Where's the Flash?

Jesus did amazing things during his life on earth. He multiplied food, healed people, change the weather. He walked on water, for crying out loud. Incredibly, Jesus predicted that you and I would do even greater things after he left the earth.

So why don’t we?

Our lives are indelibly ordinary. We go to work, surf the net, come home, make supper, mow the yard, go to sleep, then do it all again. Where's the part where we solve world hunger or achieve global peace? Where's the flash?

I suspect that the disconnect between Jesus’ prophecy and our experience lies in one of three places.

Either (a) we do not have the close connection to God that Jesus had, and which he specifically said is necessary to do extraordinary things, or (b) we look for miracles only to benefit us personally—our own health, finances, etc.—and not to bring glory to God, or (c) we just don't think it's possible to do something so ... incredible as walking on water, eradicating an illness, or ending a war.

What about you? Is your life is punctuated by extraordinary moments? If not, why not?

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The Balance of Grace and Truth

Anger and forgiveness seem opposites to me. Yet it’s amazing how frequently Jesus displayed both traits.

He ransacked the courtyard of the temple, overturning the tables of merchants and money changers. Yet in those same temple courts, he forgave a woman caught in adultery, a crime punishable by death.

Jesus railed against the religious leaders of his day, using language that would make John the Baptist blanch. Yet with his dying breath, he prayed for the forgiveness of these same people even though they had engineered his execution.

The remarkable thing about Jesus is that he as able to deal appropriately with every person and situation. He was angry but never short-tempered. He was gentle but not a pushover. He never said too much or too little. He never got embarrassed or had his feelings hurt.

Jesus' life was a perfect balance between grace and truth;  we usually sacrifice one for the other. Because we are too focused on ourselves we are unable to see people and situations objectively, as God sees them. As a result, we become become so eager for confrontation that we are unwilling to be tolerant--or else too fearful of confrontation that we allow injustice.

Why about you? What makes it difficult for you to be both kind and firm, both gracious and truthful?

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Is This as Good as It Gets?

Most people have the feeling that there should be something more to life. We work hard, but aren’t always satisfied with the results. We have, but always seem to want more. We achieve, but are always left looking for a new challenge.

Wasn't I going to make more money? Weren't my kids going to behave better? Isn't life supposed to be ... better? What if this is as good as it gets?

The hunger for more is not unique nor is it a bad thing. We were created to live as complete human beings, but few of us do. We sense the lack within ourselves, but can’t correct it. We can’t always direct the path of our lives. We don’t reach all of our goals. We’re not perfect.

Jesus was.

He lived the perfect life. He was guided by an internal sense of purpose. He was in constant harmony with the Father. He never lied, never failed, never gave up. Whatever the more is in life, he had it. Jesus lived that a complete life—and he believed you and I could live it too. “I have come that they may have life,” he said, “and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

What is the more you are looking for in life? Have you found it?

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Why Stories are Powerful

When novelist Ernest Hemingway observed that all good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened, he pointed out the power of story to communicate truths that go much deeper than the facts of the tale itself.

Good stories communicate to both the mind and the heart. They move us.

It should be no surprise, then, that God makes liberal use of stories to communicate truth. The Bible is filled with them—both the historical narratives of real people and the fictionalized parables told by Jesus. Biblical stories move us in ways that propositional statements simply do not.

Here are four good reasons to teach Bible stories to your children--and use them in your preaching and teaching.

Stories Teach by Example

“Show, don’t tell,” is the classic advice given to aspiring novelists. Stories are powerful teaching devices because they demonstrate truth rather than merely stating it. In Zacchaeus we see an example of restitution. Through Jacob’s struggle at Peniel we understand what it means to surrender to God.
When we retell biblical stories, we bring truth to life for our students.

Stories Are Memorable

Sixty percent of Americans cannot name even five of the Ten Commandments, yet most people have no trouble remembering the stories of David and Goliath or the prodigal son. Stories make truth sticky. Their meaning stays with us more easily than do facts, rules, or propositions. When we teach Bible stories we firmly lodge God’s truth into the minds of our hearers—just as Jesus did.

Stories Confront Gently

Nathan had a delicate problem. He needed to confront the most powerful man in the nation, King David, with his own wrongdoing. Rather than point an accusing finger, Nathan resorted to a parable (see 2 Sam. 12). David’s outrage at the villain of the story was easily transferred to himself, and the king repented.

God’s stories often point to a need for repentance or forgiveness. When we read these stories, we instantly identify with the characters. We know where we fit in the story, and where we stand with God.

Stories to Bring Comfort

Children love to hear the same stories repeated again and again. Often, they insist that the storyteller use the exact same words to repeat a favorite tale. That’s because there is great comfort in being reminded of familiar truths.

When we tell and retell the story of the Exodus, we are reminded that God hears the cry of His people. When we repeat the Easter drama each spring, our hope of resurrection is renewed.

Prescriptive teaching has its place. God did give us ten commandments and a host of propositional truths. Yet the narratives of scripture reveal something more to us than the mind of God. In God’s stories, we see His heart.

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Pursuing vs. Avoiding

Try this.

Fill a cup with hot coffee—all the way to the brim—and carry it to the kitchen table. As you walk, keep your eyes focused on the coffee cup; don’t look where you’re going. Chances are good that you’ll spill the coffee.

Try again, but this time look not at the cup but at your destination. Don’t worry about spilling the coffee, just look straight ahead. You’ll probably balance the cup with no problem.

That little experiment illustrates the difference between pursuing and avoiding in your spiritual life. We spend most of our spiritual energy avoiding sin—or cleaning up after it. Our concentration on what’s wrong leads us straight to it. But when we focus on God, concentrating our energy on what’s right, we’re far more likely to make progress.

Paul wrote that we are to "find out what pleases God" and not simply avoid stepping in a pile of sin.

What about you?  What is most likely to take your attention away from the pursuit of God?

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