Life is full of highs and lows. Sometimes we find ourselves on the highest of mountaintops. Other times, in the lowest of valleys. In 1979, my college football team experienced both.

In the third game of the season, we scored 17 points in the last 75 seconds of the game to shock our opponent, in probably the biggest comeback in school history. Then in what turned out to be the last game of the season, on our home field, with a packed to capacity stadium, in the first round of the national playoffs against the #1 ranked team in the nation, we had a chance for the biggest upset in school history.

The team was undefeated and nationally ranked after six games, then, after being upset 12-7 in the seventh game of the year, which dropped us out of the Top Ten, we needed convincing wins in our final two games to climb back into playoff contention. We did just that, winning those two games by a combined score of 99-16. That moved us up to #8 in the final poll, qualifying us for the NCAA Division III playoffs.

We had confidence going into the playoff game and late in the game, had an upset win within our grasp. With under one minute left in the fourth quarter and the ball sitting on the one yard line on first down, with the best offensive line in the conference, and with one of the best running backs in the country, who would later go on to play in the NFL, we had four chances to simply gain one yard and tie the game, sending it into overtime. But their defense rose to the occasion and stopped us four times, beating us 21-14, ending our dream of winning the national championship.

So, after an exhilarating high just two months earlier, we now found ourselves in the locker room with tears streaming down our faces, hurting from a painful low. And for us seniors, real sadness, knowing this was the last game we would ever play. That loss still stings, more than four decades later.

Today, do you find yourself in one of those low places? Does the valley you are in feel so deep that even if you yelled for help, nobody could hear you? Is your life spinning out of control so badly that you’ve stopped trying to re-orient and have simply put your head between your knees, bracing for impact?

In John 16:33 we read these words of Jesus – “I tell you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).

When a young unmarried servant woman with a son sat all alone in the desert, God met her right where she was. We see these words in Genesis 16:13 – “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’”

And these very comforting words of Jesus, found in Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Will you allow the ever-present God to lift you up out of the slimy pit, the mud and mire, the pit of despair, and set your feet on solid ground (Psalm 40:1-2)?

Allow me to offer some encouragement. Speaking from experience, even in those low places, those valleys, those dark places, those spinning out of control places, God is still with you, He sees you, and He can and will lift you up.

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Has someone ever asked you to do something that simply did not make sense? Your first thought was, “Get outta here!” The request was very strange, odd, out in left field.

Once upon a time, thirty years ago a young husband and father was asked to join the lay leader team at his church. This group of people handled the greeting, offering, reading of scripture, and benediction. This young man had a lifelong speech impediment and was not about to stand up in front of a group of people and talk. No way. No how. Never. However, over time, something pricked in this young man’s heart, and against his better judgment, he agreed to join the speaking team. Fast forward to today, that young man is now in his sixties. He became a pastor and very much is comfortable speaking in front of groups. I know that story to be true.

History is filled with similar stories of people being asked to do or not do things that caused them to pause and ponder. Maybe even wonder what the person was smoking to have made such a bizarre request. The Bible too is filled with those kinds of stories. God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son on the altar. God asking Isaiah to preach naked and barefoot (Isaiah 20:1-4). Sure glad God never asked that of me. Just sayin’! Jesus asking Simon to go back out fishing in the daylight after the fishermen had been out all night and caught nothing (Luke 5:1-11).

There is a story in the Old Testament that is one of those “What did you just say?” moments. It is found in 2 Samuel. When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king, they were fearful and went looking for him. Remember Goliath? It didn’t end well for the big fella. David retreated and found a cave somewhere in southern Judah. This suggests that David had not yet taken Jerusalem, since if he was already in the city, there would be no need to “look” for him. While hiding, David inquired of the Lord, who tells David to go into battle expecting a victory. David and his troops defeated the Philistines at Baal-perazim (translated as Lord of breaking through). David credits his victory to his Lord.

The Philistines were not going down easily. They re-grouped and came at David and his troops a second time. Again, David inquires of the Lord. But, this time, instead of calling him into battle, the Lord tells David to wait. Here is what the Lord said to David – “And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, ‘You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.’” 

I encourage to read the full narrative by clicking here.  

Say what? Wait until I hear marching in the treetops? I am sure that when David told his troops what God had said, they did not say good answer, good answer. They likely thought David was nuts. What was he smoking? Wait until the enemy can see us? We are dead ducks. But the text tells us that David waited, trusting what the Lord said to him. And we know that when the marching was heard, David and his troops attacked the Philistines, defeating them again.

What can we take from this seemingly bizarre encounter between David and his Lord? How about this – David inquires of the Lord. He waits for the Lord to answer. He obeys, even when the answer wasn’t good answer, good answer. He experiences victory. He remembers where the victory was won (Baal-perazim). He gives credit where credit is due.

So, what do you do when you need guidance, when you need a breakthrough, when you need a victory, when you stand at your Baal-perazim, do you inquire of the Lord, do you wait upon Him, do you obey, even when answer from the Lord is anything but good answer, good answer? 

So, what do you do when your answer from the Lord is anything but good answer, good answer? 

Note from Dave: I will be taking a few days off from writing to rest, recharge, and quiet my soul. Look for new content mid next week.

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If you have ever had the opportunity to ride in a hot air balloon, then you know the serenity that comes with the experience. After riding in a balloon, you also know that even the most skilled balloon pilot is only partially in control of where the balloon goes and doesn’t go.

About a decade ago we took a balloon ride on a beautiful morning. The quietness as we flew over the scenic countryside was so peaceful. And the beauty, often missed at ground level, was just spectacular. We seemed to just glide across the sky. When it was time to land, even though there were only gentle breezes, we ended up coming down in a field about two miles from our targeted landing spot, not because of the inexperience of the pilot (he was a retired Navy pilot), but rather, because the winds took us there.

It is often the same way as we journey through life. The winds take us places that we never intended, or expected, to go. Sometimes those winds are gentle breezes while other times, they are Category 4 hurricane strength. Stuff happens in life that we just cannot control. You suddenly find yourself a widow or widower, just as you were enjoying being empty nesters. Your aging parent or grown child moves in with you. A major health issue not only changes your life, but it also drains your bank account, money you had planned for retirement years. Cancer. Divorce. Unemployment. Addiction. Any one of those situations takes us off our desired and usually well planned out course, blowing us into a field two miles away, sometimes with a loud thud.  Even life’s little inconveniences can occasionally cause us to be blown into unknown territory.       

The winds of life are constant. The winds of life are also often cruel. What is here today is often gone tomorrow. What was once normal is no longer, and we are forced to adapt and adjust to a new normal, at least until that too is blown to a new landing spot. Chasing after things constantly blown by the winds of life is fruitless. Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes, puts it this way – “The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns” (1:6).

While life is fickle, constantly blown to and from by ever-changing winds, we can be confident that in the midst of constant change, we have a God who is never-changing. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power, and love. God exists outside the constraints of time. Psalm 33:11 tells is this – “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”

So, no matter how uncertain your life is, how changing the world can be, or how far the winds of life are blowing you from your planned destination, you can always trust in God’s unchanging character, unchanging promises, and unchanging plans.

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With the official start of summer less than a week away, many people will be heading to the beach for the long holiday weekend. In addition to sunscreen, hat, beach chairs, extra fluffy towels, cooler filled with beverages and snacks, and reading material, one more piece of beach-gear is needed. A beach umbrella.

 Over the years we have learned a great deal about beach umbrellas. They need four things to do and be what they are intended for – keep you shaded from the hot sun and protected from the ultraviolet rays. First, the umbrella itself should be at least 6-1/2 feet in diameter to give you adequate space underneath it. Second, it needs a roof vent for stability; to keep the umbrella from turning inside out in gusty conditions. Third, the pole should be at least 1-1/4 inches in diameter and be made of sturdy aluminum. This will help it not to bend in those gusty winds.

And lastly, maybe most importantly, you need a solid anchor that screws into the sand to keep your umbrella securely fastened in the ground. Having an umbrella that is properly anchored into the sand allows it to do what it is intended to do. No matter how big or how pretty your umbrella is, it is of little value if you are constantly chasing it down the beach.  

If you have those four things, your umbrella will keep you protected. It is strong. It is beach-worthy.  

Not having a beach umbrella at all might be fine on certain days, but when the sun is its hottest or your skin begins to turn lobster red, even the smallest of umbrellas would have been a good idea. Even an umbrella not meeting my four beach-worthy criteria is better than no umbrella at all. Any is better than none.    

I see faith having a correlation to beach umbrellas. Not having faith in Jesus might be fine when everything is perfect, but when the heat is on or life beats down on you, let me speak to you from experience, faith is needed. Any faith at all. Faith properly anchored. Faith that isn’t constantly blowing down the beach.  

Having a strong faith does not necessarily mean big faith. It sometimes only requires faith as small as a mustard seed, then allowing those small things God has planted in our lives to become significant works of the Spirit. In Matthew 17, when the disciples could not cast out a demon, they asked Jesus why they could not do so. Click here to read the interaction between Jesus and his disciples. While most modern translations do use “little faith” to describe the faith of the disciples in this context, what Jesus was rebuking them for was at that moment their faith had been tested and it came up short. In other words – unbelief.

And having this strong faith, anchored in Jesus, a spiritual fullness in Jesus, is just what we read in Colossians 2:6-7 – “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” 

Is your faith beach-worthy or will it blow away at the first hint of breeze? Does your faith protect you from the harmful elements or does it just look pretty? Even small faith, as small as a mustard seed, will be of great value.

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When you are in search of truth, where do you look? Growing up in the Stone Age, I first turned to the clay tablets in my school library. I was not good at deciphering the cuneiform characters, so the tablets were often not of much help. Another good source was one of the two encyclopedia sets commonly in use back then, either World Book Encyclopedia or Encyclopedia Britannica. World Book is still in existence today. Believe it or not, newspapers and television news shows were once more about the reporting of facts than they were about espousing opinions. I am told that these days there is something called the Internet, and that if I find information on the Internet, consider it to be true.

In all seriousness, there are many places to look to find what is true and what is false, what is fact and what is fiction. But, sadly, in the current climate in which we live, it is becoming increasingly difficult to know what is true and what is false, what is fact and what is fiction. As society becomes more “enlightened”, we seem to be slipping further and further away from defining and understanding truth. Not a day goes by when someone doesn’t say, “it might be true for you, but for me, not so true,” or some variation thereof.

I am sure you have heard, maybe even said: “You have your truth and I have mine.” However, when something is true, it is always true, no matter how you or I feel about it. In that statement, if we substitute “opinion” for “truth,” then yes, we all can, and should, have our own opinion on certain things. But that might not necessarily make it true. What is true does not change based upon my understanding of it. I cannot create my own reality, one that best suits me. In contrast to the fallacy of relative truth, absolute truth does not change, it shows no favoritism, and it will prevail in the end.

I think you will agree, real and absolute truth is harder and harder to find these days. Truth is not something we invent. It is something we discover. God reveals truth to us, in and through His Word. God’s Word helps us find real and absolute truth. Scripture does not help us grasp that two plus two is always equal to four, but it does help us navigate life and live according to the truths set forth by God.

We tend to seek truth in a myriad of places and ways, but ultimately, truth, absolute truth, all truth, is found in the Word of God (Psalm 119:160), in person of Jesus Christ (John 1:17), in being guided by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, 16:13).

There is freedom in knowing real truth. That truth will set you and me free. Jesus, in addressing Jews who believed in him, said this – “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31b-32).

Allen Dulles, to date the longest serving Director of the CIA, and who was instrumental in the construction of the agency’s Original Headquarters Building (OHB) insisted on having that verse etched in stone in the building’s lobby. Is it etched in your heart?

Where do you look when in search of the truth? It will set you free.  

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This writing is a follow up to yesterday’s post. If you have not read it, I encourage you to do so before continuing. Click here to read it.  

If you are like me, all your life you have wrestled with the question, “Why am I here?” or “What is my purpose?” Let’s look at a very familiar verse to try to answer that question.

Genesis 1:26 – Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion (rule) over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

What does in mean “in the image of God?” 

1) We are persons (not objects, coins, rocks, etc.) God is a personal God.

We carry characteristics of God –

2) We are loving beings. God is a loving community, a threefold community.

3) We are moral beings. We know what is right. We don’t always do what is right, but we do know what is right. Conversely, we know what is wrong. We sometimes do what we know to be wrong, but we do know it is wrong. God is moral, God is holy.

4) We are creative beings. When we create (make beer, write a post or sermon, paint a picture, cook a meal not simply by following a recipe, add more garlic, use less flour, etc., play the piano, think of an out of the box way to wire a piece of equipment or account for a client’s transaction, help the family of a dying patient in ways that suit their specific situation, lead a group of boys on a weekend campout) we reflect the creative nature of God, who created the whole universe. The only creature who creates are humans, the only beings made in God’s image.

5) And, by being in the image of God, we have value.

That is all background. Now, let me try to answer, “Why am I here?” or “What is my purpose?”

I propose the answer lies in a change in the two-letter preposition, from IN the image of God to AS the image of God. 

The Hebrew preposition for “as” and “like” is the same. “In the image of God” refers to like, likeness – one use of the preposition. “As” can also refer to likeness. This “as” usage would have cultural context to the readers of Genesis. When a king conquered a city, he built a statue of himself in the city, “as his image.” Even if he lived in another province, this image reminded all who entered the city, that the king ruled and reigned in that city.

So, we, made as the image of God, are to take God’s rule and reign wherever we go. We are to be image bearers of God, bringing His rule and reign into the places we go and the things we do and say.

I am called to be an accountant, not just an accountant, but an accountant who brings God’s rule and reign, God’s grace and mercy, God’s shalom, workplace. I am not just to be a husband, dad, grandfather, I am to be a husband, dad, grandfather who brings God’s rule and reign, God’s grace and mercy, God’s shalom into my family. I am called to be a pastor, not just teaching and preaching; I am to be a pastor who brings God’s rule and reign to those I shepherd. I am called to be a friend, a neighbor, any label placed upon, someone who brings, who models, who demonstrates, the rule and reign of God. Now replace me with you, you are made in and as the image of God. 

I believe that change in preposition very clearly answers the question we’ve wrestled with all our lives!  

(“In the image” is not wrong, I just ask you to not be constrained by our modern understandings of the words “in” and “as.”)

Now, again, ask yourself “Why am I here?” or “What is my purpose?”

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