You don't need a white Christmas.

I have to admit, I am rather surprised. I woke up a few minutes ago to discover a sudden (and reasonably large) dumping of snow. After checking the forecast, it appears we are in for a white Christmas this weekend! How exciting!

In a way, it seems somewhat funny that whoever chose the date to celebrate Christmas picked December. Did nobody travel back then? Possibly. I don't know. But the more I think about it, the more December feels like it makes sense.

It is the darkest time of year- immediately after the winter solstice. Christ came to save us from the dark forces of sin. It also is when many places are likely to get snow, which is an amazing visual reminder of purity. Freshly fallen snow is so beautiful and overwhelmingly white. It is reminiscent of our forgiveness that Christ came to make possible.

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." - Isaiah 1:18

I know these parallels can't work in every region of the world at once. Nevertheless, that is what today in my little space in Washington state reminds me of. Perhaps your place in this world can make you think of another truth of God right now. After all, as Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

So, look around you. Look outside. Take in God's creation. Which of His truths are you reminded of today?

When Good Things Become Bad

There is a song that I enjoy called "Good Things" by M'Kalister Park. This song talks about how good things can become bad things. Ever since I read a particular Bible passage the other day, I've had it running through my head. Why? Because letting a good thing become a bad thing is exactly what the Israelites did.

The Ark of the Covenant was kept in the Holy of Holies, inside of the tabernacle, where the Israelites would go to make sacrifices of worship to God. Inside, one could find several objects that were touched by God and important to Israel's heritage. The Ark was a reminder of God's miracles and provision from the days when He had appointed Moses to lead them out of Egyptian slavery.

The ark was fine and good when viewed as a symbol of God's power and provision. The problem began when Israel began to view the ark as a good luck charm and a source of power. With this false mindset in their heads, they removed it from the place where God had commanded it to be kept. Israel then brought it with them into battle against the Philistines.

What happened next? Rather than the power and blessing they undoubtedly expected, Israel lost the battle. On top of that, the Ark of the Covenant got captured by the Philistine army. God used this time to teach both parties a lesson. To Israel, their defeat and loss of this precious item was a reminder that power and blessings do not reside in things- they come from Him. To the Philistines, God showed His power by knocking over and breaking their idol god, Dagon. Beyond that, the Philistines and anyone who was near the ark began to go crazy and break out with tumors.

You can read the whole story in 1 Samuel 5.

This account reminds us to check ourselves: are we worshipping God? Or are we just thinking of Him or things related to Him as good luck charms? 

Redirection Time

I was trying to wish my friend a "happy Resurrection Sunday" back a couple months ago. Autocorrect had other ideas. I glanced down at my message and read "redirection" in place of resurrection. I quickly fixed it, then sent off the message. Then it struck me: though autocorrect had not selected the word I was intending, the idea was still good. The resurrection is a redirection, or at least it ought to be.

Romans 6:4 says, "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

We are redirected from living for ourselves to living for Him.

When we take communion at church we are told to "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." (1 Corinthians 11:28) In doing this, we stop and look at our lives and compare  how our daily living measures up to the standards set forth in scripture. Are we teetering on the edge of a dropoff in our spiritual life? Are we starting to stray from where we know the Lord would like us to be?

In self-examination, we are redirected from the anger, bitterness, and wrong paths we take and positioned to look back at Christ, His sacrifice for us, and His example.

Let's celebrate the redirection of the resurrection, and check our courses too.

Intoxicated With Success

The photo above is from my little local county fair, specifically the photography department of which I am in charge of. Over the week of the event, I dealt with various frustrations while setting it up. The biggest of these frustrations was the skepticism from our county fair director, who almost always had some criticism for how I was arranging my area each time I encountered her. When all was said and done, however, it all was a huge success. My immediate thought afterwards? "Ha, in your face! I KNEW the little changes I made were improvements!"

A few weeks later, my pastor brought up Zechariah 10:7 - "The Ephraimites will become like warriors, and their hearts will be glad as with wine. Their children will see it and be joyful; their hearts will rejoice in the LORD." and noted that "it is easy to become intoxicated with our own success" and that we ought to be rejoicing in the Lord for His provision and kindness. After church, my mind wandered back to the county fair. What did I do just a few weeks ago? I reveled in my own accomplishment, forgetting God entirely for the time. Thankfully, I had one of my best friends at my side, who reminded me several times throughout the week that "God is good" and "He is in control."

Looking back on it all, what have I learned?

I have learned two main things:

1.) It matters who your friends are. It truly is important to form close relationships with those who will glorify God and invite you to do the same when your mind isn't on the path to praise Him.

2.) I don't know about you, but I am very susceptible to becoming obsessed with my own success. I focus so hard on what I am doing that I forget what God is doing.

Let's remember who God is, what He can do, and try to keep close company with those who remind us of such truths in our weak moments.

Being Alone

Recently I was house-sitting for my neighbors and enjoying some much needed time on my own to study the Bible and re-charge after having had a friend visit for the prior two weeks. Just out of curiosity, I did a keyword search in the Bible for "alone". I had to admit, I was slightly surprised at my findings.

The American culture in which I live tends to idolize autonomy and encourages the "every man for himself" mentality. The Bible goes in the opposite direction. The very first mention of "alone" states "it is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18). That theme seems to hold true throughout scripture, as the only positive mentions of people being alone are in reference to times when someone is away from people in order to have intimate personal communion with God (see Daniel 10:7-8, Matthew 14:23) or in order to flee from that which God doesn't want, as Jesus did when the people wanted to force him to become their earthly king (John 16:15).

The only other times the word "alone" shows up as a positive thing is when the Bible talks about God. Unlike man, when God is alone, he is glorious, powerful, and doing great works (Isaiah 37:16, Psalm 136:4, Psalm 86:10, Nehemiah 9:6).

What does this mean for us? We ought to be mindful of how we use our time alone. Peace and rest are healthy, but let us remember that even those activities ought to be done in a way that causes us to love, honor, and be thankful towards God, rather than treating ourselves as idols.

Misconceptions about Bible Reading

This week, I am going to give you a somewhat lengthy but impactful quote that I read from Joel R. Beeke. I thought about trying to write a post based upon it, but I honestly can't put it better than he did, and I feel you should read the original:

"If you are an unbeliever, reading your Bible, in itself, will get you no closer to God. Don't think that you can feel a little bit safer on days when you've read your Bible. You can't. And if you are a believer, reading the Bible will not make you any more acceptable or pleasing in God's sight. Not reading your Bible will not make you any less acceptable or pleasing in His sight. The difference between a believer and an unbeliever is Jesus Christ; it's grace, and nothing else.

Until you see that reading your Bible gets you no points with God, you will never be able to enjoy it. Why? Because you will always fail in reading it. You will fail to read it as often as you should; you will fail to read it as carefully as you should; you will fail to understand its meaning; and you will fail to see its wonder. You will fail again and again. So if you are hoping that your Bible-reading performance is earning you points with God, you are going to be one of the most miserable people on earth. You will be constantly losing points and losing heart until you finally give up in despair and quit reading the Bible altogether.

But the good news of the gospel- the good news of this book you're trying to read- is that you don't have to earn God's favor by reading your Bible. Jesus Christ and His righteousness is the only way to God, and unless you are trusting in Him for all your forgiveness and all your acceptability with God, you will never find joy in reading your Bible. So turn to him; trust in him, and come see the joy that can be found in reading the Word of the Lord, the Word of Jesus, the Savior."

- Joel R. Beeke, How Should Teens Read The Bible? 

10 Questions to Ask As You Study The Bible

This post is going to be a little different from the usual here. I realize I speak often about the importance of being in God's Word, but what if one is at loss for effective ways to study it? Recently I read through this quick, 26 page long book, "How Should Teens Read The Bible?" by Joel R. Beeke, and I am going to share an excerpt that I think is helpful no matter what age you are.

Things to ask yourself as you read the scriptures:  

1. What does this chapter teach me about God?
Look for teaching about His attributes, attitudes, and actions.

2. Specifically, what does this chapter reveal about Christ? 
Look for Christ in all the scriptures, including the Old Testament. He is the key to, and the message of the entire Bible.

3. What doctrines are taught in this chapter?
Make a list of them with relevant quotations from the chapter and any cross references you may know.

4. Who are the leading characters?

5. What are the main events?

6. What sins and follies are stated or implied?
Examine your heart in the light of this list. Which things in the list, or suggested by it, do you need to confess and forsake?

7. What are the virtues evidenced in this chapter that I should seek after and cultivate?

8. What new things have I seen and what old truth has the Lord brought with fresh blessing to my heart?

9. What are the key words and phrases that call for further study?

10. Which one thing may I remember this chapter by?

Diligent or Slothful?

"Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth." - Proverbs 12:27

There are three big questions for us to ask ourselves as we ponder this little proverb:

1. What are you doing diligently in your life?
2. Is your diligent work in one area causing you to be slothful in other more important areas?
3. What “precious wealth” will be gained from the activities we are most diligent in?

Upon first glancing at this passage, it is easy to let our minds go directly to the world of work and monetary gain. But there is another type of “precious wealth”; many times throughout scripture (particularly in Psalms and Proverbs) the love and knowledge of God is referred to in terms of wealth and treasure. In the end, that is the only type of “precious wealth” that will stay with us past the grave, and therefore, the most precious of all wealth we could gain.

Where does your relationship with God fall in the order of things you are most diligent in?

The Sunday-school answer we instinctually deliver is “God is at the top!” but take a closer look; is He really? Does He frequently occupy your thoughts? Does He take priority over everything else you need to spend time on in a day? Be honest. When I asked myself these questions, I had to admit, God often gets shoved to the “I’ll get to this later” list all too often.

Walking (and Driving!) by Faith

It struck me on my latest road trip: we put a lot of faith in our technology. We trust that our GPS will take us where we need to go, that it's turn cues are correct and the streets it sends us down are the ones we need to be on. We rely on this piece of technology. Even though it can- and occasionally does- get stuff wrong, we generally trust that everything will be okay when using it. 

If we can put such faith in fallible gadgets, why do we so often fail to extend the same (or even greater!) faith towards God? So often our attitude is that we are displaced in life, that God couldn't possibly have meant for us to be on the path we are on. That latest life event just had to have been a miscalculation on our route, right? 

"...'My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.' But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." - Hebrews 10:38-39

No, my friend. God does not miscalculate like a GPS unit. Even when it feels like you're taking the long way or completely off-roading it, God is using it to shape our lives and put us in a place that will ultimately lead us to glorify Him.

Reaction Alert

Sometimes, though we have very good intentions and generally do trust God, we can miss things. Not only that, but we can easily allow our reactions to take us over. The story of Balaam illustrates that rather well. It begins with him proclaiming his loyalty to God:

"But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more." Numbers 22:18

As the narrative goes on, he encounters God's providence, but despite his trust and loyalty to Him, it doesn't strike Balaam at first that perhaps this obstacle has been sent by the Lord. All he sees is his donkey acting out- and even when the animal speaks, he is too taken by his angry reaction to stop and ask how and why his animal is speaking to him.

"When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face." - Numbers 22:27-31

What can we learn here? God works in all sorts of ways. Sometimes He is working in our hearts and minds as we pray and read the Bible. Sometimes He is working through our conscience. But He also can and does work through circumstances. Look at life in this light- even the most annoying obstacles can play a part in His will.

The DOL Line

Recently I had to get my drivers' license renewed. You likely know the feeling of sitting in that sparsely decorated room full of plastic chairs, staring at the walls as the desk attendant works at the DOL's iconic rate of speed. A fifteen minute wait can quickly feel like an eternity. It's places like these where we learn about patience, and whether we have it.

It's easy to become impatient. There are only two people ahead of you- how in the world can the desk attendant process them so slowly? There are so many things you could be getting done. You go over your to-do list, tapping your foot anxiously, hoping nobody annoying or smelly walks in the door and sits near you to make the experience any more grating.

Deep breath.

Patience.

Yeah. That thing. Let's do this. 

"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men." 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Back on the Rock

"He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie!" - Psalm 40:2-4

Being a hiker, this passage really stands out to me. When you're out in the wilderness, it is very possible that you could fall to your death if you slipped into a large pit; you have to avoid stepping in miry bogs, and you feel the stability of rocks under your feet. Even those who are not outdoorsy can still feel this imagery; sometimes we feel as if we've slipped into a mental bog that we cannot escape on our own, and at some point in time, we have all been dead in a pit of spiritual destruction.

Let us be thankful and continually praising God each day that He has saved us from that destruction and set us upon His firm foundation. Know that He is equally capable of pulling us from the miry bogs of sin and despair. Believe it. Hang onto it. Don't be afraid to share it so that others can know. Trust God, and never allow yourself to pridefully believe that you are the only one who can rescue yourself.

The Donation That Had To Stop

"Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution..."    "...And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more." - Exodus 35:1-5a & Exodus 36:2-7

It really stood out to me here how excited everyone must have been to contribute to God's work in the camp. They gave so much that they were told to quit because there was more than was needed! How amazing. How eager are we to give our time, talent, and resources to aid the local church and ministry? Why or why not?  

A New Hope

My brother and I were on a road trip. I had doubts about the single lane farm road that my GPS wanted us to turn on, but we had all afternoon to get home, so I allowed my sense of adventure to take over and made the move. After nearly an hour of winding scenic roads (half of which were gravel!), we were coming down a large hill, finally nearing what appeared to be civilization, we saw this road sign. We laughed and cheered, partly because of the Star Wars reference and partly because the timing was so appropriate for us to see a "new hope".

Then I did a double-take: Loop. New Hope Loop. Loops lead in a circle and spit you back out right where you started. That's not hopeful! But how often is this exactly what many of our hopes do for us? We hold an event, item, or person  (maybe even ourselves!) up in our minds, putting our hope in them to make us feel happy or fulfilled. Eventually, things happen, and those hopes fall flat. Or, if our hope is fulfilled, the happiness only lasts for so long before we start in on another low and have to find something new to hope to find our fulfillment in. Thus, the loop repeats.

While there is nothing wrong with excitedly awaiting events, loving people, and even being satisfied with yourself, we should be careful not to elevate those things above God. He is the author of hope; let us keep our hope in His plan and purposes! 

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." - Romans 15:13

How a Cookie Showed Me Patience

I found a still-wrapped fortune cookie sitting out at work the other day. I love those things, so I nabbed it. Upon breaking it open, it took a considerable effort to yank the paper out of the center; it seemed to have gotten baked into a corner. Popping half the cookie in my mouth (and discovering it to be the most hard, stale cookie I'd ever bitten into), I read the fortune inside: "HAVE PATIENCE - IT WILL BENEFIT YOU". 

I had to chuckle at just how appropriate the fortune in that cookie was. The fact, however, is this: we as Christians will have many 'stale' circumstances in life that we would rather not have to take in, and unlike that cookie, we can't just throw them away (whoops. I did that. Guess I didn't have enough patience!). It will be easy to take things on with a sour attitude, to run from them entirely, or handle the situation in other unhealthy ways. This shouldn't be us.  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23 tells us.

If we have the Holy Spirit in us, God will give us the strength and ability to have patience, even in the most trying times- but this doesn't mean it will take no effort on our part. Be willing to let things go, and be willing to endure what is before you, knowing that keeping your heart and mind aimed at God over the tough process will ultimately allow you to be closer to Him than you thought previously possible.

Walking Without Light

It had been a hot day with temperatures soaring into the 100's, but I'd been dying to go for a hike, if even just a small one. Come evening, I grabbed my brother and headed out to meet up with some friends at the nearby state park. We enjoyed the cool of the late portion of the day and a lovely orange and blue sunset over the river. Eventually it became too dark to see much of the trail, so we flipped on our flashlight. All was great, until we reached the paved trail in the lower portion of the state park. Our light suddenly grew dim, then died completely. There were no street lights, and we were left in total darkness, except for the last bit of blueish sunset glinting up from the river. We would need to rely on the feel of the pavement beneath our feet to lead us to our goal... Wherever it was.

We can have moments like that in our spiritual lives too; things can be fine, then gradually your relationship with God starts to fade, then seemingly vanishes completely, leaving you in the dark. But just like you can revitalize a flashlight by throwing in some new batteries, your relationship with God can grow back into a spotlight in the foreground of your life when you begin to get back into His word regularly. It's not always easy, and often it starts off slow, but little by little, if you make time with Him habitual, you'll eventually find that God is the light you can't do without.

 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)

First Impressions

“The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land." - Genesis 42:30

Partway through the account of Joseph in Genesis, Joseph has been promoted to second in command in Egypt. During the massive famine that ravaged the land, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to purchase food. By this point, it had been a considerable number of years ago that they had sold Joseph into slavery and they assumed he had likely died or been killed. They would have never guessed that the harsh Egyptian lord who stood before them could possibly be their long lost younger brother, and they certainly didn't think that this encounter could end up leading to one of the greatest blessings their family could have (an invitation to come set up residence on a nice parcel of land in that region!).

The fact is this: things aren't always what they seem- we can't take everything at face value or first impressions. When my friend and I were walking through Seattle, we didn't think terribly much of that iPhone billboard at the time. It was just another advertisement among many. Well, guess what? Later that day, it turned out to be the one landmark that enabled us to find our car after nearly two hours of searching! You just never know what God could use to ultimately bring about His blessings.

Praise Amidst The Rapids

Tip: Experiment with different close up angles for a fresh perspective on your subject matter.

See that river up there? Depending on where you are at, it can be quite calm. The shoreline is a peaceful place to relax and take in the gorgeous Idaho scenery. Peaceful as it may seem at first glance, if you venture farther into the waters, it won't be long before you run into strong currents and even some large jagged rocks. 

I sat staring at that river contemplating life the other day, and as I sit here looking at this photo, I once again do the same. It hit me moments ago that the shoreline is the calmest place- but you know what you won't do in that calm place? You won't go anywhere. For ages, I've been in that calm place. It's a place I am aching to go back to. But for now, God has pushed me into the rapids. It's not at all where I want to be, and I have no idea where I am heading, but God wanted me to move, and that's exactly what I'm working on. 

As I looked over the water, strumming "All in All" on my ukulele the other day, it reminded me that whether I have music or not, I need to keep that attitude of praise toward God. I'll tell you now: when you've been forcibly tossed into life's rocks and rapids, it isn't easy. The last thing you'll be in the mood for is praising God for His greatness. It is, however, what we are called to do. Thus, I shall try my best, and wherever you are, I hope you do also.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." - Philippians 4:4

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Taking The Better Land

Tip: Experiment with the panorama function for landscape photography. Hold your breath and turn your upper body rather than your arms or feet for a more steady shot.

In Genesis chapters 13 & 14, Abram and Lot come to the conclusion that there isn't enough space in the land for both them and all of their possessions and families. Abram steps up and gives his kinsman the first choice for land. When given the option to choose what he liked, Lot of course picked the nicer looking side to travel into. Who wouldn't, right?

As the story continues, it turns out that while Lot's choice may have been good as far as the quality of the land itself, it came with an unexpected downside: the inhabitants were incredibly vile people. At one point, the land even gets pillaged by opposing armies and Lot ends up taken captive (but Abram gathers an army himself and rescues Lot and defeats his captors). Later on, God ends up sending His messengers to tell Lot to flee the city he is in because He intends to destroy it due to the great sinfulness of it's inhabitants. 

How often are we inclined to jump at the first choice without thinking of what our friends or family may want or need? How often are we the ones who have the ability to take whatever option we desire, but instead kindly offer the first pick to others? We may not run into the bad results that Lot did when he decided to take what he thought to be the best for himself, but nevertheless, we are called to treat others as we would wish to be treated:

"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)

Leaving Luxuries

Tip: Always keep an eye out for unusual and humorous subjects.

I was incredibly amused at the irony that sat before me at work a few days ago. Luxury Magazine, bookmarked with a used napkin. 

The more I think about it, the more appropriate it feels. We have so many luxuries nowadays (the internet you are using to read this is even one!), yet where are these luxuries going? What good will they do us in the long run? Someday, you will reach a point where none of it matters anymore. Those lovely things you enjoy will have as much significance in your life as the napkin tucked inside that magazine - or even less. 

In Luke 12:15-21, Jesus has something to say about the way we regard our material possessions; "...“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.' "

Let us be people who are always striving to collect eternal treasures from God's word over the fleeting treasures of this world, which hold so little lasting value.