When God Writes Your Epitaph

Not if, but when.

God will write your epitaph one day, so why not enter into a little "planning" now for what those words might be?

We plan for retirement, old-age retirement homes and even prepay our funeral expenses. But at the end of the day--literally--all that matters is what God might say for the summary of your life.

In 2 Chronicles 27 God's epitaph of Jotham, king of Judah, reads like this:

"In God's eyes he lived a good life...Jotham's strength was rooted in his life of steady and determined obedience to God."

How did Jotham feed his strength? He intentionally obeyed God and never gave up.

While you're planning this and that, plan for your epitaph that God will one day write.

It's a plan you won't regret.

Ryan Hall, God and the Olympic Spirit

Life is a marathon.

I care about running it well, i.e., how does God want us to do it? What is His best? Is it possible to avoid traps that defeat us spiritually, emotionally and physically?

In my forties, I started asking God those questions.

My "training" began to look like this:

Spiritually:  daily, intentional time with God

Emotionally: continual trading of my fear(s) for dependence upon Him 

Physically: Whole-food, plant-based diet, strength training, chiropractic, massage

I remember distinctly the day God spoke to my heart (I was a middle-school principal, divorced, with five children under my roof), making it clear to me that if I didn't rest one day a week, I would fail. Though the math of doing the same in less days made no sense to me, I obeyed, and of course, got more done in six than previously in seven. Crazy.

Now almost sixty, I have incredible energy, no pain, and meet every obstacle with, "Lord, go before me. I put my trust in You." I know when to rest and when to all-out run.

This morning, I "met" Ryan Hall, Olympic marathoner, and read his incredible story of how God called him to let Him (God) be his coach. Another crazy.

When I read how he responded to this call of one day of no training and how "he met people who said they felt led to be a part of his team, a nutritionist, a strength trainer, a chiropractor and a massage therapist," I was ecstatic to see so much duplication.

Ryan: headed for the London finish line
Me: headed for the Life finish line

Read Ryan's story in Guideposts; perhaps you'll want to invite God to be your life coach. I'm certainly glad He is mine.

Finish well.

The Deep, the Longing and the Envelope

It could be a whim and I am leading you astray.

Oh, how I hope that I am not.

This morning I cannot escape from the deep. That is, a deep stirring that keeps pointing me in the direction of inviting you to join me in a quest.

I have a longing in my heart known only to God and today He seems to be offering a path, not only for me but perhaps for you as well.

The path? To write down my longing, date it, seal it in an envelope and ask Him to impact that longing in say, six months. I calculated that date as well.

I believe when our hearts are stirred to pray for certain events or outcomes or changes, then the stirring means God is waiting to answer that which He is directing us to ask.

The answer to our longing is no problem for God. He's the One who has the Earth teetering (and orbiting at the same time) at the precise angle that keeps us balanced and alive.

What He's really after, it seems, is an intimacy that grows out of us realizing that He cares and cares deeply for longings that matter to us.

Maybe in God's envelope is the longing that you will meet Him on this path.

Hmm...we can answer God's longing? Now, that is a thought for the day.

Go Electric

What are you powered by?

Ambition? There's nothing wrong with the passion of pursuit.

Gathering? Seems right to store up for a rainy day.

Muddling through? Sometimes that's the best we can bring to the day.

But if we begin to install facets of a greater Power, everything amplifies, like a six-string guitar going electric.

Faith. Is there a God, a true God, with whom to explore a faith journey?

Hope. Is it just dust-to-dust or is there a reason for this life that carries us into the next?

Love. Is this a force so powerful that it recreates the pattern of day-to-day into an incredible mosaic?

Your life is the playing of a beautiful instrument. Go electric.

YOU ARE...A Seed?

I have recently discovered my passion for seeds as I've switched to a plant-based diet.

Someone recently challenged me on the pot of coffee I drink each morning, and I noted happily that coffee beans are, in fact, seeds and God gave us seed-bearing plants for food (Gen 1:29).

End of discussion.

But more importantly, I have come to believe that we, in fact, are seeds. What if we lie dormant with our calling tucked away in a seed-like state, waiting on release that is orchestrated by God Himself?

If you'd like to read more, join me in considering whether or not YOU ARE...A Seed?

Life Laundry

Universal dread: folding laundry.

Universal activity: unfolding it to retrieve its blessing, i.e., wearing it.

Perhaps we rarely ponder the blessing of unfolding our laundry, but unfolding is quite the universal concept.

Flowers unfold to reveal their beauty.

Projects such as Ground Zero unfold to heal tragic wounds.

Therapy unfolds to weave hope into fractured lives.

Time + effort = unfolding of blessings.

Life laundry, then, might be the unfolding of relationships over time.

What begins all folded up--say, in a new marriage or friendship--begins to unfold love, stamina, compromise, and deep connection.

We are all folded up when we meet God on some avenue of life. But, in that moment, if we are willing, He will help us unfold something so beautiful that, as we begin to wear the blessing of it, we will shine with the glow of His love.

Pretty cool laundry.