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)

I often pray while riding my exercise bike, and I must confess there are times when I think, “Is this doing any good? Just ‘thinking of certain things’ here in my house?” 

Then I (re)read Matthew 6.6:

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6.6, ESV)

Sounds like a promise to me! And it’s one for which I meet the conditions!

You do not have because you do not ask. (James 4.2, ESV)

P.S. June and I leave this morning, February 6, for the 2:7 Jubilee Conference in Frisco, Texas, returning Sunday morning, February 9. We’d appreciate your prayers! I look forward to sharing highlights of that time with you.

Here’s one more lesson from the John 2 story of Jesus changing the water to wine. It’s a possible application, one that I wouldn’t fight to the death for, but it made sense in a discussion I had recently had with a friend who feels responsible for the moral behavior of his adult grandchildren. It’s not the first such conversation I’ve had with people I respect on what to do about grandchildren, say, living with someone out of wedlock.

It’s not a hypothetical: we and many of our friends have family members not living as we think Jesus would have them live. June and I have chosen to live by principles:

• Our responsibility is to love them where they are and as they are.
• They don’t work for us!
• I am not responsible to God for others’ behavior.

It’s this last that I believe the water to wine story speaks to. My friend mentioned in the first paragraph didn’t want to fund hotel rooms for a family reunion that would be occupied by grandchildren “shacking up.” He said, “Am I not responsible, especially if it’s my money?”

I can’t dictate to others what to do (he doesn’t work for me either!), but I did notice that Jesus made A LOT of wine at that wedding. Probably more than they needed. And if it was a big wedding party, and people then are anything like people now, isn’t it possible that someone got drunk on Jesus’ wine? 

To apply my friend’s logic, Jesus would have said, “I’d like to help you, but I can’t be a party to someone’s abusing alcohol.” To put it into modern-day terms, “I’d like to help you since you’ve gone over budget, but I can’t, you see. I can’t use my money that way.” So I get to save money and attempt to make myself look holy in the process.

When my personal purity becomes an excuse not to help someone, I think I’m on the wrong track. Jesus was clear on that in the story of the Good Samaritan. And, I think, indirectly, in his being willing to make wine for a wedding.

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14.12, NKJV)

[The conclusion of the story of the Good Samaritan: Jesus asked, ] “What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?” “The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, “Go and do the same.” (Luke 10.36, 37, MSG)