Both of our daughters, Christine and Jamie were with us over the weekend. We enjoyed celebrating Mother’s Day with them. While here, Christine showed me this amazing video!  I have now watched it several times.  I hope you enjoy this as well.

Right now is all I have.

 
Now if you are like many people, you are not focused on right now.  Rather, you are focused on what was happening back when.
 

• Back when the children were small and there was laughter all through our house (my memory allows me to forget some of the other days).
• Back when we were on special vacations.
• Back when dear relatives were alive and were a part of our lives.
• Back when I had hopes and dreams of what was going to be.
• Back when time seemed to stand still.

Yes, I am forgetting much.  I am forgetting some of the insecurity and awkwardness that I felt throughout high school.  I am forgetting some of my years in college when I wasted so much time and opportunity.  I am forgetting how hard it was getting through graduate school, preaching, being married, etc.  I am forgetting the financial stress and strain that we were under during the early years of our marriage.  I am forgetting how difficult ministry was during those early years when every situation was a first for me.

 
Do you relate to this at all?  I suspect that some of you do.  

 
There was a time when I really wasn’t focused on right now.   It is not that I was focused on the past.  Rather I was focused on the future.  I couldn’t enjoy right now because I was constantly thinking about the future and how life would one day all come together.
 

• One day we will have enough money.
• One day we will live in a nice house.
• One day we will be a part of a great church.
• One day we will live happily ever after.

Now this is where this gets even more embarrassing.  I can remember thinking, "One day I will be important."  (As I typed these words, I immediately thought that I had better delete that sentence.)  Now what is that about?  Is that about wanting to matter?  Wanting to be significant?  Is that some kind of ego-driven need?

 
What I found is that real significance is found in Jesus.  Seriously.  I found that there was a way to live a full, satisfying life in Jesus that caused all of these other desires to seem small and insignificant.

 
So, I am "freed up" to live right now.  Right now is where life is to be found.  It is not back then or in longing for some future moment when things will finally come together for me.  Right now, the life of Christ is in me.  Right now, there are people to be loved and served.  Right now, I can be about his mission.  Right now, I can find satisfaction in him above all other things.

 
OK, maybe you didn’t need to read this today.  Yet, I do need to think about this periodically.   So maybe if you are at work or in your office right now, you might give this some thought as you go through your day.

 
Right now.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday.

 
What quality did you see in your mother that you would like to duplicate in your own life?  In particular, was there a quality about her that moved you toward God?

 
On the other hand, perhaps your experience with your mother was rather painful and difficult.  How have you seen God overcome these obstacles, so that in some way, you moved toward him? 

I have been blessed by several Godly mentors in my life.  People like James Long, Charles Coil, and Lynn Anderson have mentored me at critical times in my life.  I am thankful for their words, their example and for their influence. 

 
Can you point to a man or woman who has been critical in your development as a Christ-follower?  How did this person impact your life?

I will always be grateful to Gordon MacDonald.  

 
It was a number of years ago.  We were living in Florence, Alabama, at the time and working with a church.  It was tough work.  I recall feeling much pressure.  There was so much to do and so many people with many, many needs.   For a while, I dealt with this pressure by working harder.  When I was completely overwhelmed, I could just get up earlier, stay up later, or both.

 
Finally, at some point, I came across a book by Gordon MacDonald.  The book was entitled Ordering Your Private World.  Slowly, I began to see how much I had neglected my own "private world" or my inner life before God.  In particular, I was not really aware of how emotionally empty I would become at times and its impact upon my life.  God was gracious and kind and continued to work in wonderful ways through some tough times.  Yet, if I could live that period of life over again, I think (given what I know now) that I would be much more attentive to what was happening inside of me.

 
In the most recent issue of Leadership Journal, Gordan MacDonald, in an article entitled "Ministry’s Sweet Spot," writes about a mentoring group he and his wife were leading.  He speaks of the importance of hearing one another’s stories.  He writes:

 
After listening to stories for many years, I can tell you this: almost without exception, every person’s story is marked with pockets of deep, deep sadness and tragedy.  Lots of stuff that never gets surfaced in the course of normal church life.  (Spring 2008, p. 94)

 
When I read these lines in the article, I paused and then read them again.  These words are very, very true.  Within us all, there are places of sadness.  For some that sadness is associated with a deep disappointment of some kind.  Others have experienced a significant moment of humiliation or shame.  Others have experienced a tragedy, sometimes due to the behavior of others.

 
The question that I want to keep before me is: "What am I doing with this sadness?"  Far too many people "act out" in various ways in order to somehow lessen or mask the pain.  Others may act out in ways that result in a trail that is littered with hurt feelings, broken friendships, and burned bridges.  

 
What do God-hungry people do?  (This is the question I want to always be wrestling with.)  God-hungry people know that what we need more than anything is God himself.  Carlo Carretto expressed it this way in The God Who Comes:
 

The God-who-is has always been searching for me.  By his choice, his relationship with me is presence, as a call, as a guide; he is not satisfied with speaking to me, or showing things to me, or asking things of me.  He does much more.

 
He is Life, and he knows his creature can do nothing without him; he knows his child would die of hunger without bread.

 
But our bread is God himself, and God gives himself to us as food.

 
Only eternal life can feed one who is destined for eternal life. 

I just got back from the annual Pepperdine Bible Lectures.  My younger daughter, Jamie, went with me this year.  It was a wonderful week in beautiful Malibu, California.  This year I did a class on "Learning to Live Before You Die."  Besides teaching my class, I had the opportunity to hear a number great speakers as well as visit with numerous friends and acquaintances.  I also enjoyed several seafood dinners.  (Jamie ate some wonderful shrimp!)  Probably the highlight for me was the opportunity to just be with Jamie for a week in that atmosphere.

 
It has been a week since I posted.  Since I have been blogging, there are occasionally those times when I am unable to write for a few days.  The other day, I wondered about you and whether or not you are still coming back to this blog.  (Apparently you are!)  Anyway, thank you for your patience.

 
Travel is a good metaphor in which to reflect upon the week.  It is also a good way to think about this new week.  After all, we are very much on a journey.  As a Christ-follower, I believe that my journey/life has meaning and purpose defined and ruled by God. 

 
So here is a good Monday question: How is my travel? 

 
Some of us seem to be traveling at a fast rate of speed.  Our lifestyle is intense and hectic.  Yet, we might do well to ask more questions.
 

• Am I moving in the right direction?

• Am I traveling deep or just fast?

Some years ago I was with my friend, Doug, fishing on the Tennessee River.  We were in his boat.  Doug stopped the boat in a slew where we dropped our lines to fish for bass.  Soon a very large, loud boat came down the river at a high rate of speed.   I knew that Doug had fished in the Tennessee River for years.  So I asked him about this moving along as such speed.  He laughed and said that these people may be moving faster but in the end probably wouldn’t catch many more fish than we would.  

 
Some of us may be moving fast but are we traveling deep?  I don’t think that life is really about moving along the surface as quickly as you can.  This is not the kind of travel that will sustain us over the long haul.  Life is more like a long sea voyage.  We need to be on a ship, not a swiftly moving bass boat.  Our journey is more like that of a ship that travels deep across the ocean.

 
So as you think about this new week, perhaps you might want to reflect upon your travel.  Are you more like a bass boat or ocean vessel?  Are you scurrying around, frantically skimming the surface of life?  Or, are you committed to traveling deeply?

 
Do you relate to this challenge? 

This afternoon I watched basketball.  It was not the NBA playoffs.  Teams from the "Church Under the Bridge" and our own church played in our Community Center.  The afternoon was spent watching high school kids as well as some of our adults play basketball (with referees and awards at the end).  It was a great afternoon and was fun to see groups from these two churches play and get acquainted with one another.  God has a way of working through playing basketball together, eating hot dogs together, and having conversations with people like the guys I talked with this afternoon.

 
In order to see the potential of ordinary moments, I have found that I must regularly focus my attention on God.  Practicing some of the spiritual disciplines helps me do just that.  These disciplines have a way of cultivating the soul.  Like a garden, my soul must be cultivated. 

 
I like John Wesley’s insights at this point.  He once wrote about his own discipline before the Lord.  He wrote: "Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men.  I sit down alone; only God is here, in his presence I open, I read his book; for this end, to find the way to heaven."  Wesley saw the value of spending time alone with God, living in his presence, and listening to his voice in Scripture.

 
Wesley once received a note from a minister who was complaining that he was too busy to find time for prayer and reflection.  Wesley replied, "O begin!  Fix some time each day for prayer and Scripture.  Do it; whether you like it or not.  It is for your life!  Else you will be a triter all your days."  (Wesley, Standard Sermons)

 
Wesley is right.  Nurturing my heart is not a luxury.  It is a necessity.  Otherwise, I will not see life through the eyes of Jesus.  Nor will I be attentive to what he is doing or wishes to do through me.

 
Brother Lawrence (17th century) spoke of "the practice of the presence of God."  While cooking and washing dishes in a kitchen for forty years, he learned that he could "talk to the God of pots and pans."  In his book Seekers After Mature Faith, Glenn Hinson writes concerning Brother Lawrence:

 
"The longer I have studied his conversations and letters, the more convinced I have become that his secret was simply to fall head over heels in love with God and let that transfuse and transform everything he was doing."

 
I will be away from my blog until the weekend.  See you then. 

Have you seen "YouVersion" of the Bible?  This is worth a look.  A variety of translations are available.  Comes with the capacity to include your notes and observations of various texts.

 
An interesting interview with N.T. Wright by Trevin Wax.

 
An audio interview with Tim Keller (Manhattan, NY) and author of NY Times Best Seller, The Reason for God.

 
A fine post by Terry Rush on grief.

 
Scot McKnight linked to a wonderful post written by a Dawn Husnick, a nurse.  Very good.

 
A nice post by Bobby Valentine in which he discusses what he is reading. 

 
William Willimon on Thinking about the Resurrection.

John Newton, author of the hymn "Amazing Grace," reflected upon the work of the devil in one of his letters to his friend "Captain Clunie."   I read these words this morning from a letter dated October 19, 1766 from Letters of John Newton:

 
. . . and he is never more a devil than when he looks most like an angel.  Let us beware of him; for many wise have been deceived, and many strong have been cast down by him.

 
Now perhaps Newton is thinking of 2 Corinthians 11:14 ("And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.")  In Newton’s letter, he reflects upon the work of the devil and in the discussion makes this statement, "He will let people talk about grace as much as they please, and commend them for it, provided talking will satisfy them."

 
I am curious.  In your experience, when have you seen the devil look most like an angel?   

Right now, I am reading two very fine books.  Both are books that speak of the grace of God but from two different eras.  I am reading a new edition of the Letters of John Newton (I am not linking this book to Amazon because apparently they do not carry this book yet.) and L. L. Barkat’s Stone Crossings.  Both books are deeply personal.  Both have helped me as I reflect upon the grace of God in my own story.

 
I was attracted to reading Newton’s letters because of his own story as slave trader and his radical life change because of Jesus.  I was particularly attracted to him, though, because he wrote a hymn that I have loved for many years: "Amazing Grace."  I am reading Barkat’s book because of her blog and her ability to write a story with the words of a poet.  The subtitle of her book, incidentally, is "Finding Grace in Hard and Hidden Places."

 
I read Newton’s letters and heard one speak who knows something about the human heart and the God of grace.  These letters were written long ago (Newton was born in London in 1725.), but I find his words nurturing and encouraging.  His life and ministry were apparently just as encouraging:

. . . his fame became more widespread and people came from far and near to seek his counsel and help.  His friendly and hospitable home at Olney, and later in London, was a place to which the troubled and tempted resorted.  They found in him one who had been a worse sinner than themselves and who could enter into their experiences with tenderness and sympathy.  (p. xi)

It seems that Adam felt like I used to feel — that it would be comforting to hide in darkness, that it would be a relief to flee from the God who walks around knowing what I’ve been up to.  (p. 19)

 
Both of these books have been a reminder to me of God’s rich mercy.  They have reminded me of his grace in my own life.  I’m thankful.

 
Today, I want to think about God’s desire to be with me and to have me live in his presence.  God’s love for me and you is not because we are a certain kind of people or a certain kind of Christian.  His love for me today is because he is a God of grace.