The Shepherd's Apprentice

April 7

Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
and hovers over her young,
so he spread his wings to take them in
and carried them aloft on his pinions.
The Lord alone guided them;
they lived without any foreign gods.
Deuteronomy 32:11-12

The most important part of these verses is that God's people -- for once -- lived without any foreign gods and worldly priorities. The most important news is that they allowed the Lord -- and the Lord alone -- to guide them.

That's the most important part ... but not the most fun! The most fun part is the image of the eagle.

I'm told that the way a mother eagle teaches her young to fly is to take them to terrifying heights and then drop them. The eaglet falls and falls. And the mother just hovers aloft and aloof.

This free-fall must be absolutely harrowing for the young creature that's never stretched its wings. If the youngster is able, he'll set his wings and rise in triumph. If the youngster is not able, the mother will swoop in at the last moment and grasp the infant in her terrible -- and in this case, comforting -- talons.

Deuteronomy tells us that God is like a mother eagle. He "rouses." He "hovers" tenderly. He spreads is wings over us when trials come. He sometimes lets us fall from terrifying heights, knowing a) that falling will teach us to fly or b) he'll catch us before life and gravity crush us.

In Christ's Love,
a guy who's never sky-dived
(but may need to if I'm ever going to fly spiritually)

___________________
April 6

"And he took them,
and went aside privately
into a desert place"
Luke 9:10

Jesus frequently went to deserts and deserted place. The wilderness for him was frequenty a place of deep prayer. Away from the busyness and distractions, deserted places are often sanctuaries for transformation.

I think it's interesting that Jesus took them to the desert and deserted places. By definition, when a crowd arrives, it's not deserted any more!

And yet ... here's the challenge: In our busy world with cell phones, highways, instant messaging, and incessant carpools, rarely will we ever find a truly deserted sanctuary. Life will always intrude. So the question is, How do you craft a time and space for renewal in your life?

In Christ's Love,
a guy who's often needed a desert
so he can thirst more fully for God

____________________
April 5

And after the earthquake a fire;
and after the fire a sound of gentle stillness
1 Kings 19:12

We worshiped in the shadow of the mountains. They were still black and smoldering from the fire that had devasted our town. And I read that day this story from First Kings.

God's prophet Elijah was running from the evil queen Jezebel. He couldn't understand how he could do God's will and still be tormented. Repeated in this story -- though not in this one short verse -- is the phrase, "but God was not in the _______." For example, God was not "in" the earthquake, God was not "behind" the fire that destroyed our town, and God was not "in" the persecution that threatened to undo Elijah.

God was, however, "beside" Elijah during times of trial, and "with" us through the haze of fire and smoke, and "drawing near" to those during the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Beside ... with ... and drawing near ... We often find God's presence, when silence the terror of the moment and look for God in the stillness.

In Christ's Love,
a guy who's learned that God is
definitely not in the busyness

____________________
March 28 - April 4

Just when I started to post these on the web again, we had a congregational emergency.

On a Saturday, he was hospitalized.

On Monday, it was diagnosed as a tumor.

On Wednesday, surgery was successful.

On Friday, the biopsies essentially confirmed that it was benign.

On Sunday, Easter was even more joyous.

And yet, as we said during Easter worship, it could have just as easily gone the other way. Therefore, would Easter have been joyful? Absolutely!!! Easter is the promise of hope and life and resurrection the pull us through hard times ... even hard times like a sick little baby.

And it's Easter that gives us the confidence to face the grave and celebrate all of life.

Christ is risen!
He is risen, indeed. Alleluia!

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