Unwritten

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. -Psalm 34:8

Every day we wake up in the middle of something that is already going on and has been going on for a long time, genealogy and geology, history and culture, the cosmos—God. We are neither accidental nor incidental to the story. Eugene Peterson, The Message, Introduction to Matthew

When Hathach told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai sent her this message: “Don’t think that just because you live in the king’s house you’re the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.” Esther sent back her answer to Mordecai: “Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together. Fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, either day or night. I and my maids will fast with you. If you will do this, I’ll go to the king, even though it’s forbidden. If I die, I die.” - Esther 4:12–16 MESSAGE


Everybody loves a good story. We are wired that way, it is part of our DNA.

All of history finds its setting in the story of God, with its beginning in the mystery of the mind of the author, God, and its end in eternity -- in His plans and purposes. In the midst of this ongoing story you enter the stage, a unique actor, collaborating with God in the writing of your part of the story.

From the beginning of time, history was shaped by people who acted when they felt the call to act. Esther, from the Bible, became queen through very extraordinary means and just when you would think the rest of her life would be one of ease and predictability, she is called to risk her life to help others. What she was called to do might not have made sense to her. It might not have made sense to her friends or people who cared about her, but she knew that it was the right thing to do, she knew it was part of the story that God was writing for her. Despite this knowledge, she could have done nothing. Instead, Esther risks death by going before the King to intercede on behalf of the people of God. Although everyone around her probably would have told her that to do so would mean death, she knew she had to act. She thought something like, "Something needs to be done, and I know that God is able to do it." So, she stepped into uncertainty, not uncertain about everything. She knew who God was. She knew what God was capable of, what He was able to do, and she knew that she could trust God. "Perhaps I am in the place where I am for such a time as this – and if I die, I die. God is able to save me and His people, I may be uncertain about how it will turn out for me, but I have absolutely no uncertainty about God and His character, and God and His ability."

God will most likely not call you and me to end the slaughter of a people, but He could. I know He is calling each one of us to something. Each day He brings people and events into our lives and invites us to act. I find that when I'm aware and looking for those opportunities, I see them all around. When I do not expect them, they are harder to see. How intentional are you about looking for the opportunities that God has for you to join Him? When you look at your life with God, is it all that you dreamed that it would be? If you allowed yourself to dream again, what dream might God be inviting you to explore?

Dream big, start small, your story is still unwritten. Step into your story and live.

Peace, hope and love

Cultivating An Awareness Of The Presence Of God

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. -Psalms 19:1

So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. -1 Corinthians 10:31

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Have you ever thought about what it would look like for you to cultivate an awareness of God throughout a day? Take a day, any day, take today; as you walk through the activities of your life, ask yourself, "how does 'this' reflect the goodness (or glory) of God?" At the end of the day, take a couple of moments to ask yourself how you did, and what you experienced. If you did not do so well, give yourself a break and try again tomorrow. If you experienced God's presence in ways unexpected, thank Him, remember those experiences, and try again tomorrow. Shortly you will find that you are experiencing God far more often than you have ever experienced Him, felt His presence more regularly than you ever experienced it, and brought more things to Him throughout the day than you had ever done. Before long, you will realize that you are actually praying without ceasing.

Have you ever heard the name Frank Laubach? He was a literacy advocate in the first half of the 20th century. His methods for increasing literacy are still used with millions today. In addition to literacy, he was concerned with cultivating the presence of God in his life. In talking about the disillusionment in a Depression-era world, and the hopes of many for Christ to save them, he observed: "Christ has not saved the world from its present terrifying dilemma. The reason is obvious: few people are getting enough of Christ to save either themselves or the world." He challenged himself to call Jesus to mind at least one second of each minute. He said, "not to forget other things nor stop work, but to invite Him to share everything I do or say or think." He later wrote, "Hundreds of us have experimented until we have found ways to let Him share every minute of our waking hours." Laubach was a creative man seeking after God in very real and practical ways. If you are interested in reading some of his interesting thoughts, you can download and read his Letters of a Modern Mystic, (enter password Creekside).

In what ways could you develop a habit of cultivating an awareness of God throughout the day - in your morning shower, in a cup of coffee or orange juice, in nature, in conversation, in a nap, in His word, in prayer for the big things and for the little things? Experiment and you will find your ears and your eyes opened to hear Him; find yourself more aware of the fact that you are living in God's ongoing story, living out a unique role, written just for you.

Peace, hope and love

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. -Isaiah 25:8

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. -Revelation 21:4 NIV

Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. -Isaiah 65:17–23 NIV


Have you ever had a broken dream? Have you ever wanted something so much, planned so hard, imagined how things would be at this stage or your life . . . and then it slowly slipped away or was suddenly taken away? We live in a world where broken dreams are all around us, where so many spend each day walking boulevards of broken dreams or worse, live in situations where they have given up the ability to dream, or have never dared to dream. Since the fall of mankind, we live in a broken world with broken dreams. So many people walk boulevards of broken dreams – alone -- hoping someone out there might find them. Big dreams and seemingly little dreams; your broken dream is not too small for God to weep over it. God’s heart breaks over your broken dreams -- big and small.

And, He has a plan. God has a plan, there is a hope. One day; there will be no more death, One day there will be no more pain, One day there will be no more suffering, One day there will be no more broken dreams. One day, there will be a new heaven and a new earth. One day. That is the future part of God's plan. It is amazing. But there is a present part of His plan as well. Jesus taught us to pray today, "Lord, Your kingdom come, Your will be done," here, right now, "on earth, as it is in heaven," how it will be one day. His plan is to do that through His power and through His authority, and through us.

We are God’s tools for restoration of broken dreams, most often through a theology of presence; rejoicing with those who rejoice and mourning with those who mourn. Theology of presence – and walking alongside. Hope is as simple as listening. Hope is as simple as seeing. Hope is as simple as sharing, hope is as simple as asking for help, hope is as simple as offering help – or just helping. "Sometimes I wish someone out there would find me. Till then I walk alone."

+ What do you imagine a theology of presence would look like for you?
- in your neighborhood, at church or work?
- in an inner city context or with marginalized people?

+ Who do you know who might be walking a boulevard of broken dreams?
- might you be the person they wish would find them?

+ Are you currently walking in broken dreams?
- how can you invite someone to walk with you?

Continue the conversation with others this week.

Peace, hope and love

All Religions Are Basically The Same

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. -Ephesians 2:8–10

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. -Galatians 5:1

Hi Everybody

God wants you to lose your religion.

Does that sentence bother you? Your answer might to some degree depend upon how you define the word religion; what is religion? I think it is best defined as a system of behaviors that we do or refrain from doing, in order to gain the acceptance of God (If I do or don't do this, God will accept me). If you do not like this definition, take a second and think of things that we label as "religion" and observe the common denominators -- from not drinking or smoking to sacrifices, ways of dress and the like, the key is certain behavior tied to earning the acceptance of or forbearance from God. One of the reasons why Christians have so much difficulty in answering the challenge that "all religions are pretty much the same" is that, well, all religions are pretty much the same -- they all seek to earn salvation. What right do I or anybody else have to challenge anybody on whether the things that they do to earn God's approval are enough or not enough than the things you do -- how good is good enough? All religions are basically the same.

"Hold on Doug," you say. "Do you meant that Christianity is the same as every other religion?" Well, despite the fact that the politically correct answer would be yes, it would also be a lie. Christianity is not the same as all the "other" religions, because it is not a religion. It is the only belief system that does not say that you need to be good enough (religion) to be accepted by God. It is, in fact, the only system of belief that says flat out that nobody can be good enough. Christianity says, you are accepted by God -- not because of anything you have done, but because of what God did. That is by definition (at least the one I claim above) the opposite of religion. All religions are basically the same; and Christianity stands apart from them all.

I believe religion is a result of the fall. On some level most of us want to earn our way to God and thereby retain some level of control, some level of say in the process. Because of this, even those of us who believe the anti-religious words of the apostle Paul, above, allow religion to creep into our lives, to live as if we can control God's approval of us by our actions. This is religion, and religion kills. Jesus invites you to live, to freedom, to lose your religion.

- How do you react to the uniqueness of faith in Jesus?
- Do you believe that Jesus wants you to lose your religion?
- Where do you find religion creeps into your life?
- What is your response when it does so?

I invite you to share your thoughts with me and with others.

Peace, hope and love

Revolution

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy -Colossians 1:15–18 NIV

Hi everybody

Someone said to me in passing after the the message on Sunday, "Messages like the one you gave really bother me." I like comments like that, I actually get kind of excited to hear how so.

I don't mind bothering people -- in some ways it's part of my job, not for the sake of the bothering itself, but for the sake of raising questions that sometimes we don't want to ask ourselves. Jesus bothered people -- He still does. Jesus bothers me -- and when He does, I share that "bothering" with you. I think Jesus does not want us to get too comfortable here. He tells us in the gospel of John that He came so that we might have life to the fullest (more and better life than we ever imagined). He says a couple of chapters later that whoever loves their life will lose it and whoever hates their life will somehow find it. I do not believe He is being contradictory, merely saying that true, abundant life comes not from striving to make the best life you can imagine for yourself, but instead believing Him when he says "I can imagine so much more than you can." Abundance, from trying to give it all away (some of us figuratively, but others literally -- at least in part). Our tendency is to believe that for most it is figurative and that for a very few it is literal -- at least in part. I think that the exact opposite might be true.

This past Sunday we started our summer series: Summer of Rock. Each week we are enjoying a "non-Christian" rock song and seeing God and the themes of His Kingdom in and through it. Our first week was "Revolution" by the Beatles. I think Jesus was a revolutionary, and that He calls us to live lives of revolution. Jesus asked, "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth?" He answered His own question, "No, I tell you, but rather division." (Luke 12:51). I think so often we want Jesus without the revolution, we want Jesus the Sunday School teacher, not Jesus the troublemaker, Jesus the revolutionary.

"You say you want a revolution?" Most of us say, "No, not really, I'm actually quite happy with the status quo." But Jesus isn't. Jesus' plan is to make up there, come down here, to make the way things are in the Kingdom of God the way they are here on earth. And it does not take a lot of imagination before we realize that Jesus is talking revolution.

Does that bother you? It bothers me. When I live in ways that reflect God's Kingdom come, His will be done, right here, right now, as it is in heaven, my world is disrupted, upset, bothered. Yet when I embrace that revolution, when I step into the ways that Jesus bothers me, I discover that He actually meant it when He said that if I trust Him enough to lose myself in Him, I will actually discover the truer me. It makes no sense, but it's true.

I'm getting together later this week with the person who told me my sermon bothered them. I'm looking forward to hearing what they have to say. In a way, I hope it bothers me a bit.

Peace, hope and love

Water

You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. -Isaiah 58:11

Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. -John 4:14

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. -John 7:37–38


Since the dawn of time, water has been at the center of our existence. While the earth was an empty void, the Spirit of God was hovering over its waters (Genesis 1:2).

The surface of the earth is more than 71% water -- The human body is more than 50% water -- If deprived of water for more than a couple of days you will die -- Water is necessary for life.

Water is a source of great pleasure -- a cold drink on a hot day; a warm shower on a cold day; a pool in the summer; boating, fishing or merely gazing upon it -- some even have beds that are filled with it.

Its importance transcends all times and cultures; the Bible contains nearly 700 references to water.

Today, access to safe drinking water is the primary cause of hunger, disease and poverty throughout the world. 400,000,000 children worldwide have no access to safe water -- most will die because of this basic lack. Clean water saves lives, and we in the developed world have the ability to provide clean water, we have the ability to save lives. Check out One Day's Wages and see how you can make a difference. Or, simply google, "clean water" and see the many ways that you can help make a difference if you choose to. It is actually one of the things that we as the Church can effect.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to not have water, to be dying of thirst. But, Jesus can. Jesus thirsted deeply as he was tortured to death on the cross. He knows the pain, and his heart breaks over those who thirst. He also knows that we can thirst metaphorically as well -- for acceptance, for friendship, for love, for belonging, for compassion, for justice, for the cup that he was to drink to be removed from him. Jesus knows our thirst. Jesus knows your thirst. His invitation: Come to me and drink. His promise: You will never again be thirsty; you will never again have unquenchable desire that eats you up, that controls you.

The reality is that as we make Jesus our desire, he unleashes and then fulfills in us desires that surpass our greatest dreams. As our desires are met in Him, he gives contentment; satisfaction of our thirst, and then abundance; an over flowing and a desire to pour out what he has given us to a world that is thirsty – most often in very practical ways.

-- Are you thirsty?

-- What thirst do you have that is unquenched?

-- What would it look like for Jesus to quench that thirst?

-- Do you think that is possible?

-- What would it look like for you to be a stream of living water to those who thirst in your family, church, work place, neighborhood, city, region or world?

Share your thoughts with someone.


Peace, hope and love

The Kingdom of God Has Come Near You

"The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say, "Peace to this house." If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, "The kingdom of God is near you." -Luke 10:1–9 NIV

Towards the middle of his ministry, Jesus sent out His disciples -- His apprentices -- to go out and personally bring a glimpse of the Kingdom of God to people who are suffering -- to heal the sick. He tells them that when they heal the sick to make sure the people know what is going on, to tell them "the Kingdom of God has come near [them]." This past Sunday was Worship Through Service at Creekside Covenant Church, a time where instead of gathering to worship God together at Redmond Junior High School, we disperse and worship Him -- like our predecessor disciples from 2,000 years ago -- through our service of others. While we were not called to heal the sick, we were called to be the bringers of the Kingdom of God, to go to places that were experiencing brokenness and say with our actions, "The Kingdom of God has come near you." What an amazing opportunity.

From the many projects, came many stories. Share and ask others to share their stories from that day. My story started even before Sunday. Three days before we headed out to serve, I met at City Hall with the head of Code Enforcement for the City of Redmond. I was there to pick up vouchers for the dump for one of our Worship Through Service projects. When we sat down to sign the paperwork, she shared how thankful she was that we were doing this, how so often she finds herself frustrated, charged with enforcing the City's Municipal Code, and unable to help people who are sometimes stuck and cannot help themselves. "I felt like there was nobody I could call. Now, I know that I can call Creekside and you might be able to help." On Sunday, we used these vouchers to haul three truckloads and three trailers of junk from the yard of a man who was at his wit's end, overwhelmed, feeling that there was no one who could help him and then seeing hope appear through a dozen people -- strangers from Creekside -- who showed up to help.

This was just one of more than half a dozen projects that Creeksiders undertook this past Worship Through Service Sunday. In each and every project, those served felt blessed, humbled and honored that people would come and help them. Those who did the serving also felt blessed, humbled and honored to serve them. It was an example of God's upside-down economy in action where the giver and the receiver each walked away with more than they brought. And throughout, God received the glory, God received the worship through our service, and we all sensed that the Kingdom of God was near indeed.