LifeVesting

Where’d You Get that Image of God?

Andy Wood — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:00:14 +0000

This is not a picture of God. It’s a picture of a Nanga Sadhu, or naked Hundu holy man. His face and body are smeared with ashes and he’s breathing out marijuana, not brimstone.

But look again.

I think in a lot of people’s minds, when they think of God, an image sort of like this emerges.

Angry.

Ashen.

Fire-breathing.

Other people imagine the opposite extreme – sort of like the teenager who wrote my youth pastor son-in-law, complaining about the depressing image of God she was getting from his teaching. She said she wanted the “happy go lucky” Jesus.

The what?

I know right where that verse is – right next to the one that describes Him as a “man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.”

My first image of God had the Father looking something like an Indian snake charmer – tanned skin, turban, the works – sitting next to the Sunday School Polaroid version of Jesus, looking down on me with delight. “Oh, Jesus, look at little Andy!” He would boom in a rich, bass voice. All the time, the photo-brightened picture of Jesus the Homeboy would just smile and nod.

The answer to your next question: I have no idea.

I tried to explain this at age 6 to older, wiser Beth Phillips, age 7. Beth was brilliant. She was also Methodist. Not sure if that’s relevant, but there you have it.

“I just sort of think that God is like this magician or something,” I said with delight and wonder.

Beth looked stone-faced at me. “You’re not supposed to make fun of GOD!” she said.

Oh. Crap.

(Replace said image of snake charming turban-top with something like the one pictured above. I had it on the authority of a seven-year-old: God was pissed and He knew where I lived.)

Where’d you get your image of God? A cartoon-like depiction of your own father? A book? A preacher? An experience? A religious figure like a nun or choir director? A movie? A seven-year-old redhead who’s smarter than you could ever dream of being?

One thing is sure: Whatever your conception of God, it will change; mine evolved as recently as this past Thursday. Why? Because He delights in revealing Himself to those who seek His face – and no conception you have of God can contain Him.

So that leaves a problem. Often our God pics distort our faith-image, because they’re built on a lie or a half truth. Other times they’re frozen in time – inadequate for the life He wants to manifest today, now.

The J. B. Phillips classic title is often true – Your God is Too Small. But that’s just for starters. For many of us, our “God” is too stupid, too powerless, too narrow-minded, too hapless and helpless, too cold-hearted or drunk. The problem is not with God, of course – it’s with the caricature of His character we’ve drawn in our minds.

So, where did you get your first image of God? What did He seem to be to you? Don’t leave me dangling here… I’m feeling a little vulnerable. Leave a comment below; I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Meanwhile, the more important question is, what is He revealing Himself to be to you today? And what are you doing about it?

(Photo Credit: AP Photo/Bikas Das)

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Creativity, Thinking, and the Box

Andy Wood — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:48:27 +0000

Okay this post is interactive, so get a pen and something other than your outgoing mail to write on. Or do what I did and pop up your word processor.

Here’s the challenge: Watch the 46-second video below and see if, based on that, you can think of at least one adjective that begins with each letter of the alphabet. (Confession: I had to watch about five times, but I got it.)

Why this video? Only because I saw it the other day and thought it was way-cool. Here’s the back story: A missionary had distributed Gideon Bibles to a village in Malawi, Africa. These people were so happy to get their hands on their own Bibles, they spontaneously broke out into song and dancing, worshipping God in gratitude. (When was the last time you did that when you got a new Bible?)

So click on the “play” button and start listing adjectives. See how many plays it takes for you to get a full list. I’ll show you my list after it’s over and you have yours.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Okay, here’s my list:

Avid, Biblical, Colorful, Devoted, Exuberant, Faithful, Generous, Harmonious, Inspired, Joyful, Kind, Lifegiving, Musical, Nurturing, Open, Printed, Quick, Responsive, Singing, Thankful, Uninhibited, Victorious, Watching, Xenophilic, Yellow, and Zealous.

Now set that aside, and I’ll come back to it in a minute.

You’re Now Entering the Cliché Zone

It all started with the Nine-Dots Puzzle. The instructions: Link all the dots together with four lines without lifting the pen. There are many solutions to the problem, but all have one thing in common: to succeed, you must take your pen outside the boundaries of the dots. About 40 years ago, somebody started using this puzzle to teach people in business, leadership, and ultimately in culture that in order to succeed you have to…

…yep…

Think outside the box!

Yawn.

For the first 30 years or so, the phrase was clever enough. Now it’s cliché.

So how about some different thinking about the box? When it comes to solving problems, creating new ideas, starting business or organizations, communicating a message, what can we do with our thinking, our box, our location, or our boundaries?

Change the Action

What would happen if you danced outside the box? Sang outside the box? Fingerpainted or base jumped or crocheted outside the box? You may want to be careful about accounting outside the box; that got some people in trouble. But you can laugh, love, or lead outside the box. You can twist, shout or hokie-pokie outside the box. People have been trying to educate outside the box for years. (Hmmm… moving on…)

Is it possible to preach, worship, meet, draw, or box the outside write? Uh huh.

The problem with thinking outside the box is that for many people, that’s as far as it goes. It’s the doing outside the box that creates change and the 99 different bad ideas it takes before you arrive at the good one (or the 999 bad ideas it takes to find the great one).

Change the Object

Taco Bell has already beat us to this one by encouraging you to “think outside the bun.” But there is plenty more room to improvise. What about thinking outside the socks, the clocks, or the docks? Should a shoe company or wearer think outside the Crocs? Or patients and caregivers think outside the (this is getting lame) docs?

You get the idea. Why not think outside the bus, the car, or the motorcycle? Why not think outside the box-shaped store, or the mouse-shaped vacation, or the (gasp!) green-shaped business model (that’s a cliché for another day)?

Change the Relationship

Maybe “outside” the box is too general, or impossible because outside the box is, well, outside the organization or the planet or the span of your life or whatever. How about a different relationship?

Think above the box. Below the box. Toward the box. Away from the box. Beside, behind, around or into the box. How about before, after, because of or against the box? Box haters unite!

Keep the Box, but Change the Inside

This is my favorite of all. I propose that if you really want to be creative, do what millions of people have discovered:

You don’t have to go outside the box to be creative.

You can think inside a bigger box, a stronger box, a frightening box, or a fighting box.

Now it’s time to fill in the blanks with your answers. Imagine yourself facing – alone or with a group – your most compelling question or challenge. One that requires a new level of thinking or creativity. Imagine you leaning forward, stars in your eyes, and saying, “We’ve got to think inside the box!”

Imagine your team members looking at you as if you’re crazy.

“No,” you say. “I mean, we need to think inside a(n) __________ box!”

Now fill in your blanks. An avid box. Biblical box. Colorful box. Devoted box. Exuberant box.

You get the idea.

Now get in the box (or the clocks or the socks) and let the world know there are millions of solutions out there (or in here), just waiting for the problem to show up.

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God Never Says “Uh Oh”

Andy Wood — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:44:22 +0000

(What to Do When Your Brook Dries Up, Part 2)

In the last post I shared some ideas based on the experience of a prophet in the Bible named Elijah about what to do when we try to draw from familiar sources of support, provision (income), encouragement, or direction – only to find that they simply aren’t there anymore. In the two days since then, I have talked to

a man who needed counsel and didn’t have a pastor,
a missionary who has seen a significant decrease in support,
a former lay leader in churches who is struggling to find a church home,
a pastor whose congregation is struggling both financially and in attendance,
a student whose marriage engagement has broken off,
a church member in another city whose pastor was terminated, then abruptly died.

What they all have in common – in the language of Elijah’s experience, their “brooks have dried up.”

I fully expect that nearly half the conversations I have tomorrow will be in the same vein.

Bottom line: there are two kinds of people in the world – those whose brooks have dried up, and those whose brooks haven’t dried up yet, but will sometime.

Quick Review

Here is a rundown from the previous post. If you missed it, I would encourage you to check it out in more detail.

1. Don’t back up on your obedience to God.

2. Seek the Lord about your direction.

3. Be prepared to receive your provision from a different earthly source.

4. Watch for God to provide through surprising channels.

5. Release your attachment to forms and methods.

But wait! There’s more!

6. Be honest and open about your needs.

It’s hard for some people – particularly men – to admit they have needs – that our brook has dried up. It’s even more difficult for people in positions of leadership or influence to ask for help. Whether it’s pride or fear of looking inept or helpless, many people would rather suffer in silence than be blessed by someone else’s kindness.

Elijah didn’t seem to have that problem. He was courageous enough to ask for help – even from someone who was humanly incapable of meeting the need.

One philosophy of leadership or ministry suggests that leaders should remain invulnerable – that we keep our needs known only to God and our closest intimates, or we solve our own problems. The leader who thinks he’s the solution to all his problems has a fool for an advisor. While you may feel safer or more independent in such a posture, you may also be cutting yourself off from a means of great help and God’s blessing.

7. Look for a faith partner.

I love this. Elijah asks the little for a little food and water. She says, “Uh, no. All I have is a little flour and oil. I’m gathering sticks to build a fire and make a little for my son and me, so then we can die.”

And Elijah says, “Oh, OK. Go ahead and do that. But bring me a little first.”

No, he wasn’t being unkind or incorrect. When Elijah asked the widow to feed him first, he said on God’s authority that she would never lack for food. He was living by faith and he called out faith from her. As she trusted in God’s word, she was able to meet his need for food. It was a beautiful relationship: his faith met her need and her faith met his!

Sometimes in a particularly stressful situation, it’s difficult to have enough faith to see yourself through. So find somebody to partner with. They can see what the Lord is doing in your life; you can see what the Lord is doing in theirs. And your faith is mutually encouraged.

8. Go from consumer to servant.

In this story, God took Elijah from being just a receiver at the brook to being a giver as well. That is the radical nature of Kingdom life.

When we encounter need, the temptation is to turn inward and focus only on receiving. Boy, do I get that. But in God’s economy, receiving is the result of giving. The old sales success adage is true: find a need and fill it!

I’ve known some pastors who lost their ministry assignments for a variety of reasons. Those who were most successful at reentry were the ones who never stopped serving the Lord, even when they weren’t drawing a paycheck for it.

I’ve long ago lost count of the number of people I know who have lost businesses, jobs, or careers. Without fail, the ones who were the most successful at reentry were the ones who looked for ways to contribute to someone, somehow. Do what you love, and love the ones you do it for; the provision will take care of itself.

9. Get to know God during the waiting seasons.

“Dried up brook” seasons often involve long periods of waiting. These are opportunities to get to know the Lord more intimately. Don’t waste available time!

As much as the Bible tells about the life of Elijah, when I look at his entire lifespan, I see a detailed description of about six days. What was he doing the rest of that time?

I believe he was getting to know his God, and so can you. The “parentheses periods” in the time line that is your life may be direct invitations from God to get to know Him better. Don’t blow your chance!

10. Remember your place in the larger scheme of things.

Yours may not be the only dry brook. God may be up to something system-wide. In 1 Kings, He was “squeezing” Israel to bring them to repentance, and Elijah was a strategic part of that. You are no less important to God’s plan! Look for what God is up to in the bigger picture, and join Him in His work.

The same economy that took your job may have taken dozens or hundreds of others around you. What does that suggest about what God’s heart may be for your community, your region, your nation or the world? How may God direct you to bond, to serve, to build new relationships, to connect with people who are in the same situation?

One thing is certain. When your brook dries up (and it will, somehow, sooner or later), you won’t hear God saying, “Uh, oh.”

God already had a plan and provision for Elijah. For me. For you, too. It could be that the only thing missing is time and trust.

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What to Do When Your Brook Dries Up

Andy Wood — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:53:13 +0000

It was that time again. Time to plan the annual Men’s Rafting Trip in Colorado. I had taken a group of fifty men a year earlier and discovered how some guys get the nickname “Bob” when they go rafting.

That’s all I want to say about that.

Now as I pulled out the file, I came across the list of men who had gone with me. What a difference 12 months had made! I was amazed at the profound changes so many of them had witnessed.

Three had been fired from their work.
One had quit his job and was unemployed for four months.
One man endured an extended season of severe depression.
Another had faced a dangerous autoimmune disease and was out of work for several weeks.
One man’s career was at a dead end.
Three others lost their businesses.
One left for another state with no job in sight.

Put in Biblical language, “their brooks had dried up.” That is, they looked to a means by which God had provided for them in the past – health, strength, job, career – only to discover that the resource was no longer available.

Little did I know as I scanned that list that I, too, would soon face a drought of my own. Up until that time my ministry was fairly evenly split between an itinerant ministry and a part-time pastoral staff position. Within a matter of weeks, my traveling ministry had dwindled to two continuous months of inactivity. Then the church where I had served for four years terminated me, along with a number of other staff members, because of budgetary restraints.

Downsized!

That happens in businesses, but not churches! And certainly not to me!

To make matters even more interesting, my wife, who had already suffered an injury requiring her to miss six weeks of work, was also conveniently laid off from her job because of financial challenges.

“How are things going?” my pastor friend Doyle wanted to know.

“My brook’s dried up,” I replied.

What I said meant a whole lot more than I realized at the moment. A day later, I found the passage I had casually referred to. And I discovered a wealth of instruction for myself and anyone else facing such a season.

What do you do when you go back to those familiar ways in which God has met you, blessed you, provided for you – and face the grim reality that it just isn’t working anymore?

How do you respond when your familiar methods of prayer no longer seem to work, or your job, your church, your friendships, or your career path are no longer viable?

And to make matters worse, what if all this is happening, directly or indirectly, because of the evil actions of others?

Here are ten suggestions, based on Elijah’s experience with the dry brook and God’s subsequent leadership in his life. (You may want to click on the link above and re-read the passage first.)

1. Don’t back up on your obedience to God.

The brook dried up because the rain had stopped. The rain had stopped because Elijah had commanded it. The easiest thing for Elijah to do at that point would have been to pray for rain to satisfy his own personal needs. But God was showing His power to Israel through the drought, and this was no place for the man of God to compromise.

I’m truly sorry if I’m the first person to ever tell you this. But every believer, and especially those in ministry needs to remember, obedience to God sometimes results in dried up brooks! And if you think that somehow your life is supposed to be easier because you followed God’s will, get your head out of the sand.

Be teachable, be moldable, be flexible. But don’t compromise when it comes to obedience.

2. Seek the Lord about your direction.

Elijah made his decisions based on revelation, not reason. That’s important to remember when facing a crisis. We love to get our directives from men at times; that’s true even of people in ministry (even though we don’t like to admit it). But when the brook dries up, we must get our directives from the Lord. Yes, God uses people to speak into our lives. But he also wants to use us to demonstrate that He leads and takes care of His servants.

3. Be prepared to receive your provision from a different earthly source.

God’s provision for Elijah – and his assignment – was in another location. God had miraculously provided for Elijah through the ravens. But Elijah wasn’t sentimentally attached to the ravens and the brook. When God said, “Go,” Elijah was ready. We should be, too.

Let’s face it – many of us enjoy putting our roots deep into where we are, and for the most part that serves us well. But your dried brook may be an indication that the Lord has another assignment, or another location, or another means by which He wants to provide for you. And get this – as in Elijah’s case, it may also be an opportunity to benefit someone else’s life in the process.

4. Watch for God to provide through surprising channels.

God delights in coloring outside the lines! He didn’t send Elijah to a wealthy person, or to a king. He sent him to a Gentile. To a woman (not exactly an abundance of wealth in that culture). To a widow with a son (read “no source of income” here).

This single mother was more desperate than Elijah was! And that was the person God “had commanded” to provide for Elijah.

In my six-month-long dry brook experience, I was continually amazed at the creative ways in which God provided for us. We’ve received reimbursements from things I never knew I “bursed.” We had remote acquaintances drop by our house and bring financial gifts – some small, some quite large – with the testimony that “the Lord told me to share this with you.” What impressed me during that time was not the amount of the money, but the daily consistency with which God has met our needs for provision.

5. Release your attachment to forms and methods.

Don’t assume that God must always provide or show His power or use you or bless you in the same old ways. If Elijah had been like some Christians, he would have insisted that the only way God truly moves is through ravens and brooks. He would have started a Ravens and Brooks Society, or a Ravens and Brooks Church, or a Ravens and Brooks apostolic network.

But God’s priority is always faith and obedience, then people. Forms are always disposable, even though Christians have been arguing about them for two thousand years.

I’ll share the rest with you in the next post. In the meantime (and yeah, it is a mean time), if you’re going through one of those “dried brook” seasons, take heart. You’re in some pretty good Company. And I don’t mean Elijah or me.

Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel:

“My way is hidden from the Lord,

And my just claim is passed over by my God”?

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:27-31NKJV).

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Not My Problem

Andy Wood — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:08:16 +0000

I know about as much about car transmissions as I do about clouds (which for some reason I never studied in school). I know it makes the car go, and if it ain’t working, your car won’t be going anywhere. At least, not in the manner to which you’re accustomed.

Now since I’m completely clueless, I’m also at the mercy of somebody who isn’t if something goes wrong with my car-goer. So when I need transmission service, that’s when I call the folks at A-1 Transmission.

(Ewww. Does this sound like a commercial or what?)

Seriously, this isn’t about transmission service. It’s about LifeVesting. And how a little transmission shop on 34^th Street invested in my life in more ways than one.

A couple of months ago my wife reported that we had something major wrong with her vehicle. Sure enough, when I drove it, it jerked badly when it finally shifted gears, and when I would stop, it took forever to downshift back to first.

Ugh, I thought. Transmission.

But I did know who to call. I had gotten good service at A-1 in the past, and so I heaved and jerked over there one afternoon to show them I had a transmission problem.

Crazy thing was, he didn’t take my word for it. Can’t imagine why.

“Let’s go for a ride,” he said, and asked for the keys.

We drove through the neighborhoods of central Lubbock and it didn’t take the expert long to arrive at a diagnosis.

“It’s not our problem,” he said. “You need to take it to your mechanic.”

I guess I should pause here to state the obvious. This guy is in business to make money. He could have at least asked if I’d had my transmission serviced, and collected a hundred or so for that. He didn’t.

He could have also been completely dishonest and trumped up some kind of dummy diagnosis for a transmission ignoramus like me, and had me out a coupla hundred or more. He didn’t do that, either.

He looked at a situation that honestly wasn’t his to fix and had the integrity to invest in my life (and in his good name) by saying, “Go to the real solution to the problem.”

That’s LifeVesting.

Imagine what could happen if others applied the same principle to invest in someone else’s future.

Imagine the government saying to you, “No, you keep your money. Your problem isn’t the government’s to solve.”

Imagine the parents of a young adult saying, “I’m sorry, we can’t bail you out this time. This is your solution to find, not ours.”

Imagine coworkers saying, “Sorry. As they say, ‘failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.’”

Imagine the pastor or counselor or social worker who dares to say, “I have no clue what to tell you. You’re on your own with this one… oh, and keep your money.”

What kind of world would it be if people willingly embraced what was theirs to solve, and just as willingly released that which was somebody else’s responsibility – even if it cost them some money in the process?

It would be a LifeVesting world… doing more than we had to, more often than we needed to, for less money than we deserved… but with a larger view in mind.

I know what some of you are thinking. “Yeah, yeah, LifeVesting. But what happened to the car?” If you must know, I took it to the mechanic. Turns out there was a vacuum hose that came loose underneath. And when it came time to settle the bill, he said, “Oh, just give it to my buddy at A-1.”

Or not.

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Will You Trust Him?

Andy Wood — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:10:10 +0000

It was a momentous day, and I thought I knew why. Boy, did I have another thing coming.

It happened on an early morning in late August 1976. I was about to enter a new phase in my life called “college.” And today was registration day.

Preparations for this day had begun several years earlier. I was blessed to have one of those life-changer teachers in high school who saw it as her mission, partly, to give us a taste of what university life would be like. And I have to say, thanks to her, to whatever degree I may have dissed schoolwork in high school, I had my game face on now.

This was college. This was serious.

Advisors and friends had also prepared me for what to expect when freshmen show up at registration.

“You want what class? Nice try. That class closed when the sophomores came through here yesterday.”

Nevertheless, I had made out a schedule, and thought it was a good fit for me. I was excited. But I also wanted to be teachable and flexible.

Oh yeah, and godly.

So before I left for the campus, I knelt beside my bed and laid out my pre-designed schedule in front of me. And I began to pray. My prayer went something like this:

“Lord, I just lay this schedule before You. You know this is what I want, and what I believe You want.”

[Note: Ever notice how we tend to fuse our desires into God’s? Anyway…]

”But God, I am willing for You to change anything You want to change.”

What happened next took place in a matter of seconds. But it so moved me, so impacted me, it has shaped my life for years since.

As I waited in silence before the Lord, I heard Him speak. In words. Eight, to be exact.

Audible? Yes, to my heart. With tone, and inflection, and emotion.

I can count on one hand (with two fingers left over, I think) the number of times I have heard the Lord speak in such a manner. This was the first of those. And though written words will never, ever do it justice, this is what He said:

“Will you trust Me? Will you trust Me?”

I don’t have the words to describe the tenderness in His voice, the love with which He whispered to me, along with the yearning He had for something I had yet to offer Him.

I melted.

I wept (sorta rare for me in those days).

“Yes,” I cried. “I will trust You.”

I left orientation that day with a completely different schedule. More importantly, I left with a completely different heart.

Since then, regardless of where I have wandered, what I have faced, or who I have faced it with, the core issue behind that haunting, tender question has remained the same.

Will you trust Me?

The same could be said of you.

When you’re pulled in sixteen different directions and fifteen seem impossible, will you trust Him?

When your future looks bright and your self-confidence has you walking on air, will you trust Him?

When you’re lonely and confused, and your rocking world has caused you to question everything you believed is true, will you trust Him?

When you’re struggling to know what decision to make, and all the options look the same, will you trust Him?

When your heart is broken through grief or loss, or you’re left to second-guess the choices you have made, will you trust Him?

When you’re standing before God and those witnesses, vowing to give yourself completely to another for a lifetime, will you trust Him?

When you’re holding a seven-pound bundle of lungs and limbs, completely dependent on you for survival, will you trust Him?

When your precious angel morphs overnight into an eye-rolling, hormone-raging, gang-chasing, drama queen or king, will you trust Him?

When your job becomes just a job, and a dead-end one at that, will you trust Him?

When you’re presented with a now-or-never, look-or-leap opportunity, will you trust Him?

When your heart is broken because the people you trusted most have betrayed you, and you have no clue who to trust or where to turn, will you trust Him?

When you’re left, or fired, or rejected for the third time, and you wonder what’s the use in ever trying again, will you trust Him?

When you’ve offered your best, and had it coldly handed back to you, will you trust Him?

When your money is a mess, and there seems to be no way out of the mire, will you trust Him?

When you’re broke-down and bleeding, feeling stupid because of your colossal failures, will you trust Him?

When you’re standing at the cemetery, trying to make sense of it all, and the comfort of friends and family doesn’t quite say it all, will you trust Him?

When you’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death yourself, and evil calls from every side, will you trust Him?

The issue in the Garden was the issue in the Exodus was the issue at Jericho was the issue with the Judges was the issue with the kings was the issue with the prophets was the issue with the Son of God was the issue with you just yesterday. “All things are possible, if you only believe.”

Will you trust Him?

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Closed Doors and Frustrated Dogs (What Does God Use to Get YOUR Attention?)

Andy Wood — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:56:58 +0000

Riley and Rusty and a Closed Door

It all started a few weeks ago when I noticed something about Gracie, my dog wannabe. As the house queen in her own eyes, Gracie likes to keep her options open. In other words, she can’t stand closed doors. Any closed door. It’s not so much that she wants or needs what’s on the other side. She just likes having options.

And so do I.

I love opportunities and the capacity to dream. And get frustrated when a door closes in my face, or somewhere else.

All that led to a half-baked observation a couple of weeks ago: “Even my dog hates closed doors.”

And that led to a well-thought-out meditation from my sister Debbie Hughes about dogs, doors, and why and how we (people, that is) experience them.

So if you’ve had your share of frustrations or disappointments, keep reading… this is from her, for you:

+++++++

Even my dogs hate closed doors, but they’re not smart enough to realize that a closed door has two sides and they get to enjoy the benefits of one of those just because, even though they mess up my floors, cause me to lose sleep and shrink my bank account, somehow I just love them.

I am the door closer and I do it with good reason. I’m closing the door to prevent them from making bad choices, to protect them from harm, or so they can fulfill their purpose in our family. (How’s that for a 3 point sermon all beginning with p – how long have I been in a Baptist church??)

I close a door to keep my overweight older dog in the room where I provide the food that best meets his needs. This also prevents him from eating the puppy food in the room where my puppy eats. If he had access to that little bowl of calories the puppy needs, he would have a blistful dining experience eating the puppy chow, but it could cost him his health. The puppy would also love eating the adult dog’s food on the other side of his door, but again, it would not provide him with the nutrients a puppy needs.

My front door stays closed to my dogs for their protection, too. On the safe side of that door is warmth, comfort, and those who love them. On the other side of that door is a street where cars don’t always stop for short little dogs they can’t see. There is also a very large bird living nearby – “seeking whom he may devour” – like one of the unfortunate squirrels my husband saw him carry away to his treetop nest. That is not to say, however, that they never get to enter that “outside world” – but they only go through the front door with a leash I am firmly gripping and through the back door when we’re keeping a close eye on them. They have no idea. They’re dogs. We’re not.

In my mind, my dog’s purpose is companionship, entertainment, and protection for our family. They also fulfill our need to take care of someone/something that depends on us. Their purpose(s) cannot be filled if they go through doors not intended for them. Their health, safety, and presence are dependent on doors we use to “constrain” them.

When God closes a door denying me access to something I think I want, I have to remember His wisdom and His love for me – that He is God and I am not. When God wants me to enter an area outside of my “comfort zone”, He is certainly the one holding my leash, guiding me to the right places & people. When God’s purpose for my life involves walking through a door, returning through an old doorway, or being locked out of a door, I have to look around at the side of the door where His providence has brought me and get on with living that purpose. I am thankful for the love of God that both constrains me and opens doors for me.

Revelation 3:7 (The Message)

Write this to Philadelphia, to the Angel of the church. The Holy, the True—David’s key in his hand, opening doors no one can lock, locking doors no one can open—speaks:

“I see what you’ve done. Now see what I’ve done. I’ve opened a door before you that no one can slam shut. You don’t have much strength, I know that; you used what you had to keep my Word. You didn’t deny me when times were rough. “And watch as I take those who call themselves true believers but are nothing of the kind, pretenders whose true membership is in the club of Satan—watch as I strip off their pretensions and they’re forced to acknowledge it’s you that I’ve loved. “Because you kept my Word in passionate patience, I’ll keep you safe in the time of testing that will be here soon, and all over the earth, every man, woman, and child put to the test. “I’m on my way; I’ll be there soon. Keep a tight grip on what you have so no one distracts you and steals your crown.

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Through the Fire

Andy Wood — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:31:03 +0000

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Isn’t it wonderful that we don’t walk through “the fire” alone?

Isn’t it interesting that we nevertheless must walk through the fire?

God doesn’t seem to need our advice for how hot the flames should be,

or even where in the natural they come from.

He only asks that, when the pathway leads through them, we keep moving.

And when the flames taunt, we keep trusting.

(Lyrics from “How Firm a Foundation.” Photo credit: AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

(For more stunning photography from the San Bartolome de Pinares in Spain, click here)

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Doughrise: Seven More Half-baked Ideas I’m Working On

Andy Wood — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:34:59 +0000

It’s time to break the silence. So in a minute I’m going to tell you the most shameful, disgraceful thing I’ve ever done. Then I’m going to tell you the second most shameful, disgraceful thing I have ever done. I’m not proud of either (hence the terms “shameful” and “disgraceful”), but in the spirit of James 5:16, there is healing to be found in honesty and vulnerability.

More on that in a minute. But first, here are seven new half-baked ideas that are still baking up in my oven…

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The deeper I get into the Third Quarter, the more important kindness is to me – and the more absurd it seems to have critical opinions.

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“God doesn’t want to inform you of who He is – He wants to form you because of who He is.“ –Erwin McManus

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A real-life parable about human nature – especially, for some reason, in Church World…

When my son was very small, he would point a toy gun at me and say, “Stick ‘em up!”

I would dutifully raise my hands.

He would shoot anyway.

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“There is nothing more dangerous than unrighteous men with a righteous cause.” –Rick Cagle

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I got to see my pastor last week. Fred Wolfe is my father in the ministry, and without fail, when he invests in my life, I come away with words seared in my heart. Among other things he said, here is the most impacting:

“You’re 51 years old. You still have many chapters to write. And the only way they won’t get written is if you get discouraged and quit.” -Fred Wolfe

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Drama (n.) – (DRAH-mah) – Emotionally intense stuff that I didn’t initiate or control. If I started it or control it, it’s life. If you do it, it’s drama.

+++++++

Okay, as advertised, here is the most shameful and disgraceful thing I have ever done:

I sinned against God.

Everything else is just details. And the second most shameful and disgraceful thing I have ever done?

Because I had sinned against Him, I seriously questioned His love for me.

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Dear Cohen

Andy Wood — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:41:47 +0000

You came into the world a bit sooner than you were due, but no sooner than you were planned by your Heavenly Father. And I can’t imagine a more beautiful baby has ever been born, or to more loving parents. While you are our second grandchild, you are our first grandson, and will always be the firstborn of your mama and daddy. For them, this has been a day of labor and risk, of waiting and prayer. And today, February 23, 2010, you have made it worth it all.

You entered a family who has seen its share of joys and sorrows, laughter and tears. But through it all, your family walks with a faith in the heart and love of the living God. Your name means “priest,” and it was well-chosen. You will live as an ambassador between God and humanity. As you trust your life to the Lord Jesus, you will be part of a kingdom of priests – and you will be one of its standard bearers.

Your middle name, David, reflects both a noble family heritage and the Sweet Psalmist and Shepherd of Israel – the man after God’s own heart. I pray that you will spend a lifetime discovering what that means.

You were born into a world filled with change and challenges, and no shortage of opinions. In many ways the world you inherited is not kind. There are global, national, and environmental problems. I pray that through the influence of your family and other trusted friends, you grow to be a man who embraces every problem as an opportunity for solutions. I pray you would learn to be wise, patient, and filled with laughter.

Your parents have invested their lives in reaching and serving children and teenagers – many of whom won’t have the kind of home you do. They are rookies at being parents, and through every succeeding phase of your life, you will have the privilege of teaching them to be parents. Be gentle. They’re still learning.

Two weeks ago today, your great grandmother left this world and is now in the presence of Jesus. My only sadness today is that she would not get to see you, and that you would have to wait until you see the Lord yourself before you meet her. But every time you see me, and, to a lesser degree, your mother, you will see traces of her life and influence. I pray you will be blessed by what you see.

In the years to come, you will hear many stories from many strands of your heritage. Learn them. Repeat them to your children one day. However imperfect the lives of the people in your heritage are, they are broad shoulders that you will stand on to your profit, or reject at your peril.

It is thrilling to me that when you come home for the first time, you will be coming to my home. Even though it’s just for a few months, your Grammy and I will have the thrill of watching you grow on a daily basis. I look forward to learning from you. Laughing with you. Holding you. And of course, getting even with your mother through you. (Really looking forward to that one.)

Though we have only met once, you have already captured my heart. And nothing will ever change that. Despite your successes or failures, we will love you completely as the boy and man you are, all the while believing in the man you are created and destined to become. And as long as God gives me breath, I will serve you and call you out to become that man.

Welcome home, little priest. Now let’s have some fun.