Month: September 2007

(Today’s crazy schedule does not allow time to whip up a fresh blog from scratch. I have frozen this past favorite in an airtight zip-lock for just such a day. A quick pop in the microwave defrost setting and it is ready for your consumption…hope you enjoy).

Welcome to the experiment known as the iPod devotional series. Here is how it works. On the old iPod is a “shuffle songs” feature. You hit the button and the iPod randomly picks a song.  I am writing a blog about whatever song the device selects on that day from the 1,000 plus songs on my iPod. My music list will further confirm my status as a Christian who makes others feel superior. My music goes from Al Green to the Youngbloods. Beatles to U2. Old hymns to modern praise music. Toby Keith to Frank Sinatra. Oldies to the soundtrack from Monty Python’s Spamalot. This could be interesting.

Before we hit the shuffle button I have to share a series of questions from regular and no doubt beleagured reader Steve. I had posed that the iPod Devotional series was a dual risk from Apple attornies and…what? I never really explained the other risk. Since reader Steve has an inquiring mind he wrote the following…

The Apple lawyers I get, but what is the other risk?
A) That the random song the iPod picks is something you can’t use?
B) That the the resulting blog will be so sappy/ boring/ insipid/ etc. that no one will read it? (as if)
C) That the resulting blog will be so controversial/ inflammatory/ offensive/ etc. that you’ll get kicked off of Crosswalk.com?
D) That the artist/ composer/ record company will take issue with what you say and file suit?
E) That the iPod will fail to serve up a song at random?
F) That you will wake up and realize that you have been grooving to that random song for so long that there’s no time left to write?

So in a bonus edition of Ask a Bad Christian the answer is (G), all of the above. In reality my biggest fear is probably the first one…that a song will come up and I will be holding a large bag of nothing in response to that selection. I probably should be worried about (B) but I am not sure you can recognize your own insipidity.

Now that you realize the risks let us shuffle and pray.

Okay that was stupid. Note to self…next time pray and then shuffle.

Today’s song continues our God has a sense of humor theme. The iPod landed on Alison Krause and Union Station. Alison Krause has a voice like an angel. She is an artist that I can listen to no matter what my mood might be. But the sense of humor part comes in when the shuffle feature selected the song Crazy as Me.

The lyrics are talking about a series of failed relationships but the lyric that Alison Krause sings that relates to me are these words.

Some folks seem to think I only got one problem
I can’t find nobody as crazy as me

There are some drive-by readers that are pretty sure I have more than one problem but let’s put them aside for awhile. I laughed when this song came up because I often feel that way in my journey with Jesus. Am I missing something here? Does my messy walk with Jesus make me a bad Christian? Or does my willingness to be honest about my weakness give me a chance not to be a bad Christian? I have found a handful of committed followers of Jesus who are as crazy as me. But the bottom line is a bit disturbing. Shouldn’t we all seem a little crazy if we are really following the teachings of Jesus?

I don’t mean drooling crazy. I am talking about doing things that make no sense to the world.

The world says to look out for number one. Jesus says to look out for the least of these.
The world says to spend time with those who can help you advance. Jesus says to spend time with the poor who can do nothing to make you more successful or reach your goals.
The world says that the one with the most toys wins. Jesus says the one with most treasures stored in heaven wins.
The world says get even and exact revenge. Jesus says to love your enemies and (I hate this one) pray for those who persecute.
The world is fearful of disease, the future, the economy. Jesus says to not worry about tomorrow.
The world says to build your financial security and you will be happy. Jesus says to build on the solid rock or your happiness won’t sustain the storms of life.
The world evaluates us by our title, power, and stuff. Jesus evaluates us by our fruit.

So I guess if we actually live this counter-cultural lifestyle the world will think we are crazy.  Paul acknowledged that to the church at Corinth.

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. I Cor 2 NIV

Foolishness. I used to think exactly that about the crazy Jesus people. Now I am as crazy as them. Who knew? And here is the exciting news. Everyday I am finding more followers of Jesus who want to be authentic and full of grace. That is the way I desire to represent Jesus to my world. And there is nothing crazy about that.

USA Today Columnist Craig Wilson noted that a new collection of quotes had piqued his interest. The book is called Not Bartlett’s and it is a compendium of thoughts on life, love, etc. Wilson listed a few samples and one caught my eye.

“What a wonderful life I’ve had – I only wish I had realized it sooner.”  Collette

That is true for most of us. But for some reason we tend to dwell on the disappointments, failures and hurts instead of the blessings most of us have in abundance. One reason was articulated by the Church Lady on SNL.

   “Could it be (echo) SATAN?”

Yes. Without question that is a factor for followers of Jesus. Satan’s battle plan is threefold. To cause us to dwell on past disappointments, to focus on current problems and to fear future events. Falling prey to any or all of those strategies robs us of joy and distracts us from the solution.

Jesus.

I love this passage written to the church at Colossae and I quote it often in my blogs.

Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus…   (Colossians 3,  NLT)

Ouch. And amen. Here is a very uncomfortable pop quiz:

1. Do I live like Christ is all that matters?
2. Do I put on mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience each day?
3. Do I make allowance for other’s faults?
4. Do I forgive those who offend me?
5. Do I understand how much I have been forgiven?
6. Do I let the peace of Christ rule my heart?
7. Am I always thankful?
8. Do I let the message of Christ fill my life?
9. Do I teach and counsel His wisdom to others consistently?
10. So I sing to God with a thankful heart?
11. Is everything I do or say predicated on being a representative of the Lord Jesus.
12. Does Jesus still love me?

My answers. 1. Not always, 2. Not consistently, 3. Sometimes, 4. Usually, 5. Yes, 6. Most of the time, 7. No, 8. Not always, 9. Not consistently enough, 10. Usually, 11. Nope, 12. ABSOLUTELY!

The answer to number 12 is the mystery of grace and Christ’s work on the cross. If God graded me on the honest answers to those questions I would be in deep doo-doo. What grace God demonstrates to me that He loves me and calls me His child in spite of my mediocre results to the quiz above. But Satan does not want you to experience that grace. The enemy does not want you to realize that Christ is all that matters.

We must not allow Satan to win this battle. Life is difficult. Relationships are often hard. Church goers do things that are wrong and indefensible. When viewed through the lens of the culture you have every “right” to be angry. But the Holy Spirit is prompting us to see through a new lens. I need to have Jesus “laser surgery” on the eye of my heart so I can see through that new lens that Paul describes above. Easy? Hades no! But it is possible when we focus on how much we were forgiven when we were unforgivable and how we were accepted when we were unacceptable.

There is a huge risk when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable in Christ. It is especially tough when we have been once or twice burned by life or by others. But it is a risk not only worth taking but I believe necessary to grow more like Christ. There is a song from  Martina McBride that talks about the risks of life. Here is a sampling of the lyrics from Anyway…

You can spend your whole life building something from nothing
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway
You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach and you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

Chorus:
God is great, but sometimes life ain’t good
And when I pray it doesn’t always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway, I do it anyway

This world’s gone crazy and it’s hard to believe that tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway
You can love someone with all your heart, for all the right reasons, and in a moment they can choose to walk away
Love’em anyway

And that is my desire as I follow Jesus. Sometimes life ain’t so good. I believe it is a dangerous teaching that Jesus will make your life all green lights and blue skies with good health always and riches untold. Jesus gives you purpose and significance. Eternal hope. Peace. Security. But there are no guarantees that life with Jesus will be trouble free. Au contraire. Difficulties refine us in our faith and reveal our spiritual state of the union with Christ. “Consider it all joy”, James says, “when you encounter various trials.”

Choose to dwell on the blessings. Choose to build it anyway. Dream it anyway. Believe it anyway. And even if I get hurt along the way I choose to love’em anyway (that does not include abusive relationships). My reason for making those choices is very simple. God chose to love me anyway when I did not deserve such love. My prayer for every follower of Jesus is that they never have this realization late in life.

“I have had a wonderful life with Jesus – I only wish I had realized it sooner.”

 

 

Today’s winner is Matthew West and the song is called “Nothing Else”. You might better know Matthew West from a song called “Next Thing You Know”. His CD called History is one of my favorites and today’s song is an honest reflection on the journey to find happiness. Here are some of the lyrics to Nothing Else.

I tried money I got as much as I could and I went to the store And I bought it all But it wasn’t enough ’cause I wanted some more But my house was full So I bought a bigger house and filled it up And there I was with all that stuff And empty.

Been there. Done that. Just took the t-shirt in a bag of other stuff to Goodwill. We have so much stuff at our house. Other Christians are so convinced that God is angry over one or more of the top 10 sins on their personal countdown (gay marriage, alcohol, et al). I have a deep burden that He is most unhappy about our lack of commitment to His Lordship and our lack of giving in the midst of incredible wealth. If you go through Scripture you will find that Jesus is described as Savior 16 times. Jesus is described as Lord of our lives over 400 times. God’s Word talks about Jesus as Lord 96% of the time and describes Him as Savior 4% of the time.

I would suggest that we have it all backwards. I would guess that we talk about Jesus as Savior 96% of the time and reluctantly talk about Jesus as Lord about 4% of the time. I believe that because I have done exactly that for most of my Christian journey.

I want the Savior part of Jesus. I desperately wanted to be reconciled to God. I knew He was Holy. I also knew I was not. I wanted to spend eternity in heaven. But making Him Lord of my life is another story. That takes sacrifice. I have to give up control. I have to surrender to the Holy Spirit. I can tell you that control and surrender don’t sleep well together. How can the God of the universe who created the amazing complexity of life know what career move is best for me? I had better take control of that. Silly, isn’t it? But human nature is to want a savior…not Lord.

Matthew West nails the essence of our often futile pursuit of happiness in the chorus of Nothing Else.

Nothing else can take the place of You Nothing else can take the place of You

A very simple concept. A very difficult application. Matthew West, like most of us, tried something else.

Still I try friendship I called everyone I knew And invited them over for a party They ate all the free food And they told me how much they loved me But when the food was gone My friends were gone And there I was all alone And empty

So take the place The place of You And fill this space The way You do I’m tired of searching Those days are through So take the place It’s made for You Not friends or money or alcohol None of these things, believe me You can try them all Not status Not success I know none of these things will ever bring true happiness

Realizing the simple truth of these powerful lyrics can save you years of frustration. Nothing else can take the place of Him. I have tried. I am convinced of that simple statement. We were created to be in fellowship with God and nothing short of that satisfies. You can try other things. But just remember that God will be patiently waiting when you figure out that nothing else can take the place of Him.

The shuffle landed on a song today that I had already written about in the last series. I went back and read that piece, and unfortunately, it still works. So here is a solid gold flashback…

The tune is called Clumsy and it is written and performed by one of my favorites, Chris Rice . You can find the song on the CD Deep Enough to Dream. How interesting that the third song in the shuffle series is my anthem for my Christian journey. ESPN’s Chris Berman signature line for a football blooper is “rumbling, stumbling, fumbling”. That would have been how I described my Christian walk until I found this song. Here are the lyrics from Chris Rice that I could have written if I had any musical talent or ability to write lyrics. Those were the only two obstacles that kept me from writing this song. 

You think I’d have it down by now
Been practicin’ for thirty years
I should have walked a thousand miles
So what am I still doin’ here
Reachin’ out for that same old piece of forbidden fruit
I slip and fall and I knock my halo loose
Somebody tell me what’s a boy supposed to do?

I have been practicin’ for 38 years. So I should be a couple of hundred miles farther than Chris Rice. And I have the exact same frustrations. What am I still doing here? Why do I keep reachin’ out for that same old piece of forbidden fruit? The lyrics continue…

I get so clumsy
I get so foolish
I get so stupid
And then I feel so useless

To quote Bill Murray in Stripes…”and then depression set in”. This is not a new issue. Paul wrestled with the same problem as he addressed the church in Rome.

• It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.  (Romans 7,  NLT)

But there is good news to be mined in our stumbling, bumbling, clumsy journey. Somehow God’s amazing grace patiently moves in our lives through all of this clumsiness.

But You’re sayin’ You love me
And You’re still gonna hold me
And that You wanna be near me
‘Cause You’re makin’ me holy
You’re still makin’ me holy, yeah

As I look back over three decades I see frustrating missteps. But I also see subtle and real growth in many areas of my life. I am better than I used to be and not nearly as holy as I desire to be. Chris Rice unveils the key to stumbling your way into His presence someday.

From where I stand
Your holiness is up so high I can never reach it
My only hope is to fall on Jesus

That is so simple and yet so difficult for us to live. Paul had some real encouragement immediately following the bleak picture he painted above.

• So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power[a] of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

No matter how clumsy or foolish or stupid I might be in my attempts to follow Jesus there is exceedingly good news. If I fall on Jesus and follow the Spirit there is no condemnation. And I no longer feel so useless.

I have never understood opera. My entire exposure to opera until just recently was from Bugs Bunny. Everything I knew about opera was from “What’s Opera, Doc?” and “The Rabbit of Seville”.  To go from Elmer Fudd singing “kill the wabbit’ to having opera music on my iPod is an amazing transformation. Sadly, I haven’t gotten more sophisticated or cultured. My budding interest in opera came from an unlikely source.

Today’s iPod shuffle landed on a song that I couldn’t even spell a month ago. The song is called Nessum Dorma and it is from the final act of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot. Believe me, I had to Google that bit of info. I also found out that the song has been a signature of famous Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti who, ironically, passed away today. Nessum Dorma is Italian and translates to “let no one sleep”. But the reason this music popped up on my iPod was not the song but the singer. A British mobile phone salesman named Paul Potts has moved me from Bugs Bunny to Puccini.

If you don’t know the story Paul Potts auditioned for the TV show Britain’s Got Talent this season. The American version of the show recently finished it’s run with ventriloquist Terry Fator from nearby Mesquite, Texas winning the competition.  A friend clued me in to the Paul Potts story. Potts auditioned for the show wearing an ill-fitting sport coat. His appearance was non-descript and his demeanor shy. The judges (including the acerbic Simon Cowell) were openly skeptical when Potts announced he was going to sing opera.

And then he opened his mouth to sing. If you haven’t seen this amazing moment you can click here to watch.

I had chills listening to this unlikely talent sing. And I wondered how often we make the same mistake in the body of Christ that the show judges made in their initial judgment of Paul Potts. We look at the outward appearance and decide. You don’t look the part. You don’t fit the profile. We are looking for someone better looking or more outgoing or more engaging. You could tell from the judges sideways glances that they had already decided about this unassuming man.

And then he opened his mouth to sing.

God has given all of us a vital role in the body of Christ. Lord, forgive me that I have judged your people before I took the time to see how you have gifted them to serve You. Paul (the Saint, not the opera singer) realized that every part of the body is vital.

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.  Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12, NLT)

Later in the passage Paul summarizes his analogy.

If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

It is so easy to value the wrong things. So natural to gravitate toward the funny and the attractive. I am guilty. I am sure that God has put people like Paul Potts in my midst and I looked right past them to someone that is more in my image. I pray that I will be sensitive through His Holy Spirit to look for the gifts and talent in every part of the body of Christ. You will never know how God has gifted one of His Children by simply judging their appearance. Straight-shooter and toe-stomper James says it this way:

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?  (James 2, NLT)

Feel free to be direct, James. But I need to hear that straightforward truth.  I pray that I can begin to see the body of Christ as God sees them. Valuable. Worthy. And all one in His Spirit.

The return of the iPod Devotionals starts with a song by James Taylor. The shuffle landed on a classic by Sweet Baby James called “You’ve Got a Friend.” It is an appropriate place to restart the iPod Devotionals because friends have been on my heart and mind more than usual this week. Life is hard. Good friends are a big part of making it to the finish line successfully. Taylor’s lyrics resonated with me after returning from seeing friends in California.

Ain’t it good to know you’ve got a friend.
You’ve got a friend.

Ain’t it? Real friends are a treasure. I hope I don’t insult your intelligence if I remind you it was 17th century French classical author François La Rochefoucauld that wrote, “A true friend is the most precious of all possessions and the one we take the least thought about acquiring.”

That is too often true. Joni and I have many good friends and that is a blessing. But you will have just a handful of real friends. Friends that you can tell anything or say anything and not be rejected. We have just a handful of friends in that category. Relationships like that take time. It takes investment. And I think you have to go through a variety of experiences together to really go to the next level of friendship. You don’t really know a person until you go through adversity with them. That is not something you can plan or force.

This past weekend Joni and I were incredibly blessed to spend the weekend with friends like that. We go back a long way with Ed and Judy Underwood. Ed is now a pastor at Church of the Open Door in Glendora, California. If you live in that area and don’t have a church home please check them out. It has been over twenty years since the Underwoods left Texas to pursue God’s calling. Kids, craziness and life in general caused us to lose consistent contact for a time. When we reconnected it was like hitting the play button on a paused movie. We just picked right up with the rhythm of our friendship. Regular readers of the humble ramblings might have a glimmer of recognition hearing those names. I wrote about my friend Ed in an earlier blog as he battled a setback related to his lymphoma cancer. God mercifully spared my friend to live and serve. He is doing both well.

Henri Nouwen captures the heart of friendship that goes beyond backslappin’, watching football and telling bad jokes.  

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving much advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a gentle and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.” 

I love the New Testament story of the man who was paralyzed and his friends were trying to get him in front of Jesus. They cared. When they couldn’t get in the door they cut a hole in the roof and lowered him down to Jesus. The Lord was moved by the man’s faith (and the faith of his friends) and He had mercy on him. What strikes me is how Jesus addressed the man.

He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.”  (Luke 5, NASB)

Jesus still calls men friend when they simply humble themselves in faith. I used to sing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” in my little hometown church. Jesus is indeed a friend that will never desert me. Jesus also knew that we needed earthly friends to help navigate this often difficult journey. James Taylor summarizes the importance of those friends.

Hey, ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend?
People can be so cold.
They’ll hurt you and desert you.
Well they’ll take your soul if you let them.
Oh yeah, but don’t you let them.

Satan would like nothing more than to use the hurts and difficult people in life to take our very soul. Don’t you let them. Lean on Jesus. Pray for friends. Most importantly, be a friend. You will likely be disappointed and even hurt along the way. But finding that small number of real friends is worth it. All friends are a blessing. Real friends are a treasure. I will wrap this up with a quote from one of my sentimental favorites, the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life”.

Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.

This weekend Joni and I felt like we were very successful indeed. And blessed beyond measure.

Today was to be the renewal of the iPod Devotional Series. But a sick canine friend makes a trip to the vet today’s priority (nothing life threatening). So please be patient with another gently read preview.

Regular readers of these humble ramblings remember a daring effort called the iPod devotional series. It was daring because I would hit the random shuffle feature and write about whatever song came up in the sequence. Because of my weird music tastes the concept was fraught with potential peril. My marginal integrity was challenged when a song by Toby Keith appeared on the screen but I gave it a shot. Today’s song is called Watching You by country singer Rodney Atkins. The song is reminiscent of a very poignant song by the late Harry Chapin called Cat’s in the Cradle. That song piled guilt on a lot of Dad’s in the 80’s, myself included.

Atkin’s song recalls his shock when his little boy drops a mild expletive after spilling his drink. The horrified Dad demands to know where he heard such language.

He said, I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?
I’m your buckaroo, I want to be like you.
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad
I want to do everything you do.
So I’ve been watching you.

The incident may be humorous but the principle is sobering. Our children learn far more from watching their parents than they ever do from listening to them. This little boy demonstrates that if they do listen it will usually be at the wrong time!

The song goes on to detail a great response to his son’s revelation that he picked up that language from someone very close to him.

We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said, “Lord, please help me help my stupid self.”
Just this side of bedtime later that night
Turnin’ on my son’s Scooby-doo nightlight.
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees.
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
Spoke to God like he was talkin’ to a friend.
And I said, “Son, now where’d you learn to pray like that?”

The answer is obvious. He was watching Dad as he bowed in humble repentance before the Lord. It took me awhile to figure out that my sons were watching even when they appeared disinterested or even distant. Thanks to a wonderful Mom and a lot of grace we have been blessed with three awesome sons. I have asked them to tell me what I did right and I also asked what I could have done better. Their answers were instructive. First, some positive things that our sons noted.

• We picked our battles carefully. Middle Son Scott told us that when we were passionate about an issue he knew it was important to us. We extended grace on most issues. For example, my wife graciously allowed the boy’s rooms to be a bit less tidy than she would have preferred. She knew that was not a battle worth fighting. She simply closed the door to their rooms and prayed for patience and for no rodents to nest.
• We prepared them to leave. Children are a gift that are entrusted to us for eighteen years or so. It is our job to prepare them to be independent and functional adults.
• We tried to model our faith during trials. When our daughter was born with a terminal birth defect we determined that our response would reflect how faith relates to life and especially to hard times.
• We learned to say “I was wrong” and “I am sorry”. Parents must model that for their children.
• We carefully monitored friends.
• We tried to adapt to their unique design and not try to force them into our personal dreams.
• We attempted to innoculate them to sin. An innoculation is a controlled exposure to disease that builds up immunity to that malady. We felt that sheltering our sons from the world would not prepare them to live successfully in it.

But nothing is more important than simply living what you are saying. They are watching. They start out wanting to be just like us. For new parents and future parents there is no more important lesson than recognizing how carefully your children are watching you.

If your kids are grown or nearly grown let me offer a word of encouragement. I did a few things right but I also did some things very poorly. All three sons wished I had worked less and been home more. So do I. But love really does cover a multitude of sins. They have forgiven me for being absent too often. I hope they will learn from my mistakes as they begin families. If you feel you need to reconcile with your kids I would encourage you to do that today. Grace is amazing and redemption is always possible in Jesus.

Paul addressed the church at Thessalonica. He was trying to describe how he attempted to communicate with the believers there. It is instructive that Paul chose the example of parents twice.

As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

Later Paul makes this comparison.

For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children…

And how does Paul describe those dealings? He says that they communicated like a father that is “encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory”.

That is a pretty good roadmap for a father to follow. Be encouraging. Comfort your child. And urge them to live lives worthy of God. There is no fooling them because they are watching you. Always.