#345.4 – “The Show to End All Shows, Part Four: Beth and Ruthie, the Dynamic Duo”

“My prayer is not for them only, but for all who will have faith in me through their word; May they all be one! Even as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, so let them be in us, so that all men may come to have faith that you sent me.” - John 17:20-21
Ruthie had dual roles the day of the show – she not was the ticketmaster, but she was also the DJ for Beth, who sang along with one of her dad’s cd’s as the next act after Joshua. This superstar team cranked out several tunes for us, with Beth calling out to Ruthie which track to play next.
The teamwork the two of them demonstrated reminded me of how Jesus always did only what the Father called out for Him to do. Whatever track He was to take, He took. The two of them were always ‘in sync’ with each other.
As we seek to be like Christ in all we do, may we ever give ourselves in surrender to His will. May our lives be in sync with His.

Daniel

#345.3 – “The Show to End All Shows, Part Three: Ruthie the Ticketmaster”

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” - Romans 3:24
When we entered the preschool room that day, we found ourselves walking through an elaborate path of cardboard bricks. As we followed them (in a zig-zag pattern) to their end, they led us right to Ruthie, who was selling tickets for the show. When we asked how were supposed to pay, the girls (having thought of everything for us) pointed to some fake money lying on the table that they had made from index cards. Ruthie handed us the ‘cash’… which we then gave her back, in exchange for a ticket each. We then took our seats and enjoyed the show.
Pretty good set-up, wouldn’t you agree? Don’t you wish that every show you went to see provided the cash for you to purchase your tickets? I’m saying… I like that deal!
And that is exactly what Christ did for us at Calvary. The standard of God’s holiness was so high that only perfection could obtain a relationship with Him. Since we all fall short of His perfection, we could not enter into that relationship on our own merit. But God - knowing this was the case – planned all along to provide the means by which we could enter into a relationship with Him, and thus He came in the form of the God-man: Jesus. He took on the sins of the entire world and made a way where there was no way, by giving His life as a sacrifice. In so doing, He purchased for us a ‘backstage pass’, good for all eternity. All we have to do is pick up the ‘cash’ (trust His blood to cover our sins) and turn it in (by faith, give Him our sin and accept His righteousness) for our ticket (our eternal relationship with God).
Pretty good deal, huh?
If you’ve never accepted it, why not do that right now? And then tell another believer about what you did.
If you have accepted it, help another person ‘in line’ see that the price has already been paid for them.

Daniel

#345.2 – ““The Show to End All Shows, Part Two: Joshua the Superman Tumbler”

“And they took off his clothing, and put on him a red robe. And they made a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and put a rod in his right hand, and they went down on their knees before him, and made sport of him, saying, Long life to the King of the Jews. And they put shame on him, and gave him blows on the head with the rod. And when they had made sport of him, they took the robe off him, and put his clothing on him, and took him away to put him on the cross. And while they were coming out, they saw a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they made him go with them, so that he might take up his cross. And when they came to the place named Golgotha, that is to say, Dead Man's Head, They gave him wine mixed with bitter drink: and after tasting it, he took no more. And when they had put him on the cross, they made division of his clothing among them by the decision of chance. And they were seated there watching him. And they put up over his head the statement of his crime in writing, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then two thieves were put on crosses with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who went by said bitter words to him, shaking their heads and saying, You who would give the Temple to destruction and put it up again in three days, get yourself free: if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. In the same way, the chief priests, making sport of him, with the scribes and those in authority, said, A saviour of others, he has no salvation for himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will have faith in him. He put his faith in God; let God be his saviour now, if he will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God. And the thieves who were on the crosses said evil words to him.” - Matthew 27:28-45a.
Joshua was the opening act of this thrilling show. He led off with what he does best: run around and jump and tumble and flip and all kinds of other such stuff. Some of his ‘act’ was a demonstration of what he remembered from his gymnastics class... and some of it he just made up… but all of it was fun to watch. And he did all of this while pretending to be Superman. And Superman he was… one time, he stood at the top of the steps in that preschool room and literally tumbled – end over end - off into the floor. He then did a somersault (of sorts) back up to the top. The rush of blood turning his head a bright shade of red didn’t stop this superdude from performing his stunts.
Sensing that it was time to let the next act on, the emcee (Anna) got up on stage and tried to introduce the next act. But Joshua kept trying to get more time in… running around and ‘finishing’ (as he called it) what he was doing. Anna – knowing the way her brother is - just cut him off and told him instead to go run around in the hallway outside the room. Joshua tried to still get more time in on the stage. Finally, Sarah and I told Joshua that he had to go out. Even then, he still tried to get his neck in the room and talk over Mrs. Emcee (unlike his big sister, Joshua has no problem whatsoever with being the center of attention)!
Oh that I would have Joshua’s no-quit attitude when it comes to spiritual warfare. So often, I let discouragement keep me from trying something that God is calling me to… or I give in to the temptations I find around me, instead of standing firm like I should… or I want to quit when the going gets tough… but not Joshua.
And not Jesus, either. When the time came that He knew He was facing death, He boldly became vulnerable and willingly surrendered Himself to the cross, in order to pay for the sins of the world. And nothing – not insult… not injury… not anything – kept Him from accomplishing what God had planned for Him.

Daniel

#345.1 – “The Show to End All Shows, Part One: Anna the Emcee”

One day last week Sarah and Susan and I were up here practicing on a song for Sunday’s service. Meanwhile, our kids and Beth were working on a show to present to us afterwards. This week’s devotions are centered around that event.

“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.' ” - Matthew 3:1-3
Anna grabbed her microphone (which was made of construction paper) and stood up on the platform (the stage area in one of the preschool rooms) and proceeded to announce all of the show’s line-up, one at a time. Always very articulate, yet appreciative of not being the ‘main attraction’, Anna is a great emcee. She kept the ‘entertainers’ moving and kept the show exciting. She built up each act as if it were the greatest thing on earth.
John the Baptist was sort of an ‘emcee’ for Jesus: he preceded Jesus… and his life and work ‘set Jesus up’ to do what Jesus was called to do. He served to point people to the ‘main attraction’ of Christ and His life and death and resurrection. He made it clear that believing in Jesus was the greatest thing anyone could ever do.
In a lot of ways, we are to be ‘emcees for Christ’. Our lives should point people to Him. Nothing should be done for our glory, but for His alone. We should understand that we exist to serve and glorify Him.

Daniel

#344.4 – “The Group is Greater than the Individual”

“But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” - 2 Timothy 4:5-7
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” – Hebrews 12:1
Another motivation for a musician to keep going is ‘the band’: the group with whom the person is playing. Yes the piece of music is crucial… more than whatever individual notes may be missed. And so, having the ‘end in mind’ of playing the whole piece of music is important to finishing what is begun. But also, there is the motivation of finishing with and for your fellow players.
If – in the middle of a piece of band music – I decided to just quit, my part would be missing from the arrangement, leaving a ‘hole’ musically. The band could (and should) go on without me… but it wouldn’t be the same. My part contributes to the whole… as does each of theirs… and thus, we encourage one another with our playing.
The Christian life is the same way. As a part of the Body of Christ, I contribute to the whole. And so does every other believer. And my playing encourages another… and theirs encourages me. Those who have mentored me - both in the past and in the present – encourage me in my walk with Christ. And those whom I have been blessed to mentor – both in my past and in my present – I hope to encourage. And so we support each other in our playing and move on the end of piece together.

Daniel

#344.3 – “The Song Outweighs the Notes”

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” – 1 Corinthians 9:24
As I expound a little more on the object lesson from yesterday, another parallel occurs to me:
The reason a mature musician ‘keeps trucking’ with their music is because they understand that music is a temporal art. Notice I did not say ‘temporary’, but ‘temporal’… meaning that it takes place in time. In that sense, it is unlike many of the visual arts, which can be done in stages. Take drawing, for example… say you wanted to draw the Empire State Building. You could start by getting just the outline done. Then, you could stop and put your pencils or chalk or whatever you were using away. You could come back the next day and start filling in some windows, and maybe the door. After another break, you could do the details (like shading or what have you) until you had the finished product. You could even go back at any point along the way and erase/correct something before you showed it to anyone.
But you can’t do that in music. Music happens… in time. If you make a mistake while playing a piece for someone, there is no ‘going back’ and ‘erasing’… you just have to keep going on… mistakes and all. And thus, music can be a very humbling art (which is really a good thing).
What drives a musician to play through the mistakes anyway is the ‘piece’ (the song). The piece is incomplete until the last note is played, that truth overrides all other parameters that a musician has… and so the ‘piece’ outweighs the ‘notes’.
Life is made up of a series of moments… and those moments may be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at times. But our life here on earth isn’t over until we take our last breath, and so Paul encourages us as believers to run right up till our death… giving glory to God in all we do all along the way… mistakes and sins and all.

Daniel

#344.2 – “A Difference”

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” - Acts 20:24
Anna has been taking piano lessons for a while now. At the very beginning of here training, there were a lot of wrong notes and repeated mistakes… pauses and corrections… and sometimes still repeated mistakes. Lately, Sarah and I have noticed that she is becoming much more capable with her playing. She still makes mistakes, of course, but they are fewer and farther between… and even more importantly, they trip her up less. I think that is the biggest sign to me that she is maturing as a player: the mistakes she does make do not hinder her from playing the piece she is working on at the time. Sometimes she will stop and fix them; sometimes, she may play ‘through’ them; but she still gets through the piece one way or another.
As I think of what ought to be some signs of being more mature in our faith, I think that sinning less should be in the list… but I also know that some sinning will still take place. And when it does, one sign of maturity is that it has less ‘effect’ on us, in terms of getting us off track from the mission God has called us to… what Paul referred to as ‘finishing the race’. When my sins cause me to focus so much on them that I miss the next thing God has in store for me, the song God has for me to play isn’t getting played. But when I can ‘go on’ and keep playing – knowing I am going to hit some ‘clunkers’ every now and then – and yet can still play the overall piece, then God is glorified… while His grace is shown as a needful thing.

Daniel

#344.1 – “Windex and Blood”

“… To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” - Revelation 1:5-6
Grant wanted to help me yesterday as I washed and cleaned the inside of Sarah’s car, so I gave him the job of cleaning the inside of the windows. He went around and sprayed them good with Windex… and then wiped them down with paper towels. Meanwhile, I was vacuuming and cleaning the rest of the car. When he got done with his job, he went out and played on his bike. After I had finished, I looked at the work he had done. There were streaks left where he had worked… but at least they were consistent; he hadn’t missed a spot! I showed them later to Sarah, with a certain pride. ‘Look’, I said, as I pointed to the streaks… ‘your son helped’.
When I think about how perfect God is and how imperfect I am, it is truly a wonder that He lets me help with His work at all. Even with the best and most focused intentions, I still leave a trail of splotches and streaks behind. And – just like I could let Grant go back over those windows again, only to still have some streaks left - I could wipe and sweat all day long, and still not be able to remove my sins. But the blood of Jesus comes along and cleans all of that in such a way that it doesn’t just look new; it is new.
Praise be to God, who makes all things new.

Daniel

#343.3 – “Like Having a Toddler… but without the Pull-Ups”

“Let Christ the King of Israel now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe. And they who were crucified with Him insulted Him.” - Mark 15:32
Joshua’s older brother also had an interesting story about getting up in the night…
We had gotten the kids in the bed one night recently, and Sarah and I stayed up to watch a favorite show of ours. A short time later, Grant came staggering in our room… wandered rather aimlessly into our bathroom… and attempted to find the light switch on the wrong side of the wall. If that wasn’t bad enough, he then stumbled toward the bathroom sink… turned on the faucet… and then began pulling down his underwear! Sarah and I, who had been watching this whole episode play out before our very eyes, realized what he was about to do, so we began yelling out ‘Stop, Grant… you’re not standing at the potty!’ He continued with his undressing at first, as if he did not process what we said.
We (very quickly!) repeated ourselves.
He then replied: ‘yes I am’.
‘No… you’re not, buddy… you’re at the sink’.
‘Oh,’ he answered, and quietly made his way a few feet over to the potty and there accomplished his mission… thankfully without creating a big mess in the floor!
When I told that story to him the next morning, he had absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever. He was so wiped out that night, he didn’t remember any of it!
Physical exhaustion can make you do some pretty crazy things. I cannot imagine how exhausted Jesus must have been during His time at the Garden of Gethsemane… His trial… His flogging… carrying His cross… and then, of course, His crucifixion. And yet, He never wavered from His appointed mission. Even in the face of ridicule from all sides, Jesus stayed on course and saw His plan through. He was so determined and so persistent that nothing could stop Him from loving you and me with his life.

Daniel

#343.2 – “Like Having a Newborn… but without the Cute”

“… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:20
Joshua has some kind of physical issue that must be causing him to occasionally choke and/or vomit, because he has had too many episodes for it to be coincidence. Just last week, he had two occasions – once when were eating out to celebrate Grammie’s birthday, and again the other night at the house. It is this last episode I will tell you about…
We had all gone to bed. Sarah said that she woke up when she heard Joshua in our bathroom. She found him curled up in the fetal position on the little mat that lies in the floor in front of my sink. She asked him if had been sick; he said that he had. She then encouraged him to come to bed with us for a while. None of this I heard or knew about at the time (if any of you are long-time readers of my devotions, you know that it is next to impossible to wake me once I fall asleep). I got my information the next day from the one who had been most of the night with him… the same woman who was up many nights when we had babies. She told me all about it from her state of sheer exhaustion the next day. I thought then that this was a lot like having a newborn in the house… but without the ‘cute’.
Being with somebody in their time of need is a mark of Christ-like empathy. By showing that we are willing to walk alongside someone in their trials and tribulations, we resemble the kind of ‘I will never you nor forsake you’ commitment that Christ has towards His Church. When we make that kind of commitment to each other, we are modeling the very character of Jesus. And that type of allegiance not only has an immeasurable impact on the recipient of such kindness, but also brings great glory to the One who first modeled it for and to us.

Daniel

p.s. we do have an appt for Joshua to find out what is at the bottom of his choking/vomiting

#343.1 – “The All-Star”

“Now if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.” - 1 Corinthians 16:10-11
Grant finished up playing ball with his regular season team a week ago, but he has been in all-star practices and/or games ever since. His last game is tonight, and they have officially placed second in their league. Grant has played very well in all of these post-season games, hitting the ball and getting on base and playing solid defense at his outfield position.
I think he has definitely enjoyed his baseball experience this year. Playing on the Cardinals team in the regular season was a great experience for him, because he had some really good coaches that taught him a lot about the game. He learned a good bit about hitting and playing defense.
For him to have been selected as an all-star was quite an honor. Whether that selection is based purely on stats… or is influenced by coaches’ recommendations… or both, the fact is that someone besides us had recognized that he has done well; it is confirmation of just how far he has come in one season.
That got me to thinking about the power of encouraging words and deeds. To have one Christian brother or sister acknowledge something they have seen in you – be it a spiritual gift that you are exercising, or an act of kindness in Jesus’ name, or anything of the sort – means a lot. Of course, our ultimate encouragement comes from the Lord. But there is strong tool to be used by Him of us in giving encouragement to each other. Let us prayerfully consider today how we might be an encourager of someone in their faith.

Daniel

#342.2 – “Our Standard”

“So that your lives might be pleasing to God, who has given you a part in His kingdom and His glory. And for this cause we still give praise to God, that, when the word came to your ears through us, you took it, not as the word of man, but, as it truly is, the word of God, which has living power in you who have faith.” - 1 Thessalonians 2:12-13
Anna, Ruthie, Grant, and Joshua all had excellent grades this year, and that makes us as parents so very proud. We know they are smart kids, but to see an objective standard ‘agree’ with that makes us thankful that they have all adjusted well to school and to what it is expected of them there. They (pretty much) follow the rules and do what they are supposed to do.
Our lives as Christians have the standard of the holiness of God and the character of Jesus’ life as set forth in the Bible. The Word of God shows us how we need His help and His Spirit living in us to guide us. We cannot live up to His standard on our own, but – with His help - we can seek to please Him in all we do.

Daniel

#342.1 – “A Persistent Little Bugger”

“Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” - Romans 12:12
Joshua had what acted like a little stomach bug two and a half weeks ago. Without complaining or even waking us up, he got up in the middle of the late night Friday/early morning Saturday hours with his stomach hurting. He actually had vomited twice before he woke Sarah up. Then he continued off and on through the night. That Saturday he was weak, but had stopped vomiting. By Saturday evening, he seemed to be better. Then early Sunday morning, he started throwing up again. But through it all Joshua never complained or cried about it. He just hung around and took it easy and eventually got better.
The bug (or whatever it was that was causing him to feel ill) was persistent, but so was Joshua. No matter how many times he had to get up and deal with it, he did. And he did what he was supposed to do - resting as much as he could… drinking and eating a little once he felt like it… and just living with it. By the third day, he was better.
Persistence is a quality of bugs that plague us. It is also a quality of our spiritual enemies as they wage war against us. It is, therefore, a quality that would behoove us to have as we engage them in battle. However, our persistence should not be rooted in regards to our own strength; rather, it ought to be seen in the way we seek to continually dwell in the presence of our Father, the Commander of the army.

Daniel