Stirring the Nest

I still remember it pretty clearly.  When my sister and I were young, my dad's insurance business was in an office building surrounded by a field.  One Saturday in the summer my dad was working on some projects at the office, and my sister and I were in tote.  With nothing better to do, we ventured out the back door into the uncultivated field to see what we might find.

Eventually, we came upon a large ant pile teaming with busy red ants.  As we neared the pile, my older, protective, and in my opinion rather bossy sister warned me not to mess with the pile.  They'll bite you, and it hurts really badly!

That was enough for me to jump right in.  No they won't... No it doesn't...  You just have to be tough... Watch!...  I professed as I danced over to and on top of the large pile.  For whatever reason, on that hot summer day, I was wearing jeans.  Not a good choice for ant-dancing.  At first I was fine, and my professions of belief were holding true.  But soon the pricks and fire came.  My exclamations of defiance and boyhood strength were thrown into a flash-fry of screaming, patting my legs rapidly, and dancing for a different reason.  I thought I was dying.

I can't remember much after that, but I'm pretty sure I felt pretty foolish in the bathroom when my dad began wiping cool water all over my legs, asking me why I thought it was a good idea to dance in an ant pile, especially when my sister had said not to.

We all would think I had learned a lesson that day.  In some ways I have.  I'm now terrified of ants, bees, spiders, mice, squirrels, etc.  But in other regards, the lesson is yet living into its full being.

Nearly every Sunday as I approach the stage to teach and wrestle with many of Jesus' tough lessons on life and faith, I make sure everyone knows I don't and won't teach about anything I don't also need to work on or hear.  I want everyone to be clear we're all wrestling with the same things and all have something to learn from the message.  That's the truth.

But here's where the ant-pile lesson comes into play today:  yesterday (3/29), I taught on Jesus' example of humility as he rode in his own parade on a colt.  He knew he was great, but it was for his humility, not his self-proclaimed fame.  I challenged each of us to consider how we go about being great and take up the task to build up others for the rest of the day rather than ourselves.  It's a hard lesson.

Almost immediately after second service, I can recall my first fail at humility as I bragged about my training routine to some young guys.  And as the day progressed, I continually broke the challenge by touting other accomplishments and self-acclamations.  It was finally during our HOME group time when another member called me out specifically and said it didn't seem like I was really living into my own lesson very well.  It was one of those spiritual and emotional wind-out-of-my-sails moments, when my breath left me.  Not to be too dramatic, but in some ways I felt like Peter after the third time he denied knowing Jesus.  

Then I told my HOME group this as we proceeded to work through our study on marriage:  "One thing I see over and over again is that whenever I start teaching and focusing on a particular sin or lesson, the more it seems Satan is apt to attack me in those very areas.  Be on guard..."

It's true.  Often we think we'll be protected just by subjecting ourselves to a truth.  But the truth is, Satan doesn't want us to learn, grow, or resist, and often finds very crafty ways to sneak right in the middle of it and reroute us while we believe we're still making great progress.

So the lesson is, whether we're working on humility, patience, resisting temptation, forgiveness, to be aware that it's a little bit like dancing onto an ant pile.  Stirring the nest must be done with great care.  We may succeed at eradicating the sin or pest, only when we keep on guard, immerse ourselves in prayer, do it over time, listen to others, and resist arrogance.  Only then do we stand a chance against the ants!



More to come!


Jason <><

Diving Right In

We saw a ton of runners this weekend.  It was awesome!  I love the energy and activity that the Lincoln Marathon and spring stir up.  Sarah says physical therapists also love this season.  New client relationships are established daily by patients concerned about pains from running.  Many of us don't run all winter and suddenly realize the half or full marathon is only a rough month and a half away.  Time to hit the road in a serious way!  And so we come in limping because something didn't go quite right.


Attempting to go from 0 to 60 is always exhilarating.  It's adventurous, risky, thrilling, and often impressive.  It also helps us feel unstoppable, unbeatable, and to one degree or another, immortal.

I kept pretty quiet this weekend as we pondered the nature of these runners who may have unrealistic or dangerous expectations about what their bodies can withstand.  But my silence was multi-sourced.  One, I wanted to be running each time we saw runners, and my mind was taking me to trails I hoped to get onto soon.  Two, while I agree it's not wise to go 0-60 in only a week or two, I MAY also be just as guilty of the act.  Three, my mind might have also been preoccupied by the faint, jabbing pain in my foot I am currently working through as part of my own diving-all-in approach.  Joke and lesson both on me!

Yet, this is what we do in life.  We dive all in and expect only the best results and resolutions.  We want to look thinner within three days of our crash diet.  We want to drop two minutes off our pace by the end of the first week.  We want to get all our spring landscaping projects finished in one tedious 16 hour stretch.  We want our rocky relationships to be completely realigned and happy again after one rigorous two hour session with a counselor.  We want our children to behave like angels again after one intense scolding and week without technology.

And just like we pour into the clinics daily with injuries and reports of pain from our instant running, we end up standing in long lines of wreckage, reeling from disappointment, discouragement, and loss of hope when things didn't go as planned in other areas.  Often we only find we are in more pain than we were in before we tried instantly to resolve our initial pains.

Ultimately, we're reminded of time's lesson.  Everything we want to accomplish and do well requires it--and often in large quantities.  A prayer in the Psalms often attributed to Moses exclaims, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (90:12).  It's not that we are to count our days as if counting down to summer break.  Instead, we number our days in understanding of God's work and timing--for the sake of wisdom.  It's then we realize the beauty of time and our willingness to persevere.


More to come!

Jason <><

Dreaming About Flying

Just last Friday (03/13) a friend asked if I'd be interested in joining him and his boys on an overnight camping trip.  Interested?  Ecstatic!  Hurriedly I packed my bags, gear, and food.  I'm going camping!!

We had hot dogs, a huge fire, plenty of stars, and several stories from the Bible to tell that sound awfully like ghost stories under the right circumstances.  What a blast!  

I know when I've reached a momentary point of peace in my life when my dreams reflect it.  That night, as I lay grounded on a dense mat of muddy grass, I dreamt about flying.  It's one of my favorite dreams.  The feelings and sensations of flying in my dreams are not only brilliant, but also familiar.  I usually wake up half convinced I really can fly in real life.

Just yesterday in worship, I saw someone else flying in his dreams as well.  Brandon Peters, a young man in our church, has been dreaming about singing a song telling how Jesus makes us flawless.  I believe for Brandon this song reaches deeper and speaks far more truthfully than most of us can comprehend.  

When it came his time after the message, Brandon was helped on stage and sat, poised, ready to deliver, proclaim, exclaim, and fly!  And that's what he did.  Flawless with Brandon Peters After the service, many of us came up to Brandon and asked how he felt.  Amazing.  Someone suggested it might have even felt powerful.  Yes, that's exactly it!  

When it comes to flying in real life, I think we actually do.  Colossians 2:10 (NIV) tells us in Christ we have been brought to fullness.  This fullness is the feeling I get when I dream about flying.  This fullness is the feeling I get in those moments of peace and blessing.  Brandon may call it flawless, amazing, or powerful, but there was no doubt he was flying as well yesterday and that the fullness of Christ was and is certainly in him!

And so we fly, and so we are filled, and so, with Christ, we live in his power and in his amazing grace.  Praise God!  Take flight!

More to come!

Jason <><

Looking for a Sign

I think we're daily looking for signs in our lives--every time we wake up, before we go to bed, as we show up to work and scan the faces of our friends, co-workers, as we read or listen to the news, and as we face our challenges and uncertainties.  What does this mean?  How is this going to play out?  Am I going to be okay?  Why am I so blessed?

Our lives don't even need to be in turmoil for us to search for signs.  We simply do as a natural part of interpreting what's going on around us, where we're headed, and what God is doing in our lives.

This morning as Sarah headed down the driveway to meet her future employer and sign papers for what we thought was going to be part-time work that turned into a FULL-TIME offer!, I watched her leave and simultaneously saw some signs I didn't know I was looking for!

There in my yard, as the picture shows, were a half-dozen yard signs and some toilet-paper icing decorating our front.

While I refuse to jump to conclusions as to who my yard curators may have been, I'm going to assume this was the work of friends at church.  And, although I could make a short list of which groups may be responsible, I'm instead just going to enjoy my signs.





Thus, these are some of the signs I'm seeing this morning:

• My front yard is a sign of the relationships I have at my church.  We love each other enough not to have stale formalities be the norm of our interactions--regardless of age.
• Sarah's offer for full-time employment is a sign of God's grace.  We're no better than anyone else and deserve no better than anyone else.  Yet, God chose to bless us.
• The time it took me to paint my own sign (see below) is a sign to me there are more important things than schedules, and there will ALWAYS be opportunities to respond with the joy Jesus has put deeply in my heart.
• The rising sun and the promise of beautiful weather today is a sign of a new day, a new week, and a new season.

Many of the Jewish people watching Jesus teach, heal, and confront authority cautiously demanded he give them a sign he was truly the Son of God.  I too wish Jesus might have said, "Oh yeah!  I almost forgot.  Here you go.  Sorry for keeping you waiting," and immediately after do something miraculous before them no person or prophet could do.

...or wait.  Jesus may have told them in that moment the only sign they'd see was the same sign Jonah brought to the Ninevites warning them of their doom if they didn't repent, but the truth was Jesus was already busting out signs left and right--doing and teaching all sorts of things no one else could do.  

The problem was, few were willing to see those signs and accept them as glorious gifts of hope and affirmation.  Instead, most watched Jesus' signs and wonders and subsequently called him Satan, tried to stone him, or chased him out of town.

So today, take a deeper look.  What signs are before you?  What promises are they affirming?  

More to come!

Jason <><

Homecoming!! (Just in time)

This weekend was a big weekend for Sarah and me.  Our Weekend to Remember marriage retreat was before us and Sarah was driving home from her Clinical in Kearney for the LAST TIME!

Not only were we going to have a weekend together to fill our cups and remember how to be good to each other in this marriage, we were also celebrating the accomplishment of making it through 8 weeks of separation.

The retreat was well spent.  Because of a gift to us, we were able to stay in a jacuzzi suite, spend time catching up, and learning/remembering Biblical truths about marriage, unity, and oneness with God and each other.

Some might say it's a little excessive going to Weekend to Remember year after year, especially since we've only been married less than three years.  But the truth is, so far this year I've married one couple at Horizons.  Yet, two Horizons families have already shared with me their plans to divorce.  That's 2:1 not in God's favor.  And in both cases, neither couple had sought the help of a pastor or the support of a marriage retreat.  No one knew they were having any troubles.

Weekend to Remember certainly gives us tons of tools for life-long care of our marriage.  Yet, marriages are like leaky vases.  No matter how good our tools, if we don't refill the vase, it inevitability runs dry.

Our weekend ended up being very blessed, but it honestly was just in time.  Over the course of eight weeks apart, Sarah and I began to see the affect of our distance.  It was easy for us to be totally engaged in our lives where we were--whether it was Grey's Anatomy, church activities, or friends closer in proximity--yet struggle to find time to call or find energy to stay awake for the conversation. After a while, feeling like we were both second to each other's higher priorities left us both feeling a little hurt.

It's that easy.  If we don't address that hurt (albeit minor in this case) in our relationship, it has a way of festering and multiplying.  The next thing we know, there's something bigger haunting us.

So I thank God for the gifts of His Word, his instruction, and the opportunities to learn, grow, heal, and love!


More to come!

Jason <><