Quick Bites: Complaining

Exodus 5:22-23 (CEV) “Moses left them and prayed, “Our Lord, why have you brought so much trouble on your people? Is that why you sent me here? Ever since you told me to speak to the king, he has caused nothing but trouble for these people. And you haven’t done a thing to help.”

I love that God includes these little private moments in the Bible. We don’t have a Bible full of perfect leaders behaving perfectly perfect while saying perfect things and walking with God in perfection. Phew, try saying that as fast as you can. God gives us stories like this. Real people trying to make sense of their walk with God. And, from time to time, whining about it.

Moses had obeyed the Lord, and instead of getting better, things had gotten worse. The people of Israel were starting to point fingers. It was getting ugly. The Bible then gives us this private glimpse into Moses’ life. He stole away by himself to pray, and he brought the heat. Why aren’t you helping us, God? Things are getting worse. What’s the deal?

Honest Sharing Time: Sometimes our walk with God looks like complaining unto the Lord with all thine might. Mine does, at least. Whining with all my heart, soul, mind, and body. And that’s ok. Moses was real with God about how he felt. He didn’t conceal his heart behind some veil of religiosity. He was honest with God, and God was ok with it. He didn’t rebuke Moses for feeling the way he felt or for being open and honest about how he felt.

In fact, God doubled down on His promise to deliver Israel from the tyranny of the Egyptians. God opened His heart in response. In God’s response, we see that He has a plan, and although things might be uncomfortable now, all is going according to plan.

Yes. God has a plan, and all is going according to plan. Yes, it’s ok to be honest with God about how you think things are going up to this point. If you’re hurting, then be hurt with Him. If you’re disappointed, be disappointed with Him. If you’re happy, be happy with Him. Bringing your heart to God is always the right thing to do.

Seeing God, or My Eyesight Was So Bad My Glasses Had To Have Glasses

40/40,000,000 or something. That’s how bad my vision was. Ok. Maybe not really 40 Million. But it was bad. I used to be really near sighted. Everything a couple inches away from my face was just a blob shape of color and movement. It was inconvenient. Mega inconvenient. Used to be.

I wore glasses for a while as a kid. Then I got contacts. They were ok; it was a definite improvement over glasses. But still, having a vision issue is…well, an issue. So I got Lasik surgery, and it was great. I wake up: I can see. It’s raining: Hey, I can still see. It’s pitch black dark: yeah, I can’t see when it’s pitch black dark, people- I mean come on. It’s Lasik surgery. It’s not like they gave me super powers. 🙂 My vision problems were resolved. Or so I thought…..

Vision problems. The sons of Jacob had vision issues as well. They couldn’t see things as they really were. Not really. In their everyday lives, they couldn’t really see the bigger story. In real life, their vision problems are probably closer to my every day reality than I’d usually care to admit.

I encourage you to go back and read the story of Jacob’s sons. Joseph and his dreams. Jacob and his favoritism. Jealousy. Pride. Murder plots. Someone working in the background unseen. Their tale is a tale of vision problems.

Genesis 42:28 (CEV) ‘…They were trembling with fear as they stared at one another and asked themselves, “What has God done to us?”‘

When I read the above verse this morning it really stuck to my heart. So often, we don’t see what’s really going on. I’ve read their story so I know it all works out in the end, and that God had a plan. But in our daily lives, we don’t see the bigger picture like that. We see like I used to see without my glasses. Blobs. Colors. Shapes. Nothing is clear. Nothing has a sharp outline on it. Even what we think we see clearly has a fuzzy outline. And so we often ask why: Why did God do this? Or why did God let this happen?

God moves and works things according to His plan and we don’t see it. We don’t see the bigger picture of what’s happening in the chaos and blobs of color and shape of our lives. We have a problem- We are just human. ‘What has God done to us?’ really isn’t that far off from how we think and how we feel. We catch just a portion of it as a blob, a shape whizzing by, a blessing appears, something bad happens. We’re human. We don’t see clearly like He does. So what are we to do?

We may not be able to see clearly in every circumstance, and in every trial and every blessing. Blobs. Colors. Shapes. If we can’t see clearly like God, maybe we can just focus on seeing God clearly in all that is happening.

I want to see God in the blobs, and colors and shapes. So I turn to His word. His word says He cares for us. His word says that He blesses us and sings over us. His word says He has made us whole. His word says we are a new creation in Him. His word says He is with us and we are not forsaken. His word says He was beaten so we could be healed. His word says He is for us and not against us. His word says that no weapon formed against us will prosper. His word says that He is our shield, our tower, our defense. His word says He made us in His image. His word says that He sent His only Son so that we may have life. His word says He loves us. His word gives us a very clear view of the God we serve. His word gives us a clear view of God and of ourselves and how God sees us.

When we see Him clearly, it gives context to all the blobs and shapes and colors whizzing past us. It allows us to change the question from ‘What has God done to us’ to ‘What is God doing through this’ and ‘What is God wanting to do through me and in me.’ You may not see the circumstances of your life clearly. Me either. That’s probably normal. But the clear image of God in His word is the image of a loving savior named Jesus who died for you to forgive you, to wipe your slate clean, and to restore you to what He created you to be.

How to Survive an Unseen Enemy Bent on Your Destruction, or Rumors

It was coming right for him. The rumor, simply put, was that death was on the move and it was coming in his direction. He heard the stories; he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, but the things he heard terrified the man. The situation was complicated.

It wasn’t just his life on the line. He had family. He had children. He had wealth. But death was coming, and honestly, the man kind of had it coming. He had cheated death once before. He probably deserved death. His situation was more like ours than we probably want to admit.

Years before, Jacob tricked his brother Esau, cheated him of a destiny level blessing, and fled before justice was served. Esau swore vengeance, and now he swarmed across the land toward Jacob. 400 men rode with him. An army of death headed towards Jacob. What would he do? What would I do?

Rumors. Fear. Death and destruction all around. What do we do? You can’t always follow this advice, but in this case, do what Jacob did:

Genesis 32:9-12 (CEV): “Then Jacob prayed: You, Lord, are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. I don’t deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well. But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the stars in the sky.”

He remembered the greater history of what God did for others and what God has already done in his life and the promises of God.
He came to God humbly, and acknowledged God’s provision and direction for his life.
He named his fear and brought it to God.
He reminded God and himself of the promises of God concerning his future.
He moved forward.

I think what gets me is the way he ended his prayer. ‘I’m afraid my brother is going to kill me, but You said that I had a bright future.’ That’s it. That’s how the prayer ends. I guess that’s how it has to end though, right? I mean, if God said, ‘I’m going to take care of you,’ what else is there to say after that? He went to sleep, got up the next morning, tried his best, and left it up to God as to how things shook out.

There’s a lot of uncertainty that surrounds us. It’s kind of a scary and weird place out there right now. There are rumors. There is the threat of destruction and death. What can we do? Pray.

Humorous Side Note: When my daughter was little, 2 or 3 years old, we were saying bedtime prayers. My head was somewhere else, probably thinking about work or worrying about something, so instead of praying our bedtime prayer out loud with her and my wife, I was just kind of standing there. Silent. My little 3 year old girl stopped the prayer, looked over at me and said in the sternest of stern voices, “Daddy. Talk it.” I’ve never been put in my place like that. 3 years old. She was right. Talk it.

Remember what God has done throughout history and throughout the Bible. Talk it. Remember all that God has brought you through. He’s probably brought you through more than one sticky situation. Talk it. Be honest about your situation. If you’re afraid, tell Him. Own it, admit it, and bring it to Him. Talk it. Remind yourself and God of His word. Talk it. Then move forward.

Laughter, or Dr. Strange Knows What’s Up

“Pain is an old friend.” Superhero Extraordinaire Dr. Steven Strange

Sarah, beloved wife of Abraham, had a problem. She had a pain problem. All of her adult life, she bore the pain and shame of being childless. That pain caused her to do some pretty extreme things (read the tale, it’s pretty wild), and those things only added to her pain and difficulty.

I think most of us have a pain problem to one degree or another. If you’re like Sarah, or like me, that pain has probably caused you to do some things you wished you hadn’t. We all carry disappointments. We carry pain. We sometimes struggle with shame and meaninglessness. But that doesn’t have to be the end of the story.

Genesis 21:6 (NKJV) ‘And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.“‘

Just like He did for Sarah, God is able to take our deepest pain, the thing that causes the most shame and self doubt, our biggest disappointments, and turn that pain into laughter- joy unspeakable. God turned Sarah’s pain into laughter. Laughter! Can you believe it? Laughter where there was once only pain.

Moral of The Story: It may take time, but don’t give up. I don’t know what that may look like for you or for me, but I know that God is able. If God can give a 100 year old gal a baby, then God is more than able to take your pain, your shame, and your disappointments and turn them into joy. Laughter. Imagine being able to laugh in the face of what once caused you so much pain! That’s what our God is able to do.

Don’t Say Leaves, or Famine

Our local stores seem to be out of toilet paper, out of beef, and out of chicken. Lucky Charms? Nope. You know it’s bad when there’s not even Raisin Bran. I guess seafood isn’t so popular in our area as we don’t seem to be short of seafood. A famine of sorts. A famine of toilet paper and hamburger in 2020. I’ve got to say, I didn’t see that coming.

In ancient bible times, what did they use since they didn’t have toilet paper? Don’t say leaves. Just don’t. Without going too far down that rabbit hole, there couldn’t have been that many leaves for everyone to use leaves. What about folks in desert areas? What about in the fall and winter? Don’t say leaves. I’m not sure how they conquered that particular problem, and I think I probably don’t want to know. These are the things you consider when you’re home and have time to think for once.

Genesis 12:10 (NKJV) “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.”

I was reading this morning, and the fact that Abram (Abraham) went through a famine got my attention. I hadn’t really thought of the current situation in terms of famine until I read Genesis 12. The famine didn’t catch God off guard. Famines don’t change who God is or affect His ability to provide. Reading chapter 12, it looks like Abram kind of lost it when the famine hit.

Before the famine, Abram was building altars and calling on the name of the LORD. He was doing it right. He was obeying God, walking with him, heading out into the unknown. And then the famine hit and we find Abram in the land of Egypt. Who knows how the story would have went if Abram would have kept building altars and calling on God in Egypt.

There’s no mention of him building altars there or calling on the name of the LORD. In fact, it looks like Abram quit calling on God and he decided to try to take care of things himself: he ends up basically selling Sarai to Pharoh to save himself. It seems like Abram got shook. It looks like the famine really rocked him, and instead of relying on God, and calling on Him, Abram took matters into his own hands and almost made a huge mess of things.

I was reminded this morning that famines are opportunities. We can put our money where our mouth is. To turn the phrase, we have the opportunity to put our actions where our faith is. We have a fantastic opportunity to call on God, to spread peace, to spread kindness, to spread faith and restrain from taking matters in our own hands.

Be wise. Wash your hands. Follow the CDC guidelines (link to CDC site on COVID-19 best practices). Build altars. Call on the name of the LORD.

Post-It Note GPS, or Remembering

Honest Confession Time: My desk at work is graffiti tagged with Post-It Notes. I have to write stuff down to remember it, sometimes. Often, there’s so much going on, that I can’t keep track of it all in my head, so I need to organize all that information somehow. That organization just so happens to look like a disorganized explosion of paper, pencil scribbles, and sloppy handwriting. Oh, a giant whiteboard. I also have a four foot whiteboard that I use to keep track of tasks. I need multiple reminders and sometimes I need things written in one foot tall letters.
What’s that table named in that database?’– Post-It Note on my computer monitor
‘What was I working on?’– Usually after I get pulled off task and on to some urgent task that needs some attention- Whiteboard, Post-It Note on my monitor, Post-It on my keyboard
‘What do I need to do tomorrow?’– Whiteboard, Post-It on my keyboard and monitor and chair and filing cabinet and a Post-It in my pocket and on my wallet and on my coat hook. Kidding. But only a little.
Busy work. We’re all busy. I’m busy; you’re busy. But in all that business, I need reminders, way markers, something to help keep me on track. It’s my Post-It Note GPS. I can see where I’ve been, know where I’m at, and remember where I’m going.

2 Peter 1:12-15 (TPT) “I won’t hesitate to continually remind you of these truths, even though you are aware of them and are well established in the present measure of truth you have already embraced. And as long as I live I will continue to awaken you with this reminder, since our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has clearly revealed that my departure is near. Indeed, I’m passionate to share these things with you so that you will always remember them after my exodus from this life.“

I take reminders seriously at work, but why don’t I take reminders as seriously in the things that really matter? Reminders are important in our walk with Jesus, too. I’m forgetful. I’ll forget the blessing He gave me. I’ll forget what He’s already brought me through. I guess I’m not the only one, as Peter took reminders very seriously. He knew the readers of his letter need reminders, too. We need reminders. We need to remember where we’ve been. We need to remember where we stand. We need to remember where we’re going, and we need to remember what our faith is working towards.

Take a minute, and in whatever way works best for you, start creating reminders of what God has done for you, what He’s already brought you through, and about His promises for your future. It’s easy to get bogged down in the daily minutiae, and to lose sight of the ultimate truth. Maybe it’s Post-It Notes, maybe it’s a small notebook or index cards; what it looks like isn’t as important as how it works.

Ah, snap…I didn’t write down where I put the Post-It Notes. Somewhere, there’s at least 5 lbs of mint unopened Post-It notes. I keep getting more and adding to the stash, and then forgetting where I put them. Oh, well. If you see me walking around with writing on my hands, now you’ll know why.

Quick Bites: What We’re Not

If you had to describe yourself to someone who has never met you, what would you say? What do you say when you’re introduced to someone new? We usually give our name and what we do:
‘Hi, I’m Donnie, I’m an intergalactic overlord…and I’m also in IT…kidding. I’m also terribly weird and awkward at introductions, obviously.’
Let’s try that again: ‘Hi, I’m Donnie. I’m in IT, a fixer of broken stuff.’
I am _______. I do ________. It’s the standard introduction

Hebrews 10:39 (NKJV) “But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.”

It’s pretty standard, really. We have a list of stuff we do; we define ourselves by what we do, join social media groups based on what we do. But what don’t you do? It’s a subtle but powerful shift in thinking. When you start defining what your absolute No’s are, it more clearly emphasizes what your Yes’s are.

The writer of Hebrews defines what the No is, and then defines what the Yes is. We don’t draw back. That’s an absolute no go. Whatever it is that we do, we don’t draw back. And once the No is defined, it makes the Yes so much more obvious. We believe. We push forward. Since we don’t draw back, the path forward is clear- we believe, we push forward in faith. No matter what comes our way, we believe and salvation is our sure end.

What are your No’s? Take a moment to define five No’s for your life: the no go, no way, ain’t gonna happens for your life. Once those are clear, what are your five Yes counterpoints or antidotes for those No’s?

Is Someone Coming Over, or Husband’ing/Dad’ing/Getting From Point A to Point E/Where Did This Mess Come From

“Hey, will you guys pick your stuff up out of the floor, and then vacuum your rooms?” I asked.
Kids can destroy a perfectly ordered home in approximately 1.37 minutes. Well, mine can, anyways.
“Dad,” my son replied. “Is someone coming over? Why do we have to clean up?”
For a kid, the only reason one should clean up is to prepare for company coming over for a visit. We clean up to fool them into thinking our house is clean all the time. Kid logic. Honestly, I get it.

Honest Confession Time: With the kid’s school, and church, and work, and just life in general, our house can get kind of messy. It’s hard to do it all, and have it all on point all the time. Our house gets kind of messy from time to time. But, there’s nothing like someone coming over to get us in gear and to get the house put back in order.

Hebrews 9:28 (NKJV) “…so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

When you’re expecting someone to come over, you clean up. It’s kind of a natural thing to do. I thought about that when I read this verse: we clean up for company coming over; when we’re waiting for someone to show up, we tidy up. Am I eagerly waiting for Jesus to show up? Will my spiritual house be in order and clean when He appears?

I think a lot of times, I get distracted with life: work life, family life, getting from point A to point C while working in a quick stopover at point B. It’s verses like this that remind me, little beacons on the side of life’s road, that I’m not here necessarily to get it all knocked out at work. Knocking it out is good, but it’s not great. I have responsibilities at home. Husband’ing and dad’ing is good, real good, but ultimately, I’m called to something much greater. The point, the focus, must always be Christ. My eager expectation at work must be Christ. My eager expectation at home, at church, in ministry, in something as simple as checking the mail or picking up a gallon of milk from the store, must be Christ.

Golden Calf, or That’s One Weird Dog

I have a weird pet. True story. Some folks have a dog, or a cat. Some folks have fish; is that even a pet if you can’t pet it? Some folks have snakes or lizards- again, not sure it’s a pet if you can’t pet it. Then we get into the odd pets- horses, llamas, exotic animals and such. But I have, probably, a weirder pet.

It makes travelling kind of awkward, but it’s just so handy to have around. I mean, it’s not practical, really, but I just feel so much better when I’ve got the little guy with me. I dress it up to disguise what it really is, because people would freak if they really knew. Some folks have dogs. Some folks have cats, or birds, or fish. I’m a golden calf kind of guy.

Exodus 32:4 (NKJV) “And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!'”

I don’t remember how I got him. One day he was just there. God had given me riches for my provision and for the provision of my family, and one day, boom, there was this little golden calf. And I think I’ve started a trend. Maybe it’s not trending on social media, I wouldn’t know since I’m not really on it, but I think more and more people are catching on to the golden calf craze. #goldencalf ? I don’t even know what that means. I’m such a nerd. Anyway, back on topic.

Our God is a good God, and He provides for His children. And He’s provided,not just for centuries, or millennia, but for all of time. More than that, really. Before time began, God had a plan for you and me, so technically, God has provided before forever was ever an ever. Try saying that five times fast.

In the scripture above, He provided riches for the children of Israel as they left Egypt. Scripture says that the Israelites plundered the Egyptians. They left Egypt with great riches, and the riches designed to serve them ended up becoming their master.

It’s easy for me to read Exodus 32 and shake my head in disbelief that God’s people could do the things they did and behave the way they behaved. A golden calf? Really? Right after all God did? Right after all they saw and were brought through? All the miracles and signs and wonders and they made a false god? Really? They made it with their own hands, and they’re going to bow down and worship it? Really? Like in real life they did that? It’s not even a cool and powerful animal. It’s a stinkin’ calf! Come on guys!

But every time I get all uppity and start thinking, ‘How could they do that?’ I have to face the fact that I’ve done much the same. I’ve taken what God intended as a good thing, as a provision for me and my family, and exalted it to a place it should never be exalted. I’m not really up front about it and obvious with it. I mean, I dress up the golden calf so that it doesn’t look like what it is. I dress it up to look like something normal, something acceptable.

Like my job. I’ve gotten my priorities out of whack with my job before. I dressed it up so it looked acceptable, but working 60-70 hrs a week to ‘get it done’ and ‘hussle’ and to be the #1 guy, and all that…I was serving what God had provided for my provision. I was bowing myself down to it and serving it instead of putting it in its rightful place. Hobbies, relationships, even ministry- man, I can make a golden calf out of just about anything. I can make anything bigger than it’s meant to be and end up serving it instead of using it as the resource that God intended.

Maybe you’re like me, and you’re looking around and you notice you’re surrounded by little weird golden calves- you’re overextended and serving what was meant to serve you. What do you do? I think realizing it and admitting it is the first step. You have to confess your sins to God before you can ever move forward. And that act of realization and confession with repentance, it does something on the inside. It produces that subtle shift in your heart. It puts you on the offense against those little golden calf jokers.

It doesn’t stop there, though. You have to destroy the golden calves. I’m not saying quit your job or quit all your hobbies. Hang with me. You destroy golden calves by saying ‘No.’ Saying no is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. That devious little golden calf will look at you with those big calfy eyes, and it’ll be hard, but you have to say no. It’s easy to say yes and to go with the flow. If I’d let it, work would consume me. I have to say no. I have to set boundaries. Saying ‘No’ to all those wrong things that want to rule you allows you to say yes to the right things, and you can’t say yes to the right things when you’re dragging golden calves around.

So, my fellow calfers…calf caretakers…ranchers? Are you a rancher if all you have is golden calves? Anyway. I hope this was helpful to you. It was an eye opener to me when I realized that I was getting out of whack with what I was serving and what I was saying ‘Yes’ to. I’ve had to start saying ‘No’. If you’ve got some calves, it’s not too late. You can start today by confessing the truth to God, and then saying ‘No’ to all those little calves that want to rule over you.

Quick Bites: Good Things

No matter what the circumstances look like today, remember that good things are in your future. There is an otherworldly goodness available for your yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Hebrews 9:11 (NKJV) “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.“

Christ came not to condemn, but to give good things. Pick your head up. Good things are your inheritance.