When You Gotta Have Tulips

“We forget all too soon the things 

we thought we could never forget.”  Joan Didion

I had to have those tulips! It hasn’t happened to me very often, but I was a bit obsessed. When I’d done an escape for supplies earlier in the week, I saw fresh flowers in a local store. During our over three decades of marriage, I’ve brought home to Jane hundreds, perhaps thousands of flowers. Never overly expensive but something of beauty and freshness. It’s just a simple way to let her know that I love and appreciate her. Now I saw fresh flowers again. This time I felt driven to buy them. I wasn’t sure why.  I just knew that I felt had to have those flowers.

  They were "$5 for Friday," which added to the allure. Some were bunches of the same color but there was one bunch with multicolored tulips. That was it! The variety of freshness and beauty was the one.

  But then when I went to check-out, and the price scanned was $14.99. I assured the clerk that they were “$5 for Friday.” He politely went and checked, couldn’t find a price and gave them all to me for $4.00.

  If I could, I’d buy flowers and pots and pots of flowers every time I venture out these days. Yet, I’m not really a “flower person,” (or flower child for those of you who grew up in the ’60s). I don’t have a green thumb and have difficulty determining the difference between much more than the more well-known types of flowers. Why the passion now? Beauty, nature, growth – all become more valuable and precious to us in times of sickness, decay, and death. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

  The famous world-class Japanese-American artist, Makoto Fujimara, lived a few blocks from Ground Zero in a neighborhood popular with artists. Prior to the World Trade Center disaster, those artists were producing works intended to shock, most of them portraying dark scenes, obscenity, and violence. After the terrorist attack, many of these artists were shut out of their homes and studios. After 9/11 Mako faced an unusual opportunity. He’s a thoughtful Christian and opened a communal studio to allow these artists to keep working. He dedicated it as “an oasis of collaboration by Ground Zero artists.”

  But what had happened at Ground Zero was darker, more obscene, and violent than anything these artists could ever have imagined in their worst nightmares. Now in the safety of Mako’s studio, they rediscovered beauty, humaneness, courage, gentleness. Their new works of art began to reflect this new appreciation and outlook. One artist known for darkness and decadence made a wonderful creation, folding hundreds of white origami butterflies and arranging them in a beautiful pattern.

  After being bombarded for months now with scenes of hospitals, death, and dying from various parts of the globe, fresh scenes of spring and life and beauty are a greater longing on our hearts. It makes us want tulips!

  One of my most missed memories of growing up in the south is the Dogwood trees. We had a white one in our front yard when I was a child. Atlanta has an Annual Dogwood Festival. How I miss those beautiful white and pink blossoms this year with a yearning I haven’t had in decades.  

  Recently I heard a radio commentator share the thrill of hearing birds singing in Manhattan and commented that he couldn’t remember ever hearing birds in NYC before. Last week World News contributor Kim Henderson related that as she joined her husband on their front porch early one morning, he said to her, “You just missed it.” Then, he told her that he’d been watching a grey fox that had just scurried away.

  After this, I hope we never again take smiles for granted! Like many others, I’ve finally succumbed to a mask. You can maybe notice smiling eyes over the top…maybe. It’s harder though. Those masks make me long to see full faces. Breathing through fabric makes me long to once again smell salt air blowing in from the ocean or the scent of pine trees in a forest. When I’m out walking, I find I quickly wave at anyone who happens to make eye contact, mask free!

  Have you joined the Happy Heart Facebook group? It’s grown to hundreds of thousands decorating windows with colorful hearts. Many are family art projects. Others are communicating love for a healthcare worker in the home or sometimes the loss of a loved one. Chalk art on driveways and sidewalks with a myriad of color has become increasingly common.

  Though we’re limited on how much we’re out, I can’t recall seeing anyone talking on a phone in a store, oblivious to others around them. The absence of personal human contact has made us long for it all the more.

  Our hearts have always gone out to those separated from loved ones who were in the military, serving our country on foreign soil. Now hospitals and nursing homes down the street have become “foreign soil.” We’d drive by senior centers hardly giving them a thought. Not today. Many of us, out of love and for the protection of our elderly loved ones, haven’t seen them in weeks. No personal contact, no hugs, no gentle touches. Some have gotten very creative to stay in contact. One man works for a company with cherry pickers and had himself lifted up so that he could greet his elderly Mom in her second-floor apartment.

  For us, mealtimes at home together have grown very precious. We find we linger longer at the table, though we’re spending more time with each other than we’ve spent in years. Our prayer time for those struggling, particularly with health issues, is deeper and more passionate.  

  At first, Sundays were very depressing for me. I’m not sure if I started the series in Philippians more for our church or for me. This pandemic has given me a whole new appreciation of the Apostle Paul and the power of his words about joy, peace, and contentment.

  I miss my church family! I miss singing together! I miss seeing people greet and hug each other. I miss giving children high fives! I miss toddler giggles and squeals. I miss seeing folk gathered, sharing their lives, coffee cup in hand. I miss praying with each other.

  I miss it all. How about you? May we never take it for granted again and may we never forget!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Repacking YOUR Bags

“Change, even if unwelcome, forces us to reevaluate what our best options are. Those times of transitions are great opportunities to look for recurring patterns in your life and make adjustments to build on the good and reduce the bad.”  Dan Miller

Have you cleaned and organized the kitchen drawers? How about the attic?

There’s a lot of purging and long overdue projects taking place during this mandated “Safe at Home” time. Our world may never be the same. Hopefully, spiritually and significantly none of us will be the same.

  It was an ultimate adventure to a realm very far away and deep within. Richard Leider led a walking safari in Tanzania. Looking like a walking advertisement for some American outdoor retailer, he was delighted when his new friend, Thaddeus Ole Koyie, a Maasai village elder, expressed a fascination with seeing the contents of his impressive backpack. Proudly, Richard began to lay out all of his high tech essentials. After several minutes of just gazing at everything, Koyie asked with great intensity, “Does all this make you happy?”

  “Does all this make you happy?” During this period it’s a question that we all should ask. God has given us a gift of time for reflection and change. With that simple question Koyie captured the essence of the questions that weigh so heavily on many of us. What am I carrying? What will make me happy in the next phase of the journey? What is the good life to me?

  Both the implications and the importance of Koyie’s question were immediately apparent. In a split second, that question caused Richard to consider all he was carrying and why – not just on that trek, but through his entire life.

  We’re at an important crossroads in our journey through life. We’ve been given a gift to evaluate on how to proceed, what to take with us and what to purge. The Bible talks about that. In John 15:2, Jesus said: “ Every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” More and more, many of us wonder what to bring along and what to leave behind, what to acquire and what to give away, what to do and with whom to do it. It’s time for us to repack and take a long, hard look at what we’re carrying and where we are headed.

  As those who have committed our lives to Christ, we have a different destination. This world is not our Home. It’s not where we are headed. We’re merely passing through. Our destination, because of the cross and God’s grace, is an eternity in heaven.

  Being a Christ-follower means that not only is our destination drastically different, but our journey must also be different too. Yet, we easily put “stuff” in our lives because everyone else does. This is a time to reevaluate our lives in light of eternity and what has true significance. Let me suggest some areas to re-evaluate. None of these are evil or wrong, in and of themselves. As Christ-followers though, our approach to them must be very different.

  Materialism. If you haven’t received it already, stimulus checks are on the way. As the country begins to figure out how we “open back up,” powerful forces will try to convince us all to get back to “normal.” Billions will be spent on advertising, messaging, and media content to make you feel comfortable again. Every brand in America will come to your rescue to help take away that darkness and get life back to the way it was before the pandemic. And there’s nothing wrong with nice things. God wants us to enjoy the gifts of this world, the things of this life. It’s just that they don’t ultimately satisfy. We all know folk who have beautiful, immaculately furnished homes and drive luxurious vehicles, yet have empty souls and lives, and are miserable. Material things are tools, not end products of joy and contentment.

  Accomplishments. God designed us to be “human beings,” not “human doings.” Too many only feel success if they’re moving up the corporate ladder or have their “To Do” list checked off.

  We need daily times with our Heavenly Father. We need intimate times with our spouses, families and friends (and that’s not in a car on the way to the next event). God didn’t design life to be a Facebook post. One of the most violated verses in the Bible is: “Be still and know that I am God.”

  Sports. Idolatry is the replacement of God with something else, the yielding of our primary devotion and chief affections to anything or anyone besides the Lord. God’s Word consistently speaks of sports in a very positive way. They play an important role in our lives. They bring people together, encourage health and fitness, discipline and provide an array of life lessons. They can be a wholesome source of entertainment. Sports, too, are a gift from God. It’s noteworthy that there seem to be more Christians in professional sports than other avenues of fame in our culture.

  Yet, our culture has turned stadiums into temples. As Christ-followers, if we’re not careful, the gift replaces the Giver. Sports are great but make a terrible god. So, while you’re re-evaluating your life, please ask: Do sports hold a higher priority in my life than Jesus? Is God on the sidelines of my heart? Has the Lord’s Day (Sunday) morphed into just a sports day?

  Leisure. Prior to the Fall, Adam and Eve were given what’s known as the “Creative Mandate” (Genesis 1:28). God gave us strength, talent, and intelligence to be utilized for His glory. God never designed us to be emotively driven. Sadly, what has lost even in the Church, is the ability to do critical thinking. Listen to how often you hear or yourself say, “I feel” instead of “I think.” I wonder what the angels in heaven must think when they observe Christ-followers watching “Tiger King” or the “Kardashians” to name a few of the worst. After all this most will look at a cruise with more of a jaundiced eye. We are ignorant of Scripture and a biblical worldview if we live for the weekend and see work as a “necessary evil.” And then, we rationalize that we don’t have time to read God’s Word, memorize it, serve Him, or reach out to our neighbors. 

  The real question isn’t: “Does all this make you happy?” but “Does this please your Heavenly Father?” When we live in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father, He blesses us with joy, peace, and contentment…to name a few of His countless blessings. God has given us a gift of time for some needed reevaluation. May we use it wisely. It’s an opportunity for us to reevaluate and redirect our lives.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

We are Easter People!

“Jesus Christ did not come into this world to make bad people good; He came into this world to make dead people live.” Lee Strobel

Though they’re fun and nothing wrong with them, Easter isn’t about bunnies, colored eggs, baby chicks, Easter Egg Hunts, new clothes, dressing up or family get-togethers. It’s not about Easter lilies or even going to church. Most importantly, Easter is not for one Sunday a year.

  For a born-again Christian, a Christ-follower – Easter is every day. It doesn’t begin with life, it begins with death – Jesus’ death and then for those who commit their lives to Him, our death – death to self. Easter is living out Jesus’ new life within us every day. Christians are to be the 365 days a week, 24/7 Easter people. It’s not temporary; it’s transformational.

  As everyone who saw Jesus post-resurrection knew that things had powerfully, wonderfully and eternally changed, everyone who sees us should recognize that we too have been powerfully, wonderfully and eternally changed by Christ living in us.

  Easter people continue to daily live out the Easter message. They not only know what the Jesus story says, they know what it means. Christ was resurrected from the dead so we can have eternal life in heaven and resurrection life now. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” What does it mean to live out the resurrection life?

  It means surrender…of everything. That’s what we’re commanded to do in Romans 12:1-2. In a military sense, surrender means defeat, but for a follower of Jesus, it means victory over whatever hinders our Christian life. It means that we ask God to search our hearts and reveal areas that we’ve kept for ourselves, then as He brings something to mind, we surrender it to Him. It’s a lifelong process, yet begins with a major surrender. Full surrender is an ongoing opening of the closets and cabinets of our lives and inviting the Lord to clean out whatever He wants because if Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.

  An unsurrendered Christian is miserable. They have a broken relationship with their Lord and are often easy to spot. They may say the right words but their lives deny Christ’s Lordship, reeking with hypocrisy. Surrender transforms our attitude, worldview, conversations, relationships, management of time, money and talents…everything. It’s  only as we give Christ the absolute control of our lives, that we experience the fulfillment, purpose, and satisfaction that He wants to give us and that we all long for.

  It means seeking Him. The Lord promises us in Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” Can you imagine going to work and doing your own thing, just because it seems like the right thing to do? This is obvious. To do a good job and please your employer, you must first get instructions. The Bible is our “instruction book.” It’s our Love Letter from our Heavenly Father. We’ll never learn how to live unless we’re faithfully in the “instruction book.”

  The surrendered life means listening (reading His Word) before you talk (pray). When we realize how much Jesus loves us, we want to listen to what He says to us. It’s the only way we can pray intelligently. Unless we study His “instruction manual,” we don’t know how to pray.  

  Seeking Him means worshipping together with other believers and faithfully being under the teaching of God’s Word. It’s prioritizing Body Life and community. God uses His family to help us grow spiritually. It’s not just “Jesus and me” or “Jesus and my immediate family.”  

  The more that we seek Him, the more He reveals Himself to us. Be warned though. The more we seek Him, the more we realize how ignorant we are. A seeking Christian is humble because he/she has an ongoing awareness of how little they know and how far they have to go and grow. We’re designed for a relationship with God and each other. Seeking Him is vital for us to move forward in that relationship.

  It means serving Him. The most miserable people are those for whom life is a continuous selfie, those who continually think, talk about and serve themselves. Jesus saved us so that we can serve Him by serving others.

  As there is no such thing as a non-functioning member of the human body, there’s not to be a non-functioning member of the body of Christ. But we’re not “volunteers.” Jesus bought us from the slave market of sin and we belong to Him. Service is not optional. You don’t volunteer for Jesus’ army; you’ve been drafted! If someone doesn’t want to serve the Lord, then it may be because He’s not their Lord. The aim of service is to bring glory to the One who loved you and gave His life for you. It’s vital that we pray for the supernatural filling of the Holy Spirit, so that we can most effectively serve through His power and not our own.

  It means sharing Him. Can you imagine someone discovering the vaccine for the Coronavirus but never telling anyone? It would be criminal. Those who are born-again have the cure for this world’s worst malady – sin. To not share what Jesus has done for you is beyond wrong. The only hope for everyone you meet and this world is the cross and salvation. It’s a free gift that most don’t know has already been purchased for them. Easter people freely share how others can be Easter people.  

  And think of all the other things we share without hesitation; favorite sports teams, political party, hobbies, etc. We even share our favorite movies and music. Yet, we hesitate to share the One who forgave us for an unpayable debt and will freely forgive anyone who comes to Him. Why? We hesitate to share because someone might think we’re a fanatic, yet we’re willing to be a “fanatic” for nearly everything else.

  Heaven is forever. Heavenly transformation of new life in Christ is for the here and now. It’s what this world desperately needs. It’s wrong to be a “Secret Service Christian.” We’re commanded to share the hope that has been given to us every opportunity we have (1 Peter 3:15).

  What joy those first believers had when they realized that Jesus was alive! It transformed them! As Easter People, it must transform us!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Does Jesus Care?

“Christians need their best theology in their darkest moments. ”

Some nursing home residents were sitting around discussing their various ailments. One said, “My arms are so weak I can barely lift this cup of coffee.” “Well, at least you can see your cup,” said another.

  “My cataracts are so bad that it’s hard for me to see mine.”

  A third one chimed in, “What about arthritis? Mine’s so bad that I can’t even turn my head.”

  "My blood pressure pills make me very dizzy," added another. “I guess that’s the price we have to pay for getting old.”

  There seemed to be general agreement with that gloomy assessment until one woman spoke up, “Wait a minute. It’s not that bad,” she said. “Hey, at least…we can all still drive!”

  Let’s be honest. It’s easy to have your own personal pity party and end up feeling very depressed. Frequently, when we’re going through tough times, when we’re suffering, we cry out, “Where’s God? Why isn’t He doing something about this? Does He even care about me?”

  That’s a relevant question to consider: “Does God care about us? Does He really care about His people?”

  One of the most striking passages in the Old Testament concerning this is found in Isaiah 63:7-9 where the prophet Isaiah writes: “I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which He is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us—yes, the many good things He has done for the house of Israel, according to His compassion and many kindnesses. He said, ‘Surely they are my people, sons who will not be false to Me’; and so He became their Savior. In all their distress He too was distressed, and the angel of His presence saved them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”  That’s a wonderful passage. The key sentence that we need to focus on is verse 9, “In all their distress He too was distressed.”

  God said nearly the same thing as He spoke to Moses at the burning bush. "I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out…and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them” (Ex. 3:7-8), and then He told Moses to go and tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go!”

  Over and over again the Bible has a continual theme that God loves us and cares about us. We see it in the birth of Christ. It’s no accident that God didn’t send His Son to be born into a royal family, to be born in the palace of a king…to enjoy the very best this world has to offer. Instead, He chose to learn what it is like to be poor, to spend long hours working under a hot sun with calluses on His hands with sore, aching muscles. He knows what it’s like to be a part of a despised race. He knows what it’s like to be arrested and tried for crimes that He did not commit. And hanging there on the cross in our place, Jesus Christ experienced pain such as you and I have never experienced…that is beyond even our worst nightmares.

  Many years ago a group of Christian missionaries visited Mahatma Gandhi to discuss their work in India. Before they left, Gandhi asked them to sing for him one of their Christian hymns. “Which one shall we sing?” they asked. “Sing the one that best expresses what you believe,” he replied.

  And so they sang together “When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.”

  Too often we take for granted the repulsiveness of the cross. In Jesus’ day, the cross was a horrible, despicable thing, reserved for the vilest offenders that society could condemn. Nobody in the Roman Empire would have written a song about the cross, any more than we today would write a hymn about the gas chamber, the electric chair, or the gallows.

  But Jesus Christ not only did something on the cross, He did something to the cross! He transformed it from a symbol of suffering to a symbol of victory and glory. Regardless of what a person may think about Jesus Christ, anyone who seriously examines the subject of suffering and pain must also confront Calvary’s Cross.

  In the four Gospels, we discover a remarkable thing: Jesus didn't explain suffering, instead He experienced it and did all He could to relieve it. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He transformed suffering and the cross on which He suffered and died. So powerful was His impact that just twenty years or so after the crucifixion, the Apostle Paul was able to write, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). In the Roman Empire, crucifixion was never mentioned in polite society; yet here is the Apostle Paul boasting in the cross!

  If there’s one clear message that Jesus gives us about God and suffering, it’s this: God is identified with us in our suffering and can enable us to turn tragedy into triumph. When you and I are going through the valley, when we are fighting the battle, or facing the furnace, God is not some apathetic, disinterested spectator; He’s an active participant with us in the sufferings and pain of this life. God knows what it is to suffer too. As Isaiah said, “In all their distress He too was distressed” (63:9).

  The God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is not the “Unmoved Mover” of the philosophers. He is not some distant, uncaring God…God suffers too.

  Pleasure, safety and protection from pain are not the most important things in life. Jesus deliberately put Himself into situations that brought Him great suffering in one way or another. His most important task in life was to do the will of God, no matter what the cost might be.

  Christ’s resurrection is God’s evidence that He was satisfied with Jesus’ payment for our sin. The price has been paid. Jesus suffered in our place so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life. Jesus suffered to give us the gift of eternal life. It’s a free gift. But a gift must be accepted. Have you accepted God’s gift?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.