Prodigal Father

Yesterday was Father’s Day and many of us called our dad or had lunch with him or at least sent a card to him with a Home Depot gift card in it. All of us have a father.

Yesterday was also Sunday when believers gather in one place to worship our Heavenly Father and thank Him for all He has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus entire ministry was working to tell the world how incredible that Father truly is. Jesus’ whole life was spent pointing people to the Father. So it’s no surprise Jesus shows us how full of grace and unconditional love our Father is as Jesus tells stories in Luke 15.

While the Pharisees are upset that it appears Jesus is condoning sin by eating with sinners and tax collectors, Jesus reminds us our Heavenly Father is too busy rejoicing over found coins, found sheep and found kids to worry about what they were doing while they were lost.

See, Jesus tells the story of young son who wanted his inheritance from his dad before the dad died. Amazingly, the dad grants his half to him and the son goes away to the big city where he blows his entire bank account on worldly living. Sleeping in the day and partying at night with conditional friends who love the son as long as there is money. After weeks of the party life, spending money on drinking, drugs and women, the money runs out and then the friends do as well. In addition, there is a famine in the land.

So with no money and no friends; no place to stay and nothing to his name, the young son finds a job at a pig farm, slopping the hogs. Every day, he’s in the pig pen, in the mud, in the feces, in the stink and longing to eat what the pigs are eating. Until one day, he comes to his senses. He says, “I can go home and just ask dad if I can be a servant. Even the servants have food to eat.” So he begins the long walk of shame home.

But we discover the dad has been watching for his son every day. And one day, he sees his son in the distance so the dad runs down the road to meet him. While the son is trying to get the words out about being a servant, the dad says, “Bring a new robe, the family ring, new sandals and start cooking. Welcome home, my son.”

Now while Jesus reveals how wonderful it could be for prodigals to come home, it’s disturbing. Because most of us want our pound of flesh. Most of us want the sinner to come home but groveling on their knees, not to a party. And the young son has spent his half of the inheritance so he’s coming home to live off his brother’s half.

Big brother comes home to find the party and is irrate! “I’ve been here working the whole time and you never threw a party for me,” he says. And in the moment, dad realizes he’s lost both sons, one to a life of reckless abandonment and another to angry self-righteousness.

See, what the older son doesn’t realize is that dad does love them both but not because of what they deserve. He loves them both because that’s just who he is. See this father is a prodigal too who never tires of giving his love away.

We all are so blessed to have a Father who loves us unconditionally. When you decide to come home, he doesn’t remember what you’ve done but just loves on you. So if you are looking for peace in your life…if you are looking for a father to hold you close unconditionally…if you are looking for permission to leave behind the shame and guilt of your past mistakes, then say “yes” to Jesus and come home. Making Jesus Lord of your life will allow you to drop the baggage and embrace a totally new and wonderful life. Blessings on your journey.

All in this Together.

When you find someone from your town or area, it’s exciting. You could be at Walmart, the doctor’s office or on a cruise. Suddenly, you hear someone mention your home town. You talk to them and it’s an instant bond. You have something huge in common. You know the same roads, stores, schools…you have a commonality.

As followers of Christ, you look at any body of believers and it’s typically a diverse group. You’ll find the educated and the uneducated; you’ll find those with no money and lots of money; you’ll find different skin colors and different nations of origin; you’ll probably hear different languages spoken. But the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:1-10, that we are all the same. As believers, we walk together in unity despite our different opinions and backgrounds.

You see, we are all from the same exact place. Paul tells us early in Ephesians 2, we were ALL dead in our sins…that we all USED to live the way of at the world…that we ALL were deserving of God’s anger and wrath. Paul tells us, we are ALL from the same exact place: Deadsville, USA, population: everyone.

Paul also reminds us that we ALL got into the family of God the same way too. If you are an adopted son or daughter of God…if Jesus is your brother, then you are part of the family of God! And the way we all got in was through Jesus and his sacrifice (“so that no one can boast”).

I’ve worked in churches since 1993. I found it fascinating that someone in every church needs to tell me something like, “You know, my grandparents started this church”, or “my family has attended here since 1906”, or “I gave a lot of money to build this church building”, or ‘I’ve been on 23 mission trips”. Paul says, no one can boast. It’s because of Jesus you are in the family. It’s because of grace you have been saved, nothing you have done.

Finally, Paul tells us we ALL have something special to do together. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul says we are God’s masterpiece. The original language uses the Greek word from which we get our English word, poem. Paul says that we are God’s poetry to the world around us.

Paul is calling us to be a sweet aroma to those we come in contact every day for the cause of Christ. Our words and behavior should reflect the unconditional love and grace of Jesus. If we are to boast, we boast in Jesus Christ because it is in Him we have life and life to full.

So that challenge this summer is go be Jesus. Express kindness, peace, and compassion. Hand out love, grace and forgiveness. Speak words of life to those you interact with each day. Blessings on your journey.

United in Christ

I have been together with others and we all had a common goal. I enjoyed playing high school football. We went to the state playoffs all three years of high school and I was an all-district defensive halfback my senior year. As a team, we were all different yet unified in our goal to win on the field.

I have been on a diverse missions team where each of us brought a specialty to the group. We were from different backgrounds, philosophies and expertise but together, we carried the Gospel message to the local people we were trying to influence for Christ.

While each of us who follow Jesus are very different, we must remember our commonality. Our likeness is our unshakeable identity in Christ Jesus. God has given us an unshakeable identity in the risen Savior.

The world tries to separate us by telling us our identity is in our degrees hanging on the wall, our skin color, our nation of origin, our socio-economic background, the power or title we might hold, the relationships we have. But God tells us in Ephesians 1 that we all have been adopted into the family of God through Jesus Christ. We are in the same family.

My dad has done a lot of ancestry background for our family heritage. I know I’m a fourth gen Church of Christ preacher. I know I am 50% Irish. I know where my ancestors came from when they came to American. My last name ties me to who I am. Because I am a family member, I have access to all the rights and privileges my name allows. I am also an American citizen. Because I am a citizen, I’m afforded certain rights and privileges as an American.

Paul is telling each of us, because we claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are part of the family of God. God has adopted us as his sons and daughters. As a family member, I have all the rights and privileges afforded to someone in the family of God. We have the unconditional love of our Heavenly Father because of what Jesus did for each of us.

At Jesus’ baptism, God establishes Jesus’ unshakeable identity. God says that Jesus is His Son, that He loves him and is pleased with him. As we become part of family of God by accepting Jesus as our Savior, we too can reflect the same sentiment from God. He claims us as His sons and daughters. He loves us and is pleased with us. I also must remember, all of this is possible, not from anything I do, but from what Jesus has done.

So, sit in your unshakeable identity as a child of God. Know God has adopted you and because of that you have all the rights and privileges of a family member. God loves you and wants the very best for you. Blessings on your journey.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

When I was in grade school, we made stuff which we brought home to our parents. Some of those things were hung up but were terrible works of art. Yet my mom, no matter, would just ooh and ahh over it, telling me what a great artist I was. To this day, she get’s out and hangs up a Christmas candle I “cross-stitched” on burlap in the fifth grade!

You know, the world and culture tell us a couple of things. We are either put together or thrown together. And if we buy everything they are selling…if we look like them…they say, we are put together. However, if we don’t have the right amount of money, or are pretty, or have overachieving children, or have scars from an unhealthy body, well, we are thrown together.

Most of us have a story to tell because we are not perfect. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to keep up with Malibu Barbie and Malibu Ken! But the writer of Psalms tells us something all of us need to hear. He spells it out in Psalms 139, reminding us that God put us together, that we are special and unique, that God has actually known us even before we were born and has a plan for us as an adopted member of His family.

See, our security in who we are cannot come from culture or Malibu. Our security comes from being in Christ and must flow from the inside out. As Christ-followers, it seems basic. However, we get pressured everyday in believing the voices that tell us we are not pretty enough, or smart enough, or rich enough, or fit enough, well you get the picture.

Jesus himself took issue with this mentality in Matthew 23 when He dresses down the religious leaders of his day. Jesus reminds them the outward appearance means nothing, zero, nada. It’s what’s on the inside, in the heart, that really counts.

So, every day, we thank God for creating us in His image and loving us unconditionally. We are humbled knowing there’s nothing we can do to ultimately to change the way He made us. Sink into the words of the Psalmist as he reminds us of how intimately God knows you and how much He has for you in the days ahead…

“You, God, made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalms 139:13-16 NLT

So be confident that we have a new, fresh life in Jesus. God is FOR you every day. His plans for you far outweigh anything the world could promise. He’s adopted you into his family which means you have everything the King owns already. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. God’s work is evident in you. Blessings on your journey.

You are a Child of God.

When I went to basic training for the US Air Force, we gathered as a group of 50 guys from all different walks of life and where just all over the map. But by the end of our seven weeks together, we belonged to each other. We supported one another, encouraged one another, helped each other. We were a family.

Paul in his letter to the Galatian churches is revealing to us we also belong to each other. Each of us were created in God’s image and we are part of the family of God…we are children of an incredible God.

That first century church was intensely relational. There were in each other’s business on more than just Sunday morning but every day of the week. Those followers of Christ belonged to each other and to God. Paul in Galatians 3 is working out that we are justified by faith in Jesus or how we are right with God by just believing in Jesus Christ. So many Jewish Christians were suggesting a “works-based” salvation and Paul is saying we belong to Jesus without works but based upon our belief in a risen Savior. Paul gives us four reasons why we belong in Galatians 3:23-29..

We belong to God because we believe. I don’t belong because I perform or earn it or work for it. I belong because I believe in Jesus Christ, period. You don’t have to clean yourself up and then come to God. You can’t do enough to be right before God. You come as you are and God cleans you up. That’s why it’s called the Good News!

We belong to God because we are baptized. When we believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ, we put on Jesus symbolically by joining Jesus in his death, burial and resurrection. Then, we are immersed in the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Why be baptized? Well, one, because Jesus said so but it identifies us with Jesus death, burial and resurrection; it unites us in the Gospel story and gives us new birth.

We belong to God because we become part of the blended family. Jesus removed all the cultural barriers that separated us. All the social, ethnic, and gender barriers are gone in Christ (Galatians 3:28). The point is, there is no favored status in the church family. Everyone has the same connection to God. Each of us, regardless of our ethnic heritage, skin color or background can be a part of the family of God!

We belong to God because we are beneficiaries of the promises God made to us as far back as Abraham. Because of what Jesus has done for me, belonging entitles me to all the benefits of being in the family. Being in the family doesn’t mean sitting on the sideline but actively being a part of what the family does. Using your giftedness to retell the story of Jesus is what it means to be part of the family.

So, know you belong. It’s nothing you have done but everything Jesus did for you that makes you a family member. It’s time to embrace believing in a risen Savior who has given you so very much. He’s removed the barriers that prevented us from connecting to God and given us life and life in the full. Blessings on your journey.

You are Not Replaceable!

I had moments growing up when my parents stepped in for support. They helped me edit and finish that paper for English class, let me cry on their shoulder after that first breakup and reminded me I’m a good worker after the first job I didn’t get. What they were doing was reminding me that I’m part of the family, I’m enough, I’m important…I am not replaceable.

Jesus reminds us of how important we are to our Heavenly Father. Jesus tells a story in Matthew 18 about this shepherd who loves his sheep. The shepherd keeps the lions and wolves away. He leads them to water and green grass. He cares for them. But one morning after counting, he notices one is missing. So, he leaves the 99 in the pen and goes to find the missing sheep. He puts the sheep on his shoulders and brings him back home. That’s how much God loves you. He’s willing to go find you, care for you, love on you.

As a follower of Jesus, we are part of a larger believing group called the Church. And Paul likens each of us to a part of our physical body. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul reminds us that we each are important in the church. No one is more important than anyone else. When we come together as the church, we become the hands of Jesus as we serve those around us. We become the feet of Jesus as we take the Gospel to places that need to hear it. We become the mouth of Jesus as we speak peace into this world. And we become the heart of Jesus we to choose to love and show compassion to those around us.

Paul reminds us, though, to live fully into the Kingdom, each of us must do our part. Every part of the body matters, even if you think you are not important. I can do a little on my own but partnered with you and the Holy Spirit, all things are possible.

Now, there are moments when your arm or leg go to sleep. It feels tingly and “dead”. You have to work it to get it going again. Unfortunately, some of us in the church are asleep. We’ve decided to sit on the sideline and not be involved in actively being a part of the church. We think we don’t have much to offer and someone has told us we can’t so we believe them. But God has already told you if you are found in Christ, you are an adopted son or daughter. You’re part of the family. You belong.

So know, your presence is important in the body. The church needs your talents, giftedness and presence. Together, with the Holy Spirit, all things are possible. Nothing is impossible with God. Blessings on the journey.

Your Best Friend isn't a Dog.

We’re all wired to want to be in the “know”. We want wisdom and smarts. It’s been that way since the beginning of recorded time. The story of Adam and Eve is evidence. God says “Don’t go near the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Eventually, Adam and Eve could not resist so they ate the fruit because they wanted to be in the “know”.

James tells us in James 1:5, “If you want wisdom, ask God and He will give it to you.” Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek God’s Kingdom, live righteously, and God will give you everything else you need”….(including wisdom). But there is secondary way to gain wisdom. We must first acknowledge it doesn’t happen overnight but is a life-long endeavor.

We realize we can’t build a life of wisdom by ourselves. And we have learned during COVID-19, we are better together than apart! We do seek wisdom from God first but God also embraces the value of people in your life. I’ve often said, “You show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” So let me encourage you three different ways today.

Develop healthy friendships. Proverbs 18:1 talks about being in isolation. But we discover that isolation is the enemy of wisdom. Indeed, it invites pride and arrogance and is a sign of immaturity. God said in Genesis, “Let US make humans in our image.” It’s an indication God has always lived in community. Since we are created in his image, we also are called to live in community and not isolated.

You need to find godly friends you can be connected to through Bible study and a small group setting. a Kenyan proverb says, “if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, take others.” We learned over these last six months, we need each other!

Also invite Godly counsel. Allow others into your world to act as guardrails. Give permission for a close group of friends to be honest about your life and tell you when things are great or when things need to be better. We need straight-shooters in our lives. People who will be honest and revealing about our life and whether or not we look like Jesus. Find people you trust and give them permission to speak into your life.

Finally, invest in relationships that pull you up rather than pull you down. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” I refuse to be connected to negative people. Folks who only see the bad and that the glass is half empty. Those kind of people will demoralize and depress you…help take your eyes off of all that God is really doing in your life and the world. If you have them in your life, find a way to move away from them. You don’t need them.

So, how do I accomplish these ideas? Well, every church family should have three circles and I’m advocating you need to be in every one of them to gain great godly wisdom for life.

The large circle is the Sunday morning experience. Recommit to being at a large group gathering once a week to celebrate Jesus in a big group. Sunday morning service has been the traditional moment for this. You all sing together, dig into the Word of God together and take communion together. It’s a huge encouragement as you all celebrate Jesus as one big family.

The medium circle is the small group or Bible study time. Usually, this group is 10-15 people digging deep into God’s Word really discovering practically how to live out what God calls us to do. You pray personally for each other…sometimes there is a meal involved. You journey in life together and take care of each other’s needs.

Finally, there’s service. Each of us has a spiritual gift. Discover what you are passionate about and use that to serve others. Maybe you enjoy teaching young kids about Jesus so find your Children’s pastor and work with the kids. Maybe you enjoy teens so you are willing to be a chaperone or host a group in your home. Maybe you love AV and tech so on Sunday’s, you’re in the sound booth bringing together media, lights, sound. Find your passion and start serving others with others.

Ask God for wisdom and he’ll give it generously. But being with others will also impart wisdom so discover how you’ll be involved in the “circles”. Don’t wait! Start today finding ways to get “smart”. Blessings on the journey.

Home is where family is...

Did you ever see eye to eye with your siblings? Your parents? Even yourself? We’ve all grown up in a family where we celebrated joy and accomplishment together and we also weathered storms together. But no matter how we disagreed, we never left each other. We may have had moments of silence and separation but eventually, we worked it out. Why? Because we are family.

The church is the same way. We are family. We journey together. We may not always get along or see things each other’s way but we don’t walk out on each other. We communicate. We become empathetic. We work it out and meet somewhere in the middle. But we don’t just walk out on each other…that is if we are truly trying to be the body of Christ.

In Acts 2:42-47, we see the description of something radical in that first century. Social groups who were very different but allowing Jesus to unite them in unity…to become family. Even though in that church there were Jews and Gentiles, men and women, slave owners and slaves, merchants and paupers, they all felt equal and united in Jesus. We see them meeting in each other’s houses, taking meals together, selling things and giving money away. They were truly acting like a family, exactly how Jesus had designed it. And we see a couple of things that described them to make this new life happen well.

That first church acted as one family filled with the Holy Spirit. When you look at their life, we know they realized they were created to be in community lifting up the one Savior who made it possible. Even Jesus prayed for the church’s unity. In John 17, Jesus prays for us today saying, “May we be unified to each other like Jesus and Father are unified.”

They were discarding anger, rage, harsh words, selfish thoughts (Ephesians 4) and looking like Jesus. The only way to overcome our selfish desires is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

But they were also one family who had emptied “self”. They realized in Jesus, it was all about serving others and inclusiveness. The type of life Jesus had exampled for us. That first church wanted to look like Jesus and start this radical new community of people who were trying to look like him. The Greek word for that is “ecclesia”. It means “set apart” or “called out”. The church is different from the world. It treats God’s creation differently than the world. The church is called out from the world to be an example of family, community, Jesus.

And today, we are called to live the same way. To be the light for the world around us. We’re called to stop in fighting, stop the hatefulness, stop the self-centeredness. As we look at that first church, we see people who had surrendered to Jesus and were living in such a way the world was taking notice. So, how are you living? Are you looking like Jesus or fighting to get your way? It’s time to leave behind the script the world gives out and live into a life like Jesus. Blessings on your journey.

All in the Family.

You have had those moments when you had that fight with your sibling from coming into your room while you were gone. That moment when your parents and you didn’t see eye to eye on the person you were dating. And that embarrassing moment with your grandparent corrected you in front of everyone…and you were 32 years old. We’ve all had difficult moments in our physical families but that didn’t mean we left and never came back. They are family so through thick and thin, good and bad times, you stuck it out.

That’s the type of stick-to-itiveness that Paul calls us to with our spiritual family in Ephesians 4. Look, we’ve all had moments when we’ve been annoyed with someone’s actions and words in our church family. There have been heated discussions about theology and ministry where we didn’t see eye to eye with the one “running the show”. But that is never cause to leave because we are family with Jesus being the oldest brother.

We learn through the example of the New Testament church, that although we are many people, we are one family. And in our family, we should be able to be authentic and real. Even in dire moments, we know we have each other’s back because that’s what family does. We take time to listen to our stories, pray together, encourage each other, do life together (see Acts 2:42-47).

Jesus calls us to be salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16). And when we stand with each other and support one another, the world takes notice because it doesn’t have that. We may disagree on some things but we never let that stand in the way of our exhibited love for each other.

It’s a reminder that we also stand for each other. We actually want each other to succeed. So with patience, forgiveness and love, we stand together knowing none of us are perfect. Only one family member is and his name is Jesus Christ.

Paul reminds us that we, the church, are like a human body. Every member is important. No member can say “I don’t need that person or that family”. We discover that when all the parts of our spiritual family are functioning, the body of Christ is everything it was designed to be. We can fulfill our mission.

Finally, we discover that together, we can accomplish the mission. The mission of God is realizing our call to tell the Gospel story. It’s the story of a God who loves his creation so much He sent his Son to die for us so we might live. And when the family of God is loving on each other, we have the opportunity to be that storytelling salt and light in this chaotic world.

Together we are stronger for Jesus. Together we can get through anything. Together we represent Jesus and everything this world needs. Blessings on the journey.

Following means Family

Sometimes families are weird. We’ve all got a crazy uncle. We’ve all got moments that wrecked is for just a little bit. I remember I had a cousin who was several years older than I was and he worked for a security company. Once at his house, he used his handcuffs to cuff me to a door knob and walked away. I cried forever. That is a little crazy. You’ve got moments with your family like that too.

It’s interesting and appropriate that the New Testament talks about our fellow followers of Christ as family. Paul mentions that idea to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3 where he says, “…if I’m delayed, you’ll know how everyone who belongs to God’s family ought to behave.” Paul and other followers acknowledged that as followers of Jesus, we are all family.

Now, we don’t always get it right. We mess up, stub our toe, don’t say the right thing, look hypocritical in the church. We’re human. But we’re like family. While we love Jesus and try to look like him everyday, we don’t always shine.

And Jesus calls us to really follow him. In Luke 14, there’s a large crowd traveling with Jesus. Jesus uses some hyperbolic language to make the point that you’re either following him or just traveling with him. And if you’re following him, it’s going to cost you something. You’ll have to give something up. So Jesus calls us to love him more than our parents, our spouse and kids, more than our physical brothers and sisters. If you’re following him, you’re called to love him more than anything else.

As we look at Jesus’ life and that first century church, we come to realize that you can’t follow Jesus by yourself. You become part of the family, or the church. See you can’t follow Jesus solo. We follow Jesus as a family. Many of us believe that we’ve got to get it all together, be close to perfect before we start following. But that’s just not true.

You look at some of the guys that Jesus called to follow him. Matthew a tax collector was a that bottom of the “sin ladder” in Jesus’ culture. By all accounts, Matthew was far from having it all together yet Jesus called him to follow. Simon the Zealot, a Jewish assassin, wanted to get rid of the Romans in Israel and was willing to kill them to do it. He was far from having it all together. Yet, Jesus called him to follow. All of these people were called to be part of the family…to follow.

And Jesus calls you too. None of us have it all together. But Jesus is the one who will make us perfect. He’s calling you to be a part of his family…a part of his church. So together, as family, we’ll follow Jesus and He’ll transform us as we go. Blessings on your journey.