The Seed of Hope

Making a Case for God

Last Wednesday morning I was in my prayer chair in our kitchen spending time with God. At some point I remember saying something to Him about putting people in front of me that needed to know more about Him. You see, I’m always looking for opportunities to share the news of what God has done in my life, and in doing so planting a seed about God, and hope, and the real promise of living a better life with Him in it. I’ve come to believe that the very reason for my existence and for all the trials that I’ve been through is to share what’s in my heart and in my mind about Him. So I asked Him to send me someone, to give me another opportunity.

“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” John 16:23-25

I can’t begin to tell you how many times that I’ve been warned by my wife Jackie and other friends to “Be careful what you ask for; you may get it.” Well, I’m gonna tell you here and now that I believe, without a doubt, both the verse from scripture and the adage that I’ve heard so often! I asked, and God provided.

Wednesday proved to be a very challenging day for me in The Seed of Hope room, the prayer room that Jackie and I put in our salon a few months ago...

I’d been on crutches for several days because of a bone spur on my heel, so the plan was for me to hang out in the prayer room and write last week’s post. Well, that was my plan for the day. Apparently, it was God’s plan to answer the prayer that I offered to Him that morning.

Anonymity

Before I continue, there’s something that I really need to share with you…

I know that I’ve said this before, and I really don’t mean to be repetitive, but there’s something about this room that I’m sitting in, this prayer room. People feel comfortable in this room, comfortable enough to unburden themselves of pains, fears, hurts, and frustrations that they’ve been carrying in their minds and hearts for weeks, months, and even years. My role in all of this is to share whatever God puts on my heart for them, and of course, to offer to pray with them.

People just open up when they sit in this room. The first few times it happened, I was left dumbfounded! Why would someone feel comfortable enough to share their deepest thoughts with me? It didn’t take me long to figure out that it’s God’s presence in this room that allows for the healing to take place, which, for me, validates my belief that God is not, and will not, be confined to a church building. He’s in us, wherever we are. So for me, when someone is sharing their heart with me, or when I’m sharing mine with them, or when we’re in prayer, this room is sacred; not for any reason other than His presence.

It is because of that sacredness that I will never reveal the identity, or betray the trust of anyone that sits in this room. Ever.

Situations

That being said, I feel that there are situations or events that occur in this prayer room that I’m supposed to share with you. Perhaps it’s for your benefit. Perhaps it’s for mine. I really don’t know. I do know that I write about whatever God puts on my heart, and today He’s laid it on my heart to share what happened last Wednesday in the prayer room.

The morning began innocently enough with some good conversation between me and a young woman that’s a stylist in our salon. We were swapping Christmas stories from the previous weekend, and sharing our walk in faith with one another.

I’m gonna fast forward through the next three visitors, not because they weren’t important, but because their “issues” aren’t at the heart of today’s message. Well, that and that fact that going into detail on all of them would call for you to take more of your time reading this than you probably want to spend doing so. Let’s just say that with each subsequent visitor, the problems became bigger, the hurt ran deeper, and words of understanding or comfort became harder for me to find. And I found myself turning more and more to prayer for each of these individuals.  

By mid-afternoon I was pretty much spent. My foot was killing me, I had an enormous headache, and my mind was still filtering through the day’s previous visitors. I downed a couple of Tylenol, propped my foot up, and cued up some worship music. My plan was to spend an hour decompressing from the events of the day while I was waiting for Jackie to finish her last guest.

That was my plan.

As is so often the case, my plans didn’t coincide with God’s plans. He had one more visitor in store for me, one that really caught me off guard. I’d no more sat back in my chair when there was a soft knock on the door. Not really wanting to stand up, I just shouted “Come in!”

In walked a young man (let’s say his name is Billy) that I’ve known for years, but hadn’t seen in quite a while. I offered him a seat, and we spent the next few minutes getting caught up.

Our conversation came to a bit of a standstill, when I just said, “So what’s up?” Sensing that there was something on this guy’s mind, I just kind of threw the question out there, and waited for a response. (I’ve learned that some people need to be prompted to share what’s on their heart.)

“I’m not sure that I believe in God anymore. I’ve been really struggling with this. I just don’t know…” Billy said, as his voice just trailed off into nothingness.

I sat there for a moment in a state of shock, my mind reeling from what this young man had just told me. I’m not sure of why it hit me so hard. Perhaps it was because I’d known Billy for so many years. Perhaps it was just the matter-of-factness in his delivery. He didn’t know if he believed in God. I talk to people all the time who are struggling with their faith, people who need encouragement and prayer. But Billy was struggling with more than his faith; he was questioning his very belief in God.

I quickly offered a prayer, not for this young man, but for myself, that God would give me the right words for him. I have to tell you that despite writing this blog each week, and boldly sharing my faith, and reading the Word each morning, and preparing myself daily to be a soldier of Christ that I felt woefully unequipped to deal with this situation. I felt that I was “way in over my head” and started to panic!

Then a small voice (I’d like to think that it was God’s) in the back of my mind said, “Calm down. This young man is in your presence for a reason. Just listen to what’s on his heart, and tell him what’s on yours.”

For the next forty-five minutes or so, that’s exactly what we did. We talked about God, life, and faith, in no particular order. I shared with Billy some of the miracles that God has worked in my life, and the many ways that my life has changed since my “awakening” four years ago. During our conversation I realized that there were two primary causes for Billy questioning his faith, and I shared both with him.

Religion

Billy was a victim of religion. I’m not gonna spend a lot of time on this issue, because I’ve addressed it many times before, most recently in a post two weeks ago titled “So, what are you?” I’ll just say that many of us are so concerned with our church being the right church, or being the only ticket into heaven, that we lose sight of the fact that there is only one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and that HE, and He alone, is the ticket into heaven.

Works

But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?  James 2:20 NKJV  

I’m gonna take the liberty of twisting this verse from scripture and have it read:

But do you want to know, O foolish man, that works without faith is dead?

Somewhere along the way, Billy had come to believe that the way to God was through his actions. A few years ago, in an attempt to get closer to God, or perhaps even to win God’s favor, Billy had become very active in his church. Sadly, he’d actually become disillusioned because he felt that God was more distant than before. It just wasn’t working.

I told Billy that I felt he was taking the wrong approach to establishing a relationship with God. I asked Billy to first invite God into his heart and into his life. Seek His face. Get to know Him. Ask for His presence and His help. A product of a relationship with God is the desire to serve Him through the way we live our lives and serve others. Works follows faith, and not the other way around. Again, I told Billy that the first and most important step in establishing a relationship with God was, quite simply, inviting Him in.

In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, Jackie was ready to go home, so Billy and I wrapped up our talk. I couldn’t really get a feel for what was on Billy’s heart. I could only hope and pray that I’d reached him, that I’d given him something to think about. I asked him to stay in touch. As he walked out, I remember thinking how inadequate I had felt in making a case for God.

A week later…

I received a call from Billy this Tuesday morning. I apologized for having to cut our conversation short, and I actually confided in him about the feelings of inadequacy that I’d had when talking to him.

Billy’s reply was better than any gift that I received for Christmas.

“If it makes you feel any better, I want you to know that I’ve started inviting God in every day.”

Amen!

My Five

MY FIVE

Quick!

Name one thing that’s readily available, yet oh so hard to find. It’s something that never runs out, yet always seems to be in short supply. When you do have it, it seems to be gone in the blink of an eye. Oh, and did I mention that it’s free?

Do you have it yet? Have I given you enough time to figure it out?

The answer, of course, is time!

If you’re laughing, let me ask you a question, and I want you to be completely honest with yourself in answering it.

Do you really have enough time to do all the things that you want to do in life?

REALLY? If your answer is yes, considered yourself blessed, and know that you are among those who are “the exception to the rule.” I consider time management to be one of my assets, yet there are days, and even weeks, when I just don’t have enough time to do all the things that are on my “things to do” list. Come to think of it, my intention was to get this post out four days ago, well before New Year’s Day, and all of the resolutions that come with it. Yet here I sit, on New Year’s Eve (days after my self-imposed deadline) trying to wrap my thoughts up in one neat little bundle to pass along to you.

What happened? It just seems that, as usual, and for a variety of reasons, life got in my way! Well, life, and the reality that the list of things that I want to do is just too long.

Walt

I was having lunch with my friend Walt the other day, and during our conversation he was lamenting that he never seemed to have enough time to do all the things that he wanted to do. “No matter how hard I try to arrange things, I just always run out of time. It’s really frustrating, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

Sound familiar?

I had a suggestion for Walt before he even finished his statement, and it’s one that I’m going to make to you right now. And as I’m writing this, I realize that it’s one that I’m making to myself as well.

The list.

What I what to share with you is something that I stumbled upon when I first had my spiritual awakening some four plus years ago. I was re-evaluating my walk in life and my walk with the Lord, and I was desperately seeking ways to bring some semblance of order to the upheaval that was going on in my mind. I actually mentioned this exercise in one of the very first Seed of Hope posts in 2008, titled You Want to Know What?, and something tells me that it’s worth mentioning again.

Here goes…

You need to be alone when you try this, in a quiet environment where there are no distractions. If absolute silence is a distraction for you, as it is for some, you can put on your favorite music to fill in the background. (Preferably, soft music played at a low level.) Grab a pen and paper, then go have a seat in your favorite chair (if you have one) in your favorite room (again, if you have one). Just get comfortable.

Next, do whatever it is that best clears your mind of its “junk”. Pray. Meditate. Listen to the music. Ask the Lord for help. Ask Him to take you to “that quiet place” in your mind where you can sort things out, where you can get some clarity. Be patient. It’ll come. Take as long as you need.

Five

When you’re there, I want you to reflect on every aspect of your life; all of it. Think about the way it is. Think about the way it could be. Think about what you have. Think about what you want. Think about what’s in your mind. Think about what’s on your heart. Think about who, or what, is important to you. Think about what you want to do.

Now, with pen in hand, I want you to write on that piece of paper the top five things  from the list of all that you’ve thought about. This is about the top five priorities in your life; the five things that are most important to you. There are no rights or wrongs on this list. There are no mandatory inclusions. It’s just about what’s on your heart.

There’s just one thing that you have to remember…

There can only be five. Well, it can certainly be less than five, but definitely no more than that. Why not?

Well, I believe that many of us aspire to do so many things, and in doing so we wind up spreading ourselves too thin. So thin, that quite often that which we hold dearest and are of the most importance in our lives often get neglected, if not forgotten completely. Sadly, the end result is frustration, disillusionment, shattered dreams, failed relationships, and broken hearts.

So go ahead, pick your top five. For you, some of them may be mandatory, such as careers, finances, and family. Consequently, you’re probably only gonna have room for a couple of truly optional ones, so choose wisely when compiling your list.

Even as I write this, I’m a bit saddened by the realization that some of the things that I want to do are gonna have to take a back seat to my top five for a while. Be that as it may, this is something that I not only have to do, but want to do. Look, I’m not going to forget the other things. My commitment, first and foremost, is to my top five. If there’s time for the others, they’ll get what’s left.

I’m reminded of what Church of The Highlands Pastor Chris Hodges shared in a Sunday message just a few weeks ago. “We don’t try to do a lot of different things, but what we do, we do real well.”

Following  Pastor Chris’ lead, for the next several months I’m going to limit the number of things that I really want to do this year, but I’m gonna go all-out to do those things real well.

One thing.

If you make the decision to try this, I’ll remind you once again that there’s no right or wrong choices. Your list consists of whatever is on your mind and in your heart. There is, however, one suggestion that I’d like to make for you; one thing that you should include on your list.

Please, please include at least one thing that brings you joy, that fills your heart with gladness, that puts a smile on your heart, and that, if nothing else, makes you happy.   We get so overwhelmed by our challenges in life that quite often we forget that we can enjoy the journey.

I believe that if you’re willing to give this a shot you’ll find that you’re a lot happier with your life and with yourself. And you’ll find that you have more time than you thought.

My Five.

1.    To love and serve the Lord with all that is in me every day.

2.    My wife Jackie and our family.

3.                                                                                                  

Come on, you didn’t really think that I was gonna give you all of my list, did you? That wouldn’t be any fun. Besides, the rest is between me and God.

In closing, I want to take a moment to thank you allowing me to share my journey with you. It has truly been an incredible year for me, filled with ups and downs, but most important of all, it has been filled with God’s presence.

May your New Year be filled with God’s Blessings and His Abundance!

"So, what are you?"

I am a Christian.

One definition of Christian that Merriam-Webster offers is:

                a: one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ 

I’m okay with that definition, but I in my humble opinion, it skirts the real meaning of a Christian.

You see, from where I’m standing, it seems that being a Christian is more than just believing in the teachings of Jesus Christ. It’s believing that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He has been here, and that it was through His death on the cross that we received God’s grace and that our salvation was made possible only through His death.

I feel like I’m falling woefully short in offering my definition of being a Christian. I’m reminded of what my good friend Daniel told me during our very first conversation a few months ago. Daniel said, “Sam, you just make God so simple. Either you believe in Him or you don’t.” Seems kind of shallow, but Daniel’s assessment is spot on. You believe in God, or you don’t.

Well, incorporating Daniel’s simplistic terms, defining a Christian is just as simple. Either you believe in and accept Jesus, or you don’t.

So why do we have to make it so complicated?

“So, what are you?”  

When it comes to being Christians, why can’t we get past all of the “religious differences” that separate us, and embrace the one thing that we have in common? Why is it that many times my reply of “I am a Christian” isn’t the right answer to the question? You see, in my mind, it’s the right answer, or at least it’s the only one that really matters. But it seems that in the minds of many, where I practice my faith is more important than my faith itself.

A couple of months ago I received a letter from a gentleman here in Birmingham who had read an article that I’d written titled A God of Fear? This man, who I’ll call Bob, was concerned that I’d left a religious denomination of which I’d been a member for over fifty years. He had also been gracious enough to include a book that had been written to give insight and understanding to others who may have been struggling with that particular denomination. I guess I should mention that Bob is still a practicing member in the church that I left. In closing his letter, Bob invited me to contact him if I’d like to talk, or if I felt that he could help me in any way.

Which is exactly what I did!

One week and several e-mails later I had an appointment to meet Bob at a local Starbucks for coffee and conversation. As I was driving to my destination, I realized that I had no idea why I was going to meet Bob in the first place! I think that, more than anything else, I wanted to hear his thoughts on “helping me.” And I think too, that I just wanted him to hear what was on my heart, about God, about Jesus, and about religion.

After an awkward moment of introductions and small talk, the conversation turned to the topic of the day, which was how I went from being this to that. And I have to tell you, we had a really good talk. I didn’t feel that either of was trying to win a debate, or shoving our convictions down the others throat. It was just a healthy exchange between two Christian men, discussing “God-matters-of-the-heart.”

There was one point in the conversation that disturbed me, or perhaps I should say “startled” me, and it was that particular moment during my time with Bob that birthed the idea for today’s post…

Lost?

Bob was sharing a thought with me, when I just flat-out interrupted him and matter-of-factly asked, “Bob, are you implying that I’ve lost my salvation because I go to a different church?”

Bob was apparently a bit stunned by the boldness of my question. I could sense that he was searching for what would be an answer that contained the truth, but would mask what he was really thinking. Several seconds passed, and I patiently waited for a response.

“No, I don’t think that you’ve lost your salvation. It’s just that I’m concerned and I want what’s best for you.” Bob replied.

Time Out.

Yep, I’m calling a time out. No, I’m not going anywhere. But I’ll be right up front in telling you that this is really a sensitive subject for me. That being said, if I seem to be standing on a soap box, it’s because I am. And I’m telling you now, with as much humility as I can muster up, that I’m not apologizing for it, either.

“What’s best for me?”  

Incredulous is the best term that I can come up with in describing my reaction to Bob’s statement. This time, it was my turn to be stunned. “BEST for me?” was wanted I wanted to shout at Bob! Of course I didn’t, because I knew that it would serve no purpose. At that precise moment I knew that in the end, when our conversation was over and we had emptied our respective hearts, that Bob and I would be united in our belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, yet miles apart in how to best carry out our beliefs. And I have to tell you that as I sat there looking at Bob, I felt sorry for him. You see, I felt that somewhere along the way, it was religion, and not God, that had become the path to Bob’s salvation.

Heads up…I’m gonna go on a rant here…

What’s best for me is God. Period. What’s best is that He doesn’t dwell in any building, but in our hearts and minds. What’s best is that He doesn’t care if I’m a Baptist, or Methodist, or Catholic, or Protestant, or any other Christian denomination that I may have omitted. He wants to be my Father, and He wants me to be His son. Any and all rules for living the life that He wants me to live are found in the Ten Commandments that He gave us, and not in any other rules written by men, for men. What’s best for me isn’t found in a religion book, or in a religious tradition, or the traditional trappings of what you typically find in a “church.” What’s best for me is a real relationship, with a real God; a God that I can pray to, and cry with, and laugh with, and share my life with. What’s best for me is the unconditional and unwavering Father’s love that I know God has for me because of that relationship with Him.

What’s best for me are the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives me every day; gifts that include wisdom, and understanding, and faith. These gifts are available to me each day only for the asking, and I’m always asking.

What’s best for me is that I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God. I believe that He is my Lord and Savior. I believe that He died for me so that I may one day be in heaven; He gave His life so that I may have eternal life. I believe that Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life, and I believe that the only way to God is through Him.

Yes, Daniel, you’re absolutely right. You believe in Jesus or you don’t. It’s just that simple.

Sorry. The rant is over. Thanks for indulging me.

If you’re reading this, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume that you’re a Christian. If I’m correct in my assumptions, then you’re aware that in two more days we’ll be celebrating the day of Jesus’ birth. We’ll be celebrating Christmas, as Christians, as those who not only, according to Merriam-Webster, “believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ”, but more importantly, believe in Him.

Believing in Jesus and being a Christian.  It’s what sets us apart from Muslims, and Jews, and Buddhists, and Atheists.

“So, what are you?”

I am a Christian. That’s all that really matters, isn’t it?

Happy Birthday Jesus!