If

If you never felt pain, Then how would you know that I’m a Healer?

If you never went through difficulty, How would you know that I’m a Deliverer?

If you never had a trial, How could you call yourself an overcomer?

If you never felt sadness, How would you know that I’m a Comforter?

If you never made a mistake, How would you know that I’m forgiving?

If you never were in trouble, How would you know that I will come to your rescue?

If you never were broken, Then how would you know that I can make you whole?

If you never had a problem, How would you know that I can solve them?

If you never had any suffering, Then how would you know what I went through?

If you never went through the fire, Then how would you become pure?

If I gave you all things, How would you appreciate them?

If I never corrected you, How would you know that I love you?

If you had all power, Then how would you learn to depend on me?

If your life was perfect, Then what would you need me for?

Author unknown (but thanks for writing this)

A woman, a well, and Jesus

Written by Tyler Hannan

In John 4 there is a story

a story of a woman
and a well

and Jesus

a story we are all, likely, familiar with...

a woman
a well
and Jesus

as the story progresses, we find out details
details about this woman
about her life
her pain
her brokeness

a woman with 5 husbands
a woman living with a man who isn't her husband
at a well
in the middle of the day

when you draw water
you draw it in the morning
you draw it in the evening
but not

in the heat of the day

so why was this woman at the well in the middle of the day?

because of the others who came to the well
her brokenness
and their comments
caused her such pain that she traveled
in the heat of the day
to a well

a woman
a well
and Jesus

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirst again, but whoever drinks the water i give them will never thirst"

at times this story is told
as a story of crossing a racial divide
or crossing a gender divide
or the forgiveness of sin
a story told where Jesus accuses the woman of sin
a story told where Jesus acknowledges the woman's failing

but, regardless of the telling
there is one common element

love.

this woman
at a well
in the heat of the day

replies to Jesus and says

"I know the Messiah is coming and when he comes he will explain everything to us"

and Jesus replies
Jesus replies
5 letters
3 words

I AM HE

a declaration of divinity
an acknowledgment of being the Messiah

finding a woman
at a well
in the heat of the day

hiding
hiding from the accusation of others
hiding from the condemnation of the crowd
searching,
waiting,
for the coming of the Messiah

I AM HE

waiting
for water that fills
water that heals
water that is readily available

I AM HE

waiting
so her spirit doesn't thirst
so her pain can be addressed

and there He is

a woman
a well
brokenness
sin

the Messiah offering water

"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

I AM HE

the call is the same
if you thirst
drink
if you find yourself in the heat of the day
drink

but don't drink a cupful
don't find contentment in the least
when
water
is available

I AM HE
I AM HERE

The Sermon on the mound

Opening day is here once again. We have survived the cold of winter and new optimism fills the air.

Baseball is in my blood so to speak. It has been passed down to me by my father http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=appleg001fra who had it passed down from his father and my kids whether they realize it or not have had it passed down from me.

As a kid I loved to play baseball. I would gather anyone and everyone in the neighborhood to play ball whether it be wiffle ball, stick ball or hard ball. It wasn't until I stopped playing organized ball after college that I realized how much I love this game. As a follower of Jesus I have also recognized that Baseball is one of the greatest metaphors for the Christian life:

1. It teaches you how to deal with failure. The most successful hitters in the game fail 7 out of 10 times. Out of the 30 Major League teams only 8 make the playoffs and only one is crowned champion.

"We all make many mistakes..." (James 3:2 NLT)

"For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again..." (Proverbs 24:16 NIV)

"Failure doesn’t mean you have blown everything. It means you have some hard lessons to learn. It doesn’t mean you are a permanent loser. It means you aren’t as smart as you thought you were. It doesn’t mean you should give up. It means you need the Lord to show you the next step. It doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you. It means that God has a better plan." Ray Pritchard

2. It is a team sport, however the team really is very dependent on individual performance. For example, if the pitcher is off there is not much the rest of the fielders can do about it. Or lets say there is two outs and your on base but the hitter at the plate does not get a hit you you cannot score.

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12 NIV)

"Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." (Romans 12:4-5 NIV)

3. To be successful requires Spring Training.

"...discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7-8 NASU)

4. Every team needs a good manager.

"...For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 NLT)

"For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need." (Phillipians 4:13 NLT)

5. Opening day means a fresh start for every team. (Great news for Cubs fans!)

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)

"He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:5 NIV)

"For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert!" (Isaiah 43:19 NLT)


PASTORAL PROGNOSTICATION

Some songs never grow old

"If I stand" by Rich Mullins

"There's more that rises in the morning
Than the sun
And more that shines in the night
Than just the moon
It's more than just this fire here
That keeps me warm
In a shelter that is larger
Than this room

And there's a loyalty that's deeper
Than mere sentiments
And a music higher than the songs
That I can sing
The stuff of Earth competes
For the allegiance
I owe only to the Giver
Of all good things

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home

There's more that dances on the prairies
Than the wind
More that pulses in the ocean
Than the tide
There's a love that is fiercer
Than the love between friends
More gentle than a mother's
When her baby's at her side

And there's a loyalty that's deeper
Than mere sentiments
And a music higher than the songs
That I can sing
The stuff of Earth competes
For the allegence
I owe only to the Giver
Of all good things

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home

And if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home

And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72L-bDOozNY&feature=related

Contents under pressure

Recently my wife brought a few diet Pepsi in from the garage that were frozen on the inside. We learned the hard way why labels on cans often say "Contents under pressure." After a few short moments of extreme temperature change the can blew off the top and frozen diet Pepsi was all over our kitchen with some that even made it down the hall way. Thankfully, the half of a can that whizzed by my ear did no real damage except leaving behind a big mess to clean up.

After we cleaned up I thought about the pressure that most people feel with crazy schedules, difficult situations, and the stress of life and how a lot of people feel like "contents under pressure." When things get tough people explode emotionally and relationally.

When times get tough its easy for people to turn to other things and wrong things than turn to God when they feel pressure. When people drink too much, yell too much or go into a fit of anger they are actually trying to deal with or numb pain they are feeling. In times of difficulty it is easy to find comfort in the wrong things.

Thinking about this made me think about Jesus' promise concerning the Holy Spirit:

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;" (John 14:16 KJV)

I love that the Holy Spirit is called the "Comforter." It is a great picture of how God wants to help us in our lives if we will surrender to him. The Greek word for "Comforter" is the word "Paraclete" which literally means "one who comes alongside." I looked up 5 other translations to see how "Paraclete" is translated here is what I found:

NIV: Counselor
NASB: Helper
NLT: Advocate
The Message: Friend
Amplified: Intercessor, strengthener, stand by
Spanish: Consolador (Note the root word "console")

The Holy Spirit was sent to counsel us, to help us, to be our advocate, to be our closest friend, to be our strength, and to be our consoler. When we are under pressure we need to stop and surrender our emotions, our situations, people, whatever it is that is causing us to feel pressure and let him help. We are promised in Scripture:

"But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)...But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence)." (Galatians 5:16, 22-23 AMP)

Here is a great prayer to pray when you are under pressure:

God, teach me to be patient, teach me to go slow,

Teach me how to wait on You when my way I do not know.

Teach me sweet forbearance when things do not go right
So I remain unruffled when others grow uptight.

Teach me how to quiet my racing, rising heart
So I might hear the answer You are trying to impart.

Teach me to let go, dear God, and pray undisturbed until
My heart is filled with inner peace and I learn to know your will.

- written by Helen Steiner Rice

What to do when you fail?

Lord, are you trying to tell me something?

For:

Failure doesn't mean I'm a failure.
It does mean I haven't yet succeeded.

Failure doesn't mean I have accomplished nothing.
It does mean I have learned something.

Failure doesn't mean I have been a fool.
It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.

Failure doesn't mean I've been disgraced.
It does mean I dared to try.

Failure doesn't mean I don't have it.
It does mean I have to do something in a different way.

Failure doesn't mean I am inferior.
It does mean I am not perfect.

Failure doesn't mean I've wasted my life.
It does mean I have an excuse to start over again.

Failure doesn't mean I should give up.
It does mean I must try harder.

Failure doesn't mean I'll never make it.
It does mean I need more patience.

Failure doesn't mean you have abandoned me.
It does mean you must have a better idea!

Amen.

Playing to win rather than playing not to lose

I am a huge sports fan. I think sports offer great life lessons and there is much we can learn about life from sports themselves. Cliches about sports often end up being descriptions of real life situations. One of those cliches is "playing not to lose." Playing not to lose usually happens when a team is ahead by several points and the other team begins to comeback and score consecutive points.

Just the other day I was watching my beloved Colorado Buffaloes basketball team. They were ahead by seventeen points on the road at Baylor. To gain that lead the Buffs were playing loose and fast. They had a great game plan to win the game. They were taking it to Baylor's serious height advantage. Then something happened. Baylor scored a few baskets in a row and Colorado begin to take bad shots and turn the ball over. Next thing you know the Buffs were completely out of their game plan. They were panicking trying to conserve their lead. They begin to play not to lose rather than playing to win, they stopped playing the way that got them that seventeen point lead in the first place. They blew the game and lost.

Don't we often do the same thing in real life? We do it in our relationships, in our spiritual lives, in ministry, and on our jobs.

If we were to compare and contrast playing to win with playing not to lose we would have to start with the fact that playing to win always requires a level of risk and playing not to lose emphasizes conserving. Risk and and conserving are opposites. You can't risk and conserve at the same time. Risk by definition is the possibility of suffering harm or loss.

Another difference between the two is that playing to win requires boldness and playing not to lose oozes reluctance. Boldness is not carelessness but it is confidence and the ability to trust and move forward. It is faith in action whereas reluctance is motivated by fear. In particularly fear of loss. Risk and boldness are excited about the future, reluctance and fear spend a lot of energy on holding on to the past.

In my opinion the person who typifies playing not to lose in the Bible is Saul (1 Samuel 9-31). According to Scripture Saul was "an impressive man without equal and a head taller than any of the others" (1 Samuel 9:2). He had all the advantages a King could ask for yet he played not to lose all of his time as King. His focus was on himself and not losing his Kingdom. He was reluctant, indecisive, and filled with the fear of man. All of his decisions were stained with his desire to conserve what he had rather than be obedient to the Lord.

A character that is the complete opposite of Saul is Caleb (Numbers 13-14). Caleb typifies playing to win. Caleb was one of the spies who went into the land God had promised the Jews. The land was filled with all the great things God had told them but also had giants that intimidated the majority of the spies. In fact they were so intimidated that all but two refused to take God at his word and go into the land. Caleb was one of them that believed God would keep his word:

"Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." (Numbers 13:30 NIV)

God was pleased with Caleb's faith:

"But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it" (Numbers 14:24 NIV)
Playing to win pleases God: "...without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

Is there a place in your life where you are playing not to lose rather than to win? Where are you walking in fear rather than faith? Reluctance rather than boldness? Conserving rather than risking?

The difficult part in following Jesus is that playing not to lose can be very costly:

"Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life." (Matthew 16:24-25 NLT)

However, the reward for playing to win with him is great: "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven..." (Luke 6:23 NIV)

Paul prayed a prayer about playing to win for some early Christ followers. Would you pray it with me?

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light...With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (Colossians 1:9-12, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)