Field Notes On The Jesus Way

A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read. – Mark Twain

Reading has been a passion of mine all my life. I read between two and three hours every day. I thought I would break down some of my favorite reads for the last year.  Not all of these were published in the last year, but I read them in 2022. I will list the title, the publisher’s summary, and a comment or two.

The Good and Beautiful You, by James Bryan Smith

The Christian faith is not only about belief and practices, it is also about the kind of people that we become. Yet some of the biggest barriers to our transformation come from our toxic self-narratives. These narratives shape the way we see ourselves and the way we interact in the world. God designed us with a deep longing in our souls to be wanted, loved, alive, and connected to God. Healing our souls requires more than knowing what God thinks about us. Our healing comes not through reason alone, but through revelation.

My comments…

Identity is one of the fundamental elements of a healthy spiritual life. Get this wrong and it will throw off the entire trajectory of your life. It is one thing to know in your head that God loves you, it is an entirely different matter to believe it in your heart. Down deep—where the knobs are. This book helped me not just know something intellectually, but to engage in practices that made knowing it in my heart a reality.

The Language of the Birds, by Amy Nemecek

According to legend, the language of the birds was a mystical language God used to talk with Adam and Eve when he walked with them in the garden of Eden. Amy Nemecek listens for this divine dialect as she communes with God on her walks along country roads and creek banks, through forests and hayfields. She observes the world around her with expectation, knowing that God still speaks to us as he is at work making all things new. If we have ears to hear, we can catch snippets of his grace in the watercolor silhouette of a bird, the thrum of a tractor engine, the tang of a grapefruit, and the curvature of an ampersand. Amy doesn’t want to miss any of it, so she remains attentive to the smooth grit of beach sand, the tendrils of a nebula, and the steady gaze of a fossil. She delights in the details, and you will too.

My comments…

Full disclosure: Amy is a friend of mine, but that only heightens my love for this collection of her work. Amy has a way of using personification of inanimate objects that makes word pictures come alive for me. I lost my mother in November of 2021 and then I read Amy’s A Grief Preserved almost exactly a year after my mother’s death and it brought to life memories of my mother canning fruit in the kitchen and making homemade preserves that my heart of sorrow felt seen and heard.

Liturgy in the Wilderness, by D.J. Marotta

What you pray . . . shapes what you believe . . . shapes how you live. 

The Lord’s Prayer is a beautiful, subversive passage of words given to the church by Jesus. It forms our imaginations and—given time—transforms us. And today, we are in desperate need of renewed imaginations. Christians are living in a wilderness of secularism. The historic Christian faith is seen as absurd at best and dangerously oppressive at worst. Followers of Jesus must begin to imagine life as a faithful minority who are ever seeking to subvert what is evil with good, what is hateful with love, and what is corrosive with nurture.

My comments…

I have been leading my congregation through this prayer at the end of our worship services for years. I wonder if I intuited that what we pray shapes what we believe and how we live. What I love about this volume is that there is an emphasis on the subversive nature of ritual for getting into our spiritual bones to change us. The change is slow and steady, but change, nonetheless. I gave copies of this book away for gifts this holiday season.

The Remarkable Ordinary, by Frederick Buechner

Learn to see God’s remarkable works in the everyday ordinary of your life.

Your remarkable life is happening right here, right now. You may not be able to see it – your life may seem predictable and your work insignificant until you look at your life as Frederick Buechner does.

Named “the father of today’s spiritual memoir movement” by Christianity Today, Frederick Buechner reveals how to stop, look, and listen to your life. He reflects on how both art and faith teach us how to pay attention to the remarkableness right in front of us, to watch for the greatness in the ordinary, and to use our imaginations to see the greatness in others and love them well.

Pay attention, says Buechner. Listen to the call of a bird or the rush of the wind, to the people who flow in and out of your life. The ordinary points you to the extraordinary God who created and loves all of creation, including you. Pay attention to these things as if your life depends upon it. Because, of course, it does. 

As you learn to pay attention to your life and what God is doing in it, you will uncover the plot of your life’s story and the sacred opportunity to connect with the divine in each moment.

My comments…

We lost Mr. Buechner last year at the age of 96. It was a sad day for me. I have been reading him for years. He, like Eugene Peterson, had become a literary and spiritual companion for me. What I love about Buechner’s writing is how unflinching it is. He talks about his father’s drinking and eventual suicide in such honest ways that you can tell those elements in his life dynamically impacted his life and he learned from that impact. There is such intelligence and insight in his writings that I don’t know I have ever read a work from him that I didn’t feel the need to look more closely at my life and learn from the defeats and victories found there.

A Burning in My Bones, by Winn Collier

Author Winn Collier was given exclusive access to Eugene and his materials for the production of this landmark work. Drawing from his friendship and expansive view of Peterson’s life, Collier offers an intimate, beautiful, and earthy look into a remarkable life.

For Eugene, the gifts of life were inexhaustible: the glint of fading light over the lake; a kiss from Jan; a good joke; a bowl of butter pecan ice cream. As you enter into his story, you’ll find yourself doing the same – noticing how the most ordinary things shimmer with a new and unexpected beauty.

My comments…

This book wrecked me. Other than my own father, Eugene Peterson has had the largest impact on my vocation as a pastor. You have heard the cliché, WWJD? I often imagine ‘what would Eugene do?’ I have read and re-read almost all of his books. This particular book about his life was an incredible encouragement to me. The author doesn’t shy away from Eugene’s shortcomings. I know that is a good thing, but it was a little uncomfortable for me to see my vocational hero as a real person. Uncomfortable, but healthy. I enjoyed this biography more than Eugene’s own memoir, The Pastor. I suppose most of that is due to the gifting and skill of the author, Winn Collier. I highly recommend this book.

Rembrandt Is in the Wind, by Russ Ramsey

Did you know Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting during his lifetime and that during the last three months of his life he completed an average of one painting every day?

Did you know that Michelangelo’s David is covered in a dusting of human skin?

Did you know Caravaggio murdered several people while he was painting some of the most glorious paintings of biblical scenes the world has ever known?

Rembrandt Is in the Wind by Russ Ramsey is an invitation to discover some of the world’s most celebrated artists and works, while presenting the gospel of Christ in a way that speaks to the struggles and longings common to the human experience.

The book is part art history, part biblical study, part philosophy, and part analysis of the human experience; but it’s all story. The lives of the artists in this book illustrate the struggle of living in this world and point to the beauty of the redemption available to us in Christ. Each story is different. Some conclude with resounding triumph while others end in a struggle. But all of them raise important questions about humanity’s hunger and capacity for glory, and all of them teach us to love and see beauty.

My comments…

I only endured art appreciation classes in college. I had no real interest in the great artist of history. The older I get the more art has come to be an integral part of my growth as a human being. Now poetry and art are essential for my life. Rembrandt is my favorite artist of all time, but Van Goh is right there. The integration of art and faith of these masters was fascinating for me. I didn’t feel that the author was too heavy-handed in his exposition of the faith of these artists. I learned many things about these artists that I didn’t know and found them to be quite inspiring.

A World Lost, by Wendell Berry

In this, Wendell Berry’s fifth novel and ninth work of fiction, Andy Catlett revisits his own ninth year in the summer of 1944 when his beloved uncle is shot and killed by the surly and mysterious Carp Harmon. This is his Uncle Andrew, after whom the boy is named, someone who savored “company, talk, some kind of to–do, something to laugh at.”

Years later, still possessed by the story, Andy seeks to get to the bottom of all this, to understand the two men and their lethal connection.

My comments…

Wendell Berry, Cormac McCarthy, and Marilynne Robinson are my favorite living fiction writers. I am not sure if Berry has moved ahead to take the lead in that triumvirate. His commitment to place and character and language is unparalleled. He has the unique ability to be profound, eloquent, funny, and poignant all in the same sentence. I found myself smiling, wondering, and feeling deep sadness all at the same time as I read this little novel. There is one paragraph so profound about the impact of presence to change the moment and thus change our lives that I lifted it from the page and pasted it in my journal to remind myself of the power of presence to change lives in the pastoral context.

The Other Half of Church, by Jim Wilder and Michael Hendricks

Why does true Christian transformation seem fleeting? And why does church often feel lonely, Christian community shallow, and leaders untrustworthy? For many Christians, the delight of encountering Christ eventually dwindles – and disappointment sets in. Is lasting joy possible?

These are some of the questions Michel Hendricks has considered both in his experience as a spiritual formation pastor and in his lifetime as a Christian. He began to find answers when he met Jim Wilder – a neurotheologian.

Using brain science, Wilder identified that there are two halves of the church: the rational half and the relational half. And when Christians only embrace the rational half, churches become unhealthy places where transformation doesn’t last and narcissistic leaders flourish.

In The Other Half of Church, join Michel and Jim’s journey as they couple brain science with the Bible to identify how to overcome spiritual stagnation by living a full-brained faith. You’ll also learn the four ingredients necessary to develop and maintain a vibrant, transformational community where spiritual formation occurs, relationships flourish, and the toxic spread of narcissism is eradicated.

My comments…

I was ordained to the ministry in 1984, and the process of my own growth and the spiritual growth of others has been my life’s work. How do we become more like Jesus? For sure, the process is slow and incremental. Always has been. The Apostle Peter we see in the Gospels and the one that wrote 2 Peter hardly seem to be the same person. But it took a lot of time, pain, and cooperation with the Holy Spirit for the big fisherman to change. I can relate. This book brings modern science along with sound biblical practices to bear to demonstrate how spiritual growth is possible.

This Here Flesh, by Cole Arthur Riley

“From the womb, we must repeat with regularity that to love ourselves is to survive. I believe that is what my father wanted for me and knew I would so desperately need: a tool for survival, the truth of my dignity named like a mercy new each morning.” 

So writes Cole Arthur Riley in her unforgettable book of stories and reflections on discovering the sacred in her skin. In these deeply transporting passages, Arthur Riley reflects on the stories of her grandmother and father and how they revealed to her an embodied, dignity-affirming spirituality, not only in what they believed, but in the act of living itself. Writing memorably of her own childhood and coming to self, Arthur Riley boldly explores some of the most urgent questions of life and faith: How can spirituality not silence the body, but instead allow it to come alive? How do we honor, lament, and heal from the stories we inherit? How can we find peace in a world overtaken with dislocation, noise, and unrest? In this indelible work of contemplative storytelling, Arthur Riley invites us to descend into our own stories, examine our capacity to rest, wonder, joy, rage, and repair, and find that our humanity is not an enemy to faith but evidence of it.

At once a compelling spiritual meditation, a powerful intergenerational account, and a tender coming-of-age narrative, This Here Flesh speaks potently to anyone who suspects that our stories might have something to say to us.

My comments…

I am still processing the profundity of this book. I can’t remember being moved quite like I was while reading this book. The depth of insight at such a young age is staggering. I am only hopeful that she will continue to write. It is a little unsettling that someone so young could write so profoundly without living very many years of pain and sorrow. Why is she “getting it” when it took an old white guy like me decades to scratch the surface of her wisdom? A very provocative and moving book.

When Narcissism Comes to Church, by Chuck DeGroat

Why does narcissism seem to thrive in our churches?

We’ve seen the news stories and heard the rumors. Maybe we ourselves have been hurt by a narcissistic church leader. It’s easy to throw the term around and diagnose others from afar. But what is narcissism, really? And how does it infiltrate the church? 

Chuck DeGroat has been counseling pastors with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as well as those wounded by narcissistic leaders and systems, for over 20 years. He knows firsthand the devastation narcissism leaves in its wake and how insidious and painful it is. In When Narcissism Comes to Church, DeGroat takes a close look at narcissism, not only in ministry leaders but also in church systems. He offers compassion and hope for those affected by its destructive power and imparts wise counsel for churches looking to heal from its systemic effects. 

DeGroat also offers hope for narcissists themselves – not by any shortcut, but by the long, slow road of genuine recovery, possible only through repentance and trust in the humble gospel of Jesus.

My comments…

I wish this book didn’t need to be written. I wish this book didn’t get so personal with me. I wish for a lot of things. Chuck’s work with pastors and ministry leaders and his wise insight has helped me to see the pathology in my own soul and how to detect it in others. He also gives a depth of insight on how to heal if you have been harmed by a ministry narcissist. Sadly, this book needs to be read by church boards and search committees in every gathering of saints in our country today.

Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs, by Steve Cuss

You can learn to handle the onslaught of internal and external pressures

Does anxiety get in the way of your ability to be an effective leader? Is your inability to notice when you and those around you are anxious keeping you “stuck” in chronic unhealthy patterns? In Managing Leadership Anxiety, pastor and spiritual growth expert Steve Cuss offers powerful tools to help you move from being managed by anxiety to managing anxiety. 

You’ll develop the capacity to notice your anxiety and your group’s anxiety. You will increase your sensitivity to the way groups develop systemic anxiety that keeps them trapped. Your personal self-awareness will increase as you learn how self gets in the way of identifying and addressing issues. 

Managing Leadership Anxiety offers valuable principles to those who are hungry to understand the source of the anxiety in themselves and in the people with whom they relate. Listeners will be empowered to take back control of their lives and lead in mature and vibrant ways. 

My comments…

Understanding systems theory has greatly helped the author to give powerful and profound guidance to churches and ministry organizations. I have invited a group of local pastors to read this with me in our town and discuss this book amongst ourselves and then take the principles back to our respective churches to try our best to create a non-anxious presence for the gospel to take root. I highly recommend this book.

Well, there you have a few of my favorite reads this last year. I am going to list some other titles below that I didn’t have space to write about, but nonetheless had an impact on my life this last year.

Everything Sad is Untrue, by Daniel Nayeri

The Color of Compromise, by Jemar Tisby

Finding Quiet, by J.P Moreland

Letters to a Young Congregation, by Eric Peterson

In the Name of Jesus, by Henri Nouwen

In Praise of Paths, by Torbjorn Ekelund

The Lord is my Courage, by K.J. Ramsey

Jesus and John Wayne, Kristin Du Mez 

Happy reading,

joe

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. – Saint Paul

During this holiday season, many of us are looking forward to having family around a table for a meal. This meal has to potential for great joy and great sorrow. Great joy because when families gather there are shared stories and experiences. There is the possibility of great laughter and warm affection. The memories of Christmas past and the hope for Christmas future.

But great sorrow because since we are all broken human beings, we bring our brokenness to that same table. Unresolved family wounds can threaten to disrupt the warmth of the meal with an unwelcome chill. There are elephants that come to dinner at almost every holiday meal. And by elephants, I am referring to topics that are at the table that everyone hopes no one will bring up.

There are probably as many off-limit topics as there are families, but I would just remind you of three that seem to be common these days: Politics, faith, and egos.

This year around our table there will be those that voted for and defended Trump. But there will also be those who voted for Biden and marched in protest of Trump. And there will be some who didn’t vote for either. There will be those who celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade and there will be those that are still morning that Supreme Court decision. There will be those who defend and champion traditional family values and those who believe those traditions need to be jettisoned sitting at my table.

Maybe we should inform everyone that there will be no politics discussed during the holidays. But is that a healthy way to deal with the elephant in the room? As host of the meal that is happening in my home, should I insist on a moratorium on political discussions?

I will not make such a decree, but I will personally abide by this truth: relationships are more important than politics.

Would someone please pass the gravy?

Another topic that might divide us is faith. There will be two Southern Baptist preachers sitting at opposite ends of the table—my father and me. But there will also be two people that I love who do not consider themselves Christians. And there will be people that I love who are practicing a non-evangelical form of faith.

For many people, there is very little daylight between their faith and their politics. And because faith is very personal and subjective, when our faith and politics are overlayed, it feels very personal if one of those is challenged. But here is the reality: Relationships are more important than faith. Because without a relationship there can be no viable faith.

Would someone please pass the cranberry sauce?

Then add to this mix unchecked egos and things could get ugly—like grandma’s sweater. There will be people whom I love sitting around my table that enjoys being teased about almost anything. It is their love language. And there are people that will get defensive at the slightest suggestion of someone putting them in an unflattering light no matter how light-hearted.

Wounded egos will be sitting at the table—including my own. One of the best balms for those wounds is to learn to laugh at me. To laugh at me, with you.

Arguing without listening to the other person about these sensitive issues is an indicator of an inflamed ego. The compulsion to have the last word in a disagreement is a sign of an enlarged sense of self-importance. The lack of curiosity about why a person would hold a position that is different than my own is the mark of an ego-dominant person.

Arguments always require two stubborn people. If you are in a tug-of-war over an issue, there is always a surefire way to end the war. Let go of the rope. So, I remind myself that relationships are more important than winning—at anything.

Would someone please pass the pie?

This holiday season I wonder if God’s presence might be experienced in all relationships. What if our walk is Spirit-filled but in a quiet, unassuming way? What if we committed to loving every person sitting around our table with the same love given to us by the God who is love? What if we modeled compassion, patience, and silence?

When someone around the table says something that triggers us, what if we prayed the prayer Jesus prayed when he hung on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  Or even “Father, forgive them, for they know EXACTLY what they are doing”?

What if we committed to offering the guests in our home and around our table a love so deep and wide that it causes them to wonder about the source of that love? What if we asked authentic questions about the heart and souls of those around our table? What if we said, “I love you and am so glad you are here.” What if we said that in our words and with our countenance? What if grace were something more than what was said before we ate our prime rib?

Love God and love those around the table. For it is in relationships that faith, hope, and love can flourish.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end. (1 Corinthians 13 MSG)

I will tell you what I want for Christmas this year, I want to live out the truth of those words about love around my table.

Would someone please pass the wine? Communion wine, that is.

He shall judge between the nations,
    and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2:4

This is a vision of a world put back together and restored to pre-fall status. This is a picture of a just world. Isaiah is pointing to the day when God steps into this broken world to heal it, and restorative justice will triumph. The truth will prevail, wrongs will be made right, and God will stand up for all of the kicked down and trampled upon of all history. God will arbitrate for many peoples.

And on this great day—peace, shalom will win the day. This day weapons will be transformed into different uses. This day will be a day when humanity will forget how to harm each other. 

My brother is an antique dealer. He has told me that part of his job is to explain to modern people what some of the old collectibles were actually used for. When we purchased Mr. Davis’s home, he left several antiques and I would take pictures of them and send them to my brother and ask, “What is this and what was it used for?”

Isaiah is telling us that there is coming a day when we are going to come across a bomb, or a drone, or an AR-15 and ask God, “What is this and what was it used for?”

But if I’m honest with you, when I read these words there is a haunting voice in the back of my mind that says, “In a world dominated by typhoons and terrorists, how can I take this ancient prophecy seriously? How can you believe these words after watching the evening news?”

Then louder than that haunting voice of cynicism is the still small voice of the transcendent God of the universe that says, “Jesus is how you can take those words seriously.” Because Jesus is this great future. God promises a glorious tomorrow entering into our broken, dark, and divided today. For those of us who trust Him by faith in this life, that will be our destiny.

Steve Hoekstra was my first youth pastor and my friend for decades. Steve and I would go cross-country skiing together when I was a teenager. We led scores of backpacking tips for high schoolers together in the 80s and 90s. We have hiked hundreds of miles together in the wilderness. I called him Woolybooger or Hook.

He became a lead pastor then he went to work for our denomination of Colorado Baptist. One time he told a group of college summer interns that he considered me his pastor. I was caught off guard and humbled.  

On countless trails above timberline and in alpine meadows, Steve and I would talk about what heaven might be like, and we both agreed that heaven would have several fourteen-thousand-foot peaks and high alpine lakes with lots of cutthroat trout.

I went for a long hike last week and took a picture of Mt. Princeton and texted it to Steve with this message, “Steve…I’m out for a walk on the BLM land beside my house and thought of you and our many walks in the wild for nearly 50 years and I thanked God for our long friendship. I prayed for you out here in the wild, old friend.”

Steve texted me back, “Glad I was there with you.”

Woolybooger died this week.

I imagine Steve hiking into the New Heavens and the New Earth. And maybe he’ll walk down the trail and come upon a woman who has a wagonload of roses. He reaches to get one and discovers there are no thorns on those roses and says, “Ma’am, where did you get these roses?

“I grow them out there in the desert.”

“What?” Steve asks.

“Haven’t you heard? The Lord reigns in Zion. And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as a rose.” (Isaiah.35:1)

A little further he walks down the street and steps into to a pet shop. There, Steve hears a man say, “I want to buy that cobra for my little boy.”

“What?” Steve asks.

“Didn’t you know? The Lord reigns in Zion. And the lion shall eat straw like a lamb and the sucking child shall lay upon the nest of the snake.” (Isaiah 11:8)

Little further he asks a man, “Where is your police department?

He’ll say, “We haven’t got any!”

“Well, where are your soldiers and military academies?” asks Steve.

“Haven’t you heard? The Lord reigns in Zion! And they have beat the swords into plow shares and their spears into pruning hooks and the nations have learned war no more!” (Isaiah 2:4)

“Well, what about the home for crippled children?”

“We don’t have any. And the lame shall leap in that day.”  (Isaiah 35:6) The Lord reigns in Zion!

“What about your home for the deaf and dumb?”

“Don’t have any of those either!” “The tongues of the dumb shall sing in that day. And the ear of the deaf shall be unstopped in that day. (Isaiah 35:6) The Lord reigns in Zion!”

Maybe Steve asks, “I want to go to your hospitals and visit some of your cancer patients.”

“We don’t have any.”

“You don’t?”

“No. Not since the Lord began to reign in Zion! The inhabitants in this land never say, ‘I am sick.‘”  (Isaiah 33:24)

“Well, what about your funeral homes and cemeteries?”

“Not any of those in this land. For the Lord reigns in Zion!”

“Well, where do you folks go to church?” Steve asks.

“We don’t have a church. Haven’t you heard? Up there has finally come down here and we all go up to the New Jerusalem and worship the great King!”

The Christian story is that God so loved the cosmos that he comes into it as a chubby-cheeked, dimple-handed baby boy in a backwater town, in a no-name country—to live among his creation and has promised that one day he will heal all of it and make everything sad come untrue.

One of my favorite thoughts about this hope for tomorrow came from the late Lewis Smedes an author and professor from Fuller Seminary. He was addressing a graduation class of college students and he had a line that has stuck with me since I first read it in an article a few years ago. He was talking about hope, but not worldly hope which is nothing more than wishful thinking. He spoke about Christian hope.

Keep hope alive, and hope will keep you alive.

And so, dear reader, may you live today in hope because of this great promise of tomorrow. And that is where I will see Woolybooger again.

You don’t have because you don’t ask God. James 4:2

All you need to do in order to start God speaking is fix your attention on Him first thing in the morning. Look up at the ceiling and say: Lord, speak. I’m listening. If your own noisy, feverish ideas have subsided enough, there often begins to flow a gentle rain of ideas fresh with the clean flavor of heaven. – Frank Laubach

When I read the above quote by Mr. Laubach, I decided to ask God to do that for me. I wanted to join God in what he was doing in the world.  I’ll have you know that is a dangerous prayer. Don’t pray that prayer unless you are willing to do it.

When I got up in the morning, I said, “God, help me. Help me be present to what you are doing today.”

The very day I started praying that prayer, God might as well have put a pulsing neon sign over a guy saying, “Here you go, big fella.”

It happened as I was in the Oakland airport flying home to Seattle. As I was getting ready to board a Southwest Airline flight, I noticed a young man with white bell-bottom pants and a dark blue wool Pea Coat. He obviously was in the Navy. He had a cell phone to his ear and had his head pulled down into his coat like a turtle trying to pull its head into its shell. His face was contorted, and his knuckles were white as he gripped the phone. He was crying; in fact, sobbing into the phone.

I normally try to send out signals to everyone on a plane that I do NOT want to be approached on a flight. I put my headphones on and shoot the stink eye at everyone. Sometimes I get a Bible out and set on the seat beside me. Leave me alone! I had full intentions of doing that on this flight as well, but God said to do differently. God said, “Joe, be present for this guy.”

As I boarded the plane I said to Lord, “Jesus, I am tired and more grumpy than usual. I am not a good candidate to help this guy, but if you want me to do something, then when I get on board let there be an open seat next to him. I felt comfortable with this plea. The sailor was in group A and I was in group Z. Southwest does open seating, so chances are the seat next to him would be taken.

I started down the aisle and there he was and guess what…there were not one, but two open seats next to the sailorman.

Dang, it!

I sat down beside him. When we got air born, I started a conversation with him. Said he was about to be deployed on the USS Abraham Lincoln for 3-4 months and he was leaving his new bride. As he told me this his eyes began to brim with tears. We talked some more about his hometown, his hobbies, and his favorite football team—and the entire time I was whispering to the Holy Spirit how I was supposed to spiritually help this guy.

As we approached our descent into SeaTac airport, he seemed to be getting more apprehensive, and told him he was going to be okay. Then we landed and deplaned and I walked with him down the concourse with his duffle bag over his shoulder. Just at the escalators to go down to baggage, I stopped him and said, “Nick, would you mind if I prayed for you?”

He allowed that it was Okay. I said, “How about right here and now.” He sheepishly nodded. I laid my hand on his shoulder and prayed a prayer that only he and Jesus could hear as people walked by us like water flowing around a boulder in a river.

When he looked up, he had tears running down his face and said, “Thank you, Joe. God must have put you on that plane just for me. I will never forget this.”

I lived in Seattle at that time where it rains as a matter of course, but that night as I crawled into bed, I knew something of a different kind of rain; a gentle rain of ideas fresh with the clean flavor of heaven.

And I prayed, “God, I did what you asked. I joined you in the work you were doing today.”

Then I spoke Nick’s name one more time to the Father and fell asleep.

Then Jesus came near… Matthew 28:18

What would it look like for you and me to follow Jesus? In what ways, can you empty yourself of your time, emotional energy, and material possessions to serve others and give glory to God?

Like when you are in an argument, and you decide to let the other person get the last word—like Jesus did before Herod and Pilate. That is when you are following the humble King down into greatness.

How about when you are tempted to walk down another aisle at your local grocery rather than come face-to-face with a person who has harmed you and you meet them in the produce section and say, “Hi” and give them a hug? That is a person who is following Jesus down as he loves God and serves others.

Perhaps instead of holding onto your loneliness like a security blanket, you seek out others that are lonely and at every opportunity, you get to make them feel as if you have been waiting all day to see them.

About nine years ago while we were living in the Seattle area, I was going through a difficult time and our church was really struggling. A man in our church invited me to get a coffee with him. And so, I met him at a coffee house and after shaking hands, we took our seats.

“How are you doing today, pastor?” he asked.

“I’m doing Okay, Gene,” I said.

“You seemed a little discouraged last Sunday,” he said.

“Yeah, no pastor spends hours preparing a sermon only to preach it to more chairs than the people he loves.”

“It was a good sermon, pastor. I needed to hear it,” he said.

“Thanks.”

Then for the next hour, we talked about the stuff of life.

Gene was about ten years older than me, maybe more than ten years. He had a shock of white hair, and a soft and smooth face, and spoke with a deep and warm Texas drawl. He laughed often and deeply. There was no posing, no pretense—just the simple, quiet presence of a good man.

We didn’t talk about politics, theology, or literature. We skipped from topic to topic in a random and ricocheted way and told each other stories from our lives.

That day, in that coffee shop, I needed an old soul to sit with me for a while.

Later that evening I mentioned to Lynette about the coffee and said how encouraging it was to me.

“What did he say that picked up your spirits?” she asked.

“Actually, nothing,” I said.

Gene didn’t try to cheer me up. He didn’t give me plucky platitudes. He didn’t quote scripture to me. He didn’t even buy my coffee! I’ll tell you what he gave me. He gave me his presence and his time. And that made all the difference. A small grace of the presence of Christ through the voice and skin of a Texan named Gene Smith.

I’m sure Gene would not remember that coffee, but I do. And now you know about it. Never underestimate the grace of your presence. You don’t have to fix anything. Let the presence of the lord of Lords seep out of your soul into the sacred space between you and someone who is hurting.

Spend some time with this ancient poem by Symeon the New Theologian,

We Awaken in Christ’s Body

We awaken in Christ’s body
as Christ awakens our bodies,
and my poor hand is Christ, He enters
my foot, and is infinitely me.

I move my hand, and wonderfully
my hand becomes Christ, becomes all of Him
(for God is indivisibly
whole, seamless in His Godhood).

I move my foot, and at once
He appears like a flash of lightning.
Do my words seem blasphemous? — Then
open your heart to Him

and let yourself receive the one
who is opening to you so deeply.
For if we genuinely love Him,
we wake up inside Christ’s body

where all our body, all over,
every most hidden part of it,
is realized in joy as Him,
and He makes us, utterly, real,

and everything that is hurt, everything
that seemed to us dark, harsh, shameful,
maimed, ugly, irreparably
damaged, is in Him transformed

and recognized as whole, as lovely,
and radiant in His light
he awakens as the Beloved
in every last part of our body.

That’s how Jesus comes near, and how He touches this world…through you. So, who needs a cup of coffee with you?

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Phill 2:5

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. Luke 17:15-16

“Here ends another day during which I have had eyes, ears, hands and the great world around me and tomorrow begins another. Why am I allowed two?” ~ G. K. Chesterton

Well, Mr. Chesterton, some people aren’t given two—and yet, life is good. Life is a gift from God. It is painful sometimes because we live in a fallen and sinful world, but life is a precious gift. I’ve learned that there are some ways I can position myself to be more grateful.

Appreciate imperfect gifts

Have you ever received an imperfect gift? In this world, that’s about the only kind you get. If you are married, you are married to an imperfect gift. (And they are too, so don’t get cocky.)

If you wait until your kids clean their rooms perfectly to praise them, you will never praise them at all. Your body is a gift. How many have perfect bodies? We go through life thinking if our body was different, if I had someone else’s body, then I could be grateful. Your body is an imperfect gift, but it’s a very good thing to have. Appreciate it.

It’s the same with my home, my friends, my work, my church, and my life. If you are waiting for a perfect gift…you will never be grateful.

Allow anxious moments to give you perspective.

There is a link between anxiety and gratitude. You find a lump; you go for tests. Word comes back from the doctor that everything is OK. You are flooded with gratitude…which you wouldn’t have experienced if it wasn’t for the anxiety.

Many years ago, while browsing in a bookstore with my wife and oldest and only son at that time my wife said, “Watch him I’m going to another part of the store.” With an open book in my hand, I grunted something in the affirmative. A few minutes went by, and I looked around to see where he was. He was gone. I began to walk among the stacks of books looking, then calling, then walking faster and calling louder. The store was inside a mall and my first-child panic meter started red-lining. I stepped out of the store and looked down the mall just in time to see him waddle into the adjoining store. I quickly grabbed him, hugged him, and scolded him for doing what two-year old’s naturally do. I felt such deep relief and told him to never mention this to his mother.

When I found him, my sense of gratitude was unbelievable. In one sense nothing changed. He was safe all along, but anxiety taught me…it’s a gift.

Openly express gratitude even if you don’t feel like it.

I have a little file in my desk, and it has notes from people who have expressed sincere words of appreciation. Those notes often come at just the right time in my life. They keep me going.

Think of somebody in your world who needs a note or a phone call or a gift or a lunch. It might be a friend, parent, child, grandchild, co-worker—it could be anyone. They need to hear from you. They matter to God. Tell them that they matter to you.

Prime the pump by expressing it; even if your heart doesn’t fully feel it and after a while, you discover that your heart will begin to feel what you have already started to express.

Develop the discipline of noticing.

I can position my heart for increased gratitude when I notice the infinite number of gifts that God is sending, my way, and all the time…the sheer goodness of my life.

It is easy for many of us to become blind to the goodness of being alive. A few years ago, I spent ten minutes and journaled things for which I was grateful. I was a little blue when I began journaling, but by the time I finished the exercise my heart was buoyed even though my circumstances had not changed a single jot or tittle.

The first sip of the first cup of coffee of the day.

The laughter of my grandchildren.

The taste of my smoked salmon chowder.

The coarse texture of a lichen-covered rock under my fingertips.

The cold water of an alpine lake.

The feeling just after I have finished writing a sermon.

The prayer of a new believer.

The prayer of a very old believer.

The prayer of a child.

The first night of sleeping on clean sheets.

The aroma of my wife on Sunday mornings.

The gift of the perfect word for a sentence.

The loyalty of a friend.

The art of my son Clinton.

The humor of my son Caleb.

The passion of my son Cole.

The prayers of my father.

The love of my mother.

The poems of my brother.

The finish of a long walk.

The first night sleeping on the ground above timberline.

The first page of a Wendell Berry book.

The forgiveness of my sin.

The stories of the Bible.

The compliments for a good meal.

The view of Crestone Needle from Deadman Lakes.

The dirt in my hand scooped up from the driveway of my boyhood home.

The feel of the worn and yellowed pages from my favorite Bible.

The song “Blame it on my Youth” sung by Jane Monheit.

The look on a man’s face when he understands for the first time that God is much better than he ever imagined.

The shared stories between old friends.

The full-grown man-hugs from my sons.

The hands of my wife.

The gift of sight.

The gift of touch.

The gift of smell.

The gift of hearing.

The gift of taste.

The love of a congregation.

The worship of Jesus.

The prayers of the Puritans.

The movies “Gladiator,” “Les Miserable,” and “The Last of the Mohicans.”

The jazz music of the 30’s, 40’s and 50′.

The weight of a pack on my back.

The feel of a Bible in my hands.

The smell of a baby’s hair.

The Quaky Aspen.

The gift of lovemaking.

The taste of vanilla ice cream, chocolate, and salted peanuts.

The rock and roll music of the 70’s.

The view of Mt. Princeton from my deck. 

The geological marker on a fourteen-thousand-foot peak.

The tears of repentance.

The sound of sizzling of bacon on the stove.

The smell of bread in the oven.

The smell of bacon on the stove.

The crackle of a campfire.

The taste of bacon.

The songs of Cole Porter.

The voice of Allison Krause.

The sweet smell of summer rain.

The pulsing glow of a firefly.

The memories of my childhood.

The piercing clap of thunder in the mountains.

The memory of the graveled voice of my grandfather.

The promise of heaven.

The comfort of the Holy Spirit.

The artistry of God.

The gift of my calling.

The prayer of a sinner becoming a saint.

The compassion of God.

The sacrifice of Jesus.

The presence of the Holy Spirit.

The gift of my belovedness.

Oh, to be loved by God. To be given the most precious gift, His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for me.

What do I say?

Tomorrow morning when I wake up and my eyes work to view another day, what do I say? When I look into the eyes of someone who loves me despite my imperfections, what do I say?

When the same Jesus, who comes to lepers, to white people and people of color, to grieving and oppressed people—suffering people—and throws His arms around us and says I love you and I died for you, and I want to be with you forever…

What do you say?

• Never allow your politics to hijack your faith.
• Never decide anything on a Monday.
• Never stop being curious.
• Never stop laughing…at yourself.

• Be fully prepared to preach on Sunday morning, with no excuses.
• Write your sermon out word for word, you aren’t smart enough to wing it.
• Quoting lots of Scripture does not make a sermon Biblical, the Devil did that.
• Tell us what God told you in your study, not what He told your favorite celebrity pastor.

• Your spouse is more important than your Church.
• Your spouse is the judge of the veracity of the above point…not you.
• Your spouse is the primary way the Holy Spirit speaks to your blind spots.
• Your spouse’s spiritual life is the best metric of your success as a pastor.

• God rarely gets in a hurry about anything.
• Your private life has a proportionate impact on the Kingdom.
• Be content with obscurity. (Jesus was)
• Being present is more important than the “Amen’s” you might receive for your sermon

• When someone says “several people are upset” that means me and maybe my spouse.
• The reasons people say they are leaving are rarely the real reasons.
• Sometimes losing a battle in organizational leadership is winning the war in pastoral care.
• Just because people fawn over you does not mean you are attractive; the pulpit distorts aesthetics. 

• Never assess a church based on her potential—that commodifies her.
• Never leave a church based on her failure—that shames her.
• Never stay at a church because she is your “project”—that objectifies her.
• Always love a church based on her intrinsic value—that edifies her.

• God doesn’t do pyramids
• There is no such thing as a designer Ephod
• Today is more important than tomorrow
• You are not a celebrity.

• Never underestimate the sacrament of a shared meal
• Never preach while you are cursing.
• Always pray while you are serving.
• Never lust while you are loving.

• Always trust while you are hurting.
• Never value preaching over pastoring
• Never value knowledge over reflection
• Never value achievement over constancy

• Never value vision over presence
• Value wisdom over knowledge
• Value prayer over preaching
• Value solitude over meetings

• Listening is more important than telling.
• Weeping is more important than winning.
• Staying is more important than leaving.
• Praying is more important than achieving.

A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a trail marker or as a burial mound. The word cairn comes from the Scottish Gaelic: càrn

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

– Robert Robinson (1758)

A few years ago, I spent a week in the wilderness up North Colony Canyon in the Sangre De Cristo range in Colorado. Traveling on Rainbow Trail across the base of Humboldt Mountain and then following a faint trail up North Colony Creek. Several miles up the drainage, as elevation is gained, you find yourself above timberline, and a vast alpine valley stretches before you. A patchwork of waist-high willows, tall mountain grasses, and lots of talus rock. The trail disappears into the rockslides, and yet you know that there are several small alpine lakes up the valley to the back of the cirque.

That’s when you have to look for cairns.

If you want to fish the last lake that is carved out of the side of the mountain slope at nearly thirteen thousand feet above sea level, you have to follow the cairns that have been placed in the talus fields. It is an exercise in patience to stand and scan the tawny stones and the green willows in the distance to spy the stacks of stones marking the way others have traveled in the past.

If you are patient and follow the cairns to the upper bench lake, you will find rest for your soul—and cutthroat trout. Lots of trout.

Ancient paths have ancient guides and markers. I have always loved what the ancient prophet Jeremiah tells us in one of his writings.

“Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’” Jeremiah 6:16

Stand. What an interesting place to start. In other words, seeking God’s direction starts by stopping. Just stand. Be still. Be present, fully present. Be present first to God within you and then to God around you. Or, in other words, show up. Show up with God and show up with others. That’s where it all begins.

Look. Stand at the crossroads and look. Pay attention. Look for God. Look deeply for him in whatever or whoever might be in front of you at the moment. Look past the surface. Look into the depths of your heart and soul, as well as your world. Search. Seek. Seek him in all things; you never know who or what he might use to speak to you.

Ask. Specifically, ask God. Ask God, “What are you up to? What are you up to within me? What are you up to around me? What are you up to in this circumstance? What are you up to in the life of the person in front of me?” Ask.

Ask for the ancient paths. The cairns in North Colony are sometimes shy and hard to find. The markers for the ancient path can be the same way—hard to find in our modern world. But once found, those ancient paths are well-worn paths that lead straight to the heart of God.

Those paths that multitudes of other saints, poets, and pilgrims have traveled well before us. In fact, whenever you see someone walking deeply and intimately with God, you need to take note because that person has found these ancient paths, and watching them can show you the way into the heart of God. They include things like solitude, silence, prayer, and Scripture. All of these things are part of the good way.

Walk. And finally, once you have stood and looked and asked, it is time to move. Walk in it is the phrase Jeremiah uses. Walk in the good way, whatever that may mean. Once we have received our direction and guidance from God, it is time to enter into whatever he is doing. It is time to move toward him and his work, whatever that may be. Sometimes it will mean speaking a word he has given us to speak, and at others, it will mean keeping our mouths shut. Sometimes it will mean simply being present, and others it will mean reaching out to embrace. But whatever it is, you can be sure of its power, substance, and authenticity because it has come directly from his heart and not merely your own.

And the beautiful result of it all is that you will find rest for your soul. What a promise! And isn’t that what we all most deeply long for?

 “When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let [them] know…that the hand of the Lord is mighty and so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4v22,24

One of the reasons I love Lectio Divina is the oral nature of the Scripture. The Bible was meant to be heard, and I love the way the Word feels on my tongue. (Revelation 10:9)

But handwriting the Scriptures will cause you to linger over a phrase longer than you might if you just read the same phrase aloud. Maybe just long enough to sense something the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to you. Instead of hurrying over familiar texts, this method of “sacred reading” will cause you to feel the words through your fingertips. (Galatians 6:11) I have come to call the practice, “Scriptio Divina.”

 What to expect:

1.     Expect the process will be slow.

Hand copying is intended to be slow. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. When we read, we often read quickly, as if we are driving. But the whole goal of hand copying is to slow us down to a “walking pace” through Scripture. Don’t rush. Take your time and learn to enjoy the journey more than the destination. The goal is not to check the box that you completed the book; it’s to engage deeply in the Scriptures to see what the Holy Spirit might want to teach us about God’s story through the redeeming work of Christ.

2.     Expect to see details that you’ve never noticed before.

Seeing details, elements of dialog, and/or additional elements of a story you might have read before is common with hand copying. As I engage with this I continually find myself thinking, “Wow, I never noticed that before!” I also find myself asking questions about the text for the first time, oftentimes catching myself mid-sentence thinking “I wonder why…” or “Could it be that…” I personally found the repetitive use of a semicolon to be incredibly irritating. (But I am grumpy that way.)

3.     Expect your hand to cramp up from time to time.

It’s okay. It happens. In the digital age, we’re not used to handwriting so much. Just take a break and start again tomorrow.

4.     Expect God to meet you on this journey.

This has become one of the most important ways I encounter God in Scripture. Jesus meets me in this process is powerful – and oftentimes unexpected – ways. Expect him to meet you in this experience as well.

Practical tips:

1.     Decide on a translation of your choice. Some people choose a translation they are familiar with; others choose a new translation so they can “hear” Scripture differently than they are used to. Whatever you choose, just stick with your translation all the way through.

2.     Start with a fresh notebook. When I start a new project, I like to have a fresh journal or notebook. Several asked me what notebooks I use. You can use whatever notebook or journal you want.

3.     Choose a pen or mechanical pencil you like. For some, any old pen will do. I use a high-quality mechanical pencil .07 grade lead. I also use a separate retractable eraser. I always mess up what I am doing and so I like to erase the mistake and get it right. The eraser that comes with the pencil wears out too quickly for me.

4.     Make a grace-filled commitment to write out ten verses a day. Just ten. Some people get overwhelmed and discouraged because they make a commitment to do a chapter a day or five chapters a week. That’s a lot! Take your time, slow down, and enjoy the journey. If you do less than ten verses a day, that’s fine. If you end up doing more than ten, that’s fine, too.

5.     Find a dedicated place and time each day. I like to hand copy each morning, right after I make my coffee. I do it either in my reading chair or, when the weather is nice, outside on the deck. Having a grace-filled rhythm helps me engage with it more easily on a daily basis.

6.     Invite others to join you. It’s more fun to take a journey with others. Why not invite friends, neighbors, people from church, and/or family members to join you (in person or online)? It can add another rich layer to experiencing God’s Word.

7.     Before you begin each time, say a simple, heartfelt prayer. I usually whisper a short and simple prayer: “Lord, teach me something new today.” I am not doing this simply to write out the book; I want to encounter the living God through His living Word. I want to make sure I am centered and oriented with an openness to receive from Him as he speaks to me through the process. Consider a simple prayer of humility, anticipation, and openness to the Lord meeting you in the process as you begin each day.

8.     Find – and settle into – your own hand copying “personality.” Each one of us will find we have our own hand copying rhythm and process. It took me a bit to figure mine out, but I learned that I write best when I move through the text phrase by phrase. I say each phrase out loud…and then copy it down. Then I say the next phrase aloud…and copy it down. This is what works for me, but find what pace, rhythm, and style works for you.

A Final Word:

The pressure’s off. You don’t have to have beautiful penmanship. You don’t even have to have a perfect script. The purpose is not perfection or legibility, but engagement.

You can start small if you wish. If you want to start smaller, consider starting with a shorter book – maybe Ruth, Jonah, James, 1, 2, 3 John, or Jude. I started with Philippians and found it to be so invigorating that I decided to do the Gospels next. As of this date, I have hand-copied Matthew, Mark, and Luke and am currently beginning chapter six of John. (see the picture below from this morning)

A surprising benefit: I have three adult sons. I am hand copying the entire New Testament in a leather-bound sketchbook–one for each son to be given to them when I pass from this life to the next. A friend of mine is going to do this for his two young children to be given to them upon their graduation or on the day they get married. Be creative with what you might do with your copy.

Or give it to no one. Let it be a secret discipline between you and the original Author.

Whatever you do, remember this is God’s Word—His life-giving and accessible gift given for us to encounter, understand, and join Him. He wants us to participate in His over-arching story of compassion to redeem, renew, restore, and reconcile humanity back to Himself through the person of Jesus Christ. So, don’t be surprised if you are swept up into this story.

Expect God to show up in beautiful and surprising ways as you journey through the book that we love.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men

Could not put Humpty Dumpty together again.

That’s kind of our own situation in this messed up world where we find ourselves. That’s your life. That’s my life. In this world that there has been a great fall. Something is messed up and broken . . . not just broken but shattered. We want it set right, but we can’t seem to get it right.  

Relationships need restoration.

This has been a painful week for me. Within twenty-four hours I received two texts from two different men that were very threatening and hostile.

I tried to mediate a conflict between two Christian men last year. It didn’t go well. But last week I sent one of those men a compliment after not having any communication with him for months. He had really helped a mutual friend of mine and I sent him a text expressing my gratitude for how God had used him in my friend’s life. But the old wound that I had tried to mediate was still open and he sent me the following correspondence:

“Joe, you stopped me from confronting [Name]. I should have never let you do that and will not make that mistake again. I invite you to put me out of your mind and move on.”

A ministry leader in another state reached out to me because he had heard that I can help pastors who are hurting. I invited him to come to Colorado so that we could spend some time together. We set that up time for him to come. I knew a relative of his and told him, “Tell your “relative” I said hi.”

The next day I received a long text from the “relative” after not having spoken to him for nearly two years:

“I received your message via my [family member]. Do not ever mention that you know me via my family and do not ever correspond to me through anyone we know. You are a dangerous person and I have a responsibility to protect the innocent and vulnerable. You have a hidden agenda.”

I went to my woodshed to pray about these hostile encounters and as I sat quietly, listening to the birds sing and the wind slip through the boughs of nearby pines, I sensed the Lord say something like, “What do you see reflected in the faces of your enemies?”

That led me to ask a few questions about myself.

• Where did I best reflect Christ in my relationship with my brothers?
• When did I least reflect Christ with them?
• What made these moments so difficult?
• How badly do you want your relationships to be restored?

What I came to see in my own soul is that I looked upon each of these men as small-souled and immature. I thought of them that way, and that probably meant that I treated them in that way in hundreds of ways that no one might really notice except me and them.

What I have come to know is that I cannot reflect the love of Christ to my brothers and hold them in contempt at the same time. I want to do both, but it is not possible.

Contempt is a fouler form of hate. It is worse because it assumes personal superiority. It is the opposite of humble love. It is antithetical to being the kind of person who would, without manipulation, remove an outer garment, gird themselves with a loin cloth, pick up a basin of water and a towel and wash an enemy’s dirty feet.

I found a prayer that has encouraged my heart by John O’Donohue. Perhaps it will yours as well.

I have a long way to go before I reflect King’s love for my hostile brothers. But at least now I know what needs working on in my own soul. For that I am grateful.

What do you see reflected in the face of your enemy?