Spring

A robin appeared in our yard today. That’s not so unusual. It’s spring after all. What made it special is that for the past few weeks we’ve put up the bird feeder filled with a mix of sunflower and other seeds.

The finches were the first to visit and it didn’t take long for the feeder to become a popular site with them. The red-breasted males and the dowdy females come often. They turned out to be rather sloppy eaters, ignoring anything other than the sunflower seeds and even those piled up at the foot of the tree beneath the feeder.

More recently the pigeons came. Unable to perch on the feeder itself, they found the ground seeds easily and abundantly accessible. A more elegantly feathered pigeon perched on the wall behind and seemed to watch regally the goings on.

Finally the robin appeared.

I’m sure we’ll see others birds as the summer progresses. It’s the nature of birding. And we’re enjoying the flocking and the feasting of our fine feathered friends.

Our visitors seem to tussle and feed, come and go, wait and swoop their turn. We’ve yet not figured out the pattern or the pace. All those gathering, sooner or later, seem to have a turn.

The same is true when we come to visit at the table of the Lord. Some come sooner and others later. We all have an opportunity to be feed. Ultimately, it’s what we take on that becomes the feeding. An Easter and Christmas visit will get you only so far it seems. But even the late comers will be feed. Jesus said that in the parable of the merchant hiring in the court yard late in the day.

We will be fed. It’s just that getting to the feeder early seems to have its advantages. A longer time is better.

On Fire for the Lord

My wife and I have been enjoying our fireplace this winter. It turns out she is a better fire builder than I am - despite all my camping experience.

She had some sage advice for building log fires. First, she got the logs closer than I had them. Next she blew on them real hard and got a blazing fire going.

My fires, in contrast, would flare dramatically for a while, then smolder and die an early death. My wife got it going and kept a bright flame going all evening long.

She "'lowed as how" (a Southern expression) the trick is to get the logs closer together. That keeps the flames going.

Isn't that how we want to be with the Lord? Closeness to God, rich close fellowships with brothers and sisters in Christ. On fire for the Lord.

A log does not ignite, flame and burn long by itself. It’s being close that counts.

Cookies: A Simple Gift That Says “Thank You”

Each year, Rodeo Baptist Church (Richards Ave. at Rodeo Road) bakes cookies. No, this is not a church fundraiser. Members of the church bake and distribute homemade cookies to Santa Fe city, county and hospital employees as a way of saying “thank you” for the services they provide. Thank you, Rodeo Baptist, for representing the love of Christ to our community.

Magnets

You’ll remember playing with horseshoe magnets. When held one way they attract each other. When flipped, they repel. That fascinated me when I saw it as a boy. It was such a natural phenomena, both the attraction and the repelling.

Magnetic north makes sense once you’ve seen that. The compass became the navigational tool and ended a reliance on the stars. It was one of those things the Chinese came up with first.

We’ve recently had fellowship with some friends. We love these folks and sometimes, like flipped magnets, we disagree on some things. We can’t agree on everything all the time it seems. I guess we’re all aware of both the attraction and the repelling in those situations. Jesus, of course, would always have us be in the attraction, in love. In His prayer to the Father, He said as much. It is proof Jesus’ being sent by God the Father, He said.

In our world you have to give it your best in handling the natural and occasional repelling. I just tell myself – keep going - agree to disagree - don’t let it go to deep - trust in the Lord and not your own understanding. Get to the attraction. That’s the good thing.

Our Big Magnets, of course, is the Lord. We need to stay with that attraction.

How Jesus did it on the cross, I couldn’t even imagine. But thank God for the redemption.

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17:20-21 NKJ

Our Turn

We've had the pleasure of being around a couple of baby boys recently. We’ve enjoyed them immensely. It's been wonderful to seeing them literally begin their walk in life. I watched as they worked their mobility, crawling on their knees, wobbly on their legs but determined and with resolve.

The same day I was in the greeting card shop. They have cards for every age - from these toddlers to juniors to seniors. I was struck by how life’s spectrum was displayed there in the card rack. As I perused the selection, I was aware that each age has its opportunity. Those little boys on their wobbly legs were taking on their life’s task for little ones. Us old guys are off to the building site, the office - whatever it is.

So many times, I’ve excused myself because of my circumstance. It’s only when you don’t take it on that things begin to atrophy. These young boys were a lesson in Keep-Taking-It-On. You see them up one second and falling the next, crawling and reaching out, exploring, grasping.

The one big advantage Christians have is that HE does it with you. And at the very end HE takes you home with HIM. Our job is to not stop heading towards HIM on our wobbly little boy legs.

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.… KJV

Harbingers of Spring

There have been countless harbingers of spring these last few days. The trees are especially alive with blooms. Every branch is filled with multiple spring flowers.

When sweeping the floor there appeared a few petals in our house. Ah-ha, intruders of spring, I thought. They were a welcomed delight.

I remembered then, a few short months ago, finding a cricket in the house. He stopped chirping as I got close but he couldn’t keep himself silent if I waited. He was easily found and helped out doors. I remembered how the little fellow felt like an intruder, and at the time, my thoughts were not nearly as generous.

At times the Lord speaks to us that way, little intrusive thoughts. I remember when the Lord blesses me and I respond with a heart felt “thank you.” I remember, too, the chastisement of the Lord. Those “thanks yous” are always a little harder to voice. Quite often, those intrusive thoughts of the Lord, some would say “from the Lord,” are among the things that fill our lives with His glory and His goodness.

We are blessed to have those intrusions, whether they be flower petals or chirping crickets. We are especially blessed with the Lord's gentle grace and the Lord’s reprimand as they become apparent.

A life in Him in the only life worth living.

Where Would We Be Without Easter

An argument against Christianity has always been that anyone can live a moral life without Jesus. Anyone can be a good good person without the Lord. But there is a simple question here; Why?

Well, because it works better for everybody…
Because by getting along, we prosper…
Well, because – well because …

All that is true but for all this to work we’d need “buy in” from everyone.

The advantage that Christianity has above all human philosophy and all other religions is Easter. A man demonstrated His divinity by predicting, then demonstrating His transition from life to death and from death back to life.

And if you believe Him and live the life he prescribed, you can do the same. So we've dared ask ourselves…

Where would we be without Easter?

Resolve

I have been thinking about the New Year coming up. So many fun things to try and to do. Simple things, like dance every day. Profound things, like pray every day.

I heard someone say recently, “You do the right things because God is watching you.” I guess that’s still true but less true than when I was younger.

The way I would like it to be is that I do the right thing because God dwells within.
My New Year's resolve is to try to make it more that way.

"But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us." 1 John 4:12

Merry Christmas

I watched the morning’s snowflakes drift past my office window. An inch of new fallen snow remained from the night before and a walk was irresistible. I made my way to the mailboxes creating first time, lone footprints.

As I approached the boxes, other footprints joined me. The closer I got, the more footprints. Mine soon became indistinguishable. I was part of the mailbox community now.

On making my way back, all was reversed until my own footprints were traced back.

I gave some thought to my neighbors and their mailbox ritual. We work in an average American neighborhood. Most of us are undoubtedly Christians as most Americans are. Most of us would have wished each other a Merry Christmas. Probably none, including the non-Christians would object to a “Merry Christmas” greeting.

Yet the Christmas greeting is already a thing of the past. Even the bell ringer for Salvation Army would not say “Merry Christmas.” The post office cancels our mail with “Happy Holidays” and no Christmas catalog will refer to Christmas. We attended a Winter Music Festival even though most of the music was Christmas. When the Buddhists are successful we’ll have “Gifting Day.”

Alone again in the office, I began thinking about how we come together for Christmas. We give gifts because he gave Himself. It’s the best in us that is Christmas.

So from our family to your family and to all of mankind…Merry Christmas.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son... John 3:16

Packing

When it comes to packing luggage there are two kinds of folks: There are the “you might gonna need it” types and the “ya don’t need to have it” kind.

My mother-in-law used to all the former “packing like a peddler.” The latter was can be defined as the “travel light” crowd.

I used to be the “do without it” kind and would end up somewhere needing a jacket that was hanging in the closet back home. On the other hand, my wife has always packed what might be considered excessively. But, somehow, she always ended up with something that I really appreciated if not really needed.

Over the years I’ve gotten to packing more and she’s gotten to packing less.

The one bad thing, though, is going through security. Anyone who’d mistake Miki for a terrorist – well that’s another story. Her bags will be scrutinized at almost every stop. She’s learned to take out the little children’s paper scissors she travels with and they always decide it’s not an implement of destruction.

Jesus had a parable about packing. Five virgins are described as wise and five foolish. The five wise had packed taking what they needed.

Matthew 25:1-13
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'

"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'

" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.