The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.

4.     McNiel fell twelve stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

5.     From the attic came an unearthly how. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city, and “Jeopardy” comes on at 7 p.m. instead of 7:30.

6.     Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

7.     Her eyes were like two brown circles with big black dots in the center.

8.     Bob was as perplexed as a hacker who means to access “http:flw.quid55328.com/aaakk/ch@ung” but gets “http:flw.quidaaakk/ch@ung” by mistake.

9.     Her vocabulary was aS bad as like whatever.

10.  He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

11.  The hailstones leaped off the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

12.  Her date was pleasant enough, but she knew that if her life what a movie, this guy would be buried in the credits as something like “Second Tall Man”.

13.  Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55mph, the other Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 45mph.

14.  The politician was gone but unnoticed, like the period after the Dr. on a Dr Pepper can.

15.  They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan’s teeth.

16.  The thunder was ominous-sounding, much like the sound of a thin sheet of metal being shaken backstage during the storm scene in a play.

17.  John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds that had never met.

18.  His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without cling-free.

19.  The red brick was the color of a red-brick-Crayola-crayon.

Last One

Tips on Loving – from Kids

 What’s the right age to get married?

      Once I'm done with kindergarten, I'm going to find me a wife. (Tom, 5)
What do most people do on a date?

      On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a         second date. (Mike, 9)
When is it okay to kiss someone?

      You should never kiss a girl unless you have enough bucks to buy her a big ring and her own VCR because she'll want to have videos of the wedding. (Jim, 10)
Why love happens between two people:

      No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell. That's why perfume and deodorant are so popular. (Jan, 9)
What falling in love feels like:

      Like an avalanche where you have to run for your life. (Roger, 9)
      If falling it’s anything like learning how to spell, I don't want to do it; it takes too long. (Leo, 7)
The role of good looks when falling in love:

      If you want to be loved by somebody who isn't in your family, it doesn't hurt to be beautiful. (Jeanne, 8)
      It isn't always just how you look. Look at me, I'm handsome like anything and I haven't got anybody to marry me yet. (Gary, 7)
      Beauty is skin deep. But how rich you are can last a long time. (Christine, 9)
Why lovers often hold hands:

      They want to make sure their rings don't fall off because they paid good money for them. (Dave, 8)
Confidential opinions about love:

      I'm in favor of love as long as it doesn't happen when 'The Simpsons’ is on television. (Anita, 6)
      Love will find you, even if you are trying to hide from it. I have been trying to hide from it since I   was five, but the girls keep finding me. (Bobby, 8)
      I'm not rushing into being in love. I'm finding fourth grade hard enough. (Regina, 10)
What personal qualities are necessary for being a good lover?

      One of you should know how to write a check. Because even if you have tons of love, there is still going to be a lot of bills. (Ava, 8)
Surefire ways to make someone fall in love with you:

      Don't do things like have smelly, green sneakers. You might get attention, but attention ain't the same thing as love. (Alonzo, 9)
      One way is to take the girl out to eat. Make sure it's something she likes to eat. French fries usually work for me. (Bart, 9)
What most people are thinking when they say “I love you.”

      The person is thinking, Yeah, I really do love him. But I hope he showers at least once a day. (Michelle,9)
How to make love last forever:

      Spend most of your time loving instead of going to work. (Tom, 7)
      Be a good kisser. It might make your wife forget that you never take out the trash. (Randy,8)

Whew! Now - go rest your eyeballs and have pity on our pre-meme selves!

Monday Funday! March 29.5th

Well - it’s almost Easter - and with everything going on - the only thing that could make it better is some laughter! Hope you get a chuckle or two out of these.

And no collection of Easter humor would be complete without this little gem from way back

Okay. That’s enough laughter. You better get back to looking up deviled egg recipes. Happy Easter to you all. Praying that it’s full of all the best!

Conversation Fuel - What kind of "normal" do you want?

It’s decision time. Where do you want to go?

As strange as it may seem to think that the pandemic began over a year ago, it’s almost as strange to think that in all likelihood within another year or less our daily risk of contracting COVID-19 will dramatically reduce. It seems likely that crowds, commerce, and communities will largely return to their former levels of activity.

Many of us have had to reduce our engagement - and apart from all the things that have already been said on the matter - most of us had to rapidly adapt to a different normal. Before we know it we can slip back into our old normal

Or - do we want to use this global pause to take a more purposeful step towards creating a life that is more meaningful?

I haven’t finished thinking through exactly how I want to do things going forward, but I can tell you that one aspect of the last 12 months that I have greatly appreciated have been the quiet moments of contemplating, praying, connecting with God, and reflecting on what He’s doing in my life.

If you know me very well at all, you know that I already have a habit of spending time daily engaging in just those activities. But what I’m clear about is that I want more.

But what about you? What have you realized you really miss? What have you realized you’ve really enjoyed? Your answers might be pretty different from mine - but that’s because you’re YOU.

The busy-ness of life has a funny way of using hurry, scurry, and blurry activity to squish us all into a mold, one that’s rarely really reflective of how God made us and how we can best bless those around us.

I’m praying that before this whole thing is “over” and we “go back to normal” you can take a moment and connect with your Maker and find a vision for how the new normal can be your best normal yet. I think this is so important because the next normal will take some breaking in before it really feels normal to us, and even when it is broken in, the repercussions of what we’ve all been through will take time and effort to move past. Moving past will go smoother if we connected with God and got our bearings for the journey ahead with Him.