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Chasing Donkeys In 2015

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donkey2Would you believe that God is working even when one is chasing donkeys? In I Samuel 9:1-27, we have the story of how God chose Saul to be king of Israel. If you remember, the whole concept of having a king was troubling to the prophet Samuel. He believed that Israel should never choose a human king. God should be the king of his people.

The story unfolds as Saul, son of Kish, is chasing several donkeys that have escaped from his father’s land. A servant assists Saul and they search for several days.

Being led by God, the prophet Samuel finds himself close to where Saul and his servant are hunting donkeys. Hearing that the prophet is near, Saul’s servant offers this suggestion: “Perhaps the prophet Samuel can help us find our donkeys” (I Samuel 9:6). When Samuel sees Saul coming, he knows that this young man will be the first king of Israel.

Are you seeing the beauty of this story? Saul had no idea of God’s plan for his life. He had no idea that he had been chosen as Israel’s first king. He thought that he was only chasing donkeys.

So it is with us. We will enter this new year with all of our plans in tow not realizing that a greater plan will lead just where it wants us. Proverbs 16:9 says it so beautifully, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”

Begin this new year believing that in your day-to-day life, the LORD is working to complete his good plan for you. A good God is telling a good story with a good ending. Remember this in the hard times. Better yet, remember it in the good times as well.
Remember it always. One more thing: Never complain when you are forced to chase donkeys. Look where it led Saul.

Happy New Year!

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Never Overlook The Little Things

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jesus-nazareth-110

Have you ever stopped to think deeply about the man God chose to raise Jesus? Would he have been your choice? What did God know about him that the Bible doesn’t tell us? John Claypool suggests that by studying Joseph’s deeds, we can imagine Joseph’s influence on the life and character of Jesus.

One of the most creative ways of studying Joseph’s deeds is offered by writer Steve Brown. He tries to imagine what it would have been like being Joseph’s pastor (or rabbi) as Joseph lay dying. It is generally assumed that Joseph died at an early age and perhaps this is why Jesus didn’t begin his public ministry until he was thirty years of age. As the elder son, Jesus would have had obligations to his fatherless family.

Joseph, of course, would not have been in a hospital room under the care of doctors and nurses. The place where Joseph died would have been much different than the place where you and I will die.

Knowing that Joseph was dying, Steve Brown says he would want to discuss how significant Joseph was in God’s Big Story. Brown would remind Joseph of the time when he discovered Mary was pregnant. Knowing that he wasn’t the father, in his love, he didn’t want to shame Mary.

Brown would also want to remind Joseph of the trip to Bethlehem and how he protected Mary and the child. He would remind him of his trip to Egypt and also when he and Mary presented Jesus at the Temple when Jesus was twelve.

Joseph would shake his head and say, “But those are such little things…what any man would have done.” Brown would then say to Joseph, “A little bit of faithfulness in a dark place is all that God needs.”

In God’s Big Story you should never discount the little things. Joseph’s faithfulness in the little things was as important as Mary’s womb. You will make a difference when you change a diaper, when you go to work, when you speak an encouraging word, when you are faithful to your family, when you stand by your pastor and your church, when you do what God has asked you to do.

Like Joseph, determine in your heart, this holy season, to do what God asks you to do. Then you might be surprised when you get home to heaven by the true impact you had on others. Besides, impact is God’s business. Faithfulness is yours. Faithfulness in the little things of life.

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May Our Joy Overflow

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JoyOverflows2
During this wonderful season we seem to always look backward and never forward. That which happened in Bethlehem so long ago launched humanity into a story much larger than we could ever imagine. A good God is telling a good story with a good ending. May we never doubt that because Jesus came, all will be well in the end.

Kara Root, pastor of Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, MN, describes it this way:

This moment.
A seemingly insignificant moment,
like millions of others:
a child enters the world.
His story: yet to be written.
But like every other story,
already written:
the child will grow, learn
will know love, loss, suffering, joy.
The child will become an adult.
And one day, the child will die.
The story of every human:
now God’s story.
The experience of every human:
now God’s experience.
Unlike any moment
creation and cosmos has ever witnessed:
Creator crossing the barrier
and entering its midst.
This moment
rips out the end of the human story
and rewrites it.

As we look forward (not just backward) this Christmas season, may our joy overflow remembering that in Christ we are part of that rewritten history.

Richard

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They Came Themselves…

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WiseMenMention the Wise Men who visited Jesus and our immediate thoughts turn to gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, let us remember that the Magi did much more than bring gifts. The Bible says, “They fell down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11).

Before the Wise Men offered gifts, they first offered themselves. Instead of sending someone to represent them, they came themselves. The irony of the Christmas season is that we tend to neglect the very people we are trying to remember. We have so little time for the important people in our lives.

Give thought to this in the next few weeks. The gift of yourself, your presence, your undivided attention, is the very best thing you have to offer those you love. You, the one giving, should be the real gift.

In Bethlehem God gave the gift of himself. May we dedicate ourselves to doing the same. This year, may we not just give presents, but presence.

Richard

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“Are You Speaking to Me?”

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thankful_A man had the job of transporting people who had been committed to a mental hospital. After he had delivered a patient one day, he was walking to his car when a voice yelled, “Hey you!” Looking up he saw a man looking through the bars of his window.

“Are you speaking to me?”, he yelled up. “Yes,” came the reply. “I want to ask you something. Have you ever thanked God for a healthy mind?” The question stunned the man. He had been transporting patients to this hospital for 15 years and had never once thought to thank God for a sound mind.

Between now and Thanksgiving Day, think of something for which you’ve never thanked God. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you as you ponder this question. Repeat this man’s story to your family and friends on Thursday and then go around the table and encourage each person to think of something for which they have never thanked God.

And, before I forget, I am thankful for each and every one of you. So glad you are a part of my story.

Richard

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Blind Guides

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Universal BlindCrossingStreetSign

I once read of an elderly woman who stood on a busy street corner. She hesitated to cross because there was no traffic light. While waiting, a gentleman came up beside her and asked, “May I cross over with you?” Relieved, the elderly woman thanked him and took him by the arm.

The path they took was very erratic. The man seemed to be very confused as they dodged traffic and walked in a zig-zag pattern across the street. “You almost got us killed,” the woman screamed in anger as they eventually reached the curb. “You walk like you are blind!” “I am,” he replied. “That’s why I asked if I could cross with you.”

Speaking of the Pharisees, Jesus said, “They are blind guides and if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 14:14). Christians must be very careful not to entrust their spiritual direction to someone who cannot discern the clear teachings of God’s Word. Life is too difficult, eternity too long, and our spiritual formation too important to take any chance with the leaders  we choose to follow.

In Psalm 119:105 we read, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” May we trust only those who themselves walk in the light of that lamp.

Richard

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HOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE TRINITY?

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Holy Trinity (New Testament Trinity)
Holy Trinity (New Testament Trinity)

Probably the most talked about book in Christian circles in the last ten years is Wm Paul Young’s THE SHACK. Eugene Peterson says of the book, “This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s PILGRIM’S PROGRESS did for his. It’s that good.”

We were privileged to have Wm Paul Young with us at Trinity Baptist Church last week. It is a weekend few of us will forget. He ministered to us on many levels. I have had one church member after another tell me how thankful they are that God used Paul to speak to them in a very unique and personal way. For this I am grateful.

Wm Paul Young presents the Trinity in the most unexpected way. That’s what makes the book so interesting. He forces us out of our little theological playhouses and gives us permission to use our imagination in ways that seem heretical to some, but comforting to many others. For the sake of anyone who has not read THE SHACK, that’s all I’ll say.

Let me ask you a question: HOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE TRINITY? For me, the Trinity is a-logical or beyond logic. John Wesley said, “Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can comprehend the triune God.” It’s like the little boy who was on the Art Linkletter Show years ago and was asked, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” He answered, “The chicken had to come first because God can’t lay eggs.” That’s as good a answer as I’ve ever heard.

There are many things within the Christian faith that none of us can adequately understand. The Trinity is certainly one of those things. It is not a “reasonable” doctrine. No rational person would come to the conclusion that 3=1. Daniel Webster was once challenged by an agnostic in regards to the doctrine of the Trinity. “Mr. Webster,” the man said, “How can a man of your mental caliber believe that three equals one?” Webster humbly responded, “Sir, please understand, I do not pretend fully to understand the arithmetic of heaven now.”

Could it be that our understanding of God’s nature is a “spiritual understanding?” Is it something God plants within us with the “new nature” given to us in Christ? When I think of the Trinity, I think of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, dancing forever in a circle of love. And, the greatest invitation is for us to join the dance. Have you? Will you?

I agree wholeheartedly with Brian McLaren who says, “If there’s only one God but not three persons within the one God, then we would expect that the ultimate reality behind the universe could be silence. It could be power. It could be peace. It could be domination. It could be any of those things. But there’s one thing it could not be. The ultimate reality could not be love. Because for love to exist, there has to be a sharing, and there has to be communication, and there has to be self-giving. But, if there’s only one, there’s nothing to give the self to.”

If the doctrine of the Trinity teaches anything, it teaches that at the heart of reality is a community of love. You were created by a community of love and, it’s a community of love that you are invited to join and experience FOREVER. That, my friends, is the greatest invitation you’ll ever receive. Do more than stand in awe at this mystery. Embrace it and share with “your” world this community of love in both word and deed.

Richard Hipps

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Little Prayers

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prayer

I love listening to a variety of music while studying. Recently, I was listening to one of my favorite CDs (The Best Of Burt Bacharach) when Dionne Warwick began singing, “I Say A Little Prayer For You.” You remember the lyrics, don’t you?

The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say a little prayer for you
While combing my hair, now
And wondering which dress to wear, now
I say a little prayer for you

I run for the bus, dear
While riding I think of us, dear
I say a little prayer for you
At work I just take time
And all through my coffee break-time
I say a little prayer for you

Little prayers are powerful, more powerful than we can imagine. I can’t count the times when my prayer consisted of just three words; “Help me Lord.” As we begin this new week, a week where grace will meet us at every turn, let’s pray some powerful little prayers. Need a few suggestions? Here are ten from a wonderful writer, Joanne Redmond:

1. Any time you pull out a credit card, ask God for discernment
in spending money.

2. If you want to communicate with God but feel like the right
words are not coming, listen to a song of praise and sing
or hum it to him.

3. As you put on your pajamas at night, ask God to help you
feel relaxed and content.

4. When calling someone on the phone, ask God to bless
him or her while you wait for an answer.

5. Before visiting your family of origin, ask God to help you
not fall into old behavior patterns or habits, but to practice
the maturity and growth you’ve experienced.

6. Talk to God aloud while driving alone in the car. Try telling
him how your day is going.

7. This may sound irreverent, but some days are so busy or
stressful that the only time we have to pray is when we are
in the restroom.

8. In your workplace, pray for someone as you pass his or her
office or desk.

9. At the doctor’s or dentist’s office, pray for those sitting around you.

10. When turning your car off, thank God for a safe journey.

See the significance of praying little prayers? Here is my little prayer for each of you today: “Lord, thank you for every person who reads these words. Let them know how loved they are and how glad I am that they are a part of my life. Help me not to take them for granted and, in some way, be ‘an instrument of peace’ in their lives.”

I love you. I felt strongly that I needed to tell you that today.

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What Is The Most Beautiful Thing You Will Experience This Week?

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Pictt

I was reading N.T. Wright recently and he asked an interesting question: WHAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS WEEK? Think about last week and ponder the following:

What is the most beautiful thing you experienced last week? Maybe some beautiful music, perhaps in church, or in the cathedral. Maybe something in the world of nature: the sun breaking through the midst and making the autumn leaves luminous, the curl of a squirrel’s tail as he sat nibbling a nut. It might be something you smelt: the scent of a rose perhaps, or the smell of a good meal cooking when you were very hungry. It might be something you tasted: an exquisite wine, a special cheese, that same meal well seasoned and well cooked.

Maybe something you experienced in work: things suddenly coming together, an unexpected new opportunity. It might be something you experienced in human relationships: a quiet gentle glance from someone you love dearly; the soft squeeze of a child’s hand.

I want to suggest to you that our ordinary experiences of beauty are given to us to provide a clue, a starting point, a sign post, from which we move on to recognize, to glimpse, to be overwhelmed by, to adore, and so to worship, not just the majesty, but the beauty of God himself.

Yesterday, I asked my flock, “Have you ever been whacked by grace?” My prayer for each of you this week, dear family and friends, is that each of you will be whacked by beauty, God’s beauty.

Richard Hipps

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“Do Not Judge…”

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Over the course of my life I have judged persons and situations only to discover later how wrong I had been. Owning only a few “facts” I was in no position to judge. Maybe this is why Jesus warns us, “Do not judge.”

LittleMockingBird

Paul Williams helped me appreciate this even more in an article he wrote called, “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Here in part is what he said:

The infernal sound woke me at 5:30am. I thought it was a car alarm. When it happened again the next morning, it dawned on me. I had a northern mockingbird outside my window.

The volume was incredible, twice as loud as any robin, bluejay, or cardinal I’ve ever heard. I tried earplugs and pulling a pillow over my head, both to no avail. The mockingbird pegged the decibel meter morning after morning.

I tolerated the bird the first year. The second spring I went to war. I borrowed a BB gun from my secretary. She insisted I take the safety goggles as well.

Early on Saturday I tiptoed into the backyard, BB gun in hand, and waited by the patio table.  I spotted him at about 6:15am, sitting on the power line that stretched from the pole to our house. Before I could raise the gun, he was gone, hiding in the top of a neighbor’s sugar maple.  He made a few more runs from the tree to the power line to the roof of the house, but I never had a clear shot. I went inside at 8:00am, equal parts ashamed for wanting to kill the poor bird,and discouraged for being so inept with a BB gun.

My ambush having proven fruitless, I figured I needed more information. I googled “killing mockingbirds” but all the references were to Harper Lee’s book. I knew it was not an instruction manual.

 Then I googled “mockingbirds.” What I found was astounding. A male mockingbird has as many as 200 songs in his repertoire. Male and females build their nest together, and may call on other mockingbirds to protect the nest in the event of attack. The more I read, the more intrigued I became. “These are incredibly fascinating birds,” I told my wife.  With dripping sarcasm she replied, “So, you still need that BB gun?”

Isn’t it amazing how much empathy and understanding a little knowledge can bring? As the old French proverb teaches, “To know all, is to forgive all.”

Richard Hipps

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