When There Is Not Enough Breath

Sometimes the hurt is so deep that a gentle whispering is all we can release, and sometimes … it is just the sound of Juhhhhh. Jesus knows.

I am reminded of the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:41). Priests were anointed, and the oil overflow eventually gathered at the hem of the garment. Some theologians believe this is why the woman fell at the feet of Jesus in an attempt to touch the most anointed place. However, I believe that what you do in private, you will do publically as a spillover of your relationship with a holy God.

I think the woman fell at His feet because it was the location with which she was most familiar. There is such confidence in knowing that if you are desperate and cannot utter His name, simply falling at His feet releases hope into the most painful crevices of the heart.

Don’t give up! Don’t ever give in! Don’t stop trusting Him with the deepest of pain! Go ahead. Fall at His feet, where you will find peace, guidance, hope, and resolve. He is faithful to meet you there. Go and be encouraged this week, knowing that He is near no matter what comes your way. Go ahead, whisper His name; I promise you … He will respond.

Vanilla Faith

The church is experiencing theological anemia. Tired and weak, we have moved away from our original purpose. Jesus did not follow a “vanilla” path of Judaism. He was a rebel, never fitting into religious circles, and instead focusing on the disenfranchised (Mark 2:15-17). So, how have we, the church, become so selective, exclusive and monochromatic?

Lisa stood on the corner by a liquor store near our church. A prostitute with a broken jaw from being beaten, she walked up the hill and begged for food. Although she was afraid of being turned away, Lisa had heard about Jesus as a child, and when she was at her lowest—hungry and hurting—she remembered Him.

Have we become afraid that the Lisas in our communities will show up at church and attempt to mingle in our Sunday morning services? How have we moved away from theological truth in search of our own comfort?

Friends, let’s not be weak in our theology. Let’s seek out the ones whom Jesus sought: the gay, the straight, the addicted, the prostitute, the church lady, the broken, the hungry—you and me. Everyone deserves to hear the Truth. Let’s take the risk and move away from the vanilla path of pursuit, as Jesus did. 

Take the step, He’ll lead.

Mark 2:15–17 (CEB)

Jesus sat down to eat at Levi’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples. Indeed, many of them had become his followers. When some of the legal experts from among the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why is he eating with sinners and tax collectors?”When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners.”

Salt on tortillas? Why yes!

Salt? Oh there is nothing greater than tortillas sprinkled with salt and dipped into guacamole at my favorite Mexican restaurant. It just causes my taste buds to dance.

I began to do a little search on ‘salt’ recently. It has several uses:

It is used as a seasoning, a preservative to stave off decay and prevent infection, and is also the medium to introduce medicine into a body.I have always been a bit startled by a particular passage concerning salt. Have youever read Ezekiel 16:4, “As for your nativity on the day you were born your navelcord was not cut nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbedwith salt nor wrapped in swaddling clothes.” Ouch! No one cut your cord! No onewashed you with water to clean you! No one rubbed you with salt or wrapped youwith clothes. Who would rub salt on a newborn baby’s precious skin??? So tender.So delicate.

This verse is what sparked my interest in salt! After much digging, I discovered salt was pulverized to form a primitive baby powder. A professor once commented on this verse: “If you have ever seen a baby with a terrible diaper rash, then you can appreciate what the Lord says here. He loves us enough to deal with our messes. ”Yep, our messes. Just know that today, whatever your circumstance, He is willing and able to step in and handle your mess. Not only will He take and handle it, but He will also do it gently. When I think of pulverizing salt and making a gentle powder, I smile at how comprehensively He handles His children. Go ahead today, friends, and hand it over. You are in gentle hands.

Foul Ball

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one Body, you were called to peace.” (Col 3:15).

This is one of my favorite scriptures. The term rule is βραβεύω (brabeuetō) in Greek. It means to ‘call as an umpire.’  An umpire or a referee calls whether something is fair or foul. With that understanding, it is the peace of Christ that determines fair or foul in our hearts. Wow! 

Have you ever been in a situation or encountered a person where you immediately realized that your inner peace had been lifted? Whenever I lose my peace about something, I stop immediately in my tracks. I used to continue forward and have the battle scars to prove it.

I recall a season when I watched a particular Bible teacher daily. One morning as I watched, I felt uneasy in my gut. I continued to watch, although I now believe it was the peace of God calling something ‘foul’ to my attention. The following day I turned on the television and attempted to watch again. Very quickly, my inner peace lifted. Within a few short weeks, this person was questioned concerning an inappropriate relationship with one of his employees. 

Allow the peace of Christ to guide you today. If He declares, “Foul Ball,” trust Him!