June 19 - Acts 16:6

[Paul and Timothy] went through

the region of Phrygia and Galatia

and were prevented by the Holy Spirit

from speaking the message

in the province of Asia.

Acts 16:6

Paul and Timothy wanted to turn east.

The Holy Spirit turned them west.

If Paul had his way, the Gospel might have circumnavigated the world from left to right. But the Holy Spirit opened the path from Greece to Rome and to the rest of Europe.

The course of history brought the Gospel to North America … and now to Asia.

In Matthew 24:14 Jesus says, “This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.” Based on this text, some ministries are trying to translate the Gospel into all languages to help prompt the coming of Christ. In Asia – to where the Gospel has spread now – many are trying to complete the circumnavigation of the Gospel, believing that will hasten the end.

Our point in these days is discerning the voice of God. I wish I could say I knew how the Spirit spoke to Paul, pushing him to Europe first. Based on this one verse, I can’t. I can celebrate, however, that the Spirit is alive and active and speaking.

And the question is, when did he speak to Paul? When Paul was already seeking to do God’s will.

Paul was aligned. He was pointed in the right direction. And he could hear when the leading came from that direction.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants

good aim

June 18 - Isaiah 55:8

For my thoughts

are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways,

says the Lord.

Isaiah 55:8

Most of us hunger to hear God’s voice.

We know our lives would be simpler and our direction firmer if God would just speak and guide clearly.

Today’s verse seems to imply a barrier to that. If God’s “thinks differently” than me, how will I be able to comprehend it, right? Wrong. What Isaiah 55 tells essentially us is that we stand on the horizon, and our view is limited. God stands above the horizon! And he sees all and knows all. And because he loves all, I should trust in his guidance.

Do you want to hear from a trustworthy God?

Isaiah says in our chapter today, “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come …” That’s the first step. Come to God.

How and where? That’s the next question. Isaiah says, “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.” That sounds logical. But what do the waters represents.

And it’s at this point, that I’ll let my son teach me. My son Robbie’s favorite passage is Isaiah 55:8-11. He’s awed by God in verse 8. But it’s verse 10 that tells us what the water and the quenching of our thirst really is. The prophet says …

10 For as the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return there

until they have watered the earth …

11 so shall my word be

that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish

that which I purpose.

Did you catch it? Rain falls and waters the earth. Similarly, God’s word falls and quenches our thirst.

BUT … if we thirst, we must come to the word … or our souls will be dry.

Read those last words of 11. If we want God’s purpose to be accomplished – including lead, guiding, and blessing our lives – we must come to the word.

In Christ’s Love,

A dad who’s glad

That his son is thirsty

… and teaches his old man

Jun 17 - Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ

dwell in you richly

Colossians 3:16

Most all of us want to know God’s will for our lives.

And … most all of us want a short cut.

There is no short cut. And yet the process is simple. In our culture, it’s available to everyone. It just takes a little time and discipline.

What’s the process?

The famous old pastor R. A. Torrey once said, “It is not by seasons of mystical meditation and rapturous experiences that we learn to abide in Christ; it is by feeding upon His word …”

If you want God to speak, we are called to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.”

Time and discipline.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who knows that

if you’re reading this,

you’re hungering already

… turn your hunger

into a feast

June 14 - Joshua 9:25

And now we are in your hand:

do as it seems good and right

in your sight to do to us."

Joshua 9:25

When I was about nine, I spied a cardinal on our back deck. I don’t know how I did it, but I quietly slid open the screen down, creeped across the back deck, reached out, and caught the cardinal!

… or at least … I dreamed that I did.

It’s still so vivid that it seems real … but in the light of day, I can’t possibly imagine the bird not flying off.

The key for today’s lesson is … what did I do with the bird? (It sqwalked, and I let go! Maybe it wasn’t a dream! In a dream, I would have kept it as a pet. It would sit on my shoulder and talk to me like a pirate’s parrot. It would have been my conscience like Jimminy Cricket, right?)

Nevertheless – dream or not – a little life was in my hands. (And I doubt the little guy was submissive enough to be sqwalking, “do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to [me].”)

Our little life is in God’s hands. How does he care for us?

Israel wrestled through this as they were tricked by the Gibeonites. Just as they had made a covenant with Gibeon, God had made a covenant with them. If they broke the covenant with Gibeon, did God have grounds to break his covenant with them?

They didn’t want to take the chance! They were merciful to the life they held in their hands.

What if we elevated our word, our promises, and our covenants to the same level that we want God to keep his promises to us?

In Christ’s Love,

the bird catcher

(or a dreamer)

June 13 - Joshua 9:15

And Joshua made

peace with [the Gibeonites]

guaranteeing their lives by a treaty;

and the leaders of the congregation

swore an oath to them.

Joshua 9:15

The Gibeonites lied. They tricked Joshua and the Israelites into a making a treaty with them.

Israel should have checked with God first. But they plowed right ahead with what they thought was right.

As a result, they had to live with the consequences. Because they’d cut a covenant, the Israelites could not expel the Gibeonites from the land. Even worse, they had to go to their rescue and fight for them on an occasion or two.

Are you like me? … and the Israelites?

• Like me, I’ll bet you’ve plowed right ahead with decisions that sound good to you at the time.
• And like me, I’ll bet you’ve wound up regretting a few of them.
• And like me, I’ll bet that in hindsight, you wished you’d checked with God first. 

So now we know better, right? Can we pull out an eraser and just put that bad decision behind us? No.

Sometimes we have to live with the consequences.

Sometimes integrity moving forward means living with the stupidity of the past.

I hope these mistakes keep teaching you and me to listen to God more clearly … first!!!

In Christ’s Love,

a slow learner

June 12 - Joshua 8:30-31

Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal

an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel,

as Moses … commanded the Israelites,

as it is written in the book of the law of Moses,

"an altar of unhewn stones,

on which no iron tool has been used"

Joshua 8:30-31

What does Joshua building this altar for us mean – especially as we learn to discern the voice of God?”

1. Whenever there’s a victory, the proper human response is to worship.
2. True worship is always done in obedience. In Exodus 20:25, God commanded Israel to use uncut stones for their altars. You might think it wiser – or more beautiful – to use stone that’s been shaped and cut, but plain simple obedience is always better than whatever we can think up.
3. God’s view of right and wrong in this world differs from ours. For example, why did God say “no cut, hewn, or dressed stones” in specific altars built to him? An uncut stone is a stone as God made it. A dressed stone is a stone with our version of an improvement upon it. Maybe God doesn’t see all of our “improvements” as improvements after all.

Could it be that there are things in your life that you view as simple and plain … but God views as simple obedience.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s finally realizing

that “improving” is really

more effort than obeying

June 11 - Joshua 1:1-9

Only then will you succeed.

Joshua 1:8

Today we have been invited to read Joshua 1:1-9 … Let’s do that together, and as you do, look for three themes: The Promise, The Stance, and The Source.  Let’s do this together …

1 After the death of Moses the LORD's servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant. He said, 2 "Now that my servant Moses is dead, you must lead my people across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: 'Everywhere you go, you will be on land I have given you -- 4 from the Negev Desert in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River on the east to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and all the land of the Hittites.' 5 No one will be able to stand their ground against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

The Promise: Did you see it? God will, one, give them the Promised Land. And God will, two, go with them and unfailingly fight for them.

6 "Be strong and courageous, for you will lead my people to possess all the land I swore to give their ancestors. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. 9 I command you -- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged.

The Stance: I’m sure you saw this one too. Our stance is to be strong and courageous. (Can’t you almost see a warrior preparing for battle – chest out, jaw set, steely look in his eyes?)

But there’s a second part to this! What enables us to be strong? The Lord says that it comes from meditating on and obeying God’s commands.

The Source: There’s only one half verse left as we look for the reason – and the power – to take a stand:

9b For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s glad that this promise

was not only for old Israel.

I can make bold stands too

and if they’re based on God’s promises

I can be warrior-strong.

June 10 - Joshua 9:14

So the men of Israel sampled

the provisions [of the Gibeonites]

but did not ask

for the councilof the Lord.

Joshua 9:14

Last week we focused on the story of an unnamed prophet in the book of Judges. He listened to God and spoke boldly to Jeroboam. Then he listened to the lies of the world and it led to his destruction.

Today's reading in David Chotka's 50 Days of Prayer begins with a lie too.

Joshua and the Israelites enter the Promised Land. They conquer cities like Jericho miraculously.  And all the neighboring towns (and kingdoms) are afraid.

But the neighboring Gibeonites are clever. They devise a sneaky plan. They will wear old clothes and bring moldy bread and pretend they have traveled from afar and want to make a treaty with the Israelites.

The Israelites have been forbidden by God to make a treaty with neighboring peoples, but the ruse began to work. As it says in our verse for today, "the men of Israel sampled  their provisions but did not ask for the council of the Lord."

They were lied to. And as a result, Israel made an irrevocable covenant with the Lord.

There are three points to this story …

1.    God honors covenants. He had made a covenant with Israel that he didn't break, even when they made a covenant with the enemy. In fact, God blessed Israel when they stood by a covenant – even when it was hard.

2.    Before making any decision – see our verse for today – check with God! (That, of course, is the main point in our whole journey of discernment.)

3.    Finally, two weeks in a row, we've been told stories about faithful people being deceived by liars and the lies of the world. I don't know if that was intentional – or not – in the thinking of Pastor Chotka. Nevertheless, these lies are pervasive, and we dare not miss a good point: Even faithful people  can be all too easily deceived. Beware! Listen twice to God before you listen once to the world.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who checks with God

about the big things,

but wants to check more and more

about the little minute-to-minute things too

(because that's the true beginning of

a life of discernment and power)

June 7 - 1 Kings 13:4

When the king heard what the man of God

cried out against the altar at Bethel,

Jeroboam stretched out his hand

from the altar, saying, "Seize him!"

But the hand that he stretched out against him

withered so that he could not draw it back to himself.

1 Kings 13:4

In Israel they were pagan priests. They worshiped false gods. Their “ministry” led the nation astray. And the king – Jeroboam – was complicit in the problem.

So God sent a prophet. Judgment and destruction were declared. And the king was not happy.

Thus, Jeroboam stretched out his finger in judgment against the prophet, crying, “Seize him.” But the power of God was greater than the command of an earthly king. Jeroboam’s hand withered.

And here’s the part that intrigues me.

• God told Israel that they had shriveled hearts, and Jeroboam basically ignored it.
• But when the king’s physical hand shriveled, he was eager for a fix.

I can understand it.

• We can see a shriveled hand. But we can’t see a shriveled heart.
• We can feel the loss of a physical hand. But we grow gradually accustomed to the feeling of a spiritual vacuum.
• We worry about the physical. But how many of us really pay attention to the eternal?

Yes, I can understand. But I don’t want it! I don’t want it for me. I don’t want it for you. I don’t want it for our kids. I don’t want it for our nation. I don’t want it for our world.

We’re learning in these weeks about discerning the voice of God.

What Jeroboam teaches us is that it sometimes takes something big, something physical, some hurt, or some loss, before we wake up and acknowledge God’s presence. Here’s what I tell people a lot: “Don’t make me pray that you get humbled!” It’s better to humble ourselves in advance, discerning how and where our hearts might be weak or shriveled.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who doesn’t

want to be a Grinch

with a heart that’s

a few sizes too small

June 6 - Exodus 32:1

When the people saw that Moses was

so long in coming down from the mountain,

they gathered around Aaron and said,

"Come, make us gods who will go before us.

for this fellow Moses

who brought us up out of Egypt,

we don't know what has happened to him."

Exodus 32:1

No wonder Hollywood likes telling and retelling the first 20 chapters of the Book of Exodus. It was a real life sound and light show.

Ten mighty plagues. The parting of the Red Sea. Water from rocks. Pillars of cloud by day and pillars of fire by night. And then the people stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, and “As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder” (Ex 19:19).

Wow!

Moses went up on the mountain for forty days, and even after God’s repeated rescue and displays of power, the people somehow ceased believing in the God’s … what? … presence? care? provision? existence?!! They asked Aaron to “make … gods” for them. What?!!! And Aaron complied??!

The presence of God showed up a few moments later. There was a little more fire as judgment because of the golden calf that they had chosen to worship instead.

Yesterday we told the story of Jeroboam. God wanted to establish through him an everlasting kingdom. Indeed, God said, “If you do whatever I command you

and … keep my … commands, I will be with you, building you a dynasty.”

Jeroboam decide to go it alone. To do it his way. (That was mistake number 1, but we do that all the time, don’t we?!)

But listen to the way in which Jeroboam tried to set up his own legacy – he constructed two golden calves and asked his people to worship them.

He thumbed his nose at God! He was saying essentially, “I’ve seen your power. I’ve known your provision. But now that I have power, I’ll be my own king, thank you very much.” (Usually not to that extreme, but don’t we do that too? We accept the gifts that God has given us – our talents, for example – and we say, “I’ll be my own king, my own arbiter of right and wrong, the master of my own destiny, thank you very much.)

Our focus this week is on listening to God. Do you see a listening to God message in these stories? I do. We can’t hear the true King, unless and until we stop playing king.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who tries to be peasant,

a humble, thankful servant

to a gentle, forgiving king

June 5 - 1 Kings 11:38

If you do whatever I command you

and walk in my ways and

do what is right in my eyes

by keeping my statutes and commands,

as David my servant did,

I will be with you.

I will build you a dynasty

as enduring as the one

I built for David

and will give Israel to you.

1 Kings 11:38

The title at the beginning of chapter 11 in my Bible is “Solomon’s Errors.” And by far the worst error – especially for a man who began his reign as the wisest person in history – was marrying foreign wives and allowing them to bring their foreign religions into the palace, capital, and all the land.

Judgment was the consequence. God – through the prophet Ahijah – declared that he would rip ten-twelfths of the kingdom from Solomon and give it to Jeroboam.

Talk about a gift! Jeroboam won the lottery. The only problem is that like most lottery winners, Jeroboam wound up bankrupt. (More morally bankrupt than financially bankrupt, but Jeroboam wound up corrupted and dead.)

God had one condition -- though he stated it three ways. After telling Jeroboam that he would be king (v 37), he said, “

1a.       If you do whatever I command you and …

1b.       If you walk in my ways and …

1c        If you do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands …

Then   I will be with you and will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.

In other words: If you follow me, I’ll bless you.

But since our focus is on prayer and discernment, let me state that another way: If you follow God, you’ll be in the place to hear him. If you stray from God, it’s like his voice will be a long way away.

Does that make sense?

God wants to make something as glorious in your life as he was wanting to make in Jeroboam’s life. If we follow, he will bless us because we can hear.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who doesn’t want

to win a powerball lottery –

with God, I’m rich enough already!

June 4 - 1 Kings 13:3

“This is the sign that

the Lord has spoken …”

1 Kings 13:3

At the beginning of week 2 in David Chotka’s 50 Days of Prayer, a story is told about an unnamed prophet.

• He listens to God …
• and confronts an evil king …
• and remarkable things happen.

Then the story takes a twist.

1. The prophet quits listening to God.
2. He listens instead to the words of a liar.
3. He falls into dire straits. 

Now, I could tell that story in much more detail – indeed, both the Bible and Pastor Chotka do – but I want to make the point as simple as that:

• When a person of God listens to God … and remarkable things happen.
• When a person of God listens to the lies of the world … and the results are dire. 

Have you ever reaped those results – in both positive and negative ways? I sure have! (Ouch.)

• Learning to listen is called discernment.
• Choosing to not listen is called rebellion.
• And again, I’ve done both of these too … and sometimes I’ve done both within the very same hour!

Why are we so fragile, foolish, and forgetful?

Today we begin week two of 50 Days of Prayer. What we’ve learned so far – and we discussed it yesterday – is that 1) God is active, 2) sometimes we see him show up in our lives and sometimes we don’t (at least right away), but 3) if we pray with others, their prayer successes can become our prayer successes.  Who are you praying – and listening – with?!

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who is thankful

for prayer partners

June 3 - Romans 12:15

Rejoice with those who rejoice,

and weep with those who weep

Romans 12:15

On Sunday mornings – and throughout the week – many of us are studying David Chotka’s 50 Days of Prayer.

Those who are joining with us on Sundays have been challenged: Pick one big thing you’d like to pray about for the next seven weeks, and let’s see how God shows up. In other words, we’re learning to pray big, and then we’re regrouping each Sunday to reflect on what we’ve seen, heard, and learned.

I’m praying with a group of men. The prayer needs we had from Week One were big. So this past Sunday, we reported on progress.

• Some of us saw progress!!! Some of us witnessed God show up!!!
• Some of us didn’t.

Hmmm. Is that good or bad?

David Chotka’s answer is: It depends on what country and culture you live in!

• He said essentially, “Imagine that you and I pray together … and imagine that one week, your prayers for healing are answered … but mine are not.” How should that be interpreted?
• He says, “If we were in Africa, both of us would celebrate.” Why? “Because God showed up among us.”
• “But if we’re in Canada or America,” he said, “the one who didn’t get healed would say, ‘God’s not fair. Where’s my answer to my prayer?!’” 

Do you see the difference? It’s huge! God showed up powerfully this week in our little circle of six. And we’re learning to celebrate as a group! We’re learning to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

Indeed, rather than being whining individuals who cry, ‘Where’s mine?’” we’re learning that we need people to pray with. Their successes in prayer are my successes too. Why? Because God is alive … and active … and showing up!

Indeed, God’s activity in your life, is proof that he is active in my life too … whether I can see it yet or not!

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants a more

African communal faith

than American and individualistic

“what’s in it for me?”

Wk 1 Day 6 - Fifty Days of Prayer - John 15:5

Jesus said,

I am the vine, you are the branches.

Those who abide in me

and I in them bear much fruit,

because apart from me

you can do nothing.

John 15:5

David Chotka likes to quote verses like John 5:30.

Jesus shed his divinity to come to earth in human form. Therefore, Jesus says, “I can do nothing of my own initiative. … Therefore, I do not seek my own will, but the will of him who sent me.”

The key for our life – our prayer life and our daily life – is to substitute our name for Jesus’, saying, “Ed can effectively do nothing his own. Therefore, I’m a million times better off seeking not my will but God’s will to be done.”

Wait! Can I really do nothing on my own?

Think of it as a matter of scales.

• With a word, God can create moons and stars and a million distant galaxies.
• With a lot of effort, maybe I could build a small house (but it’d probably have leaky pipes and flickering lights).

• With clay and his breath, God create eyes and hearts and lungs and brains and cells and … and … life!
• With clay and my own two hands, I can create a lopsided pot that someone else has to bake in a kiln. 

• With easy, God makes the sun rise every morning.
• With difficult, I get out of bed most mornings.

• With delight, God hears a billion pray-requests an hour.
• With difficulty, I struggle to find time, some days, to adequately pray.

• Because of his wisdom, God leads billions of people daily.
• Because of my stupidity, I find myself needing to apologize to a dozen people daily.

Yes, I can technically accomplish a little “more than nothing.” But what are my efforts really worth? They’re a drop of water in the ocean. Two generations from now, even my own great-grandchildren won’t know anything about me.

And yet, God gives me a lever! He gives me a way to accomplish more than I ever could on my own. He gives me a way to make an eternal difference in the world. Do you know what that is?

I can join him!

Me alone = 1. Me plus God = infinity.

It costs us something, though.

It costs our pride, our will, our plans, and our initiative. Jesus says – John 5:30 – “I will lay aside my own will and initiative, and I will seek to do only what God wills and initiates.”  

In our lesson for today, Jesus advises us to do surgery. We are call to amputate our pride, will, plans, and selfish initiative. And we are called to surgically attach ourselves to Jesus – the vine. When we do that, his life flows through us. Indeed, when we do that, we can be more than conquerors through him who loves us (see Romans 8).

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants to be called

“Mr. Branch”

Wk 1 Day 5 - 50 Days of Prayer - Luke 22:42

"Father, if you are willing,

remove this cup from me;

yet, not my will but yours be done."

Luke 22:42

The theme for today is, “When God speaks, it will impact. Share a time when God spoke to you – and its effect.”

For a long time at the beginning of my ministry, I toiled in anonymity in a little town in the mountains of New Mexico. I’d felt largely forgotten. And then I got a call – out of the blue – to consider being the pastor of one of the largest Lutheran churches in the southeast.

Pride took over. “Yes!” I thought, “No more anonymity. I would have (literally) a twelve foot tall platform.” (In this old historic church, the pulpit required its own stairway!)

Personal desire took over too. “1) This is in one of the most awesome places to live in America. 2) The location is back within a few hours of family. 3) My future would be secure.”

Everything was going swimmingly with the interview, until God spoke.  He pulled back the veil. It was over lunch one afternoon …

• First, they took me to an old southern country club for lunch. It was like something out of Jim Crow 1930s, with the black waiters in their tuxedos, saying almost, “Yes, sir, master.” Mary Louise and I were appalled.

• Second, something was said that made the existing staff of the church think that they didn’t have to “impress me” anymore, that they could just be themselves. Therefore, they spent the whole lunch gossiping and laughing about the quirky people in their congregation.

After lunch, they dropped us off at our hotel, confident that they had their new pastor. Mary Louise and I climbed out of the car, and as they sped off, we looked at each other. As husband and wife we both smiled and said simultaneously, “We’re not coming here are we?”

God broke through my pride. God broke through our desire to be closer to “home.” God broke through our will and allowed his will to be done.

Thank God!

Our decision would have been simpler if we would have followed Pastor David Chotka’s second Biblical step to hearing God’s voice – surrendering our will and desires. Nevertheless, we did do something right. We were consciously seeking God’s will throughout that trip.

God is always speaking. Two things help us hear him. 1) Consciously seeking his will. 2) Putting aside our own desires.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s glad he’s

with a church family

with a spirit of joy

instead of a spirit of gossip