In all the works of your hand

SCRIPTURE READING:

"For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete."

Deuteronomy 16:15 (NIV)

THOUGHTS:

In this season of my life, this promise is one I cling to.  I guess I've clung to it for years.  The work that I do,  I do for the Lord. I do this work from a place of loving God with all that I am and loving others as Christ has loved me.  I'm not perfect at, but I work towards it as a goal. And many days are filled with doubt and discouragement, and I remind myself to turn my eyes towards Him.

When I serve as if I am serving Christ himself, I position myself to take even heartache as joy.  My joy rests in Him, not in others. 

ACTION:

I want to see God in the harvest because it is His, not mine. I want to see God in the works of my hands because it is for Him, not me.  I want any joy that I find to be found in Him, the Giver of any real joy. 

Sex might not sell anymore...

Or at least nudity doesn't...

This logo is as recognizable as the Nike Swoosh or the Apple bitten apple. Which is ironic, since for 62 years Playboy has been often times a forbidden fruit that screams "just do it."

The Headline is "Nudes are Old News at Playboy." 

With his very first issue, Hugh Hefner revolutionized the magazine world and started an empire of Bunnies appealing to men everywhere and based on the idea that sex sells.  My brother had his stash hidden, except by his day Penthouse and Hustler had far exceeded anything Playboy had to offer. 

So take the time to read this NYTimes article.  

Something has shifted.  

Something had changed. 

Our culture.

Playboy hasn't changed the heart of who they are. Our culture has changed and Playboy has figured out that to stay alive in this shifting world maybe their approach needs to be re-signed or re-framed. Their message,  while remaining the same,  needs to be re-imagined and re-contextualized in order to remain one of the most recognizable brands in the world. 

So here's my question: if Playboy can read the culture and mold itself for viability and sustainability around its original message, why can't the Church figure this out? 

Nudity is all over and it's freely given.  Playboy shifting to no more nudity and returning to who they were,  a return to their story...it's a genius move.

Are we as a Church returning to our story? Our we willing to re-sign, reframe ourselves to the original message - one of hope, one of grace, one of unconditional love? Because I'm telling  you what - judgement and condemnation is all over and it's freely given and it's not the banner Christ followers were ever meant to carry. 

The "logo" of the cross is more powerful than any Bunny, Swoosh, or fruit. But have we let it mean something it was never meant to mean? Have we forgotten that "for God so LOVED the world"? Are we willing to let the Gospel message become what it needs to, to mold itself for viability and sustainability in our world? 

The words of Paul come to my mind: 

"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."    (I Corinthians 9:19-23)

Turns out nudity after all these years isn't selling for Playboy. It had its time and only time will tell if this re-signing will prosper. But I'm sure they are onto something. 

Maybe we can learn something from Playboy???

You shall find rest for your soul

#1 draw from The Inspired Box 

SCRIPTURE READING: 

This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest for your souls.
    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.'

Jeremiah 6:16

THOUGHTS: 

So often in Scripture the path we should take is laid out so simply.  In Micah 6, the Lord cannot get any more blunt, when Micah ask "what is it that the Lord requires of us?" The Lord responds "This is what the Lord requires, to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God." Simple.  Blunt.  To the point.  And yet we miss it.  

This Jeremiah text is another promise that we have that too often set aside.  "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it." 

Stand at the crossroads - every day we have opportunity to stand in a place of decision, a place where we can choose to seek God's ways or we can go on in our own. 

Open our eyes - be open to see what the Lord sees or to see things in a different way than we normally do.  

Ask for the ancient paths - we aren't the first to stand in the place (no matter what it is) Since days of ancient old, people have stood where we stand and many have followed God's ancient ways to healing, to wholeness.  

Ask where the good way is - because there is a bad way, a way that leads to more grief, a way that is longer than it needs to be, a way that might seem ok but is not necessarily the good way. So God what is the way, we should go in this crossroads? 

Walk in it -  make a choice to choose his way, not your own.  

And you will find rest for your soul...

There's the promise.  When we walk in the ways of the Lord, we will find rest for our souls. That does not mean it will be easy, or that it won't hurt. It does not mean there will not be pain or that the ground beneath our feet will not shake.  

The rest for our soul comes in his embrace, comes in the space where you know that you know that you are not alone.  

ACTION: 

What do we do with this? The last section of this verse has the Lord saying "but you won't do it. You will not walk in it." Oh, that I would prove Him wrong.  Oh, that I would be a person who obeys and seek His ways.  Oh, that I would be a person who finds rest for my soul. 

The Inspired Box

My mother-in-law gave me a small wooden box the other day.  It's maybe 3×5 inches and the lid is inscribed  "The Inspired Box," although you can barely read its gold lettering.

She suspected that I would appreciate the contents of the box since I am a pastor. As I opened the box, I was a little intrigued about what I might find. It was obvious that the box was older than me and maybe even twice as old as me.

Inside I found tiny scrolls,  each containing a scripture verse (KJV version). It was designed for the recipient to draw a scroll from the box and to be inspired and blessed by the promise the Word provides.  You can place the scrolls back in and reuse the box over and over. 

I wonder how many people in its lifetime have pulled out these tiny scrolls and heard the Word of the Lord? I wonder if this tiny box sat in room unused?  Did it fulfill its purpose? Or has it yet to be explored?

I don't know the answers to those questions. However, I am going to bring these scrolls to you as I pull them from their box.  And perhaps together we can be inspired!