Triumph One-a-Day Monday 3/21/16  

A life worthy

Note:  Time to celebrate Holy Week.  Not that every week isn’t holy, but you know what I mean.  I hope these excerpts from my book Easter–Beyond the Bunny help you explore the wonder of the Passion.  

The Triumphal Entry

Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!  Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem!  See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).

Jesus was arriving in Jerusalem for the Passover.  This week would be the climax of his ministry, and would represent the very reason he came to live among us.  The time had come to declare himself the Messiah.  (“Messiah,” by the way, is a Hebrew word that means “anointed one,” or “chosen one.”  The same word is translated “Christ” in the Greek.)

So, Jesus did what anyone would do—he sent for a donkey.

This really does make sense.  Zechariah had prophesied that the Messiah would arrive as a king, and would come to claim his throne riding on a donkey.  By arriving in this manner, Jesus was sending an unmistakable signal to the crowds.  Now I know that a donkey is not the manliest of animals…certainly not very king-like.  But to the Hebrews, the donkey was significant.  A king used a stallion when he rode to war, but a donkey when he came in peace.  Thus, Jesus came as the King of Peace, to make peace between man and God.

The crowds loved it.  They spread cloaks and leafy branches on the ground for Jesus to ride upon—sort of a red carpet treatment. They cried out “Hosanna!” which means, “Save us,” and, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  They were quoting Psalm 118, essentially acknowledging Jesus as Messiah and pledging themselves to him.

Crowds are so fickle.

As he descended the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem was spread out before him.  Jesus wept over the city, knowing that, though they praised him at that moment, they would soon turn on him.

 

Are we fickle, Beloved?  Do we praise him when the crowd is cheering and waving palm branches, but turn away when they scream and reach for the hammer and nails?

Serving this King is a serious business indeed.

Serve faithfully, Beloved.

Soul Food One-a-Day Friday 3/19/16

A life worthy

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you (Psalm 63:5).

My first thought here is that you shouldn’t sing with your mouth full.

Shows you how spiritual I am.

You push back from the Thanksgiving table, stuffed to the gills with all the tasty num-numminess you can imagine.  Turkey, potatoes, stuffing, veggies, cranberry fluff, pie…

It’s just like that, only in a spiritual sense, and without the unpleasant bloated feeling.

We started this week with David crying out in hunger; we end full and content. David has feasted on the knowledge of God’s love and the praise of his glory.  He is full with the presence of God.  

Of course, no matter how stuffed you are on Thanksgiving Day, by the following morning you’re ready to eat again.  The hunger continues.

As it should.

Happy Friday, Beloved.  Make it a feast.

Praise One-a-Day Thursday 3/17/16

A life worthy

(Psst…Don’t forget that Easter:Beyond the Bunny is ready for purchase.  I’d hate for you to miss out!)

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands (Psalm 63:4).

It’s a lifetime achievement.

You get to praise the One who loved you and called you and picked you up and dusted you off and gave you a purpose and a hope and a future and a promise.

And you get to do it with every breath.

Till you drop…and after.

So

shall we

commence?

Happy Thursday, Beloved.

Better One-a-Day Wednesday 3/16/16

A life worthy

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you (Psalm 63:3).

Better than life…

That means

Better than chocolate cake

Better than fuzzy socks

Better than an extra hour of sleep

Better than a hug when you need it most

Better than puppies

Better than new snow

Better than old movies

Better than getting your braces off

Better than hitting a home run

Better than getting picked first

Better than hot chocolate on a cold morning

Better than holding a baby

Better than pinning the corsage

Better than starting a hike

Better than finishing a hike

Better than a smile aimed right at you

Better than laughing till your face hurts

Better than coming home

Actually, it’s exactly like coming home.

To stay

Happy Wednesday, Beloved

Sanctuary One-a-Day Tuesday 3/15/16

A life worthy

By the by, my Easter book is out.  Come take a look.

 

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory (Psalm 63:2).

David knew what it was to be in the presence of God.

Now he won’t settle for anything less.

You’ve felt it.  The sense that you are in His presence, that the concrete or sand or deep pile carpet or pine needles or tile or fresh cut grass or hardwood floor or squeaky snow beneath your feet has just been transformed.

Has become holy ground

Sometimes it makes you weep, sometimes laugh, sometimes stand in utter stillness of body and spirit.

But always, always, always, you know it is He.

That’s good stuff.

David went to the sanctuary to be in the presence of God.

But now, the sanctuary has come to us.  

It’s true.  You belong to Jesus, ya?  

So the Holy Spirit lives within you, ya?

So you are the temple of God.

Ya

Well, I mean, we are.  Don’t get carried away.

But do enjoy it.

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.

Easter Book!

Hey Everybody!

As some of you know, I have written a book for the Easter holiday. It’s called Easter: Beyond the Bunny, and it’s a nifty little devotional that takes you from Palm Sunday through Resurrection Day.  The tone and style are similar to Thanksgiving for the Dad-Man–some history, some Scripture, with a little Michael-thought in the mix.  I’ve included games, traditions, and recipes, so the Dad-Man (or Mom-Lady) is thoroughly equipped to lead the family through Holy Week.

There are two ways you can obtain this book, should you be so inclined.  You can get the Kindle version by clicking here or on that cute little bunny off on the right sidebar. Download and enjoy!

For those of you who prefer the print version, you can click here to go to Createspace and order your very own holditinyourhandandflipthepagesyourself copy.

Warning:  The print version costs more, because, you know, paper and ink and shipping and stuff.  I put in a lot of pictures, and that adds up.  Rookie mistake.  Still, I think it’s pretty cool.

Anyway, if you choose to pick one up, I hope it blesses you and your family.  If you choose not to, I guess my heart will go on.

I guess.

 

 

 

Thirst One-a-Day Monday 3/14/16  

A life worthy

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you,  my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1).

Have you ever been thirsty?

I mean, really thirsty?

Not, “I could sure go for a tasty caffeine-free diet soda right about now” thirsty.

More like, “I sure wish lizards sweat, because I could lick the sweat off a lizard” thirsty.

That’s what David is describing here.

Only…you know…for God.

Beloved, I gotta tell you, I don’t feel that longing, that soul thirst, nearly as often or as intensely as I ought to.

Most of the time, I’m content with far too little of God.  Read a little Bible, post my little blog, say a little prayer on my way to work…

I want more.

No, if I’m honest I should say

I want to want more.

If this is ever going to work, if I am ever going to be the man he has called me to be, I need him to do more than grant the desire of my heart.

I need him to plant the desire in my heart in the first place.

Beloved, I’m glad you’ve got it all together, because some days I’m just a mess.

But, at least I’m his mess.

Happy Monday, Beloved.

Filled to the Measure One-a-Day Friday 3/12/16

A life worthy

…and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19).

This love that surpasses knowledge…a love that is more than my brain can contain…frankly, that he loves me at all is mind-blowing.

To be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God…to be so full of God that there’s no room for anything else.  You know what that makes me think of?  It makes me think of the scene in It’s a Wonderful Life when Jimmy Stewart is wooing Donna Reed.  He talks about lassoing the moon, and bringing it down for her. She could then swallow the moon, and the moonbeams would shoot out from her fingertips and the ends of her hair.  That’s what this verse makes me think of.  Paul wants us to be so full of God’s love that it pours out of us—shoots out of us in all directions.

Beloved, if we could just grasp the giganticatiousness of God’s love, we would be filled to capacity with his…well, with him.

Chew on that as you move through your Friday.  Pray that God would help you to know his love, that you might be filled to the brim, and pour out into the lives all around you.

God runs a full-service station.  Fill ‘er up, Beloved.

Deep Roots One-a-Day Thursday 3/10/16

A life worthy

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ… (Ephesians 3:17b-18).

If you only knew.

We can’t understand God’s love.  It is totally beyond our brains. We can use metaphors—parent and child, husband and wife—but ultimately, they fall short.  

Can you imagine a trillion of something? I’ll give you a hand.  One trillion seconds equates to about 31,000 years.  Which you also can’t imagine, since you’ve been around less than a hundred years.

Most of you.

The problem is, we’re so stinking finite.  How do we grasp the idea of an infinite God, and his infinite love?

It’s a good problem.

That’s why this is Paul’s prayer.  Paul knew that the more we can get our brain around the sheer magnitude of God’s love for us, the more our problems will shrink in comparison.

Is God’s love big enough to cover…?

Does God love me even though I…?

Can God’s love handle all the…?

If you only knew, Beloved.

Chosen One-a-Day Wednesday 3/9/16

A life worthy

For he (God) chose us in him (Jesus) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephesians 1:4).

You are the chosen one.

Well, maybe not the chosen one, but certainly a chosen one.

Before he made the world, God was thinking about you.  He knew who you would be, how you would be, what you would look like when you danced.  

He knew what would make you weep, and what would make you giggle, and what would make you hide behind the couch because you can’t bear to watch the screen.

He saw your “We are the Champions” moments.

He saw your many sins, your epic, endless failures.

And he loved you.

And he chose you.

Consider this: God is not bound by time, right?  Past, present, future—it’s all kind of now to him.  So, when he looks at you he sees you not only as you are, but as you will be.

Holy.

Blameless.

Now, if only you could learn to see yourself as he sees you.

Do me a favor, Beloved—try.

Happy Wednesday.