August 5, 2018

Jesus Grieves with Us

Jesus wept. – John 11:35

Our chairs faced the bed. We watched him breath in and out. He could have been sleeping. My heart ached for him to wake up, to speak, to ask for a drink of water or some ice cream. My mind understood that when he did wake up it would be in heaven.

Mother and I watched the medical equipment that monitored his blood pressure and heart rate. Silence surrounded us, interrupted only by the nurses who checked on us. The vigil continued. Hour after hour.

It had been days since we’d gone to his rehab facility for a visit. We were with him when the wheezing started. The staff acted quickly and he was soon dispatched by ambulance to the hospital. We were hoping they’d give him medicine and send him back. He was admitted to ICU.

We were not prepared for the doctor who told us he might not make it through the night. We were not prepared to stay at the hospital. We would not leave. The ICU nurses brought comfortable chairs into his room for Mother and I. They understood better than we did that it wouldn’t end well.

Hope circled my heart as we all monitored him through the night. He clung to life. He was stubborn that way. His frantic eyes sought mine as he struggled to understand. I leaned close. “I love you, Daddy,” I told him again. I held his hand and tried to explain that he was sick and in the hospital. His body relaxed and he slept. He never woke again.

Two days later even the doctors had given up hope. We were moved to a regular room to wait for the end. People came and went. Few seemed to understand this was not a time to loudly talk about politics or their own ailments. Didn’t anyone get it? My Daddy was dying! It wasn’t a social occasion; it was a death vigil.

It was late when the last person left. A few caring friends didn’t want to leave us alone. We assured them we would be okay. It was right somehow that in the end it was just the three of us. How many days had we spent in hospitals and rehab facilities? How many nights had I slept on a sofa or chair to be close to one of my parents? How often had my heart broken under the weight of responsibility and criticism from people who skirted the outside but never dared to show up and help.

Jesus was there. We were never alone. His strength carried us, comforted us, held us in the storm. And then it was over. The machine’s flat lines, the nurse’s sad confirmation, the quick glance at the clock. Death at 12:25 a.m. on this day two years ago.

Calls were made. Mother and I were escorted to the waiting room. Numbness. We went through the motions. There was paperwork to sign. There’s always paperwork. And then the silent trip home.

The tears would come. They still come. I guess they always will. “Jesus wept.” I love this verse. It’s a short, powerful reminder that Jesus grieves with us. He doesn’t leave us alone. Not ever. Indeed, He draws close to us providing comfort and strength and hope.

Death doesn’t have the final say for those of us who believe. I will see my parents again one day. Do you have that certainty in your own life? Are you headed to heaven one day? Are you sure? None of us know the hours we have left. Know where you are headed before it’s too late.

July 27, 2018

Where Is Your Home?

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:25-26

What does home look like to you? Maybe it’s a house in the suburbs. Maybe it’s a condo or apartment in the city. Maybe it’s a house in the country, surrounded by acres and acres of farm land. Or maybe it’s somewhere else entirely.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you believe He’s the Son of God? Do you believe He came, lived a perfect life, was crucified for our sins, and rose three days later? Do you believe He sits at God’s right hand and intercedes for us? Do you believe you’ll meet Him face to face one day?

Then no matter where you lay your head at night, you aren’t home.

Jesus spoke these words before He called Lazarus out of the tomb. Mary and Martha were beyond distraught. Their brother got sick and died. And Jesus, their teacher and a miraculous healer, delayed coming to save him. They were upset with Him. We get upset with Him sometimes too.

Everything Jesus does focuses us on eternity. It’s not so much about the here and now as it is about leading us to be more like Him, gathering the lost, and ministering to the hurting. He understands as we rarely do that this isn’t our home.

We cling to this world. We fight death like it’s the enemy when, in reality, death is only the beginning. For it is in death that we truly go home to beauty and eternal service to God Almighty.

We are only here for a short while. Our days are numbered, be that number large or small. There is a special purpose for each of us. Finding that purpose, that calling, should be a lifetime pursuit.

As believers, we know that. The trouble comes when we look for grandeur when Jesus says to love your neighbor well. The challenge comes when we don’t like our calling, when it’s scary or when it involves reaching out to people we don’t like.

We are creatures of comfort. We like our earthly dwellings. We want to have fun. We want this life to be easy and without great sorrow or distress. We want to live long and die painlessly, waking into heaven without ever having to get dirty with the service God has called us to.

How would life be different if we focused our attention on Jesus? How would we view our possessions if we understood all that we have is only temporary? How would we change if we truly realized that home is where Jesus is, no matter what our address says today?

Jesus came that we might be free to serve Him. He came to save us from our sins and grant us a passport to an eternal destination of beauty and worship. Don’t lose sight of that. When life threatens to overwhelm you, when your days are filled with stress over earthly things, remember that you’re just passing through.

July 11, 2018

Jesus Loves Us

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. – John 11:5-6

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

– John 11:32

“Jesus loves me! This I know,

For the Bible tells me so;

Little ones to Him belong;

They are weak, but He is strong.”

The words to this song by Anna B. Warner echo in my mind. So many of us grew up singing this sweet, reassuring verse. “Yes, Jesus loves me!” That makes everything right in our childhood hearts and minds.

Until we grow up and realize that while Jesus always loves us, He doesn’t always show up in time to prevent a tragedy. He doesn’t always protect us from abuse or death or homelessness. Jesus loves us but sometimes He allows us to suffer.

We know this story of Lazarus. We know that Jesus used his friend’s death to show the glory of God. And we know that when Jesus does arrive, He weeps with his friends and then calls Lazarus from the tomb. We know that belief in Jesus means we will never truly die. But, oh, how death can hurt!

The hardest part of faith is remaining strong when you know that Jesus could prevent something awful and, yet, He doesn’t. The most difficult part of faith is knowing that Jesus can heal, knowing He will heal, but facing the deep truth that sometimes healing takes place in heaven and not on this earth.

The news tells us that it was such a tragedy. A man shot and killed his wife and one of his daughters. He shot another two daughters while still another fled for her life. Then he started a fire that destroyed their home and killed himself. Drugs, they say. A divorce petition and a custody filing. Not on the “other” side of town. A family just like ours. How can it be? How can Jesus allow something so horrible to happen? And, yet, He does.

You’re probably thinking I’m going to give you wisdom or advice, explain the unexplainable, or, at least, help us make sense of it all. I’m not. I don’t understand. We live in a fallen world. It’s a trite truth but a truth still the same. Jesus can step in at any moment and prevent tragedy but usually He allows it to play out. One person’s demons destroys a family and scars his children forever. Because how do you “get over” having a parent try to kill you? How do you deal with the loss of a Mother and a sister? You don’t.

Jesus never said life would be easy. In fact, He said we’d have troubles. He never said He’d protect us from the tragedies and hurts of this world. What He did say is that He’d never leave us alone. He promised to walk with us, to guide us, to turn bad into something good if we’d only give it to Him.

We shout at Him in anger and anguish, with a brokenness that can only come from deep sorrow. We know, like Martha, if He’d only come sooner it would all have ended differently. But, you see, one day it will end differently.

Death doesn’t have the final say. Darkness lost the war. While troubles may cause us to falter and stumble on this earth, we’re only passing through to another destination. We’re headed to a place where drug abuse and cancer and divorce and death don’t exist. We’re on a journey home.

So when life overwhelms you and your shattered heart cries out for relief, focus your eyes on the light. That’s Jesus. Look neither to the right nor to the left. Stay focused. “Jesus loves you! This I know.” And He also keeps His promises. He never leaves us alone. We may not be strong, but He is. And some days that is the anchor that keeps us upright in the storm.

May 19, 2018

Show the World Jesus

Jesus wept. – John 11:35

It happened again. That which we vowed wouldn’t, did. Students ran for their lives as a student-gunman aimed to kill those in a place that should have been safe.

Shootings within our schools simply shouldn’t happen. But they do. Why? Our hearts cry out in anguish. It is so senseless. Young lives cut short. A teacher gone too soon. Others suffering in hospitals. Lives that will relive the trauma forever.

Jesus wept. It’s the shortest verse in the Bible. It’s very simplicity draws us closer to the One who came to save us all. Jesus had the power to save Lazarus from death. And though He knew He would raise His friend from the dead, still Jesus let Lazarus die. He let Mary and Martha suffer.

But Jesus is not a Savior from a distance. He stands beside us to comfort and strengthen us when the senseless dramas of this world threaten to destroy us. He mourns with us.

Why did this happen? How can we stop it from happening again? I wish I had all the answers but I don’t. No one does. Is this pure evil or does it stem from the brokenness of people who are hurting so badly that they want others to hurt badly too?

Our mental health system fails kids every single day. So do the social service agencies designed to keep them safe. We are so focused on saving the family that we send children back again and again to places where they aren’t safe and nurtured and loved. We ignore obvious signs of distress because we don’t want to get involved and we don’t want to provide the resources to help children who are hurting. We’d rather look the other way than deal with the stigma called mental illness.

I don’t know this young man’s story. All the details haven’t begun to show themselves. Maybe we will never know it all. But I do know that a young man wearing a trench coat in the Texas heat should raise a few questions. It’s not normal. It’s not okay.

We’d rather not know. We prefer to isolate ourselves in our own little worlds rather than extend a helping hand. We prefer to talk with our friends, to gather with those who are like us, than welcome someone who is different, someone who is alone. We marginalize people who desperately need to belong somewhere, to someone.

Maybe the answer isn’t in big programs with lots of money thrown at them. Maybe the answer lies a little closer to home. Maybe it’s found in our hearts. Can we be the people who extend kindness to those who seem the least deserving? Can we reach out to those we don’t particularly like so that they can come to the altar of Christ?

It all begins with Jesus. It all ends there too. We have forgotten how to love the lost, the lonely, the poor and the rejected. We have forgotten that they are our problems, our challenges, our responsibility, because Jesus said it was so. Jesus told us to love one another. Why do we think He didn’t mean us?

Once again we have children hurting, parents grieving and a town shattered by violence. Instead of looking to others for answers, maybe it’s time we looked inside ourselves. Ask Jesus to meet you there. Open your eyes and your heart. People everywhere are hurting. Extend a helping hand. Show them Jesus by your words and your actions. Live your faith, one hurting person at a time.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Seeking God’s Path For Your Life

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?” -- John 4:11

I am overwhelmed. Totally. Completely. Just overwhelmed. My mind is scattered in a thousand places and I’m struggling to bring it all together and do what I’m supposed to do.

But am I supposed to do it? Isn’t Jesus supposed to step in with that living water and make it all easy? Or isn’t someone else supposed to step up and take over? Why me? And why now?

I am a person of ideas. Many of them I try to keep to myself because I simply can’t do it all. There aren’t enough hours in the day and there isn’t enough of me to go around. I’m sure some of you can relate to this.

That said, every now and then I get an idea that simply won’t go away. I know it’s from God because, let me repeat, it won’t go away. So forward I go with God’s idea and it blesses people. It does. Because it’s God’s idea. He saw a need, put it on my heart, and now an idea has become a blessing to many people. Just not a blessing to me.

I understand that doing good isn’t always supposed to be an immediate blessing to us. That’s not why we do good. We do good because God calls us to do good and because we’re supposed to love those around us. And I do. So following God means caring for others.

I tell myself this again and again. But the bitterness and unhappiness keeps rising up. Someone needs to do what I’m doing. Someone needs to help those who are hurting and in need. But does it have to be me? Surely someone who has fewer family obligations, doesn’t need to work, someone who isn’t already doing enough, should step up. Surely someone else could do the job better, with more kindness and compassion. Surely God didn’t mean for me to do this forever.

But no one is stepping up and I’m becoming more and more overwhelmed. How can one person coordinate the needs, and volunteers to meet those needs, all alone? I understand that I don’t have to do it alone. I’m supposed to do it in the Spirit, allowing God to carry me down this path.

My question then becomes this: What does that look like? How do I know if I’m even called to do this? I know God put the idea in my heart but did He really intend for me to do it all? Somehow I don’t think so. I’m just not sure where to go from here.

So I’m sitting down again today for some more of that living water. My hope and my prayer is that somehow, someway, in the Scriptures I read and the prayers that I offer up to God, that He’ll light my path so that I can truly see His will. I’m overwhelmed and I need Him more than I can say.

Monday, July 23, 2012

God Always Hears You

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” -- John 11:41-42

Immediately after this statement, Jesus called for Lazarus to come out of the cave where he had been buried. And he did. He lived and all those who witnessed it saw God’s glory fulfilled.

Lazarus wasn’t the only person Jesus raised from the dead. Think of Jairus’s daughter and a widow’s son. But we remember this passage because it contains the shortest verse in the Bible (Jesus wept.) and because Lazarus and Mary and Martha were good friends of Jesus.

And maybe also we remember this passage because Jesus pointedly thanks His Father for hearing Him. God always hears us. We do know that. But it helps to be reminded of it and Jesus understood that.

God cares about the details of our lives. He hears us no matter what we say, or even think. God never turns away from His children. He wants that relationship that comes when two people actually converse and share.

Sometimes we miss that bond here on earth. We want other people to notice us, to hear us, to care about and desire a relationship with us. And they don’t. That hurts.

Oh, they don’t come right out and say it but their actions speak loudly. When people never remember what you’ve said, chances are they never heard you the first time because they just didn’t care. We can make excuses: hard of hearing, distracted, etc. But it all comes down to the same thing: You weren’t important enough for them to focus their attention on you.

It is hard sometimes to give someone your undivided attention. I think of a parent trying to get tasks done, all the while her young child rambles on and on. She’d like peace and quiet. At least, until her child doesn’t want to talk to her anymore. Then she understands how much she’s missed because she didn’t listen.

We don’t realize how much it means to share the details until we don’t have anyone to hear them. Maybe that’s why there are so very many lonely people in the world. And I’m not just talking about those who live alone. The details are what make up the days of our lives. They may not seem important but they are important. Having someone recognize that and really heart us can make all the difference.

God cares about the details. When no one else wants to know how your day has gone, tell God. When you want to share a funny story, share it with God. He’s a ready and willing listener. He always remembers exactly what you say. And He loves you unconditionally no matter what.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Jesus Understands Our Grief

Jesus wept. -- John 11:35 (NIV)

It was a day of grief. The day after always seems to be that way. The first day, the first moments, are filled with shock and prayers and people holding on. Then come the silent moments where you can no longer hider from the awful truth.

Co-workers gathered round, talking, sharing stories, remembering. One said he hadn’t slept at all the night before. He worked next to the man killed in a motorcycle accident while on his way home for lunch. Even in the daylight hours, he kept talking to his friend. Then he’d realize his friend wasn’t there and a fresh wave of grief would descend.

Another, with tears in his eyes, couldn’t believe it. He thought maybe the man had taken a nap and overslept. He’d done that before and this man, his supervisor, had covered for him. He had that way about him. A quick smile and eagerness to learn that made everyone like him. His supervisor said he wished the man had overslept. He wished anything other than what had really happened.

Their boss recalled the moment she’d walked into the room where his wife sat with a chaplain. She’d had trouble finding her or getting any information. In the hospital’s misguided attempts to protect the new widow, they’d isolated her from people who cared. She noted that the woman had rushed to her and hugged her tightly and wouldn’t let go. A friendly face in a world that had suddenly gone dark. A compassionate person who understood at least some of her grief.

The morning brought its own challenges. A wedding ring left in a tool box had to be retrieved. Employees had to be comforted. An empty work space had to be avoided. It echoed too much of loss, of laughter that would never return.

The whys are only now beginning to emerge. Why do some people in motorcycle wrecks survive and some die? Why does God spare some people and take others without a moments notice? I have no answers. Was it simply a tragic collision of vehicles piloted for people entrusted with free will? Or was it something greater, a part of God’s plan that we’ll one day see and understand?

Maybe it only comes down to knowing that God is with us on this horrible journey. Maybe what matters most is that He sees, He knows, He understands. We remember that one time Jesus lost a friend and He wept.

And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. -- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NLT)

It’s what we hold on to during these

Friday, May 13, 2011

Believer's Goodbye Is Temporary

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish.” -- John 11:25-26a

Hallelujah! Jesus Christ defeated death. For those of us who have accepted His gift of salvation, that means eternal life. It’s something that really hits home when someone you love dies.

A few days ago two wonderful men lost the father they adored. They smiled and comforted people who came to the funeral home to pay their respects. They repeatedly assured everyone that their Daddy was in heaven. He wasn’t in pain anymore. They’d see him again one day.

Faith. They were holding on tightly to God’s promise. Believing what none of us can see but what we know. There was a group of photos, showing their father. One photo was taken at his baptism. A life saved for eternity. A family’s promise that goodbye was only temporary.

So many people go through life without really thinking about what happens when that life ends. Some will tell you that they’ll “take their chances.” Others just believe that’s it. How sad. Jesus paid the price for everyone. All we have to do is accept His gift. Otherwise….well, we don’t want to think about hell being a real place. But it is.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Don’t take your chances on what will happen when your life ends. And don’t hesitate when it comes to talking about Jesus with the people you love. Do everything you can to make sure that when this life ends the goodbyes are only temporary. Jesus offers eternal life. Take it and offer it to everyone you know.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Jesus Rebuilds People

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

-- John 11:25-26

One thing I love about Beth Moore bible studies is that she can take a familiar passage and really make you think about the words. We've all read this section about Mary, Martha and Lazarus. We've seen the illustrations of Lazarus walking from the tomb, trailing his burial clothes.

But couldn't the same passage be applied to anyone who is rising up from a season of devastating grief or heartbreak? Doesn't Jesus also raise us up from the ashes that our lives can become, strengthening us and filling us with hope? That was the point Beth made. I think she's right.

Few people have lived without experiencing death up close, whether it's the death of a loved one or the death of a dream. Life changes and we change with it, whether we choose to or not. We don't always acknowledge how devastating those changes can sometimes be. Like losing a job you loved and expected to have until you retired. Like sending a child off to college. Like waking up one day and realizing that all your dreams have been cast aside and you are filled with nothingness.

It's easy to shut down. Numbness seems to dull the pain. Better not to think about it than to face the grief and walk through it. But we must. The alternative is a life that never goes any further than it is today. It is a life lived in shadows of defeat rather than the light of victory.

Jesus offers us a better way. He promises to resurrect our lives for His glory. He gives us hope and courage to rebuild, to believe that tomorrow can and will be a better day. Don't let yourselves merely go through the motions. Rise up. Reach up. It's never too late to let Jesus show you how to be all He intended for you to be.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Jesus Feels Our Sorrow

"Jesus wept." -- John 11:35

The shortest verse in the Bible. Two words. Heartache. Grief. Anguish. Jesus knew emotional pain. He shared his friends' sorrow. He shares our sorrow.

Today Enterprise First United Methodist Church holds a Memorial Service for its senior pastor, Rev. Bob Penton. In typical Bob fashion, he joked about the nurses and hospital gowns before he headed to Birmingham. He expected to be home in less than a week. Well, I guess he was right. It just wasn't the home any of us was expecting.

For his widow, Ruth, the pain surely seems unbearable. He loved her with a depth few ever experience. Tears would fill his eyes as he spoke about meeting her. They were partners in life and in ministry. Her life has changed in ways she's only starting to understand. My heart breaks for this sweet woman.

His family will ache in the days, months and years to come. His friends will miss his laughter and his guidance. His wit was dry and pointed, as he poked fun at himself and others. His eyes twinkled as a smile crossed his face and laughter bubbled forth. Yes. He was a good friend.

His congregations -- both past and present -- hurt for a man they lost too soon. He cared deeply for people. He ministered to everyone, reaching out to people who no longer attended church, to the sick in body and heart, to those alone and seeking. He bravely stood before a contemporary church service, held up a copy of The Message, and vowed to learn a different way of worshipping. Perhaps the real lesson is that in doing so, he taught the congregation to dig a little deeper to find God's voice.

A friend once told me that when a Christian dies, we don't grieve for him because we know he's gone home to an eternal life with Christ. Instead, we grieve for ourselves and for all the days ahead that we'll spend without our loved one by our side. She's right.

Today we celebrate a life that in our minds ended too soon. We give glory to the God Bob served so unselfishly all these years. We thank Jesus that Bob is walking on streets of gold on this day we grieve. And we hold tight to the hope that one day we, too, will meet Jesus face to face.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Jesus Holds Us Up

"Jesus wept." -- John 13:35

I heard the sirens first. One ambulance raced through the intersection. Then another came, followed by a state trooper. The sirens' echo dimmed for a moment, then more sirens filled the late afternoon night. Two sheriff's department vehicles. An unmarked trooper SUV. A fire truck. A paramedic truck. A short time later the thump-thump of a medi-vac helicopter.

The telephone brought news. A speeding driver lost control of his vehicle and it hit a power pole. Two people were in critical condition. "We are all just a phone call from our knees." I think I first heard that in a song but honestly I don't remember. The phrase has stayed with me. Its simple truth resonates through me as I pray for the accident victims and their families.

Our lives can all change in an instance. I know what it's like to get that phone call. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But in that instance when your world forever changes, there is One who grabs hold of you as you fall to your knees in agony. It is a strength that carries you through the days and weeks to come.

I pray those two victims will be okay. Certainly, there will be recovery time and healing. I hope this accident brings them closer to God. I pray they reached out and cried for Jesus in those moments before emergency workers arrived. I hope they and their families lean on Him in the days and weeks to come.

This verse is the shortest in the Bible. Jesus' friend Lazarus had died. Of course, we know that moments after "Jesus wept," He called out to His Father and Lazarus emerged alive from the tomb. But in those first moments after He arrived at the tomb, Jesus grieved for His friend. His let us see His compassion and love. It's something we can feel today as He wraps us in His embrace.

Jesus is there with us no matter what the future brings our way. That's the one thing we can hold on to when this uncertain world hurls out of control around us.