To Enjoy God

Purple Litter

March 20, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: flowers, God, gracious love, jacaranda trees, litter, petals, purple | 1 comment

Purple litter on lawns; on ponds.

It’s scattered in streets, in lanes, in boulevards.

Purple litter mounds in gutters; against stone walls.

It’s blowing through the air;

falling on the ground.

Purple litter all around.

Purple litter above my head.

It’s on my mind and in my soul.

Beautiful purple litter of

Oaxaca’s jacaranda trees.

Billions of blessed purple flower petals.

God’s good gift;

the beautiful flowers falling on the ground,

the dirt,

the grass,

on the pavement.

They are beautiful purple gifts from God,

signs of His gracious love

bringing joy to hearts,

happy thoughts

of God.

Reminders to enjoy Him

and glorify Him forever.

(pictures below)

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Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into. ~Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858

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Next blog – Making Deposits of Kindness into the Bank of Goodwill

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Pics of Oaxacan Jacaranda trees and their beautiful purple petals.

Beauty, Goodness and Truth

March 12, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: Bad, Beautiful, Beauty, Evil, G.K. Chesterton, Garden of Eden, Good, Goodness, Heaven, New Jerusalem, True, Truth, Ugly | Leave a comment

I am thinking of a father and his soon to be 10 year old daughter. He loves her very much and wants to give her the best birthday party ever. He has been planning it for months, considering every detail so that it will be a beautiful affair, to be remembered always. It is to be a surprise party, so when the day arrives, mom takes the little princess out to have her hair done and nails painted and a special dress purchased. Meanwhile, the doting father is hanging miles of party streamers, inflating dozens of balloons, and placing hundreds of flowers all over the living room and kitchen. On the dining room table sits a beautifully decorated cake, filled with icing flowers of all colors and 10 candles. Loading down the kitchen counters is an array of catered food, the likes of which few people have ever seen, along with plenty of chips, and five kinds of pizza. The fridge is filled with soda and the freezer with ice cream. On a nearby shelf sits the gifts the father has chosen for his daughter’s special day. An i-phone, a Kindle tablet, a Blu-Ray player, and a 32” Sony LED TV, all wrapped up, waiting for his darling daughter to unwrap. He can almost hear her cries of delight and joy.

Her classmates, friends and family members, all decked out in their party best, begin arriving for the celebration at 1:3 p.m. for the 2 p.m. scheduled big surprise. At eight minutes past 2:00, the birthday girl and her mom walk through the front door and a thunderous cry of “SURPRISE – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!” erupts. The young girl is blown away, overwhelmed by the decorations and love from family and friends. Music starts up from the live band out on the back patio and the party goes into high gear

The birthday girl rushes to her room to put on her new dress. Coming out of her room she runs into a 12 year old boy that she has a crush on. She is thrilled to see him at her party. He is looking at a red button on the hallway wall. He wishes her a happy birthday, and then asks her about the button. She tells him her house has a fire sprinkler system, and if there is ever a fire, all you have to do is to push the red button and the sprinkler system will go on. He tells her that sounds cool. He tells her that sounds like fun; just like playing in the sprinklers outside on a hot day. He tells her that she should push it; that it would be a great big joke on everyone and that everybody would laugh and dance around in the shower. She tells him that her dad said no one should ever push the red button unless there was a real fire emergency. He bets her that her dad would think this was a special exception, and that he would laugh and laugh and pick her up and dance around the room in the falling water, just like in the movies. She says that she will go and ask her dad first. He tells her that that would ruin the surprise. He gave you a big surprise party, and now it’s your turn to surprise him.

She thinks about it for a few seconds. She looks at the older boy with a bit of doubt in her eyes. He looks at her pleadingly. She looks at the red button and imagines what fun everyone will have in the water shower. She also thinks about what her dad has told her. She thinks and thinks. The boy says he’s getting a bit bored, and just remembered there was something he needed to do at home. He turns to go, and she pushes the red button.

Water gushes down on everyone and everything. It is all ruined. No one is dancing around in the water. No one is laughing . At first, all the guests look panicked – they look for a fire. They hurriedly make their way out to the front lawn or back patio. The party streamers turn soggy and drop from the ceiling onto party clothes and new carpet, which become stained. Frosting and cake slowly disintegrate. The pizza is inedible Some balloons drop and pop, adding to the chaos. Expensive electronic gadgets are flooded with water and become worthless. Firetrucks arrive and fire fighters rush into the house. All the people hoping for a happy, beautiful party go home upset. It was definitely one to remember.

The father is beside himself. He doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry; yell or die. The good, loving father truly wanted the best for his child. The best decorations; best food; best presents. Now it was all ruined. Now it was all ugly and bad; all because of a lie. All because of disobedience and distrust. All that’s left are regrets and remorse.

This story makes me think of our Heavenly Father. One time He prepared a great party for His children. It was a garden party. The garden was filled with the most beautiful flowers and plants ever seen. The variety of trees filled with good fruit was beyond description. All kinds of incredibly, beautiful animals roamed about freely. He invited His children to go in, and then yelled “Surprise!” His two children were overwhelmed with joy and the great. good, beautiful experience that they had. In the midst of their happy celebration, the Father walked them over to a tree. The name of this tree is “Knowledge of Good and Evil.” There are hundreds of beautiful trees in this garden, loaded with juicy, tasty fruit that will dazzle your taste buds and energize your bodies. I want you to enjoy all of them. But this tree, “Knowledge of Good and Evil” you must never eat of. You should never even touch it. In fact, just to be on the safe side, you should never even come to this part of the garden. The reason is, is, that the day you eat from it you will die.

I looked up the Hebrew words and definitions for “good” and “evil”.

Good is tobe:

good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well): – beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, fair , fine, glad, good deed, graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, like (best), loving, merry, most pleasant, pleasure, precious, prosperity, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well ([-favoured]).

Evil is rah, raw-aw’

bad or (as noun) evil (naturally or morally). This includes the second (feminine) form; as adjective or noun: – adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, + displease (-ure), distress, evil, + exceedingly, great, grief , harm, heavy, hurt (-ful), ill (favoured), mischief, (-vous), misery, noisome, sad (-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked (-ly, -ness, one), worse (-st) wretchedness, wrong.

Without eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they had all the good, beautiful, fair, bountiful, cheerful, joyful,loving, pleasurable, merry life that they could ever want. Unfortunately they disobeyed God. They believed the lies of the Evil One. They touched the tree and ate the fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Banished from the Garden, their right relationship with God dead, thus their spirits dead, they suffer daily with the curse and punishment of God and experience the bad, evil, adversity, affliction, calamity, displeasure, distress, misery, noisome, hurtful, sorrowful, trouble, and wretchedness that most people in this world experience on a daily basis. They gave up all the good, and began to experience all the evil, the day they believed a lie.

Yet, some beauty, goodness and truth have survived. G.K. Chesterton gives us the image of a shipwreck and survivors living on a deserted island, in his book Orthodoxy. The survivors cherish the things that have washed up on shore from the lost ship. In the same way, after Adam and Eve made a shipwreck of humanity, God has left us remnants of the beautiful, good party. His love. His true Word. His grace and mercy. Things to cherish.

So we cling to beauty, goodness and truth for the basis of our happiness and joy in God. Daily, ugliness, evil and lies intrude into our lives, and often we have to battle to hang onto the good and beautiful and true. We seek to share the truth, the beauty, the good with a hurting world. We want to share our treasured remnants of the crash with those around us who have given up on having a good, beautiful life full of truth.

The Father has planned another party, bigger and better and more beautiful than the first. It’s called Heaven, or The New Jerusalem. Our invitations are found in the Bible. Have you RSVP’ed?

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Every component of our faith (worship, liturgy, creeds, theology, fellowship, spiritual formation, religious education, etc.), though in itself is valid and valuable, must lead to good works, good lives, good creativity, and goodness to help our world get back on the road to being truly and wholly good again, the way God created it to be. Brian McLaren in a Generous Othodoxy.

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Next blog – Purple Litter

Chickens, Tamales, Smoke and Radio Zapoteca

March 4, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: Christian radio, community of faith, cooperation, God's love, happiness, happy, Jesus, Mitla, radio zapoteca, working together, zapoteca, Zapotecos | Leave a comment

My wife Anita, our two daughters and myself were in Mitla, Oaxaca, Mexico a couple weeks ago, helping with the

Anita serving up atole

preparation and joining in the celebration of Radio Zapoteca’s second anniversary. Wood fires were burning in cinderblock rings. Smoke filled the cooking area and escaped through slits in the rusted tin walls. Milk, ground up oats and sugar were mixed together in a big pot over one fire to make a traditional Oaxacan drink called atole. Chickens, throats freshly cut, were briefly plunged into boiling water of another pot and then plucked naked. Nine butchered chickens contributed to some delicious chicken soup and tasty tamales.

Women from a half dozen local church congregation gathered in Anita’s parent’s yard to help. Some churches donated food, others tables and chairs. The Home for Needy Children, where Anita and I are staff members, donated cases of milk. I wrote in an earlier blog that the social service arm of of the government had given the ministry a bunch of milk. Out of our abundant supply we were able to share. Blessed to be a blessing, as the saying goes.

Anita’s older brother, Arturo, started Radio Zapoteca two years ago, because of his vision of proclaiming the Good News that God loves us and wants us to be happy, to the entire Mitla valley. This wonderful Christian radio station plays inspiring Christian music, and proclaims the messaged of God’s love in Spanish and the local Zapoteco dialect. This station also broadcasts via the internet at RadioZapoteca.com if you want to give it a listen.

Arturo is an inspiration himself. Fifteen years ago, Arturo was living for himself. He graduated from the local university with an accounting degree and immediately got a good job making good money. God spoke into his life through local missionaries, who convinced him, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that there was more to life than money and mezcal. He turned his life over to the Good Shepherd and Savior of his soul. He was filled with a joy that he had never experienced

Cooking tubs of tamales

before. He gave up his job and went to work for the missionaries, helping them make recordings of the Bible in the dialects of illiterate village people living in isolated areas of Oaxaca (RadioZapoteca.com includes Bible recordings of over 400 dialects).

He worked faithfully in that ministry for a few years, while being heavily involved in a local church. The little church, Dios Es Amor (God is Love), was the result of a church planting of a larger church in Oaxaca city. The idea was that after a few years, it would become self sufficient with its own pastor. Arturo had been in charge of the youth group and would preach occasionally. The pastor of the parent church in Oaxaca city saw the hand of God on Arturo’s life and Arturo felt the call of God to pastor the little flock. After receiving pastoral training, and much prayer, Arturo was ordained as pastor of Dios Es Amor.

Over two years ago, Arturo began dreaming of a way to communicate Christ, not just to his small band of brothers and

Sisters in Christ helping to prepare a feast for the fiesta

sisters in the Lord; not just to his neighbors and those he would casually meet, but to all of the Mitla region. He envisioned a Christian radio station that would proudly proclaim the gracious goodness of a living Redeemer, not just to the Spanish speakers, but to those indigenous people in the area called Zapotecos and spoke that dialect. Arturo could reach out to them in their “heart” language, since he was half Zapoteco and could speak the language.

He shared his vision with other Christians and they began to dream the same dream, and supported Arturo with

prayers, funds, time and talents. Two weeks ago, these Christians, along with hundreds of others who regularly tune in to Radio Zapoteca, came together in the town square to celebrate the radio station’s second year of existence. Pastors of different denominations spoke about the importance and blessing that Radio Zapoteca was for them personally and for their congregations. People spoke about how much more they enjoyed God when they could turn on the radio and listen to inspiring Christian music, teaching and preaching. Bands came from all around to play their different styles of music, glorifying the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Standing in the smokey, makeshift kitchen of my in-laws, surrounded by sisters in Christ cooking chickens and making

Arturo broadcasting the Good News on Radio Zapoteca

tamales, I rejoiced in God’s work and goodness. I thought of all the Christians in the community that were encouraged daily by Arturo and Radio Zapoteca. There were so many who had come to know our Great, Good God, and were themselves helping to grow the Kingdom of God in their own special ways. And on that Saturday in February, we were all together, pitching in, to make the second anniversary fiesta such a success – glorifying God and enjoying Him and His presence among us.

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Guiraa redee badeedni te guluiireni rexpejn Jesucrist, te gunreni dzuun te gustajlreni rebejn ni gac xquidoo Jesucrist. Zapoteco de Mitla translation of Ephesians 4:12 – to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

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Next blog – Beauty, Truth and Goodness

Finding Happiness in the Mess

February 23, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: difficulties, frustration, happiness, happy song, happy verse, mess, messy situations, smile, Things Could Be Worse | Leave a comment

murphys law (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)

When you are having “one of those days”, a Murphy’s Law day, what do you do? When you find yourself in a messy situation, or an unforseen problem arises, what options do you have, other than to be frustrated, irate, or irritable? Here are a few things I think about to help me to find happiness in the mess.

1. Things could be worse.

2. Things will get better.

3. Find something to be thankful for.

4. Find a happy verse.

5. Sing a happy song.

6. Smile.

7. Find opportunities in the midst of difficulties.

8. Nothing good is gained by grumbling.

One of the things that can rob us of our happiness, that makes us feel frustrated, angry or upset, is that things aren’t going the way we planned. We have expectations of the way things should be. When those expectations turn sour, we are tempted to turn sour in our attitudes and outlook. When our day begins to take a turn for the worse, we need to take a deep breath and realize that negative, “stinkin’ thinkin'” will not help us. When we feel like our good day is beginning to sink in the troubled waters of unmet expectations, it’s a good idea grasp the life preserver of happy thoughts. When I cling to the eight ideas above, a smile comes to my lips, happy feelings return, and I can return to the helm of life with a cheery disposition. I hope that these ideas help you turn your mess into happiness.

I didn’t plan on getting the flu last week. I didn’t expect my wife and daughters would be sick. But that is the situation we found ourselves in. Through the coughing, fever and fatigue, I was able to find happiness in the mess.

Things could have been worse.

We could have had cancer, or some other painful, life threatening disease. It was just the flu after all. And it was comforting to know that God was by our sides, helping us through the illness. The ultimate “things could be worse” would be going through sickness, pain, disappointment, without our gracious, compassionate and merciful God at our side.

Things will get better.

We are all better now. While we didn’t like suffering from the flu, we knew that after a week or so we would feel better. And after a month we would forget all about laying in bed with shakes, shivers, sweat and snotty noses. That helped make me happy in the midst of my discomfort. The ultimate “things will get better” is knowing that even if one of us did have a terminal illness, and ended up dying, we would be in the happy arms of our loving heavenly Father, experiencing relief and incredible joys forevermore.

Find something to be thankful for.

I was thankful for the marvelous miracle of modern medicine. Thank you God for drugs! Thank you God for doctors that know what to prescribe to make us feel better. Thank you God for nurses, like Marge, who is helping out here at the home for needy children for a month. She administered the unpleasant shots that the kids needed, along with a healthy dose of encouraging and comforting words (and some natural herbal remedies thrown in for good measure).

Find a happy verse.

Scripture verses from the Bible give me a joy that would otherwise be unknown when I find myself in a mess, be it physical, job related or just everyday inconveniences. They help me change my focus from me and my unpleasant mess, to God and His goodness and power. Some verses that I regularly grab hold of in time of need are:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5,6

All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you . Matthew 6:33

Sing a happy song.

Most of my happy songs that encourage me in the mess, are oldies but goodies from my youth. A few favorites are:

Praise God from whom all blessing flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the children of God.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

Smile.

It is amazing what a smile can do for the general well being of a person who finds himself in the midst of a mess. Over the years I have read articles from psychologists who tell us of chemical and biological changes that happen in the brain when we smile, that make us feel better even if we don’t feel happy at the time.You can check out a somewhat recent article in Psychology Today about the power of a smile to make you feel happy. Another thing about smiling when we don’t feel like it, to encourage happiness, at least for me, is that when I smile, it reminds me of happy days and times in the past, when I really did feel like smiling. Those memories create in me a good feeling and in turning my thoughts from my present negative mess, to positive happy times I have experienced, creates in me a genuine feeling of joy and contentment.

Find opportunities in the midst of difficulties.

Sometimes, when things aren’t going the way I had planned, if I take a moment and tell myself to try and find something good in the bad situation, I generally discover a opportunity for happiness to displace the mess. I am generally impatient and hate waiting. When I am held up by other peoples tardiness, or road blocks ( a rather common occurrence here in Oaxaca, Mexico) I can choose to sit and stew, or find an opportunity to better my condition. Sometimes, while waiting for someone, I will take the extra time to make sure I have everything I need for the task at hand. I’m surprised at how often I discover that I have forgotten something important, and have a chance to retrieve it, and breath a prayer of thanks for the delay. When I am stuck in traffic, or sick in my bed, I have opportunity to work on my blog or prepare a devotion for the mission church service. If we take time to think, we can find opportunity in the difficulty.

Nothing good is gained by grumbling.

My first reaction upon finding myself in a mess is to grumble. To complain. To get angry and find blame. I get frustrated and upset. After some time of going through these mental gyrations, I finally realize that I have wasted time, energy and thought over something that I have no control over. I have gained nothing by my negative thoughts. Realizing that nothing good is gained by grumbling is the first step for me toward finding happiness in the mess.

So there you have it. Eight thoughts to help you find happiness in whatever mess you might find yourself in. A few quick things to hang onto and put into action when Murphy and the mess slam head on into your otherwise perfect day.

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No matter how much we have grown, we still need to grow more. No matter how mature we are, we never stop maturing. And no matter how unspiritual we are, as long as we want to grow more, Jesus will show up in the life of even the messiest of disciples. Michael Yaconelli, Messy Spirituality

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Next blog – Chickens, Tamales, Smoke and Radio Zapoteca

Joy and Terror in the Kingdom of Og

February 15, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: battle, happy, joy, King Og, Moses, smote, victory | Leave a comment

A long time ago, in a land far away, lived a king, a big king, a big king named King Og. King Og reigned in Bashan, a land fair and bright; a land full of prospects, but not really all right. King Og was sure prideful and full of himself; calling his kingdom, the Kingdom of Og. He was a giant, so some people say. In a bed 13 feet long, 13 feet long did he lay. He thought he was great, was sure he was strong; of greater and greater conquests he longed.

One day a messenger came into his kingdom; carried he a message; some people wanted to come. ‘Twas a message from Moses that was read by the King. The message requested permission to pass, to pass through the Kingdom of Og really fast. “We don’t want to fight, we don’t want to meddle, we’re on our way, the Promised Land to settle.”

King Og read the note with a snort and a smirk, “What’s Moses think? I’m some kind of jerk?” He rallied his forces, he rallied his men, he gathered his army and it was to war that he went.

Now God was with Moses, He led him along. For forty long years did God lead him along. Led him through desert, led him through plain, with great strength, to the Promised Land they came. Meeting the vast army of prideful King Og, God comforted Moses, saying we’ll chase him home like a dog.

The Hebrews rose up and went out to King Og. With God by their side they did battle and slay. They fought and they routed old king Og that day. They smote all his soldiers and took all their loot. They took all their land and houses to boot. Fleeing in terror, the Ogites did run. Close on their heals, with hearts full of joy, the Israelite soldiers chased them into the sun. God loved his dear people and helped them to win. He fought right beside them again and again. They won a great victory, and happy were they. They won a big battle and rejoiced big that day.

So what is the point of this short moral tale? When your walking with God, you’re going to sail. And what can you learn while you’re reading this blog? When you see God is coming, don’t be like King Og.

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I was reading Deuteronomy, chapter three the other day, in the old King James version. I read the story of the demise of King Og. The story stuck in my mind all day and I was working with it to make a kind of Dr. Seuss type story. It’s not that great, but was kinda fun to write. I must admit, I took some “artistic license” liberties, but in general it is fairly accurate to the real account. The Bible says he was a “giant” about 13 feet tall. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. King Og is also mentioned in Numbers and Psalms, among other places. God is always telling his people “to remember” or “do not forget”. Remember what? Don’t forget what? That God loves his chosen people and wants them to be happy, triumphant, and obedient. That He will be beside us, over us, behind us, in front of us, and, if need be, carry us, when we face the enemy. Our enemies are the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, according to Martin Luther, and we do battle with them every day. Depending on God for our strength assures us of the victory. Whether that victory is sooner or later, only God knows (and He ain’t tellin’), but the important thing is that He is with us in the battle.

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As you go on your way, may God go with you.
May God go before you to show you the way.
May God go behind you to encourage you,
beside you to befriend you,
above you to watch over you,
and within you to give you peace,

In the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit.

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Next blog – Finding Happiness in the Mess

The Lord’s Prayer, A Happy Prayer

February 5, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: daily bread, evil one, Forgiveness, happy, joy, Lord's Prayer, Our Father, temptation, The Lord's Prayer | Leave a comment

English: Lord’s Prayer A tablet behind the altar in St Mary the Virgin showing the Lord’s Prayer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Lord’s prayer is a happy prayer. When I pray it and meditate on it I am filled with joy because it is filled with good things. God wants us to ask him for good things. Most of the Lord’s prayer is about asking God for stuff. There was a time in my life where I stopped asking God for stuff. I stopped praying for people. I figured that God is sovereign and all powerful and all knowing and full of love a and that he would handle all situations and circumstances perfectly. I thought it ridiculous to think that God was up there on his celestial throne waiting for me to send up a prayer before he would act. “You know, I was planning on healing George of his cancer, but Santiago never prayed for him, so poor old George died.” I didn’t think God needed my prayer before he did the right thing.

And I was right. He doesn’t need my prayer. I need my prayer. I finally realized that by taking a good look at the Lord’s prayer. Most of the Lord’s prayer is petition. Not adoration or thanksgiving, but petitions, requests. I need to ask God for stuff, for things, for help, to remind myself daily that I am totally dependent on God for everything! For all my physical needs and spiritual needs. In the Lord’s prayer I am reminded over and over that God is good and loving and wants me to be happy.

The Lord’s prayer starts off with “Our Father” and a bit later “thy kingdom come”. The first piece of happiness we find is that our Father is the king. As a youth I went to Bible camp every year in the mountains of Colorado. One year the guest speaker was from Tennessee. He had never seen the Rocky mountains. One day, on a hike he stopped and exclaimed, “My daddy made those mountains!” Sometimes I want to stop and exclaim with joy, “My daddy is the king!” The Lord’s prayer is part of the sermon on the mount where Jesus has been mentioning the kingdom. He began His ministry proclaiming the kingdom of the heavens or the kingdom of God. In the Lord’s prayer we happily discover that our daddy is the king.

In context of “thy kingdom come” Jesus gives us the first thing that we should ask for. The most important happy thing that we should ask for. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” When you think of heaven, do you think of sadness, misery, and pain? Of course not. We all think of a joyous existence where we delight in the presence of God and his will being done perfectly. God’s plan from the garden of Eden in Genesis to New Jerusalem in Revelation, is for people to experience unbelievable happiness because they are are doing his will. In this petition God not only invites us to enter into his joy, but as individuals and as the body of Christ, to bring this joy to a hurting world and thus grow the kingdom of the heavens.

As Jesus further instructs about things to ask for, he seemingly moves from the most important thing to the most mundane. “Give us today our daily bread.” I would venture to guess that most of us rarely if ever ask God to supply our bread for the day. One reason we don’t ask for that is because in our innermost being we think we are self sufficient. We think we can handle that one on our own. The reality is that we can’t. I was reading Moses’ speech to the Israelites this morning in Deuteronomy chapter eight. Moses told the people that it is God who gives you the ability to produce wealth. Who gave you the ability to earn that paycheck that enabled you to buy your bread (which is symbolic of our daily needs)? Where did you get the physical and mental ability to work, make money and buy food? God gave it you and me and all of us. So when we pray for daily bread, we are praying for God to maintain and grow our physical and mental abilities.

Here at the home for needy children in Mexico, that petition takes on a different flavor. We depend on the generous gifts of faithful supporters and friends for our daily bread, or daily tortillas, as the case may be. While we always give thanks before each meal, we rarely ask God corporately to supply our food. It is a different story in the accounting office. Those who look at our daily financial records, daily ask God to supply our needs. God answered those prayers in a special way a couple of weeks ago. We went to a store where we regularly buy food, and they donated a lot of juice and crackers to us. After that we went to the fruit and vegetable market and a complete stranger saw our van saying that we were from Christ For The World, Home For Needy Children. He came over and gave us four boxes of fruit. The next day a big truck from a governmental social service agency showed up unexpectedly and unloaded the largest food donation we have ever received. Huge bags of rice, beans and lentils. Cases and cases of milk and tuna. Our pantry, which had looked like old, Mother Hubbard’s cupboard, was now stocked with enough food to last us six months. Everyone rejoiced and was glad for God’s incredible provision. Indeed, everyone who has food to eat and water to drink should happily rejoice in God’s faithful and miraculous provisions.

Now Jesus moves from our most basic physical needs, to our most basic spiritual need. Forgiveness of sin. “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those that sin against us.” The angel told Joseph to name Mary’s baby “Jesus” because he would save his people from their sins. Peter told Cornelius in Acts 10 that everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Paul told the Romans in chapter four that Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins and raised to life for our justification. In Galatians one, Paul told his readers that Jesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age. The author of Hebrews says that Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people. John proclaims to his audience that Jesus appeared so that he might take away our sins (1 John 3:5). The one teaching on the mountain about forgiveness, was the one who died on a cross so that such forgiveness of sin could be possible.

So what’s the big deal with sin? Nothing much, except that it causes a lot of pain, suffering, separation from a right relationship with God, turmoil in relationships with others, anxiety, guilt, depression and dysfunction, just to name a few things. We are saved from all that when we do two things. One ask God to forgive us of our sins, and two, we need to forgive others who sin against us – people who have hurt us, physically, mentally or emotionally. 1 John 1:9, and Jesus’ parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18:21, shed a lot of light on the concept and reality of forgiveness. With our sins forgiven, our relationship with the Giver of Joy is made whole, and our souls are filled with a whole lot of happiness.

The final two things Jesus tells us to ask for, is that God, our Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. When I think of God leading us into temptation, I am reminded of the movie DodgeBall, where Dwight Goodman, the muscle bound owner of GloboGym, was waving a chocolate donut in front of his face, saying to himself, “Go ahead. Eat it. You know you want it.” He goes to take a bite of the donut, and about the time the chocolate delight touches his lips, he presses a button that sends an electric jolt into his body. God is not in heaven, dangling an enticing temptation before us, waiting for us to succumb, and then gleefully sending a lightning bolt our way as punishment. It is more accurate for us to pray that God would save us from the time of trial, because in times of trial we are tempted to sin by getting angry, or frustrated or worried or worse. Dallas Willard writes in The Divine Conspiracy that “this request is not just for evasion of pain and of things we don’t like, though it frankly is that. It expresses the understanding that we can’t stand up under very much pressure, and that it is not a good thing for us to suffer. It is a vote of ‘no confidence’ in our own abilities. As the (Lord’s Prayer) begins with with the glorification of God, it ends with acknowledgement of the feebleness of human beings.” I will be the first to admit I am feeble and I will be the first to thank God and rejoice and be happy that He regularly saves me from the time of trial.

“Deliver us from the Evil One.” The Evil One is Satan. The Bible says Satan is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Scriptures say that the Devil comes around with one purpose in mind – to kill, steal and destroy. Basically, he doesn’t like Christians very much. To him, the only good Christian is a dead, dying or suffering Christian. Happy Christians really tick him off. Jesus knows this, so he tells us to pray for protection from the Evil One; to recognize the reality of Satan and his hate for us; to recognize our weakness, that we are like dust compared to the Devil; and to recognize that the Devil is dust, compared to God. When we pray to God to deliver us from the Evil One, we are acknowledging that “greater is He that is in us, then he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). That, for me, is a happy thought! Amen!

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” ‘Just the way we want it’ is not a bad paraphrase for ‘amen.’ What is needed at the end of this great prayer (Lord’s Prayer) is a ringing affirmation of the goodness of God and God’s world. If your nerves can take it, you might (occasionally?) try “Whoopee!” I imagine God himself will not mind.” Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy. This book has helped me more with having a happy, healthy prayer life than any other I have ever read.

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Next blog – Joy and Terror in the Kingdom of Og

Happiness – A “To Do” List

January 25, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: Bible, church, community of faith, Enjoying God, God's love, God's word, happy, love, silence, solitude | 3 comments

Recently I was thumbing through the Evangelical Theological Dictionary of Theology, and there it was! somewhere between Hallelujah and Homologoumena, I encountered Happiness. I was pleasantly surprised that a theology book considered happiness a worthy topic. It not only explored the concept of happiness, but included a “to-do” list. Things people need to do to be happy. I have taken that list, modified it somewhat, and added a few things of my own, to come up with a Top Ten list of things people need to do to be happy.

1. Develop a close relationship with God.

John 15:9 “Stay in my love.” John 15:10 “If you obey my teachings you will live in my love. John 15:11 “I have told you these things so My joy may be in you and your joy may be full.” John 15:15 “I no longer call you servants. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have told you.” New Life Study Testament

The most important thing to do to enjoy God and be happy is to have a deep, trusting, and loving relationship with God.

2. Have a strong moral base.

Mark 12:28-34 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.”

This is closely related to number one. One way we love God with all our being is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Loving doesn’t necessarily mean “liking”. Having a strong moral base essentially means that we do to others as we would like them to do to us. We don’t have to like other people in order to treat them right. Jesus uses the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate this point (Luke 10:25-37).

3. Show mercy and compassion to the poor.

Proverbs 14:21 “He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.” Matthew 25:37-40 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” New International Version

When we reach out and help the poor, less fortunate, the “least of these”, God fills us with joy, because these are the kinds of works we were created to do to be happy people (Ephesians 2:10).

4. See your work as a gift from God.

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 “I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift of God.” (also Eccl. 2:24,25; 3:22; 8:15)

The author of Ecclesiastes mentions often that enjoying and taking pleasure in your job is one of the most important things we can do to be happy. God gives all of us special gifts, talents, and abilities, that, when put to work, brings us joy. I believe God has given me the ability to garden and to teach. I have been doing these two things for over thirty years. While I never made a lot of money doing these things, they have brought a richness of joy into my life.

5. Think of others as better than yourself.

{love and happiness} (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” 1 Timothy 1:15 “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” NIV

Perhaps nothing can take away my happiness quicker than when I begin to think that I am better than someone else. That can be quite a temptation, especially when one lives in a Christian community in a foreign county as I do. Here at the home for needy children in Mexico, there are staff members and volunteers from different countries, cultures, backgrounds, environments, and spiritual walks. The Devil wants to bring divisiveness rather than unity, and he loves it when he can get us to think of ourselves better than those we are around everyday. When we feel superior to others, complain about others or look down on others, then the Devil has gained a foothold and we lose a precious bit of divine joy that God has for us. The great apostle Paul, writing to Timothy towards the end of his life, comparing himself to others, states that he is the worst of sinners. If we can identify with Paul, then we can experience God’s love and enjoy Him in a unique way.

6. Say “Thank you”.

Colossians 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ have power over your hearts. You were chosen as part of his body. Always be thankful.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16 “In everything give thanks. This is what God wants you to do because of Jesus Christ.” NLST

Say “Thank you” at least 50 times a day. Say it to God, to friends and family, to co-workers and to complete strangers. I f you have a thankful heart, you will have a happy heart. Just ask Madame Blueberry from VeggieTales, she’ll tell you.

7. Embrace silence and solitude.

“Solitude is the place of the great struggle and the great encounter – the struggle against the compulsions of the false self, and the encounter with the loving God who offers himself as the substance of the new self.” “Solitude … is the place where Christ remodels us in his own image and frees us from the victimizing compulsions of the world.” Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart, pg.s 16,22

“The day needs definite times of silence, silence under the Word and silence that comes out of the Word.” “Silence is nothing else but waiting for God’s Word and coming from God’s word with a blessing.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, pg. 79

Two writers that I have a lot of respect for when it comes to enjoying God, are Henri Nouwen and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. They both write about the importance of silence and solitude in the life of a happy, fulfilled Christian. They both suggest that daily times of silence and solitude, as well as extended get-a-ways where you can enjoy longer times of intimate silence and solitude with God and His Word are extremely important. It is especially in times of silence and solitude that we experience God, His love and joy.

8. Don’t talk so much.

James 3:6 “The tongue is a fire. a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” James 3:8 “No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

Hmm. Our tongues – fire, world of evil, corrupting, restless evil, full of deadly poison. Not happy things! Haven’t we all been burned and been poisoned by other peoples words? More tragically, we have burned and poisoned others with our careless words, gossiping, backbiting, sarcastic and venomous words. James says in the beginning of chapter three that if you control your tongue you will be perfect – perfectly happy? I think so. Fewer words, more happiness.

9. Delight in God’s Word.

Psalm 119:16 “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” vs. 24 “Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.” vs.35 “Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” vs. 47 “I delight in your commands because I love them.” vs. 77 “Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight.” vs. 92 “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” vs. 111 “Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.” vs. 143 “Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.” vs.174 “I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight.” NIV

Start your day by reading God’s Word, studying and meditating on the scriptures, praying through some verses, memorizing others, and you will have a delightfully happy day.

10. Don’t live in the world and go to church, but live in the church and go into the world.

I don’t know who originally said that, but I love it. God not only saved us to have a personal relationship with Him, but, more importantly, saved us to be a vital part of His body, His kingdom, the community of faith, the Church. The Church is not a building that we go into once or twice a week to “worship God”. The Church is the body of Christ, a spiritual building that God has chosen as a growth instrument to help His followers grow in the fruit of the Spirit, of which one important fruit is joy. As a community, a fruit basket, we go into a hurting world and bring to it love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness and goodness. Hence, we “live in the Church”, and go into the world.

Romans 12:4,5 ,6 “Just as ach of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.”

So there it is, my top ten list of things to do to be happy. When these things are prominent in my life, I discover I am happier, experience more joy and enjoy God more. Most of these things don’t just happen overnight. It has taken me almost 50 years to cultivate them to the point that they are more or less natural to my life and faith walk, but I still have a ways to go.

I have about ten different types of fruit trees that I planted and care for here at the home for needy children in Oaxaca, Mexico. I imagine these ten things “to do” to be happy, as fruit trees in our lives. When they are young they bear no fruit, or immature fruit that is very small or not very edible, but they have the potential of producing much fruit. In order to finally bear good fruit they constantly need looking after. They need water, sun, good soil, fertilizer, insecticide, and pruning. After four or five years they almost all bear fruit, some more than others. One has died and a couple others are struggling mightily.

So it is in our “spiritual orchard”. Some of the things on our “to do” list come naturally, are comfortable for us to practice and live. Others we struggle with, and some we just feel like giving up on. With patience, diligence, and the goal of Happiness in view, we can have a beautiful and abundant orchard that yields a life of happiness and enable us to enjoy God forever.

“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.” Jim Valvano, College Basketball Coach who died of cancer eight weeks after saying this in a speech.

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Next post – The Lord’s Prayer, A Happy Prayer

Three Happy People

January 18, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: brain tumor, deafness, Enjoying God, God's love, gospel, happiness, joy, loving God, Menieres, poverty, salvation | Leave a comment

Elaine

Elaine and her husband Ian are long time volunteers from Canada, here at the home for needy children in Oaxaca, Mexico. The other day I asked Elaine if she believed God loves her and wants her to be happy. She said, “Absolutely!” Then I asked her why she thought God allowed her to lose her hearing.

Happy Children Playing
Artwork by Elaine

She had had perfect hearing most of her life. About 28 years ago she gradually began to lose her hearing do to menieres disease, losing her hearing first in one hear, and then in the other until she was totally deaf. She thought about my question. She told me that she never thought a lot about why God allowed her to lose her hearing. She told me about difficulties she experienced as her hearing became impaired. With tears in her eyes she recounted a recurring nightmare she had regarding her hearing loss and her increasing need to depend on devices used to help the hearing impaired. A few more tears appeared as she told me about how much she loved music, and that she can’t go into a music store now.

Thinking more about my question, she mentioned that with her hearing loss she has learned to depend more on God. She rests more in God. Sometimes God takes things away from us, things that we enjoy, to help us focus on Him so that we can enjoy Him more.

God has made Elaine happy and uses her in a tremendous way at the mission, in the community and in three Oaxacan prisons. She is an artist and has painted many beautiful pictures and murals that inspire everyone here at the children’s home. She received a cochlear ear implant almost three years ago and partial hearing has returned to her life. That helps her to teach art classes at the mission school. She also has a sewing talent and ministry that reaches out to poor and incarcerated women, both physically, with quilts, and spiritually, with words that flow from her compassionate and joyous heart. She glorifies Him and enjoys Him in many different ways everyday.

Thinking about Elaine and her spiritual journey, I was reminded of two different scripture passages from the book of John. One is from chapter nine, the account of the man born blind. In those days, most Jews thought that physical maladies were a result of sin. The disciples asked Jesus, “Who sinned?”

Jesus told them that the blind mans affliction was not a result of sin. He was blind all his life so that one day the master healer, Jesus himself, would come along and restore his sight, and that God would be glorified through the miracle. Surely, the man who could now see, glorified God and enjoyed Him forever.

I also thought about John 15, where Jesus speaks of God the Father as a gardener of a vineyard. Jesus says the gardener cuts off every branch that bears no fruit. It is a basic principle of horticulture that to get more, you cut more. I do most of the gardening and landscape maintenance here at the mission. While we don’t have any grape vines to prune, I am constantly pruning roses and other flowers in order to get bigger and better flowers. Lately I have been pruning some overgrown citrus trees in order to get more, high quality fruit. In the same way, God prunes things from our lives, in order that we may produce more fruit – fruit of the Spirit. In the case of John 15, the spiritual fruit in question is JOY. In verse 11, Jesus says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” God loves us and wants us to be happy, and many times He prunes away one aspect of our live to ultimately produce more joy fruit in our lives.

Elaine misses her ability to hear perfectly. Daily her thoughts turn toward heaven and the time that her hearing will be restored. In the meantime, she thanks God for the gifts he has given her and the compassion she is able to show others who have suffered loss.

Art

When I first met Art, he was dying of a brain tumor. He was a middle aged man, gray hair, balding. He had once been an active Episcopal priest. I met him at a Lutheran church that I had just begun attending in Northern California. As I recall, he told me a joke. He loved to tell jokes. It was hard for me to understand him, because the brain tumor had caused his speech to be a bit slurred at times. He also had trouble with his sight, and needed a cane to get around. All of this didn’t stop him from enjoying God and telling jokes.

He told me about the time he told God a joke. Immediately afterward he said he was plagued with guilt. Who was he to be joking around with the Almighty, Holy God. He was in turmoil, he told me. He prayed. He cried. He begged forgiveness. He repented. After some time in this anguished state of mind, he heard a voice. The voice said, “Art, tell me another one.”

I think that because of this experience with a God who likes to laugh at jokes, Art began bringing much joy and mirth into peoples lives by telling jokes and funny stories. It didn’t matter so much that you couldn’t always understand him or get the punch line. What mattered was, here was a man who believed that God loved him and wanted him to be happy, despite his painful circumstances. As a result of the joy he experienced, he naturally wanted to spread the joy, and the best way he knew was telling jokes and hysterical stories. After I gave Art my email address, not a week went by that I didn’t receive at least one new joke or funny story. I always laughed and thanked God for Art. I miss him.

Anita

Anita was born into poverty. She was born at home because her parents couldn’t afford a hospital. She had a brother that was stillborn. One of her sisters died at six weeks, and another who died before her tenth birthday. Her youngest brother has Downs Syndrome.

Anita is a lady who suffered much as a young girl growing up poor in Mitla, Mexico. Her parents couldn’t afford a house, so they lived with an oppressive grandmother who treated them like servants or slaves. When that environment became too much for them, they decided to move to a small piece of land they owned on the edge of town. They constructed a “house” of bamboo sticks and a tin roof. Some days all they had to eat was tortillas with a bit of salt or pumpkin seeds for flavor.

Their only hope, so it seemed, lay in the syncretistic, Catholic religion that combined Christian orthodoxy with ancient, pagan, Zapoteco traditions. They prayed to saints, built a shrine to dead loved ones, and put out offerings they couldn’t afford , to celebrate the “Day of the Dead.” All of this brought nothing to their souls by way of peace, joy and happiness.

Fortunately, protestant missionaries lived nearby, and helped Anita and her family financially by giving them jobs. More importantly, they helped spiritually by giving them the gospel, the good news, that God loved them and wanted them to be happy. One by one, Anita and her family gave their lives to Jesus. One of the happiest days of Anita’s life was when she surrendered to God and embraced His love. The burdens and oppression she had suffered all her life, lifted away. She felt light as a balloon. She felt she was floating on air. And oh the joy that flooded her soul.

Anita, The Happy Cocinera

Anita is my wife. I met her my first day at the mission. She is an incredible cook and was working in the kitchen at the time. The first thing I noticed about her was her smile and sense of humor. My Spanish wasn’t so great then, and I didn’t understand half of what she said, but I did understand that she was glorifying God by enjoying Him!

We married two years later, and she continues to light up my life, our daughter’s lives, and all those at the mission, with her cheery attitude, generous giving of herself, and her contagious sense of humor.

I thank God everyday for this ray of heavenly sunshine that He has shined in my life. I also thank God for the inspiration of Elaine and Art, people who show me how to enjoy God in the midst of unpleasant life situations. People who know that God loves them and wants them to be happy.

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“One day our Sovereign Father and Friend will allow us to grasp His reasoning. Until then, we must trust Him. He is filled with love for you and me, and He uses the things we don’t understand to bring us closer to Him.” Letter from Bob Vander Plaats to his severely disabled son – from his book Light From Lucus.

If God Loves Us and Wants Us to be Happy-WHY…?

January 11, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: compassion, God's love, pain, suffering | 1 comment

pain – death – war

Last time I wrote that we were created to enjoy God. I wrote that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Writing that, I could hear in my mind, voices of readers making objections. People naturally asking, “If God loves us and wants us to be happy, then WHY? Why is there suffering and pain in the world? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why were more Christians tortured and killed last century, than all the other centuries put together? Why are babies born with defects? Why does God allow children to be abused? Why is there war?” The “Why’s” are many.

These questions lead to others. Is God good and loving, yet weak or powerless to prevent pain and suffering? Or, is God the almighty creator of the universe who made us and then takes an apathetic step back to see how it will all play out? Questions like these are asked everyday in a hundred different ways, and it seems that no one has the answers.

Well, never fear, friendly reader. Michael James Santiago Schwab is here. I have all the answers. In my dreams! To tell the truth, my own voice was making the same objections when I wrote about God’s love, enjoying God, and being happy. I was asking WHY? I wish I had all the answers, but of course I don’t. I live in the same world as you – a world filled with the tensions of good and evil; wholeness and brokenness; happiness and sadness; peace and conflict; joy and disappointment; success and frustration. These types of tensions confront most of us on a daily basis.

Another question. What do we do with all these tensions? Try to ignore them? Bury our heads in the sand? Put on rose colored glasses? Pray for the best, but expect the worst? Let go and let God?

Again, I don’t have the answers. All I can do is share some ideas about how I have learned to cope with these issues as they have sprung up on my spiritual journey. I hope what I have to say will encourage everyone, but undoubtedly my words will be a disappointment for some and ring hollow to others.

For me, finding the right perspective on these issues of good and evil, suffering and pain, begins with reading the Bible. I believe the Bible is God’s Word that He gives us to help us think His thoughts after Him. To open the eyes of our heart, our spiritual eyes. I think of the Bible, the Holy Scriptures, as a User’s Manual, that God has graciously given us to. He made us. He knows how we function. He explains what we need to know in the Manual. In reading, studying and meditating on the Bible, God helps me understand, a little bit more everyday, what’s going on. I get more of His perspective. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, I can see things more clearly.

One of the first things that I learn from Scripture is that having all the answers in life isn’t all that important. In fact, having all the answers is impossible. What is important in life is to trust that God loves us and wants us to be happy. That’s what the Bible says. One example- I just scanned the book of Psalms, all 150 chapters. I have read it many times, and underlined things that were important to me. Scanning all those pages and reading things I had underlined, certain words and phrases jumped out at me. Rejoice, gladness, joy, delight, steadfast love, love endures forever, rescue, compassion, forgiveness, mercy, goodness. These are the words that the writers of the Psalms use to describe God, His gifts, and their reaction to those gifts. Throughout the Bible, from the Garden of Eden in Genesis, to the New Jerusalem in Revelation, I read about a Good God who loves His people and wants them to be happy.

Job

Job and his “friends”

This is not to say that God’s people never suffer. All we have to do is to read the book of Job to see that. This book gives the account of a “blameless, upright man who feared God and shunned evil”. He was very wealthy. He was a devoted father. A picture of health. We all know the story. He lost everything in a short time. His wealth was stolen. His children died in a tragic accident. He began suffering from a horrible, painful skin disease. How did Job react? The first two chapters tell us that “Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” and “Job did not sin in what he said.” Job 13:15 records Job as saying, “Even if God kills me, still I will trust Him.”

Naturally Job wanted to know WHY?! Why God? Why?

Towards the end of the book of Job, Job receives an audience with God. Surely he must have thought, Now God will answer my question – WHY? Guess what? God did not answer the Why Question. God proclaimed His might and power to Job. God told Job to consider the universe that He had created. God directed Job’s attention to nature, and God asked a few questions of His own. Forty-seven questions to be exact. A few examples of the questions that God asked Job –

Where were you when I laid the earths foundations?

Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?

Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?

Can you bring forth the constellations?

Do you send the lighting bolts on their way?

Will the one who contends the Almighty correct him?

To all these questions, Job had to answer “No”, while God says, “I was there, I have done it and will continue to do it.” What God is saying to Job, and to us, is that He is all powerful. He is sovereign. He has given us a beautiful creation, and He can be trusted to do the right thing, even if we can’t see it or don’t understand it. Job never did understand, this side of eternity, why he had to suffer the way he did, but he did understand that he had to to trust in God, that He is good and that His love endures forever.

I love Psalm 103. God is pictured as a loving, compassionate father. He understands what we are going through. Why we suffer. Verse 14 says, ‘he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Our attitudes are dust. Our actions are dust. Our strength is dust. Our motivations are dust. As a result of all that “dust” we suffer sometimes because of our sin. We cause other people to suffer because of our sin. We suffer because of other peoples sin. Sin is the main cause of suffering, although certainly not the only cause. Despite our sin, as Psalm 103 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.” When we recognize our sin, and ask God to forgive us and restore us to a right relationship with Him, then we can be assured, as verse 12 states, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

In our times of trials, turmoil and terrible pain, we can be sure that God, our compassionate Father, is there beside us, walking with us, and at times carrying us. Ultimately we can rest assured that we will be delivered from all sorrow and suffering. Why? Because God loves us and wants us to be happy.

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“Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home” Amazing Grace

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Next blog – Three Happy People

Why Am I Here?

January 4, 2013 in Uncategorized | Tags: Enjoying God, Hound of Heaven, John Piper, Westminster Shorter Catechism | 2 comments

The first page from the 9th edition of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (1785). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why am I here? I ask that question in two senses. Why am I here on planet Earth? And, Why am I here blogging? I mean, that’s all this world needs is another blogger – Right?

The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks the same question in a slightly different way. “What is the chief end of man?” The answer, “To glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” John Piper, in his book Desiring God, puts it a little differently, “To glorify God by enjoying Him.” I like that.

I am here on planet Earth to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. Or, as the blog’s subtitle asserts, God loves us and wants us to be happy. As for creating another blog? Same reason. I enjoy writing, especially about God and His goodness, grace, mercy, love, kindness, power – you get the idea. It makes me happy. I hope to glorify God by my writing. I hope people reading this blog will come away from every post with a smile on their face, a deeper joy in their hearts; happier people. I enjoy God in a myriad of ways everyday – through His Word, His creation, His presence. Through my family by relation and my spiritual, community of faith, family. My desire, dream and hope is that because of this blog, as I share what I have learned so far in my faith journey with Jesus, up and down the path of life, that your journey will be a bit more enjoyable, joyous and happy. God is the King of the world, the Creator of the universe, and our Daddy. That incredible Being loves us and wants us to be happy!

I am a Dad to four daughters. Two older daughters, Tifani and Brianna, who are in their twenties and are from my first marriage. My youngest daughters are a result of my present marriage; Sally and Kelly, ages 3 and 2. What an age difference! My two sets of daughters are somewhat of a microcosm of my experience with God and His love that I have encountered on my spiritual journey. I love all of them and want them to be happy. This wasn’t always the case. My first two daughters were born while I was in Bible college and “ministry”. I loved them, but being “happy” wasn’t a top priority. Being obedient, good little Christian girls was more important to me. I wasn’t such a happy guy either. I was a stern, hard-nosed father, generally no fun to be around. As they grew, they occasionally referred to me as “pharisee”, and I imagine the word “hypocrite” was sometimes muttered under their breath.

In my mind and on my lips were verses from the Bible about God’s love, but they were not always on my hard heart. I didn’t think much about “enjoying God” or the idea that He wanted me to be happy. Thus a failed marriage and strained relationships with my daughters.

God Never Gives Up

Fortunately, God’s grace, mercy and stubborn love kept working on me. God was (and still is) the Hound of Heaven, who was constantly giving me good things I didn’t deserve, and constantly getting little messages into my head about how much He loved me and wanted me to be happy. One of my favorite verses in Psalms is from the 13th chapter, “I will sing unto the Lord, for He has dealt bountifully with me.” For a long time I was spiritually blind to God’s bounty in my life. All I saw was negatives, problems and selfish wants and “needs”. I didn’t always sing and give thanks for God’s goodness, because I didn’t always see it. I was blinded by spiritual pride and self-righteousness. Thank God, He never gives up on us, because He loves us and wants us to be happy and to enjoy Him.

The Apostle Paul prays for the Ephesians, that the eyes of their hears may be opened, and that they will know the depth and riches of God’s love. Gradually the “eyes of my heart” were opened to the reality of God’s love, goodness and grace. As I grew in that love, goodness and grace, I wanted to share that with others, with “the least of these”, as Jesus puts it. I had wanted to be a missionary since I was a young teenager, mainly because it seemed adventurous. God wisely and mercifully put the brakes on that notion until I grew in the understanding and knowledge of His love, and could go to serve the “least of these” with the right motivation – Love.

Oaxaca

So here I am, in Oaxaca, Mexico, cooperating with God in helping needy children. I am part of a wonderful ministry called Foundation For His Ministry that helps the economically needy, physically needy, and most importantly of all, the spiritually needy, both children and adults, throughout Mexico.

I have never been happier in my life. God has created us in such a way, that the more we share and reflect His love to a hurting world, the happier we will be. God has blessed me (made me happy) with Anita, my loving, vibrant, God-loving wife and two beautiful daughters.

I regret the bad attitudes and wrong perspective that I had on life and about God in my earlier years, and the pain I caused other people. I thank God everyday for the mercy he continually pours out on me, and the fact that He can make all things beautiful in His time.

I just turned 50 in December. Through the years, in spite of my thick skull, God has shown me and taught me about His love; His kind of happiness, and I have been truly enjoying Him like never before. With Sally and Kelly, I don’t care so much if they are perfect or obey all the time. I really care that they learn to love God, grow in His grace, are happy, and enjoy God. I pray that God helps me to be a Daddy that can be an example of that. I also pray that as people come ToEnjoyGod.com, that they will come to enjoy God in a deep, fresh way in every aspect of their lives.

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“If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it as a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses

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Next blog – If God loves us and wants us to be happy, WHY…?

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Next blog – Happiness, A To Do List

Why Am I Here?

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