‘If thou canst!’ – doesn’t have a question mark, but, rather an exclamation mark, indicating a declaration instead of an inquiry.

It’s so easy to go right online and get a list of reviews about just about anything on the market. I recently was searching for a scanner that would convert slides and film into digital files. Several years ago my brother, Scott, and I went on a mission’s trip to Africa, and then spent two months in Europe, riding the trains and staying in hostels. We took several rolls of film, many of which had been developed as slides, and I’d been wanting for some time to get all the pictures organized in way that at least Scott and I could enjoy from time to time. I found that there is a wide range of options for getting this done, from several small little dedicated film/slide scanners to these big professional ones that cost thousands of dollars. I definitely wanted something that would do a great job, but at the same time would have a reasonable price. Advertisements always present just the attributes and features as if each model is the exact product that will be more than what you need. To really find out what they were able to do and their actual performance I spent a great deal of time going to forums and reading reviews that were as simple as one liners and as detailed as whole pages of examples and graphic comparisons.  This was useful in determining the best option for me, but there was something else I discovered- that, while a product was made to function in a way with optimal results, there were always people that thought it wasn’t performing correctly, not based upon its ability to perform, but their ability to operate it. On the review list it seemed there was always someone who flatly declared this was a terrible product that they would not recommend to family and friends. Though in my opinion these scanners are capable of some pretty miraculous transformations, they are completely subject to being configured correctly and operated in the correct manner for which they were designed. I even found with the one I acquired, that my first attempts were without success, until I went through the step-by-step instructions that fixed nothing on the machine, just my ability to operate it.

If there is anything in our technologically advanced world that is impressive in its capabilities, there is a Miracle Worker who is capable of feats that are greater than all of man’s concerted and collected creations. In Him is the ability and power to not just make existing parts work together in amazing ways, but to actually create the ones who design and produce these machines. When approaching Him about what He might be able to do, there will never be a question of His ability, just a statement of needed operation. If there is only belief, nothing will function in an unsatisfactory manner, nothing will be impossible, and no one will leave disappointed. To read the reviews in the world today regarding the performance of our God, there will always be the ones who would not recommend Him to family friends, but in every case, the failure is always on the part of the operator, because where there is only simple operator belief, with Him all things are possible.

With the house full of Christmas décor and lights, and while food was being prepared for our family Christmas Eve gathering, another Christmas movie was playing on the television. It was the second in ‘The Santa Clause’ series; you know the one where the new Santa is required to find a Mrs. Santa Clause in order to continue in his role.  He goes with a beautiful young woman to this party of very boring, skeptical, and older people and transforms the whole nature of the party by giving special gifts to each one of the guests. Toys that each one of them had wished for as children were magically presented after all these years and in receiving them it was as if those children from so many years ago were joyfully awakened.  The solemn crowd was turned into a true party with all these old ‘children’ playing with toys and games that turned skepticism and doubt into belief and joy. Specifically for the particularly doubting young woman he was seeking to woo, Santa had a baby doll that was exactly the one she had wished for as a child. In receiving this magical gift, her heart was returned to the state of her childhood and opened up to eventually receive the love of its giver.  Yeah! Christmas could go on with the proper Santa in place with his new mate.

While the true reason for the season is being denied recognition in more and more locations around the country there is an observance of why He came in the giving of gifts. Every gift may not produce the desired effect, but you can tell the ones that do. These are the ones that quickly absorb the recipient, with attention displaced completely from other gifts and relationships to focus with heightened excitement and pulse rate on the thing that is obviously transforming them to the state of – maybe – a child? The book, Ipod, PSP, computer, instrument, clothing, etc. that awakens the child within (no matter the age without) is the gift that touches the place where brightness lives, joy is displayed, and hope is given validation and support in believing. So much of what takes place in the heart to displace hope and believing takes place in the child realm where things desired may have been denied or postponed indefinitely.

The true reason for Jesus’ coming as the special gift to each of us from our heavenly Father was so much more than to introduce religious décor and displays that might cause offense in some. Those things might be a means of celebration expression, but a much more significant expression is the desired result and actual purpose intended by the Giver. It is only when the Father’s gift awakens the child within to a displacing and exclusive focus that real hope and real joy and real faith will be given place and true Christmas celebration expression. Like those children in large bodies at the Christmas party in the movie, there is a transformation coming for each of those that let Jesus be the fulfillment of a heart’s wish and the removal of disappointments and faith-killers. He will satisfy when He becomes the gift that receives exclusive focus in the heart that is ever childlike in its expectation and continually gratified in its reception of Him.

May there be a setting aside of all other gifts for the One each child within is truly hoping to awaken to. May He bring renewed hope and strengthening joy.

Why, it was a common truth. You know, something quite obviously without question. Although the scientific journals confirmed it to be true, it was one of those things so incontestable that even the simplest person should be able to accept its validity. To even voice another possibility was to put oneself in danger of ridicule and derision. You could tell by just looking that the world was flat, and because of this reality you had better not allow yourself to venture too far towards wherever the edge might be. Because of the earth’s state you had better not even think about acting in a way that might refute this undeniable truth.
There were those in the land, however, who found the acceptance of this ‘axiom’ to be quite uncomfortable and impossible. Their passion for discovering truth had moved beyond the limitations of ‘common’ knowledge to embrace the possibilities of the truth that might bring with it an incredible amount of freedom and expansion. The more they allowed themselves to embrace what was so unpopular, the more they began to discover that what had been thought to be self-evident by the masses was not truth at all, but simply a confining falsehood. To break from the restraints imposed by this misperception, there would have to be a break from the associations that nurtured its fallacy. Instead of allowing their movements to be limited by the ‘common’ knowledge, there would have to be action attached to the newly discovered reality no matter how risky it might seem to be. Until this concept moved beyond the realm of thought to the realm of action, there would yet be service to the lie of the earth’s flatness, and the riches and beauty just waiting beyond what had thought to be the edge would remain untouched and unseen.
Though we have risen, though we’ve attained, and though there has been movement beyond the dangers of the ‘brink’, there are still ways and truths that are higher than what might have been established as self-evident. While it may appear that the ways of God and the walk of love are ‘flat’ and confining, in reality they bring with them a whole new world of beauty, riches, and pleasures forevermore. For true liberty to be known, however, there will have to be an adjustment of the associations that nurture the truth and challenge the falsehoods. Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and the only way to really know the truth is to know Him. Beyond exposure to the truth in Christ, however, there has to be a voyage made that challenges the borders established in the lie. Until there is adventure associated with His truth, there is no faith in it and no possibility of experiencing not only the promise of pleasure on the other side, but also the continual fulfillment of faith’s movements towards it. To remain on these shores might appear to be safe and the most comfortable, but a departure towards the perfect realm of love will be release from pleasures that restrain and destroy for pleasures that thrill and fulfill.

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:31-32 (KJV)

Here was a man who, a short time ago couldn’t be persuaded to leave his place of hiding on the threshing floor. Full of questions and doubts, He needed to know that this being that was calling him a mighty man of valor was really from God. Once Gideon’s eyes were shifted from his own inabilities to the invincibility of God, there was a commitment made that brought with it a tenacious vision that would not be dissuaded by stacked odds. He must have been incredibly encouraged when his call to arms rendered a gathering of some 32,000 men, and his eyes surely began to shift back to their own ability to make this happen and defeat the Midianites by their own numbers and strength. Possibly he considered the gathering of the men as God’s involvement and that He would give them the strength to fight. Now, though, everything that had seemed to be God up to this point was being removed by God with an explanation that it was too much. Obviously Gideon’s perception needed to be shifted back to God as the source and the finisher of this victory.

This was when, once again, Gideon asked for confirmation that this was indeed God’s will and His plan. This question confirmed, though, there was again renewed in Gideon an unwavering willingness to complete whatever it was that God might ask, however improbable it might seem. And, with the commitment, God continued to confirm His will with faith instilling demonstration that He was at work in the Midian camp to prepare their ensuing defeat. Every faith commitment to the promise of God enabled the anointing and the power of God to His work through the willing and committed vessel.

A call has gone out to each of us from the Word for bravery and a departure from fear- for a commitment to something that God has promised to do through us. Though it will seem impossible and though the odds will be insurmountable, this will actually be confirmation that God is with us, that it will be His power, His direction and His moving that accomplish the impossibly and bring incredible victory to what might appear to be certain defeat. All He is needing from us is the commitment, the decision to present ourselves willingly to whatever task He places before us. From the point of commitment, God is ready to anoint and empower, to demonstrate His supernatural ability in the areas that seem most naturally impossible. From time to time, like Gideon, it may be tempting to shift the eyes back to what may appear to be the provision of God and allow dependence to be on the apparent natural success. At these very times it may be necessary that it isn’t the volume of numbers or the increase in finances themselves that God requires. In fact, the natural abundance itself may become a detriment to God’s working if it diverts focus from the One who doesn’t depend on number or abundance of resources. His greatest resource is commitment, and He will take the smallest and use it for the greatest demonstration of His power through the one who has made the decision to obey with unswerving diligence every detailed task He sets before him/her.

It will require the continually shifted gaze back to His presence and His power all along the way, and His Word will ever be a source for this shifted gaze and renewed commitment. With every choice made to look to Him as the Author and the Finisher, however, there will be the touch of His anointing and further revelation that this is, indeed, the path He has chosen and He is continually preparing for an ensuing victory that will have only one explanation- it was God. All He’s looking for is that faith commitment.

It’s a wonderful feeling to drive off the lot in a brand new vehicle with the fresh smells, everything working and untouched paint job and interior. There is often a sense of pride along with a temptation to notice your reflection in store windows as you pass by. Of course the true passion for this machine has much to do with whether or not it was the actual model, color and specs that you really wanted and not just something you had to get by with.

Now most if not all new vehicles come with an owner’s manual that includes something called a maintenance schedule. This schedule is basically a long list of things that should be checked and maintained at various intervals of time or miles. It clearly specifies that for the vehicle to perform at the level for which it was designed certain fluids must be changed and certain adjustments made at specific times. I recently took my Jeep into a local garage for an oil change where I got into a discussion with the owner about how important the maintenance schedule really is. He informed me that from his experience those vehicles that were maintained by their owners according to the schedule lasted much longer with much fewer complications. While his statements made an impression, they were also validated by a recent story about a lady that is over 90 years old herself and still driving a car she purchased in 1964. With over 557,000 miles her ‘chariot’ is still running well and she attributes it to detailed adherence to the maintenance schedule along with lifetime warranty replacement parts. She says that through the years her car and the way she has maintained it has been the key to her personal freedom as she has been able to remain independent, mobile and productive on her own. While there surely must have been an initial pride when she drove off the lot, this passion seems to only have grown through the years, this reflected in the care that has never been compromised.

We’ve been given the keys to a brand new life in Christ and in Him there is an immediate appreciation for the fresh new smells and perspectives. This life doesn’t have to get old or worn out in the least, though, if there will just be careful attention given to the maintenance schedule in the glove box. Words of direction and guidance have been spoken by our Designer and Creator that are guaranteed to keep us out of the shop if those words will just be embraced as part of a passion that disallows any compromise of care.

When our oldest son was young he had a form of epilepsy that caused him to have nocturnal seizures. I can remember the first time he had a grand mall seizure we were completely shaken not really knowing what was going on and not understanding the extent of his condition. We took him immediately to the emergency room where they took way too long to treat what we thought should have been a first priority. They pretty much just referred us to a specialist the next day where we discovered there was very little to be concerned about as the experience would only be at night and he would outgrow the condition by his teens. They determined this by a scan they did of his brain waves they were able to read from a wide sheet of paper on which they were recorded. There were apparently several different layers of brain activity represented by different waves that crossed the paper. We learned that throughout the brain there is a continuous flow of wave activity that is directly affected by outside influence and in turn directly affects every aspect of the experience of life.

There is something very powerful about this passage from Joshua in which the words from the heart of God are made to occupy the mouth, the mind and the heart. More than just a religious incantation, there is a direct effect upon the activity of the brain, where the sounds of heaven are made to directly affect the frequency of the brain’s waves, causing it to become ‘glory-effected’. As this transformation takes place– the sound waves of the mouth affecting and realigning the brain waves– the mind can begin to agree and cooperate with the wisdom and understanding of God. These ‘waves of glory’ will bring peace, rest, health, security, hope, etc. to a life where the sounds of defeat and despair once dominated. The way to a faith-filled life is as near as the mouth and all that’s required is to fill it with glory sounds– God’s will expressed in His Word.

Romans 10:8 KJV  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Psalms 89:15 KJV  Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.

It would seem that nothing in our world today has any permanence or dependability. The companies and businesses that had once been part of our nation’s foundation and stability are falling apart and being bought out by foreign entities. Several years ago I went through the process of getting my securities license in order to sell mutual funds. A strong point in the presentation process for selling many of these products was their history of weathering financial hard times, that they would be there through any difficulties and owning their stock would mean long term growth and security. The car companies were part of this group and it would have never been considered that these rocks of the American economy could not be there at least in our lifetime. Yet, this last week Chrysler has been purchased by Fiat and General Motors is also close to bankruptcy. The indestructible rocks are apparently crumbling under a storm that exposes and attacks a vulnerability that was really there all the time, and while there are other entities that would be still appear secure, nothing in our world today is exempt from this vulnerability. The ground is moving and all things built on these worldly elements are obviously shifting and revealing the weakness of their foundation.

To this atmosphere of uncertainty and fear there is this wonderful word that comes to bring hope of something substantial- ‘abideth’. While there is erosion and removal of all other elements, a rock that is made of an indestructible substance will weather the greatest storm and ‘abide’, remain, and still be something on which you can build a structure throughout a lifetime and beyond. Knowing the true nature of a natural substance beneath the surface is something that can be studied and determined by involved seismic testing and historical reference. There is likewise a proving that has taken place since the beginning of time- storms that have raged and regimes that have been overthrown- and through the greatest of these tests there has been these three elements that have remained after all others have washed away- faith, hope and love. For the one who has established their foundation on the bed-rock, the unshakeable and the immovable, there is great confidence and peace no matter how greatly the storm rages. Sleep can be sweet and rest complete at the very time when the ground is shaking and the thunder is ominous, because there is a knowing that when all else has been beaten down and washed away, there will still ‘abide’ this secure foundation.

There will be an end to all of this. Much will be proven for what it really is and there will be no doubt as to what the true rock is and what has just been sold as secure, but with much vulnerability. Though the shaking is inevitable there is a place of perfect peace for us on the Rock of Ages and as long as the building that takes place in our lives today is a building on faith, hope, and love, there can be an unwavering confidence in the eternal existence and dependability of the One who will abide forever and our permanence in Him.

Quite often that urge to respond and react is the most dangerous and most destructive. There may be a time for an appropriate response or action, but at the time of trembling life or death is possibly riding upon what is said and what is done. Though there is definitely a moment when action is necessary, while the enemy is approaching your place of hiding, when the bottom has fallen out from under your financial security, when that family member has failed to please, or when that driver has invaded your space there is an emotional response that, while demanding and insisting on expression, will only make matters worse if allowed escape. Trembling may not be an option, but whether or not that trembling dictates action is a critical choice that needs control. Better it would be to remain still and quiet, even steal away to a place of repose, where the heart can get in its two cents worth and wisdom can prevail, than to deal with the consequences of a tremble-imposed sin.

I was recently given the privilege of taking a defensive driving course that allowed me to avoid a penalty incurred by a case of lead foot. The state of Texas graciously provides this option and there are several different schools where a qualifying course can be taken. I chose this online version that was actually presented in a humorous and enjoyable format. It included several videos and illustrations of the dangers associated with reactionary driving- where the actions and behaviors of other drivers could cause you to respond in a less than safe way. As the course progressed this seemed to be the prevailing theme, that the most common danger on the road is that of emotional response, where anger, fear, frustration and impatience become the basis for driving decisions. While you may be able to get away with it for quite some time, this kind of behavior places you in a very volatile and precarious position where accidents are probable and punishment of some kind eminent. The course encouraged counting to 10, staying focused on your own course and destination and staying away completely from any reactionary response. As is most clear on the road- this can be a matter of life or death and a functioning vehicle or a dented and totaled one.

The heart really has something to say if the din of tremble inspiring fear and frustration can be suppressed by stillness and rest. It is the heart alone that will have the right course of action, the correct path and the appropriate word, but until the still small voice that it uses is heard, there will only be an atmosphere of danger and probable destruction. On the road and in the car this danger is apparent, but this reactionary behavior will also have a similar effect in relationships, business dealings, and personal gratification.  That learned response of a harsh word or yielding to emotional demands can wreak havoc on a family, bank account, and personal psyche leaving a dented or totaled vehicle with little means of reaching a significant destination.

There is a secret place, a place of rest, though, where the heart volume is turned up and the hubbub of the world’s influence is shut out. It is here is the presence of the Prince of Peace where the right words of faith and love can be formed and the steps of confidence and boldness can be taken towards a righteous and productive end. This place is forever the refuge and the hope for the time of trembling, when sin is so near in an emotional response. All the threats and all the arrows are made to be insignificant in the quietness where the Christ counseled heart is given voice.

A large volume of verbiage alone does not a healthy relationship make. It’s a bit like food- while it’s essential to living, if it is only ingested in excess without a corresponding amount of expending of its energy, it will only bring obesity, high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries. Though there is a great deal being spoken, for every phrase that is heard, but disregarded, there is a distancing of hearts rather than a bonding, and there is a lessening of an ability to act effectively on subsequent impartations.  For understanding to be gained from what is being heard there is a required response and action. Otherwise, although words are coming to the ears, nothing is getting in to where the action really takes place- in the heart.

One of the most frustrating things in a family is when something is being spoken, but there is no response at all, almost as if the ‘hearer’ is deaf. This most frequently takes place when a great deal is being spoken while the attention of the ‘hearer’ is focused intently on something else. Dad is zeroed in on the last two minutes of a March Madness basketball game just when Mom or one of the children approaches him with a story about the day or an important request. It’s not that he doesn’t care about them, but at the moment when response is most necessary, the ears are already full and the capacity for understanding is temporarily disabled. Mom, on the other hand, may be locked into a phone conversation with a long lost friend or just some very ‘interesting’ information that renders her completely incommunicado to the rest of the family. Until ‘goodbye’ is heard, it is quite meaningless to speak any words her direction or especially expect any specific action. It, again, isn’t that there isn’t a heart for her family, it’s just that for those moments her ears are already full. And finally, the children engrossed in their video games, television shows, or Myspace have severely reduced capacity to understand a single word being spoken to them by a concerned and increasingly aggravated parent. Though they may respond with a practiced, ‘yes, I’ll do that’, if there isn’t an immediate performance of that promise, there is just a further ingrained behavior of doing very little with what is being heard (from the parent that is).

It’s not that there isn’t enough being spoken or heard in our relationship with a Father that has so many interesting stories and essential directives, but it might be that there is a sports event, a conversation, or the latest video game that is disabling our needed response. With every Word He’s spoken there is a necessary action, an acknowledgement and honor of Him that is appropriate, otherwise, while it may not be that we don’t care or have a heart for Him, our lack of response is inadvertently a declaration of dishonor and placement of Him below those other focuses in life. With the repetition of this inaction to His words there is a further dulling of the heart to its ability to experience the healing and blessing that requires a lean and active heart.

There is deliverance, exodus, freedom and incredible fellowship for the heart that will turn away from other things for a moment to actually hear and respond to the reality and truth of the Father’s words. In an honored acknowledgement with action, life will be given to faith and great expectation and confidence gained for the salvation that is in His hand. The volume of words being ‘heard’ will only be understood as they are put to use in an obedient response. In an exercised and lean heart will be the joy and strength of fellowship in the presence of the Lord.

We had this great wood shop in high school, and I was fortunate enough to take a woodworking class and learn how to build things from rough cut lumber. We could pretty much make anything we chose, and I ended up making a footstool, a waterbed frame and a red oak cradle. The last one was quite an industrious undertaking– for me anyway. I had come up with this idea for a cradle because of my sister’s recent pregnancy and I chose plans that included raised panels and several turned pins for around the top. There was limited time to take lumber that had no uniform or finished surfaces and produce a functional, smooth, and completed cradle. Although it was close, because there was progress made on it every day, and because I had access to the right tools, the wood that had been sitting in the storage room, because of my idea, was transformed by my hands into a beautiful piece of furniture that has been used by many of my relatives and now sits in our living room.
There was a time when we were just a rough piece of wood lacking uniformity and structure. There was an idea, though, in the mind of the Master to take what we once were and craft something really quite special for a specific need. Much would have to be cut away, drilled and turned. As His plans involved an extended process, He would require daily access to our parts with His special tools and resources in order to complete His project. While it would be the wood that would be presented as a finished work, at no point in the process was the wood responsible for anything other than responding to the touch of the Master’s hand.
It’s His work from concept to finish, and as long as given continual access to our hearts and lives, the only thing impeding His progress will be a lack of response to His presence and His touch. May there be an overwhelming response of worship in our hearts an lives today as the One who is the great Finisher takes what He has authored on another step towards completion.