Right now, do you feel exhausted, empty, drained? Physical exhaustion. Mental exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion. Social exhaustion. The current climate in our country certainly is nothing short of chaos, zaniness, frightening, divisive, and I could add any number of more adjectives, all of which lead us to exhaustion.  

In my opinion, one of the toughest things in our crowded, loud, and chaotic world, is to create enough space and silence to find genuine rest and calm. Whether or not chaos finds us, or we create our own chaos, its effects all around us seep deep into our souls. Even when we are away from constant noise, our heart, mind, and souls are not really quieted. Even when we are at rest, our heart, mind, and souls are not really restful. Even when we put our heads on the pillow to sleep, we don’t really sleep well, which then brings on even more fatigue. Sleep fatigue is usually one of three types: transient, cumulative, circadian. 

This constant clutter in our heart, mind, soul also makes it difficult to hear God’s “still, small voice”. But if we are to follow Jesus in a serious life-changing way, we must find regular time to be quiet and listen. There are many voices competing for our attention and loyalty, and most often God is not the loudest of those voices.

While God is always by our side offering advice, He is not like The Great Gazoo in the old TV series, The Flintstones; that tiny green floating scientist who came to help Fred and Barney, (he called them “dum-dums”), but usually ended up causing them more trouble. If you are of my age, did you know that Harvey Korman was the voice of Gazoo? If you are not of my age, you might now be asking, “Who is Harvey Korman?”

Building the discipline of hearing God, waiting on God, resting in His presence, requires work. It begins with a desire to carve out space. It always requires giving up something, desiring to turn off the noise and find stillness (Psalm 37:7), find quietness (Zephaniah 3:17), find intimacy (James 4:8), find rest (Matthew 11:28-30). The 23rd Psalm begins with these words – “The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water. He gives me new strength” (vv.1-3a GNT).

Timothy Leary, the Harvard clinical psychologist, and of hippie fame, encouraged young people in the Sixties to “turn on, tune in, drop out.” While his countercultural phrase encouraged the usage of psychedelic drugs to find true consciousness, and that’s certainly not my advice, I do think that if we “turn on” a sensitivity to God and His presence, if we “tune in” by listening, and if we regularly “drop out” of the noise around us, we will “find” God and be better able to hear, and be changed by, His “still, small voice.”

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10).

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him” (Psalm 62:5).

“Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray” (Job 6:24).

“But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Psalm 131:2).

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me” (Proverbs 8:17).

Do you desperately desire peace and calm, stillness and rest? Are you looking in the right place? 

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Much of the country has been locked in a prolonged heat wave, with the temperatures and humidity at times oppressive. Last month was the twelfth straight month of record-warm temperatures for the planet, and with just four days left in the month, June is likely to be the thirteenth in a row. Just walking to the mailbox requires hydration. Oh, how those cold beverages quench my thirst. What does Jesus promise when we are thirsty?

Let’s turn to a story in the New Testament to answer that question. The Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot) was one of the three pilgrimage festivals (Passover and Pentecost being the other two) for which adult Jewish males were expected to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This festival was festive and celebrates the fall harvest. It has also come to commemorate the provision of God during the forty years of Jewish wilderness wandering after the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai.

The seventh chapter of John’s gospel begins with Jesus’ brothers inviting him to join them at the festival, in order to do mighty works and become more widely known. Jesus denies their request (7:1-9). He later goes in secret.

Did Jesus lie to his brothers? No. His response of “My time has not yet come” was not implying that he did not intend to go to the festival. Instead, he knew that He still had things to do on earth before being killed. The Greek word used here for time is kairos, which means opportunity, proper time. Notice Jesus also says yet. Jesus’ brothers were unbelievers at that time (v.5). To me, it seems as if Jesus’ brothers were in effect saying, “If you are who you say you are, prove it in the way we say you should (go and do mighty works).” Jesus tells them that any time to go works for them, but for Him, He works using God’s calendar, not theirs.     

While there, the text gives us two teachings by Jesus (vv.15-24, 37-39). These teachings are followed by debate among the people (vv.25-31, 40-44) and plots against Jesus (vv.32-36, 45-52).

If you are so inclined, click here to read the entire chapter.

Today, I want to dive into the second teaching – On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart (see explanation below) will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (37-39).

According to written Jewish tradition (Mishnah), water was an important part of Sukkot. A priest would draw water from the pool at Siloam and carry it back to the temple, pouring it out on the altar. Sukkot comes at the beginning of the rainy season. In ancient agrarian societies, people’s livelihood was dependent upon the rain needed for the fall harvest. 

So, here we have Jesus on the last day of the festival, announcing that those who believe in Him will gush forth with rivers of living water. The thirst-quenching drink offered by Jesus is one of permanence. The Greek word koila is used in v.38, which literally means “belly.” Some translations use heart, others, from within. Regardless of the actual word(s) used, the message being conveyed is that belief in Jesus is not just something superficial, skin deep. Instead, it is visceral, from deep within. And He promises that those who thirst from deep within, from their innermost being will flow rivers of life-giving living water.    

How thirsty are you today? Will you drink … and drink … and drink some more?

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Have you ever had someone give you advice, tell you to do something, that made no sense? We all have given, or been given, that kind of marching orders at some point in life. For me, the key to whether or not I took that advice was who gave it. Was it someone I trusted or was it someone who didn’t have the best track record of advice-giving.

Now let me ask: If you consider yourself a Jesus-follower, has God ever asked you to do something that to you, from your point of view, made zero sense. You said, “Say what?”

Today I want to look at a story in the Old Testament in which God told David something that probably sounded like bad advice to David, and certainly sounded ridiculous to David’s army. The story is found in 2 Samuel 5:17-25, which tells of David defeating the Philistines.

Let me give some background and context.    

Who are the Philistines? We are told in the Table of Nations (Genesis 10) that they came from the lineage of Ham, one of Noah’s sons. Who were Ham’s sons? – Cush, Egypt (Mizraim), Put, and Canaan (v.6). And in v.14 we are told that Mizraim fathered seven children, one of which was Casluhim, from whom the Philistines came.

When the Israelites left Egypt, the Philistines settled along the coastal strip between Egypt and Gaza. They continued to be a nemesis to the Israelites for many years. It was during Saul’s rule that a young David defeated Goliath the Philistine. Over time, the Philistines took control of the hill country as well, thus the Israelites needed a mighty warrior king. After Saul’s disastrous reign, David becomes king.

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king, they became concerned and went looking for him. David retreated and found a stronghold, most likely a cave somewhere in southern Judah, where he had also retreated to hide from Saul.

David inquires of the Lord and the Lord tells him to go into battle expecting a victory. David and his men defeat the Philistines at Baal-perazim (which means Lord of breaking through). The Philistines would have taken their idols into battle with them, as protection. When David defeated his enemy, his troops carried the pagan idols away, burning them in accordance with the stipulations of the covenant that Moses gave after coming down from the mountain – “But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop the Asherim and burn their carved images with fire” Deuteronomy 7:5.

David credits the victory to his Lord. The Philistines then re-group and come at David and his men a second time. Again, David inquires of the Lord. This time, he is told to wait. David tells his men that God has told him to wait until they hear a sound in the tops of the trees.

Whoa whoa, hold on for a minute! You want us to do what? Wait to attack until we “hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees” (v.24). Come on, you are joking, right?

But what does David do. He waits, trusting God’s promise of going out before him into battle. And we are told that when the sound is heard, they attack the Philistines, and defeat them once again (v.25).

This is a great illustration of seeking God’s plan in everything we do. Whether it is asking for guidance or begging for a breakthrough. David prays; he inquires of the Lord. He waits upon the Lord to answer. He obeys, even when the answer doesn’t make sense, even the answer isn’t seemingly a good answer. He experiences victory. He remembers where the victory was won – Baal-perazim. And he gives credit where credit is due.

So, 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, and do you obey, even when the answer doesn’t seem to be a good answer?

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In the spring of 1968, Dennis Wilson was driving through Malibu when he noticed two female hitchhikers. He picked them up and dropped them off at their destination. Not long after, Dennis noticed the same two girls hitchhiking again. This time, he took them to his home on Sunset Boulevard. Dennis then went to a recording session. When he returned at around three o’clock in the morning, he was met in his driveway by someone he did not know. And when he walked into his home, there were about a dozen people occupying the premises, most of them female.

That person he did not know was Charles Manson.

Dennis became fascinated by Manson and his followers, and the “Manson Family” then lived with Dennis for a period of time, at Dennis’s expense. Initially impressed by Manson’s songwriting talent, Dennis introduced him to a few friends in the music business, including Terry Melcher, whose home on Cielo Drive would later be rented by director Roman Polanski and his wife, actress Sharon Tate. More on that below.

In September of 1968, Dennis’s band, the Beach Boys, recorded “Never Learn Not to Love.” The original song, titled “Cease to Exist,” was written by Charles Manson.  Dennis Wilson, however, took the original, changed some of the lyrics, and re-wrote the music to the song.

Shortly after midnight, on August 9, 1969, in a mansion located on Cielo Drive within the exclusive Benedict Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles five people were murdered. Among those dead were actress Sharon Tate and coffee heiress Abigail Folger. The next night, another multiple murder shook LA. Rosemary and Leno LaBianca were stabbed to death in their home near Hollywood. Three months later, Charles Manson and members of his “Mansion Family” were arrested and charged with the Tate-LaBianca Murders.

Around 30 AD, Jesus Christ invited Simon and his brother Andrew, along with James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John to follow Him. Jesus would eventually invite eight more men and these twelve men would ignite a movement that changed the world.

SO, what is the common denominator in these two stories? OR, maybe a better question is –

What would cause ordinary people to do such bizarre things, such out-of-the-ordinary things? How about loneliness? How about vulnerability? How about a very charismatic leader? Maybe no place else to turn?

Let me start by defining discipleship. What is a disciple? The dictionary defines a disciple as a pupil or follower of any teacher or school or learning, religion, art, etc. and/or one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. 

A disciple of Jesus is someone who is obedient to Jesus. It is someone who seeks God’s guidance, and His purposes and Plans, in everything by praying, listening, seeking wise counsel, and here is a biggie… responding even when it might not make sense.

Let’s look at one of my favorite verses in the whole of the Bible. The story goes like this – It is morning and Jesus had just finished up teaching, both from the shore and from a boat. The disciples had been out all night fishing. The men, these fishermen, had been throwing in the net all night, pulling it back in, and coming up empty. They are exhausted from having worked all night. In the morning they are standing on the shore, their necks are aching, their back is hurting, and they are washing their nets out. Jesus comes along and we pick up the story. Before continuing, click here to read.

So, do you want discipleship in one simple phrase? – Because you Jesus say so, I will.

I wouldn’t do it for anything else, anybody else. Lord, you know that I have been rowing all night, I have been trying, I keep throwing out the net, I’m coming up empty. My inclination is to row to shore, chop my boat up into firewood, throw the net on top, pour gasoline on the whole pile and burn it all … Because you Jesus say so, I will.

I’m coming up empty in my marriage, we’ve gone to counseling over and over again, I’ve had a hundred conversations with my husband or my wife. Nothing is changing. Oh God, I wouldn’t try to reconcile for anyone else … But because you say so, I will. 

I wouldn’t give up drugs or alcohol or stop having sex outside of marriage or invite my neighbor out for coffee and or reconcile my broken relationship for anyone else … But because you say so, I will.

Lord, you know I am shy, and I hate to go public with my faith and it is just so uncomfortable for me to talk about spiritual things … But because you say so, I will.

Lord, I wouldn’t quit my job, sell my lovely house with a nice yard and a swimming pool, leave behind all that is familiar, and move 450 miles away for anyone else … But because you say so, I will.

Or maybe, it is being called to take that first step and become a Jesus-follower.

What is it that you hear the Lord calling you to? What is holding you back from saying … But because you say so, I will.

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Today is the official first day of summer. Some forty-nine years ago, in the summer of 1975, the movie Jaws was released, and that movie is still in the minds of many Americans. This movie is a classic motion picture in the thriller genre. Who can forget the movie trailer showing the shark’s jaws coming toward you out of the water or the movie theme suspense music composed by John Williams? When filmmaker Steven initially heard the “dun dun, dun dun, dun dun,” he thought that Williams joking. That simple alternating pattern of two notes has become synonymous with impending danger. Maybe the scariest two notes in music history.

You know the movie story line. A young woman is killed by a man-eating great white shark while skinny-dipping near the fictional resort town of Amity Island, located somewhere in New England. Police chief Martin Brody wants to close the beaches, but the town’s mayor Larry Vaughn overrules him, fearing the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the city. What follows for the remainder of the movie is an epic battle between man vs. beast as oceanographer Matt Hooper and ship captain Quint help the police chief track down and eventually kill the shark.

Sharks can be dangerous and deadly. Just the sight of dorsal fins instills fear in our hearts. Most often in the battle between human versus shark, the shark wins. Even with the knowledge that sharks are dangerous and often deadly, shark biologists make a career out of studying and interacting with sharks, and not just from afar, but usually up close and in person.

These biologists don scuba gear and swim alongside less threatening sharks while for the most dangerous of sharks they often are inside a shark proof metal cage. This cage is lowered into the water and is made of extremely strong metal. The cages are built to withstand being rammed at high velocities by angry sharks.

What gives these shark biologists assurance that they are safe in the underwater cage with deadly shark swimming only inches from them? They have tested out the cages and they know the strength of the cage. We can say a cage not tested is a cage not trusted whereas a cage tested is a cage trusted.

Life can at times be challenging and frightening. We often need a “cage” to keep us safe. While the shark proof cages at times fail, we have a God who never fails and never lets us down. We have a God who keeps His promises; a God who can always be trusted. Hebrews 10:23 says this, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (NLT).

God is ever-faithful, and regardless of the size of, or how many, sharks are swirling around you right now, you can rest assured that you are safe in the Arms Of My Father. And this hope that you can have in God is not fleeting. A few chapters earlier in Hebrews we read this in 6:19, “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for your souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary” (NLT).

So, today, and every day, ask God for an ever-increasing, ever-securing, ever-steadying faith in Him. And not just faith when Jaws is swimming near you, but a faith that is ever-present, regardless of your circumstances or surroundings. Just as with those shark proof cages… a faith not tested is a faith not trusted. But with God, a faith tested is a faith trusted!    

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The Paris Summer Olympic Games are just over one month away. Imagine for a minute that you are an Olympic athlete and you have just won your first gold medal. Years and years of training and sacrifice have finally paid off. Congratulations! But wait.

Upon further review, you really won yourself a silver medal with gold plating. Both gold and silver medals awarded to the first and second place finishers at the Olympic Games are made of 92.5% silver, with the gold medal being plated with at least 6 grams of pure gold, thus making the gold medal less than 2% gold. The last gold medals actually made of gold were awarded at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.  So then, what about the third-place bronze medal? Is it really bronze? You be the judge – bronze is an alloy, meaning it is made by melting copper and tin together.

Maybe you are wondering, why gold, silver, and bronze? The three metals used in Olympic medals are in the same column of the periodic table. This means they share many of the same characteristics with each other. The most important property these metals share is that they can be found naturally in their elemental native (pure) form. Most other metals are only found in their mineral form, comprised of several elements. Copper (Cu) is at the top of the column, thus the least rare, so it is used for third place. Silver (Ag) is one level down, rarer than copper, so it represents second place. And gold (Au) is found one level below silver in the column, thus the rarest of the three, so naturally, first place.

We can agree that gold – whether some sort of medal awarded, coins, jewelry, or a wedding ring – is of great value. The Bible tells us that maintaining our faith in the face of difficulties and trials is worth far more than gold. In the first few verses of 1 Peter (1:3-9) we are told God’s plan of redemption and restoration meets our every need, and this blessing is so great that we can pass through times of trouble by holding onto a faith in a living Jesus that we have not yet seen.

Today I want to highlight vv. 6-7 – “Be glad about this (glad about what?: vv.3-5), even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed” (GNT).

The purest form of gold is 24-karat. It comes through refining by fire. Gold ore is put to heat so the impurities, known as dross, can be burned away. Like gold, God refines us the same way. The trials we all face from time to time, some that truly shake us to our very core, help to sift out that which is pure and genuine in our faith from that which is impure.

Right now, ask God for a faith that is of greater value that gold.  

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