My expectations, my hopes, my choices seem so important to me. Even for the Christ-follower the temptation is to list objectives and set schedules that are all about the little trinity – me, myself, and I.

1. Looking back on the past year I recognize that many of my plans were blown away like sand but the ones that survived were formed through prayer, the Word of God, and trusted advisers. Psalm 33:11 says. “But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”

2. I am testing all goals, objectives and schedules based on Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” I need to make sure God is in the center – not me.

3. When working on those items which are personal, I keep coming back to Galatians 5:22-26, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” It seems ridiculously obvious that if this fruit is evident in my character, the result will be humility, faithfulness, and obedience.

Let’s be purposeful in making Christ the center. Practically, this means we look for how to join what God is already doing; participate in His plans and resist the temptation to ask God to bless our plans.

The focus is God’s plans for me not my plans for God.

Was 2017 a hard year? I’ve seen a lot of social media posts where people have described the past year as stressful and painful and expressed great hope that 2018 will be better.

David, the great king of ancient Israel, experienced severe times in his life and in Psalm 69 he left us a record of his plea for help.  He writes (my paraphrase), “God help me! I’m about to go under; the tide is working against me and death by drowning in my own troubles is an almost certainty. My voice is hoarse and almost gone from calling for help and I’m so tired I can’t keep my eyes open. God, with you I can’t deny the fact that most of these troubles are the consequences of my foolishness, the result of selfishness, pride, lust, and anger. You know all about me. There’re no secrets with You.”

And then David shifts the narrative.

“God, may all the people around me – family, friends, neighbors – who are following You be protected from my foolishness. Don’t let them be discouraged or disgraced as they seek to live in Your presence.” (My paraphrase.)

That’s it. That’s what my focus needs to be for 2018.

Yes, there will be trouble and hardship, difficulties and pain; but there will also be hope and joy, fulfillment, goodness, abundance, and love!

I don’t want the people around me to be detoured in following Jesus because of me. Instead I pray they will be encouraged because I am following Jesus – no matter the circumstances, emotions, or frustrations. Let’s follow Jesus better.

David Marshall (1960-2017)

Grief is not only normal, it is healthy. It is God given . . . a process that He gives to help us through loss. He knows our needs as people because He created us. I grieve . . .

David has gained everything – more than any of us could ever think, imagine, or hope for. He is now experiencing all God intended for him since he was conceived; all that was planned for him since the creation of the world!

David lived a life to honor Jesus as his sovereign Lord – the Master and King of life who is the only all-powerful, all-knowing, and always present God. It is that testimony which has infected and impacted countless others.

I am deeply disappointed I will not be able to attend the service to celebrate David’s life but I will celebrate nonetheless.

This is my prayer for Glenda and all the Marshall family:

Heavenly Father, we know You are always more ready to hear us than we are ready to pray. You know our needs before we ask – but You instruct us to come to You as a child would come to a father with a request. So we humbly ask  for the unequaled power of the resurrection to transform sorrow into hope, fear into confidence, pride into humility, greed into generosity, hate into love, jealousy into trust, bitterness into forgiveness, bondage into deliverance, and unbelief into faith. Give us grace. Help us to live as those who are prepared to die. Enable us to live in such a way that all those around us will know that nothing in life or death will be able to separate us from your great love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

In 1 Samuel 16 we find Jesse and his sons in Bethlehem. They didn’t have any idea what was going on and it would be years before they recognized the significance of what took place that day. God sent Samuel to choose the next king for Israel and directed him to Jesse’s sons but none of the boys present had God’s approval. Samuel asked and found out there was one more son.  Jesse and the older sons referred to him as the “runt, the little one who is mostly unnoticed.”

When Samuel laid eyes on David he immediately knew: That’s the one!

I wonder how many times David recalled the moment when he was chosen.  How many times did he look back and find strength and courage? Was it the memory of that moment that gave him the character to respond in repentance? To face enemies? To deal with defeat and betrayal?

Being chosen, especially when we feel overlooked and unnoticed, makes us feel good. But more than that, being chosen boosts confidence and develops character. Those experiences become the foundation for even greater things in the future. God has chosen you, too.

As followers of Jesus we are “anointed” with the Holy Spirit – God is with us.

To borrow Eugene Peterson’s words, “Out of your insignificant, sheep-keeping obscurity, you are chosen.”*

Don’t ever forget.

*Peterson, Leap Over a Wall, p17

“I am so thankful for Northgate!”

That’s what I heard from someone in the past few days and I heartily agree!

God is at work and you and I have “front-row seats” as we worship and serve Him together. I can’t even begin to number the people who have described life-altering experiences for which they trace the beginning back to a service or Life Group or other event at Northgate. It’s thrilling to witness God transforming lives. Here are just a few examples:

• A marriage which is experiencing renewal after many years of angry words and mistrust.
• Grandparents who have new hope for a grandchild who is suffering the consequences of some terrible decisions.
• Someone who has reached out to ask forgiveness for years of bitterness and anger.
• A daughter being reconciled to her father with whom she had no contact for more than 15 years.
• Two people with severe communication problems who are now learning to listen and respond without using the terms “always” and “never.”
• Several people who are learning to live with limitations instead of being angry at God for allowing those limitations in the first place.

And there are a lot more stories which can’t be told without breaking confidences. You may be one of the stories. In fact, I think it would be easier to count the people who haven’t experienced new hope, forgiveness, restoration, or purpose.  This is the power of the resurrection at work!

So I’ll rewrite the refrain of one of our recent favorite worship songs:

Holy Spirit, we witness you here

You flood our lives and change the atmosphere

Your glory, God, is what has filled our hearts

We are overcome by Your presence, Lord

I am so thankful for God’s powerful presence at Northgate.

Lies. Cover-ups. Character assassination. Bullying. Conspiracies. Murder. Fraud. Manipulation.

None of it is new.

Satan has been using every tool at his disposal for thousands of years in a relentless attempt to distract Jesus followers from trusting their Leader.

But our Leader is not a king or a pharaoh; a ceasar or a prime minister; a chairman or a president. Our Leader is the Creator of the earth and everything in it; the Master of every atom and molecule; the only one who has ever conquered death never to die again. Our Leader is the Ruler of the Universe.

The election on November 8, 2016 will not change Jesus’ status: He will still sit at the right hand of the Father to carry out God’s will and work in our world. Nothing can alter the course He has laid out for us. No email scandal or offensive video will derail God’s control.

Please don’t make a grave mistake and put your trust in the outcome of an election. The results of this election will not surprise Jesus. He has a plan and nothing can stop Him. Nothing could be more certain.

Jesus is the Leader, Master, Ruler, and President of all who follow hard after Him.

Trust Him.

Many years ago we were living in Bloomington, Indiana home of Indiana University which has a world-renown music department.  I recall attending two graduate piano recitals within a couple of weeks of each other with a professor who has amazing musical gifts. After the second recital he pointed out the subtle difference: Both were technically perfect but one played with emotion; coaxing out of the instrument color and texture, tone and vibrancy. The distinctions were significant and you might guess which one we enjoyed the most.

Life in the Household of Faith can become plain and technical unless we give it special attention. We dare not allow our gatherings to become perfunctory or superficial. The primary way to avoid becoming mechanical or routine in our worship is to become a participant; to get involved. Each one of us has an obligation to serve one another – worship and service are inseparable.

The beginning of a new school year is a great opportunity to get involved in worship – to challenge each other to follow Jesus better. There are all kinds of ministry opportunities with both children and adults, music and media, teenagers and guests. Find your place in the Household of Faith to coax out the color and texture, tone and vibrancy of life with Jesus.

Tragedy.  Trauma.  Terrorism.

Frustration.  Fanaticism.  Fear.

Accusations.  Anger.  Anarchy.

It seems as if every day the headlines announce a new wave of destruction, deception, and death.

Opinions are a dime-a-dozen. After listening to, watching, and reading the news for the past 36 hours I’ve become convinced there are more opinions than facts.

The other observation is even the facts seem to change – almost as quickly as the opinions.

In the middle of all this horrific violence, how should Christ-followers respond? Here are some thoughts:

• Evil is alive and well. Satan’s job description is to “steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10)
• Jesus gives life – full of meaning and purpose. (John 10:10)
• Every single human life is valuable, sacred – and worth protecting. (Genesis 1:27 & Psalm 139:13)
• God loves everyone. No matter the color of skin or what language they speak or whether or not they just shot someone. God loves liberals, conservatives, socialists; pro-life and pro-abortion supporters. Every member of the LGBTQ community is loved by God. And He loves them so much He died for them. (Romans 5:8)
• The “breaking news” is that the world is broken. But our hope is in God who is our fortress and protector in times of trouble. We take refuge in Him. (See Psalm 37)

C.S. Lewis wrote, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”