That Printer of Udell’s: A book that changed Reagan’s life, and mine

My husband Jim and I hadn’t seen the new Reagan movie yet. We thought we were just watching another film until it became more than that. The movie is well done and worth seeing, but the book I read after watching the movie is what most impacted my thoughts, and hopefully my choices in the future.

In the movie, Reagan’s mom and her preacher give a young Ron the book That Printer of Udell’s by Harold Bell Wright. It is such a brief moment in the movie that it would be easy to miss, but I was fascinated by the idea that a book changed Reagan’s life. I asked Jim to back up the movie and hit the pause button so I could write the title down. When the movie was over, I downloaded the book.

That Printer of Udell’s

This is what President Reagan’s presidential library said about the book: “After reading this book at age 11, Ronald Reagan said it had a lasting impact on his life, shaping his own moral sense.” 

Ronald Reagan wrote a letter to Harold Bell Wright’s daughter-in-law in 1984 and told her, “I found a role model in that traveling printer whom Harold Bell Wright had brought to life. He set me on a course I’ve tried to follow even unto this day. I shall always be grateful.”

John Fund, a Wall Street Journal columnist, said, “Many of Reagan’s accomplishments, as well as his outlook on life, can be traced back to that dog-eared copy of That Printer of Udell’s.”

Why did this book change Reagan’s life?

I have always been a fan of President Reagan. He is the president who shaped my ideas of what an American leader should be. After hearing that this book changed his life, I knew I wanted to read it.  This is a synopsis of the book from his presidential library:

Ronald Reagan noted that this book provided a lasting impact on his life, shaping his own moral sense. He identified with the central character, Dick Falkner. Falkner’s childhood was one of poverty and abuse from an alcoholic father. Recognizing his life for what it was, he ran away from his home, but he could not run away from all of his problems. Sixteen years later he found himself hungry of body and empty of spirit in a small Midwestern town.

Eventually, he is taken in by George Udell, a local printer and a kind-hearted man. George Udell gives the young man a job, and something more important: spiritual support. Through hard work and Christian morals, the man who becomes known as “that printer of Udell’s” rises above his past to a new life with God, doing what he could to change the lives of the town people.

Why did this book impact Ronald Reagan as it did?

The library says this about Ronald Reagan’s mom and dad, Jack and Nelle:

Jack was born in Fulton, Illinois on July 13, 1883, and raised in the Catholic Church. Nelle was born in Fulton, Illinois on July 24, 1883. The two were married in November 1904. Jack worked as a salesman most of his adult life and suffered from alcoholism. Nelle was deeply religious, and active in the Disciples of Christ Church.

The movie depicts Reagan’s mom and her pastor giving him the book so that he can understand he has choices to make about his future. He can follow in his father’s footsteps, or he can follow in his heavenly Father’s footsteps.

Ronald Reagan would be the first to say that he did not live a perfect life. Neither does the main character of the book. But, as the book makes clear, God and his true followers offer the grace we need to make mistakes and then move forward with better choices.

The book kept me home from church

That statement may seem like an odd thing for me to put in my blog post. Did I make a wrong choice after reading a book about making God-driven choices?

It was Sunday morning, and I woke up at 4:30 a.m. because I wanted to finish reading the book before church. I finished the final page at 6:30 a.m., leaving me plenty of time to get ready. People who know me know that I am a stickler for defining “on time” as five minutes early. In contrast, one of the most frequent arguments I have with my husband is because I married a man who thinks, “I can get one more thing done, before I have to leave.” I hate to be late. He hates to waste even one minute of time being early. We have been married for forty-four years so I don’t think either of us will change on this subject, so we now try to accept our differences.

Interestingly, on Sunday morning both of us were having the same struggle. He was rushing through some important moments with God, trying to be ready for church. I was also struggling with a multitude of God–driven thoughts about the book I just finished in order to get to church. Jim and I sat down together, talked, prayed, and both agreed we were supposed to stay home that morning. 

Sunday mornings are sacred times for worship. Why did God lead us both to stay home?

I want to recommend to you That Printer of Udell’s

If you have been a reader for a while, you know that I believe there is only one perfect Book. I would never say that a work of fiction should be considered in the same way as the Bible. However, That Printer of Udell’s is an inspired novel, even in its imperfection. It was published in 1902, and there are words and phrases about people that would not be acceptable today and might keep some from recommending the book. I recommend the book anyway because if you read carefully, you will see the author is often commending the character of the people, using words that were considered acceptable in 1902. It would be a shame to miss the message of this book because of when it was written. 

C. S. Lewis was referring to the wisdom of timeless literature when he said, “It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.” This “old” book is one of the best books I’ve read in my lifetime.

This week, I will teach some of my favorite verses in the Bible. I often quote Colossians 3:23–24, which says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Sunday morning, serving Jesus meant to sit quietly at his feet and listen. I’m still processing all that came from that time of spiritual worship and meditation.

Sometimes worship is about being alone with God and allowing his Spirit to author your thoughts and ideas. I can honestly say I hope everyone who reads this blog post will download That Printer of Udell’s. The book changed Ronald Reagan’s life, and I believe it will likely change each of our lives as well. It is a book about practical Christianity and the hard work it takes to live in this world with God-authored priorities. Living with those sacrificial Christian priorities is “our spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1–2).

Your life has infinite possibilities

In the book, Udell’s printer, the son of an alcoholic, works his way from homelessness to spiritual strength because of God. One of my favorite quotes comes from Udell himself. He greatly admired his employee’s difficult yet successful journey in life and said, “Truly, the possibilities of life are infinite. The power of the human soul cannot be measured, and no man guesses the real strength of his closest friend.”

This book is about the strength each of us has available to us through our closest friend, Jesus Christ. That Printer of Udell’s is literature, a work of fiction. But it is a work of fiction that God used to change a man like Ronald Reagan and a woman like myself. “The possibilities of life are infinite.”  

Have any of us reached our God-given capacities yet? This book can help us consider that question and then aim for God’s answers. 

God’s word for America from Paul and Barnabas

One of the best things about God’s word is that it never holds back or softens truth. The Bible tells us David was a man after God’s own heart, but it also tells us about David’s sin with Bathsheba. Scripture tells us about Noah’s faithfulness and the shame he experienced later in life. Paul was quoting ancient truth when he wrote to the Christians in Rome, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:11–12). A few sentences later, he told them everyone sins and falls short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). 

Paul was stating the ancient biblical truth that because of the Fall, human beings will never be good enough for heaven without a saving faith. Jesus died because we needed him to pay for our sins. The Bible doesn’t withhold truth about even our greatest heroes of the faith because every one of the heroes needed to have a God who would save them. No one is born a saint, and everyone is born a sinner except Jesus.

Who are the winners and the losers?

The news media has discussed that question extensively in the past week. What is the biblical response and the thought every Christian should strive to remember?

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The winners in this world are the people who have accepted the free grace gift of salvation. The losers are the lost, those who have rejected Jesus. Christians live with the Light of the world so we can live as the light of the world. We are called to be one in Christ and one with each other.

Why, then, do we have so much trouble getting along?

Paul and Barnabas offer some advice

Paul would not have been able to do all he did for the Lord if not for Barnabas. The Bible doesn’t tell us about Barnabas’ sins, but we know he had some. When Barnabas spoke up for Paul in front of Peter, James, and the other church leaders in Acts 15, his words about Paul were received and respected. Obviously, Barnabas was a man who lived with a high and holy reputation.

On the other hand, Paul had a reputation that needed to be overcome. The early church accepted him largely because men like Ananias and Barnabas said they should. Paul and Barnabas traveled together, establishing churches and leading others to a saving faith in Christ.

They did this until they got into an argument over John Mark. The Bible makes it clear that Paul and Barnabas thought they were right about John Mark, even though they disagreed. Bible history points out that they were both right and wrong.

These two saints were about to take their second missionary journey together. Barnabas thought they should take John Mark, even though the young man had abandoned them on the first missionary journey. Paul didn’t want John Mark to come, thinking they might repeat the same mistake twice. 

The Bible says, “there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other” (Acts 15:39). Two devout Christians, called and gifted by God, couldn’t agree and decided not to work together. You might say they “agreed to disagree.” The result? Barnabas did missionary work with John Mark, and Paul took Silas.

God redeemed the disagreement and used all these men for his higher purpose. We know that Paul later reconciled with both Barnabas and John Mark because he mentions them in 1 Corinthians 9:6 and 2 Timothy 4:11 using words of praise.

If Paul and Barnabas could give Christians in America some advice today, it might stem from their own experience. These two men might remind us that every Christian on earth is still a sinner. We should expect to disagree, even with our brothers and sisters in Christ. But our disagreements shouldn’t stop us from serving God’s kingdom purpose. When we “sharply disagree,” God can redeem our sins for his greater good.

If we ask a wrong question, we will get a wrong answer

When Christians disagree, it is rarely over who is right or wrong. Instead, we should ask ourselves, “How are we both right and wrong?” We should also ask, “What does God say is right about our point of view, and what is wrong?” 

Sometimes, we remain at a place of sharp disagreement. If so, agree to disagree and move forward, together or separately, with God’s calling. 

The modern trend in our culture is to take a side and defend it. The problem is both sides can make some good points. None of us are perfectly right or completely wrong. We are just a bunch of sinners who likely want to “feel right” more than we try to “be right.”

What is the first question to get right?

What has God said about it? If we care more about what God thinks and wants than what we might feel is best, the correct answers will likely follow. 

If Paul and Barnabas can sharply disagree, so can we. The truth is found at the end of their lives and ministries when they once again thought highly of one another. All of them, John Mark included, knew that God had redeemed their disagreement for his greater good.

Since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden, God has been doing great things through a bunch of sinners. We can expect God to continue doing the same until we join him in heaven.

Paul and Barnabas were both passionate about serving Christ, and they did serve him well. We should be less worried about conflict and more confident about God. Truthfully, the absence of conflict often indicates the presence of apathy.

Christians need to become as passionate about God’s word as others are passionate about their point of view. We are called to be the “light of the world.” We can disagree with the world and one another, but we must agree with the humility that comes from knowing only God will get it perfectly right.

God’s help for impossible choices

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Note: This blog post originally was scheduled to publish on 5/22, but was pushed back a week to publish a post on the American Idol finale. Mom has been steadily improving over these past few weeks, and we continue to be grateful for every day we have with her!

I had worked hard to get ahead and was looking forward to a wonderful week of rest and relaxation at the beach. Three days before we were scheduled to leave, the phone rang at 1:13 a.m. and everything changed. The nurses at my mom’s assisted living were on the other end of the line telling me that Mom needed to get to the hospital.

Thirty minutes later, Mom was in my car and we were headed to the E.R. Two hours later, the doctor was looking me in the eyes and said, “It’s bad.” I knew the doctor was telling me to be prepared for the worst news.

The doctors had found a mass on Mom’s pancreas and reported a serious blood infection. They began to ask me about a DNR, her end-of-life plans, and what treatments I wanted to choose for her. Mom has fairly advanced dementia and the choices needed to be mine, not hers. We talk often about the sanctity of life as it relates to abortion, but the conversation is so much larger than that one issue.

I was left with the prayer, “Lord, how do I sustain my mom’s life without prolonging her death?” The doctors wanted answers I just didn’t know how to give.

God’s great calm.

This blog is scheduled to arrive in people’s inboxes on Wednesday mornings. Even as people are reading these words today, I am speaking at an event where I have been asked to discuss my book, A Great Calm. I will share a little of the story and then probably say something like, “I can speak about God’s great calm, I can even write a book about it, but his calm wasn’t mine until I gave everything else away and asked to receive his gift of peace.”

I spent several days ready to hand my mom to Jesus, then as her health improved, I spent several days trying to figure out how to care for her in the days ahead. There were no clear or easy solutions. I had bad choices and worse choices, none of which felt right. 

How could I make good decisions when all I had was limited information? And my choices would likely become my mom’s life, or maybe my mom’s death! 

I was trying to sleep on the fold-out bed in the hospital room. I listened to her moan. I tried to help her understand where she was and why she was there, and when she went back to sleep, I tried to rest. But, one morning I finally gave up trying to understand medical facts and accepted the hard truth that I would never have the answers I needed most. The only solution I needed was God’s. The only solution I could trust was God’s. 

At the end of my efforts was God’s answer.

What is God’s great calm? Jesus was asleep in the boat, not caring about the storm that raged around him and his disciples. The waters from the Sea of Galilee were filling their boats and these men, many who were experienced fishermen, thought they were going to die. It was then that they woke Jesus and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38). Jesus woke up, spoke to the wind and the sea saying, “‘Peace, Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).

Scripture says that the disciples were in awe of “this man” who could speak to a storm and calm the wind and the waves.

I was awake one morning at 3:30 a.m. and I sat in that hospital room asking Jesus for his answers, for his calm. When I asked, I received what I needed. Mother Teresa is quoted as saying, “You will never know Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have.” When I realized that the only answer I needed was from Jesus, I prayed to receive it. And I did!

It was never my choice.

The outcome of my mom’s life wasn’t up to me. Only Jesus has the perfect ability to make that choice. I just needed to make decisions for my mom’s life and allow Jesus to make the decisions about her death. It really was that simple.

I spent hours that morning learning what was necessary to qualify Mom for hospice/palliative care. She needed three factors, and she had all three. I knew the best place for Mom was back at her place, in her own bed, surrounded by familiar faces who wanted to take good care of her. But, I also knew she needed additional medical care that they couldn’t provide. Several phone calls later, she had the extra care she would need from a wonderful, Christian hospice group.

When the doctors showed up later that morning, I told them what I wanted to do. By 5:00 that afternoon, Mom was back in her home surrounded by familiar things. It was the first moments of calm that we had experienced since I had rushed her to the E.R. a week earlier.

With the help of loving, Christian health care, my mom is now in a position to live the rest of her life with as much joy and peace as she can experience. My mom’s journey to heaven is for Jesus to decide, and I trust him with that moment.

My last Mother’s Day with Mom?

My sister and I helped Mom get to the dining room for the big Mother’s Day luncheon they were doing. We sat and enjoyed that time with Mom knowing it might be our last holiday together. Or maybe, we will have several more.

I’m peacefully sad and joyfully ready for whatever Jesus wants to do. He is perfect and his plan for her will be perfect as well. Mom’s life has always been in his hands, and I will do my best to honor and obey his plans. I’m just glad to be part of his work.

Mother’s Day was a sweet day because I know she is back home and doing the best we can expect for her life. It was a sweet day because I know her best life is in her future. Every night I ask Jesus to grab my dad and bring him along, as they come get Mom. It’s probably not great theology, but it is my nightly prayer. I like the verse that says, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). As a Bible teacher I have to say, I wouldn’t teach that verse that way. As a daughter, I sure am praying the verse that way!

How do we receive God’s help for impossible choices?

We need to ask to receive what only God can give. We need to give up our own ideas before we are ready for his. We need to trust his perfection and have a healthy sense of doubt for other solutions.

The psalmist wrote, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). The way to receive God’s help for impossible choices is not knowing that verse, it’s choosing to trust and live the truth it proclaims. Run to the shelter God provides. Receive the calm strength that only God can give. And trust his presence is all the help you need because it will be the only help you actually have.

As I type these words, I do so with the “great calm” that Jesus has provided. My only regret is the week it took for me to stop fighting through the storm myself, and realize I needed no other voice but his. I can honestly say, “it is well with my soul.” I’m blessed to know and love the God who makes “all things possible.”[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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When God speaks

My blog posts this week is about listening to God. 

He speaks to servants who listen. 

But sometimes God whispers. 

Why is that?

GOD’S WHISPER IS PERSONAL

When did you last whisper to someone? 

Chances are, it was someone you love. We don’t whisper in the ears of strangers. God whispers to those he loves too. 

Scripture records God’s whispered voice in 1 Kings 19. This is one of the most touching passages in the Bible. 

Elijah’s experience with God took place after his public stand against the prophets of Baal. The Lord had shown himself to the people when Elijah’s altar was consumed by fire from heaven. Everyone witnessed the power of God, and the prophets of Baal were defeated and killed. But, when Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life, the prophet was afraid and fled into the hills. 

Elijah traveled for forty days and ended up in a cave on Mount Sinai. Some commentaries suggest it could have been the cave on Mount Sinai, the cave where Moses had met with God. When God wanted to whisper to his prophet, he took him to a place where he knew Elijah would listen. 

When God whispers, his words are personal and private. They are his message to you, before they become a message for others. 

GOD’S WHISPER HAS A PURPOSE

There have been countless sermons and books from this passage about Elijah. The prophet was afraid, dejected, depressed, and alone, and this is soon after he had prayed for fire from heaven. The people who saw the miracle recognized the power of God, but the prophet was still afraid of Jezebel’s threats. 

Elijah has always been considered the great prophet of Israel. It is just like God to provide his people with a story like Elijah’s so that every generation would learn from his example. People tend to look for greatness in other people, in other things. Every prophet, from Elijah to today, is simply a human being whose greatness is a product of God’s.  

Elijah was in a cave when an angel of the Lord came to him and said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord” (1 Kings 19:11). God wanted to speak a personal message to Elijah, meet his needs, and direct his path. God was going to whisper to the prophet, and he wanted Elijah to listen. 

God still whispers his purpose and plans to his people today. 

GOD’S WHISPER IS POWERFUL

Elijah stood before the Lord, and “he passed by.” Scripture says that “a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire” (1 Kings 19:11–12). 

Everyone has needed to alter their life this past year. I have masks in my car, in my purse, and in my home. A lot of God’s people, myself included, have looked at this past year and wondered if the Lord was speaking to our American culture. My only answer to that question is maybe. 

On the other hand, if I stand on the mountain with Elijah, I see things differently. 

Are we supposed to look for God in a virus, in the news, in the government, and in the storms? What if God wants us to seek his voice in the quiet? 

After the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, there was “the sound of a low whisper” (1 Kings 19:12). The Bible says, “when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out” (v. 13).  

God’s voice was most powerful when it was most personal. 

God’s words to Elijah were whispered because the prophet was close and listening. That’s why Elijah covered his head. God was so near that the prophet was careful to be reverent. In that moment, nothing else mattered except hearing God’s quiet voice. 

When God whispers to us, it is for our ears only—and we should strain to catch every word.  

GOD’S WHISPER IS OUR PEACE

God spoke directly to Elijah’s needs. Elijah felt alone and dejected. As a prophet, he was supposed to convince people of their need for God and help them return to faith and obedience. But, when Elijah called fire from heaven, giving proof of God’s existence, he only made Jezebel more of an enemy. Elijah needed to measure success differently. 

God told Elijah to return and anoint new kings over Israel and Judah. God also told him to anoint Elisha as the new prophet for these kings. Then God told Elijah which king would be responsible for Elisha’s death.  

God didn’t whisper that everything would be fine. He told Elijah that most of the people would not change, but some would. God said, “Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18). 

God didn’t whisper that everything would be fine. God whispered his will, and Elijah was fine.  

GOD’S WHISPER IS HIS WORD

Do you expect God will whisper to you? 

Our generation of faith is blessed to have access to his word every moment of every day. We can Google a verse, grab a Bible, or download a sermon at any time. Never in history has God’s word been more available to people. But access to God’s word doesn’t mean people will be convinced. 

This is an important time in history to remember that Jesus said, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14). Our promise is never most. In fact, it isn’t even many. Success is measured as some, those who hear and receive the truth about salvation in Christ. 

Take a moment to draw close to Jesus. 

Then allow him to whisper his words to you. 

Hear Jesus quietly say, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” 

Allow his words to be personal and powerful and to bring you peace—if you have chosen to walk that narrow path. 

Allow the whisper to remind you that you are close to his voice, and the Lord will strengthen you to walk his purpose, regardless of others’ opinions. 

And listen closely for God to guide you to the people who need to hear that the Savior died for them too. 

God still whispers his words to those who will listen. 

God’s whisper is his word to you. 

Draw close—and listen. 

*Original posting for this blog was July 19, 2022

The spiritual red zone

I’ve never watched so much football in my life! 

Last weekend my husband, Jim, and I decided to have a football weekend. We love the game of football and had a great time watching teams play at their highest levels because the entire season was on the line. 

Sadly, we gave up on the Saturday night game too soon! 

We had church in the morning and decided Trevor Lawrence was just having a bad night. He was down 27–0 at halftime and we just went to bed. When we woke up the next morning, we heard the reporters talking about the third-greatest comeback in playoff history! 

Trevor had played an almost-perfect second half and led his team to a 31–30 victory. The next morning, he got a standing ovation when he went to the Waffle House for breakfast! He is a good guy, and I’m glad his team is still in the running.

Jim was preaching Sunday morning and used an illustration that prompted the title for this blog post. Most of us who attend our chapel service are somewhere around our age. Jim used a PowerPoint slide with a picture of a football field and told us to judge our age as progress down the field. 

Most of us had passed the twenty-yard line and realized we are headed for the end zone! 

After church, I made a joke and said, “So, what you are saying is that you and I are in the Red Zone.” 

What is the spiritual red zone?

For those who might not watch football, the red zone is considered the part of the field between the twenty-yard line and the goal line. It is the part of the field where games are won or lost. 

It occurred to me that, in many ways, this season of my life is like the spiritual red zone. 

I want to win this game, don’t you? 

One of the games we watched was the Giants/Vikings game. The Giants won largely because of their talented quarterback and another player named Saquon Barkley. One of the best moments of that game occurred in the red zone. 

The Giants were lined up with only a couple of yards to go, the ball was snapped and handed off to Saquon, who literally ran hard, shoved, and carried a bunch of huge defenders into the end zone, scoring the TD. Jim told me Barkley is one of the strongest players in the NFL. I believe it! 

So, what should life in the spiritual red zone look like? 

The answer: a LOT like that Saquon Barkley goal-line play! 

His touchdown effort had help from a strong team, but, truthfully, it was his enormous strength that helped him cross the goal line with success.  

The purpose of life is to cross our goal line successfully. Death is guaranteed at the end of our lives. Salvation has been guaranteed at the end of our lives as well if we are Christians. John 5:24 is a promise from Christ. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”  

Some touchdowns this weekend were achieved more easily as the player caught a pass and ran over the goal line. Others, like Saquon’s TD, were a battle won with great strength. There is no way to know which of those scenarios will mark the finish of our lives. 

But, we are called to be strong and ready to cross the goal line, no matter what play the Lord calls. Philippians 4:13 reminds us that we “can do all things through him who strengthens” us.  

We have been given everything we need to compete in a spiritual Super Bowl if we will just play the game plan the Holy Spirit has laid out.  

Most of us are in the playoff season of our lives. Are we playing at the top of our game? 

Which team should we be playing for?

I’m a Cowboys fan, often reluctantly. Thankfully, Monday night they played a great game and they are still in the race! The team has a LOT of ability, but sometimes they don’t seem to have the heart or motivation to play their best game. 

Sadly, that describes a lot of Christians too. 

Those who know Scripture know they are guaranteed a win simply because of their salvation. 

But shouldn’t it matter how we play the game too? 

Romans 12:2 gives good advice for this game we call life. Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  

God has a game plan, a will for each of our lives. Success is playing on God’s team and following his plan instead of thinking our own plans will provide a better way to win. 

Are you in the spiritual red zone?

That question isn’t meant to be a sobering thought about your age! Instead, it should be a rewarding thought that says, “I’m in the game.” 

Consider it this way: If you are a Christian, you are going to win the game, and there is going to be a GREAT celebration after the clock runs out. There is going to be a trophy handed out as well. 

It is ALL good! 

But, keep in mind that there will be “stats” to consider at the end of the game. The team wins, but only some will have played in the game. The team gets a trophy, but some get an MVP award. I guess what I am saying to all of us today is that we should want to get off the bench and play in the game! 

Yes, you will probably take some hits on the field. Yes, you might drop a few passes or trip along the way. ALL good players have stats that include both successes and failures. But, that’s because they were in the game! 

My thought today is that all of us should take a moment to consider our personal stats. Our team is in the red zone, but are you on the field or cheering from the sideline? 

How do you get into the game?

Paul gives that answer in Philippians 4:8–9: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” 

The players who are able to play the game are the players who showed up for practice and participated in the workout so they could accomplish what they learned. 

If you have been sidelined, get back to playing the game. It’s a lot more fun to celebrate in the end zone after the battle than to just be included in the locker-room celebration at the end of the game. Christians are on the winning team, but why not shoot for one of those MVP awards at the end of the game?  

There are two more football weekends and then the Super Bowl. I’m hoping to root for the Cowboys but expect that I’ll be rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs on Super Bowl Sunday. 

In the end, winning is mostly about character and strength. We will see who has that in the red zone,  and we will see who goes to the Super Bowl this year. 

Finally . . .

Statistically, I’m in the red zone of life. Where are you?  

Spiritually, I’d like to be on the field and ready to run a game-winning play!  

Are you in the game? 

If so, stay strong because you will take some hits. 

If not, get back to the practices of your faith and you will soon be called off the bench and onto the field! 

The Holy Spirit has an affinity for those who are strong and ready to follow God’s game plan. 

Let’s all play in such a way that we are an important part of the win! 

Taking time isn’t wasting time

Ilove the quiet. 

Sometimes the noise levels in our culture seem extreme. 

As I pass by other people on my morning walk, I so often see them using ear pods and cell phones for company, education, or entertainment. There is a lot of information available online. 

Our ministry provides a lot of “God-information” online. 

But, I wonder how often the people I pass take time away from the “talk” to hear the voice of God speak to their thoughts.

The power of the quiet

Last winter, we lost power for most of the day for several days. The quiet was eerie. Even as I type, I can hear the fan running on our air conditioner, the washing machine sloshing the clothes around, and the keys of my computer tapping out these words. 

We are seldom without noises, even in the quiet hours of the night. Things would have been very different in the first century. The kind of quiet that seemed eerie to me last winter would have been normal back then. 

I don’t just appreciate the quiet; I need it. I often pick the early hours of the morning to write because, in the quiet, I can hear my own thoughts being redirected by God’s. I’ve often thought about the quiet David enjoyed while he was in the fields, watching the sheep. He probably spent a lot of time learning to play the harp and use his slingshot. He also had plenty of time to look around at the created world and think about God. 

I imagine there were days he thought his life was boring and dull. I imagine he wished to be like his brothers, doing exciting things on the battlefield. David couldn’t know as a young man that God was growing him up to be a great king. He couldn’t know that generations of people would be blessed by the Twenty-third Psalm he wrote about God’s holy presence in our lives. 

I’m sure there were days when David looked for distractions, but it was the quiet that enabled him to know God. Knowing God enabled David to be a king. Quiet can be a powerful tool in the Lord’s hand. It’s important to take the time to be quiet in this noisy world. We should ask God to speak his thoughts into the quiet moments and author our thoughts. 

Who would we become in this world if we spent a lot of quiet time thinking with God? 

Wise words for your walk

Paul spent time in the deserts of Arabia after he left Damascus. I think those were among the most important years of his life. He went from the highest levels of the demanding life of a Pharisee to months of quiet days spent in faithful desolation.  

I imagine those quiet days in the desert helped him create the theology of the Christian faith that he would take on his missionary journeys and include in his many letters. I don’t think we can estimate the value of Paul’s months, possibly years, of quiet reflection. 

Paul told the Ephesians, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15–17). 

Some of Paul’s meaning gets lost in the English translation. He had just told the church to “wake up.” The culture of Ephesus was a lot like the American culture. Living in Ephesus was living in an oceanfront resort city with all manner of distraction. They had industry, education, entertainment, politics, and religions. The people who lived there did not lack for distraction, Christians included. 

That’s why Paul told them to “wake up” and “look carefully” at how they were walking through their lives. He told them to make the “best use of the time, because the days are evil.” The word evil is best understood as anything that isn’t God’s purpose in our lives. We miss Paul’s point if we define evil like the dictionary would.  

There is God’s plan for our lives, and everything else is not God’s plan. “Therefore,” Paul says, “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Foolish, according to Paul, is spending time doing things that aren’t part of God’s plan for our lives. The opposite of foolish is understanding God’s will and doing that. 

If Paul were our counselor, he would have us examine the way we spend our time and list which moments are spent accomplishing God’s purpose and plan. Next, we would make a list of the things that don’t. 

The first list is the “best” use of our time, and the second list we could label “foolish.” 

Taking time isn’t wasting time

The great balance in the Christian life is understanding that taking time for the quiet isn’t wasting time in our “walk.” A quick glance at almost every book of the Bible will tell you that God’s people have always struggled with understanding what God wants us to do with our time. 

The Israelites wanted to serve God. They ran into problems when they substituted serving rules and requirements for serving God. God doesn’t want our time commitment unless it also includes a commitment of our hearts.

God wants us to listen when he speaks. God wants us to understand the directions the Holy Spirit is speaking into our hearts and minds. God wants us to be wise about how we spend our time because the way we spend our time on earth directly impacts our lives eternal. 

God owns the big picture, the eternal picture. When we take time to listen, pray, and study, we will spend time developing into the person who can walk through life directed by God’s Spirit. 

I wonder who David would have been if he had spent his free time on a cell phone or computer. I doubt he would have volunteered to take down Goliath with a slingshot. If David had listened to music and podcasts all the time, would he have created his own psalms? 

If Paul hadn’t taken the time to be alone with God in the desert, would he have been able to comprehend how the Old Testament laws were fulfilled by the life of Christ? Would he have understood his calling was to take the gospel to the Gentiles? Imagine our New Testament without Paul’s letters of theology. 

It takes a lot of time with God to learn to walk with his Spirit. Your time with him is an eternal investment.  

Take time

We spend a lot of time planning for a vacation. We research then make reservations. We spend time planning for the things we want to see and do. Finally, we make plans to ensure that everything will run smoothly at home while we are gone. What would a vacation be like if we didn’t take the time to plan for it? 

What would Paul say to us if we spent more time planning a vacation from our daily lives than we did planning for God to use our daily lives? 

If we don’t take time, we can waste our time.  

What if our Bible heroes had avoided time with God? 

Would David ever have been a king? 

Would Paul ever have become a Christian missionary and theologian? 

Taking time to be quiet isn’t wasting time. Instead, it’s probably the most important use of time for our choices today and our eternal reward. 

How will you spend time walking quietly with God’s counsel today? 

He will enjoy having that time with you. 

The right priority builds a strong wall

When do our priorities line up with God’s? 

Our lives are getting back to normal again. My whole family just went to our first baseball game and our granddaughter’s horse show and enjoyed being in the crowd. I didn’t even think about catching a virus because I was too busy thinking about the Rangers catching a baseball or me trying to catch the perfect photo of my granddaughter in her cute riding pants and blazer.

How quickly our priorities can change!  

IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE PRIORITY . . . 

What if someone asked you to name your number one priority? Is that even possible? We might be able to list our top ten, but which would make the list first?

• Faith?

• Family?

• Friends?

• Future?

How can we choose a priority when so many things matter so much? 

JEREMIAH’S PRIORITY 

Jeremiah is often described as the weeping prophet, a name I think he would probably hate. Chances are, if you pick up your Bibles for a time of devotion, you are more likely to read from Ephesians than the book of Jeremiah. 

Jeremiah was a prophet to the Southern tribes of Israel, or Judah. They were supposed to be the “good guys” of Israel, and were, much of the time. But Jeremiah preached to Judah after the Northern Tribes of Israel had been captured, enslaved, and removed from the land. The Northern Tribes never did return home. 

Judah should have learned from their brothers’ mistakes but didn’t. As a nation, Judah became distracted by their enemies, their finances, their families, and their future. As a result, their priorities changed. Jeremiah’s job was to speak for God and warn Judah that the same thing that happened to the Northern Tribes could happen to them as well. And it did. 

Daniel and his friends were taken captive, and then came a second and third wave of attack. The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and their lands and families were taken away by the Babylonian armies. Some would say they lost everything, but they didn’t. 

They never lost God’s word. The prophet Jeremiah and many others kept teaching and preaching what God wanted his people to understand.  

Jeremiah preached God’s word almost twenty-five hundred years ago, and I’m still teaching his lessons today. Jeremiah lived during one of the worst times in biblical history. He and the people he loved lost almost everything in their lives. And Jeremiah was tasked with warning the people to repent. He knew how to help, but the people just wouldn’t listen. In fact, they attacked Jeremiah for preaching the truth, and it broke his heart and spirit. That’s why he is called the weeping prophet.  

Jeremiah 15 is a conversation between God and Jeremiah. God tells Jeremiah what is going to happen to Judah because of their lack of faith and misguided priorities: God will judge his people and Judah will fall. Jeremiah knows what will happen and knows nothing will stop God from fulfilling his words. 

When Jeremiah understands he can’t help Judah, he prays for himself. He asks God to protect him from the coming judgment. Jeremiah offers one defense to God. The prophet asks for God to protect him because he has maintained one important priority.  

Jeremiah 15:16 says, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty” (NIV). 

Do we share Jeremiah’s godly priority? If so, we can also share in God’s promise. 

CHRISTIANS BEAR GOD’S NAME TOO 

The first people to be called Christians were in the church of Antioch, the church considered most responsible for supporting Paul and his missionary work. The name Christian literally means “little Christ.” Christians bear the name of the Son of God.  

More and more our culture is attacking that name and attacking those who bear it. Is there coming a time when we will pray Jeremiah’s prayers for our nation? And pray Jeremiah’s prayer for himself? Is that time already here? 

Jeremiah prayed to God with confidence because he had lived with one powerful priority. The prophet had consumed God’s word. God’s thoughts and ideas were Jeremiah’s joy and his heart’s delight. The prophet understood that his role in life was to bear God’s name everywhere he went.  

Like Jeremiah, we bear God’s name too. The question for all of us today is this: Do we also share Jeremiah’s priority?  

Do we simply read God’s word, or do we consume it as our joy and our delight? Is God’s word truly our daily bread? 

If so, we should listen to and claim Jeremiah’s promise from God. 

GOD’S PROMISE TO JEREMIAH 

God responded to Jeremiah’s prayer with this promise. God said to Jeremiah and to us, ‘“If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 15:19–20). 

There is so much I want to say about the passage above. I know the Lord spoke to me in those words as I read them again and again. I expect the Lord will do that for all of you as well. Let’s consume his words to Jeremiah as food for our own souls. Will you receive God’s teaching with joy? Will you delight to obey? 

God needs the people who bear his Son’s name to be that fortified wall of bronze. The people in our culture need to be able to turn to the Holy Spirit in us for God’s love and wisdom. We were never allowed to turn to the culture for our guidance. 

It may seem like the culture is winning right now, but that isn’t the biblical truth we should take to heart, with joy. Jesus echoed God’s words to Jeremiah when he told his disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV). 

PRAY LIKE JEREMIAH 

We can pray like Jeremiah if we share the prophet’s priority. He consumed God’s word as his great joy and delight. Jeremiah bore God’s name.  

Jeremiah could have preached his words to our culture and people would have treated him the same way today. The calling for all of us who bear Christ’s name is to share Jeremiah’s priority. It will no doubt cause us some trouble going forward. Thankfully, we also share Jeremiah’s promise. Hear God say to you: “They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you.” 

God needs his people to be that bronze wall of truth today. 

We will be—if we will live with Jeremiah’s priority. 

Giving our souls a tune-up

I’m smiling as I remember my dad’s best efforts to teach me how to give my ’67 Chevy a tune-up. 

That Chevy was the first car I ever owned, and my dad wanted me to learn a few things. I can honestly say that almost nothing I learned is helpful to car maintenance now. No one I know owns a timing light or changes their own spark plugs and filters. In fact, I don’t even know where the spark plugs are in my car today! Now, I drop my car off at the dealer when the “Maintenance Needed” light comes on. 

I’m smiling because there are more important lessons I learned from my dad’s advice. Dad helped me understand maintenance was important if I wanted to keep my car in good shape. In a lot of ways, my dad helped me write this blog post today. 

We understand our cars need maintenance. We spend the time and pay the cost because we don’t want to get stranded somewhere. We can apply that same principle to our souls as well. 

If your life is sluggish and not responding to God’s will, you might need a spiritual tune-up today. 

WHEN MAINTENANCE IS NEEDED 

It would be nice if something in our lives would flash with the words “Maintenance Needed” like our cars do today. We are a lot more like a ’67 Chevy. We have to notice the sluggishness, the slowness to start, and the “wrong noises” that indicate the need for a tune-up. My dad could just listen to engine noises and know there was a problem, and he usually knew how to fix it. 

It would be nice if there could be a “Maintenance Needed” light that would flash in our spiritual lives, but there are indicators:

• Has your witness grown sluggish? 

• Are you a little more difficult to “start” when the Spirit prompts you? 

• Is your prayer life making some strange noises . . . maybe a little too full of self-absorbed rattles and clunks instead of purring along? 

It’s better to fix the problems we notice than break down somewhere. 

God created our souls to run like a perfectly tuned engine: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). We are God’s possession and he wants to keep us running well. But, he also waits for us to respond to the warnings and bring our cars to the shop! 

THE DEALER HAS THE BEST SERVICE DEPARTMENT 

A lot of places can do routine maintenance. It’s fairly easy to find someone who can change wiper blades, replace an air filter, or rotate the tires. But, if something inside the engine is not working, we know the dealership has the most specialized care. 

We take our souls for weekly maintenance to church or Bible study each week. Don’t you notice how much easier it is to treat people with kindness and put others first after spending time in worship? We are cleaned up and running more smoothly after a helpful sermon and time of worship.  

Routine maintenance is essential to almost everything in life. Our souls were meant to run on “daily bread,” our time with God each day. If you are reading this blog post, you are probably someone who understands that we need to keep our souls maintained by the daily disciplines of Bible study and prayers. The daily maintenance means we can keep our lives running more smoothly, and Sundays are a great boost to our daily routines. But, there are times when things in life require more help than our routines provide.  

My car has a need for significant maintenance at certain mileage markers. It’s expensive, time-consuming, and rarely “good news.” But, I pay the price because it almost guarantees I will avoid the breakdowns. When the dealer tells me I need to do significant maintenance, I do it. 

Our Dealer knows what is needed in our lives. He manufactured us and knows what is necessary to keep us running. It is good to know we need regular maintenance and care for our souls that way. But, when was the last time you submitted your soul for the more complete work, the work that only the dealer can accomplish? 

That kind of maintenance will come at a cost. It will cost you more time and effort and will be more of a sacrifice than just a Sunday morning service or daily devotions. When is the last time you left your regular routine to spend a significant time away with the Lord?  

If things aren’t running smoothly in your life, it could be time to take more time and submit your life to the One who created it.  

Jesus was preaching, healing, and creating a great stir in the synagogues. The Pharisees had begun to take notice of him and Luke wrote that “they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:11). Jesus, our example, knew he needed God’s divine wisdom and help. Luke writes, “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God” (v. 12).  

Even as I type those words I feel a sense of conviction. When last did I retreat from the world and my daily routines to spend an extended amount of time with God? 

Is it time for the “extended maintenance?” 

The dealer/manufacturer will need us for more time in order to do more work, and it will require a greater cost. But, have you ever noticed how much better your car runs after those times of maintenance? Our souls will experience greater benefits as well. 

ONE CAR WILL LAST A LIFETIME 

I’m not sure how many cars I will drive in my lifetime. I was in my forties when I bought my first new car. I kept it a decade, did all the suggested maintenance, and it never did break down. I’m now driving my second version of that car! My ’67 Chevy will always be dear to my heart because it was my first car and I worked hard to be able to buy it. But, I’m glad I can drive a better car these days, and I am careful to take good care of it.  

We only have one soul because that is all we will ever need. The first choice we ever made was to allow Jesus to buy our souls back for God, from the world. But, for the rest of our lives, we will choose to maintain what Jesus bought and has promised to continue to make new. 

We have been given one life, but it is all we need if it is eternal. I’m so glad I exchanged my old ’67 Chevy for something better. I’m glad I exchanged my old life for something better as well. My soul is eternal, and I want it to run as well as possible on earth and in heaven. I’m glad for the warning lights that remind me when maintenance is needed. It’s good to know life will run more smoothly with his care. 

The Apostle Paul wrote, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). One day these cars of ours will roll through the pearly gates and we will realize they are “maintenance free.” 

Until then, we need help from our mechanic. He is waiting to care for our souls. Do you need to do some routine maintenance or schedule an extended visit? He is always at work and always able to get you back on the road.  

But, we also have a lot to look forward to. One day when our journey is complete, it will feel great to pull into the garage, see my dad and my Dad, and know I am safely and forever, home!

In the desert but not deserted: Part 2

God always has a plan for the desert times in our lives. Most times we land there, God is simply providing us some down time, so that we can listen. Everyone experiences desert times, caused by any number of things.  Last week I wrote about the desert seasons of our lives that are natural to our journey and the dry times God intends to use for our discipline and growth. 

Today, I want to write about most of the desert times in our lives.  A desert time is simply a quiet, often spiritually dry time in our lives. 

Often we expect our earthly lives to be less challenging than they are. We have become a culture that expects our lives to be easier than God has promised. This is true of the Christian culture as well. We live in a period of time when many Christian leaders have said if we do A, then God will do B.  

Beware of sermons that promise an easy life to those who walk closely with God.  Biblical truth, like Romans 8:28, is that when we walk closely with God, he is with us in every circumstance and able to redeem those moments for our great good. 

Paul had an un-removed thorn in the flesh. Peter was crucified upside down. John was exiled on the island of Patmos. All of us know strong Christians who have received a difficult diagnosis.  Sometimes God’s saints struggle with a difficult child or an unhappy marriage. Sometimes we enter a desert because of our own choices, but most of the time our deserts exist as a normal part of our journey to heaven.

There are at least three types of deserts, and it is helpful to know why we are crossing through a dry time:

• Is this just a normal part of our earthly journey? 

• Are we there because God wants to discipline and help us make changes?  

• Or, has God provided the desert time for direction or deliverance?

THE DESERTS OF DIRECTION

Most of us live fast-paced, full lives.  As we age, we tend to replace speed with routine. There are a lot of ways to move through our lives that cause us to program out the voice and leadership of God. We know to pray and seek God when things aren’t going well, but it’s often the regular, routine parts of our lives that cause us to live according to our own thoughts and ideas rather than God’s. 

It’s no surprise that God would lead us to a desert so he can break our routine and cause us to seek his leadership. The best way to avoid a few of those deserts is to live our lives knowing we have a constant, daily need for his voice. We only think we know our schedules this week. When we made Jesus our Lord, we gave him permission to interrupt our routines any time, for his good purpose.

If our lives are simply a product of our routine choices, we should probably pack our bags for a stay in the desert.  If God can’t direct our paths, he will probably direct us to the desert. We often quote Proverbs 3:5-6 but have we allowed God’s word to mean what it says?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path” (Proverbs 3:5-6).  This verse is written in a Rabbinic teaching method.  The second part of the sentence is a restatement of the first. Here is why that matters:

Trusting in the Lord with all our hearts means that we do not lean on our own understanding. 

Picture yourself on a bridge, with rushing water underneath. Some parts of the railing are fragile while others are secure. Don’t we want the maker of the bridge to tell us which parts of the railing are safe to lean on?  

In all our ways, if we acknowledge that God is perfect and we aren’t, then we will allow him to direct our path.  The key to that verse is the word “all.”  Sometimes the routines of life cause us to keep doing things like we have always done them. We direct our own paths along what is familiar instead of allowing God to lead.

GOD’S PLAN TO DIRECT YOUR PATH  

If God can’t direct your plans each day, he will likely lead you to a desert place until you understand your need for his leadership. A day-to-day routine or a life that is too programmed and rushed doesn’t allow God to call you to his work – the work that matters eternally.  

If our lives are full of things that matter, but not the things that matter most, God will want to provide us with new directions.

Is God re-directing your career path?  Is God re-directing your daily routine?  Is God re-directing your friendships?  Is God re-directing your priorities?  Sometimes the Lord just needs you in another place for a certain amount of time because he has a job for you to do.  Sometimes the Lord turns our lives in a completely different direction.  

He often uses the desert times in our lives to “direct our paths.”  What should we do during that time?  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t lean on your understanding.”  

If a committee had put together a plan to move the Israelites into the chosen land it is almost certain the members of the committee would not have chosen to cross when the waters were flooded. They would have leaned on their own understanding. Interestingly, the reason the people of Jericho were terrified of the Israelites when they arrived is because they had already heard about the power of their God. 

God’s ways are perfect, but if you look at the bulk of Scripture, God’s plans are often outside the scope of men’s natural, reasoned choices. If our lives are limited to our choices, we are limiting what God wants to do through our lives. His direction matters eternally for us and for our witness to others.

THE DESERTS OF DELIVERANCE

Finally I want to talk about the desert times we need, that God provides. There are more of these times in our lives than I think we realize. Have you become “weary in well doing?” Have you been through a time of great grief, loneliness, sickness or of great service to God?  

Sometimes we come to a time when we need significant rest, and God provides us a desert of deliverance. 

God created us to need rest and therefore he provides us the time to rest when we need it.  I love the verse from the prophet Isaiah that says, “For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song” (Isaiah 51:3).

One of the most important lessons from our desert times of life is the knowledge that God walks them with us providing comfort and all we need until we come to a place of thanksgiving and praise.  Our desert times have a beginning and an end.  More importantly, our desert times have a good purpose.

WHAT DESERTS DO YOU REMEMBER?

To close, we should ask God to remind us of the desert times in our own lives. It was probably difficult to praise him at first, but what did you learn?  How did God deliver you from that time?  Isn’t it interesting that we most often remember what God taught us, rather than why those times were difficult?

I think that is what God would have us know as we exit the desert time labeled “COVID.”  We should try to remember what God taught us during those days.

My favorite verse for the desert times is from the prophet Isaiah. He wrote, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19).  

God is always redeeming our deserts for a new purpose in our lives.  It has been tough, and now, for most of us, it isn’t. God is working to make himself known in this world.  God is providing a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. A few years ago we prayed for God to end the drought and he did.  A year ago we prayed for God to end the plague of COVID and he did. 

What are you praying for today?  

Our desert times have a purpose because they were part of God’s plan.  When you enter a desert time– and you will– take the journey with God.  He brought you to that time for a reason, and his promise is to redeem it for your good, if you will walk that desert with his good purpose in mind. (From Romans 8:28).

May your journey forward be blessed with the comfort of God’s presence.  He is good; all the time.

In the desert but not deserted: Part 1

I titled my book Content to Be Good, Called to Be Godly. It’s not a great title, but I could never come up with anything else. I published it with Tyndale about thirteen years ago, and then our ministry bought the rights so I could update it and do a reprint. This week’s blog post and the one for next week will be a summary of one of the chapters in the book. 

I did radio interviews after the book was published, and the host usually asked me to explain why I wrote the book and gave it that title. My answer: After a lot of years in the ministry, these are the things I most want to say to my brothers and sisters in Christ—and I gave it that title because it seemed to me like most of the Christians I knew were settling for less than God’s best, myself included. We are often content to be good when God has called us to his higher standard. 

I wrote a chapter about the desert times because it seemed to me like too many Christians were just enduring their spiritual deserts instead of learning from them. We should never be content to simply survive the tough times. God has a higher purpose for those days. That’s what I’ll write about for the next two weeks. 

So, what is the first thing we should do when we realize our soul has landed in a desert? 

ASK GOD WHY 

I’d lived my life trying to be a good enough preacher’s wife, and one of my first desert experiences occurred when I realized that I never would be. 

It’s an impossible job to get right all of the time. At first, I assumed my desert time was my doing, and in some ways it was. But, I learned a LOT about God as I was home, recuperating from a case of pneumonia that almost took my life. Actually, in many ways, my entire ministry changed after that time. I stopped trying to do a good job and began to work at allowing God to do his job through me. It made ALL the difference. 

God does a lot of work in our lives during the desert times. So, instead of being defeated by a desert, I’d like to suggest we all learn to be redefined by those dry, often difficult, times. You aren’t alone in the desert, although it usually feels that way—even when you are still busy and surrounded by others. You know when your soul is dried up; other people likely won’t notice. The first thing to realize when your soul dries up is that you haven’t been deserted. 

God never deserts you, but he does allow the deserts. Why? 

Deserts aren’t just a period of time to endure. Deserts have a purpose and, if you walk them well, they are an important part of your Christian growth. The thing to ask first is, “Why am I here, Lord?” 

SOME DESERTS ARE SIMPLY MEANT FOR CROSSING 

There are seasons of life and there is grace for each season. God is looking for growth, not perfection. We who are older need to be far less judgmental of young people and far more understanding. Is that young person growing in the Lord? If the answer is yes, they deserve our praise, not our comparisons. 

I was a very young, inexperienced pastor’s wife—with two busy toddlers. I wasn’t very knowledgeable of the Bible yet and had a LOT of growing to do. There were some who judged me and many who encouraged me. But those who judged seemed to have louder voices in my life. 

Can I say that a lot of parents who have toddlers probably feel like they are permanently living in a desert? It’s not permanent, but I’m not going to lie: it can seem like a long, dry spell. I used to have an apron that said, “And I spent four years in college for this?” 

Jim would preach about the need for a daily quiet time and, honestly, I wanted to stand up in the middle of the sermon and shout, “The ONLY reason you have a daily quiet time is because I pull your children off the door handle until you are done.”  

Parents of toddlers don’t always have a free hand or much free time to feed their souls. Let’s give grace to all Christians who are in a difficult season of life and help them find ways to grow, even if it is a “slow growth” season of life. 

Interestingly, I probably learned to love God during that young season of my life. I realized the overwhelming love I felt for my two boys was the way God felt about his children, me included. And I can name the people who encouraged me to grow in my knowledge of God and cheered me on every step of the way. Don’t you want to be named on someone’s list of encouragers someday? 

When I speak to parents of preschoolers, I often tell them that while this season is tough, there is never a time of your life that you will laugh and smile more often. Some of our spiritual deserts are simply because we are in a season of life or a season of circumstances. The goal is to take God’s hand and keep moving forward. Some deserts are simply meant for crossing. Growth is learning to walk that time with God and enjoy the comfort of his loving Presence.  

OTHER DESERTS ARE FOR DISCIPLINE 

Every Christian blows it and sometimes God hands us a “time-out.” If you ask God why you are in the desert, he might say, “Because you need to stop so we can talk.” Sometimes God wants to preserve our witness and protect us from ourselves! 

The deserts of discipline happen when we blow it. Sometimes we just flat-out lose it and sin. Sometimes we make choices that have lifelong consequences. Other times, we slip into what I like to call “Pharisee mode.” We might see ourselves as a little more “holy” than God does. 

How can we know if we have been led to the desert, aka the time-out chair? 

Ask God and take time to think. You know if your prayers are shallow. You know if God’s voice has grown silent. You know if you are under conviction. And you know if you are too arrogant and think of yourself “more highly than [you] ought” (Romans 12:3). 

God is a perfect father, and his discipline is because he wants better for us than we might settle for ourselves. God doesn’t want good Christians; he wants us to be godly—and there is a HUGE difference between those two things.  

If you know your spiritual life has dried up, it’s important to understand why. Ask, and be ready to repent of whatever is in your life that God is tired of putting up with. The apostle John was on the island of Patmos when Jesus gave these words for the weakened church in Laodicea: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19). 

A perfect Father teaches his children how to live a blessed life. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). 

God disciplines when we are living in ways that hinder his ability to bless us and others through us. The desert time of discipline is for our sake and for the sake of our witness with others.  

EVERY LIFE HAS DESERT TIMES 

The truth is, all of us live with the highs and lows of life.  

All of us experience desert times in our lives because deserts are part of the journey. Christian growth isn’t about avoiding desert times as much as it is about learning from those days, months, and sometimes years. Maturity doesn’t mean we don’t experience desert times but it often means we learn not to stay there as long. 

Next week, I’ll continue with this subject. Before then, will you spend some time this week and consider your surroundings? If things are lush, green, and growing in your soul, praise God. If things seem to be dry, dusty, and less than you want them to be, ask God to meet you in the desert, and ask him to lead you out. 

The psalm says that he leads you to the still waters to restore your soul (Psalm 23:2–3). But, God also leads us to the deserts for that same purpose. 

What is God saying to you right now? 

Ask and keep asking until you know.