clinging

“My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:8) Clinging to anyone or anything other than God can get us in trouble really quick.  Because clinging to people, things, or experiences is almost always a result of fear.  And fear makes us the worst version of ourselves. 

We cling to life because we are afraid of death.  We cling to others because we’re afraid of being alone.  We cling to achievements because we’re afraid of being insignificant.  We cling to affirmation and compliments because we’re afraid of being worthless.  We cling to attention and affection because we're afraid we're not worthy of being loved.

But when we cling to God alone, he sets us frees from need and sets us free to love.  For we cannot love freely when we are always trying to extort love out of others.  When we cling to God alone, he enables us to love like he loves.

open hands

it's not until

you're clinging 

to nothing

that God

ends up being

your everything

born from above

“I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born from above.’” (John 3:5-7)

Born from above; what a loaded phrase!  No wonder Nicodemus was dumbfounded.  I mean, how is that even possible? 

But of course, Jesus was talking about much deeper things than mere physics.  He was talking about spiritual transformation.  He was talking about how a life is changed, which always seems to involve some sort of new birth—leaving behind our old ways of being and seeing in order to live and see anew. 

The hard part, both for us and for Nicodemus, is that it’s not a process we can control.  We can no more control the renewal of our hearts and souls than we can control the day we are born.  It is all up to God.  It is a work of the Spirit, not something we can manufacture, manipulate, or control.  Flesh can only give birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 

Thus, we must be born of water and the Spirit; it involves both a cleansing and a renewal.  And Jesus is the only one who can do both of those things, all we can do is receive and respond.

It’s what Ezekiel had written about over five hundred years beforehand: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27) Notice how many times God says, “I will.”  It is he who produces this change, not us.

And it’s also something Paul wrote about years later: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:4-6) The two parts of being born from above are cleansing and renewal, both of which are totally up to God.

Maybe that’s the part Nicodemus struggled with the most.  Maybe he was simply unwilling to surrender his life and his knowledge and his position and his history to God and start all over again.  Maybe he was unwilling to let go of control and become a child again. 

And maybe that’s what you and I struggle with as well.  Surrender is not an easy thing; it takes the ball out of our hands and puts it squarely and wholly in the hands of God.

masters memories

Well, it's that time of year again.  Today I will watch the final round of the Masters from the comfort of my living room.  But it will take me on a journey far bigger than that.  It will fill my heart and soul with forty years of memories.  My father got badges when we lived in Greenville, SC back in the early sixties before the Masters was a big a deal.  So, from about four years old on, we grew up getting to go to the greatest sporting event in the greatest venue of earth on a regular basis.

Through the years I've had the privilege of going numerous times with my dad, then with my wife, and with each of our grown children.  The last several years we went as a family and took turns going to each round.  It is an experience none of us will ever forget.  In fact, the last year we went was two days after my father passed away and he made us promise we would all go to the tournament together before we had his funeral.  It was one of the sweetest trips ever.  It was my father's dying wish. 

Unfortunately, we just missed the time when they would allow the badges to be passed down to your family, because I would love to get to experience the wonder and excitement of the tournament with my grandkids.  

The only word that comes close to describing the beauty and the majesty of Augusta National is pristine.  It is a such an amazing place and the Masters is such a special event.  Even the fans feel like royalty as they walk through the gates.  You immediately get the sense of what an honor and a privilege it is to be able to be a part of such a magical experience.  And if you don't feel that way when you walk in, you are probably not worthy of being there.

So, I will sit and watch the final round today, but I will be doing far more than just watching.  I will be walking the course in my memories with my late father.  I will be looking at the gallery behind number seven, where he used to love to sit.  I will be tasting the pimento cheese, and hearing the roars, and watching in excitement as they change the scoreboard.  And when it's all over, I will take the long walk to the car with a full heart, because to me the Masters is about much more than just golf.

And if you're interested, here's a little something I wrote about it years ago: the masters

lies or prayers

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  How long will you assault a man?  Would you all throw him down—this leaning wall, this tattering fence?  They fully intend to topple him from his lofty place; they take delight in lies.  With their mouths they bless, but in their hearts they curse.  Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-6) 

Lies deplete us and prayers sustain us.  That’s one of the lessons we learn from praying this ancient, but ever-new prayer. 

Lies constantly assault us.  They turn us into the worst version of ourselves.  They make us so much less than what God intended us to be—just leaning walls and tottering fences.  Their intent is to topple us from our lofty place, to dislodge us from the belief that we are beloved sons and daughters of God.

Prayers, on the other hand, nourish and nurture and transform us.  It is by prayer that we become exactly who and what God made us to be.  It is by praying these ancient prayers that our souls are able to find their rest in God, for he alone is the source of our rest and our peace.  Only when we trust in him can we begin to experience the kind of soul rest he created us for.  Thus, it is impossible our solus to rest if we do not trust.

So, depleted by lies or sustained by prayer, the choice is ours.  The one we give the most room to is the one that’s going to win out in the end.  Choose prayer.

perfect love

when fear takes up all the space

there is no room for love

fear squeezes it out and

gives it no air to breathe

fear suffocates love's flame

and keeps it from being able to burn

in order for love to have free reign

it must be given room to roam

an emptying must occur

perfect love must cast fear out

just give love a little elbow room

and fear does not stand a chance 

union

losing myself in you

that is the point 

of divine union

all becomes you so that

there is no more me

like rain falling into a pond

loses itself and becomes 

one with the greater

like a stream flowing into the sea

is swallowed up in the vastness of the sea

like light coming into a room

through two windows is joined

into one glorious light

so may i be swallowed up

and disappear into you 

my beloved jesus

so that i cease to exist 

but become one with you