The ultimate prayer rhythm

Daniel lived a pretty crazy life.  When he was a teenager, King Nebuchadnezzar sacked the nation of Judah, and Daniel was abducted from his home by the conquering Babylonians.  After being marched east across the Asian continent for months, he and the other captives arrived in the nation’s capital, Babylon.  Then he and his friends were subjected to a 3-year re-education program for the best and brightest young men taken from foreign countries. 

He and his friends made waves in the Babylonian culture and government many times – and each event was caused by them sticking to their trust in the God of Israel instead of following the gods of Babylon or the various edicts of the Babylonian government.  Their first test came during the re-education program, when they opted out of the prohibited diet provided from the royal food and drink.  Daniel interpreted dreams that no one in the king’s realm would even attempt to decipher.  Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (aka Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) defied the king’s orders to worship a golden statue representing the greatness of Babylon.  For their disobedience, they were thrown into a fiery furnace.  After they were rescued by God, you’d think King Nebuchadnezzar would understand that he wasn’t the center of the universe, but no…he had another lesson to learn.  Daniel saw the king go insane, act like a wild animal, and then, some time later, regain his senses after acknowledging God for who He is.

Daniel had a front row seat for all these events as well as many others.  In total, Daniel lived and served under six different rulers!  But what of the most famous story of Daniel’s life…when he was tossed into a lions’ den?  That event happened after the Persian empire defeated the Babylonians.  Through a crazy set of circumstances you can read about in Daniel 5, Daniel had just been pulled out of retirement when the Persians took over.  When King Darius set up the new order in the captured Babylon, he appointed Daniel to be one of his administrators.  But get this…Daniel is 80 years old at this point!

To make it even more interesting, at 80 years old, he’s still running circles around everyone else:

Daniel 6:3-5
Daniel distinguished himself above the administrators and satraps because he had an extraordinary spirit, so the king planned to set him over the whole realm.  The administrators and satraps, therefore, kept trying to find a charge against Daniel regarding the kingdom.  But they could find no charge or corruption, for he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. 

Then these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”

And that’s exactly what they did…they went to King Darius and convinced him that no one should petition or pray to anyone except the king, lest they be thrown into the lions’ den.  There were a lot of political undertones to their proposal, but we can’t get into them here and now…the end result was that Darius signed their proposal into law.

What I want to ask is…what would your response be?

If everything you have earned and built in your 20, 30, 40, or even 80 years was suddenly in jeopardy if you get caught simply whispering a prayer, what would you do?

Would you stop praying altogether?
Would you pray only when you’re certain no one is looking?
If someone asked you pointedly, “Did you pray today?”, would you lie?

Those are tough questions.

So, what did Daniel do?

Daniel 6:10
When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house.  The windows in its upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

The most incredible phrase in that verse is likely the one you didn’t notice.  I can say that because I didn’t notice it either, until recently – and I’ve heard the story of “Daniel and the lions’ den” countless times since childhood.  It’s the last phrase that is the most striking: just as he had done before. 

Daniel wasn’t praying out of defiance to the king’s order.  He wasn’t praying in a panic, looking for God’s guidance because his circumstances were suddenly more than he thought he could handle on his own.  Daniel’s prayer time – his conversations with God – were a normal part of his daily life. 

Daniel’s three-times-daily appointment was so important that he was willing to risk everything just to keep meeting with God in prayer.

I marvel at that.  I want to be like that…but I haven’t always been that way.  “Just as Ken had done before” wouldn’t be an accurate description of my daily time talking with God.

But it can be for me…and for you…if we start today.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite: Imagining Jesus

Imagining Jesus
Originally posted on August 07, 2015

When you think of Jesus, what comes to mind?

Shoulder-length brown hair with a neatly trimmed beard?
Does he have a “I just want to be your buddy” attitude?
Always ready to have people gather around for talk?
Not very authoritative, rather subdued?
Just “ok” with whatever we want to do?

The assumptions we make about Jesus will not only affect how we approach and communicate with Him, but our perception of who Jesus really is will be demonstrated in the way we live.

In the beginning of his letter, Paul reminded the Colossians who Jesus is – in relation to the Father, in relation to creation, and in relation to the church.  These verses contain seven specific truths about Jesus – can you see them?

Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation;
because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities –
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.

He is also the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that He might come to have first place in everything.

For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,
and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself
by making peace through the blood of His cross –
whether things on earth or things in heaven.

He is the image of the invisible God – No one can see the Father, except through Jesus.  He is our tangible connection to God.

He is the firstborn over all creation – The firstborn had the responsibility to govern, maintain, and prosper the family and family’s property.  Jesus fulfills that role for all creation.

He is the Creator – This is why Jesus can claim the rights of the firstborn over all creation, because He was the one who invented all of it.  He is the architect and builder.  Nothing visible to our eyes, and nothing invisible to our eyes came about unless Jesus set it up. 

He is the head of the church – Jesus established His church as the family for all who would trust in Him for forgiveness of sin and for eternal life.  Jesus loves the church body as a groom loves his bride, and Jesus willing leads His people.

He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead – Jesus was the first to come back from the dead with a glorified body.  He truly is the beginning of the newness we will obtain in Him.

He has the fullness of God dwelling in Him – Jesus is not part man/part God.  Instead He is fully God and fully man, which makes Him the perfect mediator between God and mankind.

He is the reconciler – Jesus’ mission was to reconcile us rebellious sinners and the fallen creation back to Himself.  Through His death on the cross, He brought us the ability to have peace with God.  It’s important to remember that our reconciliation happened both on His own initiative and on our behalf.  We could never have been reconciled without the cross.

Is this how we view Jesus?  Is this how we see our King?

Don’t just laze around in the comfortable Jesus-stereotypes.  Remember who He is…and then be overwhelmed at the truth that he knows us fully and still desires an eternal relationship with each one of us.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite: Was Jesus short?

Was Jesus short?
Originally posted on August 05, 2021

When our boys were young and prone to get in to trouble, I would sometimes tell them that the average height of a Jewish man in Jesus’ day was 5’1”.  If that warning didn’t click with them right away, I would then remind them that their mother is also 5’1”…Which means, boys, that your mom sees eye-to-eye with God – so don’t mess with her!

Most estimates have first-century Jewish men ranging in height anywhere from 5’0” to 5’5”.  The Bible doesn’t say anything about how tall Jesus stood.  It’s not like the Bible totally ignores physical descriptions of people – whenever there is a unique feature about a person, it’s acknowledged: Esau was red and hairy (Genesis 25:25), Saul was head-and-shoulders taller than everyone (1 Samuel 9:2), and David was “ruddy” and handsome (1 Samuel 16:12).  While the gospels may tell us about what Jesus taught and how He lived, they give us no clue as to how we would pick Jesus out of a crowd.

The only approximate description of Jesus comes from the prophet Isaiah, when he gave a rather unheroic description of Jesus’ appearance:

Isaiah 53:2-3
He grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground.
He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him,
no appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was.
He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for us to come to Jesus because He “looks the part” of what we want in a savior.

Instead of what Isaiah detailed, our modern-day pictures of Jesus align more with today’s standards.  Have you ever noticed how our portrayals of Jesus have him about 6’1”, a solid 210 pounds, and the tallest person in the picture?  In all media – paintings, movies, color book pictures, Bible covers – He always has long hair and often looks Swedish.  When in reality, Jesus was probably around 5’1”, had short dark hair, a middle-eastern complexion (likely much darker than us Westerners assume), a round face, and average-at-best looks.

But why even bring this up, right?  Does how we visualize what Jesus looked like make any real difference?  Honestly…yeah, it could…because it’s the start of a very slippery slope.  You see, whenever we imagine Jesus having physical traits more “like us” instead of what’s true, it is a very short trip to begin taking other aspects of God and making them in our image.  When Jesus is “like us”, we immediately assume that all those not-like-us or not-liked-by-us are the ones who aren’t acceptable to God.

I love Todd Agnew’s song My Jesus, as it challenges many of our assumptions.  Here is a portion of the lyrics:

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins.
But the Word says He was battered and scarred or did you miss that part?
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him.

'Cause my Jesus bled and died.
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these.
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable.
So which one do you want to be?

'Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church.
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet.
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud,
And I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd.

How we imagine Jesus strongly influences how we expect to partner with Him in the here-and-now.  Let’s make sure that our portrayals of our hero, high priest, and king accurately reflect who He is – and not some picture of the American dream.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Flashback Favorite: Is Jesus boring?

Is Jesus boring?
Originally posted on April 19, 2018

One of the keys to good parenting that I’ve discovered over the years is to be so predictable that I’m boring…at least when it comes to discipline and behavioral expectations – first for myself, and then for my children.  While it may have looked ‘boring’ at a surface level or even felt ‘boring’ to me, the consistency of my character provided the foundation for relationship with my children.

Especially through their younger years, our relationship always seemed to go smoother when I was most consistent.  It’s as if they took a measure of comfort in knowing not just the boundaries, but who their dad is as a person.  When I was out of sorts, they could sense it, and they became unsteady.  Looking back, the season when I was traveling extensively for work certainly took a toll on our family dynamic.  Dad wasn’t consistently there, and it showed.

However, the flip side also rang true.  The times when I was consistently tuned in to both who I am with God and what my purpose is for my children – those seasons have resulted in some of our best family memories.  (Notice I didn’t say easiest, I said best…and there is often a difference)

My consistency came directly from my connection to God.  He is our ultimate example for the parent-child relationship, such that His consistency of character (from the surface level) may even appear ‘boring’.  But when we lean into His consistency of character, we find the things we cannot achieve anywhere else in life – identity, perspective, foundation, and purpose.

But it’s hard to rely on God for those things.  We struggle with the idea that we must earn everything, including relationships.  We don’t want to admit dependency or, quite frankly, our inner-most need for it.  And this is where the recipients of the letter we call Hebrews were in danger of slipping.  The author had already shown them Jesus’ fulfillment of Mosaic law and superiority over its decrees, but there would be the temptation for them to go back to trying to build a relationship with God based upon what actions they choose.

The author addressed this concern both as a warning and an encouragement:

Hebrews 13:8-9
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by foods, since those involved in them have not benefited.

The author says his readers cannot establish their relationship with God due to the ceremonial foods they would eat, or rituals they follow.  The people’s activities were shadows that pointed to Jesus and the relationship with God only He could provide. 

Jesus hasn’t changed.  Jesus doesn’t change.  Who He was in the Old Testament, who He is in the New Testament, and who He will be in eternity future is the same Great God who loves us unconditionally, entirely based upon grace.

If you come across any teaching that even suggests otherwise, don’t be led astray.  Reject such foolishness.  We cannot earn God’s love, by cash now or on credit later.  We cannot do enough good things today to earn the start of a relationship with Jesus.  We cannot do enough good deeds later to justify His investment of eternal life in us.  No matter what we’ve done, are doing, or will do – our standing with God is entirely established by grace.

We will not find His consistency boring; rather His consistent character will show us our true identity, proper perspective, a solid foundation, a life’s purpose, and a heart established by grace.  Most of all, His consistent character shows us…Him.

Don’t be led astray.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Believe me, I swear!

Growing up, it seemed like any time another kid wanted to be believed, he would say something like, “I swear on my mother’s life” or “I swear to God”.  It was because he wanted to be seen as telling the truth, no matter how outlandish his claim was.  Even still now, among adults, I hear similar phrases like, “That’s the God’s-honest truth” or “May God strike me down if I’m lying” or simply “On God”. 

These qualifiers have always seemed to me as, well, a little weird to say.  And apparently, so did Jesus’ half-brother James:

James 5:12
Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath.  But let your “yes” mean “yes”, and your “no” mean “no”, so that you won’t fall under judgment.

Another translation for so that you won’t fall under judgment would be so that you won’t fall into hypocrisy.  Ouch.  No one wants the stigma of being viewed as a hypocrite.  This thought isn’t unique to James, either.  Because his big-brother Jesus covered this same topic in His Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:33-37
Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, “You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord”.  But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.  Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.  But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’, and your ‘no’ mean ‘no’.  Anything more than this is from the evil one.

How bad of a look is it if we’re “swearing” by heaven or by earth…and we are actually wrong on whatever it is we’re trying to convince others about?  We have no control over the heavens, the earth, or what color our hair naturally grows out as.  So what does all this “swearing” mean?  A whole lotta nothing, honestly.  But wow, phrases like this are commonly said in today’s culture.  It’s as if we’re so used to people not following through that we need an extra layer of promise to get people to believe us.

It might not seem like a big deal to simply let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’, and your ‘no’ mean ‘no’, but the difference is that it will stand out in comparison to what people have typically experienced.  If that statement sounds far-fetched, I would have likely agreed with you, if it weren’t for a recent experience at work.

I was given a small task of updating a few accounts, so I contacted each of the account owners via email on a Friday, telling them that their account credentials would change on the following Wednesday afternoon.  Then, on that next Wednesday afternoon, I communicated their updates.  I thought nothing of the task until I received an email back from one of the account owners with the following statement:

Thank you for making this process so smooth!

I was pretty surprised at getting a “thank you”, but also really surprised at being told that I made the whole thing “so smooth!”  All I did was follow through with what I said I would do – and that apparently stood out to this particular person, enough for him to feel the need to express his gratitude to me.

It was still just a small thing…or was it?  If we are to be Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), then it is appropriate for us to be reliable ambassadors.  If we’re not following through on the “small things” or we have to “swear” or “On God” what we say…how will they believe us when the opportunity comes to talk about the most important thing they could ever know?

And it’s really just as simple as James and Jesus made it out to be – let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’, and your ‘no’ mean ‘no’.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

AI tried to write this blog. Here’s what happened.

I have been looking into AI quite a bit recently.  Mostly for my day job, but also for my own curiosity.  The company I work for provides a fair bit of training and information about AI uses, but we’re also encouraged to find new ways of utilizing this tool in our day-to-day jobs.  While that information and skill set is helpful to develop in our current economy, my personal curiosity has been more focused on how we, as a society, will cope with the massive disruptions that are (honestly) just over the next horizon.

A common use of AI today is to get help creating written content.  Anywhere in the writing process can be assisted by AI tools – whether you’re simply brainstorming ideas, looking for feedback on a final product, or anywhere in between.  I’ve been aware of these capabilities for some time, but I’ve resisted checking into AI’s ability to completely write up a blog post.  To be honest, my avoidance has been more of a pride thing than anything else…I believe I do a decent job on my own with writing.  This has been a reliable skill for me since the time we started writing three-paragraph essays in junior high school.  To give you just one example, for a season of my career, I actually taught technical writing for laboratory investigations to chemists and Quality Control management.  While others may rejoice in getting help with their writing tasks, I’ve been feeling a little threatened.  So, I’ve actively avoided exploring AI’s capabilities here.

Until last Wednesday, anyway.  I decided that I would finally take a look at what I’m up against.  I’ve used an AI model called Perplexity for a little less than a year, primarily as a search engine.  It’s not been perfect, but on the whole, it does a good job.  So, last Wednesday, I asked it the following prompt:

Write a blog post in the voice of the author in http://www.trustingson.com/the-word. It should be no more than 600 words. The topic is from Ruth 4, the generational impact of Ruth and Boaz's actions on their subsequent family line.

Now, I had preached on this chapter for my church back in May but I have not written a blog on this topic, so I was curious how close it would come to getting the topic right, but also how well it could do writing as if it were me. 

The result?  To be honest, what came out (in about 30 seconds) wasn't too far off.  I'd give it an 80% score...which is pretty scary.  There are a handful of “rules” that I go by when I write a blog, and the AI didn’t follow all of them.  But I could have easily asked it to refine the post by these additional parameters to achieve a final product that sounded even closer to my style of writing. 

I then showed the AI draft to my wife, with my head hung a little as she read through the text.  Although she was insistent that what she read "wasn't me" – I still felt like I had been kicked in the teeth.  Something that I’d always considered a strength was now easily produced with no real effort.  I then turned my attention to finishing up last Thursday’s blog My dog hates to wait.  So do I.  And I felt lousy about the AI situation for the whole next day.

And then, on Friday morning…God sent someone to rip me out of my funk.  Greg, who was also mentored by Joe Rheney and has been receiving THE WORD emails since way back when Joe was writing them, decided to drop me a message.  Here’s part of what he said:

Among the many things Joe helped us to grow in, was discovering and using our spiritual gifts. Mine is that of an encourager and comforter. I encourage you to continue your ministry with the same passion you started with and to finish with the goal and prize of hearing the words “Well done, good and faithful servant”. I personally value what you share in the pursuit reaching the finish line. Your insights, explanations, inspirations, and interpretations are an outward expression of your love and devotion to our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

I…I was stunned.  I didn’t know what to say or how to quell the multitude of emotions that started to swirl in my mind and through my chest.  God saw my funk of an attitude and prompted Greg to send me a note of encouragement.  God saw me.  And he sent help.

Throughout the New Testament, believers are often told to encourage one another.  Here are just two examples:

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day (of Christ’s return) approaching.

1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

Thank you, Greg.  Thank you for using your gifts to support the body of Christ – even though you had no idea how much I needed it.  Thank you for listening to God’s prompt to use His gift in your life.

For everyone else, please follow Greg’s example and use your gifts to build up those around you.  Despite whatever technological advancements come next, we are still to consider one another in order to provoke love and good works…encouraging each other because our savior is coming soon.

I won’t be using AI to write THE WORD…simply because there is great value in my struggle and learnings from the Scripture, both for me and for you.  Besides, how can I claim that the Bible will change your life if I’m using a tool that keeps the Bible from changing mine?

I’ll keep using my gifts, even if it takes longer to complete my work.  It’s better that way.

I believe the same is true for the gifts and abilities God gave to you, too.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

My dog hates to wait. So do I.

How’s your summer treating you?  Our temps in North Carolina have ramped up significantly in the last week – so much so that I’ve had to make a major adjustment to our family’s schedule.

I work from home, and although my days are filled with online meetings, I can typically step out for a short mid-morning walk with the dog.  This timing has benefits for both of us: he can do his morning business, and I can get a moment to clear my head away from talking to people on a computer screen.  If the morning is crazy-hectic, he may have to wait until lunchtime (but that’s a rarity).  He also normally gets walked after I log off for the day at 5:00pm.

Our pup loves this schedule, and if we deviate from it, he is certain to let me know.  First, he’ll come bump my leg with his nose.  If that doesn’t get me up and moving, he’ll try whining a little bit.  Then, he’ll escalate to just flat-out staring at me…off the side of my desk, with his eyes just barely above the edge, not blinking.  Just eye pressure.  Willing me to pay attention and take him outside.  His requests for the 5:00pm walk can start as early as 3:30pm, but they certainly intensify if we haven’t left by a little after our usual 5:00pm schedule.

However…the recent heat has forced us to change our schedule.  Now, we get a walk in before I start working and before the sun bears down on us – and of course, he doesn’t mind at all going out early.  But the after work walk?  That’s been pushed well into the evening, waiting until the sun is nearly gone for the day.  It’s just too hot for him otherwise.  The scorching pavement on his paws and the thick, humid air while walking around the neighborhood has him panting and overheated in no time.  So, we wait.

But like I said, he doesn’t like to wait.  In fact, he’s whining a bit right now as I type this out (it’s 5:47pm).  Not because he needs to do his business, but because he just wants to go and sniff and explore.   He doesn’t understand thermometer readings and heat indexes and the fact that extreme heat causes the most weather-related deaths in the US each year.  He just wants what he wants, and he expects me to provide it for him.

You’ve probably already drawn the same parallel and conclusion that I have.  When it comes to how I want God to intervene in my life…I can be a lot like my dog.  I don’t like to wait.  I’m certain my schedule is the best schedule.  I tend to whine if I don’t get what I want, when I think I should get it.  Never mind that God understands the real temperature of the situation and my ability to handle it at the moment…

Our ability to wait on God’s timing isn’t so much a lack of patience on our part.  Rather, it’s a lack of trust in God doing His part on His timing.  That stings a little bit, doesn’t it?  Yeah, me too.

King Solomon pointed this out in his collection of wisdom sayings:

Proverbs 19:2 (NIV)
Desire without knowledge is not good – how much more will hasty feet miss the way!

If my dog has hasty feet and tries to run outside when the door opens, he’s going to be met with a humid wall of heat that could cause him problems.  If we get hasty feet and run ahead of what God intends for us, we will miss the way He had planned for us to walk.  For me, running ahead of God has always led to more heartache than I anticipated.  While recovery and redemption are available, God always prefers that we make the wise choice and avoid the broken paths. 

And sometimes, the wise choice is to wait.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

When I feel like I can’t keep up

Life can move at a frantic pace.  We use all sorts of phrases to describe it.  How many of these have you said?

These days are flying by.
This month has been a blur.
This year is moving so fast.
We’re doing everything at 100 mph.

It’s not just the unrelenting forward progression of time that has us feeling like we can’t keep up…it’s also the volume of events and responsibilities that get jammed into the swiftly moving stream of minutes.  No matter what grade level you’re in, there is homework in nearly every subject.  All of our jobs have multiple projects, events, or responsibilities that must be simultaneously managed.  It’s impossible to stay up-to-date on all the news – local, national, and global.  Social media always has more notifications and content for you to follow up on. 

Our hobbies have the ability to leave us feeling a bit overwhelmed, as well.  Keeping up with multiple sports teams and leagues; the latest movies and streaming shows; and online video games can feel like a part-time job.  Don’t forget to exercise.  And you know you should read that book.  Gotta eat healthy.  Go to church, be involved more than just showing up on Sunday.  The cleaning chores around the house never end, and a broken appliance is never a welcomed situation.  Make friends, keep friends, and be nice to strangers.  Stay in contact with your family, near and far away. 

Then multiply by the number of people in your family.  Add 10 points for good measure, for all the things I forgot to list. 

Oh yeah…and remember everyone (including ourselves) is sinful, broken, and selfish.  That won’t complicate much, will it?

I’m feeling a little stressed just writing all that down.  I imagine you’re feeling the same after reading it.

I was challenged recently with the words Paul wrote to the believers in the region of Galatia.  And with that challenge came a perspective that will help relieve the stress of life’s pace we all feel:

Galatians 5:16
I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.

A little bit later, Paul adds:

Galatians 5:22, 25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

So, if living by the Spirit is living out the fruit of the Spirit in the various parts of our lives, what is Paul talking about when he says to keep in step with the Spirit? 

This is a question of pacing, so I find it super-interesting that just a few verses prior, Paul’s prescribed pace is to walk by the Spirit.  The average human walks a pace of 3 mph.  Looking back at the life of Jesus, we don’t see him hitching a ride on a horse or chariot.  He walked everywhere.  He did life and ministry at a pace of 3 mph.  I have to wonder if we have trouble knowing God’s desire for us or recognizing His leading us because we’re just moving too fast.

If Jesus is moving at 3 mph, and I’m moving at 100 mph – who is following whom?

We must intentionally add slowness into our days.  Carve out some time, protect those boundaries, and put everything on pause for just a few moments.  During that time, ask God to show you His pace for your day.

Doing so will guarantee that you won’t get everything done for the day.  But you will have done the best thing you could do for today.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Them boys came to work

Sometimes, weekend plans can be completely scrapped due to unexpected events, especially when you are a homeowner.  You cannot predict when most appliances will need repair, or when a piece of furniture breaks, or when you’ll find a water leak in the yard…it just comes with the territory of owning/managing property.  This past week for me – it was a tree that suddenly collapsed in our yard.

This past Thursday, we had a soaking rain with lightly gusting winds.  However, the weather wasn’t the cause of the damage so much as it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  Or that broke the massive tree limb, anyway.

Bradford Pear trees are a non-native species to North Carolina that property developers loved to plant in the 90s and early 2000s due to their rapid growth and pretty spring flowering.  However, they have many drawbacks – their aggressive growth can be invasive, with sprawling root structures that outcompete native trees for resources.  Their pretty white flowers also stink – like dead fish.  Lastly, and most consequential to my weekend plans, their branches are often weakly attached to the trunk. 

So, during a typical NC rainstorm last Thursday, one of the massive limbs on our Bradford Pear broke off and dropped into our front yard.  Thankfully, it didn’t land on the house or in the street.  However, the crashing limb so severely ripped the trunk that there was no saving the tree.  I snapped a picture and sent it to our church’s men’s group chat, lamenting that I suddenly had new plans for the weekend.  These are the guys that meet weekly on Zoom to go through the Scriptures, sometimes a book, or we take the time to check in on each other.  The group has been rolling for years and it’s always good when we can catch a lunch together or find another way to hang out, outside of saying hello on Sundays.

Since we live in the county and not in a city, the debris removal was totally on me.  Immediately, guys were offering chainsaws and assistance.  From Friday evening to Saturday evening, multiple guys showed up in waves to help, with a couple of them bringing an extra family member to assist.  With chainsaws and a pole saw, we lopped off several still-attached branches, took down the tree, and cut it up.  We were able to haul the debris off to one guy’s nearby burn pile.

Left to myself, on my own time and with just my own effort, a tree that size would have taken me two weeks to take down and likely another two weeks of shuttling everything in my truck to the local compost facility.  Or, at least, I’d have to pay someone two grand to come do it all for me.

Instead, with about 6 hours of work over a 26-hour time period, 5 guys from the men’s group (plus 2 of their family members)…everything was done.  Them boys came to work.  And my neighbors noticed.

Here’s a few quotes from some of the guys in the neighborhood, at different points of the process:

Neighbor 1 (while work was on-going): “Are these guys from your church group?”
Me: “Yeah”
Neighbor 1: “That’s pretty cool.”

Me: (everything hauled away, I’m raking the last of the leaves) “I had some good friends come help me out.”
Neighbor 2: “I hope that if I’m ever in a similar situation, I can pull off what you did to get some help.”

Me: (after everything was done, during a dog walk) “Yeah, my men’s group from church jumped in to help me.”
Neighbor 3: (rubbing his chin) “Huh.  How about that?”

I’m pretty sure none of these men have believed in Jesus for eternal life.  But because of my tree-wrecked weekend plans, they all had front-row seats to the kind of community God made us for.  What they saw was a live-action application of one of Jesus’ teachings in His famous Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world.  A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

My neighborhood saw our light shine, and I was able to tell many of them where that light was coming from.  My undesired inconvenience became my opportunity to talk about God.  I think we all could use a perspective like that when our plans are interrupted.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Honey is sweet, but this is sweeter

I love me some honey.

A peanut butter and honey sammich always hits the spot.  Honey drizzled on a hot, buttered biscuit just makes it better.  And if you’ve ever eaten pizza at Beau Jo’s in Colorado, you know that you gotta enjoy that leftover pizza crust by dipping it into some honey.

It’s not just good, it’s also good for you – especially if you can get it from local hives.  Raw, local honey is rich in antioxidants and nutrients; has antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties; and contains prebiotics.  When we first moved to West Virginia, my allergies went haywire from being exposed to all the new flora.  So, I sought out some local honey.  Every day, a little went into my morning coffee, and eventually, my seasonal allergies weren’t a problem anymore.

While honey is readily available for us at farmer’s markets and in grocery stores, it wasn’t that way during Bible times.  Refined sugars were not available.  Most of the time, fruit (like dates, grapes, or figs) was boiled and concentrated down into a thick syrup, which was then used as a sweetener.  However, bee honey was the sweetest substance known in the Middle East.  It was rare enough to be considered a luxury.  Even a small amount was suitable as a gift to an important person.

With that scarcity in mind, take a look at this advice King Solomon gave to his son:

Proverbs 24:13-14
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your palate;
realize that wisdom is the same for you.
If you find it, you will have a future, and your hope will never fade.

When I read this, my first thought was, “I’ve never had honeycomb before.  I wonder what that’s like?”.  Fortunately, I have a friend who has several bee hives and was willing to share some honeycomb.  Let me tell you…if you haven’t had it before, it is an experience.  A delicious experience, to be exact.  The warmth of your mouth immediately collapses the wax comb structure, and your mouth is flooded with rich sweetness.  Although your first instinct is to start chewing the wax, your best bet is to simply suck on the collapsed comb and enjoy the honey.  I would also suggest spitting out the wax – you could eat it, but I don’t want to.

Honey from the comb is as fresh and raw as it gets, but as a son of King Solomon, you know this young man knew what honeycomb tasted like.  He understood how rare of a treat it was, because someone had to harvest it from the wild, wherever bees would make their hive – a hole in the ground, a hollow tree, or in a rock crevice.

King Solomon is taking something his son recognizes – and probably really enjoys – and uses it as an analogy for the value of wisdom.  Honey is good, rare, and sweet…but so is wisdom.  When we find wisdom, we need to taste and experience it, just like honeycomb.

Wisdom is sweet, too, but better…because it gives a future and an unfading hope.  The sweetness of wisdom doesn’t just last for a moment, but it continues on with you.

There is a catch, though.  King Solomon admitted that there is one.  Note that he said, “if you find it”.  Wisdom and honeycomb also share this characteristic: they must be sought out.  We must be willing to put in the effort and take the time to find it.

Are you willing to search for it?  You won’t find anything sweeter. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken