June 2009

Ask for the old ways where lies the good path. Jeremiah 6:16

At my best, I communicate what I have observed.  Whether in my shop or sitting at my computer, the creative process of observing, internalizing, and expressing is the push of life for me.  In my heart of hearts I am first a craftsman, be it wood or words makes little difference.  The expression of simple observations is what brings satisfaction to my soul.

And every week another challenge threatens the balance of what to say or write that will prick a mind or heart.  Is there a way to that turns the words I write, or the wood I work, into something uncommon?  Is there a way to say what has been said countless times as if it is heard for the very first time?

It is the passion of life for me.  Writing and creating is a most difficult task but it is also when I feel most fulfilled.  When I look back at what has been hewed out of the raw material of words, I experience the it is well with my soul kind of peace.  Breaching the chasm between thought and emotion with a word finely tuned is passion experienced.

I write not so much instruction or encouragement but emotion that can be read.  I communicate colors that can’t be seen but felt.  Words are like blind sensations before they are crafted into the moment of being read.

At the same time, people are struggling with life and need answers…not poetry.  Many in the Body of Christ are desperate for simple instruction that changes life from dusty ruts to garden paths.  It is there that words finely crafted can be more than powerful.  They can be life changing.  The writer of Proverbs wrote, A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)

To speak “fitly” is a wonderful goal for life but for the same words to also be powerful is life changing.  So I offer to you a few words, thoughtfully chosen.  Maybe they can be life changing for you.

How do you change your life?  How do you break the patterns of destructive thought and behavior that keeps you tied to the stake of sin?  That’s the real issue, isn’t it?

First, you must change your mind by reading and agreeing with God’s Word.  Simply said, an exchange needs to take place.  Every thought and idea about life that does not agree with the Bible needs to be scuttled.  Sounds far fetched?  Not really, considering how much sense the Bible makes and how life is simplified by obedience.  This the first act of faith for many people beyond salvation.  Before life can be lived successfully, the Bible must become the standard for thinking.

The second change is a change of behavior.  The Holy Spirit promises to give us both the will and the power to do His will (see Philippians 2:13).  Simply put, God by His awesome Holy Spirit gives us the desire to obey Him and follows up the desire with the power to obey.  The only thing left is to exercise our will and follow through with obedience.  By studying God’s Word we discover His will for our life.  By submitting to His will, the power to obey is released and life becomes a victory over sin instead of an embarrassment and disgrace.

Finally, you must allow God to heal you emotionally.  God is not only interested in healing our sin, He is also committed to healing our aloneness (see Genesis 2:18).  Aloneness is what happens when we lose our willingness to trust others.  Other words for this tragedy are Self-sufficiency, Self-reliance, and Independence.  For some, these qualities might seem good, even desirable.  Our Western culture elevates some of these characteristics to being the basis for success, yet God’s intention from the beginning was that we would not be alone.  He was concerned first about healing our aloneness before He touched man’s sinfulness.

The first step to emotional wholeness is to allow others to walk with you.  Healing begins when we allow others to see our painful plight and invite them to journey with us.    Tragically, the church has often been seen as the least likely group to do this but that is a lie.  Simply put, the church is filled with people who know they can no longer walk alone.

Week in and week out, I visit with people who do not see real change as possible.  Some have walked with God for a long time yet have lost hope of forming the character they once desired.  Others do not see change as realistic, as if the call to biblical discipleship is outdated or just a romantic notion that is dreamed about but holds no reality.

But God is a Master Craftsman with the raw material of your life.  His passion is to turn and shape you into a vessel worthy to carry His very glory on this earth.  What He needs is your cooperation in the process.  That’s right, your Father wants your participation in His grand scheme for your life.

A change of mind, a change of behavior, and a healing of your emotions…these are some of the tools that your Father will wield in His good workshop.  No doubt it is difficult and painful to feel His tools against the grain of your desire.

Difficult friend, but not impossible.  Stay on the bench a little longer.  The greatest tool in God’s hand is your willingness to sit still and wait.

I have learned more from the hammer, file, and fire than anything else in my Father’s shop.  When my classroom is darkest, I see the most.
Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

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