Back Home Again ...

I have always been a wand'rer
Over land and sea
Yet a moonbeam on the water
Casts a spell o'er me
A vision fair I see
Again I seem to be
Back home again in Indiana
And it seems that I can see
The gleaming candlelight still shining bright
Thro' the sycamores for me
The new mown hay sends all its fragrance
From fields I used to roam
When I dream
About the moonlight on the Wabash
Then I long for my Indiana home

Every Memorial Day weekend those words are sung at the start of the Indianapolis 500. I grew up with them, but they took on greater meaning the first time I was living out of state. I watched the ceremonies at the start of the race and found myself in tears as the words were sung.  What was it about Indiana and home that had me longing to be there?

Now that I am back home in Indiana, I am still stirred by the words of the song. What is it that I am still longing for?

My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too.
John 14: 2-3 CEB 

Perhaps finding peace at home in this life and peace in the next life stirs my heart for all those who have yet to discover that which their heart longs for ... How about you?

Waiting on the edge of your prodigal heart
Wanting for someone to save you from yourself
Out there on the edge dangling somewhere in the darkness
Doubting if anybody really cares
But when Love reached through the shadows
Whispering your name
And nothing will ever be the same again
For when Love calls you home
Forgiveness embraces a past you once owned
And all the mistakes that carried your name are gone

'Cuz that's what happens when Love calls you home
Craddled in Your mercy that has no limit
I've finally found a place where I belong
Now I can't imagine one moment without you in it
It's hard to believe I tried to make it on my own
But You picked me up from the ruins of my broken life
And when every chance was spent
You gave me one more try

written by FOSTER, MICHAEL sung by Commissioned

On the Way to Sunday: It's Pentecost ... again

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.  Acts 2:2-6 NIV

 As we approach the annual celebration of Pentecost, I have to admit that I have had to admit that I have been stuck with an 'old school' view of this day. It would seem that I have been willing to let Pentecost be a celebration of an event from the past and not really relevant today. 
 

Pentecost is the Birthday of the church, but let's be honest we all reach a point where Birthdays and parties seem like childish things - not relevant to our present situation.  Now don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting that the Holy Spirit or the Church have lost the relevance for today.  I just think we have missed the value of Pentecost in today's world as a real an active event. 

On the day of Pentecost, people were drawn to the disciples and each one heard their own language being spoken. I think we need Pentecost more than once a year.  We need it every day.  When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment.  We need a new vision of Pentecost.  One that speaks to us today.

When the day of Pentecost came

Mark A Hewitt, Pastel & pen. 26 May 2012.

We need a vision that allows today's disciples to speak a language that is understood by a broken and hurt world.  We need the church to be once again empowered to speak in new ways so that people who have stopped listening - might hear the Good News in a way that has meaning to them.

I am hopeful that we can still be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and learn to speak in new ways with our actions and our voices and then like Peter we can tell the story and answer the question, "Why are you doing this?" (Acts 2:12).

When is the last time people were drawn to you because of what they heard or saw?

John Wesley discovered a new voice over 200 years ago when he said, Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.

Perhaps its time for us to find a new voice once again in our actions and deeds as followers of Christ. This Pentecost may you find a new voice that others might hear the Good News for the first time.
 
See you Sunday ...

Finding the Good Life

The concept of the Good Life permeates our culture.  Wikipedia defines “the good life” as an ambiguous term referring to the life that one would like to live.  In order to find the Good Life we must know what it is we are looking for ... Today when you want to find something you go on-line and do a search.  My search for the The Good Life resulted in over 4 billion results.  One of those results sent me to a book written by rapper Trip Lee called The Good Life.  I was intrigued by this young man's answers to questions about the Good Life in a recent interview:

When people think of "the good life" they often think of living in luxury, what is your definition of the good life?  Lee: I think if you were to ask me when I was much younger what my definition of the good life was, I think it would have sounded a lot like what most people would say – a life with all the things you want and everything you think you need to make you happy, and these sorts of things. But the way I've tried to redefine the good life in my book is, instead of it being all about what you have or all about the things you achieve, I think the good life is living by faith in a good God. And what I mean by that is, instead of living by faith in whatever lies we've been told about what the good life is, instead of that we believe God. And when we follow God, then He's going to lead us to the good life. 

 

I know that I don't know much about the world of hip-hop and rap.  I also know that the Apostle Paul wasn't familiar with it either, but I do know that Trip is onto something that both Paul and I have come to know as truth:  

              So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 

              Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.                                                                                      Galatians 3:24-26 NIV  

We are running a race.  We are competing for a prize, but we will struggle to find the Good life as long as we seek to find that which is defined by the rules of others. Paul is trying to help us understand that the race we are running is not governed by the same rules that others are competing by.  The problem we have is that we often choose to still live under the old rules. 

We continue to compete believing that we must do that –  we must achieve this – we must have this – all in an effort to find the good life. Therefore, we live so much of our lives, as Christians, with guilt and judgment and yet we are victorious and free!  

We are Free to live the Good life.  Not the good life as determined by others.  Not the good life described and dictated by the “rules” of this world.  Until we learn to change our focus and free ourselves from the “rules” of this world, until we live our lives free of others expectations – We will never discover the Good Life for ourselves.

The Good Life is not to be determined by someone else – let alone this world. The Good Life is found when we choose to view life not through our own eyes but through the eyes of God. In order to find the Good Life, we need a change of perspective. Because finding the good life can be as easy as discovering the truth: Jesus said, “I am the truth and the life.” 

In our attempts to find the good life, your perspective on truth will ultimately determine if you ever able to find the good life you are looking to find.

On the way to Sunday ... Searching for the Good Life

If only life and box where all the that were looking for could be found ...

Even if the box existed, how would we find it?

Enter Professor Solomon. He is, according to his biography, a magician with a degree in English from Harvard, but Professor Solomon is also a findologist—an expert at finding lost objects. He has a book about finding lost things and in it he lists 12 principles for finding anything that is lost. 

Principle One: Don’t Look for It

Something’s lost, and your first thought— your basic instinct—is to look for it.
You’re ready to start rummaging about.
To hunt for it in a random, and increasingly frenetic, fashion. 
To ransack your own house.
This is the most common mistake people make.
And it can doom their search from the start.
I know you’re eager to find that lost item. But not yet. Don’t look for it yet.
Wait until you have some idea where to look.

You can check out the other 11 principles and make up your own mind if it works.  I was enthralled with the first principle, especially as it relates to Finding the Good Life.

We all want the Good Life.  We all are seemingly searching for the Good Life and so few of us are finding it. Perhaps, Professor Solomon is onto something ... Don’t look for it yet. Wait until you have some idea where to look. Maybe in our zeal to find the Good Life ... we all have started looking for the Good Life without any idea of where to begin the search? Thank you Professor Solomon for the reminder and the practical advice. 

Now before you going telling everyone about how wise the professor is, let me remind you of the words of the Great Master Teacher:

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things (The Good Life) shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 (my addition)

Not only did Jesus tell us how to find the Good Life, but he also told us exactly where to look.

See you Sunday ... I'll be the one smiling ... good to know in my search for the Good Life that I am looking in the right place!  How about you?

Seeking the Good Life

Tony Bennett sang it in the 1962 Film The Seven Deadly Sins:

Oh, the good life, full of fun seems to be the ideal. 
The good life lets you hide all the sadness you feel 
Please remember I still want you and in case you wonder why? 
Well, just wake up, (and) kiss the good life goodbye 

But before Tony sang it, Jesus was declaring it,  

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness
and all these things (The Good Life) shall be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33 (added) 

If you are still seeking the good life, if the good life you’re living is just hiding the sadness and emptiness you feel, then open your eyes to the good life you already have – God loves you – not because of what you have, or what you do, or what you have achieved, but just because of who you are – A creation of God’s handiwork.  

I pray that this will be the day you begin to seek first God’s kingdom and His Righteousness. I can promise that in seeking after this prize you will discover a prize of eternal consequence, a prize that will not lose its charm or luster.  

When you take the time to make seeking after this eternal prize your first priority, you will discover the Good Life is what you have been living ... 

Then your search can end and a lifetime of living the Good life can begin.