Hugging God

One busy day as I stopped at a McDonalds for lunch I saw that a homeless man was sitting at the entrance…as I approached the door he ask if I would give him some change…I said “No, but I will buy you lunch if you want?” To my surprise he jumped up from the ground and followed me into the completely packed out restaurant. I ask what he wanted and he said…in a voice that was just a little too loud… “I’ll just have whatever you’re having.” I placed our order and when it arrived I handed him his tray and turned to walk away…and then I heard him say “Aren’t you gonna eat with me?”

Now you have to understand this man had the smell of days old booze and urine. His long beard had a few things tucked in it. I did not look closely because I was afraid to actually figure out what was in there. And his breath traveled with a force of its own. But what could I say…if nothing else the entire restaurant, while I am sure they were wishing he would leave, seemed to go silent while awaiting my answer…I said “Well sure.”

We found a place and he began to talk…a little too loudly. He started telling me a story about his mother and how she had finally taken his guitar away from him…I could not surmise if he meant recently or if this was some incident from earlier in his life. He sort of rambled on with other stories…pretty much the same stories that you here from many people like this that have been lost in the shuffle of life…they once had it together…something happened…never could put things back together…and here they are.

Somewhere along the line I stopped trying to decide if he was telling the truth…I stopped trying to makes sense of his story…I stopped worrying about all the things he should be doing or not doing...he should get a job or he should stop drinking or he should at least get a bath...instead I managed to turn off all my "shoulds" and just listen.

He would look me right in the eyes as if we were old friends…like we had talked many times…I tried hard to stay with him in the conversation so I could nod or laugh or sigh appropriately. And since every time I tried to take a bite of my burger the smell of his breath would hit me in the face I became a good listener with nothing else to distract me.

After awhile I told him I had to go back to work…he looked disappointed…he thanked me for the lunch…I got up to go and in his little to loud voice he said…. “Hey” I turned and looked at him… and he asked “Can I ask you one more thing?” I said “Sure”. What followed would affect me for the rest of my life… he continued... “I know this is kinda weird…but…could...could you…give me a hug?” Now, at the height of lunch hour, there is a stunned silence in the restaurant…the place is still…it took a moment for my mind to absorb what he had just ask.. then, somewhat awkwardly, I reached down...put my arms around him...placed my face next to his...I forgot about the smell…the filth…what might be in his beard......he pulled me close...and held on….and on...it was a moment...one I cannot describe with words. Finally, as I pulled away I looked directly at him…tears were streaming down his face…running over his beard…he sat...almost helplessly in his chair...just looking up at me….and then he said this "You know…sometimes… I…I… need….I just need somebody to hug me.” And the world seem to stop.

As I think back on that day it occurs to me that I have never done anything more God-like in my entire life…I never saw that man again. Which was unusual because the homeless characters seem to stake out places for awhile….but this was different…that man was there more for me...not me for him... I had supernaturally stepped into the smell...the filth ...the confusion...and there...in a most unlikely moment...I hugged God.

Give and it will be given to you...
Jesus

The Rhythm of Your Heart

I just read a note from a young man that is a missionary in China. As I read his words…his passion for reaching people in the most remote parts of the world…his heart beat…the rhythm of his heart… reached all the way to me. I recognized it immediately…it was the rhythm of God’s heart…his passion for each of us…how he pursues us…with His strong and sure hands…how he reaches for us…I’ve felt it before…its familiar…warm…safe…awesome.

It does not matter where we are in this world or what has happened in our lives…no amount of sin or wrongs or bad decisions can keep Him away…He is passionately reaching for us…His heart beats a steady rhythm in passion for us…if you listen…closely…quietly…you can hear it…faint at first…then you realize you can actually feel it…its closer…listen…its becoming more distinct…and then in an awareness that will make you smile…you realize its your heart…beating to His rhythm…amazing…

My daughter Sunny once told me that her heart beats after mine and that her children would carry that same beat as she passed it on to them… the thought was so tender…it overwhelmed me…what an undeserved wonder…I think of it often.

It’s the same with God when we open up and allow Him to be a part of our lives….our hearts begin to beat at His rhythm…and then as we reveal Him to others…and they allow Him in…the rhythm of their heart begins to merge into His and on and on it goes…and the closer He gets…the purer the rhythm…can you hear it…want too?

Fresh Paint

Have you ever entered a day having had the walls of your mind freshly painted with a thick layer of criticism…or doubt about the roads you’ve chosen…or worse…judgmental words from someone you had trusted with really knowing you.

Unfortunately, it’s not a matter of “if” other human beings are going to seize the opportunity to paint the walls of your mind with negative stuff…it’s just a matter of “when”. And it’s not a matter of “if” it’s going to hurt…it’s a matter of how much.

And, if given time…this paint will dry and become part of how you define yourself. So the question becomes; how long are you going to wait until you repaint? How long are you going to walk around with those dreary walls in your mind? How long will you live less than a full life because of another’s bad paint work?

When you see that the gloomy colors of negativity or defeatism have been painted on the walls of your mind…don’t wait…start painting…. repaint with the truth about you…and do it quickly…use the broad strokes optimism, belief and faith…use brilliant colors that better define who you really are…creative, inspiring, helpful, caring, truthful, patient…whatever is really true about you. Display on those walls the individual one of a kind you…one of God’s very unique designs…a truly spectacular creation.

Jesus summed things up very simply “As a man thinks in His heart so is he”. He did not say “whatever people say is who you are”…He said as you choose to think…as you choose to believe in your heart …choose to believe the truth…you are great…awesome…the world is better because you are here…paint that on the walls of your mind…and that is who you will be. Nothing like…Fresh Paint!

God at Mardigras

I attended my first Mardigras last night. It defies a definitive description. It is the most complete party you have ever attended…with 300,000 to 400,000 people.
I have always seen little snapshots of the parades….but the number of days, the number of parades, the number of people involve to make it happen and the number attending…all escaped me.
I doubt seriously I could write anything about Mardigras that has not been written many times over. So I am not going to go there. Instead I want you to visit a few scenes that stuck with me.

Scene One
I was struck by a group of people that thought a good way to tell the world about the love of Jesus would be to show up on Bourbon Street and scream unintelligibly into a microphone. I can say that the tone was angry…not loving. The comments just did not seem like anything Jesus would say…as a matter of fact there is no record of him ever yelling into a crowd of people in the city. The only time, the one time ,that is recorded where he appeared to be genuinely angry was not at the people in the city…but at people in the church who had turned the temple into a market place instead of a house of prayer. That day was a defining moment for those that knew the truth and attended the temple but had severely missed the point of being there.

Scene Two
I saw another group that was gathered in huddles. They sang a song….then stretched out their hands toward everyone as they walked by and simply prayed. They prayed that the people passing by would get to know who Jesus could really be in their lives. Better… much better… but it was soon backing to speaking very ineffectively into a very loud and boisterous crowd.

Scene Three
A very pleasant and smiling young lady walking with her friends…she says a cheerful “Hi” to everyone. She congratulates the very cold and very tired faced people that had stayed along the parade line, in lawn chairs, for the entire freezing cold day and night. They had done this just so they could save a place for their families to get a great view of the next parade. When she greeted them, each cold face would break into a smile and they felt, if just for a moment, a sense of pride…someone had noticed their effort… then I watched as she stopped to speak to a man who was scrubbing the sidewalk in front of a business…she told him that he was doing a very good job…her smile breaks through the drudgery of his work day... although very brief…it was a moment of peace…you could feel it…my guess is that her words landed right in his heart and they stayed with him through his entire day.

I thought of a verse of scripture that perfectly fit what I was witnessing with this young lady “Where sin abounds…grace much more abounds”. No screaming, no judgment, no sarcasm, no criticisms…just a genuinely sweet spirit… smiles…encouraging words…love in action…grace in action…that’s the Jesus I know.

Final Scene
Next year…a Call to Action for those that want to change the world by sharing the love of God.

Show up in full force at Mardigras. ..And instead of using a microphone as a weapon…come bearing the fruits of the spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness gentleness, and self control…
And instead of misunderstood prayer huddles…come having already spent time in prayer for the safety and peace of all those attending…and try this:

If it’s cold…hand out hot chocolate and encouraging words…
The cups should say something like;

A Warm Welcome to Mardigras…You are loved more than chocolate!
John3:16

If it’s hot...hand out bottles of water and encouraging words…
The bottles could say something like;

Welcome to Mardigras…A free drink on us!
John7:37

“I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink…”
“Whenever you did one of these things to someone…
You did it to me”
Jesus

Choosing to Risk the Darkness

Valleys…they are inevitable.
Jesus once said “In this world you will have trouble.”

I meet so many people that are walking through a dark period in their life. And often, words of hope or encouragement fall on the dry lands of disappointment and even the parched ground of despair. It does not matter how many people have been there before you…it does not matter how many giants have been slain…when its you in the valley…you have to work, struggle, fight, and bleed…as though it’s the first time this sort of thing has ever occurred.

I drive across the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge every morning on my way into Baton Rouge. It crosses 18 miles of wetlands, a mixture of swamp, lakes, and waterways. Every morning the scene changes a little depending on how high the sun has risen, if there is fog, clouds, rain, or a crystal clear day. Each sight is an unbelievable way to start the day.

Recently, on a particularly spectacular morning, as I looked out over the lake…a golden glow over the hundreds of trees growing right up out of the waters… those waters a mirror reflecting the sun… absolutely no movement…awesome. I began to think about how those trees have withstood powerful winds and the beatings of much rain…still stand…relentless in living…roots driving deep in defiance…we “shall not be moved”. I thought of brave people that I know that are just like those trees. Life has presented them with incredible storms…plenty of reasons to quit…but they are still standing

And then my eyes ran over the many coves and inlets that invite you in…the tributaries that disappear into the darkness of thousands of hovering trees. Though they have been explored many times…should I get in a boat myself and glide back into those areas I would discover many awesome wonders that had just been waiting for me to experience for myself. And some people…people of courage have climbed into a boat that leads them head on into life…they have traveled the deep dark waters…and discovered life in a way that only a true participant can.

The things is this…it does not matter if you are traveling a road that others have already traveled…it only matters how you travel it…how you experience and work with its pain…the things you discover…for yourself… in the dark hidden places.

Life is not about the escape of pain…its about carrying the load that has been handed to you…the very best that you can…its not about if or when or how many times you fall…its about taking the next step…choosing to continue your very own exploration into… for what is to you…the unknown.

The Beatles sang… “There is nothing you can sing that can’t be sung…there is nothing you can do that can’t be done”. And several thousand years before them a king named Solomon penned these words… “There is nothing new under the sun”. Life is not about “new”. There is only one Mt Everest…it is not new…but it is waiting to be truly known, for the first time, by the next brave climber. Life is about the negotiating of the oldest of time weathered trails…waiting to be discovered for the first time by the next brave person…the one who will risk everything to truly live.

So you have taken some chances…with love that didn’t work out…with business that failed…with a dream that has yet to be realized…You are to be commended for getting in the boat…for refusing to just settle for surface experiences. Your bruises…your brokenness…your bleeding…a testament to living…to reaching…to having the courage to dream…to live with passion…refusing to settle for a surface only experience

Right after Jesus said ‘you will have trouble” he said this "But take heart I have overcome the world”. He has overcome the way the world judges a life…even the way we evaluate ourselves…he has visited all the darkest places…loneliness, rejection, being misunderstood…and survived…he knows the value of your efforts…he understands the sense of loss and hopelessness that sometimes comes…He said He wants to give you life and not just life but” life abundantly” but to experience this abundance is to get in the boat...take a trip into the areas of life that demand courage...risk.

Get back in the boat…negotiate the turns…experience life for all that it is…pain, joy, sorrow, peace, trouble, hope, discovery, loss, mountains, valleys…and…“though I walk through the valley of death…I will fear no evil…for He is with me”. Valleys are inevitable…courage is not…your boat is waiting...