6.20.2020 - week 60
on the power of a dad and the fuel for the journey
“your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
psalm 119:105
this weekend is father’s day. in a typical year, i would be spending sunday afternoon on a couch somewhere watching us open golf with my dad. this year we are separated by distance and the COVID-19, but it has me thinking about two different strands of life he taught me about. i am deeply thankful for his influence in my life and the love for the bible he passed down to me.
the other night, we went for a family walk at sunset on the redondo beach pier. it recently re-opened, so the energy of the fisherman and shops was palpable. add to it a stunning sunset and we were sure to have a memorable time. there were majestic sail boats in the harbor, some with masts 40-50 feet high. as i looked at crew members tidying from a day on the water, i couldn’t stop thinking about the reality that no matter how sturdy the frame, how excellent the crew, how clever the name, without a working sail and wind to fill it, the boat can’t go anywhere.
knowledge of the bible’s message and affection for the bible’s author is the wind in the sails of a biblical christian. sadly, the intense hypocrisy of those who have used the bible to justify injustice or unloving behavior has softened many towards believing its truth. the problem isn’t with the book, it’s with those who search it to prove pre-decided answers. if we examine it with open mind and heart, we truly find all the insight our hearts could be looking for.
so in this strange moment in history, as we fight for justice and rebuild our economy and try to understand the safest way to engage during this phase of the virus, we must take great care not to allow new insight or old conversations or current news to distract us from the priority of searching god’s message to us for his message to us. it’s the only way to ensure that we go where he wants us to go.
KG Korner
(a few wise words from lady kristen macdonald)
Have you ever ‘bitten off more than you can chew?’ Or can you recollect a time when you had to gather all the grit you could muster to push through something? As summer break began, I thought I should take the kids on a hike I had heard about that leads to a waterfall. When I looked it up online one of the recent reviews said, ‘easy hike.’ So we drove there and the last five minutes of the drive were up the mountain to a parking lot. My nervousness was palpable because if I were to veer to the right at all we would be off the cliff. Not to mention that meant that we would be walking down a mountain, thankfully we arrived safely, found a parking spot, grabbed our water bottles and headed to the path.
As we headed down the mountain on a paved path the people headed the opposite way I would describe as ‘winded.’ That sweaty, pink-cheeked look that doesn’t matter what kind of athleisure you are wearing or how fit you are, this mountain guaranteed a good workout. Also on the way down I saw a sign that said the waterfall was 1.8 miles away. Having never been there before it was exciting, the trail was full of people and sometimes you had to climb over rocks and logs in order to keep on the path and everywhere you looked it was woodsy and fresh air and greenery abounded not something we are used to in our densely populated LA life.
I had to give the kids a few pep talks along the way and as I was hoping we finally came around a corner all the sudden there it was: the waterfall. People were surrounding it and even swimming in it and there was fresh wind in our sails because we made it to our destination, we found the hidden treasure we had walked all this way for. Psalm 104:10 says, “You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills.” It was a beautiful sight, one only our creative God could bring to life. I just wanted to take in the sound for a moment, the rushing water, the feeling of peace, way better than a sound machine could ever produce.
But not long after we made it we all quickly realized we had to walk all the way back to the car to eat lunch and ultimately get home. Add to the 1.8 miles that the last chunk of it was directly up said mountain. Sigh.
On the way back, we made it more quickly through the forest and as we got to the path up the mountain we knew that it was going to be hard but that the only way was to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. As I walked and carried my two and a half year old on my hip all I could think about was the valleys I have walked through in my own life. This visual experience of walking from the bottom of the valley to the top of the mountain reminded me that each step is vital, each pep-talk is necessary and maybe most importantly your focus is essential. So often in our valleys we are worried about the past and how we would change it or what we would do differently and then we give the very energy that is essential to getting through to something we don’t have the ability to change. Whether you are in a valley right now, or almost out of one or maybe there’s one right around the corner for you, your testimony of perseverance might be vital fuel to someone watching you.
Most people have heard or know Psalm 23:4 by heart, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” As we walked I thought of this verse, recognizing the power in the valley is in the very presence of the Almighty who walks with me whether I’m huffing and puffing or I'm valiantly marching each step. He is with you every step of the way.
book review
This week I finished The Fight to Flourish by Jennie Lusko. It’s an encouraging book overflowing with scripture but also raw and real with personal journal entries showing the tension in the fight to pursue joy and peace amidst pain and grief. If you’ve found yourself in a season you didn’t see coming and you’re trying to untangle some of the knots that life has thrown at you, I think that Jennie gives fresh encouragement to help you know you’re not alone and that God can help and wants you to flourish into something beautiful no matter what road you have walked. If giving books away is any indication I’ve already given this book to two people!
leadership thought
i will never forget it. i was like 11 and i said to my dad, ‘what’s a black guy’s favorite game?’ he didn’t really react so i jumped to the punch line. ‘BOWLING.. it’s the only game where a black ball gets to smash into white red-neck pins !’ he looked at me with a fierce intensity and said with smoldering calmness ‘that isn’t funny. we don’t make jokes like that. and we don’t laugh at them either’
in my youthful certitude i said, ‘how could it be racist if the people i’m talking about win the joke.’ and he said, ‘because if you start laughing at things that group people by their color, you will start seeing people as their color and that’s never right’
grateful for that wisdom and trying to keep learning and growing. the sooner we see the small stuff for it’s poisonous effect on us ... the sooner we might start making things better.
super christian guy
take a breath // not everything in your life must be monetized :)
”even zeal is not good without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily sins.”
proverbs 19:2
content this week
this week at my wednesday service, we did something different, a 3 man discussion called
‘what i want my son to know about race’ – check it out, I think you will be encouraged.
if you’re more of a listen-on-the-go person, check out my podcast with all my latest sermons and various other episodes.
pieces of good news I saw this week
1. i found this think piece from j.k. rowling (harry potter author) on her fight with the trans-gender community fascinating. this thinking is so far away from most christians, i think your mind will be stretched to read it.
2. if you are in summer or vacation mode and looking for something to watch w. your kids/grandkids, my boys did a top 10 sports kids movies ranking.