upward & inward

In the psalm of the shepherd, Psalm 23, David writes that the LORD leads him down paths of righteousness for the sake of the LORD's Name, "He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name ’s sake ." This is not a request as much as it is a statement. God leads David (and all His children) in paths of righteousness for the sake of His Name. This was one of those "Ah-Ha!" moments where I was again reminded that it isn't all about us. In fact, it is rarely all about me or you. This statement demonstrates that it is, and always has been, about God. He leads us on paths of righteousness so that His Name will be honored, glorified, and given praise. The secondary result is that we are guided to live lives that are honorable, praiseworthy, and the best paths we can take for our eternity. Jesus alludes to it in Matthew 5:20 when, in His Sermon on the Mount, he says, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds...

Let's pretend for a moment that you and I are on our way to see someone we both admire greatly. This person could be anyone, absolutely anyone in history - Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr., and so on. We've received our invitations, the time and date has been set, and we're really on our way. How would we approach that event? Would it be with excitement? Or, even muted anticipation? Would it be, instead, with a casual disregard? Once we arrived, would we seek a seat in the back? Or, would we get there early for a seat as close to the front as possible? If we are followers of Christ, worshipers of the Most High God, then whenever we gather together in corporate worship, we have this opportunity.  We are not coming just for the music or the speaking - no matter how great (or not so great) they may be. Instead, we are coming to see and celebrate not a man like those in the example above, but the King of Kings and ...

I was stopped by a seasoned saint in our church yesterday with two questions regarding some changes we had made to the building. First, he asked about why removed doors from a set of nearby bathrooms. About a year ago, we removed these doors to our bathrooms behind the Activity Center. I initially thought these should be removed because they were redundant. The doors opened to a long hallway that provided all the privacy that was required - they seemed redundant, especially for those among us who are OCD about clean hands grabbing unclean handles.  However, the big deal was that we had several cases where folks (particularly men) would get in the room and get confused by another locked door that went to an adjacent locker room.  In one instance, a guest was so flustered by this that he was pounding on the door and yelling obscenities. Through the addition of signage, we solved a part of the problem, but without opening a door to get in, it is unlikely that we are going to ...

On my run this morning, I was reminded (again) that I haven't written on this blog for a while. Actually, this kind brother in Christ, with whom I had stopped to chat, simply said that he had read my blog this morning. I took it as another one of God's reminders that I need to write. It's good for me and I hope my readers enjoy it, as well. Let's talk filters. Did you know that we perceive through a set of filters driven by our expectations? And, that these expectations are situational? A hearing-impaired woman told me a story yesterday of such an experience. She was with other hearing-impaired and deaf people and saw a man who was both blind and deaf. He had been born able to see and hear, but two brain tumors robbed him of both sight and hearing. At first, because of how the tumors left him, his appearance seemed disconcerting at best. However, this woman felt strongly that she should to meet him. And, plucking up her courage, she introduced herself (this is, in...

God has wired me to work. So, while I have a day each week to be away from the office, I still work. He works my mind and heart to be better aligned with Him. I catch up from the previous weeks and dig out of email (and voicemail) jail. But I also try to plan. Planning for the future is important - but while that is true, I must also realize that the plans I make are all under the complex sovereignty of God. He reminds us in His Word that His purpose prevails over our plans ( Prov. 19:21 ). What am I left with then? I must commit my plans to Him first, then they will succeed ( Prov. 16:3 ). Without that caveat in our planning, we're whistling past the graveyard, ignoring our ends ( Heb. 9:27 ) and, more importantly, ignoring the power and will of the Most High God. Given that all is up for change - my personal vision, mission, strategy, etc. - this will take a while. And, that's a good thing. In this approach, I can be more assured that I'm not getting ahead (or going sidew...

On Friday, November 26, 2010, Richard "Dick" Buehler, Sherry's Grandpa, passed on to his eternity with Jesus. I met him soon after I began dating Sherry, my bride. And, over 23 years later, I've learned a lot from him. Here are just a few observations: Grandpa loved. This was not the emotional, sappy, temporary kind of love that our common culture seems to advocate. In his generation, love was a "many splendored thing". In mine, it was a battlefield. But, the love I'm describing is God's love, the love Christ commanded us to have toward one another ( John 13:34-35 ). This love was the one Jesus described as none greater (that a man would lay down his own life for another - John 15:13 ). A love that was patient, kind - not rude, envious, boastful, or proud. This love delighted in the truth, not evil, keeping no record of wrongs. This kind of love always trusts, hopes, perseveres, and protects. This love never fails . He demonstrated that love for his ...

" Randy passed away tonight." That’s the first line of an email I didn’t want to read. As I write this, I’m starting my first day of a 2 week mission in Uganda. My heart breaks that I’m unable to attend the celebration of his life, saying farewell, and comforting those that mean so much to my friend: his bride, his boys, his parents, family, and friends. But, God is not surprised. Somehow, in the complex sovereignty that only He can manage, I’m supposed to be here and not there. Often, when I called him over the phone, Randy would answer in a falsetto “Helloo?”. I still answer the phone that way occasionally and bring a smile to the caller. He was my “brudda of anudda mudda” and we would remind ourselves of that nearly each time we would see each other. When he and I would sing together, I felt I could sing better just because it was us singing. Randy included me. He encouraged me to play guitar, sing, and lead. For more than a few years, when we were on the PEAK Worship t...