A Hidden Outcome

It runs against everything within us: faith in action.

When God leads us to do something we typically want to know the outcome of the thing before we come into the thing. Ducks alined, monies saved, clothes ironed. We want it all in place before obedience is released.

But God's leading often flies in the face of the things we dearly esteem. We have to be prepared to live with that.

He does that to stretch our faith, not to mock the things we esteem. Is is always about the business of building up, never tearing down. That's why he makes it so we cannot know the end of the thing at the beginning of the thing. It makes it "living" that way.

Golden Shores

Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. (John 6:16-21)


We never arrive where we are going until we invite Jesus into the boat.

The disciples enter a boat in the evening - in the gray zone where shadows shift and the sharp distinctions blur. They row into the night, into the darkness. And there, even in their darkness, Jesus had not come to them. But it got worse. The sea arose and lifted its torrents. The harder they rowed, the deeper they angst. Still no Jesus.

It is interesting that in the evening, in their darkness, and the storm Jesus was nowhere to be seen. But he was coming. He saw them and bailed them out at just the right time.

When they saw Jesus they didn’t recognize him. They were afraid. The storm had worn grooves of tension and stress into their souls. Fears had settled in. And the spirits behind the rain, wind, and waves pounded their bearded faces with doubt and insecurity. The site of Jesus only kicked their fears into overdrive. Knowing this, Jesus reveals himself to them. “It is I.” And they received him into their plight.

Notice how they were when Jesus showed up. They were messy, mad, and tired. They did not dress up. They did not get religious. They did not suddenly pray. They had no faith. They were scared and filled with dread. In short, they were real. It was then when Jesus revealed himself.

God often waits until we are in the nighttime of our torrents, completely at wits end with nothing else to cling to, before showing up - and, even then, we are hard-pressed to recognize him.

When we invite him into our life, our years of struggling suddenly fade away. Our dreams of golden shores - shores that perhaps we’ve spent our entire life rowing through storms to land suddenly become realized and we arrive at the beaches of redemption, the purposes of God finally taking root in our life.

We immediately arrive at the land of our striving, the land we've always known was there but never had the wherewithal to get there. It all happens the moment we invite Jesus into our boat.


"...and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going."

Discovering Jordan and Egypt

If you have always wanted to see the ancient geographies and cultures that have shaped our faith this may be it! I'm planning on taking a small group of pilgrims (8 - 15) to some of the most interesting places on earth: Mt. Nebo, Petra, Jordan River, Dead Sea, Mount Sinai, Old Cairo (Museums/Coptic Churches) November 4 - 14, 2011.


Click HERE for info and pricing and other options for the trip!

Copy Cats

Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. (John 5:19)

Have you ever had such a respect for someone that you began to imitate everything they did? Some people are so wonderful its hard not to want to be that wonderful, too! So we examine them, see what they're wearing, purchase the same music as they do, begin attending the same meetings, and so on. Sometimes we even fall in love with them.

Jesus' relationship with the Father was like this. He was the ultimate Copy Cat. Whatever the Father did, he did. Whatever the Father didn't do, he didn't do. His love for being in the Ways of God trumped everything. His life was intentionally lost - then found - in the shadow of the Almighty.

Thus, a big part of what Jesus did (and a big part of what we are called to do) was simply labeling what he saw the Father doing. He did this in many ways - teaching, sharing, telling stories, all forms of communication. Jesus used his unique human personality to translate/communicate to those around him the mind and heart of God. In this way he became untied with the purposes of the Father.

Our witness to Christ has less to do with our performance, behavior, or ethical uprightness and more to do with making known what the Father is doing in any given situation. (This doesn't get us off the hook of moral integrity. For it is in the making known, or labeling, "Christ among us" when the Fruit of the Spirit will then be demonstrated with ease and gentleness.) So our job is to first duplicate the ways of the Father and then communicate - in our own unique personalities with our gifts and skills - what we see him doing. It's not up to us to conjure up the work. He is always working. Why add our work to his work? Just be about his work and he will get the glory.

Father in heaven, forgive me for the times I have tried to read your mind - or worse, for the times I have sought to create work that you were not doing. Fill me with your Holy Spirit in order that I may be a deep reflection of your Love for me, and then empower me to reflect you to others through the unique way you've created me, on earth as it is in heaven. In Christ's Name I ask you. Amen.