Mercy Project

I would like to ask that you take a few minutes and watch this video.  Mercy Project is an organization that I believe in.  I'm privileged to serve on its board and support the difference that is being made in the world through this ministry.  Take a few minutes and hear our story and pass this on to others who might be interested.  Chris Field, my friend and the MP executive director will be speaking at Kaufman Church of Christ, the church were I serve, on Sunday, September 2nd.  Come Join Us!

Who's in Control?

I was reading through the story of Esther again this week and saw something I have never seen before. I love it when this happens with Scripture.

The story tells us that Xerxes is powerful, influential king.    He throws himself a party that is unlike any other party in an attempt to put his wealth and control and influence on display.

Xerxes has all the control.

His queen, Vashti, is asked to come out and parade in front of all the men at a party that king Xerxes has thrown for himself.  She asked to come out in her royal crown, a reference that a number of people think means come out in only your royal crown.
Queen Vashti becomes one of my favorite characters in the story at this point because she refuses to do the thing she has been asked to do and parade herself naked in front of the men in Xerxes kingdom.

Xerxes may not have as much control as he thinks.

But because the story tells us so much about Xerxes power and influence you know it isn't going to end well for Vashti.  She's banished and the search for a new queen begins.

So the unlikely jewish girl Esther is chosen after her cousin Mordecai reminds her that she may have come to her royal position "for such a time as this."

In the midst of all of this a guy named Haman, is being elevated to a high position in Xerxes kingdom and convinces Xerxes to sign a decree that all Jews need to be killed.  The story tell us that Haman is a descendant of Agag, I guy Saul should have killed back in 1 Samuel 15.  But Saul didn't kill him and now his descendant is influencing this story hundreds of years later.  Haman is holding a grudge because of what the Israelites in almost wiping out his people and would like to return the favor.  

But the powerful Xerxes let's Haman issue this decree.  A signal that he has less control that we were first made to believe.

So the story goes on and Esther musters the courage to go the king and point out that Haman is trying to wipe her people from the earth.  This makes Xerxes angry and he hangs Haman and elevates Mordecai to Haman's position.

The drama becomes a comedy.

A decree issued by the king cannot be reversed so the Jews are still awaiting their annihilation at the hands of the people in Persia.  But now Xerxes also allows Esther and Mordecai to issue a decree that Jews will be allowed to defend themselves when attacked.

And defend themselves they do.  Killing more than 75,000 non-jews.

Esther and Mordecai were responsible for issuing the decree for Jews to defend themselves.   Because of this a war breaks out in Xerxes powerful provinces and 75,000 people die as a result.

The king who controlled everything actually controls nothing. 
But something we might miss unless we were looking for it is that God is not mentioned by name in the story of Esther.  The unnamed character has more control than the character who we are told from the beginning has the greatest amount of influence.

Maybe you, like me, can identify with Xerxes.    I do my best to make it clear that I have control.  I'll tell you, I'll behave in a way that works to convince you and I can even talk, teach and preach about it.

And I can do this on some days without a mention of God.  I've got this.
And then the foundation gets a crack.

The person who thought they had control over everything is actually out of control.  Maybe it is overworking, stress at home, with family, relationships or something else.

"For such a time as this" gets a lot of attention in the story and rightfully so.  But let's remember to notice too that all the characters in the story (and all of us) can get caught thinking that we have all the control.

God, the unnamed hero is in control at all times...even when life seems out of control.

Life is Ordinary

A college sophomore who is struggling with a decision about a major and what to do with her life has been told for years life that "God has something special planned for your life." She has been encouraged by well-meaning parents who love the gospel and love God with all their hearts. So, what is this student supposed to do when she realizes that growing up is not what she dreamed it would be? Where is she supposed to find that "God sized plan" for her life?

This is a dilemma that a generation of people are facing (and I believe will continue to face) as we continue to live in a world that is increasingly on the lookout for the next big thing /moment/experience/idea.

The reality is that life is pretty ordinary. Life is made up of more ordinary moments than extraordinary moments. Life is made up of moments that include taking out the trash, wiping bottoms, paying bills, washing dishes, writing the letter, making the visit, mowing the lawn, and buying a loaf of bread.

These things don't receive recognition from others. They stay far away from the spotlight. They don't contribute any help with closing the sale. They require no special training. And they don't necessarily create a tingle of your spine.

But what if these ordinary, everyday things are some of the most important things that any person will ever do? As we experience them stacked on top of one another, what if we can see the joy found in the ordinary?

Ecclesiastes 9:5-9 says,

"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate, and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy your life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun - all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all of your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom."

The joy of the journey is not found in the extraordinary. It never has been and never will be. The reason for this is because once you experience an extraordinary moment you'll always be on the lookout for the next one and it is a cycle that will never end. Those special moments are not the place where we live. We live with dishes and laundry, homework and bills to pay. And it is those moments, if we can find the joy of the Lord, that we will never be left having to search for something to fulfill us. Instead we can just do whatever it is that our hands find to do and be on the lookout for the smallest of things that provide a joy that can sustain us for a lifetime. That sounds more like the "something special" that God has planned for our lives.

What ordinary thing is it that brings you joy?

Have you seen God in the ordinary?

God's Story

I have had several Bibles in my lifetime.

One of these Bibles I got when I was in late elementary school. It has a turquoise leather cover and the binding is falling apart. I took it on a mission trip one summer and a girl's shampoo spilled all over it in the bus. It still has a blueish tint on the outside edge of the pages and you can smell a hint of head and shoulders if you sniff it. On one of the first pages, in a girl's handwriting (maybe the one who spilled her shampoo) someone wrote, "Hi Dougie!" Classic high school youth group flirt move: write IN someone's Bible.

This Bible means a lot to me and learned a lot as I read from it's pages.

When I turned 18 I got another Bible for graduation. This Bible was the one I use until last year. I grieved having to transition to a new Bible but it was just not in working condition anymore. Matthew 6,7, and 8 are completely missing from it, the front cover has fallen off, and multiple pages had been taped together because they were torn.

It had already been rebound once and I didn't think it could handle it again. This is easily THE book that has changed my life more than any other book I've ever owned.

Last night I had both of these Bibles with me to share their stories with our church.

Last night we began a 31 week journey through scripture that the kind folks at Zondervan, with the help of Randy Frazee have put together call The Story. Maybe you've heard about it. I'm particularly excited about it because it is going to lead our church through a reading of the Bible together in 2012.

So, as I grab the second Bible I described above last night, I was OVERCOME with emotion. Unexpected tears coming down my face, shortness of breath, kind of emotion.

It was one of the oddest things that has ever happened to me.

As I think about it now I am not as surprised by the emotion. Maybe it is a Bible for you but we all have things that connect us to larger experiences. This Bible serves that role in my life. When I picked it up and began to tell it's story I was overwhelmed by the ways that Scripture contained in those pages have changed my life. Forever.

I'm wondering:

What is the earliest memory you have of your own personal Bible? What do you remember about the pages you read in that Bible?

What are other "things" that connect you to the larger experiences of your life?

Or - How has seeing the Bible as a seamless story helped you understand it more fully?

Christmas Eve Service

Here's a preview of our Christmas Eve candlelight service. Preparations are underway!

Join us at 5:00pm on Christmas Eve at Kaufman Church of Christ in Kaufman, TX.

Does your prayer sound like this?

In the Civil War movie, Shenandoah, Jimmy Stewart plays a widower of a large family. He is a cranky man with high confidence in his own ability. Because of a promise made to his wife before her death, Stewart prays at the beginning of each meal. The prayer goes like this: “Lord, we cleared this land, we plowed it, we planted it, we harvested the crops, and we fixed the food. We worked till we were dog-boned-tired. None of this would be here if weren’t for us, but thank you anyway. Amen.”

If you are like me there are times where this perspective is my primary mode of operation. I know that my life and all I have is from God, but in my heart I often carry a sense of entitlement. I harbor a sense that it is really through my own effort and hard work that what I experience in life has been accomplished. But in reality all I might accomplish can be gone in an instant.

In the movie, it doesn’t take long for Stewart to begin to see things in a much different way. By the end, he has lost a daughter during childbirth and a son to the war. In addition, he is finally re-united with another son after he was held as a prisoner during the war. As he and this youngest son are embracing, the scene closes as they stand in church and sing, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”

This holiday season comes with a variety of emotions for each person. Some are reflective about the past year and celebrating all that has taken place, while others are grieving over those who will not be present at this year’s Thanksgiving table. For some it may be difficult to proclaim praise to God from whom all blessings flow. It may be hard to see God’s gifts to you. Just like in the movie, sometimes it takes a long period of time to see God’s plan.

Wherever your story finds you at this point in life may you know that our God is a God who “will never leave you or forsake you”, and that in both the good times and the bad he is a God that is worthy of all of our praise.

The God We Would Rather Have

This is a prayer from Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth by Walter Brueggemann that is speaking to my heart this morning.

We are your people and mostly we don't mind,

except that you don't fit any of our categories.

We keep pushing

and pulling

and twisting

and turning,

trying to make you fit the God we would rather have,

and every time we distort you that way

we end up with an idol more congenial to us.

In our more honest moments of grief and pain

we are very glad that you are who you are,

and that you are toward us in all your freedom

what you have been toward us.

So be your faithful self

and by your very engagement in the suffering of the world,

transform the world even as you are being changed.

We pray in the name of Jesus,

who is the sign of your suffering love. Amen.