Some things don't go with Starbucks

It's hard for me to picture the apostle Paul teaching this verse with a cup of Starbucks in his hand: We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair (2 Cor. 4:8,9).

Before you shut me down, please hear me. I love coffee. My wife converted me to it after only being a social java imbiber. One of my favorite memories is sipping the local brew near Costa Rica. There in a roadside cafe, they used one of those well-used filters that looked like a dirty sock. It was the best coffee I've ever had, as I sat with my missionary friend, Ken Schmitt, and looked out the window over the acres of coffee in the foothills near San Jose. So I'm not a coffee snob, but I can tell the difference between the cheap stuff and the good stuff.

That being said, there are just some things that don't seem to go with Starbucks for me. Teaching certain texts is one of them. Maybe it's those pictures from the old Bible story books of the Apostle Paul after being flogged that is hanging me up. I.d.k.

Rescue at the Gap

Heartwarming story about a man who turns people away from ending it all with a cup of tea. This Aussie bought a home near Sydney Harbor and soon found that the cliffs were the hot spot for suicide. This guy who's 80+ refuses to just sit in his rocking chair. (Read more about him here.)

I don't know this guy's faith, but can't help but compare it to the passion we ought to have in turning people around! James says it like this: "Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul  from death and cover a multitude of sins." (Jas 5:19,20)

The Duct Tape of Marriage

Duct tape doesn't fix anything, but it CAN hold things together until they are.

Last Sunday night, we talked about "God's Good Gift." The focus of our talk was about how God makes us one in marriage. We looked at the first time this is mentioned in Genesis and Jesus' echo of this in Matt 19 verse 6, where Jesus mentions the phrase, "what God has joined together." When a couple makes the covenant in a wedding ceremony and then affirms that covenant when they are first united physically, God makes 'one out of two', both physically and emotionally. Somehow, I believe the Bible also confirms there is a linking of spirits as well, whether good or bad. (See 1 Corinthians 6:16.)

We don't understand covenant these days. But in the Bible, covenant is a big deal. Every covenant had a seal that was an outward symbol of the agreement: Abrahamic Covenant (circumcision), Noahic covenant (rainbow), Christian (baptism, communion). I believe that sex is the seal of marriage. Every time they are physically intimate they reaffirm their covenant.

No, "God's Good Gift" doesn't solve all the problems in marriage such as poor communication, lack of romance, mistrust, lack of encouragement, baggage from previous relationships. But it does help keep the marriage together in tough times. Just like duct tape doesn't fix problems, it can hold things together until it's really fixed.

Melted by Grace

Christmas joy continues. I'm still opening a few late-arriving cards. Did you receive any gifts this year that melted you? Something that made your heart leap? I did. It wasn't a Hyundai. (Although I think their commercials are clever.) Not a cruise or a iPad. It wasn't even one of those how-did-you-know-it's-what-I-always-wanted gifts. It was a small gift from someone I knew doesn't really have it to give. In fact, it was someone who was on my "I'd really like to help them out" list. The thing that melted my heart was that, I failed to do what I was prompted to do. And I missed it, a golden opportunity. But their small gift reminded me of what grace is...when someone gives you something that costs them a lot and you really don't deserve it.

Someone said, "We are never more like God than when we are giving."