Yesterday, while listening to the radio, I heard that people with smart phones check their Facebook page an average of 14 times per day (according to a study sponsored by Facebook). They scroll through news feeds while running errands, comment on friends’ posts while shopping or at the gym, and post a photo of their food plate before dinner.

I am below average. I have never tracked the number of times I check my Facebook page each day but I am fairly confident it is less than 14. But, hey, there is no judgement here of you who are above average. Only some advice – get a life! Just kidding!

Regardless of whether you pride yourself on being an occasional Facebook checker or an obsessed Facebook juggernaut, perhaps we can use this to point us another direction. What if every time we checked our Facebook page, we prayed? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a 10-minute prayer but a reminder to think of God, thank God, and lift whatever is on our mind at the time to God in prayer?

I call it prayer pointers. A long time ago I was given advice by a mentor to establish prayer pointers in my life – events that happen repetitively in the normal course of a day that point me to pray.  For example, every time I see or hear an ambulance or fire truck I use it as a prayer pointer to not only pray for those involved with the ambulance or fire truck but to think of God, thank Him and lift whatever is on my mind at the time to Him in prayer.

I am below average. But using prayer pointers is one way I strive to achieve Paul’s challenge to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Our smart phones can be used in so many ways to establish prayer pointers. Perhaps each time we check our Facebook page, or every instance a text comes through or our inbox dings.

I am below average but I want to “pray without ceasing.” How about you?

I’m sure it had to be a funny sight. Driving down the street of the ordinarily quiet neighborhood and seeing the two young boys sitting on the curb shoulder to shoulder, holding hands, with a look of disgust on their faces.  What had started out as a harmless game of basketball in the driveway between the two jovial brothers who are almost five years apart ended up as a brawl that resembled an Ultimate Fighting Championship and landed the now loathing brothers on the curb in front of their house holding hands in an effort to resolve their differences.

I’m not endorsing the parenting method but I gave up running for the “Father of the Year” award many years ago. Those two boys are now 18 and 14 and have a remarkably close relationship. One that their mom and I are very proud of except for times when it teams up against us.  But when they were younger they would fuss and fight all the time and that often landed them in the precarious position of sitting shoulder to shoulder, holding hands until they settled their differences. Here’s what I noticed whenever that happened – it didn’t take long for their irritation at each other to turn in to irritation at their situation and they would quickly find the determination to resolve their differences.

It’s a great life lesson: the first step to getting along is working with one another not against one another. Can the world just stop and spend some time sitting on the curb shoulder to shoulder, holding hands?

Jesus did that. In John 4, Jesus meets a woman at a well. Jesus engages the woman in conversation – an astonishing break from culture and tradition. For a couple of reasons.  One, the woman was a Samaritan. Racial tensions between the Samaritans and the Jewish people ran high and a Jew would never have interacted with a Samaritan.  And for the double whammy, she was a woman. In first century culture, men did not randomly interact with women. Yet, Jesus engaged in conversation with her. Despite their differences. Despite their culture’s irritation with each other. Despite their people’s past and current conflict.  That conversation led to the woman putting her faith in Jesus and many in her village did as well. All because Jesus initiated the conversation.

What would happen if we got bold enough to simply engage in conversation with those we are in conflict with? To those who are different from us? To sit across the table from each other and not debate our irritation with each other but our irritation with the situation and find the determination to resolve our differences? With our spouse. Our boss. Our coworker. Our church. Our friend. Our enemy.

Can we just stop and spend some time sitting on the curb shoulder to shoulder, holding hands?

 

You can’t help but notice its back to school time. Even if you don’t have children in school you are surely detecting the sensational media hype, the big yellow buses, and how your typically frazzled co-worker seems to be unusually more at ease during the day.   Perhaps you’ve spotted the backpacks, school supplies and uniforms. Or maybe you’ve wondered why the neighborhood, the park, and the mall are unusually tranquil during the day.  And even if you have missed all of that, you undoubtedly cannot ignore the obligatory annual first day of school pictures barrage on social media.

Okay, so maybe it’s not so obligatory. Possibly a bit bandwagonish, but not mandatory. Back to school brings with it a flood of pictures posted of siblings standing together dressed in their first day of school outfits wearing their brand new backpacks as though they are armed to take on the world.  Parents can’t help but display their pride in who their kiddos are growing up to be.  They love them and are just absolutely crazy about them! Often times there is a current picture paralleled with a photograph from last year or from the first day of kindergarten that shows a tremendous amount of growth that makes a parent’s heart swell and their eyes moisten.  First day of school pictures represent a new beginning and a bright future.  I’m a parent – I get it! As one of my friends posted, “This is the best day of the year on Facebook.”

Did you know that is exactly how God feels about you? I’m not sure about heavenly social media but my guess is that God has pictures of you posted everywhere today and every day! He loves you and is absolutely crazy about you! He can’t help but display His pride in who His kiddo is growing up to be. He boasts of the growth you’ve made from last year to today.  He just can’t contain His excitement over where you are today and His eagerness about what is ahead for you.

So if you find yourself in a disheartened place…

• Maybe a teacher convinced you that you would never amount to anything.
• Perhaps a boss let you know how little he thought of you.
• It’s feasible a spouse has chipped away at your self-esteem and you feel like a failure.
• Possibly the weight of your own mistakes and poor choices weigh on you daily.
• Maybe you are persuaded that if you were just a little prettier, a little smarter, or a little less socially awkward then you would have more value.

Remember, God is crazy about you!

Perhaps Max Lucado says it best. I’ll leave you with his insight:

“If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning… Face it, friend. He is crazy about you!”

God’s Got This? Got what? The thought that was brought to your mind just now. The thing you are most worried about. Your greatest fear. Your biggest insecurity. The place you feel overwhelmed. Your greatest struggle. The habit you can’t kick. The hurt you can’t let go of. The hang-up you can’t escape.  God’s got this!

In perhaps one of the most spectacular chapters of the Bible we are encouraged that God’s got this. In Exodus 14, the Israelites are on the run from the Egyptians.  For 400 years God’s people had been slaves in Egypt.  Then God raised up a man name Moses to deliver them from their harsh oppression.  Multiple confrontations and ten epidemics later Pharaoh agreed to let them go.  Then he changed his mind and began to pursue after them with his vast army.  The Israelites “feared greatly” (Exodus 14:10, ESV). And Moses countered, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Exodus 14:13-14, ESV, emphasis added).

The Lord will fight for you…and He did. Moses reached out his hand and the Red Sea split apart.  The Israelites walked across on dry land and when the Egyptians began to chase after them, the waters collapsed and drowned them all.  The Bible tells us that as God’s people looked back all they saw were dead Egyptians on the shore.

The Lord will fight for you…and He does. What is it? You are sending your baby off to school for the first time? Your teenager is ferociously campaigning for independence? Getting out of bed in the mornings is a fight?  The news you just heard is suffocating?  Your work is making you feel like an Israelite under the oppression of the Egyptians?

The Lord will fight for you…and He will. Whatever it is. God’s got this!

“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today…The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

“Have-to’s” are a part of every day. You know what I’m talking about – those things you don’t necessarily enjoy doing but must do.  And whether you like it or not you have to find the time and energy to get them done.  Like doing the laundry.  No one (okay maybe a few peculiar people) enjoys doing laundry but it’s either that or wear dirty, smelly clothes or even worse, going naked.  Paying the bills is a “have-to”. Filling the car up with gas is a “have-to”. Homework is most certainly a “have-to.”  I’m sure you have other “have-to’s” every day?

“Want-to’s” can also be a part of every day. Those things that we look forward to doing not because we must do them but because we can’t wait to do them.  For me, getting to play golf is a “want-to”.  I don’t ever feel like I “have-to” go lose expensive golf balls and flirt with anger on all eighteen holes. I want to! You know what they say? A bad day on the golf course is always better than a good day in the office.

The Christian life is full of “have-to’s” and “want-to’s”. In first John 2 we are told that If we love God we will follow His commands. But let’s be honest – those often feel like a list of “have-to’s.” I have to go to church. I have to be nice to people. I have to give to the poor. I have to love my enemies. I have to forgive that scumbag. And the lists goes on and on.

But God never intended for His commands to be an encumbering list of rules we have to do. God’s desire is for us to want to follow His commands. How do we get from the “have-to” to the “want-to”? Let me offer two suggestions:

Pray

Pray for the “want-to.” Appeal to God for a change of heart. Request that a superficial sense of “have-to” would be transformed into a supernatural compulsion of “want-to”.

 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove

the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit

within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

Ezekiel 36:26-27

Just Do it

Reaching the point where we “want-to” obey the commands of Christ doesn’t necessarily happen overnight. Growth in the Christian life often begins with obedience even when the desire is not present.  That was true for me when I first started tithing.  The first time I wrote that check, I did so reluctantly. I knew I needed to, but I didn’t really desire to.  In fact, I was quite disturbed about it.  But each time I wrote the check, God would do something. He would give me a glimpse of the outcome of my giving. He would show me His promise of giving. And over time I began to write that check each time with joy.  It was a process that began with just going through the motions.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22

 

What do you have to do today? What do you want to do today?

 

The world is a mess! Can I get an amen?

Just glancing at the headlines is sometimes overwhelming. Displays of calculated terrorism, extreme radicalism and senseless acts of violence. Accounts of the ever intensifying divides that exist over everything from marriage to abortion. Eye-catching images of the racial tension that we once thought was receding like an outgoing tide. Statistics on overcrowding in prisons, homeless shelters, and refugee camps. Reports of disturbingly increasing number of those living in poverty, occupying orphanages and becoming victims of human trafficking.

Yes, the world is a mess! Can I get a witness?

It’s easy to glance at the headlines and begin to get on the “world is going to hell in a handbasket” train. But before we go too ballistic on the globe, let’s zoom in a little and be honest – we are a mess. I’m a mess! And you are too! We are all a bunch of messy people living in a messy world.

We all have hurts, habits, and hang-ups. What’s yours? Stress? Fears? Overwork? Unhealthy or unholy attractions? Addictions? Regrets? Worry? Bad habits? Anger? Dishonesty? The overwhelming need to control? Finances? Perfectionism? Resentment? Compulsive thoughts? And the list goes on.

Perhaps you can relate to:

• The young woman who is following Jesus yet also deals with depression and suicidal thoughts.
• The young man who loves Jesus yet also finds himself struggling with sexual identity.
• The single female who loves Jesus but struggles with despair because she isn’t married.
• The woman who walks with Christ yet can’t seem to overcome her struggles with an eating disorder.
• The couple who has recently started coming to church every Sunday in an attempt to save their unraveling marriage.
• The man who reads his Bible faithfully but can’t seem to overcome his addiction to pornography.
• The woman who gives to the church sporadically and struggles with an obsessive shopping compulsion.

Here’s the good news: God is in the business of turning our mess into His message!

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:1-3, ESV)

God wants to take the mess in our lives – the pit of destruction, the miry bog and the wounded places. He wants to pull us out of those stations, set our feet on higher surroundings and turn the old song into a new one – a new message – so that all the world will see and hear. God turns the mess of our lives into a message of His goodness!

Where is God turning your mess into His message? Are you honest with your mess? Are you ready to be pulled from the chaos? Are you ready for a new song? Admit it – you’re a mess! Let God make it a message!

 

 

Have you prayed about it? About what?

Whatever you’re worried about? Whatever you’re talking about? Whatever you’re gossiping about? Whatever you’re ranting on Facebook about?

Have you ever stopped to think that maybe there are things in your life that you don’t have, things that haven’t happened or things that aren’t working the way you wish they would simply because you haven’t asked God?

Maybe your day is not going as well as you hoped it would. Have you prayed about it?  Perhaps you are sick and longing to be healed. Have you pleaded to God for a cure? It’s possible your marriage is starting to unravel and you don’t know what to do. Have you asked God to intervene? Maybe you have a financial need and you’ve exhausted every resource to meet it. Have you asked God to meet your need?

I’m not advocating that God is some kind of cosmic Santa Claus waiting to deliver the things on our wish list if we sugarcoat our prayers with cookies and milk. But I am suggesting that we often “do not have because we do not ask” (James 4:2). It doesn’t mean that God will always answer our prayers the way we ask them. But it does remind us that when we have a need the first thing we should do is pray about it.

Have you prayed about it?

Think about that moment you hear a new song for the very first time. It’s a melody that immediately catches your attention. The music, the tune, the words, the meaning have you captivated.  Something about the song grabs you.  You develop an insatiable appetite for that song so you relentlessly scan the radio looking for it.  You set your play list where it repeats over and over.  You memorize the words and find yourself singing it everywhere – in the shower, in the car, at work.  And then the day comes – you’re sick of the song.  You’re tired of hearing it, singing it, of others singing it, of the radio playing it. You’ve had that experience right?

Why? Because every new song eventually becomes an old song. Initially the newness, the freshness has your full devotion. But after a while it’s no longer novel and original. It becomes old and stale. It’s time for a new song.

Now there are certain songs (think 80’s) that span any decade and are worth listening to anytime. They arbitrarily play on a throwback radio station or randomly pop up on your playlist. When the unforgettable tune hits your ears, it’s like being transported back in time to that moment, that girlfriend, that summer, that vacation. But you don’t hold on to that song like an infant who won’t give up his pacifier. You’ve moved on to new songs.

Sing a new song to the Lord…Psalm 98:1

God loves for us to relish old songs – unforgettable experiences, remarkable encounters and spellbinding awakenings. But not at the risk of missing out on new songs – novel stirrings, unfamiliar happenstances and blooming revivals. How do we sing a new song?

Find the New by Giving Thanks

It’s easiest for us to focus on what we don’t have. Taking time each day to give thanks reminds us of what we do have. When we start recognizing things we often take for granted, our perspective changes. We find new (old) things to be grateful for.  Take a few minutes to offer up thanks to God for the things you see around you and see the new God parades in front of you.

Be thankful in all circumstances…1 Thessalonians 5:18

Find the New in the Everyday

We are often guilty of wanting the burning bush encounter or the Red Sea experience. No doubt those are breathtaking moments. But they are not necessarily everyday happenings.  There are everyday occurrences (like the rising and setting of the sun) that are just as jaw dropping but because we take them for granted we fail to find the new in the them.  Today, pause to marvel at God’s brilliant exhibition in the commonplace.

I am making all things new…Revelation 21:5

Find the New in the Small Things

It’s true what they say: good things come in small packages. God can surprise us with the new in just about anything – a scrumptious appetizer, a gentle breeze, or a timely visit from a good friend. Just this morning I received and email that was signed off by the tag line “Hope your day is filled with God surprises!” Me, too. Will I see them? Look for God’s surprises in the small things today.

For I am about to do something new. See I have already begun. Do you not see it?  Isaiah 43:19

 Sing a new song!

 

A couple weeks ago I wrote a blog (https://jryansmallwood.com/2016/06/30/is-it-dangerous/) about sending a prison inmate a Bible that he had requested. Just this past week I received a letter back from him that contained these words, “I want to thank you for the Bible. When mail call came I was sure it was a mistake since I never really get mail but it was God answering. God heard my call and provided me with the food I was truly needing.”

“…provided me with the food I was truly needing.” That declaration hung in the air like a balloon in the Macy’s Day Parade. I was scanning those words the day after the ambush on the Dallas police officers and the other tragedies that had taken place that week.  Struggling to make sense of the world we now live in, the hostility that divide us and how we find reconciliation, I understood the answer I was searching for was in the Bible laid out before me.  God is supplying the food we are truly needing.

Jesus Said Love is the Answer

One day when asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus’ response was simple: love God and love people (Matthew 22:37-40). Of all the commandments, Jesus said love rules supreme.  There are a lot of good commandments out there: don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t murder.  But Jesus said everything hinges on love. Love is the answer. Gun control is not the answer. A turnover on Capitol Hill or in the White House is not the answer. A new supreme court justice that will tilt rulings this way or that way is not the answer. Love is the answer.

Jesus Said Love Your Enemies

On another occasion, Jesus instructed us to love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us (Matthew 5:43-44). Love our enemies? To hold dear those that we perceive to stand on the opposite side of the fence? To like those who believe differently than we do? Those who behave differently than we do? Those who vote differently than we do?  This means Republicans must love Democrats. Cowboy fans must love Eagle enthusiasts. Methodists must love Baptists. Whoa! I don’t necessarily have to believe what they believe; applaud for the team they applaud for or vote the way they vote.  I am just called to love them.

Jesus Said Love is How Others Will Know We Belong to Him

Read any poll of those who identify as not being connected to the church and their perception of Christians is that we are judgmental, condemning and hypocritical. Jesus said we should be known for our love but instead we are known for our puffed-up opinions. Does it mean that we are not called to share truth with a world that so desperately needs it?  Of course not! But the truth is best received in love.  We throw the word love around like candy at a small town parade yet when it comes right down to it we over promise and under deliver.

Jesus said, “Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another” (John 13:34-35, The Message). Thank goodness Jesus doesn’t wait for us to have it all together, believe the way we should or behave the way he instructed. Perhaps that’s the way He calls us to love?

The celebration of America’s independence has come and gone once again. Another year of family picnics complete with all American burgers, ballpark hot dogs and juicy watermelon.  Another year of fun in the blistering sun while in the backyard, at the lake or the park.  Another year of dazzling pyrotechnics displays that light up the night sky like a smart phone in a dark movie theater.

My family doesn’t have a set tradition on the Fourth of July – except for fireworks. Somehow, someway in someplace we always find fireworks. We’ve done different things throughout the years including gathering together out in the country with friends and blowing up our own explosives (and money).  We have taken in a fireworks show at the end of a major league baseball game on several occasions. From time to time we have congregated in a particular neighborhood to watch some of the best exhibitions there will ever be.  And we’ve assembled with the multitudes to watch public performances. That’s what we did this year. Well, sort of. It was a public display that we watched a distance from the masses!

All of that got me to thinking – fireworks demonstrations and church have a lot in common (I know, but this is what I do so stay with me). Over the years I have taken in fireworks in several different ways.  This year for example, I was merely an observer.  I didn’t purchase any of the fireworks. I didn’t have to give anything for the show.  I just showed up and watched from a distance – a long distance.  Other years I have been part of a more limited group – a neighborhood party, a baseball game that I bought a ticket for, or a country club party I was invited to (and pretended to be a member).  I was there for the show and I expected it to be worthwhile. And then there have been times where I actually purchased the fireworks myself.  I owned them. I was all in. I was fully invested.  I was going to do whatever it took to make it the most breathtaking display of pyrotechnical magic ever!

Likewise, in the church we have three different groups: observers, members and owners. Observers have no real investment in the church. They simply show up and watch from a distance – sometimes, a long distance.  They position themselves close to an exit where they can make a quick get-away and not get caught up in all the traffic.  They want the benefit of the experience without the sacrifice of the connection. Members, on the other hand, are more connected. But often times, intentionally or unintentionally, members tend to morph into an exclusive group.  They have certain expectations because they have “paid their dues” to be part of something.  They are there for the show and expect it to be worthwhile.  Owners, however, are all in. They are fully invested. They don’t demand privileges but see themselves as having responsibilities.  They will do whatever it takes to make it the most breathtaking delivery of gospel power ever!

Observer? Member? Owner? How can you take your next step?