A few days ago I visited the doctor and  as part of the whole schemile  The nurse took my blood pressure. Funny  way to say it; she didn’t actually take it. I still have it, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this.   Anyway, as it turns out, 118/74 is just  about perfect, she said. This is a great surprise, because absolutely nothing  else about me is perfect. My hair-stylist is a great optimist who insists she is  glad to see me. My dermatologist laughs at me. My car needs an oil change. And I  won’t tell you about the state of my desk, or the fact that my lawn needs  mowing.  But my blood pressure is perfect. I  actually felt great about that, as if I had aced an exam or won monopoly, with  real money.  There is only one other thing about me  that is perfect, and it’s really not me at all. It’s the Lord Jesus. I carry Him  around in my heart, and when all else fails, as it inevitably does, He is still  the eternal, beautiful, pure and perfect one. And He understands all my  shortcomings, encourages me to do better, and keeps me joyful.

I am not perfect, but that  which I carry is. As long as I don’t drift far from that realization, all  will be well. So there it is; worship, and watch your salt intake, today’s  recipe for a long and useful life.  How  about this from Psalm 149:

“Praise the Lord with a new song
His praise in the assembly of the saints
Let Israel rejoice in their  maker
Let the people of Zion be glad in their  King
Let them praise His name with dancing
Make music to Him with tambourines and  harps
For the Lord takes delight in His people.”

Yesterday I spent a little time making some stage props, three crosses for Easter. As I was doing it, it struck me that a cross is a very simple thing. An upright, and cross bar and you are done. A Roman cruxificion was a devastatingly easy, cheap and brutal way to execute a prisoner.

Theologians spend years understanding and explaining the power of the cross. And yet, like the cross itself, it’s power is also very simple. God’s justice cannot be compromised and it demands a penalty for sin – our lives. If God wasn’t just you could never trust Him. But at the same time God’s relentless mercy seeks a way to set us free.

That’s where Jesus enters. The only Man who did not sin was the only person who could pay that penalty on our behalf.  He was the only one who didn’t already owe a life.  God’s inviolable justice was satisfied, and His mercy saved us from a fate that is literally worse than death itself.  Praise God.

And so the power of the cross, which was unspeakably costly to Jesus and the Father, is completely free to us. Like the cross itself it is so very simple. You can’t afford it, so you get it free. That’s why we worship Him.

A friend of mine was traveling to a town he had never been to before. It was in Wales, where he lives. Most towns in Wales have names that resemble a serious alphabet-soup spill, lots of vowels and spraining of the lips.

Well, on the back roads of Wales he inevitably became lost. Finally he spied an old weather-beaten farmer by the side of the road, holding up an old weather-beaten shovel. Stopping the car and winding down the window, he said “Do you know the way to Galmmamorbbladonffye” (or whatever the place was called).

The farmer, who was never in a hurry except when late coming home from the pub on a Friday night, said “Ooooh, ayeee, you can’t get there from here. You have to back up two miles and go from there”.

But when the only person who knows the way speaks strangely, you don’t argue, you just do what they say. Sure enough, my friend got to his destination.

Jesus was talking to the disciples one day, trying to take the sting out of His coming departure to Heaven. Jesus tells them that he is going to prepare a place for them. Thomas says “How can we know the way?”

Jesus response to that honest, bare question has helped so many millions of people ever since. He said “I am the Way…..”

When you think about the complexities of this ever-changing life, it only makes sense that the way is not a plan, an emotion, or some sort of special knowledge, but a person.

In the context of that conversation, Jesus was the Way to heaven. But it is even bigger than that. He is the Way to peace, meaning, health, purpose, forgiveness and to life itself.

Not only is He the Way to, he is also the Way from. He is the Way from disasters, mistakes, shame, trouble, temptation and your past. Many of us found Jesus when we thought there was just no Way.

There is somewhere for us to move to, and there are places for us to move away from. Life is a two way street. It’s never too late to go in the right direction, and it’s never a good time to go in the wrong direction.

And if you go the right way in some part of your life, and the wrong way in another, you will inevitably walk in circles. Ever been there?

Follow the signs and make sure in every aspect of your life you are moving in the right direction.
You can get there from here if you know the Way.

About two years ago a huge eighty-foot oak tree came down in our backyard. It fell overnight. We didn’t hear it happen, but there it was in the morning, sprawling all over the backyard. Even after it fell, the tree looked as if it had been healthy apart from one area low down on the trunk.

Within a few days, the old tree was cut into large chunks and left in an enormous pile at the edge of lawn where it remained until a few days ago, when Bobby came over with a log splitter and a couple of chainsaws. We set about turning this big pile into small logs we could use in the fireplace, a job which took all day.

As we split apart the logs I was really surprised by many things I saw hidden inside. Over the decades, the tree had grown over old breakages, burnt trunks, dead branches and more. All the old damage was invisible from the outside. And many times the strongest, most difficult parts of the wood to break apart were where old damage had occurred. The tree had turned injuries into strengths.

But from the outside you would never have known any of this. Time and growth had healed all the injuries of the past and the tree had gone on to live a very long and beautiful life.

For us, going on after a major difficult life-event is a choice. Some people hit a life-crisis and they seem to stop there. Their lives become focused around an injury or hurt and all future growth is suspended indefinitely.

But other people just seem to be able to move on, and turn their hurts into hope. They get through it, and go on to live healthy and beautiful lives. You would never know from the outside what they had been through.

I think there are a few things that help us move on after tough experiences. You have to
•    Believe you can move on
•    Focus on what the future holds, making it bigger than the past
•    Forgive and let go, This is a process not just an event

Moving on takes courage, but compared to the pain of staying stuck in a bad place, it is far preferable.

You were destined to live a long and beautiful life, full of surprising events, odd angles and of constantly moving towards the light. Mark Twain said “Life is just one darn thing after another”.  Twists and turns happen, but destiny is calling.
“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14).

I’m not one for complicating things. Just the opposite in fact. I mostly like to distill things to their simplest form. So when it comes to worship I tend to avoid complicated philosophies and practices. And I like to focus on what we do, not endure long discussions about what we don’t do, and why not.

Perpetual navel gazing, endless introspection and second guessing belong with do-it-yourself dentistry on my list of things to avoid.

That said, from time to time it is good to step back and look at why and how we do what we do. In our church, we use contemporary music, in the belief that it helps us to worship God. I really believe it does!

But in the middle of all the good times, good music and good feelings it is possible to lose sight of why, and Who, we worship in the first place.

Nehemiah says this (Chapter 9, verse 5):

“…blessed be Your glorious name and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.”

I think what Nehemiah is saying is this: let’s not become so in love with the way we worship, all the blessing and praise, that we accidentally exalt it above God Himself. Don’t just settle back and let the music and singing lift us up instead of the other way around. Sometimes we can forget why we started to worship in the first place.  We started to worship because God is glorious, and worthy of the greatest praise we can conspire to offer. His glory is endless and His magnificence is immeasurable.

No song, regardless of it’s writer ever went close to fully expressing who He is. We just make do with the songs, the voices and instruments we have knowing that when we get to heaven everything will change.

So when we come to church and someone says “It’s great to be in church today and it’s time to worship God”, let our first thoughts be not about the music or the presentation but about God Himself, the astonishing One who made us and loves us.

Nothing can ever take His place. His glorious name is exalted above all the blessing and praise.

I have always been fascinated by revivals. It began when I casually expressed interest in a comment made by an old pastor who, unbeknown to me, was completely obsessed by the subject. Next thing he loaded me up with 20 huge text books on the subject, and I read them all.

Revivals are wonderful, but they can also be pretty strange. I am always inspired by the way the church gets excited, gets active and boldly preaches the gospel to the world. I’m also frankly perplexed by the revivals where people start howling at the moon and crawling around the forest. Beats me!

Some revivals were short lived, and led by some seemingly unusual and fractured people. Others were long lasting and led by fantastic Christians. For example, the great revival led by John and Charles Wesley continued throughout much of their lives and probably saved England from a violent revolution such as occurred in France.

Nobody is really sure what leads to a revival. Most people believe, like starting an old lawn mower, it was the last thing they did before something happened. They may have been praying, preaching a message on grace or singing hymns. These are all great things to do, but there are no guarantees. There are those who pray and see revival break out, and those who simply continue to pray in faith.

Sometimes watching people wait for revival is like watching someone wait for the phone to ring. They pick up the phone, make sure there is a dial tone, look at the phone from several different angles, make sure they don’t wander out of earshot, chase the kids away, and then re-check for the dial tone. Lots of waiting.

When John Wesley was asked, “What is your secret for revival”, he replied, “Every morning I set my self on fire and then I invite people to watch me burn”.

The greatest revival in the world is the one going on inside your own heart. Revivals always start that way. They begin with one burning person who can’t help but share. Don’t wait for the phone to ring. Turn up the fire in your heart, and it is amazing how people notice, how bold you become and how God uses you.

A heart revival is the best antidote for cynicism, boredom, the blues and feeling useless. When you have a revival going on in your heart, that’s when your phone begins to ring. But it’s not to report revival news in some far away city, it’s to find out about the fire going on at your place.

Of all the Psalm writers, I seem to connect the most with Asaph, one of the worship leaders appointed by David. Where David was a king, and led as a king, Asaph was a musician and a “church guy”.  Almost everything he wrote was either for, or on behalf of the people of God.

That’s why Psalm 77 stands out. It just doesn’t sound like an Asaph Psalm. Then one day I noticed at the very top of the Psalm an inscription that said “For Jeduthan”. Jeduthan (sometimes called Ethan) was Asaph’s friend and co-worker. I think Psalm 77 was written for Jeduthan at a time when he was doing it tough, and was struggling to find words to express what he was dealing with. After all, as a worshiper he didn’t want to insult God, but his soul was in trouble.

Asaph simply stepped in, and said the words for him.

“I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.”

Isn’t it great when you discover that you are not alone in your struggle, that friends get it and are right there with you? But being a great friend, Asaph did just stop there. He went on to remind Jeduthan that God has always been faithful, and He is incapable of changing.

“I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night.”

and

“Then I thought, ‘To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.’ I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?

You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah (just think about that)

The waters saw you, O God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. The clouds poured down water, the skies resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth.

Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. ”

God can’t fail you. It would be easier for you to return the rain to a storm, or make the sea stand still like glass. And His unseen footprints wind their way through all the affairs of your life.

God doesn’t change, even when circumstances do. He will rescue you and in the end, every circumstance will bow down to the Lord of all and submit to His grace and power. It’s not over yet, but it will be one day soon.

Last weekend was a great one. It began on Saturday, at Hog Wild. We had a great time goofing around, then worshiping the Lord together.

Then on Sunday morning I preached and led worship at a lovely church in Vienna.

On Sunday evening we took a worship team to Prince William Jail where we worshiped and prayed with some of their very best customers.

Three more different meetings in a radius of 20 miles would be difficult to find. And yet on each occasion we enjoyed a great time together in the presence of the Lord.

It never ceases to amaze me how that happens, God, who never changes, seems to become a perfect match to each and every person who looks to Him.

In the city of Auckland there is a church with a stained glass window depicting Jesus walking on the water. The startling thing about this is that Jesus looks  like a powerfully-built Maori warrior.

Maybe it never occurred to the artist that Jesus may not have looked quite like that. That’s a great thing. Whoever you are, Jesus seems like family, and nobody understands you like family does.

Most people name themselves after their parents. I have my father’s last name. My brother has that plus my father’s middle name, which was also my grandfather’s first name.

But God named himself after His children. He is called the father of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In my world, he is also the father of Russell. Brilliant.

Can’t wait to see what our God does this weekend. I know it’s going to be fantastic. See you there.

How many times have you said to yourself “If only….”. It may have been followed by something like “I hadn’t run that red light” or “I had kept my mouth shut”, or “I had seen that coming”.  Our “If only” moments  are usually related to regrets about things that have already happened. Unfortunately this ends up are fairly fruitless though, as there is precious little you can do about things that have already happened. Forgive, forget , move on. Such is life.

It’s like driving your car using only the rear vision mirror. It gets sad and lonely very quickly as you see the events  and lost opportunities of your life disappearing into the distance behind you.

But we also have our “What if?” moments. These are the exciting moments when we become aware that there are powerful things that can be done if we have a dream and a strong desire to do something great, something that will make a great difference in someone’s life.

Peter and John had a “What if?” moment one afternoon as they headed off to the Temple to pray. They passed a disabled beggar, asking for a handout. At that time in history, a disabled person was trapped: he couldn’t work, have a family or serve God. Thank God we  now live in a very different age.

Peter checked his pockets and realized he didn’t have any silver or gold with which to help this man. This however turned out to be a very good thing. If Peter had found a couple of spare coins to throw in the beggar’s tin cup, a great miracle may never have happened.

Instead of mumbling something about being more broke than the beggar and simply passing by, Peter boldly said these words: “I don’t have any silver or gold but I can give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk”.

And the crippled man did! He got up and walked.

A few small coins may have kept him in food for one more day, but this miracle meant he could work, raise a family, testify to the power of God, and so much more.

Instead of looking in his rear view mirror and thinking “If only I hadn’t spent my last couple of coins on lunch at that kosher pizza place down on 23rd Street”, Peter looked forward and thought “What if?”, and a life was radically changed.

The world of “What if?” is a very different place. It is a  land of
risk,
creativity,
no limits,
faith,
healing,
joy,
generosity,
friendship,
unpredictability,
praise , and so much more.

The thing is this: life is simply a series of moments, one after another. If we miss our “What if” moments, they quickly turn into “If only” moments, lost opportunities that leave us wondering about what might have been.

I want to be like Peter and look forward from my circumstances, not backwards. I need to ask”What if?” in a lot more situations. Amazing things can and do happen when you ask “What if?”

I love reading the reports in the Bible about Jesus’ miracles. I try to imagine the impact that these miracles had on these people and their families: a blind man can suddenly see his children for the first time, a cripple person can work again, a seriously ill woman can rejoin her family for the first time in years.

But some people had some very unexpected reactions:

A man healed of leprosy was told by Jesus to keep it on the down-low, but he told the whole town about it anyway.

When one man was delivered from violent, dangerous demons, the town’s people got so scared they begged Jesus to go away. Now there is a mixed–up bunch!

Jesus healed one boy, and the crowd thought Jesus had killed him.

One time Jesus healed a crippled woman, but the religious people became angry because He did it on the wrong day.

Another time, Jesus healed a blind man, so the authorities tried to force him to implicate Jesus in a religious crime. Luckily, he was blind throughout most of the miracle so he had a great excuse to not identify Jesus. When the authorities went after the man’s parents, they cut their own son loose to avoid trouble for themselves.

A group of ten lepers were healed at the same time, but only one came back to say “thank you”.

But the greatest miracle of all is salvation- Jesus’ death for our sins. The worst deformity will only last until we die. No one will call you “Duckface” in Heaven (sorry if that is your nickname). Once we get to Heaven, all sicknesses and disabilities will be gone.

But the miracle of salvation is eternal, the overwhelming, compelling reason to love God forever.

I want to be like that one leper who came back and found Jesus, to tell him that he was eternally grateful. That’s what a great worshiper is. This is how it happened…

Luke 17:15-17.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?

Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

The healing of the nine guys was remarkable and the story even made it into the Bible. But this one man not only knew he was healed, he also realized Who had done it. He got loud and passionate in giving praise.

There is the heart of worship.