Today has been an interesting day. The low tire pressure light came on in my car. The folding machine in the office broke. The part that controls projection in the sanctuary broke. Three people are headed to the hospital. A church that I met with had several things break. Even though I don’t believe in bad luck I am wondering if I mistakenly walked under a ladder! Ever have one of those weeks when everything breaks?
“Be holy like I am holy” - God
If you are like most folks, you may be scratching your head. This is a pretty heavy comment that requires our careful consideration. Please don’t toss this God-quote out due to the perceived impossibility of the command. Take a quick journey with me and discover that God, by the power of his holiness and grace, can make the impossible possible in you.
Emotion floods my soul. When faced with the incredible Holiness of God you cannot be left untouched. I look in the mirror and, while being aware of the man I have become, I am aware of the man I have yet to become. Oh, to see more of Jesus when I look in the mirror.
When I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico I was honored to know a man named J.B. Duke. He was a strong but gentle Christ-follower who loved to drive a red Ford truck. He would take a couple of us pastors on an annual quail hunt in the eastern desert farmlands of the state and there we would see how the desert, sand-filled winds can impact the homes, cars and trees. If you saw a tree in the middle of the desert you knew it earned the right to stand there, even if it looked tired and worn.
It was over 15 years ago but it is a moment that haunts me to this day. I was a graduate student taking courses through my denomination's seminary and I was learning things that others did not have the opportunity to learn. Unfortunately, the knowledge only served to puff my own sense of self.
Over the past week the USA witnessed large numbers of people marching to and in Washington D.C. The powerful and the weak, the wealthy and the poor, the famous and the neglected gathered inside of the 68 square miles of our capitol. There were those who gathered to cheer. There were those who gathered to jeer. I would struggle to believe that anyone gathered as a neutral observer. Many marched with the hope of being heard.
