God Isn’t Finished with You

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Not long ago, I received a valuable shock. I’d completed a novel manuscript and received enthusiastic reactions from beta readers (volunteer test readers). Excited, I considered this manuscript nearly ready for publication. However, as a final precaution, I hired experienced novelist and editor Sharon Hinck to read my story to look for mistakes and offer suggestions. I’m glad I did!

Although Sharon called my young adult story “terrific,” she also found mistakes and a great many passages that could benefit from fine-tuning and additional polish. So, although I had considered this tale ready for publication, the reality was that I needed to squelch my impatience, roll up my sleeves, and get back to work, revising and polishing my story. 

This experience caused me to reflect on the Christian life. After years of following Christ, we might consider ourselves pretty good. We might even be tempted to relax, to set aside our armor and be satisfied with the plateau we’ve reached in the Christian life. But that’s a mistake. 

Even though each of us can probably look back and receive encouragement by seeing how we’ve outgrown past foolish thinking, the truth is that the Christian life is a continual process of maturing spiritually. Of growing closer to God and allowing Him to continue shaping and molding us. Along the way, He might cut unnecessary and distracting things from our life (which can be painful). On the other hand, He sometimes gives us fresh subplots, new character qualities, and improvements we ourselves would never have managed without His editing hand. 

Whether you consider yourself “pretty good,” or whether you realize your flaws and feel discouraged, keep this in mind—God isn’t finished with you. Yield to His shaping hand!

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Why Shepherds?

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After Jesus was born in a stable, Mary wrapped Him up and laid Him to rest in the soft hay of a manger (a feeding trough). Then God once again did something unexpected. He sent an angel to announce Jesus’ birth to an unlikely audience – a huddle of shepherds watching their flocks in the darkness of a field:

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”*

Looking back, the story is so familiar that we hardly consider it, but a question remains: Why shepherds? After all, God had just performed something stupendous – He had manifested part of Himself in the womb of a virgin, who gave birth to a unique baby, a child who was actually God in human flesh. Emmanuel – “God with us.” Didn’t such a monumental event rate a bigger, more important audience than poor shepherds?

King Herod lived only 7 miles away, but God knew that ruler was unworthy of the angelic announcement. (Later, when news of a newborn king finally reached Herod, his instinctive reaction was an attempt to kill the child.)

Of course, there were plenty of influential people in Israel: religious leaders, scholars, craftsmen, merchants, Roman occupation troops… But God bypassed them all in favor of ordinary shepherds. Why? Perhaps part of the reason is found in the angel’s own words. These tidings of great joy were “to all people.” If the angel had made the announcement only to this world’s “elite,” then perhaps ordinary believers would feel like second-class citizens. But God worked in a way that shows He isn’t impressed by earthly wealth, fame, education, or celebrity status. 

Perhaps another reason God revealed His working to shepherds lies in another fact. When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he declared, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” The symbolism of God announcing the Lamb to shepherds is fitting.

Jesus willingly became the sacrificial Lamb, the sinless One who allowed Himself to be killed on a cross to take on Himself the punishment for people’s sins. 

Have you accepted His sacrifice? Have you placed your faith in Christ, the “Lamb of God”? If not, it isn’t yet too late. Join the shepherds and millions of others who have come to Christ!

*Luke 2:10-11

Defending Friends in Need

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In September of 1940, Nazi bombers and fighter planes regularly appeared over England. One day, Kathleen Rainer was working in a field in Sussex when enemy planes appeared. Fascinated, Kathleen watched as British fighters raced to engage the enemy. British Spitfires and German airplanes battled back and forth in deadly dogfights. Then, as Kathleen watched, a British plane took a deadly hit. The pilot bailed out. Kathleen sighed in relief when the parachute billowed open. Her countryman was safe. But then some German planes did the unthinkable – they flew straight at the dangling man, attempting to machine gun him as he hung defenseless in his harness! But moments later, Kathleen’s horror transformed into admiration:

“The other Spitfires began to circle the parachute, protecting the pilot from the German attack. As the pilot descended down, the rest of his squadron would spiral down with him, guiding him to the ground and protecting him.” *

World War II is long over, but life is still full of attacks. In this struggle, we can take “hits” from attackers, whether at work, on the ball court, even in the home. There are two ways to respond. We can live by the motto, “Every man for himself,” or we can imitate those brave Spitfire pilots who saw their sinking friend and rallied to his aid, even though they themselves became more vulnerable.

In this Christmas season, someone you know may be under attack by enemies. Sickness, loneliness, and heartbreak can hurt even more during holidays. Rather than shutting our eyes to enjoy our own holly jolly season, let’s be on the alert for those are sinking in silence. Your encouragement might be exactly what they need to survive!

*Kathleen Rainer, “Downed Pilots in Sussex,” www.bbc.co.uk.

Keep Looking Up!

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In the city of Pontiac, Michigan (where I was born), the tallest building since 1929 was once called the Pontiac State Bank Building. Since construction, various banks have purchased it, and now a private investor owns it. Its new name is Oakland Towne Center, but a lot of us still call it “the old Pontiac State Bank Building.”

Not so long ago, I was reminiscing with friends about that building and I mentioned the statues on top of it. 

“What statues?” replied one. “I don’t remember any statues up there.”

Other friends questioned my memory, too, because they didn’t recall any statues on it, either. 

“You know—the statues of Chief Pontiac and other Indians.”

They thought I was nuts. However, a quick Internet search pulled up photographic evidence of my sanity. The designer of the building graced the top with Gothic artwork of Native Americans in tribute to the Ottawa tribe and to Chief Pontiac, the 1700s leader for whom the city was named. (No, the city was not named after an automobile!) 

The reactions from my friends surprised me. “Well, what do you know!” “All these years, and I never even noticed those!”

How fascinating that the images of Native Americans have looked down from on high for 90 years, and even local people are sometimes unaware of them. Perhaps, in people’s day to day lives, many never bother to raise their eyes higher than the first few floors, assuming there isn’t anything worth seeing up higher. 

Reflecting on this exchange reminded me of God. The Creator of Heaven and earth is ever present, and He takes an interest in the earth 24/7. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). Yet, many residents of earth—even those who know His name—rarely pause to look up or think about Him. Of course, that’s a pity, because unlike the statuary in Pontiac, God is alive. When we leave this earth, He is the One who determines where our soul will spend eternity. For those who have accepted His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, this is a blessed truth and not fearful at all. 

Do you know Him? If so, keep looking up! Your God is watching over you and looking forward to spending eternity with you. But if you don’t know Him, then start looking up. It’s time to realize He exists, He’s alive, and He wants you to join His family through faith in Jesus! 

“But to all who did receive him [Christ], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” John 14:6

The “Wrong” Place Can Be the Right Place

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Ever get perturbed when your carefully laid plans don’t go the way you wanted? In World War II, that happened to Captain Alvin Carlson in a dramatic way. Carlson served as chaplain to the 134th Infantry Regiment of the 35th Division in Europe. He wrote…

“One Sunday evening about sundown I had gathered with a large group of replacements (later called reinforcements) in our marshaling area, which was approximately six miles from the front lines. We had assembled in an orchard well protected by apple trees and other foliage. The service of worship was in progress when, without warning, ‘Bed-check Charlie’ started to strafe and hurl bombs at us. One of the men, detecting the first plane, shouted, ‘Enemy planes!’ and we ran for the foxholes. A short time before this I had dug a special foxhole which I could use when I remained in the area overnight, but I could not reach it. I jumped into another hole which was near. Suddenly someone shouted, ‘They got the chaplain.’ I rushed out of my foxhole and shouted, ‘No, here I am!’ A bomb had fallen in my hole – but no one was in it.” 

Friend, you may lay your plans, and God might allow those plans to work as you hope, and He might not. But for those who love the Lord, even the “wrong” place – the unplanned place – can be the right place to be when God is working behind the scenes.

Source: He Is Able, by Chaplain Alvin O. Carlson (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1945), pp. 35-36.

The Blessings We Overlook…

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Photo by Kiy Turk

A friend named Larry worked in a store. Larry enjoyed the job, and in general he liked his coworkers. But one coworker always sounded depressed. The man regularly complained about one thing or another. To listen to him, Larry said, you would think absolutely nothing ever went right in the man’s life.

So, Larry decided to offer the coworker some advice. “Don’t always focus on the negative things. You’ll be happier if you count your blessings.”

“Blessings?” the coworker replied. “What blessings? I don’t have any!”

“Oh, no? Come with me.” Larry led the coworker to the large window at the front of the store. “Look out there. Tell me what you see.”

The man frowned but did as Larry asked. “I don’t see anything special. Just a parking lot. Cars. People walking. Buildings. The sky. And that airplane.”

“Exactly,” Larry replied. “Those things may not be special, but do you have any idea how many people in the world would give anything to see what you see? But they never will, because they’re blind.”

That negative-mind coworker rejected the advice with a “Bah” and walked away.

But Larry’s point is on target. If you live on the planet earth, it’s absolutely guaranteed some things in life aren’t the way you wish. Yet, if we focus on the negative, we totally miss a world of blessings, starting with eyes that see, ears that hear, a brain that functions, a warm bed with a soft pillow… All of these are blessings that not everyone has.

There’s a temptation to look at others and wish we had what they have. Don’t. After all, even the rich and famous get depressed. Some people own so much—but end up committing suicide. So, instead of focusing on what we don’t have or on how we wish life were different, let’s give thanks for the blessings we do have, no matter how simple.

That one decision can transform Thanksgiving into more than a once-a-year holiday. We can make it a lifestyle.

“Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: his mercy endureth forever.” Psalm 106:1 

 “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Schools of Life

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Photo by Nils Stahl

Students rejoice when – at last! – they graduate and leave school days behind. But even if we don’t attend college, trade school, or a military academy, life has a way of forcing us through other schools.

These other schools aren’t made of brick and mortar. They’re seasons of life that teach us lessons we don’t learn in a classroom. 

For instance, years ago I knew a particular man. Truth be told, I sometimes avoided him. Not because he was bad, but because he held opinions that struck me as nutty, and he enjoyed sharing those opinions whether you wanted to listen or not. We were friends, but I didn’t highly value the friendship. Then came a summer when I needed to reroof the house. To save money, I put out a call for friends to lend a hand on Saturday. Many came! We didn’t bang out the whole job, but we made good progress. However, because I had to leave the country on Monday for a ministry trip, I needed to finish the roof on Sunday afternoon. Out of all my friends, guess which man showed up to help that second day—the one I had appreciated the least. The experience humbled me. God taught me that even people I hadn’t highly valued could be the very ones He sends to bless. 

For several years I’ve been in another season of life—caregiver to aging parents. This “school” has taught me about Medicare, Power of Attorney, etc. Just as important, I’ve had to learn lessons in patience, self-sacrifice and understanding. Caregiving even teaches that you don’t need to correct a person who firmly believes something that’s not true. (Just try to convince someone with dementia that a dream never actually happened!) 

This season of schooling has stretched me in ways I didn’t want to be stretched. Yet, through it all, God is there. He knows my situation. He knows where I’d rather be. But, as someone once noted, we usually pray for God to change our situation when God is wanting to change us. I guess my progress shows, since a family member says I’ve become kinder and gentler.

This year, a good friend shared this fact: “Happiness is a choice.” It’s true. Life might not turn out the way we want. We can find ourselves in seasons we’d rather skip. But rather than blame God or let circumstances rob our joy, we can rise above circumstances, focus on blessings, and choose to be happy anyway. 

That’s a lesson from life worth learning.

“Thank you for coming”

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Photo by Cristian Newman

Last night, something totally unspectacular happened. Our church is one of several that visits a local nursing home to hold a little church service for the residents. The youngest resident is a 27-year-old man who receives oxygen through a nasal canula. The eldest is a little lady in a wheelchair who is now 101 and has a mind full of memories. 

Typically, our services aren’t long. We sing a couple hymns to the accompaniment of a piano. Then anyone who has a prayer request can share it with the group. One of us visitors (anywhere from 6-12) will pray, and then one of us will share a 20-minute message from the Bible. 

At the conclusion, we linger a little and chat with the residents, getting to know each other and sharing a little humor or tidbits from our daily lives. Nothing earth-shaking. 

Last night, I wasn’t the one who had shared from God’s Word (I take my turn, but not last night). I was only one of several who had gone to be part of the group. So, when a little gray-haired woman in a wheelchair shook my hand and said, “Thank you for coming,” her words left a special imprint.

What had I done? Not much. I came, sang, listened, chatted, and slipped in a comment or two that sparked smiles. The investment of time hadn’t been huge. So, for what was she thankful? First, we remembered them. The old saying declares, “Out of sight, out of mind,” and I suppose nursing home residents know the feeling of being forgotten. Yet, when our group from church arrives and greets them with smiles and holds a humble church service for them, they not only enjoy the fresh faces of visitors, but they receive proof that they aren’t forgotten. Also, we treat them with respect, like peers, not as patients. Our simple conversations allow them to feel plugged in to the outside world, not just passing time inside the same walls. 

True, any observer would declare nothing spectacular happened. Nothing worthy of a Hollywood movie. Nothing a journalist would write up for the local newspaper. Yet, we shared the love of God and brightened the evening of a group of people whose days on earth are winding down. And they say, “Thank you for coming.”

To make a positive difference in this world, you don’t need to pack enormous stadiums with people. You don’t need to be rich, famous, good-looking, or active in politics. If you’re willing to care for people, treat them with respect, and shine a little light into their lives, those small gestures have an impact. And that is pretty spectacular.

Christmas Stories

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I admire the power of story. A well-told tale can pluck us from our current life then insert us into some totally different place and time. Along the way, the story can make us care about the hero/heroine and hope that person emerges victorious, whether the opposition comes in the form of bad guys, challenging goals, or a difficult situation. Through story, we can experience a wide range of emotions, almost as if we, ourselves, were living those experiences. A story that we truly enjoy will provide a feeling of satisfaction by The End. We may have even learned something about life.

As we approach the end of 2019, I notice several friends reminiscing about favorite Christmas stories, both books and movies. (A few confess already binging on Hallmark videos!) Does your own favorite story involving Christmastime include Dr. Marcia Fieldstone? Or romance? A Red Ryder BB Gun? Or maybe Cindy Who down in Whoville? 

Some stories we all know. But chances are you’ve enjoyed a Christmas story that isn’t familiar to everyone. One Christmas movie I’ve watched several times is The Christmas Card. In it, U.S. Army Master Sergeant Cody Cullen is serving in Afghanistan when a fellow soldier gives him a Christmas card from a church in that soldier’s hometown of Nevada City, California. Somehow, the sincere words of that card bolster Cody despite the violence around him. After the soldier who gave him the card is killed, Cody goes to visit his widow in little Nevada City and accidentally meets Faith, the woman who penned the Christmas card… (I could say more, but I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it. Just trust me, this movie has a warm, feel-good ending.)

How about you? If there’s a book or movie involving Christmas that you especially like, please comment below. Give us the title, and maybe a brief word about why you like that story. Sharing now will give others a chance to see it in the 7 weeks before Christmas. 

P.S. In case you’ve never seen The Christmas Card, here are two links. The choice is yours: Watch it in English, or in Russian!

In English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GBAtOxyhEk

На русском: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzXMZ2AsGRk

Close to Giving Up?

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In 1901, brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright were discouraged. Struggling to find a way to make heavier-than-air objects fly, they had designed different wings for gliders. Their latest experiment in North Carolina had failed again. On the train back to Ohio, an exasperated Wilbur declared, “Not within a thousand years would man ever fly!”

The brothers must have felt like quitting. Instead, they tried new tactics. They built a miniature wind tunnel with a fan at one end. They experimented at home, compiled data. They discovered errors in earlier calculations. They worked with a mechanic to build a lightweight, four-cylinder engine…

At last, on December 17, 1903, Orville climbed aboard their flying machine and became the first man to fly. That flight lasted only 12 seconds, 120 feet. Later that day, Wilbur took a turn. The man who had complained that mankind might live a thousand years without flying soared for 59 seconds and traveled 852 feet. Through persistence and attention to tiny details, they succeeded! *

How about you? Ever felt tempted to throw in the towel? Maybe your job frustrates you. Maybe you feel like a failure in a personal goal. When discouragement strikes, the temptation to give up grows huge. Haven’t we all been there? 

Now, I’m not going to promise you can accomplish anything by sheer effort. If you sing bass, I don’t guarantee you can become a world-class soprano. If you dropped out of school in 3rd grade, chances are you won’t become a brain surgeon. 

But even as Orville and Wilbur encouraged each other toward a difficult goal, I’m coming alongside to say, “Don’t abandon your dreams too quickly.” Instead of quitting, maybe you need to change tactics. You might need to study the problem. Or practice. Or to seek advice. But if you evaluate the situation and believe the goal is worthy and reachable, then don’t give up. Press forward. Progress may come in inches, but all progress is progress.

A final thought…

I recall a time when life was crushing me. On my own, I couldn’t survive. If God had taken my life, I would’ve been happy to go. But I clung to Him. He was my Lifeline. Each morning I opened my eyes, read the Bible, and told God I needed His help to go another day. And He helped. I survived. I grew, adapted, and tried new things. The Lord restored my joy. 

If you’re at the end of your rope, maybe it’s time to let go of that rope and cling to God instead? 

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9, ESV

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28, ESV

*https://www.thehenryford.org/explore/stories-of-innovation/what-if/wright-brothers/