The Ballad of Peachtree Street

Peachtree Street with her tall trees skirted in emerald ivy, strings itself through Atlanta's downtown as if she were a secret kept only for those parched and weary of concrete and glass buildings. I walked her way last week and knew I was amidst the sacred, the preserved part of a city whose towers no longer remember their roots. And as I ambled past cafes and patios polka dotted with black bistro sets I marveled in the culture, the variety, the vastness, the couture of God's creation. Then I saw them--spaced apart like park benches--they lay here and there, unnoticed. A part of the landscape to the buzzing administrative assistants, the graphic designers and marketing researches, they went unnoticed and unregarded. Homeless. Without a place to go, without money to get there, without purpose, they dozed at noon while others hurried past to grab a bite to eat before returning to the business hub. Broken lives wasted--this is the ballad of the homeless man on Peachtree Street. When Jesus had fed the masses--a miracle to all who witnessed this act--he made a statement that always penetrates my spirit. "Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted." (John 6:12) Of course he's talking about bread and fish here, but to me it says so much more. When I think of those men and women, hair long, faces brown with weather and lives void of purpose, I can't help but think when were they broken? Once they were whole and somewhere along the way things happened and they were left discarded as useless, no longer worth picking up and taking home. And then I consider the lives of those who I know and love. I think of the broken pieces of a life torn by abortion, the remnants of a life torn by death. I recall the shreds remaining when marriages end and children and wives are left to sift through the rubble. I'm nauseous at the reality of alcoholism and drug addictions that leave in their wake only debris, debris and more debris. Broken pieces. And there are moments when I want to shake my fist and swear and ask, why? Why? WHY? I want to shout out, "This isn't fair." And Jesus says, "Gather up the broken pieces...so that nothing is wasted." Nothing is wasted. I have not lived out the greatest heartaches. I'm certain there are those that measure far deeper than my own, but of those that I have seen there is one thing I am certain: God does not waste our pain. He does not discard our grief. He does not cast off our hurt or our confusion or our sorrow. He gathers with hands that are skilled and gentle healers. He binds. He knits together. He multiplies. He soothes. He redeems. He renews. He brings a light into the darkest recesses of our pain and causes life to emerge from the places that have suffocated our spirits and left us for dead. Our God never leaves those places. He does not. I know when His Spirit passes the path of Peachtree Street He calls out to those sunken frames that huddle on sidewalk and corner, "You are mine and you have purpose. You have value and you have My Love." And when His Spirit passes the deep places of our own hearts He sings the song of restoration, "I heal the brokenhearted and bandage their wounds." (Psalm 147:3) Pray with Me: Father, You are the binder of the broken and the healer of the hurting. You are the restorer. Will you take the pieces, Lord, that I see before me and restore life to them. Return to them your original purpose that they would again have use in a world where hope seems an intangible theory. You are the God of hope. You are hope, Lord. I believe you will restore and I ask that you would grant me faith and patience as I wait to see your plan unfold. Amen. Read with me: Isaiah 61 Psalm 147

Speechless

Speechless. Without audible uttering. Unable to form communicable words with one's tongue. Though for some it may be difficult to believe, I have found myself in this predicament a time or two. The birth of my sons--their slow motion arms and legs stretching skyward and their lifesaver red lips forming tiny ohs as they made their entrance into the world--left me utterly overwhelmed and without words. A yellow topaz ring I had admired for over a year presented in the hands of my husband to me when I thought he hadn't realized how much I loved it also found me unable to form verbal expression. A friend just yesterday told me how her husband had left her sleeping while he crawled from bed blurry eyed and dazed and headed to Wal-Mart for their 5 AM Black Friday sale to pick up their children's Christmas gift. When she realized she had overslept she dashed from bed clamoring to get dressed in hopes there might be a few of the prized items left when her husband casually said, "It's okay. I already got it." Speechless! A husband who braved the insanity of Wal-Mart on black Friday...alone! Wow. My question today is have you ever been left speechless by God? Poor Zechariah and Elizabeth don't get a lot of air time what with Mary and the baby Jesus' story only verses after their own tale of miraculous pregnancy and birth. Here were two righteous and obedient children of God who found themselves unable to bare a child. Scripture doesn't tell us of their emotions about the lack of children, but as a mom, I know that at some point in her life Elizabeth must have groaned and wept into her pillow with the longing for a child. And I wonder if anyone shared with her in her pain. I wonder if at some point she and Zechariah came to the understanding that God was sovereign and remained good despite the reality that He had not blessed them with a child of their own. So often the things withheld from us are not for our pain but for God's later glory and if we can hold onto that truth during the barren season we somehow position ourselves to fully grasp and enjoy the blessings of God when they are poured into our lives. I wonder if Zechariah and Elizabeth understood that. Now Gabriel appeared to Zechariah while he was in the holy place and tells him he is going to have a son. Naturally Zechariah is not a little surprised and certainly has some questions. My pastor pointed out that unlike Mary who when told she will give birth to the prophesied Messiah of her nation simply asked, "How can this be since I've not been with a man," Zechariah asks for some sort of a sign to prove its truth. Interesting comparison. Mary accepted what the angel said as true and simply wondered about the practical "how" God would accomplish this. Zechariah on the other hand wanted proof that what the angel said was in fact true--a sign. So often I still want to ask God for confirmation signs. I won't go there today theologically, but I do want to say that sometimes when I notice a pattern of asking God for confirmation signs it's an indicator that I'm struggling with weak faith. God's Word is clear that living out belief in what we do not tangibly see is a part of the follower of Christ's daily life. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence not seen." (Hebrews11:1) "The righteous shall walk by faith." (Habakkuk 2:4) Jumping ahead a moment, while Zechariah is chatting with Gabriel Luke 2 says "Now the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder why he was delayed in the holy place." I love that little sentence. So often when we are meeting our destiny, when we are discovering the greatness of God's plan for our life--people on the outside looking in have no idea what is going on. It's never convenient when God drops in and changes everything, but it's always right. Zechariah was busy doing what he was supposed to do. So often I get caught up in thinking perhaps I need to do something different for God to speak to me. Listen, when God wants to interrupt our daily routine to have a little chat, I can without hesitation promise you He'll have no problem getting our attention. Remember the writing on the wall? The burning bush? The baby floating in a basket down a river? The talking donkey? For busy moms and dads who are just thankful to get ten minutes of quiet time before the Lord a day, the idea of spending a sacred hour or two before the Lord each morning prostrate before Him is almost laughable at times. If you are able to do that regularly, then I commend you. But if you aren't I pray that you know that your God loves you so intensely, so radically, so emphatically that when He's ready to do something major in your life, you'll know it. Our job is to remain faithful with the stewardships God has given us--to obey. And when we do feed our spirits, then we need to make sure that we feed them with the milk and honey of God's Word and not other things. Now backing up again to verses 19 and 20, Gabriel answers Zechariah's request for a sign like this, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God..." It's as though he's saying, "Hello! You may not have noticed I'm an angel! You know that God you are making offerings to right here in the Holy Place? Well, I stand in his presence everyday! Trust me, when I tell you you are going to have a baby. You're gonna have a baby!" Here's the thing--when we do get the burning bush experience we need to respond in faith. Everything that angel told Zechariah lined up with the prophecy of God's Word and Zechariah being of priestly lineage definitely would have known God's Word. We should always test things against the truth of God's Word and when it lines up, we need to line up too and obey in faith. Then Gabriel says to Zechariah, "because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place." And there you have it. God sends an angel to tell Zechariah his life is fixing to be changed forever and Zechariah is so shocked he wants proof that God's really going to do this great thing. I can almost hear God saying, "Zechariah, buddy, I'm God. I can do ALL THINGS. When I move in your life, when I act, it'll leave you speechless." Most theologians agree that he was probably also left deaf because of the fact that later on when asking for the name of the baby, the people made signs to Jon to ask the question. I can't help but wonder if God's whole point in leaving Zechariah deaf and mute was simply this: if we don't listen to the message of God delivered by his servants our hearing is of no use to us. And when our lips utter words of unbelief, they too are of no value. But more than anything, I think Zechariah was left speechless by the power of God at work in his life. Zechariah was a good man. He obeyed God. He served God. And he struggled with believing the unbelievable. I can relate to that. What prayer or petition of your heart is something so impossible that it is difficult to believe God will work in that situation? The answer to that question my friend is likely the very situation where God desires greatly to leave you speechless. Speechless not because you couldn't believe He'd work, but speechless at His power and His might and His faithfulness when He does move. I have a list of barrens--the situations and circumstances in the lives of my friends and family that seem impossible. Trust me, I've got some doosies on that list. I bet you do too. And I am specifically taking those before God and saying, "Lord, leave me speechless. Show your power. Show your might. I don't see how, but I believe, Lord. I believe." Will you pray that with me? "God of wonder, Lord of the barren wastelands in our lives, you see all of these situations. You already know they exist and have a plan that incorporates them in our lives for your glory. God we believe you can work. We believe you are able. Lord, we're not kidding when we say that we believe some of these circumstances are literally impossible, but God with you all things are possible. We stand on that truth today. We line up behind it and we beg of you, leave us speechless. In Jesus' name we ask. Amen."

Destined for Greatness

"A lot of people are born into greatness, but being great is really a choice." The minister of worship made this statement recently during a Sunday School class and I've been chewing on it all week. Destined for greatness. What a phrase! Look at Moses, Abraham, Esther--all heroes of the faith--all destined for greatness. Yet in each of their lives, they were confronted with the life-changing, history-making, be great or be forgotten choice that ultimately allowed them to fulfill their destiny. Moses had to choose to confront Pharaoh, Abraham had to lay his son down before God on an alter of sacrifice and Esther went before her King at the risk of personal death. They chose to be great. Of course there are others--ones who's destiny was also one of greatness, but, their choices prevented the fullness of their destiny from materializing. Lot's wife opted to look back when greatness lay before her. Saul's legacy as the first King is overshadowed by his multiple attempts to kill David out of fear and jealousy. Even Moses was prevented from entering the very land he helped bring the Israelites upon proving one can be great and have been greater still. What really resonates with me is that generally it's not the big moments that bring us to greatness. Greatness is a series of stair step little decisions that bring us to the next level in our lives. Had Moses of maintained his faith in God instead of repeatedly questioning and doubting, He would have entered the promised land. Despite his overall obedience, in day to day living, he chose to doubt God's worth. Every single choice we make is determining who we become and too often we are so busy that we don't even realize the significance of the small choices we make. Now before you start to think I'm wanting to write motivational articles for a living let me tell you what I think. The idea that we are all destined for greatness can be somewhat misleading because of it's various connotations. It might be more clear to say we were all destined for worship. And a life lived in a steady state of worship will inevitably be characterized as a great one. I've always heard that our singular purpose on earth is to bring God glory and I have believed it. Lately though, I've been mulling over this idea and God has been helping me to flesh out the concept of worship being as natural as taking in air. Louie Giglio in his book The Air I Breathe writes "Worship is our response, both personal and corporate, to God--for who He is! and what He has done! expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live." It's a mouthful, I know, but powerful stuff. Since my memory is about as good as a plugged toilet I had to simplify Giglio's masterful definition into something a little less gourmet. Simply put, worship is acknowledging God's WORTH-SHIP. In every single area of my life, every conversation, every step of action, every choice, every thought I will either worship God or worship something else. But make no mistake, worship will take place. In that, I have no choice. We were made to prioritize. We will always put something on the thrown of our lives. Giglio opens his book with these words, "You, my friend...are a worshiper! There, I said it. Every day, all day long, everywhere you go, you worship. It's what you do. It's who you are." And in truth, that is the very crux of greatness. Who and what we worship will determine the measure of our greatness both in this life and more importantly in eternity. Let me offer some very practical scenarios to put a little flesh on the bones of this idea. Last Sunday morning before church a few things happened (isn't this always the case on Sundays) that left me more than a little frustrated. When my husband came into the room and offered an apology I had a choice--right then and there, before church ever began. Would I worship God or my anger? Is God worth more to me than my silly grudge? If so, then I've worshipped Him. If not, then I've still worshiped by exalting my own anger above my Heavenly Father. A couple months ago we had company and put on a movie. Not two minutes into the movie it was clear the content was completely inappropriate. I was ready to turn it off and normally we would have immediately, but we had company. What would they think? Would they be offended--think us holy-rolling, Bible-thumping, boring duds? Who did we worship? The opinion of our friends? Or would we acknowledge loud and clear that the very God who died to pay for those things portrayed in that movie is worth far more to us than the opinions of man? What about the food I eat? With every bite I put into my mouth, I worship. What about the music I listen to? With every note that rings, I worship. What about the words I speak? With every sound that takes flight off my lips, I worship. The thing is that as I make the conscious choice to worship God I become great. I don't mean great in a prideful sense. But God's will and plan for our lives is for our absolute best and when we choose daily in the little things to worship God, we take steps to greatness. Every single time I obey God's Word, I proclaim with greater volume than any worship chorus the worthiness of God. I lift Him up. I place God in the forefront of my life, my priorities. And in that place, there is protection and safety. When He receives my surrendered choices, God is free to work through me. He is free to renovate and restore my less than perfect life and He is glorified. This is true greatness. There is not more in this life that I could hope for. Paul already talked about all this in Romans 12:1. "Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices--this is your spiritual act of worship." Every time I choose to sacrifice my priorities, my desires, my plans for God's desire, I have worshipped. What God seems to continually be reminding me is that when I'm disobedient I'm no longer worshipping Him. Living a life of Godward worship is as simple as obeying what He has clearly shown me in His word. Don't hold grudges. Be patient. Be gentle. Be self-controlled. Forgive. Forgive again. And Again. Love. Love people. Love unlovable people. Of course these things can be summed up in passages like "Love the Lord you God with all your heart soul and strength and love your neighbor..." but that can be vague. I need to know that when I speak in anger to one of my children I have ceased to worship God. I need to know that while "Oh God you are my God, and I will ever praise you" sings its way through my car's stereo system and I honk my horn at the slow-poke in front me I have ceased to worship God. I need to know that when it's midnight and I'm not hungry but I eat anyway, I've ceased to worship God. Do you follow me? Worshipping God is constantly choosing over and over again in every little area of our lives to say God you and you alone are worth more to me than anything else. That simple. That simple. Paul goes on in the third verse of Romans 12 to say "For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment..." My life will tell the story of who I thought most highly of--God or me. The decisions I make daily will tell long before I ever speak a word myself. It's no wonder Jesus said in Luke whoever is least among you --he is the greatest. In Isaiah we read, "These people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Every time I read those words my heart is pricked with the reality of its contents. How often is my heart so far from God though I would proudly proclaim to the world I am a worshipper? How often would the decisions of my day whisper like Peter the night he denied Christ, "I don't know the man." Perfection isn't what I'm talking about, but what I am saying is that a heart that is near God, a heart that loves Him will reveal itself daily without the mouth ever uttering a word. Paul said later on in chapter 12 of Romans "Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good." True love cannot be a hypocrite. If I love God, the world will know it. And if I love God, I'll choose daily to worship Him. And if I choose daily to worship Him, then greatness is inevitable. Not the kind of greatness that brings me glory, but the kind of greatness that says, "I'm a worshipper. Everything I do is because of Him. Everything I do is enabled by Him. Every aspect of my love is sheltered by Him. Everything good that I've experienced has come through Him. God. God. God. It is He who I praise. He who I proclaim is worthy-- worthy of all of my trust, all of my affection. King of kings and Rock of the Ages. God is worthy." Before the instruments have been tuned, before the microphones have been turned on, before my lips have parted, may mine be a life that sings the tune of God's worthiness. There could be nothing greater. Nothing greater. Listen: Heart of Worship How Great is our God This is the Air I Breath