Tag: stewardship

Showing up With Lunch

November 11, 2019 /

I look around the practically empty German airport terminal at zero dark thirty and pray. Due to a storm, I’ve missed my connection to Zurich, on my way to study at L’Abri in Switzerland. I have no local currency and no good options. It’s in the years before Venmo, before ubiquitous credit card acceptance, and before cash machines. Yes, I’m old. Get over it.

Anyway, I know one person in the entire country. He’s a young pastor, studying for his doctorate. He and his wife live about an hour from Frankfurt. Nervously, I call him collect and without missing a beat, he says, “Stay put. I’m coming to get you.”

When we arrive at his tiny, one bedroom apartment, they already have another young guest bunking with them. They make room for me where there is no room.

The next morning, my friend takes the little he has and shares it with me. He makes me two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on thick, soft slices of homemade bread, puts them in a brown paper bag and drives me to the train station to continue my journey. That brown paper lunch bag has stayed with me as a powerful image of hospitality. God takes our not enough and makes it more than enough.

In the Bible, we see the widow of Zarephath (the least and left behind) with only a handful of flour and a little oil – not enough. But God makes it more than enough to feed both her and the prophet Elijah lunch for days. (1 Kings 17)

There is David, overlooked shepherd boy, told by his dad to be a gofer and take lunch to his brothers – the “important ones” on the battlefield, which positions him to be used by God to show His more than enough power to defeat Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:17ff)

There is the little boy (not even counted as one of the 5,000) who shows up with his lunch, offered as a gift that Jesus doesn’t reject as inadequate, but instead makes more than enough to feed everyone with leftovers! (John 6:1-14)

Instead of focusing on what you don’t have today, what can you offer God that He will lovingly accept and make more than enough to bless others?

My 91 year old aunt shows up with a heart to faithfully pray for others.

My friend Cathy showed up with a car to transport a homeless teen to work.

A kingdom-minded couple we know show up and offer their lake home to be used for ministry retreats.

My friend Heather, shows up with her magical talent for growing and arranging flowers and blesses others through the “Growing Kindness Project”, leaving bouquets to brighten someone’s day.

So often we focus on our “not enough”, when God wants to take what we offer Him and make it “more than enough”. We may not see the results right away, but I believe God will receive our offering with joy.

What “lunch” do you have to offer that feels inadequate? Share in comments and then look for opportunities to let God make it more than enough.

How to Push Back Darkness in Your Corner of the World

March 18, 2015 /

Ever think much about the quality of “goodness”?  It’s always sounded really vanilla and fuzzy to me, but recently I listened to a message my friend Heather Zempel preached on this fruit of the Spirit. I was both convicted and encouraged (the sign of a great sermon!).

She was clear, making sure her audience understood that our salvation is not dependent on our goodness, but on the goodness of God.  We don’t do good things to get God’s approval, but we do good things because we’ve already experienced His approval.

The Fruit of the Spirit aren’t just habits for us to engage in, but qualities of God’s character to bless us…for us to soak in first, and that then to ooze out of us, like a sponge soaking up water and then being wrung out.

Goodness isn’t just an inward quality. As Heather says,

“Goodness love in action – strategically pushing back the darkness of the world to allow the light of the goodness of God to shine in.”

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5 Questions About Your Time

January 12, 2015 /

Time.  I’ve always felt like it’s there in limitless supply.

Oh, yeah, there are stress-filled days where there don’t seem to be enough minutes in 24 hours to get everything done, but there’s always Tuesday and Wednesday and June 25th 2020, full to the brim with more of life to live.

I buy into the conviction that I need to be responsible for stewarding my time well, but I also live like a perpetually bullet-proof twenty-something.

Over the past nine months John and I have had a friend teach us much about living and dying, about heaven and earth, time and eternity.  HIs name is Steve and he is dying of Pancreatic cancer.  He and his wife, Sharol, have walked this hard road with authenticity, faith, courage and vulnerability.  I asked Steve if I could share some of his thoughts on time in the post today.  These reflections come from a place of physical weakness and a greater awareness of limited time. Continue reading

No More Bozos For Jesus?

January 22, 2014 /

This morning I was praying for some twenty-somethings I know who have kind of wandered away from God.  They’re really enjoying the partying hard thing, the sex without strings thing, and carpe without commitment.  I was praying that God might draw them back to Himself – remind them of the grace and meaning and joy to be found in dependence on Him.

But I have a Confession:  I don’t have the gift of “evangelism” and I often think I don’t care as much as I should about the souls of those far from God.  The culture of “live and let live” has immunized me.  Plus there’s the risk of making anyone feel like a “project” or being labeled one of “those” Christians with pat answers and tracts in place of candy at Halloween that scares me.  Unknown-1

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Kingdom Come

February 18, 2013 /

We all long to be inspired.

My favorite movies are the ones where I walk out with an uplifting sound track for my life, reassured that God is good and all things are possible.  There really is still nobility and there are kingdom-bringers in the world. Think Shawshank and The Natural, and The Blindside.

So I loved it when we heard the story, years ago, of a friend of ours, John Dellenback, who was a congressman from Oregon. When he turned 81 he gathered his children and grandchildren together and gave each of them $81, instructing them to prayerfully invest it in a kingdom venture during the year and report back.

Sadly, John died before the his next birthday.  At his funeral, each of his children and grandchildren came forward, one by one, telling what happened with their kingdom investments.  Kingdom inspiration was part of his legacy.

I soaked up some inspiration this week, too, when I heard a similar story from our friend, Erik.  Erik’s parents-in-law are also friends, and last Christmas they gave each of their grown children and spouses, a hundred dollar bill with the assignment to pray and be on the lookout for a place to invest it in something of the kingdom of God here on earth.

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Over a year had passed and Erik still had the $100 in his wallet.  This past week he was in San Francisco for a conference.   San Francisco, where, it’s hard not to go a block without encountering a homeless person asking for help.

As Erik walked to and from meetings, he felt guilty, hearing Jesus whisper, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

After a sleepless night and further reminders about how Jesus, fully God, had become a servant to love others, he said to himself with conviction…”Today is the day I am going to give my $100. I’m going to give to the first person who asks!”

I’ll let him tell the rest in his own words…

I had a meeting with a potential client at 8 AM at a breakfast cafe. This was someone I’d never met, only spoke on the phone and someone I needed to impress.

I left my hotel at 7:30 to walk 6 blocks through Union Square Park where I anticipated passing people lying on the ground or holding a cup. Surprisingly I didn’t pass a single person fitting my “profile.”

At 8 AM, the client arrived, we ordered our breakfast and had just sat down to eat. Before I said more than five words a woman approached our table towards the back of the restaurant. She was clearly who God had sent. She was 40+, snarly short blond hair, wore a dirty jacket and didn’t have it together. Clearly embarrassed, she asked the man I was meeting with for $5 to go to Denny’s around the corner for breakfast. He said, “I’m sorry, ma’m but I can’t.”

She then looked at me and with emotion in her eyes said, “Please sir, can you help me out?” I got up, and motioned for her to walk with me outside.

As I reached into my pocket for the $100, I tried to say something, but before I could she said, “I know…Jesus loves me.” I nearly broke down. I pulled the money out of my pocket put it in her hand and said, “Yes, Jesus loves you!“

To confirm that God has a sense of humor, she looked in her hands and when she realized it was a $100 bill, look at me and said, “Holy S#@*T!” and gave me a huge hug.

I then turned and walked back into the restaurant now needing to explain myself to this guy I had just met. I told him about the kingdom challenge and that I had committed to giving my $100 to the first person who asked and apologized if I had embarrassed myself.

We had a great discussion and as we finished I went to the counter to get a refill on my coffee and he walked out the front door. I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw him reaching out and giving money to a homeless man right then and there.

I smiled and thanked God for revealing Himself to me today. I don’t deserve to be loved so unconditionally, so gracefully forgiven and to be to so incredibly blessed.

I know…all kinds of “What if’s” and “Yeah, buts” may spring to mind as you read this.

But what if this was just about one person showing the lavish over-the-top abundance of the kingdom to someone in need?  And another person being inspired to do the same.

Kingdom come.

When has God presented you with a “kingdom come” opportunity to be His hands and feet in the world?  What’s inspired you lately?

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