Added Dirt

Added Dirt

(“The whole body is joined together and connected by every joint and ligament, as every part effectively does its work and grows, building itself up in love.” Ephesians 4:16)

As time as added dirt beneath my feet the roots
weep more deeply for distant embrace.
Shadows of unaffected laughter, classrooms with morning light,
guitars in a circle and folk songs with unexpected trumpet runs;
all wait in afternoon sun for the reawakening of innocence.

Opinions run too high, anxiety has paid its price. The buds will bloom
without my constant pinching.

The satisfaction of morning roses and an eight-year-old neighbor
who wants a flower to give to give her mom, the boy on stage,
the man unafraid, the father mistaken and the elder still shaken
from the way the earth quakes; all speak in the sunlight
of connections frayed at the edges.

The dark clouds spin by and ego is overpriced. The sun will shine
without my backward flinching.

Come, arms and legs, eyes and ears, take me in and play again.
Come, classmate and peer, soulmate and handshake, hear me and sing again.
Our distances are paper-thin, our barriers self-erected. What have we rejected,

If not the best selves we once inhabited?

Grace Extended

Grace Extended

“For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:15

It was the scariest day of the first twelve years on the planet. Greg, one of the three meanest playground bullies had “called me out” to fight after school. Barely 110 pounds, my slight frame rarely stayed upright in the face of the few fisticuffs I encountered in school. But, whether out of a momentary bravissimo or stupidity, I agreed to meet him.

Most times when I felt threatened I would recruit Don Irwin to walk home with me. Held back a year, Don was bigger and stronger than everyone in our class. Though he never actually fought anyone, we all knew the outcome of any attempted brawl with Don. But, for some reason, Don was unavailable on the day Greg insisted we meet around the block after school.

I bravely faced off across from him, hands somewhere hanging on the ends of my arms. Within the time it takes for a hummingbird to flap its wings twice a fist crashed into my left eye and across my nose. Immediately I started to cry. It was involuntary, but they were tears, nonetheless. (Do not try this at home, but a blow to your eye will bring the inevitable tears.) I couldn’t see, I was embarrassed and petrified. Not only had he caught me full force, I was blubbering in front of the school bully; a far worse shame than losing a fight.

Greg took a step back while my mind reeled. I wondered if I should take a wild swing while he watched me grimace. The he said, “Have you had enough?” I knew to say “Yes” meant to admit defeat. But, not wanting to lose two eyes, I said, “I guess.”

“Ok,” he responded, “It takes a big guy to admit he’s lost.” Then we had a couple of other words together, he walked off, I limped home, and we never fought again.

Grace, right? I was grateful for Greg’s grace. No! A thousand times “No!”

But I have met many Christians who see God’s grace much the same way. We do not go so far as to say God is a bully. But we do say things like “I deserve the punishment”. Or, even when things aren’t going quite right, “I must have messed up pretty bad for these things to be happening.” And so, we see God’s “grace” in terms of a God who occasionally lets us walk away from a black eye that He has inflicted.

The danger of this idea comes out in how we treat others. There seem to be two streams of “Christianity” in America: one which loves seeing God’s grace given to more and more people; and another which uses the word “grace” but seems to be slow in giving it. So, if we feel God was righteous to rough us up before he gave us grace, we also feel justified to speak and act in ways that are not fully grace-full.

You’ve seen it, I know you have. Christians who share ugly reports about politicians they disagree with; or who will not listen to the stories of those in untenable situations. Sometimes we make assumptions about the poor or the disadvantaged. We want to control what people do with their food stamps or disability.

But, here is what God did. Let’s suppose we actually deserved a black eye. The Greatest News of All is that Glen is not God. Glen would have given us our black eye, then backed off saying, “you learned your lesson.”

But Christ, in His Mighty Grace, suffered for us on the cruelty of the cross! He triumphed over the violence and the darkness of this world, not by fighting back, but by dying. He triumphed over the ungodly union of politics and religion in His own time by showing that God’s Kingdom is one of love and servitude.

Dear ones, perhaps you have never fully understood the great galaxy of God’s grace offered to you. Perhaps you feel you have deserved the hardships, and that, once you have suffered enough, God will be nice to you. In Christ, God is here now. He is the One who has spread the mercy and grace of God across the universe like a perfume that anoints our every sense.

Once you realize how great His grace truly is, you will never again speak harshly against the poor or spread falsehoods about opponents. Jesus, in His grace, offered His very life so that, according to this verse, “as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”

Experience His grace today. And, experiencing it, let it extend from you to more and more people!

I Heard the Guys

I Heard the Guys

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

I heard the guys on death row yelling, “this
might be the last Armageddon”
while I wondered what it meant to people busy dying.

When the shades are drawn with only dusty rays
landing on the ledges of hope, we appeal to the
End of Days
to finalize our anxieties.

Yet the skinny kids across the neighbor fence
with bellies that ache and eyes too dry to read
play ball against the splinters, curse the stifling winters.
We scold their language and turn the news up louder.

I heard the gathered in the pews say, “this might
be the prophesied Doomsday “
while I wondered what it meant to people busy crying.

When the stained glass is forgotten, bread is only shared
with the brightest and best, the Greatest Hope for a purer
land we envisioned with a single tribe of hats and ribbons,
atomic lyrics and first world sanctity.

I heard the Son on the Cross-piece say, “this is
the Day of Redemption”. When the world did violence
he invited child and childless to

A pierced life so bright only the guys on death row could see.

Sowing to the Spirit

Sowing to the Spirit

“If you plant in the field of your natural desires, from it you will gather the harvest of death; if you plant in the field of the Spirit, from the Spirit you will gather the harvest of eternal life.” Galatians 6:8

Have you ever wondered who was the first person who thought that putting seeds underneath the ground was a good thing? We simply take it for granted that something should sprout once seed is sown into a fertile field. It seems counter-intuitive; that by emptying our hands of those tiny seeds we will eventually harvest something bigger and better.

Jesus said it this way: “A grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does die, then it produces many grains.” (John 12:24) So, not only does the sower end up with empty hands, but the seed itself “dies”. Out of our sight, underneath the black earth, it bears all the markings of the grave.

Yet we know from experience that, given time, we will see an amazing process. Perhaps you had a sandwich today, or a hamburger, or tortilla. The bread you consumed is the end result of this miracle of planting and harvesting, sowing and reaping, dying and living. A single seed of grain gave birth to a stalk of a hundred more. Those were harvested and ground into flour, eventually becoming the delightful bread that accompanied your meal.

Paul takes this concept one step further and tells us we can sow into two different fields, giving two different results. We can sow to our “natural desires” or to the “Spirit”, resulting in either death or eternal life. Every follower of Jesus has this choice daily.

When we make decisions based on our self-interest alone, we reap “death”. Relationships suffer, our spiritual life becomes dry and discontent rises. Life is neither enjoyable or ultimately pleasurable because self-interest can take us only so far.

But, when we make decisions based on God’s Spirit, especially as revealed through Jesus Christ, we reap “eternal life”. This does not mean “heaven” primarily. It means a quality of life that is God-like. It echoes His self-giving nature. As we decide to follow the Spirit’s lead, we experience a harvest that leads to greater love in our own hearts. We reap joy that is not dependent on the winds of changing circumstance. And the fruit of peace rules our thoughts and relationships as we learn to be like Jesus.

Here are some examples. Sowing to the natural self involves a scolding nature. Sowing to the Spirit involves a supportive nature. The person who is self-interested will often try to dominate others. It doesn’t matter if the cause is righteous or not, dominance is not of the Spirit. Instead, the Spirit it gentle and supportive by nature.

A few sentences before Paul talks about sowing and reaping he wrote, “if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but you must do it in a gentle way.” (Galatians 6:1) Do you see the non-scolding nature of the Spirit? Even when someone is doing wrong, those who are “spiritual” set them straight in a gentle way. Scolding seldom reaps the God-kind of life; whereas supportive guidance can produce great results.

Criticism sows to the natural self. When we look at people and behaviors with a critical eye we are more intent on judging than on helping. Instead of criticism, perhaps we can find ways to help carry the person’s burden. “Help carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) Can you imagine what would happen if every follower of Jesus became less critical and simply offered to help ease the burden of the troubled folks around them?

Admittedly, sometimes the “giving” nature of the Spirit feels like losing; just like we empty our hands of the seeds which we plant. And, self-interest feels like winning; though we keep nothing but dry and dusty seeds. Learning the Spirit’s way is not easy, but it is the way of life. 

Think about Jesus and His interaction with the “sinners” of His day? How often did He scold? Was He critical? He had lunch with Zacchaeus, an embezzling tax-collector, without publicly berating him. Jesus stood between an adulteress and the scolding crowd, bringing her grace and healing. He healed, He set free, He loved, forgave and empowered men and women to live in the light of God’s grace. Let us sow to the Spirit in the same ways. The results are truly eternal.

Weak with Love

Weak With Love

“I charge you, young women of Jerusalem, ‘If you find my beloved, what are you to tell him? Tell him that I’m weak with love.’” Song of Solomon 5:8

It’s all well and good to tell Christians “You should fall deeper in love with Jesus.” But do you know how many times I have seen people who love to sing, who raise their hands swaying to “He Loves Me, Oh How He Loves Me”, who then go out and vilify people they do not like? What is wrong with this picture?

Fully 80% of white evangelical men still support a president who falsely claimed Obama was a Kenyan-born Muslim, who bragged about groping women and who cannot stop throwing accusations at people he views as “enemies”. While he gripes about “fake news” and calls other people names, he wants to change libel laws because journalists write things he does not like.

This is not a political post. Here is my experience: I have seen this behavior happen in the evangelical church decades before Trump campaigned for President. I see it on Facebook every day, and so do you. Good “loving” Christian post inflammatory articles about Muslims, gays, “liberals” and “atheists” and protesters. They leave churches or make it extremely uncomfortable for pastors who simply want to express the love of God in Christ.

I have seen worship leaders, who wanted extended times for people to “love on God”, who lie about other Christians, gossip about people they have come to disagree with, and make start division among God’s people. Anyone who is “other” is outside their circle of love.

Yet, they love to “love on Jesus”.  The time has come for me to no longer be subtle. I can no longer support an entire movement that says we “love God” all the while looking like we hate whole groups of His creation. It is time for a revolution; a revolution of love. It is time for revolt; a revolt against trying to religiously one-up everyone else. It is time for “repeal and replace”. Repeal the commitment to fighting “culture wars” and replace it with compassion of grace!

Sunday, I will begin a new series in the Gospel of Matthew. We often skip the genealogy in the first chapter. Would it surprise you to note that, included in the Son of God’s pedigree are prostitutes, adulterers and adulteresses, pagans and people “outside” the circle of faith? And, if you were a first century Jew, you would be highly offended that four women are included in that genealogy!

But, by the Spirit, Matthew will have none of our spiritual nose-turning. This is family dysfunction, and it is God’s family! It’s high time we stop talking about “loving on Jesus” if we cannot also “love on our neighbor” with the same passion.

So, if you find my Beloved, please tell Him I am weak with love. I am weak-kneed over every neighbor He has put in my life as well. The deeper I love Him, the deeper I love those who are also the objects of His love.

Father, I am so sorry for the times I have thought someone else needed my anger instead of Your grace. Deliver me from saying how much I love You if I won’t also be known as a lover of people.

Winding Up

Winding Up

(“Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking; rather, be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults.” 1 Corinthians 14:20)

Winding up another campaign to amass the anger
of minds that have leaned too long upon
provincial haze and
parochial obsessions

The speaker granted one question:

“Who, sir, do you answer to?”

Incomplete candor settled like coal fumes from a grade-school furnace,
while the answer quivered, a bird without a wing, and the inquisitor
waited. Not willing to pounce and certainly not a predator,
he tossed the question for an easy layup. But

The question hung above the rim, the speaker could not discern
if he was defense or offense. Swipe the question from the air or
finish with a full sweep of his arms. Bring the house down or

Bring

The House

down?

It takes at least three cups of coffee to finally understand the hue
of the other, the shade of another, and rescue ourselves from corners
of shadow into wall-less

Dances of light.

Traveling Companion

Traveling Companion

“While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and began walking with them.” Luke 24:15

We had started out early in the day. It was mid-summer and the three of us had been planning the backpacking trip well before Dale and I graduated high school that year. Dale and I graduated together, and Dave was a year older. We had known each other through our teens and attended the same church.

Now, leaving the San Francisco Bay Area behind, we were chugging along toward Yosemite in Dale’s ’69 VW bug. Our plan was to make a base camp on the high plateau of Tuolumne Meadows and follow the trail along the Tuolumne River to its “Grand Canyon”. The adventures of that nine-day trip would fill a small book.

Before we ever reached Yosemite we noticed white smoke and an acrid smell coming from the Bug’s floorboards. Our hearts sank, expecting the worst. Did the climb into the Sierras put too much strain on the small engine? Had the air-cooled system failed? We limped into a small town, found an auto mechanic and crossed our fingers. We did not have time for a major repair, let alone money to pay for it.

We ate a nervous lunch while waiting to hear from the mechanic. Walking back to his shop, we steeled ourselves for the bad news. “Well boys,” he said, “you’ve just got a couple burned-out wires.” Next question: How much? “$90, and I can get you back on the road in an hour.” We combined our finances, paid the man, and continued our adventure.

That evening we set up our tents, talked around the campfire and planned our first day on the trail. Having been told by the Park Ranger that bears were unusually aggressive that summer, we also strategized how to keep our food from their reach.

Rising the next morning, we made about four miles down the trail and set up camp in a semi-circle of Ponderosa pines on the bank of the Tuolumne River. We put our food in a drawstring bag and tied it off to a high branch about a quarter mile from our camp. After fishing for a while we set up for the night.

The sky was clear and it rarely rains in the summer in Central California, so we decided to sleep under the stars. All three of us lay awake, enchanted by the inky sky dotted with diamonds and pearls. We laughed, joked, and were glad we had made it this far.

About 2 a.m. Dave poked me in the side and said, “Mark, are you awake?” “I am now”, I mumbled.” “There’s a bear in our campsite!” I saw nothing, but I did not sleep the rest of the night, every sound a 500-pound bear walking on twigs. Five minutes after Dave gave me the frightening news, Dale sat straight up in his sleeping bag and said, “Bear? Where’s a bear?” Then laid right back down asleep again.

We didn’t complete our trip down the Tuolumne. Instead, we high-tailed it back to our base camp and came up with a plan B. We drove to nearby June Lake to camp and do some fishing. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes were worse than the bears! They were swarming everywhere. Plus, they were so large that every time they took a bite out of you they left a tip for the waiter. We made a quick “Plan C” decision to go visit some of Dave’s relatives in Reno. We swam, did some river rafting and had an incredible time.

Our adventure stays in my memory because of my traveling companions. The men described in Luke 24 were traveling together. Having witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, these two of His followers were sad and distressed. Then Jesus joins them on the road. He joins them in their journey, asks about their sorrow, and reminds them that the Son of God was destined to suffer before He entered His glory.

It is not until they arrive home, invite Him in and break bread together that they realize who He is. “Weren’t our hearts burning within us while he talked with us?” they said.

My journey with Dale and Dave is one of my favorite memories, and I hope it is for them as well. But, far sweeter, and far more permanent, is the present Traveling Companion I have in the Risen Christ. He has never left me in this long journey; not through the difficulties, nor in my frailties.

We were not meant to journey alone. Be encouraged, invite Jesus to travel with you. Not only is He your companion, He is the Way itself. Rely on Him, put all your trust in Him. You were made for friendship with the God of all Creation through Jesus the Risen One.