“Today” is obviously…today! Now and here! The moment! It’s the only time that we can actually live within and utilize our gift of choice. Am I making a choice in the present…right now…to glorify God and respond to him in whatever circumstances I find myself? Jesus soberly warns us about fretting and worrying about the unknown troubles and challenges of “tomorrow”—our earthly future. What are the challenges, and the opportunities, of this day. And…am I engaging them with a whole heart—hungry to learn whatever life-lesson the Father is apparently seeking to teach me as a disciple of Jesus? Is it to work? To rest? To give? To receive? To forebear? To confront? To yield? To resist? To pray? To play? To serve? To be served? To study? To reflect? To eat? To fast? To deny myself? To enjoy myself? To speak? To listen? To plan to act? To act? To go out? To come in? To cover? To expose? To laugh? To cry?
There’s obviously no pat formulated answer for any particular matter—for these are the rhythms of life in the moment. They are all potentially valid responses to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. And…we must learn to dance with our guide! A great human life is therefore a “guide-dance”. What a fantastic innovation and invitation the Father has given us in Christ. And Christ is in us to personally instruct us how to do the little steps that then become the art of the larger dance.
Oh, Father, teach us how to love and live by leaning into Christ who indwells and fills us with the Spirit!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Living for Two Days--Part 3
Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day…. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day!... Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Tim 1:12, 18; 4:8
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Mt 6:33-34
As I scan the Scriptures, (the two above are good examples) it seems to me that there are primarily two days that we are called to focus upon—“today” and “that day”.
“That Day” is the day that we will stand before the Lord to give an account for the life we’ve lived in this world. It’s a day that each one of us will be “rewarded” for what we’ve done with what has specifically been given to us by God…our time, talents and treasures…without reference whatsoever to what He has given to another. We have all been given a special human life to live—we cannot live another’s life and no one can live ours for us. I find that people often waste precious time and energy “fantasizing” about what their life would be like if they had another person’s superior circumstances. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence…especially if we lay down our tools, lean over the fence, admire our neighbors lot, daydream about owning their place and refuse to cultivate our own patch! Have you ever deeply celebrated being you and the life that God has given you to live? You are truly an amazing creature with amazing resources and opportunities—despite any of your limitations!
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Mt 6:33-34
As I scan the Scriptures, (the two above are good examples) it seems to me that there are primarily two days that we are called to focus upon—“today” and “that day”.
“That Day” is the day that we will stand before the Lord to give an account for the life we’ve lived in this world. It’s a day that each one of us will be “rewarded” for what we’ve done with what has specifically been given to us by God…our time, talents and treasures…without reference whatsoever to what He has given to another. We have all been given a special human life to live—we cannot live another’s life and no one can live ours for us. I find that people often waste precious time and energy “fantasizing” about what their life would be like if they had another person’s superior circumstances. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence…especially if we lay down our tools, lean over the fence, admire our neighbors lot, daydream about owning their place and refuse to cultivate our own patch! Have you ever deeply celebrated being you and the life that God has given you to live? You are truly an amazing creature with amazing resources and opportunities—despite any of your limitations!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Living for Two Days--Part 2
I am certainly not against the idea of preparing wisely for our futures (isn't this what formal education and working to earn money are essentially about?), but as I examine much of our culture and human nature, this proper kind of preparing for our future is easily morphed into a distracting, draining and lurking toxic anxiety about the future. I have even observed people who pray obsessively that is actually more of an expression of a paralyzing fear of living than of a genuine trust in God.
I don't think it's wrong to have a compelling and informing "vision" for our life, but I do know too many people who handle this in such a way that they seem to always be living "in the future"—unable to gratefully celebrate the goodness and beauty that is present and who have a weakness of wrongly "using" people to accomplish their "vision" that they are so aggressively pursuing.
Jesus, in his most famous sermon, included quite a few sentences regarding this matter of anxiety and worry regarding our uncertain earthly futures. I think we, in our modern culture, sometimes kind of pat Jesus on the shoulder, figuratively speaking, and say patronizingly, "Yea, Jesus, these are wonderful poetic thoughts about not striving to secure our life in this world…flowers and birds… and peaceful submission to the Father's providence and promised provision… and contentment and simply being 'present in the moment'. But come on, this isn't actually how you have ordained for us to live…is it?"
More and more, I have become convicted that this counsel is indeed nothing less than the genius of the Prince of Life on public display. Jesus is not messing with us. He is not being impractical. He is speaking sober words of truth that hold keys to the secret of living noble human lives for the honor of our Creator and Father. He is freely holding out to us the wisdom that leads to the kind of love, peace and joy that the people of this world are vainly paying billions of dollars and stepping unjustly on others to achieve.
Still more to come...
I don't think it's wrong to have a compelling and informing "vision" for our life, but I do know too many people who handle this in such a way that they seem to always be living "in the future"—unable to gratefully celebrate the goodness and beauty that is present and who have a weakness of wrongly "using" people to accomplish their "vision" that they are so aggressively pursuing.
Jesus, in his most famous sermon, included quite a few sentences regarding this matter of anxiety and worry regarding our uncertain earthly futures. I think we, in our modern culture, sometimes kind of pat Jesus on the shoulder, figuratively speaking, and say patronizingly, "Yea, Jesus, these are wonderful poetic thoughts about not striving to secure our life in this world…flowers and birds… and peaceful submission to the Father's providence and promised provision… and contentment and simply being 'present in the moment'. But come on, this isn't actually how you have ordained for us to live…is it?"
More and more, I have become convicted that this counsel is indeed nothing less than the genius of the Prince of Life on public display. Jesus is not messing with us. He is not being impractical. He is speaking sober words of truth that hold keys to the secret of living noble human lives for the honor of our Creator and Father. He is freely holding out to us the wisdom that leads to the kind of love, peace and joy that the people of this world are vainly paying billions of dollars and stepping unjustly on others to achieve.
Still more to come...
Living for Two Days--Part 1
Through the years, like you, I have been subjected to a lot of teaching from experts who have challenged me to plan out my life goals—to establish my 5-year and 10-year and 20-year plans. I have really tried to do this at times, but as I look back I realize how ineffective these exercises have been—at least for me. For a long time I lived with the sense of hyper-responsibility (even before God) that I had to discern my future and make wise plans for it. I also lived with a sense of frustration that I didn't have a comprehensive plan for my life and this actually hindered me at times from stepping out boldly to engage life "in the moment".
Looking back again, I realize that there was no way to plan for the multitude of unexpected twists and turns that God and this life have thrown my way. This is especially true as I think about my ministry path. So many matters that have deeply affected my "career" as a minister (I really never refer to ministry as a career—I believe that it's a vocation from God.) have been determined by events (good and bad), relationship dynamics, unanticipated divine guidance, other's choices (good and bad!) and the like that were far beyond my control to plan specific outcomes.
Ah yes…"control". Maybe our cultural and human biases toward grasping for a wrong "control" of life (often in the guise of our being responsible and wise) has skewed our popular teachings on planning our futures. (Side note: I actually wonder how many people gravitate to "prophetic" ministry because they subconsciously are thinking that if they know the future, then they can control the process of getting there? My experience with the genuine revelatory ministry of the Holy Spirit is anything but the negation of the need for trusting God with unknown elements of the future. It typically only intensifies the need to "walk by faith and not by sight"!)
More to come....
Looking back again, I realize that there was no way to plan for the multitude of unexpected twists and turns that God and this life have thrown my way. This is especially true as I think about my ministry path. So many matters that have deeply affected my "career" as a minister (I really never refer to ministry as a career—I believe that it's a vocation from God.) have been determined by events (good and bad), relationship dynamics, unanticipated divine guidance, other's choices (good and bad!) and the like that were far beyond my control to plan specific outcomes.
Ah yes…"control". Maybe our cultural and human biases toward grasping for a wrong "control" of life (often in the guise of our being responsible and wise) has skewed our popular teachings on planning our futures. (Side note: I actually wonder how many people gravitate to "prophetic" ministry because they subconsciously are thinking that if they know the future, then they can control the process of getting there? My experience with the genuine revelatory ministry of the Holy Spirit is anything but the negation of the need for trusting God with unknown elements of the future. It typically only intensifies the need to "walk by faith and not by sight"!)
More to come....
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
The Renewing of Strength and a Little Common Sense
last week in our small group meeting an experience i had years ago came up during our conversation. i hadn't thought about it for a long time and the leader of our group, John, thought i ought to write a blog about it to encourage those who tune in to what i've been writing these days.
i had a night vision/dream in which i saw myself over in the corner of a room all worn out and spent. then the Lord walked into the room, sat down in a big chair and looked across at me. i immediately felt very terribly ashamed and sheepishly confessed, "Lord, i'm all tired out and I don't have any strength left to offer to you". to my utter surprise, he laughed and said, "of course you don't, you have used up the strength that I gave to you. you have served me well and I am pleased with you. this is the way it's supposed to work--even youths shall faint and grow weary and young men shall fall exhausted. but do you have the courage and are you willing to come to Me to have your strength renewed--again and again and again? this is the only way that anyone can then run and not be weary and walk and not faint." [an obvious reference on the passage in Isa 40]
i realized in that moment that i had fallen under some false guilt and condemnation from the enemy of my soul who wanted to "shame me" to the point where i would be entirely drained of the boldness of heart i needed to simply and regularly ask the Lord for the strength to live a noble life of worship and service.
[the future responsibilites and challenges of life in this fallen world are often intimidating to me when i am imagining that i must engage them with the level of spiritual and physical energy and vigor i presently possess. but what if God provides fresh strength for me that is beyond me? what if this is "normal"? what if this is a regular rhythm of life ordained by a loving Father? of course he does, it is and he has. i've experienced it many many times, but i seem to forget these dynamics and lose a grip on my confidence in his coming provision when i'm worn out from yesterday's challenges. why am i so easily tricked into imagining that God is stingy and that he has only provided one dose of strength and that he expects me to live on it the rest of my life? maybe it's a daddy issue!]
in this very vivid experience, i found the courage and strength to make my way over to the Lord and climb into his lap--that was all he was requiring at that moment. he put his strong arms around me and his strength seeped into me as he held me close. the sense of shame melted off of my heart and i realized that the shame itself was something that had compounded my feeling of being so drained. [the required work of life is tiring enough. who needs the burden false guilt and shame added to it? surely, this has to be one of satan's greatest schemes.]
may the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father in heaven impart to us all the childlike boldness we need to ask for renewed strength again and again--as we need it. and may the Holy Spirit mysteriously reinvigorate us from day to day and season to season in divine response to our simple prayers. living out a genuine interactive friendship with the Trinity in real time doesn't have to be so complicated!
i had a night vision/dream in which i saw myself over in the corner of a room all worn out and spent. then the Lord walked into the room, sat down in a big chair and looked across at me. i immediately felt very terribly ashamed and sheepishly confessed, "Lord, i'm all tired out and I don't have any strength left to offer to you". to my utter surprise, he laughed and said, "of course you don't, you have used up the strength that I gave to you. you have served me well and I am pleased with you. this is the way it's supposed to work--even youths shall faint and grow weary and young men shall fall exhausted. but do you have the courage and are you willing to come to Me to have your strength renewed--again and again and again? this is the only way that anyone can then run and not be weary and walk and not faint." [an obvious reference on the passage in Isa 40]
i realized in that moment that i had fallen under some false guilt and condemnation from the enemy of my soul who wanted to "shame me" to the point where i would be entirely drained of the boldness of heart i needed to simply and regularly ask the Lord for the strength to live a noble life of worship and service.
[the future responsibilites and challenges of life in this fallen world are often intimidating to me when i am imagining that i must engage them with the level of spiritual and physical energy and vigor i presently possess. but what if God provides fresh strength for me that is beyond me? what if this is "normal"? what if this is a regular rhythm of life ordained by a loving Father? of course he does, it is and he has. i've experienced it many many times, but i seem to forget these dynamics and lose a grip on my confidence in his coming provision when i'm worn out from yesterday's challenges. why am i so easily tricked into imagining that God is stingy and that he has only provided one dose of strength and that he expects me to live on it the rest of my life? maybe it's a daddy issue!]
in this very vivid experience, i found the courage and strength to make my way over to the Lord and climb into his lap--that was all he was requiring at that moment. he put his strong arms around me and his strength seeped into me as he held me close. the sense of shame melted off of my heart and i realized that the shame itself was something that had compounded my feeling of being so drained. [the required work of life is tiring enough. who needs the burden false guilt and shame added to it? surely, this has to be one of satan's greatest schemes.]
may the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father in heaven impart to us all the childlike boldness we need to ask for renewed strength again and again--as we need it. and may the Holy Spirit mysteriously reinvigorate us from day to day and season to season in divine response to our simple prayers. living out a genuine interactive friendship with the Trinity in real time doesn't have to be so complicated!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Our Visit to the "Synagogue Church" in Nazareth
During our ministry trip to the Middle East we toured around Nazareth one day. The Church of the Annunciation was like a massive modern European cathedral to the second power—phenomenal art from many nations decorating the walls and very intriguing architecture. As we wandered about we came to a small medieval church structure that is supposed to be the site of the 1st century synagogue where Jesus entered after coming back from his wilderness temptation and read from Isaiah 61.
Luke 4: 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
The amazing thing to me was that despite all the pilgrims who were roaming everywhere around the site, no one came into this little stone church for close to 45 minutes while our team read from these scriptures and prayed for one another. I think we all had a sense in those minutes of being re-commissioned by the Spirit of God with essentially the same mission given to Jesus. As his Body, we are empowered to carry on his continuing work as his kingdom agents (sometimes even like secret agents!) in this broken world that he so dearly loves.
One of the points that hit us so powerfully that day was the fact that the people of Nazareth spoke so glowingly of Jesus after he read the above passage, but that just moments later they were so filled with rage against him that they tried to throw him down from the precipice of the hill upon which Nazareth was built (see actually saw this place as we initially drove into the area). What was it that drove these fellow townspeople of Jesus into such hatred and anger? It was Jesus’ decision to not bask in the praise they were heaping upon him, but to instead challenge the religious and ethnic pride that was hiding just beneath the surface of their conscious lives. Jesus had come to intentionally export the good news of God beyond the religious and ethnic boundaries that the Jewish people had artificially drawn around the love of God for all people groups (professed Christians of our day take note!). And to make his point, he didn’t even have to say that this was a new idea in the mind of God, but he simply referred to a couple of Old Testament stories that revealed that this kind of trans-nationalism has always dwelt in the Father’s heart.
Luke 4: 25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian." 28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
If I understand my geo-history correctly, the widow that Elijah blessed was a Philistine (a Palestinian! one of the very people groups our team had come to learn from and bless.) with 'bad theology' and 'bad blood' flowing in her veins. And Naaman… he was a pagan military commander! Jesus decided from the very start of his ministry that he was going to challenge head-on the racism and spiritual pride that lurks in our broken hearts and fallen minds.
The book of Luke goes on to tell the story of Jesus that can be viewed as an aggressive divine mission to bless people that the religious elite of his day viewed as cursed by God and ‘unblessable’. Following are the example from Luke’s gospel:
5.1f—Common fisherman chosen as apostles
5.12—A Leper
5.27—Levi—a tax-collector
5.31—Sinners and unrighteous who repent
5.33—Those who celebrate life (party-ers)
6.20f—The “beatitudes” of Luke—the needy, hungry, sad, rejected, slandered
6.35—Evil and ungrateful people
7.1—A Roman soldier
7.11—A dead boy and his mom (the dead seem really unblessable!)
7.36—A prostitute
8.26—An insane and demonized man
9.54—The Samaritans
11.31—The Egyptian queen
11.32—The Ninevites
14.15—The outcasts of society
15.1f.—One lost sheep
15.11—A wayward son who knew better
18.1—A persistent widow
18.9—A penitent tax-collector
18.15—Little children
19.1—A greedy tax-collector
20.20—People living under Roman occupation
And…we mustn’t forget…24.25—Unbelieving and doubting disciples. There’s still hope for me too!
Luke 4: 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
The amazing thing to me was that despite all the pilgrims who were roaming everywhere around the site, no one came into this little stone church for close to 45 minutes while our team read from these scriptures and prayed for one another. I think we all had a sense in those minutes of being re-commissioned by the Spirit of God with essentially the same mission given to Jesus. As his Body, we are empowered to carry on his continuing work as his kingdom agents (sometimes even like secret agents!) in this broken world that he so dearly loves.
One of the points that hit us so powerfully that day was the fact that the people of Nazareth spoke so glowingly of Jesus after he read the above passage, but that just moments later they were so filled with rage against him that they tried to throw him down from the precipice of the hill upon which Nazareth was built (see actually saw this place as we initially drove into the area). What was it that drove these fellow townspeople of Jesus into such hatred and anger? It was Jesus’ decision to not bask in the praise they were heaping upon him, but to instead challenge the religious and ethnic pride that was hiding just beneath the surface of their conscious lives. Jesus had come to intentionally export the good news of God beyond the religious and ethnic boundaries that the Jewish people had artificially drawn around the love of God for all people groups (professed Christians of our day take note!). And to make his point, he didn’t even have to say that this was a new idea in the mind of God, but he simply referred to a couple of Old Testament stories that revealed that this kind of trans-nationalism has always dwelt in the Father’s heart.
Luke 4: 25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian." 28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
If I understand my geo-history correctly, the widow that Elijah blessed was a Philistine (a Palestinian! one of the very people groups our team had come to learn from and bless.) with 'bad theology' and 'bad blood' flowing in her veins. And Naaman… he was a pagan military commander! Jesus decided from the very start of his ministry that he was going to challenge head-on the racism and spiritual pride that lurks in our broken hearts and fallen minds.
The book of Luke goes on to tell the story of Jesus that can be viewed as an aggressive divine mission to bless people that the religious elite of his day viewed as cursed by God and ‘unblessable’. Following are the example from Luke’s gospel:
5.1f—Common fisherman chosen as apostles
5.12—A Leper
5.27—Levi—a tax-collector
5.31—Sinners and unrighteous who repent
5.33—Those who celebrate life (party-ers)
6.20f—The “beatitudes” of Luke—the needy, hungry, sad, rejected, slandered
6.35—Evil and ungrateful people
7.1—A Roman soldier
7.11—A dead boy and his mom (the dead seem really unblessable!)
7.36—A prostitute
8.26—An insane and demonized man
9.54—The Samaritans
11.31—The Egyptian queen
11.32—The Ninevites
14.15—The outcasts of society
15.1f.—One lost sheep
15.11—A wayward son who knew better
18.1—A persistent widow
18.9—A penitent tax-collector
18.15—Little children
19.1—A greedy tax-collector
20.20—People living under Roman occupation
And…we mustn’t forget…24.25—Unbelieving and doubting disciples. There’s still hope for me too!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Profound piece on "goodness" from my friend John Gilman
The Sacrament of Daily Good
The eggs were good, the pancakes were above average, but the conversation and company were outstanding.
I had breakfast with ministering friend Phil Maslin a few weeks ago. He is an artist and produces beautiful work in several mediums. One is photography and he has turned some of his photos into greeting cards he sells at a few local outlets or gives to friends. While we met, he gave me a set and as I looked at them I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the cards, and equally overwhelmed that he would give away something so beautiful. I was holding a flower of his heart grown through great love, talent, and labor. Then I thought, rather than hide his flowers because he can’t make a lot of money off of them or become famous, he was giving them for whatever blessing they could be to the recipients. I realized: “Wow, this is how much of the good is done in the world—not in some world-changing action that divides history, like Jesus’ death and resurrection, but also in the daily, year-after-year, hardly noticed, acts of love people do!” I was overwhelmed thinking of all the good that Phil has accomplished bit-by-bit and piece-by-piece through years of giving beauty to his friends. The cards symbolized many acts of kindness, integrity, service, confessions, and thoughtful conversations with his friends. As we talked, I learned that he was studying a book, Irresistible Influence, to learn how to better love the people he knows.
None of us will change the world by some heroic act or stunning teaching, like Jesus, but—like most of his original followers: farmers, carpenters, barbers, homemakers, bakers, tax collectors, soldiers—we many, we happy many, incrementally change the world of the people around us with good and beauty, and that is a great good.
Her full nature … spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. … the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs. (Dorthea in Middlemarch by George Elliot)
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Paul, Galatians 6:10).
… let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Jesus, Matthew 5:16).
While praying recently, it struck me that almost all of our friends are doing all the good they know how to do. I was overwhelmed with the beauty and preciousness of that. I would name all your names, all you Georges and Joans and Toms and Marys and Dorises and Ruths and … and … but I cannot because the list is too long—plus, I would weep.
Praising your Father in heaven, John.
John Gilman
The eggs were good, the pancakes were above average, but the conversation and company were outstanding.
I had breakfast with ministering friend Phil Maslin a few weeks ago. He is an artist and produces beautiful work in several mediums. One is photography and he has turned some of his photos into greeting cards he sells at a few local outlets or gives to friends. While we met, he gave me a set and as I looked at them I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the cards, and equally overwhelmed that he would give away something so beautiful. I was holding a flower of his heart grown through great love, talent, and labor. Then I thought, rather than hide his flowers because he can’t make a lot of money off of them or become famous, he was giving them for whatever blessing they could be to the recipients. I realized: “Wow, this is how much of the good is done in the world—not in some world-changing action that divides history, like Jesus’ death and resurrection, but also in the daily, year-after-year, hardly noticed, acts of love people do!” I was overwhelmed thinking of all the good that Phil has accomplished bit-by-bit and piece-by-piece through years of giving beauty to his friends. The cards symbolized many acts of kindness, integrity, service, confessions, and thoughtful conversations with his friends. As we talked, I learned that he was studying a book, Irresistible Influence, to learn how to better love the people he knows.
None of us will change the world by some heroic act or stunning teaching, like Jesus, but—like most of his original followers: farmers, carpenters, barbers, homemakers, bakers, tax collectors, soldiers—we many, we happy many, incrementally change the world of the people around us with good and beauty, and that is a great good.
Her full nature … spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. … the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs. (Dorthea in Middlemarch by George Elliot)
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Paul, Galatians 6:10).
… let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Jesus, Matthew 5:16).
While praying recently, it struck me that almost all of our friends are doing all the good they know how to do. I was overwhelmed with the beauty and preciousness of that. I would name all your names, all you Georges and Joans and Toms and Marys and Dorises and Ruths and … and … but I cannot because the list is too long—plus, I would weep.
Praising your Father in heaven, John.
John Gilman
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