“Mommy guilt” is a trendy phrase going around used to describe what mothers feel when they elect to put their children in childcare and pursue careers or other interests.

But there’s a different kind of mommy guilt that’s been around for a long time.  Anyone who has felt the anger of the lady of the house can tell you all about it.  It can be verbal with sentences that start out, “You never…”

Or, it might be manifest through the clanging of dishes and pots coming from the kitchen region.

Or, it could just be the vicious nonverbal assault of a browbeating.

It’s biblical too.

Jesus and seventy of his closest followers had been making their way to Jerusalem (Luke 10).  They came to town called Bethany where a very kind woman named Martha welcomed them into her home.  As Martha invited Jesus to make himself comfortable, she went and prepared food for everyone.

All who were there, especially Martha’s younger sister Mary, were spellbound to Jesus. They were hanging one his every word.  But it grew increasingly hard to hear what Jesus was saying because of all the noise coming from the kitchen.

Suddenly, Martha burst into the room.  Everyone turned.  “Is it time to eat?” someone asked.  Seeming to ignore the question, Martha pushed through the room toward Jesus. 

Glaring at Mary, then quickly doing her best to smile at Jesus, she said, “Lord, I know everyone’s hungry, and you guys are going to love my hummus, but things would go a lot quicker if Mary could give me a hand.”  She glared again.  Everyone in the room could feel her heat.  It was awkward.

Jesus smiled and pulled Martha over to the side.  “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your hospitality,” he said, “and I can hardly wait to taste your hummus, but what you just did risks making all your hard work in vain.”  Jesus turned back toward the room and smiled at everyone especially Mary.  “See your sister over there?  While you’ve been working, she’s had the opportunity to get to know me a little better.  And that’s the best thing that could possibly ever happen!”  Mary went back and finished up.  And her hummus was a total hit!

Avoiding these kinds of situations is at the heart of what the Apostle Paul was referring to when he said,


“Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.” (2 Corinthians 1:24, NIV)

The goal and purpose of all our work, ministry, serving, even cooking, is people’s joy!  This will cause us to avoid any word, any actions, or even any look that could possibly lay the guilt on.  By working for their joy, we provide the means to allow them, like Mary, to get to know Jesus better, and to allow the Lord to do for them what He’s done for us!  It may not make your work less, but it will change the way you do it.  Might even make your guacamole a hit.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
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Amazing Sighting

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“Deer!” yelled my friend as he suddenly slowed the truck down.

“Where?” I asked, looking out the truck’s window.

“There!” he answered as he pointed. “Whoa! They’re big!  And there’s a buck!   Now that’s an amazing sight!”

I looked but saw nothing. “Where do you see them?” I asked, now a little frustrated.

“Look right over there” he said with an impatient sigh (as if I were such a wildlife slacker), but now being more specific as to the location.  Sure enough, there were four does and one big buck standing there looking at us.

Ever had something like this happen to you…somebody sees something that you can’t? Or, you’re seeing something that others can’t?  Either side of the equation is frustrating.  The Apostle Paul experienced this. 

The Holy Spirit was showing Paul unbelievable things.  He was shown how amazing God’s grace and justification were. He saw how God was now sovereignly including the Gentiles in His great plans and purposes.  But when he told people about what he was seeing, they didn’t get it.  So he would say things like…


“I pray that your eyes are focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers.” (Eph 1:18, The Message)

It’s like God was yelling through Paul and others in the Bible, “Whoa! Did you see that?!”  But unlike my friend, God isn’t impatiently pointing in the general direction wondering why we’re such slackers, but by His Spirit inside of us, He pulls down the mirror over the visor and has us look at ourselves, “Look right over here.  Now that’s an amazing sight!!!”

My friend. My teacher. My encourager. My dad.

Shunned!

The Office’s Dwight Schrute enjoyed using the Amish technique of shunning people who were guilty of some kind of infraction.  Although I laugh when I watch this clip, something about it reminds of how people in the church treat others who have messed-up or fallen.

We can wrap with all sorts of holy sounding language, like “holding them accountable,” or “stepping them down,” if we’re honest it’s really just shunning. I once heard a leader use the verse, “godly sorrow produces repentance” to justify being flat-out mean to someone under him who had sinned.

Condemnation, guilt, shame, never produces righteous results. Instead, they push people even further from God.  What’s weird is that there is a sick side to our souls that actually likes condemnation.  We feel like we deserve it, and as the guilt and shame mount within us, we think that it’s all a part of the process of getting back on track, and reinstating our good standing with God.

That’s not the gospel!

I could quote tons of scriptures that point to the fact that those who are in Christ are fully and permanently justified and declared righteous, but the passage I want to go to is the familiar story of Peter walking on the water, falling, and being rescued by Jesus.

So much has been said, preached, written about this story, but one key part of it is hardly ever referenced.  It’s the part when Peter got back in the boat.  There was no browbeating.  No heavy sighs.  No, “You’re all wet!” Here’s all we’re told,


“And when [Jesus and Peter] got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.’” (Matthew 14:32–33)

I wish the church was more like that.  Somebody falls, Jesus saves them, they’re soaking wet from their mistakes, but they’re alive and the storm is over!  And as they come on board with us we worship God for how He saved them.  It reminds us of how he saved us, after all, we’ve all been wet at one time or another.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
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Formal Living Room & Lazy-Boys

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When I was in Junior High my folks bought a new home.  It was quite an upgrade from where we had been living.  It was bigger, in a better neighborhood; my brother and I had our own rooms for the first time.  It also had a formal living room.

The formal living room was beautiful.  My mom had all her best furniture in it, and it was spotlessly clean.  Special guests were invited into the living room, but it was basically off-limits to anyone else.  That didn’t bother us, because there was another room where we were totally welcomed.  It was called the den. 

The den had a color TV, a fireplace, a hide-a-bed couch, and an awesome Lazy-Boy recliner.  It had food friendly speckled brown carpeting.  The den was where our family spent all of our time. We ate together there and watched TV together there. We totally enjoyed that room! 

There are many people who believe in God, love God, worship God, serve God, and obey God…but never enjoy Him.  They refer to God in very formal ways, being exact with their doctrinal assessments, however little, if any, enjoyment is associated with him.

The shorter Westminster Catechism states,


The chief aim of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever

John Piper said it might be more accurate to say that: “The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.”  When we enjoy God, He is glorified through our lives.

David said,


Restore to me the joy of your salvation. (Psalm 51:12)

In other words, there is a joy associated with our salvation that can be lost, but it can also be restored.  There is a refreshing work of God’s Spirit that brings back the enjoyment and delight we have in God.  It removes the off-limits, stuffy formalisms that push everyone away.  It causes the things of God and God himself to be more desirable and more enjoyable.

Farewell @PatKlose and thanks! #escondidochristianschool

Nick Smith rocks! That is all. @thecenterchurch

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So Good We’re Boring

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After watching TV all day, Max von Sydow’s character in Woody Allen’s movie “Hannah and Her Sisters” remarked, “If Jesus came back and saw what’s going on in his name, he’d never stop throwing up.”

I think if he came back he’d fall asleep. So much of what is done in Jesus’ name is unexciting, monotonous, and lackluster. We’ve gotten good at operating in the safe zones. We’ve been lulled into a medium setting. We are invisibly beige.

We question the doctrinal veracity of anyone contending for something different. We are cynical of anything different or outside the norm. We have made a pulpit out of being right and a throne out of being homogenous. 

We’re so good we’re boring!

There have been moments when you’ve pushed against the stream of mediocrity, but real life and those living it quickly set you back in your place. Now a lot of the push in you is gone. You’re growing accustomed to really small things, and have even learned to act impressed with them.


It’s the small things that matter most brother! (heard in foyer)

But deep inside of you there is a sense that you were created for greater things. You sense the huge gap between what you see and what God’s word says. Instinctively you know there should be more.


“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12)

More. Bigger. Greater. Sounds like work, huh? NO! That’s the beauty of what Jesus is saying here. Just believe. That’s it, and that’s everything! You don’t have to do anything (that’s legalism!). You don’t have to prove anything (that’s religion!).

Your dreams, visions, hopes, aspirations are not out there somewhere, they’re right inside you because God lives in you. You don’t have to understand everything, you just have to be willing to make yourself available to the amazing things God has already prepared for you! They’re good, and far from boring.

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Whisper of Hell

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Somebody once said that the moment you step into leadership, a target is drawn on your back.  Any leader can attest to this.  With the position comes attack.  But for those who are in spiritual leadership positions, the target is not so much on their backs as it is in their ears.  And the attack is subtle; in fact, it’s just a whisper. 

Into the ear of every leader in God’s kingdom, the forces of hell quietly, subtlely, and unceasingly whisper…


Quit.

O the lies and distortion that come through this one little word!  It tries to convince the leader that what they are doing is futile, stupid, and that no one cares.  It causes a leader’s heart to swell with insecurity and discouragement.  It will entice the leader’s mind to dwell on past failures and disappointments, and give up on any vision for the future.

This is why Paul prays for us!

“I pray that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceedingly greatness of His power towards us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19)

When the whisper to quit, give up, or throw in the towel, comes from the foul lips of the enemy, having the ability to see three things is essential: 1) the hope of your calling, 2) your great value to God, 3) and the limitless power that is in you. 

“that you may know what is the hope of His calling”  God’s calling gives hope.  It is centered on hope.  God hasn’t chosen you to fail or succumb to attack.  He, who gives life and calls those things which are not as though they were, has called you!  

“what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”  You’re God’s great treasure.  You’re his valuable inheritance.  You’re the apple of his eye.  He chose you and loved you before you ever knew him.  That will never change! 

“what is the exceedingly greatness of His power towards us who believe”  You have God’s limitless power within you. Inside of you is the same spirit that rose Jesus from the grave.  No weapon formed against you can or will prosper. All of heaven is shouting for you to not quit, but press on, continue, and keep going.  Anything or anyone that says otherwise is lying…especially when it’s a whisper.