Category: Leadership

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The Battle for Status

My wife, Denise, and I are in the thick of a battle of sorts.

I want to win, and therefore, I need her to lose.

We are in a battle for “status.”

Let me explain…

I fly a lot. I’m in airplanes quite often. Perhaps it’s for denominational meetings, speaking engagements, vacation, or whatever. Simply put:  I fly a lot.

Denise, well, not so much. But when she does fly, she tends to fly longer distances, because her family lives primarily in the Midwest, and those miles add up quickly.

For many years I have been trying to achieve status on Alaska Airlines. It’s been an obsession of sorts. I like boarding earlier, having more seating options (ie: exit rows), and admittedly/shamefully, I take a small degree of delight in watching passengers scramble for overhead bin space, while I peacefully settle in with my AirPods and a magazine.

So, you can imagine my sheer horror when I recently discovered that Denise had gotten “status” before ME. She doesn’t even care about it. I CARE about IT a great deal! But she DOES enjoy rubbing it in my face, especially when they call out her premium grouping to board early, often accompanied with confetti, standing ovations, and a Dixieland band.

Meanwhile, a part of me dies inside.

All of this came to a significant head on our most recent flight to Mecca, I mean, Disneyland. Trips to Disneyland used to be for the kids, but now it’s for my wife. It’s not really my jam, but I go for her, because she loves all things Disney so much. It’s good for her soul. So you would think Denise would recognize my selfless sacrifice and not heap on the whole “status shame” any further.

But no.

When the flight attendant came down the isle with drinks and snacks, Denise let her know (in what I thought was a very loud voice) that she is one of Alaska’s finest, most preferred customers, and that one of the benefits accordingly bestowed upon her is that of a piece of premium chocolate.

I, on the other hand, humbly and quietly, made sure that the flight attendant was aware that we were together. Married. Husband and wife. The two became ONE. I mentioned that we share everything, including our airline status, and that should warrant a piece of chocolate for yours truly.

The flight attendant pulled out her corporate cellphone, clicked on the seating chart, and extended her thanks to Denise Fehlen as a preferred member of the Alaska Airlines family.

Then she actually said this:  “Denise, you are Gold. John, you are nothing.”

I kid you not.

Thankfully I had that tiny pretzel Snack Mix bag, and the deep understanding that I am a child of God.

You see, I am NOT nothing. Neither are you. It doesn’t matter what the flight attendant, or anyone else for that matter, says to you or about you.

You and I are fearfully and wonderfully made.

You and I are the apple of God’s eye.

You and I are seen, known and loved.

Our “status” is that of co-heir with Christ, seated in heavenly places.

All other status is, well, insignificant in comparison.

Period.

Any yet, I think you’ll be pleased to know (I know I was) that a few minutes later, the flight attendant came back down the isle, stopped at our row, and handed ME a premium piece of chocolate too. She said, and I quote: “Here you go, young man.”

She called me YOUNG.

Take that Denise. 🙂

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The Book of Amos Eash

NOTE: This is an updated version of a post I wrote back in 2016. The reason I’ve updated and reposted it is because its central figure, Amos Eash, just went home to be with Jesus at the age of 95 years old. Yep, he was born in 1924.

I didn’t know Amos very well. I only had a few, albeit significant, interactions with him over the years. One of those interactions is written about below. May it serve as an encouragement to you today, and in a small way, may it serve as a tribute to a wonderful man of God.

I am at my local Starbucks just about every day. And if I’m not at Starbucks, I’m at some coffeeshop around town. I know, I know: I have a problem (the first step is admitting right?). But in my defense, THREE of my four kids work at our neighborhood Starbucks and, well, I’m a good family man. Also, a silly amount of baristas attend our church, which makes it one of those “return of the tithe” kinda things!

So I think I’m justified. Stop judging me. 

Sure I’m a espresso addict, but more than anything I’m here for the people. I love to see folks…you know, the coffee shop regulars. One such regular is Amos Eash.

Amos is 92 years old. He’s a kind elderly gentlemen that exudes warmth. He is usually in his seat right when the doors open around 5:30 am. Then, after chit-chatting with the other patrons, finishing his tall Pikes Place, and perusing the newspaper, he will make the long, slow shuffle to the door. I always give Amos a glance and a friendly “Good morning Sir” but we’ve never had a long conversation.

Until today. 

He told me about how his morning was shaping up. Tidbits from the newspaper. His next stop was to go to Snap Fitness to exercise a little bit (keep in mind that he is 92!). Then we talked about his knees and hips and how he was able to avoid surgery by simply moving and being active rather than sitting in his chair for too long.

Then before he walked out the door, he stopped, came back to me and asked: “Are you the pastor at the church up the hill?” I acknowledged that I was.

He said: “Young man, heaven and earth will pass away, but word of God endures forever. Every day before I do anything I read the Word. Then at night before I go to bed, I read the Word. It is my life.”

I leaned forward because he had my full attention.

Then he looked me in the eye and said: “May the Lord richly bless you today and may God speak to you in a fresh way.” I nodded in agreement and whispered an “Amen.” He then smiled and shuffled his way out the door to this truck.

Amos of Starbucks.

There was an Old Testament prophet also named Amos. In the biblical book named after him this verse is captured…“The days are coming when I will send a famine through the land, not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord” (Amos 8:11).

I can’t think of a worse kind of famine. Let’s pray that we don’t experience a famine such as this again in our land or hearts.

How?

Well, let’s be like Amos Esch of Starbucks who hungers and thirsts for the word of the Lord, and allows it to speak to him in fresh ways each and every day.

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The Gap Between the Two Trapeze

Every so often a particular song grabs my heart and attention for an extended season of time. Usually it’s a recently released tune that I put on repeat until I’m flat out sick of it. Most often, admittedly, it’s a worship song, because of the way they tap into spirit and soul through my ears.

But this song is somewhat older (released in 2011) and it’s by Coldplay.

“Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”

I turn the music up, I got my records on
I shut the world outside until the lights come on
Maybe the streets alight, maybe the trees are gone
I feel my heart start beating to my favourite song

And all the kids they dance, all the kids all night
Until Monday morning feels another life
I turn the music up
I’m on a roll this time
And heaven is in sight

I turn the music up, I got my records on
From underneath the rubble sing a rebel song
Don’t want to see another generation drop
I’d rather be a comma than a full stop

Maybe I’m in the black, maybe I’m on my knees
Maybe I’m in the gap between the two trapezes
But my heart is beating and my pulses start
Cathedrals in my heart

As we saw oh this light I swear you, emerge blinking into
To tell me it’s alright
As we soar walls, every siren is a symphony
And every tear’s a waterfall

I resonate with the desire for solitude (“shut the world outside…”). I can often be found in a quiet space with “my records on.” This is how I tend to deal with feeling overwhelmed, tired or vision-less. And, by the way, this can happen often for me. I’m a fairly public person, with a lot of work, expectations, and stress. I can go for a quite awhile, but then I tap out. When I feel depleted, I withdraw. And, when I do, then my heart starts beating again. The lights start coming on. Heaven is in sight. From underneath the rubble I can start singing a “rebel song.” Bono from U2 says “joy is an act of defiance.”

Then purpose and vision start to return. I too don’t want to see another generation drop. Drop into despair. Drop into depression. Drop into death. I want to do something about it. I want to risk something again. I want to live in the “gap between the two trapeze.” This is the line that has captured my energy and passion as of late. What does it really mean to live in that gap? It’s the space between letting go of one point of security in order to reach another. You can’t hold onto both at the same time. You have to let go of something in order to grab onto something else. What’s at risk? Failure? Misunderstanding? Loss? Death, or worse, Embarrassment?

I don’t know. And that’s why it’s been said that “faith” is spelled R I S K. Faith and risk is the gap between the two trapeze. Wanna join me there?

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There is Noah Way

I’m not much of a builder. I didn’t get those genes from my father. Actually, I must not have gotten his fishing, hunting, oil-changing and handy-man genes either. Sigh.

Here’s the deal: My wife does those things. She’s good at them, and, for the most part, enjoys them.

She’s the builder, painter, landscaper, and fixer.

I cook stuff. Don’t judge (unless I’m on one of those cooking shows, then you can judge for yourself and declare me the WINNER).

So, when I read about Noah in the Biblical book of Genesis, I get a little bothered. OK, more than bothered…I get downright bugged by the guy. He not only constructed a very large boat, but he also took the helm of said boat and navigated open waters. Don’t even get me started about my boating fiascos, um, I mean, adventures.

The guy built an ARK, for crying out loud. This wasn’t a kayak or canoe. It was huge. About one and a half football fields huge!

But, catch this: he also built an ALTAR (see Genesis 8:20). The first thing he did after the waters subsided, and he was able to walk on dry land, was to build an altar.

One was his work unto the Lord and the other was his worship unto the Lord. He did both really well.

Friends, each of us have work AND worship…and they should be done well, and unto the Lord.

What is your ark?

Where is your altar?

Let’s do them both well, and do them as unto the Lord. That’s the Noah Way!

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Fear AND Amazement

“In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this?”

It’s not like they weren’t used to being in boats.

And it wasn’t uncommon for a storm to kick up while they were in those boats.

So what’s the big deal?

 

Luke 8:22-25 captures a story in which Jesus invited his disciples to get into a boat and go over to the other side of the lake. Ultimately we read of them arriving in the land of the Gerasenes, where we read about Jesus restoring a demon-possessed man (8:26-39). Most likely the boat trip started in Capernaum and would have navigated out into the center of the Sea of Galilee.

I have personally been in a fishing boat in the middle of that very body of water, and have (jokingly) fell asleep on the boat as a reference to this passage of Scripture when Jesus fell asleep.

In my case, a slight wind (and some waves) picked up causing our touring team to wonder if we were going to experience something similar to that of the New Testament disciples. Thankfully it ended up being fairly mild…unlike what we read about in Luke 8. They were in a “squall.” They were “being swamped.” They were in “great danger.”

That may account for the fear and amazement the disciples felt. I know it would do the trick for me. I get seasick pretty easily. But that’s not the case here. Sure, the disciples did wake up Jesus with the wide-eyed declaration:  “Master, we’re going to drown!”  But these guys were sailors and fishermen that were undoubtedly familiar with boats and storms. So why were they “in fear and amazement?”

It didn’t have to do with what the storm was doing to them, but instead, what Jesus did to the storm. He rebuked it and it subsided. He commanded the winds and water, and those winds and waters obeyed him. Um, wow.

Storms can surely evoke an emotional response, but nothing will quite bring out the kind of fear and amazement that the disciples experienced like a storm stopping on a dime because someone told it to!

Talk about fear AND amazement.

There are times in our lives when we experience both fear and amazement at the exact same moment. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what we can’t control. Fear of failure and disappointment. AND also amazement at God’s hand of blessing. Amazement at his grace and wisdom. Amazement in the midst of the sheer sovereignty and majesty of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Fear AND amazement. Ah, the beautiful tension.

What if fear AND amazement were meant to be experienced together? Like a tandem bicycle, both peddle toward the same destination: the glory of God.

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What I’m into Right Now: Books

If you actually KNOW me then you would know that I’ve been into books for a very long time. That’s nothing new. It’s not a current fascination.

Bottom line:  I read a lot.

And by a lot, I mean…a lot.

As of this writing I’ve finished reading my 67th book of 2017. And I currently have approximately six other books in the pipeline. I’m on target to hit, and perhaps exceed, my goal of 75 books this year.

To find out more about my love for books and reading, check out a few previous blog posts:

1. Books I tackled on my 2016 Summer Sabbatical.

2. The kinds of books that my reading is focused upon.

3. The best books I’ve read (as of 2012).

So, yah, I read a lot, but it’s not the only thing I do. I don’t have countless hours to just “sit and read.” I’m a pastor of a large church (is this where you insert a joke about pastors only working one day a week???). I’m a husband, father of four, grandfather of two. I’m involved with my denomination, speaking at churches and events, as well as leading biblical tours to Israel, Greece, Rome, and Turkey and missions trips to various countries. I’m an adjunct college professor and guest lecturer at two universities. I could keep going, but you get the point that I’m not just sitting around with nothing else to do but READ A STINKING BOOK.

So then, the question I get asked often is: How do you read so much?

Here’s a few ways how:

1. I always have books close by. They are in my car, backpack, office, bedside, and home office. I use my iPad Kindle App when I fly, especially overseas, but primarily I reach for paper & ink to read from when I have some down time. It’s staggering how much you and I can read when we pick up a book instead of our phone.

2. I’m a huge fan of the public library. Any time I get a book recommendation from someone, discover something of interest in a bibliography, or see something I like on Amazon or at a local bookstore, I will try to reserve it at my local public library…for free! Sure, I do also purchase books, especially when I want or need it immediately, but for the most part I put them onto my online queue and wait for them to arrive. It’s exciting for me to get an email regarding a “book on hold” and it keeps a steady flow of reading material coming to me without cost.

3.  I have less Screen Time.  I’m gonna be brutally frank here:  if you want to read more books you simply must watch watch less TV, scroll through less Facebook, scan less Instagram and Pinterest. Sorry. There’s no judgement on my end. I love my social media. I too cry during each episode of “This is Us.” Oh, and I’m pretty bummed that Chip and Joanna are filming the last season of “Fixer Upper.” So, hey, no judgement. But if you seriously want to read more, then the trade-off has to be with your screen time. One last jab:  have you ever heard of someone on their deathbed saying: “My only regret is not spending more time on Twitter and Facebook?”

Here’s a few closing, miscellaneous thoughts regarding books and reading:

• If you don’t like the book, or don’t connect to it somehow in the opening 40 pages then put it aside. Life is too short to read something you don’t enjoy.

• This may not work for you, but I like having a bunch of books going at the same time, so that I can grab a specific one for specific times and situations. For example:  right before bed I don’t like to read business books or other topics that get my mind racing. I need to slow my brain down, so I choose a book accordingly. That’s why I have 5-6 books in varying degrees of completion, and I will often finish them all up on a rainy, slow weekend or vacation.

• When I finish reading a book, I post it online. This is a public form of motivation for me, but it also let’s others see what I’m enjoying. I will often hashtag my posts with #leadersarelearners because I really believe that I as a leader must always be learning and growing. Books are not the only way to do that, but they sure are a good way!

• I almost always read with a pen in my hand (unless I’m reading a novel). I mark up the book with underlines, asterisks, and comments. Later I can look back and see the most impacting portions and thoughts from each book. However, I don’t recommend you do this with the library books!

• Books are great gifts. I give them away often. I know how something I’ve read has powerfully been used to unlock growth in my life, so I want that same possibility for others.

• The first and most important book I read is my Bible. Nothing can or should replace the Word of God.

Happy Reading.

 

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What I’m Into Right Now

Hey Friends,

Periodically I get a request from folks about “what I’m into right now.” Such as, “Hey John, I know you read a bunch. So what’s your favorite book right now.” Or, “Hey John, you’re always talking about Ramen Noodles. What’s the best place in Portland?”

So, I’m gonna start a series of blog posts called “What I’m Into Right Now.”

First, you need to know that I’m a guy that gets into things for a while then moves on to something else when I get bored or discover something new. Call it “Rotating Hobbies!” I’ll blog about some of those things from my recent past, as well as what I’m into now.

My hope would be that you would get inspired, try some stuff out, explore, experiment and see what happens. You may find something you love or you may think I’m crazy (i.e.: charcoal toothpaste…blog post coming soon!). Feel free to click on any of the links I’m providing in the blog post and give it try!

I have a motto (actually a bunch of them, but this is one I’m crazy about now)… Leaders are Learners.

So, here’s to learning!

Grace and Peace,

John

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Flee • Follow • Fight

The Apostle Paul wrote his letters to Timothy during the latter years of his life. His clear and compelling mission was to “finish strong,” which included passing the baton of leadership to the emerging generation. The wisdom he imparted to his young protege Timothy I believe is essential for every person that desires to be known as a “Man (or Woman) of God.”

But you, Timothy, man of God, run from all these evil things, and follow what is right and good. Pursue a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for what we believe. Hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11,12

FLEE
In other words, the Apostle Paul is saying: run fast and far! Don’t hang around with anything or anyone that would compromise your walk with Jesus. In the text surrounding this passage we can see examples of what Timothy, and the rest of us, are to flee from:

  • false doctrines
  • constant friction
  • foolish desires

These are the kinds of things that simply will not get you where you want to go. They will keep you from an effective and fruit-filled Christian journey. Flee in the same way that Joseph ran away from Potipher’s wife in the Book of Genesis. His future was shaped by his fortitude and determination in the challenges that were presented. Paul reiterates in his second letter to Timothy by saying: “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace…” (2:22).

FOLLOW
It’s simply not enough to just run away. We must now run towards God! Pursue, or follow, after that which will fill you up spiritually.

The text tells us to pursue:

  • Righteousness (what is right and good)
  • Godliness (the realities of a Godly life)
  • Faith (trust and dependence upon the Lord)
  • Love (the most powerful mark of a Christian)
  • Endurance (perseverance)
  • Gentleness (the heart of God expressed)

The test of human character is in the making of critical choices such as these. God wants to construct a character in us based upon the truth of His Word and upon righteous traits. We must consistently keep “choosing wisely” and following hard after God.

Your challenge will not be separating out the good from the bad,
but in grabbing the best out of all the possible good.
Gordon MacDonald in Ordering Your Private World

FIGHT
Paul uses imagery such as that of “straining, pressing on, and fighting” often. This is an important reminder that the Christian journey is not a “cakewalk.” It is, rather, a battle of biblical proportions! The fight between sin and the flesh is huge, and it affects every follower of Jesus regardless of age or stature.

We are called to run away from sin (FLEE) then to pursue the things of God with all our hearts (FOLLOW). In this adventure expect a challenge (FIGHT) in your soul, understanding that it won’t be easy, and cannot be avoided.

Face it head on. Don’t be apathetic or indifferent.

Men, in particular, can be associated with spiritual passivity and detachment, but I believe there is MORE in the heart of men. We were made for the fight! I love how John Eldridge, in his book Wild at Heart, puts it: “Men need a battle to fight, a beauty to rescue, and an adventure to live.”

Let’s take up the Apostle Paul’s challenge to Timothy as our own. Let’s take hold of the life we were meant to live!

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The Pastoral Roles of a Shepherd

Writing about what I do as a pastoral leader is like showing people how sausage is made. I lot of folks like sausage, but most don’t want to see the strange process with their own eyes. Pastoring can often be messy, hard to define, and, because it deals with matters of the soul, as well as the “Man Upstairs,” it is somewhat of a, well…MYSTERY.

I love how the late Ron Mehl put it: “When people come to our church, we want them to feel comfortable and simply connect with Jesus. They don’t need to see all the processes and machinery. We keep all that ‘under the carpet,’ but make no mistake, we do have a lot of machinery under the carpet.”

The intent of this particular blog post isn’t to go headlong into all the ‘machinery’ (i.e. administration, processes, etc), but rather to give an overview of the pastoral craft, especially to those that are just starting out in your ministry calling.

What do pastor/shepherds do? Using the metaphor of a shepherd and his/her sheep, the following three concepts serve as a construct for our calling.

1. Guide.

A shepherd gets the sheep to good pasture. The calling of a pastor is to guide, instruct, point, steer, nudge and encourage the congregation towards Godliness. Note something important:  we guide, but we don’t drive. Guiding involves speaking truth in love. Driving is a subtle form of brutality.

It’s also important to note that guiding sheep to good pasture is not a “one-size-fits-all” venture. It take creativity, and a unique approach with each of the sheep. Like various children within one particular family, a parent quickly realizes that not all the children can be guided in the exact same way. Therefore, pray and get a sense of leading from the Holy Spirit as you give leadership and guidance to those under your care.

The goal is to lead our people to Jesus. Not to ourselves, or to our organization. Lovingly guide them to Jesus.

 

2. Graze.

A shepherd provides the sheep with good food. This is an interesting aspect of our calling, especially in our modern culture in which so many folks decry “I’m just not getting fed at my church.” Now, to be fair, that may very well be the case in some churches. But, by and large, my belief is that most pastoral teachers are providing good food (the teaching of God’s Word), but our sheep are choosing to not eat. They don’t have an appetite. They’ve gotten full on the junk food of the world. To them I would say:  “Good food is being provided. Eat up.”

One of the primary roles of a pastor is to provide sheep with solid and sustaining instruction and direction from the Scriptures. We get them to places where they can graze on truth and life. Not all will…but keep trying. Some will want you to spoon-fed them. Don’t do it. Others may want you to say what they want to hear in order to feel good about their poor decisions. Don’t do it. Still others may press you to address every wind of doctrine or hot topic. Don’t do it.

Preach the Word. Unpack the text in context. Lay out a Bible Buffet of clear and applicable instruction and allow the sheep to graze.

The goal is to lead our people to Jesus, who is the Word made flesh.

 

3. Guard.

A shepherd protects the sheep from predators. Those predators may be actual people with evil or disturbing intent. Or it may be a point of confusion, false teaching, gossip, relational unrest, or the like. These are wolves, and many are hiding out in sheepclothing.

Make no mistake, the enemy of our soul comes to steal, kill and destroy, and his plans are often partnered with by seemingly well-intentioned folks in our faith communities. One of the roles of a pastor is to guard and protect. This is not permission to witch-hunt, police people, or demand unequivocal allegiance to our leadership. Rather, with discernment, prayer, kindness and care we cover the flock with a spiritual ‘umbrella’ of protection, often unseen nor obvious. Occasionally, shepherds need to make their presence known and felt though a timing word, clear rebuke, or training in righteousness.

The goal is that people would have all obstacles removed for them to get to Jesus. He is the Great Shepherd. We are his under-shepherds. We want people to get to HIM, and anything or anyone that attempts to thwart that need to be gracefully, prayerfully and lovingly dealt with. May God give you wisdom should that be necessary.

 

Is this all there is to pastoring?  No way. Remember how Ron Mehl said “there’s a lot of machinery under the carpet?” There’s so much more to the pastoral craft. This is only one slice from one person’s perspective. May you continue to discover all that God has created YOU to be and what He has called YOU to do! Blessings.

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Altars & Lamps: A Look at Long-term Planning vs. Short-term Obedience

It’s not uncommon for me to be dreaming and planning 2-4 years out. Part of being the leader of an organization is that I have to regularly “forward-think” in order to effectively, well, lead.

 

Here’s a few examples:
• I’m thinking about leading the charge on a multi-church event for 2020.
• I’m trying to nail down dates for a Greece/Rome/Turkey journey in 2018 as well as another Israel trip in 2019.
• I’m working on my next “ManDate” with Isaac when he turns 18. It needs to be epic. As well, I’ve been thinking about taking all my boys (Jordan, Josh and Isaac) on a collective “ManDate” somewhere overseas as a capstone to all the previous “ManDates” we’ve been on. That too needs to be epic.
• I’m pondering on what to do for our 30th wedding anniversary. We just celebrated 25 years, but, I’m a guy and I think I have to keep topping the last milestone!
• I’m praying about future campuses or church plants that could be birthed out of our congregation in the next 5 years.

All that to say…there are times that my brain can hit the point of exceeding it’s bandwidth. You know that “spinning ball of death” on your computer screen that lets you know the your hard drive is stuck or shutting down? Yah, I feel that some times. And in the process of the good work of forward thinking and dreaming, I’ve discovered that what is affected most are the day to day, moment by moment things.

Let’s call it: Long-term planning vs. Short-term obedience.

I’m certainly not saying that long-term planning is bad or unfruitful, but it shouldn’t take the place of short-term obedience. When God called Abram in Genesis 12, He told him to “go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” (emphasis mine).

This denotes an ongoing awareness of God’s presence and an obedient response to His progressive leading. Abram wasn’t show the entire map. He wasn’t given the full picture. It’s quite possible that if he HAD been shown the entirety of God’s plan for his life it would have “exceeded his bandwidth.” Abram, instead, had to obey the Lord and trust His leading at every juncture of the journey. Of course, he had moments of failure. Don’t we all.

And yet, Abram modeled for us what short-term obedience looks like. He consistently would “build an altar and call on the name of the Lord” (12:7; 12:8; 13:4; 13:18; 22:9).  It was these times that gave him the next step in the journey. His direction was determined by his devotion.

This is an important pattern for us today. Build an altar. Call on His Name. In other words, slow down and sit with God. Listen. Worship. Pray. Fast.

Then move forward.

God “will show you” which way to go. It may not be the direction that you and I plotted out on an Excel spreadsheet, or blocked out in iCal. It doesn’t mean that we should never forecast, dream or think into the future, but our long-term planning can never become a substitute for our short-term obedience.

Reminds me of Psalm 119:105 when it says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” We would all love to have one of those high wattage, blinding spotlights that would illuminate way out ahead, revealing everything about our future and the direction of our lives. But alas, we have a lamp, and that lamp gives us enough light for each step, and the immediate path we’re on. This requires us to be aware, attentive and responsive to the moment.

Short-term obedience. 

Curiously, when we are obedient to the Lord in the day to day, moment by moments things, He has a wonderful way of getting us “to the land I will show you.” It may take a while but what He promised He will perform.