Imagine eavesdropping on Mt Sinai as God gave Moses the tablets with the ten commandments. That conversation laid the foundation for entire nations, changed the course of human history, and shaped the world. Now imagine if in the middle of that conversation, God mentioned you by name. I’m not referring to Moses or Aaron. I’m talking about two guys you may not know: Bezalel and Oholiab.
One of my favorite conversations in the Bible is the one between Jesus and the very successful young leader in Matthew 19. We often call him the rich young ruler, but I think successful leader is the term we would use today.
Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
“Which ones?” the man inquired.
Jesus replied, ” ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Matthew 19:16-23
My impression is that Jesus immediately liked this young man.
I was greeted at work today by an email from a dear friend from another state. A mutual friend’s mother just passed away. What makes it especially troubling is that her father just passed away less than two weeks ago. My heart was broken. I sat at my desk stunned. A coworker walked into my office and informed me that we have a funeral later this week. I simply said, “Sometimes it never stops.” To which he replied, “Yep, that’s what we’re here for.”
That’s what we’re here for.
I hate that. I hate the pain of this loss and the agony of life. I’m ashamed to say, in times past, I’ve tried to hide from the pain; I’ve tried to ignore it or soothe it. But that path leads to sin. I know that now.
I have no answers. I don’t even have any questions. I only have me and my broken heart and a prayer, “Father, I offer this brokenness to you, to use to advance Your Kingdom.”
And so, I’m walking through today with a limp. A limp of empathy and pain. It hurts like hell. Literally. I think it must be exactly what hell feels like.
I would rather feel this pain than hide from it. I choose to limp with my friend and embrace them through prayer to my Father who can bring new life out of these ashes.
After all, that’s what we’re here for.
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (John 11:1)
Here are some quick observations from this phenomenal story of Jesus raising Lazarus.
Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. (John 11:5,6)
I am challenged by the fact that Jesus waited. This is a great lesson to not just respond to the need, but wait until the Holy Spirit says, “Go!” Although I don’t want to turn this into a formula, at least in this story, in this chapter, 77% of the time was spent waiting for Jesus to act. Keep thinking. Continue reading!
Luke 5: 37 “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ‘The old is better.’ “
The amygdala, or lizard brain as some call it, is the brain’s region that controls our base motivation and emotional behavior. Scientists say the amygdala acts as a resistor, often through fear. It’s that part of us that keeps us quiet when we disagree, or from finishing projects that make us vulnerable to criticism. The people I admire silenced this resistor, moved into uncharted, creative territory, and changed the world.
In “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?“, Seth Godin challenges us to overcome the lizard brain resistance by:
Resistance to change could be holding us back from experiencing more of God.
Don’t miss this revelation from the wineskin parable: inexperience is a prerequisite for fresh wine. If you want a fresh outpouring, you must be a new wineskin; a novice.
Be adventurous in your pursuit of Jesus. Drop your nets and follow Him.
You don’t have to have it figured out. In fact, it only works if you don’t.
Step out in faith and try something new. Only then, when you are lacking experience and completely out of your depth, have you met the conditions for new wine.
And don’t miss the second key take-away: not everyone will come with you. No one after drinking the old, wants the new. Sometimes you have to leave others behind to truly follow Christ into new territory.
Technically Thinking 