What happens when God shows up? We get a glimpse in the story of Jesus’ confrontation with the demon-possessed man as recorded in Luke 8.26 – 39.

2,000 pigs run down a hillside and are drowned. A demon-possessed guy is sitting there “clothed and in his right mind.” The response? “The townspeople become frightened…gripped with fear.” And they ask Jesus to leave.

Then eyewitnesses to the miracle reported all that they had seen and how the demonized man was completely delivered from his torment. After hearing about such amazing power, the townspeople became frightened. Soon all the people of the region of the Gerasenes and the surrounding country begged Jesus to leave them, for they were gripped with fear. (Luke 8.36, 37, Passion Translation)

Transformation scares us! We seem to want to confine God to a benign presence in our harmless church services. Author Annie Dillard, about whom I don’t know much, speaks to this from time to time. Our pastor quoted her a couple weeks ago in the context of “Thy Kingdom come.” What might that look like? Annie writes:

On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. ― Annie Dillard, “An Expedition to the Pole” from Teaching a Stone to Talk (1982)

When Jesus invaded planet earth, the battle between good and evil intensified, and it’s a battle that must be waged in God’s power.

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. (Matthew 2.16, ESV)

Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. (Revelation 12.17, ESV)

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6.10 – 12, ESV)

I have to write a follow-up to my daughter’s family making and delivering Valentine cards, along with the singing Valentine greeting. If you missed yesterday’s blog, please go there now! Melody and family are in China, largely confined to their apartment because of the virus. Describing the Valentine’s Day project as a ministry, Melody wrote:

We actually made homemade cards and delivered cards and songs to everyone on campus! All the teachers and some families, our friends. Lots of them haven’t gone outside for 3 weeks. A few of them a quarantined for 2 weeks by law because they returned from traveling. In all, I think we made almost 40 cards and it took nearly 3 hours to do all the deliveries. A Valentine’s day we’ll remember for a long time!

Anyway, it was a blessing for my family to actually get to see everyone we’ve been missing, and I think everyone was blessed. I can’t take credit for the idea. He gave it to me, to him be the glory!

Using language we’ve written about before, it was a series of Holy Moments, and they were ministering grace and love.

Everyone was blessed! The Head of School began a long and serious update about the coronavirus with:

I hope you had an enjoyable Valentine’s Day wherever you were. The highlight of my day by far was the Gifford Quartet. Thank you so much for bringing some warmth to a rather chilly day.

Here’s a very small sample of the other reactions Melody received, including Melody’s and Liana’s perspective on doing it.

I’m proud of them!

Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. (Titus 3.14, NASB)

Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. (Matthew 5.14 – 16, MSG)

We interrupt our regular serious blog topics for a special Valentine’s Day greeting from our daughter and family in China. Melody and Cody Gifford teach music in an international school near Dalian, China. As you can see, they are abiding by Chinese law to wear masks when outside their apartment and are visiting one of their colleagues who NEVER goes outside. At 45 seconds, it’s worth your time!

Melody and Cody’s daily routine is to get up, get dressed, and walk to school where they interact with their students by computer. On-line classes only (ever try to teach music that way?) until at least mid-March. They would appreciate your prayer.

Let all that you do be done with love. (1 Corinthians 16.14, NKJV)

Sometimes I discover a new take on an old scripture passage. Sometimes I read a different take and think, “Wow. Why didn’t I see that before?” And other times, I read a different take and say, “Huh?!”

Consider Jacob’s prayer after his “Jacob’s Ladder” experience:

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” (Genesis 28.20 – 22, NIV)

This is Jacob the conniver, the cheater, the one who just lied to his father to steal his brother’s blessing after he’d already conned him out of his birthright. The “prayer” sounds to me like Jacob at his best, trying to cut a deal: “If you will take care of me and bring me back here, then you can be my God, and, to sweeten the deal, I will cut you in for a tenth.”

I don’t think it’s the best prayer, so imagine my surprise when I read an email from Steve Cleary, producer of the new Pilgrim’s Progress movie saying this about this prayer:

If a person is looking for a prayer to pray daily, I think Jacob’s is as pure as any. Are we willing to trust God for all things and acknowledge Him as our God every day? —Steve Cleary–you can read his full remarks here.

Whoa! Talk about a different take! What can we learn?

• God can lead people to different applications from the same scripture. And if both applications are, in themselves, biblical, that’s OK. We should trust God for all things and acknowledge Him as our God every day. I just wouldn’t use Jacob’s prayer to teach that. And we shouldn’t try to make deals with God either!
• I should hold all my interpretations with an open hand. Neither I nor Steve knows what Jacob was really thinking.
• God meets us where we are and as we are. This is the best lesson, I think. Even if my take is correct, God didn’t forsake Jacob.

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. (1 Chronicles 4.10, NKJV)

Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (1 Corinthians 10.11, NKJV)

Here’s a small lesson from the story of blind Bartimaeus as found in Mark 10:

They spent some time in Jericho. As Jesus was leaving town, trailed by his disciples and a parade of people, a blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting alongside the road. When he heard that Jesus the Nazarene was passing by, he began to cry out, “Son of David, Jesus! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Many tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10.46 – 48, MSG)

Bartimeaus knew what he wanted, and he persisted. Jesus stopped, called him over, and asked explicitly: “What do you want?” The response was clear and immediate, “Rabbi, I want to see!”

Bartimaeus knew that Jesus could transform him, and he was willing to fight through the obstacles to see him. What about us? I’ve written often about how hard it is to help folks start even the most simple spiritual discipline like daily time with God. I’m beginning to agree with Matthew Kelly that it’s not that people don’t think that Jesus can transform them; they don’t want to be transformed! If we wanted transformation, we would be as persistent as Bartimaeus.

[Moses] said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32.46 – 47, ESV)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12.2, ESV)

Relating to a recent message on prayer, here’s something I picked up from the memorial service of Sue Marotta, who passed away suddenly on January 23 at the age of 83. She and Basil had been in full-time ministry for well over 20 years.

Sue, like the apostles (see Acts 5.42), taught “in the temple and from house to house,” according to her friends at the memorial. In a house, her preferred podium was the kitchen table! So what was the prayer lesson? Sue encouraged people to:

Talk to God like he’s your friend! Quit “praying” to him!! -Sue Marotta

That’s a good word from someone who, as I write, can talk with Jesus face-to-face.

Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. (Exodus 33.11, ESV)

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15.15, NIV)

Here’s a follow-up to yesterday’s blog on Mike Treneer’s making an impression on flight attendants simply by paying attention to them.

My friend Clarence Shuler is active in a number of arenas. He and his wife Brenda were just awarded Speakers of the Year by FamilyLife for their work at the Weekend to Remember marriage conferences. Clarence also has written a number of books and frequently helps companies with race relations.

The point of this blog is an encouraging story he shared from his fitness club. A lifelong athlete, tennis player, former college basketball player who traveled with Sports Ambassadors, Clarence still works out whenever he’s in town. The other day he reported this exchange:

At my fitness club last week, the new manager, who has become a friend, said, “You are the mayor of this club. You seem to know everyone and everyone seems to certainly know you!” He asked, “What is your secret?” My response, “I love people.” 

Clarence continued, “Please keep reaching out because people need the Jesus in you!”

Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16.14, ESV)

We have returned from The Navigators’ 2:7 Series Jubilee Conference in Frisco, Texas. Thanks to you all who prayed for this trip! There’s much to be thankful for: it was a soul-stirring time, we connected with a lot of old friends, we had uneventful travel, AND a blizzard that dropped a foot of snow in our area came and went while we were gone!

Here’s another thought from Friday’s talk by Mike Treneer, International President of The Navigators from 2005 – 2015. He said:

The world longs for love, for joy, for peace,…. Sound familiar? Through the Holy Spirit, we have the resources the world needs. We just have to get close enough to people for them to smell the fragrance of Jesus.

Mike illustrated his point by telling this story that supports what I’ve written before about Holy Moments and “ministering grace and love” as one type of fruitfulness. Mike said:

I was on a flight, and as I went to the back of the plane, the flight attendants were talking with one another in the galley area. One of them said, “There he is!” And I thought, “What have I done now?” The flight attendant explained: “You are different from most passengers. You were attentive and aware of us.” 

Mike said it was a decision he made years ago. 

This is my space. If you come into it, you should experience the Kingdom of God.

This gives new meaning to what I wrote in my first book, Join the Adventure: the first two steps to living missionally are just to “be there” and “pay attention.” There’s power, even in that.

In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. (2 Corinthians 2.14, MSG)

We are still at The Navigators’ 2:7 Jubilee Conference in Frisco, Texas. It’s been a great time of seeing old friends, making new ones, and celebrating the 50-year anniversary of The Navigators’ disciple-making tool, the 2:7 series, sometimes called the In God’s Family series. The original developer, my friend Navigator Ron Oertli who is now in his 80s, is here.

Friday night, Mike Treneer, International President of The Navigators from 2005 – 2015, spoke to us about Missional Living that advances the gospel in a fallen and chaotic world. Here’s a highlight: he said something like…

Do you get discouraged that we’re not farther along? Remember the weeds in the field. “An enemy has done this…Don’t pull the weeds!” We’re not called to mess with the weeds. God wants us to work on the wheat. – Mike Treneer

Why do we get upset about the fallenness and chaos of the world? We should expect that and not get derailed by it. In the meantime, continue with what God has asked us to do: make disciples.

And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” So the servants said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he said, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest…” (Matthew 13.27 – 30, ESV)

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… (Matthew 28.18, 19, ESV)

I’m writing from The Navigators’ 2:7 Jubilee Conference in Frisco, Texas, near Dallas.

Here’s a quick thought from Thursday night’s talk from Mutua Mahiaini, International President of The Navigators. Mutua said something like:

Many people think that being a disciple of Jesus is a matter of being nice. It’s nice to be nice, but being a disciple is more than that. Discipleship includes mission. That’s why you don’t find the Great Commission after it was given in Matthew 28. The apostles just assumed it was part of discipleship – part of following Jesus.

Mutua went on to quote from Howard Snyder’s Liberating the Church:

Kingdom people seek first the Kingdom of God and its justice; church people often put church work above concerns of justice, mercy, and truth. Church people think about how to get people into the church; Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church; Kingdom people work to see the church change the world.

Mutua went on to remind us that the church at Philippi did very well, and Paul hadn’t even been there very long. But, as Mutua put it, “He left behind local believers carrying the gospel into the normal pathways of life.”

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. (Philippians 1.27, ESV)

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2.14 – 16, ESV)