Author: admin

You know I talk to much, I’ve mentioned that before. But I’m trying a new thing. Not talking as much. It’s been a little hard, but I heard something a while back that stuck with me. It made such an impression on me that I wrote it on a sticky note and put it on my monitor at work, right where I can see it all the time.

Is it…
Unkind?
Untrue?
Unnecessary?

Heard these words in a sermon, you may have heard it too. I can’t remember the sermon title or even what it was about, but I do remember it was used as a measure for words. I thought I’d give it a whirl. I think it’s about what I say and not as much about how much I say – maybe that too.

I’ve considered posting these words everywhere as a reminder to myself. You know, in the car, in the barn, on the bathroom mirror, on my nightstand, on the fridge, the palm of my hand. These words made such an impact on me. I pray the impact doesn’t wan.

Here’s the thing, it already has. Oh sure, I repeat them over and over, but it seems that since I’ve taken up the chore (should it be a chore?) of sticking to it,  I’ve gotten worse at it. You know what I mean? Maybe it’s not that my words are more unkind, untrue, or unnecessary… Maybe it’s that I’m simply more aware of my words – thank you Lord! Boy, when I listen to myself, my conversations, my words, they can sting – sting for those I’m talking about (how could my words be so unkind, so untrue, so unnecessary), sting for myself (who the heck do you think you are, Beth?) – sting for my Lord (that’s His reputation I’m damaging). Ahhhhh!!!! Anybody else out there, or am I alone in this?

You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good works from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart. Matthew 12:33-34

I think Jesus just called me out. Oh sure, he was talking to the Pharisees but my words are sometimes evil. I don’t know all the ins and outs of the Pharisees but I do know they had heart troubles. I guess I’m not much different. I’ve been a Pharisee, unfortunately, sometimes I still am. Not proud. Sometimes I have heart troubles and they are reflected in my words. Untrue. Unkind. Unnecessary. Let’s read on…

And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned. Matthew 12:36-37

This is just going from bad to worse, isn’t it? By my words, my face, and the flailing of my arms, folks will know exactly what’s in my heart. Even worse, my words seal my fate. Holy moly. Here’s the lowdown friends…it’s all about the heart, it’s always about the heart!

Whatever is in your heart determines what you say. Luke 6:45

The problem is that our hearts have an impact on other folks. The sinful words that flow from my heart may be causing someone else heart trouble – I know, I know, everyone’s responsible for their own hearts, true, but nothing in this world is said or done without having an impact on another.

The tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself… Sometimes it can praise our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been in the image of God. James 3:5-9

Here we go again – called out. The words flash – unkind, untrue, unnecessary. Sometimes. I’m convicted. Here’s the thing. I can’t just change my words, well of course I can, but that’s not a permanent fix. Changing my words only treats my symptoms. I need to change the disease that’s causing my symptoms – a faulty, diseased heart. Here’s the other thing, I am not capable of changing or healing my heart, only God can do that. I am powerless to do the right thing without the Holy Spirit.

For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death…Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace. Romans 8:2

It’s not a measure of our words – unkind, untrue, unnecessary. It’s actually a measure of our heart. Allowing the Holy Spirit to control our mind and make right our heart will allow us to change our tongues. Praise God!

Are we readable? I am. Whatever is in my mind is all over my face. I can have a conversation with you without even opening my lips. Eyebrows up. Frowns down. Wide eyed surprise. Mini eyed suspicion. Big smile. Little grin. Pursed lips. Red faced. Pale faced. Head held high. Head bowed. Nose tilted up. Mouth agape. Tears flowing. Stoic stare. Mischief eyes twinkling.

I can carry on that conversation with the rest of my body too – kind of like charades. Rubber neck nation. Hands on hips. Arms folded. Arms flailing. Finger pointing. High fiving. Toe tapping. Jazz hands. Anxious panting. See what I mean?

What do you say when you say nothing at all? What are some of your wordless communications? Hmmm…where do those actions come from? Our expressions reflect what’s inside. Our moods, our thoughts, our attitudes flow out of our bodies through our minds. Oh, I know, some of us are much better at not being readable. Some of us are more composed. Pokerfaced. Not me. You neither? For some of us, try as we may, we cannot hide what we’re feeling inside. Penny for your thoughts kind of people. We’re not alone.

And Jacob began to notice a considerable cooling in Laban’s attitude toward him. (NLT)

At the same time, Jacob noticed that Laban had changed toward him. He wasn’t treating him the same. (MSG)

Jacob also noticed Laban was not as friendly as he had been before. (CEV)

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. (KJV)
Genesis 31:2

Remember this story? Isaac sent Jacob to Laban (his mother’s brother) to find a wife. Jacob worked for 14 years for the woman he loved, Rachel, because of Laban’s trickery – see the tension building? Jacob had a slew of children and as he continued to work for Laban, Laban became a wealthy man. Jacob says hey man I need to make a way on my own and provide for my children. Laban says, oh, don’t leave me, I’ll pay you. What do you want? Jacob asked for the speckled, spotted and dark-colored sheep and goats. Laban said ok. But, Laban again was the trickster. He went out and removed all those he promised from the herd. Jacob continued to take care of Laban’s flocks.

With a little bit of miraculousness involving some shoots and bark, Jacobs flocks increased incredibly and he became a very rich man. Laban’s sons were not happy with Jacob’s prosperity and accused Jacob of robbery. Can you just imagine the looks from Laban’s sons? Daggers. Hands high in the air. Finger pointing. It is at this point that Jacob notices a change in Laban’s countenance, in his mood. Laban wasn’t quite as friendly as he had been – his attitude, his position, his posture, his expressions, his demeanor, his disposition, had cooled considerably, and it was written all over Laban’s face. Jacob read Laban’s face like a book.

Are we just as readable as Laban? Chances are, we are. When I think about that, I make the yikes – ugh face. Why? Because I know what’s in my mind is written on my face and in my actions and I’m not always proud of that. Here’s the thing – it’s not about changing the look on my face or taking my hands off my hips, it’s about changing what’s inside my head – that crazy mind of mine. You got one too. Our brains power our whole bodies. My brain tells me to smile, frown, cry, laugh, clap, dance, point – my brain tells me how to act, based on what’s inside. My mind tells me how to express myself. Does anybody besides me need a good mind renewing – yes, yes you do, I can see it! I’m glad I’m not alone.

So, how do we go about it? We can’t just change. Oh sure, some things we can, but we can’t change our minds without the power of God.

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another. Galatians 5:22-26

Our minds are changed when we allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives. Oh sure, it’s a tug of war sometimes. We want to scowl when we don’t get our way, but we cannot change our body language, our face conversations, our flailing arms, we are powerless to do it alone. Only by remaining in Jesus can we change what we say, by changing what we think. What we think dictates our conversations.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:4-5

If we want our conversations to change – verbal and nonverbal, we must remain in Jesus, under the control of the Holy Spirit. Staying connected to the vine is the only way we can produce the face fruits – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. What’s in our minds is written all over our faces. What’s your face saying?

I’m into the Golf Channel – weird, I know. Oh no, I don’t play golf. Never have. I watch it on TV. I watch golf when I want to relax. You know, when you need something to put you to sleep. I used to be into the Weather Channel, that would definitely relax me and put me right to sleep. But then they started with the weather drama. You know, twisters, hurricanes, tsunamis, would you survive this, would you live through that, shows. There’s just too much action there to relax. Besides, the announcers on the Golf Channel whisper – just so they don’t wake me.

I’ve never played golf. Well, technically. I’ve played putt-putt, but after about the oh, I don’t know, third hole, I’m bored to tears and ready to move on to the next thing. I’m not sure I’d be very good at golf, you know, the hand-eye coordination thing, or simply that coordination thing. Anyway, I was vegging to the Golf Channel the other day and I noticed something. I noticed that every hole is not the same. Of course I knew they weren’t all the same, there’s the dogleg left, the dogleg right, the sand hole, short grass, tall grass, uphill, downhill. But something I really didn’t think about was the yardage – not sure that’s the correct term. Anyway, I noticed from one hole to the next that each hole had a different yardage. Hole 14 might be 487 yards to the cup. Hole 18 might be 187 yards to the cup. See, what I was thinking was you go up to take your turn and you just whack the ball. You hit that sucker as hard as you possibly can. Kinda like a home run. Smack! The roar of the crowds tells you where it has landed. It’s a game of chance.

Well, I have learned through the whisperers, that golf is not a whack and go kind of game. The golfers carry around these little books in their back pockets called yardage books (I had to look that up). Tips on how to successfully put the ball into the cup. You see, the playing of each hole is different for each hole. Why? Because all holes aren’t the same, all golf courses are not the same. These little books have a map of the particular hole and note the terrain of the hole, the yardage of the hole, any obstacles on the way to the hole (sandtraps, bunkers, sprinkler heads, water). In addition to the yardage books, all golfers have caddies – someone who carries their baggage, they offer advice and insight on the course. Most caddies have played the course ahead of time in order to guide the golfers. Caddies also carry yardage books and make their own notes in order to make suggestions throughout the course. Golfers and caddies make notes in these little books based on their experiences in playing that particular course previously. You see, these yardage books act as a cheat sheet for each hole, for each course. Frankly, I didn’t realize how much skill, training, precision and study was needed to navigate a golf course.

I started thinking about life. Unfortunately, I think I sometimes play life just like I thought you played golf – get up there, swing as hard as you can to smack that puppy and watch it soar to the flag – hoping your ball doesn’t get lost in the trees. In fact, I sometimes play life like I play putt-putt – I’m bored after the third hole. That careless, bored approach is not the way the game was meant to be played. As I thought about it, I realized that the game of golf, in some ways, can be a metaphor for our Walk With Jesus. We too have a yardage book. You saw that coming didn’t you? It’s The Word of God. To be honest, we only pull out our yardage book based upon what hole we’re on, sometimes, don’t we? But, that’s not how the yardage books work. You see, the pros and their caddies study their yardage books before the match – they know what is in each book for each hole, for each course. They only pull out their yardage books as quick references because they already know what’s in the book. There’s a lesson there!

It is simply not possible to successfully navigate the course of life without pulling out our yardage book — The Word of God. It just can’t be done. Oh sure, we can get up there close our eyes and hack at life, but untrained, aimless, careless, bored, purposeless swings are very dangerous to ourselves and others – fore!!! Yet, if we are not relying on the instruction of the Word of God, listening to the Spirit of God and obeying His directions, that’s exactly what we’re doing – hacking. Remember the Israelites?

Normally it takes only eleven days to travel from Mount Sinai to Kadesh-barnea, going by way of Mount Seir. But forty years after the Israelites left Mount Sinai, on a day in midwinter, Moses gave these speeches to the Israelites, telling them everything the Lord had commanded him to say. Deuteronomy 1:2-3

The Israelites hacked around for 40 years when it was an 11 day journey. They obviously didn’t follow the yardage book – ba dump bump!! Nor did they follow the advice of their caddie (Moses) – ba dump bump!! They were hackers.

Look what the Lord says to Caddie Joshua:

“Now that my servant Moses is dead, you must lead my people across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Everywhere you go, you will be on land I have given you – from the Negev Desert in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River on the east to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and all the land of the Hittites.’ No one will be able to stand their ground against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

Be strong and courageous, for you will lead my people to possess all the land I swore to give their ancestors. Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed.” Joshua 1:-7

Pull out your yardage book, study it, don’t try to play the game your way – look what happened to the Israelites – train and meditate on it, it will guide you. Obeying the Word of God – life’s yardage book, will allow you to be efficient, skilled, precise, purposeful in life. Just like golf takes hand-eye coordination. Reading the Word of God takes heart-head coordination. Read it with your head until it makes a change in your heart.

One gift, from the storehouse of 10,000 gifts that God has given us, is the gift of choice. That’s a pretty significant gift. The ability to choose. Have you ever thought about choice as a gift? One of the most important things we get to choose is what we think about – yep — we get to pick what we think about. I know, I know. I have those thoughts too that just can’t possibly be from me. Maybe not all of them are, but I get to pick whether or not I’m going to allow those thoughts to roost in my mind. To dictate how I feel (or fear), to rule my day – it’s a choice.

So what do you think about? I’ve heard it said that if we look at our checkbooks we will see what we worship. Can that be said of our thoughts as well? Whatever we think about most is what we are worshipping. If that’s the case, I need to be more thoughtful to think about what I’m thinking.

When our minds are racing because our lives are racing – when thoughts fly through our minds like a rolling neon message board – when thoughts flash constantly like a strobe light and we cannot even fully grasp the full thought, let alone put it into context, we still get to pick what we think about.

When thoughts pop into our minds and we terror at the thought of them – they send fear rippling through us – how could we think something like that –adrenaline pumping, horror causing kinds of thoughts, we still get to pick what we think. We get to pick whether or not those thoughts get to linger, get to come into complete thought formation – whether or not those thoughts are put into action. When it comes to our thoughts, we are a most undisciplined people. Oh, don’t act indignant, if we’re honest, it’s true.

I read a quote the other day by Dr. Caroline Leaf, from her book Switch on Your Brain:

As we think, we change the physical nature of our brain.
As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts.

Now I don’t know about the science of it all, but the statement intrigued me. If this is true, I want me some of that! Who wants a toxic brain? None of us do, but here comes the ouch — are our thoughts doing just that? Again, if I’m honest and I look at the ruminations that I allow to roost, I’d have to say, yeah, I’ve got some toxicity going on in there. Check this out…

Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9

Truth. Honorable. Right. Pure. Lovely. Admirable. Excellent. Worthy of Praise. Paul says think on these things. We are to choose to think on those things. What happens when we entertain these thoughts? The God of peace will be with us! Who doesn’t want that?

I’m thinking about my poor brain and the thoughts I have that cause deep toxic ruts on the roadways of my brain because of what I’ve chosen to dwell on, to think on. You’ve heard it said that what we take in is what we put out. Junk in, junk out. Poison in, poison out. So, what are we allowing –if you allow, you have chosen to allow – if you choose not to decide you still have made a choice – what kinds of thoughts are building the highways in our mind? Are those thought highways leading to life or death?

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life. Then you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20

We have a choice! Will we think about life — peace, kindness, gentleness, forgiveness, amazing love, God the Father, eternity, or will we think about a life of death – hurt, anger, drudgery, fear, worry, struggle, pain, grudgery, hate, temporal life. Now or then?  Eternal or temporal?  Blessings or curses? Life or death? We have a choice!

We are human, we will have thoughts that are downright un-Godly – not all fairy dust and unicorns. But, the awesome thing about the thoughts we have is that we get to pick and choose what thoughts will flash on the jumbotron of our minds.

Choosing to control our thoughts is no easy task but if we are purposeful about what we allow to hang out in our thoughts and if we are purposeful about what we feed our thoughts, the Word of God is a good thought food, we will be given the strength to fix our minds on the lovely things.

There is a time for everything,
A season for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and time to rebuild.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for way and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Turn, Turn. Turn. We think we don’t have time for anything but, actually, there’s a time for everything. Read it again. I love these verses. It’s one of the few Bible passages I have memorized. I can’t read them without singing them. The lyrics were written by Solomon. The melody was written by Peter Seeger. The song was sang by The Byrds.

Again, it’s one of those passages we tend to gloss over without sinking our teeth into them. Think a little about the context. Ecclesiastes is kind of like an autobiography – King Solomon’s. Remember, King Solomon, son of King David? He was the man. He had it all. Money, power, prestige, wisdom, God’s favor. King Solomon was the “it” man 3,000 years ago.

Towards the end of his life, King Solomon gave his life the once-over. Solomon was brutally honest with himself. We can learn from him, the wisest man to live. He flipped through the pages of his life like he was flipping through a catalog, looking for the meaning here on earth. Solomon’s scrutiny of his life revealed, in his words, that life was empty and “meaningless.” Way meaningless as he mentioned it thirty four times. Do you wonder how King Solomon, of all people, someone who had everything, could come to that conclusion? Meaningless. I glance at my life. Does it have meaning? Not, is it full, of course it is, it’s jam packed. But, is it meaningful? I glance away.

Solomon found that wisdom, pleasure, work, political power, wealth, possession, all the things we let consume us are, in the end, are meaningless. Believe it or not the Rolling Stones did too:

I can’t get no satisfaction, I can’t get no satisfaction
‘Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can’t get no, I can’t get no

Why is that?

God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart…Ecclesiastes 3:11

There it is. He has planted eternity in the human heart. Roll that around a bit. Because we are eternal creatures, we will never be satisfied in the temporal, in this world. All of this temporal life, every changing season, everything for a time, must be seen in the light of eternity.

Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Solomon found that what really makes life meaningful. All the things under heaven must be under the authority of the God above. Life is filled with meaning only when we know God and following His commands, His Word. Eternal life cannot be found in the temporal, only in Him.

I’m stuffed – to the gills. What’s that mean anyway? Like fish, I’m full to the gills. To the top. Not another drop. Not another morsel. To the point of having trouble breathing. Do the holidays do that to you too? Well, actually, the holidays don’t do it to me, I do it to myself. The holidays for me used to start in August, the Youth Fair. A week of an ice cream a day (at least)! Then I’d be good until October – Halloween – candy that usually carried me into November. Ah…November…holiday season is ramping up big time. November carries me to December – a party a day – a cookie a day (at least) – the Bible does say to eat drink and be merry. Well, there’s really no reason to get control until after the first of January, you know, leftovers and all. The next holiday is a snow day – who doesn’t want to eat on a snow day – after all, aren’t we to store up to stay warm? The snow days carry me to Lent – wait, I can get control over Lent, I’ll give something up. Wrong reason — won’t work. Easter, with all its peanut butter eggs carries me to our May vacation, or holiday – again, an ice cream a day (at least). Sprinkle in a birthday here and there and I’m back to August. It all starts again. For me, it’s a perpetual destructive cycle.

I get so frustrated by my lack of self control, my lack of discipline? Am I alone? Are you why, why, whying? I am. That sounded like a commercial, didn’t it? Where oh where has my self control gone? Oh where, oh where can it be? Please, tell me I’m not alone!

As I was walking the worst-best dog ever this morning, I was lamenting about my heartburn. For real. I’ve had indigestion for a couple of days. I’m sure I know why, because I’ve been poisoning myself. For real. I beg forgiveness of God, tell Him I recognize my shameful deeds, they haunt me day and night, literally. I vow to make changes, which I sincerely mean and which I will follow through with, until…I break my vow. The vow I made to God, myself, and to those I made promise they would hold me accountable. I would love to say the devil made me do it, but he didn’t. I’m in charge of me and I make the choices.

I vow, I promise, promise, promise, not to eat sugar. That’s my battle. Your battle with self control or lack of discipline may not look like mine, yours may be retail therapy, over imbibing, power working, the shelter of momma’s little helper, fear for fear’s sake, the stress monster, the smoking giant, the Wordless Way, _______, you fill in the blank. The battle may be different but, the enemy of lack of self-control and lack of discipline, is the same. I keep thinking self-control and discipline just shouldn’t be this hard. After all, I know Jesus. I do know Jesus. He’s probably singing about now, I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden…

“Don’t even swear, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black.” Matthew 5:34

I love this!! Do you see what it says? Look again. You can’t, but God can. We cannot wake up one day and say ok, today’s the day I’m going to have self-control or be more disciplined. It doesn’t matter what part of your life needs a changing — whatever our giant, our fear, our obstacle. We do not have the power to overcome our obstacles alone, but He does. Why would we not want that? Without Him, we can do nothing, with Him, we can do all things! Remember what the angel told Mary…

For nothing is impossible with God. Luke 1:37

A dear friend who has been a many years smoker, recently told a group how she had quit smoking again. She had tried many times in the past. She said this time she did it with God, it was different – she turned it over to Him – didn’t take it back. She was amazed at what God could do through her. What God could do through her, not what she could do on her own.  Faith — it does not make things easy, it makes them possible!

“The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

Luke 18:27

Just like most Saturday mornings, last Saturday we trekked to the grocery store. It’s amazing where God teaches us. If you think that God cannot speak to you in the mundane, every day exercises of life, look a little harder. The more you look, the easier you will see. Anyway…

As I started through a door in the grocery store, I noticed someone walking behind me using their cell phone – aren’t we all? The person looked up from their phone as I held the door. She blew me a kiss. A little much for just holding the door but, well, ok. Then it hit me, she had touched her fingertips to her chin and moved her hand towards me. She signed thank you. She smiled. I smiled. It gave me pause. You see, she was deaf. Prior to me holding the door, she had been communicating on her smartphone. That was the bam! for me. I praised God.

I had never really thought about it until then, but cell phones have revolutionized life for our deaf friends. Think about that. Once they could not communicate by telephone. Once they could not communicate unless the person they were communicating with was in front of them. Some deaf folks couldn’t communication without pen and paper. How incredibly awesome are cell phones for those who cannot hear? To the one who cannot hear, cell phones are priceless.

I have really been chewing on this. I’ve been asking myself two questions all week – Am I deaf? Are you deaf? I don’t mean can we hear, but are we deaf? You see there’s another definition for deaf, other than unable to hear. That definition for deaf is “refusing to listen, heed, or be persuaded.” Look it up. Again, I ask…

The second question I asked myself is – Do I use the resources provided to me? The deaf community uses the resources provided to them to hear, a device, something that was transformational, something that completely changed their communication. Why don’t I? Why don’t we?

Jesus asks us the same thing. In His teachings, He tells a story and then follows up with a profoundly deep statement – four times, the same exclamation. The statement seems benign and we gloss over it heading to the next teaching.

“For before John came, all the teachings of the Scriptures looked forward to this present time… Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!” Matthew 11:13-15

“A farmer went out to plant some seed…Anyone who is willing to hear ,should listen and understand!” Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9, Luke 8:5-8

“I the Son of Man, am the farmer who plants the good seed…Anyone who is willing  to hear  should  listen and  understand!”

Matthew 13:37-43, Mark 4:14-23

“If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple…Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!” Luke 14:26-35

Four times from His lips. Seven times in His Word. What does that say? Here’s the Message:

“Are you listening to this?
“Really listening?” (MSG)

Aha! That’s what it’s all about. Listening. Do we listen? Do we pay attention? Do we heed? Do we obey? That’s what listening is? He’s saying, are you paying attention to what I just said? He’s saying, come on guys, listen – really listen.

“You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them. That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don’t really see. They hear what I say, but they don’t really hear, and they don’t understand.” Matthew 13:11-13

You see, it’s not about our physical hearing, it’s about spiritual hearing. It goes way beyond just hearing the words Jesus said. You know, even Satan heard the words. Anyone can hear Jesus teachings, but not everyone will listen. Let those who have ears hear and understand. To those looking, seeking the truth, if we are truly listening, it will be revealed. The Holy Spirit will open our minds to the teachings of our Lord. What does that mean? It means that when we study His Word, one of His communication devices, when we seek Him and truly listen to Him, He will communicate the meaning of the scriptures by opening our minds. He will give us understanding, which is transformational to us.

Then he opened their minds to understand these many Scriptures. Luke 24:44

Just like those who cannot hear use the communication resources available to them, why would we all not use the communication resources available to us? The Word of God the Father — God the Son, God the Spirit, is revolutionary. Why would we not want that?

We could learn a valuable lesson from our deaf friends. Use the priceless resource we are given. Use the communication resource that will transform our lives.

Let the one who has ears hear…be transformed…start a revolution!

In school, I was never very good at English or language arts. I just wasn’t. I didn’t like it. Oh, I liked the literature part, I liked to read, but that was about it. Much to June B. West’s chagrin, I could not have cared less about how to construct a sentence, pick out nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. It didn’t matter to me whether or not I could diagram a sentence – why would you waste your time doing that? Or, whether or not my participle was dangling – what does that mean anyway – it just doesn’t sound right? Why are run on sentences a bad thing? As my niece Meg would say, in the course of a lifetime, what does it matter? Right on, girl! To me, not one bit.

You see, in Ms. West’s class, I was much more focused on creative writing. Way back when. I became quite the creative writer. I was pretty good at it too. My language arts skills were tested to the max. How, you asked? By seeing how many words I could fit on a gum wrapper that I then tossed to a certain somebody sitting behind me. The art of the craft was leaving enough room for a response. It’s amazing how much dialog you could get on the inside of a foil gum wrapper. They don’t make gum wrappers that big anymore, if at all, so don’t try it at home. I just wasn’t focused on the English, on learning what I supposedly needed to know. That’s ok, my teacher was much more focused on her study of ancient druids – no kidding. I was focusing on my future (she said with fluttering eyes!) something that would last the course of a lifetime. Silliness, you say. Right, you are. But I did get an A in the gum wrapper creative writing class. Anyway, back to the point. The point is that I simply wasn’t focused on what I was supposed to be focused on.

I wish I could say English class was the only time I ever lost my focus. Not so. There are times when I have lost my focus on Jesus. Yikes, I said that out loud! Please tell me I’m not alone. To the trained eye, an English major, in reading this blog it’s probably obvious that my focus wasn’t on language arts those years ago. But, I think too, that those times when I’m not focused on Jesus, folks can see that too.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sins that so easily hinder our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. Hebrews 12:1

Pursuing Jesus in every moment and every inch of our life requires focus. Maintaining our focus is a matter of keeping our eyes on Jesus. Simple as that. Keeping our eyes on Him through His Word. The Word is filled with so many examples that can be so encouraging to us. Folks who momentarily lost focus – Abraham, King David, Jonah, Moses, Peter – but folks who regained focus and finished the race with their eye on God.

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. Proverbs 4:25-27

Do you find it hard to focus on Jesus because of all the things in life? What is stealing your focus? What is pulling your attention away from Him? What is sidetracking you from a deeper more genuine relationship? We will never be able to keep our focus on Jesus in our own power. We cannot will ourselves to focus on Jesus. The world is more powerful than we are, but Jesus has overcome the world. His power will give us the ability to focus on Him. He has provided a path for us and a way to stick to it. Read His Word.

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

Thou tellest my wanderings;
put thou my tears into thy bottle;
are they not in thy book?
Psalm 56:8 (KJV)

You’ve kept track of every toss and turn through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in your ledger,
each ache written in your book.
Psalm 56:8 (MSG)

What beautiful words. Words of comfort. Words of reassurance. Words of life. Words of love. These words have hugs built right into them. Arms wrapped. Holding.

Our tears flow freely over life, trying to wash away all that would cause us pain. They are full of hurt, fear, loss, longing, disappointment, brokenness, separation, pain, illness, and even death. I don’t have to tell you that life is hard. You’re living it.

Whether our tears fall in big round drops or in salty streams, every bit of moisture is collected. The mother’s tears for a son are collected. The wife’s tears for a husband are collected. A child’s tears for a parent are collected. A friend’s tears for a friend are collected. Think about the number of tears shed in a single day on this earth. God surely has a huge reservoir in Heaven – an ocean of tears.

“Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.
John 11:34-35

What a comfort to know that He who collects my tears also shed tears. That’s right. Jesus wept. Jesus was sad, broken, grieved by the loss of his friend. I marvel at that. Jesus, the One. Jesus, the Healer. Jesus, God of the Universe. The One who could dry every tear experienced pain, loss, grief. His tears fell too. What does that say to me? Jesus knows exactly how I feel. How you feel. Exactly.

“Why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” She glanced over her should and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. “Why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
“Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
“Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and exclaimed, “Teacher!”
Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!”
John 20:11-18

Mary’s tears were collected too. But guess what? In the midst of her tears, she saw Jesus. She was looking for Him and, He called her name. He appeared to her. I don’t know if He will visibly appear to us – He has the power to do that, you know. But I do know this, that in our tears, through our tears, while they are being collected, He calls our name.

So what do we do about this thing called life that causes so much pain for so many? We look to the One who chose to experience what we experience. We look to the One who knows what we’re going through. We look to the One who will guide us through the pain. We look to the One who calls our name.

We are told there are only two things we can be sure of in life – death and taxes. That’s not true, at all. We can only be sure of Jesus. He has promised us his unfailing love, forever. I can’t promise you that life will be easy, but I can promise you – He promises you – that whatever causes your tears to fall, whatever course your life is on, He knows what you’re going through. He is collecting every tear that slides. He’s calling out – Mary. He’s calling out — your name, My child, it’s Me!

There will be a day when no more tears will fall for those who know Him…

I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.” Revelations 21:3-4

Until then…Through our tears do we turn to Him? Do we look to Him for the answers? Do we look to Him for the comfort? Do we look to Him for the healing? Do we look to Him, the only One we can be sure of? Can we say we have seen the Lord?

I was sure by now
God you would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen,” and it’s still raining.

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold In Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You…I hear you whisper, “I’m with you.”
-Casting Crowns

Beauty in the brokenness. Do you see it? We can get bogged down and stuck in the brokenness. You don’t know what I’m dealing with, you say. You don’t know what I’m going through, you say. You don’t know the battles I’m fighting, you say. You don’t know the illness I have, you say. You don’t know how I’ve been hurt, you say. You don’t know…You don’t know…You are right. I don’t know yours, but I know mine. Guess what? The things that break me in life are the same as yours, hurt, fear, loss, chaos – they just have different names. We’re all living life in a fallen world. And, brokenness is brokenness.

I’m going to make a bold statement. Hold tight… If we don’t have bad, we won’t know if something is good. If everything were always good, we wouldn’t know it was good cause that’s all we got. I dare say too, if it was all good, we, being the humans we are, wouldn’t appreciate the good for long. Stop throwing stuff at me! If we do not have brokenness, we cannot see beauty. She’s completely flipped her lid, you’re saying. Stick with me a minute.

We have to live this life, but we don’t have to live a broken life. Brokenness begets brokenness. But Jesus begets beauty. What’s the opposite of broken – whole. Wholeness is beautiful. How do we see beauty in the midst of our brokenness? By seeing Jesus. By seeking Jesus. By snuggling up to the only One who can make us whole, regardless of the circumstances, the diagnoses, the pain, the hurt, the separation, the battle, the brokenness.

So, how do we get to the beauty in the brokenness? The light in the darkness? The trust in the terror? The comfort in the pain? The easy answer — Jesus. So easy…yet so hard. I promise you though, if you answer the brokenness with Him, you will see beauty. Beauty that is so beautiful, it passes all understanding.  Not just Him, as in take this cup from me, but Him, as in I trust You, even when I don’t understand.

“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Beauty in brokenness…a wife going to the kitchen cabinet, taking out the only oil she has, and anointing her ailing husband for healing. Beauty in brokenness…a wife praying blessings over a crucifix, the one she bought for his birthday, the one that will lay atop his cancer. Beauty in brokenness…the tears collected by God cried over a suffering one. Beauty in brokenness…the Christ who hangs on a cross, praying the Father’s forgiveness for those who hung Him there. Beauty in the brokenness is raw. It touches us in the very center of our being.

“Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

Beauty in the brokenness, do you see it? How, you say?

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

“Do you finally believe? But the time is coming – in fact, it is already here – when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have any trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:31-33

All Jesus’ words show us how to find beauty in the brokenness. All His words are inviting. All His words say come. All His words say receive. All His words say I have overcome, I will handle this. All His words say trust. All His words say take heart and look at the beauty. Beauty in our brokenness, beauty that can only be found in Him. All who are broken, lift up your face…to see Beauty.