 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
-Romans 15:13 I looked out the window this morning and noticed that all my bird feeders were empty. I keep six out in the yard that are regularly used. Any day you look out there, you'll see at least a cup of black oil sunflower seeds, shelled peanuts, or a half pecked suet cake. Many days, everything is brimming full, because I love the look of it and I love the life it brings. But this time, all was empty. I don't know exactly when it happened. Maybe there was a lot of need from the birds the last few days. Or maybe it was more because I wasn't paying attention for this past week. But some way or another, it was all empty. And that made me sad, because a full feeder, in a weird way, fills my soul. It reminds me of God's provision for me and the earth. It reminds me that God's eye is on the sparrow. It reminds me that life is all around me, if I take time to notice and care. It reminds me that beauty and color are still out there, even in the darkening days and cooling air. For whatever reason, a full feeder moves me toward life in Jesus. So noticing six bare, empty feeders was actually a little alarming. I felt the need to stop what I was doing and take some time to fill them up. For my sake. For the birds' sake. Really, for the sake of everyone and everything. I want to invite you to look out the window today and take notice, friends. What do you see? Are there wells within your soul that have gone empty? Have jobs, tasks, responsibilities, global worries, and exhaustion depleted the spaces in you that bring joy and connection with Jesus? Have you been going strong for a long time, and realize that you've been pouring out energy and not receiving the love and care needed to sustain it? Jesus longs to pour his spirit into you so that color, joy, and life can flourish. But we are so formed by the busyness, distractions, and responsibilities of life that we convince ourselves we don't have time to receive the good gift. Or, we simply forget that it's even available to us in the first place. You have the time to ask Jesus to fill your soul, friends. You have the time to rest and be known. You are given it as a gift of grace. If you notice you're empty, take time to be filled. At the risk of sounding too pragmatic, I'll offer a few simple ways that this could look for you today:
You are beloved. Jesus, fill the depleted places in my soul today. I trust you. Peace, Keith
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 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
-Galatians 6:9 We've got a large section of woods behind our house. After we moved in 4 years ago, we developed a simple trail that weaves through it. It's less than a quarter mile long, but full of deer and foxes and birds, and it's beautiful to stroll through it and embrace God's natural beauty. That trail is where dozens of these TFG reflections have been sparked. It's a sacred space for me. It's my job to maintain the trail, but I had NO idea how much work it would require. It's certainly not a major priority in my life compared to parenting, pastoring, coaching, and almost everything else, so every now and then I lose track of what's going on back there. I've been so overwhelmed that I've almost given up some years after the spring growth, when the wisteria vines and the high grasses make it almost completely impassable. Or after a major storm when the brittle white pines come crashing down and completely block everything. Those moments take focused hours of sawing, weedwacking, and "machete-ing." But the biggest issue may actually just be the little sticks and branches that fall every day. There are so many of them on the trail, just waiting to turn your ankle or trip you. Recently I've had no capacity for major trail cleanup, but I've still needed my regular ten minute walks back there. So I've adopted a new habit. Instead of being overwhelmed by all the sticks, I just pick up a dozen noticeable ones every time I walk, tossing them off the trail. I know I don't have the capacity to clear off all of them. And it's possible that my cleared sticks each day may be outnumbered by new ones that fall each night. So I may not even be making a dent! But it keeps the trail passable, and it does make a difference. And it's kept me from giving up altogether. Jesus never called us to save the world, though most days I pretend he did. Jesus called us to be known by his love. Jesus called us to love our neighbors. Jesus called us to give when someone asks. Jesus called us to notice the hurting man on the side of the street. Jesus called us to forgive one another over and over again. Jesus called us to trust his work. There are times where the massive realities of a broken world seem too big for us to fix, so it's easier to just be resigned. "Hey, life is brutal and people are hurting but that's just the way it is." Or, we can seek to control everything and everyone around us, mentally obsessed with things far beyond our control and letting the pressure of fixing it all burn us out. Then we end up bitter and hopeless after our failed crack at being the savior. Resignation or burnout. Pick your poison. Or. We can pick up a few sticks every day on our daily walk. We can understand that there is too much to be done, and some of it is ours to do. We can be the people who offer the kind word, who check in on a friend with a text. We can be the ones who volunteer for the causes God has put on our hearts, and who relate to each other as image-bearing people who matter. We can be generous with our time and money to those around us. We can include the excluded. But most days, it's probably going to be small and local rather than than grandiose and global. If we want the world to know the tangible love of God, then it has to start with our own neighborhoods and workplaces and friendships. It's like that goofy story of the kid on the beach finding thousands of starfish washed up after high tide. And he's throwing them back into the ocean. And a cynical old man walks by and calls out to the kid, "You know, you're not making a difference." And the kid looks back at him defiantly, tosses one more into the waves, and goes, "It made a difference to that one." There's a reason that story made it onto so many bookmarks. I'm not suggesting we don't care about global issues or get involved in the systems that cause them. But I am suggesting that God restores our humanity when we spend time tangibly loving face to face, and we must never neglect that. Today, let's invite Jesus to help us make a difference to one. The world is too big and the news is too loud. We will either learn to love the people in front of us, or we will live paralyzed by how much there is to do. Jesus, help me be faithful with the work that is mine to do today, and trust you with all that is not. Peace, Keith For he himself is our peace...
-Ephesians 2:14 God, how could this happen? That’s what some of you are thinking right now. Others are exclaiming, “Thank God! What a disaster that would have been!” Full Disclosure: I don’t actually know what happened. This was written earlier this week before it all went down. I felt the need to remember that the message actually stays the same for us as Jesus people. But those above thoughts are here with us now, I promise you. I'm not feeling witty or eloquent these days. I just want to think about how we keep our souls and our witness in this moment. Most every one of you reading this lives in the United States. And I know everyone reading this would like to see our country thrive. But whether you are outraged/discouraged/disappointed or pleased by the outcome, there are things that haven’t changed. Now, I am not for a moment suggesting that it doesn’t matter who is leading. It does. Many lives will be affected by who is in the White House for the next few years and the words they speak and the choices they make. Both policies and leadership attitudes have actual impact on the people of this country and beyond. But. Some. Things. Haven’t. Changed. America is still not the kingdom of God. It wasn’t in 2016. Or 2020. And it’s not in 2024. America is still not the hope of the world. That role has already been filled. The president is not our Lord or Savior in any way, despite any claims that they or anyone else makes about them. If you think that because the right one got elected, that all is well in the world….. you’re wrong. If you think that because the wrong one got elected, that there is no hope in the world….. you’re also wrong. By all means, it's ok to be discouraged or be pleased, for a few minutes. And then return to your calling. Our work remains the same as it did in 2000, 2010, 2020, 2022, 2023…. well, you get it. Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. (Micah 6:8) Forgive our enemies. Love our neighbors. (Matt 5:44/22:39) Practice hospitality. Welcome the stranger. (Romans 12:13) Keep ourselves from being corrupted by the powers of the world. (James 1:27) Wash each other’s feet. (John 13:14) Give to those in need. (Acts 2:45) Do not work for food that spoils, but food that endures to eternal life. (John 6:27) Grasp that the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, free or in chains... is the peace of Christ. (Phil 4:12) Live as citizens of the Kingdom of God and God’s ambassadors in the kingdom of America. (Phil 3:20) We are so tired, aren't we? Let me speak for myself. The political circus and obsession with power in the United States takes a big toll on me personally, and probably many of you. It's not hard to get tears flowing lately for a number of reasons. It is now the air we breathe and the water we drink. We can hardly get away from it if we try (though I do have a few friends contemplating moving abroad for these reasons). But our energy comes from God, and our hope remains in God. And that is where the strength continues to come from to live faithfully in a world divided. Empires rise and fall. It happened with Babylon, Persia, and Rome. The US is not exempt from history. Yet we live with the knowledge that we are citizens of an unshakeable kingdom- a kingdom that has given hope and perseverance to generations across history and across the globe with far more difficult experiences than most of us have ever experienced. God is faithful and will continue to work in our world- in and through us, and sometimes in spite of us (thank God). The church has an embarrassing history with power, violence, and cuddling up to national systems. We have long been a country that uses constant language about God without actually knowing God. But the church has also been a subversive movement of God's call to justice, reconciliation, and forgiveness. And the Spirit is drawing us into that all the time. So I ask you right now- beg you, actually, to be known by the characteristics of Jesus, and not the pseudo-Christian identities led by politics. Certainly, good and kingdom-like things can happen through political action (they can), but the third way of Jesus transcends tribalism and protectionism. And it rejects the notion that the only way to change things is to have all of the power. We cannot read the temptations of Jesus and somehow believe that “our party" (yuck) in the white house is the main way that the kingdom of God will advance. Remember friends, Jesus’ political platform was a wooden cross. Christians have joined in some unholy alliances, and we must walk carefully. As Tony Campolo said of a Christianity that becomes enmeshed with political allegiance… it’s like mixing ice cream and manure. It doesn’t do much to the manure… but it sure ruins the ice cream. So friends, neither gloat nor despair as you consider your feelings on how our government ought to function and who our latest caesar is. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God’s (Mark 12:17). You know what Jesus meant with that, right? Caesar can have his money and power with his image imprinted on it. It will not last. But God’s image is imprinted on your very bodies and souls. You belong to God. Never forget that- and give yourselves fully and completely to the work of God in your life. God has placed his image on something far more valuable than anything our government could give or take away. You are sacred to God. So is your neighbor. So is your enemy. Come, Lord Jesus. Peace, Keith |
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