Update From the Road

Readers rarely leave comments on my blog, so I was surprised to get one recently about an entry from last August. It was an update concerning my friend Steve, who travels around on his bicycle with a few belongings and a big passion for Jesus. Jenny B. wrote:

hello. i met steve this evening and thought you might like to hear that he is just fine. he is staying in a work trailer (someone has set up), in a church parking lot in dalton, ga. he is still telling everyone he meets about Jesus. what a wonderful witness he is…he (very humbly) showed me a copy of your blog with his pictures.

I’m glad to know Steve is ok, especially since the very day I received this update was colder in Abingdon, Virginia than in Nome, Alaska, according to the local paper. He’s crossed my mind several times, and I’ve wondered how he was making it through the winter. So I’m grateful to Jenny B. for leaving her comment and thankful that our God is so gracious to allow our virtual paths to intersect at another signpost in Steve’s story.

But I also find joy and inspiration in Steve’s continuing witness to the people he meets...not only the people who hear about Jesus for the first time through him, but also the ones like me, who are challenged in their faith through his example. When I think of Steve, I’m reminded of these basic truths:

This life is about people, not things.
This world is not our home.
This hope that we have in Jesus is for life today and life eternal.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ~ Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Keep the faith, Steve.

Our Call to Prayer

George and Laura Bush welcomed Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, to The White House before the ceremony. Photo: Andrew Councill for The New York Times

Inauguration Day, 2009. No matter who you voted for (or didn’t vote for), the day of a new administration has come. Former President Bush and Laura (how classy is she?) are back at home in Texas, and President Obama and his family are settling into Washington. It was an historic, emotional day, filled with symbolism and pride in the democratic process.

I couldn’t help wondering what everyone was thinking, from Sasha and Malia to George Sr. to Aretha Franklin (did you see that hat?). But at the end of the day, after the ceremonies, parades, and balls, it all comes down to this: Politics aside we are called to support our new President as we did President Bush—with fervent prayer, not only today, but every day for the next four years. As I heard Bishop T.D. Jakes say in an interview, "When he does well, we all do well."


Pastor Rick Warren gave the invocation as President-elect Barack Obama and President George W. Bush bowed their heads during the 56th Presidential Inauguration ceremony for Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Photo: Pool photo by Pat Benic

I imagine President Bush is feeling “lighter” tonight, and I imagine there will be a point very soon when the weight of the Presidency will settle on President Obama’s shoulders like a ton of bricks (if it hasn't already). He can’t shoulder that responsibility alone. No man could. So let’s purpose to lift him up, that God’s will be done in him and through him.

...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 (NIV)



Sasha approved of her father's performance. Photo: Susan Walsh/Associated Press

All photos from nytimes.com

Casting Our Nets

It didn’t work. Writing about the word cast didn’t release me from thinking about it. If anything, it’s been on my mind even more than it was before my previous post. So here are a few more thoughts about casting…

The Old Testament was all about casting. Casting idols, casting pieces for the temple, and even casting spells are commonplace in the first few books of the Bible. But those examples don’t fit the definition I wrote about in my last post—throwing forcefully and with purpose.

This instance of casting does work:

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men. ~ Mark 1:16-17 (NIV)

A friend of mine tried her hand at casting a net while on vacation at the beach one summer, and she told me it was hard...

“Trust me. It only looks easy,” she said. “First you have to loop it around your wrist and arrange it just so, or you’ll end up tangled up in it yourself. Then you have to take aim with your feet a certain distance apart and turn your arm at the exact moment you’re flinging the net into the water.”

Not that I didn’t believe her, but I did a little internet research on my own and found this handy 9-step guide to throwing a cast net, should you ever need it. Personally, I’m pretty sure I’d starve to death before I ever caught any fish using this method.

My point is this: When Jesus called Simon and Andrew from their ordinary lives as fishermen to join him on the extraordinary adventure of a lifetime, I think he expected them cast their nets for souls with as much fervor and enthusiasm. And even if our technique isn’t perfect, we should be fishing with the same sense of urgency.

Let 'Em Fly

Anyone who knows me well knows that this time each year the demands of my job pretty much eclipse the rest of my life. Any semblance of a social life, regular (or even irregular) workouts, clean bathrooms, and yes, blog posts all fall by the wayside as “the little marketing department that could” works long hours to meet our biggest print deadline of the year.

But I have a few minutes to spare now, and it seems only thoughtful to let my friends and regular readers know I’m still alive, if not kickin’. Plus, I’ve had a word rolling around in my head for two days now and I think I have to share it to get any peace. So here it is: cast.

Driving home last night I was listening to WCQR and caught the end of a live concert, part of Sparrow Records’ “New Faces, New Music” tour. I enjoyed the few songs I heard, but what really got my attention was a young artist who shared a little of her witness between songs. And that’s where the word “cast” comes in.

She said she’d never really thought about the meaning of the word until recently, when she looked it up and discovered it means to throw something forcefully and with purpose, hurling it away from yourself. As she pointed out, knowing the true definition gives this scripture a little more depth:

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. ~ Psalm 55:22 (NIV)

Too often we give our burdens to God halfheartedly, maybe because we don’t really trust in Him to deal with them for us, or because we intend to take them back in short order. In either case, how it must grieve Him to watch us staggering around under their weight. How His father’s heart must yearn to lift them from our shoulders and liberate us to be who He says we are. If you have children, you have dreams for them, right? More than any earthly parent, God knows our full potential (and our every shortcoming) and holds our futures in His hands. But we’ll never be free to follow His wildest dreams for us if we’re in bondage to our burdens.

He’s ready and waiting, so cast your cares on Him. Throw, fling, or lob them. Heave, sling, chuck them…shoot, catapult them if you have to! Just let 'em fly and don’t look back.