Cloud of Ripples

From Friday March 26...

Hebrews 11 and 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us."

Hebrews chapter 11 is often called the "Hall of Faith." Similar to a hall of fame, this passage lists a series of faithful followers of God including Abraham, Jacob and Moses. Like baseball legends enshrined in Cooperstown, these giants of the faith are remembered here in Hebrews 11. They are commended for their life of faith and obedeince to God. In chapter 12, the writer continues and says that we are surrounded by this great "crowd of witnesses", that is the list in chapter 11. Another translation refers to this as a great "cloud of witnesses."

The writer of Hebrews goes on and on about these heroes of the faith and then proclaims that we are surrounded by them! We are surrounded by them much like a cloud may surround a mountain. This tells me that we are not alone. Our faith is not just about us. There are others who have gone before us. Many others blazed the trail and broke the ground for us. We are continuing the work they began. As we make ripples in our communities we must remember we are not alone, but rather we are part of a movement of God that began long ago and that many have gone before us. We are simply continuing the giant ripple.

Dear Jesus, thank you for our cloud of witnesses. Help us remember what they started as we make our ripples. Amen.

A Fine Pearl

From Thursday March 25...

Matt. 13:46 "When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it."

Jesus is describing the kingdom of heaven. Here, he compares the kingdom to a priceless pearl. The pearl merchant does everything he can to obtain this pearl. So too, we should do whatever it takes to obtain (and share) the kingdom of God.

Am I willing to do whatever it takes for the sake of the kingdom? I know I will do what I can. I will do what is easy. I will do what is convenient. But will I drop everything and give up everything for Christ and his kingdom? Isn't one more soul in the kingdom worth everything? I need to figure this out. Why don't I go all out and do all I can for one more?

Dear Jesus, help me learn how to drop it all for one more. Amen.

Life and Death

Mark 8:32 "As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and told him he shouldn't say things like that."

Jesus is telling his disciples about the terrible things that will be happening to him and Peter scolds him! I had to laugh when I read that. Here is Peter, scolding Jesus and telling him not to say things like that.

Oftentimes when people are sick or dying they will begin talking about death. Quickly, a love one will snap back, "Don't say things like that." Why do they do that? Why did Peter do that? Is it because we are afraid of losing them? Does it make mortality a bit too close to home? Do we think about ours? Jesus is Jesus and he holds life and death in his hands. We, unlike Peter must trust Jesus knows what he is talking about and he knows what he is doing.

Dear Jesus, help me trust you in life and death. Amen.

Go Big or Go Home

Luke 14: 33 "So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me."

Jesus had large numbers of people following him. There were surely many reasons they followed him. He was known as a healer and miracle worker. No doubt this attracted many followers. In Luke 14, Jesus turns to them and lays it all on the line. He tells them that if they truly want to follow him, they better count the cost and give up everything.

Sometimes I don't like to listen to Jesus! Give up everything? Love him more than my wife and my kids? I guess you get one shot at this thing called life. And you must choose what you will live for and go all in. Go big or go home! There's no point in doing anything halfway. So, if I am going to walk around and call myself a "Jesus follower" I better get used to going all in.

Dear Jesus, help me this week to go all in for you. Amen.

Silent Sacrifice

Isaiah 53:7 "He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth."


This passage in Isaiah foretells the suffering Jesus will endure. As he was falsely accused and illegally beaten and tortured, he did not say a word.

If I am wronged, mistreated, offended or inconvenienced I say something. I speak up to defend myself and my pride. Jesus did not. Even though the entire situation he was in was wrong and was our fault, he said nothing. He took the fall for my sin and did so willingly. Maybe I need to be a little more patient, and have a little more mercy and grace for people? Maybe it's OK to be wronged and inconvenienced from time to time? Maybe I should shut up and be still and remember how quiet he was one day for me.

Dear Jesus thank you for doing what you did so willingly. Amen.

My Cheerful Heart

2 Cor. 9:7 "You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully."

Paul is heading up a fundraising effort for the church in Jerusalem. In this letter, he is talking with the Corinthian believers about how they can help. He encourages them to give willingly and cheerfully. He does not want gifts to be given out of guilt, shame or peer pressure. Many churches do respond and give cheerfully to the effort in Jerusalem.

It might be easy to give big to God with our money, our gifts, and our time, but if our heart is not in it we're fooling ourselves. God knows us inside and out. He knows our thoughts and our motives. He wants us to be all in to make ripples but only if our heart is involved. So I must ask myself, where is my heart? Am I all in to make ripples or am I going to fake it and give reluctantly? God wants me to be honest with him and I intend to do that.

Dear Jesus, help me be real with you and help my heart be in the right place to give cheerfully. Amen.

Jerusalemwood

Acts 1:8 "But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Jesus is about to return to heaven and he shares some final words with his followers. These aren't any normal, everyday words though. In fact, they are a manifesto, a mission, a destiny for his followers. Jesus describes a ripple for his followers. First they hit Jerusalem right where they live. Next they venture out a bit to Judea, then a bit farther to Samaria, and finally to the "ends of the earth." This massive, worldwide ripple begins right in their hometown.

My hometown is Maplewood. I live north of highway 36 in the Hazelwood neighborhood. This is my Jerusalem. I have neighbors who I am sure have not heard about Jesus and his kingdom. They need to hear about my faith and my joy this summer.

Dear Jesus, help me be who I am called to be in my Jerusalem we call Maplewood. Amen.

Helpless Midian Sisters

Exodus 2: 17 "But other shepherds would often come and chase the girls and their flocks away. This time, however, Moses came to their aid, rescuing the girls from the shepherds. Then he helped them draw water for their flocks."

Moses has just fled Egypt because Pharoah wanted to kill him. He ends up in Midian and there encounters a group of sisters. These sisters are continually harassed by some rowdy shepherds so Moses steps in, rescues the girls from the shepherds and then helps them draw their water for that day.

Moses is in a foreign land. He had no reason to help these girls-unless he was lonely I guess! Yet he steps in and does the right thing. I imagine he risked his life for these girls he had never met before. It's easy to do the right thing for me and my family. But real justice involves caring for those you have no stake in. It shoudl not benefit me to help. So the question is, who can I care for that I have no stake in? I need to find them and do something.

Dear Jesus, help me step up and do the right thing even when it does not benefit me. Amen.

God's Armor

Ephesians 6:13 "Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm."

Paul instructs believers to wear "God's armor" so that we can stand firm and conquer Satan. It's easy to assume that Paul used the common Roman soldier as an inspiration for this passage as they were common in his day. However, Paul does something much more profound as he is actually alluding to the Messiah's armor referenced in Isaiah 59:17 for example. Paul is saying we must arm ourselves in the same manner as Jesus.

Last night I had a crazy weird dream that I was in a large battle. We were all armed with swords and machetes and we ended up massacring each other. It was a horrible dream! However, that dream and this passage remind me that if I am to conquer Satan and his plans I must wear the armor of Jesus. My armor and my fighting techniques will fail. Only his sword, shield, and helmet will allow me to be victorious.

Dear Jesus, remind me daily I am in a war and I need your armor. Amen.

Expensive Pigs

From Friday March 12...

Mark 5:16-17 "Those who had seen what happened to the man and to the pigs told everyone about it, and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone."

A man possessed by a demon, many demons in fact (hence the name Legion) encounters Jesus and has a huge ripple moment with him. Jesus casts the demons out and sends them into a herd of pigs which then do their best cannonball in the lake and plunge to their deaths. The townspeople nearby seem to care less about the healing of this man and more about their pigs and their livelihood. They demand that Jesus leave them at once.

Sometimes the ripple threatens people. Sometimes the good news of Jesus doesn't appear to be good news to some. On Wednesday in Pakistan, five World Vision workers were killed in a terrorist attack. These relief workers were attempting to make ripples in Pakistan and serve the marginalized and forgotten-people like our friend "Legion." Making ripples and changing the world cost something. Maybe it's a herd of pigs, but maybe it's something more? As we begin to make ripples in our homes, our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces, and our community we must be prepared for the costs. We must wrestle with this and choose what we are willing to give up and sacrifice for the sake of God's kingdom and his ripples.

Dear Jesus, help me care less about the costs and more about the ripples. Amen.

Zacchaeus' Ripple

Luke 19: 8 "Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, 'I will give half of my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!'"

You gotta love this story! Jesus invites himself over to Zacchaeus' house for lunch. Zacchaeus was a rich tax collector, a man despised by the masses. Jesus doesn't care though. He goes to his house, has some enchiladas and for some reason, Zacchaeus decides to give away half of his wealth.

I'm not sure what inspired Zacchaeus to do what he did. Maybe it was Jesus' love, or something about the way the crowds reacted, who knows for sure? Either way, Zacchaeus responds generously. Something clicks in an instant and his life is changed. When was the last Zacchaeus moment I've had? When was the last time it clicked for me and I knew I had to do something right then at that moment? I need to respond and respond generously to the ripple and God's call in my life.

Dear Jesus, thank you for asking not a little, but a lot from us. Amen.

Block Party 2010?

Acts 2:11 "...and we all hear these people speaking in our own language about the wonderful things God has done!"

On the day of Pentecost, followers of Jesus were meeting together and out of nowhere flames like tongues of fire touched all of them. They each began speaking in other languages and praising God. Much like a ripple, these "tongues of fire" from heaven reached out and touched all the believers that day. On this day, these flames began a ripple like the world has never seen. The church is born and God begins using his people to reach the world with his love and hope.

How am I carrying on the flames and the ripple? How do I do this, not with my occupation, but as a person? I need some fire to touch me! I need to speak the language of my community, my neighborhood and my block! I need to talk to my neighbors. They need to hear the good news. Maybe this summer, Erin and I can host the block party we have talked about before and reach out to our neighbors?

Dear Jesus, help me make a ripple in my neighborhood this year. Amen.

His Ripples

Matthew 5:3 "God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them."

Matthew 5 contains one of the most famous passages in the Bible, the Sermon on the Mount. At the very beginning of Jesus' sermon, he includes a series of blessings, today referred to as "The Beatitudes." The word beatitude is from the Latin "beatus" which means blessed or happy. In Jesus' first blessing in this collection, he says that those who realize their need for God will be blessed. Not only will they be blessed, but the "Kingdom of Heaven is given to them."

I find it interesting that the very first blessing in this very important sermon simply reminds us of our need for God. If I am to be a ripple maker I need God. If I am going to make ripples with my life, my finances, my words, my deeds, and my influence, I must have a complete dependancy and reliance on God. I cannot make ripples on my own. I must daily spend time with God and turn over my ambitions and goals to Him. As I decide my role in this ripple movement, I must first seek God's will for my life.

Dear Jesus, help me rely on you and to daily remember I am yours. Remind me that without you, I cannot make any ripples. Amen.

From the Inside Out

Philippians 2:13 "For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him."

Paul is encouraging the Philippian believers to unite, practice humility, and shine brightly for Jesus. Their reputation and how they live their lives speaks louder than any words they could say. In verse thirteen, Paul says that it is God working in us and he gives us the desire to obey him and please him. This ambition does not come from us alone.

I think it is a huge statement to say that God is actively working in me. What if I was cognisant of this fact at all times? Knowing that God is working within me, would my choices and behaviors be any different? It's one thing if we think of God as hovering in the clouds thousands of miles away looking down at us from heaven. But to think he is inside us working on us-well that is truly humbling! I hope I can humble myself enough to allow God to do his work.

Dear Jesus, thank you for being in my life. Please help me get out of the way so you can do your thing. Amen.