When Darkness Looms: An Open Call to the Church

There have been many times over the past year or so that I've been completely bewildered by the world I wake up in each morning. It seems as if it's all going to hell in a handbasket. And quite quickly, at that.

The news is bad and just gets worse. Christians are facing genocide in the Middle East. Terrorists are striking major cities left and right. People are fleeing from homes and countries, only to be rejected by the rest of the world.

And even here, in the United States, where things are supposed to be better, it's not. As if the worst presidential race in history isn't bad enough, it's quite apparent that we are a nation divided. Not just on one or two hot button issues, but on everything. We can't agree on anything. We squabble. We fight it out on social media. We point fingers. We lay blame. We call names. We spew vitriol. And worst of all, we kill.

It's horrifying and tragic and senseless. As I sit here in horror at the name-calling and mud-slinging and judgment-casting and hate-mongering and people-slaying, I think to myself, "This is what the Bible means when it says that the world is broken."

It's in times like this, as sin runs rampant in our hearts and homes, ripping apart communities, nations, and yes, even the world itself, that I see just how much we really need Jesus. The world is broken before us. It's aching and bleeding and groaning for redemption. Do you see it? Can you hear it?

The darkness is thick, for sure, but don't let it fool you. It is not so thick that the light of Christ can't pierce it. It's so important now, more than ever, for the Church to actually BE the Church, because it's precisely in the midst of this terrible brokenness that we are most needed. We must be brokers of peace, bringers of justice, and bearers of light. 

We must love others without flinching, without regard to skin color or background. We must lift our voices in outcry against injustice, whether we have experienced it personally or not. We must open our doors to those who are different, be they refugees from around the world or our neighbors of another color from down the street.

We must present to the world an alternative to the brokenness. We must be a vision of heaven on earth. We must demonstrate that God's love is big enough and powerful enough to overcome even the most impenetrable of barriers dividing us. We must show the world that the blood of Christ is strong enough to instill peace in place of enmity, light in place of darkness, and love in place of hate.

If we who claim to be followers of God will not step up and do this, then we shouldn't be surprised when the rest of the world wants nothing to do with him. We have stood idly by for long enough. It's time for us to be the kind of people that God has created us to be. He has raised us up for such a time as this. This is the reason for our existence—to point to the light when darkness looms near.

Oh, Lord, help us. Our hearts are shattered. Everywhere we look, Father, we see pain, injustice, and brokenness. Bind up our bleeding hearts, Lord and mend what is broken in us and among us. Help us stitch together the ragged edges of a country and world that have been ripped apart at the seams. Oh Lord, the violence, the killings, the hatred, and the vitriol are all too much to bear. We are devastated, and we are lost.

But we are not without hope. You have loved this broken and bleeding world so much that you gave your life up for her. Lord, I pray that you will help the Church rise up in this present darkness. Overcome our differences, Lord, and unify us in Christ. Help us be your hands and feet. Help us to bind up the brokenhearted. Help us to broker peace. Help us to show the world that your love is more powerful than the sin that divides and destroys. Let us be a vision of heaven on earth. Help us, Father, to be your people, to be bearers of light and harbingers of hope in the thickest places of darkness.

Fill us with your Spirit, God. Do through us what we cannot do ourselves. To your name be praise and glory and honor now and forevermore. Amen.

Until next time, grace and peace.

The Ordinary Shape of An Abundant Life

Early Friday morning I got a text message from my mom telling me that their next door neighbor had died during the night. Though he was older, he certainly wasn't old, and his death came as a surprise. He had been sick, and, feeling cold and tired, he turned in early for the night. When his wife checked on him a few hours later, he had slipped away.

A few nights later, I found myself unable to sleep, so I got up and read Jojo Moyes' Me Before You, a novel that can only be described as poignant and heartbreaking. The book opens with a horrible accident. Will Traynor is hailing a taxi near his London home when he unwittingly steps in front of a motorcycle hurtling toward him. In an instant, the life that Will had known, a life of moxie and determination, adventure and success, drifts away like a vapor in the wind.

I can't stop thinking about it.

My mind keeps mulling over these two unrelated stories. One the very real story of a good and kind man that I have known for 20 years. The other a made-up tale of a man whose life looked nothing like my neighbor's. But despite their obvious differences, the stories have a commonality that I just can't get past. They are a stark reminder that life can tilt in the space between one breath and the next. That we honestly don't know what the future holds. That everything really can, and oftentimes does, change in an instant.

The prophet Isaiah said that all people are like grass and that our beauty is like that of flowers, which, as anyone who has ever potted a plant knows, is quite temporary. Flowers bloom once a season, and their brilliance is stunning, but it's also fleeting. It lasts for just a moment. And then it's gone.

The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:7-8

It's in light of this frailty that the second half of Isaiah's statement gains its meaning. Our lives are over and done with in the blink of an eye, but God? He's forever. His word? It's reliable. 

And the word that I'm clinging to today is the word of Jesus, who said that he came not just that we may have life, but that we may have it abundantly. John 10:10

I think sometimes we read this verse and focus on the end game. The abundant life he's speaking of must be eternity, right? Well, the short answer is yes. Eternal life is by its very definition abundant. But abundant life doesn't start after death. It starts now. 

All of this has been tumbling around in my mind and leading me to scrutinize my life in the light of the truth. I mean, let's be honest. My life is a lot of things, but abundant?

It's an altogether ordinary life, but it's a good life. It's not always exciting. It's rarely adventurous. But it is full of the goodness of God. And it's my prayer that as I grow in the grace and truth of the Lord, that he will continue to fill my life from the wellspring that never runs dry. You see, in abundant life, God takes our oh-so-human frailty and brokenness and replaces it with his very own indomitable vitality. It draws its abundance from Him.

An abundant life is one that is so filled with the grace of God that it spills over its boundaries and nips at the toes of bystanders. An abundant life is one that is so bright with the light of Christ that it pierces the surrounding darkness and beckons others to safety. An abundant life is one that is so overwhelmed by the goodness of God that it simply cannot hold it in. It serves others. It loves well. It brings joy. It seeks the greater good. And it always, always, always points to Jesus.

Abundant life looks different for all of us because we're all beautifully unique. There is no one-size-fits-all picture of an abundant life. The fullness of life that God has prepared for me to lean into is not the same as the fullness that he has prepared for you. It's as different as our personalities and as individualized as our fingerprints. 

But it's also the same. Because if we're living abundantly, then it means that we're each allowing God to fill us with his love, light, grace, mercy, kindness, compassion, and truth so that we may in turn share the bounty with others. And the only way that can happen is if we surrender our lives to him and allow him to fill it as he sees fit.

If you're doing that, then I'd say that your life, no matter how ordinary, is abundant indeed. Now go live it.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Five Ways to Make Christmas Meaningful

Hey y'all! Are you feeling as overwhelmed with the season as I am?? The past few weeks have been absolutely insane for our family. In between all the normal stuff of life, we've been to birthday parties and Thanksgiving dinners, potluck suppers, and choir performances. On the agenda for this weekend? Dennis' company Christmas party, the city Christmas parade, two birthday parties, and decorating gingerbread houses at the library. 

It's easy to lose sight of the meaning of Christmas in all of the hustle and bustle, but thankfully, there are a few things we can do to savor the Christmas season, even with a full calendar. Here are five things that work for our family.

1. Observe Advent.

If you grew up in a non-liturgical church like I did, you may be unfamiliar with Advent, but don't let that scare you off! Advent simply means "to come." In the church, the season of Advent is the four weeks before Christmas—it's a time of holy expectation and preparation for the coming of the Savior. One way we observe Advent in our family is by lighting an Advent wreath at dinner every night. We talk about the candles and Jesus coming to earth, then we say a prayer and eat supper. It's that simple. The whole thing only takes a few minutes, but it's a great way to intentionally turn our hearts toward the light of Christ as a family. 

2. Practice Generosity.

In this season of spending and gifting, we take care to remember the poor and the marginalized. My children love looking through the Christmas gift catalog from Compassion International each year. I let them make a list of everything they would like to give, and we talk about how a goat can provide food and income for a family, or how some children don't have enough good food to keep them healthy and strong, or how not everyone has access to clean water. It helps us, as a family, focus on what others need instead of what we want. It's a tangible way for us to teach our children that we give generously because God has been generous with us.

3. Purchase with Purpose.

Another way we make Christmas meaningful is by giving gifts that do good. More and more businesses these days are giving back in ways that matter. Over the past few years, I've really tried to give my dollars to companies that are interested in more than the bottom line. I've intentionally sought out businesses that provide jobs and opportunity to people in need, and I add items to my own wish list from those shops. Seriously y'all, the concept of purposeful purchasing is so important to me that I incorporated it into my own shop, and a portion of every single purchase from the LAJ Shop goes directly to Amazima Ministries. If you, like me, are looking for meaningful gifts that matter, check out my Purchase with Purpose pinboard. With Christmas right around the corner, there's no better time to make your dollars count.

4. Slow Down.

I have a confession to make. We're still in the process of putting up the Christmas tree. I know, I know, we're behind, but slowing down has been an intentional choice this year. If you view the four weeks before Christmas as a season of waiting and preparation, then there's no rush to hang the tinsel before the turkey is out of the oven on Thanksgiving day. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have duped us into thinking that we have to have all our Christmas ducks in a row right after Thanksgiving, but y'all, that's a lie. Your halls don't have to be decked in all their splendor for the whole entire season. It takes time to prepare your heart for Christmas—it's OK to let your home reflect the process too.

Did you know that historically speaking, this cramming of Christmas into the weeks before December 25 is a new thing? Traditionally, Christmas was celebrated for the 12 days after Christmas, not the 25 days before. So this year, don't get in a rush. Slow down. Savor the season. Let it linger. And by all means, feel free to leave your tree up for the entire 12 Days of Christmas. You now have permission not to take it down until January 6. You're welcome.

5. Embrace Wonder.

This one is probably the most important, but it's also the hardest to do when your life is crammed full to the brim with activities and parties and everything else the Christmas season throws at you. The struggle is real. I get it. But y'all, you'll never capture the wonder of Christmas if you can't learn to slow down and chill out. I don't have it all figured out, but I'm trying. I'm carving out a few minutes every day to reflect on the sheer miracle of God becoming flesh. To let myself be amazed by the Living Word.

The God we serve is not one who stood idly by while the world went to hell in a handbasket. No. He left heaven. For you. For me. He came down. He pierced the darkness with his blazing light. He burst into our world and became the lowest of the low to fix the brokenness within us. If that doesn't give you pause, I don't know what will. The miracle of the incarnation is nothing short of remarkable. Extraordinary. Spectacular. Glorious.

Don't let the wonder slip past you. Grab onto it and hold on tight. It is the true meaning of Christmas, and if you want to make your Christmas meaningful, you have to start there.

Until next time, grace and peace.