The Tiger Hunts in Perfect Peace

That saying is one of my favorites, wherever it came from.  If there is nothing in your world that is bigger and stronger than you are, there is little to fear from any adversary.

There is a scene in The Chronicles of Narnia:  Prince Caspian, that reminds me of this.  Little Lucy, upon returning to the scene of the battle at the bridge over the river, stands alone facing the departing army of the enemy.  She draws her little dagger and smiles.

The Captain of the opposing army does not see Aslan, who is just out of sight.  He only sees a little girl with barely any defenses, standing firm.  In time, Aslan appears behind Lucy and fights in her stead.

Lucy would have been a fool to take that position were it not for Aslan at her back.  How can we stand facing trials, persecution, and danger with only our meager defenses?  The Lion Of Judah stands just out of sight at our backs, and then, when needed, fights for us.  We may be wounded, we may suffer, we may die, we may win, but we can never lose.  We are not alone in our own strength to do battle with life.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (New International Version)

⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

The shape of things.

One of my favorite things to do is look down at the earth from an airplane window.  The topography fascinates me.  You can see the way mountains rise out of the plains; canyons carved into the land drain into rivers and valleys.  God made an amazing world and I love His creation.

But it is flawed.  As incredible as creation is, it is fallen.

From the book, 'Heaven', by Randy Alcorn:

"We have never seen the Earth as God made it.  Our planet as we know it is a shadowy, halftone image of the original.  But it does whet our appetites for the New Earth, doesn't it?  If the present Earth, so diminished by the Curse, is at times so beautiful and wonderful; if our bodies, so diminished by the Curse, are at times overcome with a sense of the Earth's beauty; then how magnificent will the New Earth be?  And what will it be like to experience the New Earth in something else we have never known:  perfect bodies?"

I love being in the world we have and it constantly reminds me of the Creator.

Psalm 19

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

 ¹ The heavens declare the glory of God; 
       the skies proclaim the work of his hands.


But I am also constantly aware that it is broken and not what it was intended to be.  Just like me.  In God's time, that will all be put right.  The same sin that causes me to fall and fail; that curse that Adam brought down on me brought down creation along with it.

Christ's resurrection has broken that curse, but it has yet to be realized.  There will come a time when it will all be made right again, both the Earth and I.  I can only imagine what it will be like, as I catch fleeting glimpses and shadows of the beauty to come.

Until that time, I will make do with looking out of airplane windows.

Not Home Yet

This is from the daily devotional of Greg Laurie.

Not Our Home

For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.
— 1 Thessalonians 2:4


The story is told of a missionary couple who was preparing to retire after many years of service in Africa. The ship they had boarded to return to the U.S. also happened to be carrying President Theodore Roosevelt, who was returning from a hunting expedition. When they reached their destination and the passengers were disembarking, a crowd of admirers waited to meet the president as a big band played in the background. But when the time came for the missionary couple to step ashore, not a single soul was there to meet them. Discouraged, the husband buried his head in his hands and groaned, "I didn't want a parade, but at least someone could have come to welcome us home!" His wife turned to him and replied, "Honey, we are not home yet."

This world is not our home. And because of that, we should always be a bit disconnected from it, not quite in sync with everything this culture celebrates, because our citizenship is in heaven. As Christians, we have a different value system because we serve a different God and have different priorities than this world has.

Yet some Christians only care about living for themselves, as long as they can get to heaven. What a waste. We should instead be asking ourselves, How can I bring a little bit of heaven to earth? How can I make a difference in the lives of those I come into contact with? How can I make a difference for time and eternity? What has God called me to do? I want to do it in a way that will bring glory and honor to Him.

May we live our lives well and wisely, because they eventually will come to an end. Until then, let's be about our Father's business.

Old dogs and the Master's hand.

Lately I have been watching my old dog as he deals with getting on in years.  The pup that he used to be is long gone.  He is pretty much deaf, moves slowly, and sometimes gets in the way.  He prefers to sleep now rather than run and just getting to the door to greet me is a chore.

Still, in his heart he remembers the dog he was.  His spirit is willing but his flesh is failing him.  He was and is a good dog.  A 'good dog'.  That says a lot.

When he passes on I know we will say many things about him.  We will remember the things he loved to do, the times he made us laugh and why we loved him for the dog he was.  He was a pound rescue and I think he knows how fortunate a dog he was being chosen to be a part of this family.  In return he was our dog.  He was faithful, he was loyal, he was a hard worker and vigilant for all enemies, both foreign and domestic.  He was not perfect and tended to stray from the path we chose for him if the temptation of a trailside lizard was greater than he could bear.  He could not stand another dog to get near his front yard.  Love thy neighbor was not always the case.

But he knew his master's voice and he responded to the gentle urging of the master's hand.  At the end of the day, when he was in his place on the bed in our living room, a pat on the head would suffice; perhaps a piece of cheese.  And the words most often said were, "Moots, you are a good dog".

A 'good dog'.  For a family pet like him, that sums it all up.  It is all he desires to be and the reward is enough...a calm and loving voice of the one he serves, the touch of a hand, reassuring and gentle; a place to rest in the living room of his family; his daily bread (and a pancake or two). His time is growing short on this earth and when he is no longer in his place next to the TV and he has passed into memory, the best thing I can think to say of him will be "good dog".  Well done, Moots.

In some ways, Moots is a mirror held to my face.  I want to look away as it shows me a shadow of the time when I grow truly old, God willing.  My body is failing too and my time is running out.  And so I wonder - what is it that I want to be said of me by the Master?  This pound rescue that I am is grateful to have been chosen and brought into His family.  I did nothing to deserve it and I often stray from the path following the temptation of the errant lizard.  I often bark at the neighbors.

So at the end of my day, when the last rabbit chase is but a memory and the heartbeat stills, I will follow my nose toward home and the smell of pancakes on the griddle and a promised place of my own in the living room of my Master.  And hopefully I will hear the words that every old pooch wants to hear:  Good dog.

Matthew 25:23 (King James Version)

 ²³His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Moots, the Dog, stage right.

"...I shall not want..."

I am the poster child for issues with contentment.  I need to learn to walk through this world and not be fooled into thinking the 'next great thing' will bring joy and happiness.

The book I am reading now, Traveling Light, by Max Lucado, takes you through the 23rd Psalm..."The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."  It brought to my heart something that the Spirit had pointed out before - being content with what God has blessed me with NOW, not what I can obtain in the future.  Why is it that I find myself drifting into the deadly circle of dreaming of more money, a different car, house, etc, losing any joy I might have when those things do not happen, and then feeling discontent with what I have and where I am?  God forgive me for being so ungrateful.  Few things are as ugly as an ungrateful child.  It robs the joy of the giver and the receiver.

I am that ungrateful child.

Becoming Joseph

"...the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper." Genesis 39:23b

I wanna' be like Joseph.  I want to prosper in what I do.  Not always there yet, not quite.  And this is not Creflo Dollar or whatever prosperity-drive-a-Caddie stuff.  I want to be lined up in the tine furrows of God's plow, getting some weeding done and planting good seed.  I will let God tend to the harvest.

Right now, I think I am tending too many weeds.

Fear: calming the storm within

If jealousy is a green eyed monster, then fear is its dark grey cousin.  Not a legitimate fear, like one that keeps you from jumping from an airplane with no parachute, but the irrational fears that creep in and erode the foundations of our peace and joy.

That is me all over.  And over.  If the peace of God passes all understanding, why can't I get on the bus?  the book on my Reading List in the side column by Max Lucado speaks to this type of fear.  It is easier to read about then it is to defend against.  God help me, cuz my armor is tin foil trying to be steel.

Mark 4:35-41 tells about Christ calming the sea.  The passengers on the boat were in fear of their lives in a tangible way...the boat, the storm, the danger was imminent.  But Christ was there.  What could they have feared?  Nothing.

Christ is as present in this Christ follower as he was in that boat.  He is not worried.  Why am I?