Conversations with God

“What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart!” Isaiah 5:18, NLT. This verse painted quite a picture in my head. I’ll start by saying the prophet here is talking to a group of people who “never think about the Lord or notice what he is doing” (v. 12). So what I’m saying isn’t what Isaiah was saying—but I think it can work for us. I thought about this verse in connection with Hebrews 12:1b—“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Most of the people reading this are trying to run the race, seeking God with all they have, wanting to please God. Yet how many know it’s hard to run when you’re dragging something behind you? And the picture I got was of someone trying to move forward while dragging their past behind them—all their old sins, all their mistakes, all their failures.   And the lie ...

I was thinking today about restoration. We talk about God's restoration, and think about the years, the children, the money, or the health we want restored. And that’s right and that’s good. But then I began thinking about the other things we lose that aren’t as obvious or as tangible. Jesus was the innocent lamb. We are told we must enter the Kingdom as a little child—a picture of innocence. Yet so early, that innocence begins getting twisted. The humanism that is running rampant in our society perverts even the concept of love—that love is getting what you want when you want it. Our picture of service is one of humiliation and degradation. Sacrifice is a bad word, and giving is some kind of exceptional gifting for just a few. So when we come to God, we are on an entirely different page than he is. We don’t understand Jesus' life, or how and why he lived as he did. And when we talk to him about restoring what we have lost and he begins to deal with our ideas of these basic co...

In 1Chronicles 13, King David wants to bring back the Ark of God—the place where God said he would meet and talk with his priests.   Everyone agrees that’s a wonderful idea, and soon there’s a celebratory procession of singers and instrumentalists leading the Ark home. It’s a joyous occasion—until the Ark starts to fall, Uzzah tries to steady it, and dies for touching it. David gets afraid, refuses to bring the Ark back to his city, and leaves it in another man’s (Obed-edom) house. I’ve heard people talk about this passage before, and most of them focused on the fact that the man who ended up with the Ark gets blessed. That’s a good point, but I think there’s more to this. In Exodus, God lays out the plan for the tabernacle, including the plans and rules for the Ark. It was to be fitted with 2 carrying poles that were never removed, to enable it to be carried on the shoulders of the priests. As I read this passage, I imagined a conversation between David and his officials after the...

Look at us, we’re so pretty; Pull our strings and we’ll sing You a ditty. Lift our arms and they’ll raise so tall. Paint smiles on our faces; oh, we’re having a ball! Bend our knees and we’ll jump for You Then straighten our backs and we’ll sit in the pew. Oh, wait, it’s a slow song—bend them again so we can kneel. Hey, wait a minute—where’s the button that will make us feel? I don’t want to go through the motions I don’t want to pretend to be real I don’t want tears painted on my face Only looking as though I can feel. I am going to melt like wax in Your presence I will let my heart explode I will allow holy fear to overwhelm me And watch Your love unfold. The world’s seen enough plastic people, Barren hearts living under an empty steeple. Everything they see fills them with disgust; If there’s no one else, God, then let them see us. We’ll bend easily under Your wind Our response to You will never be pretend. We’ll let our lives be consumed by desire And our eyes will burn with ...

The countdown has begun Three, two, one . . . BOOM! Live around the globe, It’s the largest revival congregation in the world.                                         Can you feel it?                                                 Can you hear it? Praise is echoing forth    Street to street                 Town to town      Country to country Blanketing the earth in worship. We hold Your Presence in our hands and PUSH As hearts are linking around the world, Tho...