Clip a coupon. Go to the store. Redeem the coupon. Buy something. Take it home. Go back to the store. Return the item and try to get the coupon back.

Can you return the item? Yes. Usually.
Can you get your money back? Sometimes.
Can you get your coupon back? No. It’s been redeemed. It’s finished.

When Christ died he declared, “It is finished.” When we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, we allow him to redeem us. “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

The same is true for us. If we could be plucked from His hand, then being in His hand wouldn’t be a source of hope, love, grace or life. It would merely be a temporary relief filled with anxiety and fear of the inevitably impending end of such relief and the return of the pain, uncertainty and Hell that exists everywhere outside of God’s hand. (John 10:28-30)

And so redemption cannot be lost. There are many things that can be lost. We may lose keys, wallets, loved ones, talents, youth, health and even life itself. But alas redemption cannot be lost. It cannot be reversed, it cannot be shaken, it cannot be shirked. Lest it not be redemption.

Redemption. Forgiveness. Forever. Thank God.

Here’s Bob and Dave (white homeless men) teaching Zane (4 year old son of a working single black mother) how to hit a wiffle ball at the Elevate Detroit Mt. Clemens CommuniD BBQ today.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But I think this one’s priceless.

Jesus is all over it.

Jesus, I see You wash Your disciples’ feet. I hear You call me to follow Your example. Help me to serve those I lead today, meeting them at their point of need, and serving them without regard to position. May my leadership create true community, a community that reflects Your presence and example. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Like John, Paul and so many others, may I face each day with the bold, courageous and taunting phrase, “Lord, lead me on.” May I never falter or tire of the adventure of peace and love in a world so hungry for all three. And may I live and love all others as myself evermore and myself as relentlessly and fully as my Father Creator God.

Yes truly, the past has been good. The best is yet to come. I am yours, Papa. Amen.

Put a dent on earth without leaving a hole.

Leave the world a little lighter, a little brighter and a little slower.

Ride the ocean around the world leaving ripples of love everywhere.

Never stop saying, “Let there be Light.”

I’ve thought this very thing so many times! I’ve said it with friends. We’ve joked about it. “If everyone would just think like us, the world would be a better place.”

Of course on my better days, when I’m seeing the world through the eyes of Christ and living through the power of the Spirit, that’s true. But in those better days, I’d never think that.

When I’m thinking, “I wish everyone would think the same as I do,” I’m being selfish. I’m being narcissistic. I’m thinking only of myself, my desires, my wants, my rights. And I’m not thinking of anyone else.

The ironic thing is that when I’m saying that and thinking that… I’m getting exactly what I want. Everyone IS thinking exactly the same as I am! Everyone else is thinking of what they want, their desires, their rights… and no one else.

I know what that feels like. Whenever I’ve been thinking, “I wish everyone would think the same as I do”… I’M NOT HAPPY. I’m not at peace. I’m not being loving. I’m not feeling loved. And that is NOT a world I want to be in! I’m getting my wish… Everyone is thinking alike… and nobody’s happy. Nobody’s at peace. Nobody’s being loving. No one’s feeling loved.

Hear me carefully… I’m not suggesting it’s all about being happy, feeling good, etc. But joy, love and peace are always evidence of God’s good work in us.

On my better days… on my days where I’m seeing, thinking and living through the work of my Father God, His Son, my brother Jesus and the Holy Spirit, I find myself thinking, what is the other person thinking/feeling? What would benefit the other person? What would God have me say or do in this situation or conversation? What does God want me to hear here and now?

I find that, as illogical, counter-intuitive, and bassakwards as that is… that’s when I feel peace, joy and life that never runs dry.

Let me never wish for everyone to think like me again. Let us all, everyone of us strive to think like you. Always. And let our mindsets be a beginning point of your Light shining into our worlds, glorifying you so much more than we see now.

“Giving back means giving all; any inferior definition is pure deception. Our money, our resources, our gifts, our time, our dreams, our selfish ambitions, our comfort — these we give back in their entirety. Anything less is not discipleship at all. It is simply a clever substitution by a crafty enemy who has figured out how to use our own weaknesses against us, rocking us to complacent sleep with a consumer version of the gospel and knowing all the while he is making goats out of sheep.” – Brandon Hatmaker (Barefoot Church, pg. 113)

Boom.

“He replied, ’You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’
Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”

Mark 4:39 (NIV)

So often I’ve read this passage and pictured that night out on the water.  I used to arrogantly and piously scoff at the disciples.  ”Look how dumb they were.”  ”How could they still not get it?!”  ”How could they not understand that they were safe with him?!”

I’ve grown since then though… a little.  The verses just before this are Jesus teaching them how much it will cost them to follow him.  He tells them they will be homeless.  He tells them they will have to miss important, meaningful family moments.  He’s teaching them it will cost them their livelihoods, possibly their families and surely their plans.

He hasn’t given them any comfort.  And shortly thereafter, here they are… on a lake in a furious storm in a boat that’s about to be swamped.  They’ll drown.  Danger is all around.  And they run to him.  They wake him.  They beg him.

They don’t doubt his ability to save them like I used to think.  What they doubt is his awareness of the situation.  And they seem to have an idea of how he will save them when they ask.  I’m curious to know what they were expecting.  Maybe they were expecting him to raise the boat out of the water.  Maybe they expected the water to suddenly be held back from over the rails of the boat, similar to Moses crossing the Red Sea and God holding the water back.  Or maybe… they were expecting him to calm the storm.

Whatever their expectations of his actions, they were afraid.  Stressed.  Terrified.  And they were begging him for help.

In five years of CommuniD BBQs, I have no idea how many times God has calmed the storms for us.  I have seen clouds part, literally.  I have seen rain inexplicably surround a park without falling on it.  Twice.  Countless times we have seen and reaped the benefits of those words, “Quiet! Be still!”

Last Saturday.  It was raining.  The forecast called for heavier rain as the day went on.  No relief.  No hope of a break in the storm.  Just cold, miserable rain.  We had three CommuniD BBQs scheduled for the day; Detroit, Hazel Park and Southfield.  I got phone calls from all three leaders asking what to do, when to call it off, etc.  Three leaders who’ve watched these storms calm in the past with me all concerned, maybe even afraid that we’ll get rained out.  I talked them through it, encouraged them, reminded them of miracles of the past and God’s faithfulness in the present.  At the end of the day, all three events happened.  Not a drop of rain fell where it wasn’t supposed to.  Not an once of falling water was left to disrupt God’s plan for the day.  A miracle.  Again.  Amazing.

This Saturday.  It’s raining again.  It’s grey.  It’s cold.  It’s miserable weather.  The rain wasn’t supposed to let up until at least 4:00 pm.  It looked like it would linger on long past then.  We had two CommuniD BBQs scheduled for the day; Detroit and Pontiac.  I looked outside and thought, we might get rained out today.  Again, I got calls from leaders.  Again, anxious, nervous, expecting the rain to continue.  Again, I reassured them reminding them of God’s faithfulness in the past.  What they didn’t know was that this time, I was feeling the same way as they were.  I was nervous.  I was afraid.  I was grasping onto those memories with them.  I was needing the reminders every bit as much as they did.

With the shakiness in my soul of a one year old walking, in faith I continued to encourage them (and me).  I set out from living in Pontiac to drive to Detroit.  Wipers on.  Heat on.  Cold rain.  Answering calls, replying to texts and when no one else was asking me, I was still praying, hoping… no rain.  ”Lord, I’m trusting you against my gut instinct of fear.  I will speak in confidence that you will again calm the storms; hoping you do.”

We are such forgetful people.  We are so quick to lose our faith.  We are so quick to be afraid.  And we run to him saying, “Lord, our event will drown!  Don’t you care?  Won’t you help us?  Aren’t you paying attention?”  I don’t think he was bothered that the disciples asked him for help.  They needed help.  What he rebukes them for is their fear and lack of faith.

I can scoff at their lack of faith all I want.  I mean, they could see Jesus right in front of them after all.  But I am every bit as deserving of that scoffing myself.  I may not yet have seen Jesus physically in front of me.  But I have seen the fruit of his words, ”Quiet! Be still!” countless times.

So today… AND last week… God held back the clouds!!  In these last 2 Saturdays we’ve seen over 500 people share a meal together.  There have been 5 CommuniD BBQs in 4 locations with 14 partnering groups.  It’s been an incredible couple weeks!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen God work miracles with the weather on Saturday afternoons.  Five years and we’ve cancelled only 4.  That’s quite a track record of good weather!  And yet every time I can hardly believe it!  Our God still calms the storms!  And He creates space for His Body to form and love at a common table.

My God… YOU ARE AMAZING!!