They are on their way home...

It's amazing to think but my brothers Jeff and Wade are returning home from India already... Thank you to those of you who prayed for them. You can check out their story here!

dead... and dying

Colossians 3:3

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:5

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you...

I find the scriptures amazing.

Like its Author, it defies our human boxes and limitations while presenting truth and light for our (very human) path. It figures out ways of saying that things ARE in fact right/wrong while opening doors that help us find freedom, perspective and rescue in an ever changing landscape. It shows us which life is REAL... while at the same time helping us see what real LIFE is.

It is a breathtaking collection of God's words.

As we have progressed through Colossians we have seen many incredible examples of God's powerful Voice... but one in particular struck me this week as we talked. It is found in verses 3 & 5 of chapter 3. Paul tells us that we are dead men/women walking... that we have a new life hidden in Christ. It is connected to the imagery used earlier with baptism - we have died WITH Christ and are now something different... a new creation, a new man, a child of light.

YET

Two verses later Paul tells us that we must put to death that which is earthly... which feels very real to my very human heart.

But wait... which is it Paul. Are we dead and hidden in Christ OR are we wrestling with ourselves and trying to put to death that which is earthly.

The answer of course is, "yes."

But knowing that we need more than to just "know" that we have to fight everyday for this life in Christ... God gives us in His scriptures through His servant Paul the most powerful tool He can - He gives us hope. Hope of who we REALLY are. Hope of who we CAN become. Hope in WHO really holds us in Himself.

And hope does not disappoint... Romans 5:5!

a song in my head

You know how you get a song stuck in your head sometimes and you can't get it out. Or you hear a tune and you are not sure who wrote it but you've got the tune and the words from the chorus stuck in your brain...

da, du, da... JESUS IS cool, da, da, You are awesome... yeah...

:)

This fall I had this song in my head that I could not figure out. I had heard it a few times on the radio and had not been able to sit down and just find out who the artist was. It really resonated with my heart and where we as a family have been in this last season.

Well, wouldn't you know it, I got this email from my sister-in-law (thanks Erin) and she sent me to this YouTube link that had "A song for you!". As soon as I heard it I recognized it. This song, in her words, "has helped give me the words on how to pray for you both. Kinda weird I know!"

The song is What Ever You're Doing by Sanctus Real ... the same song I had been thinking about this fall. Hmmm. If you think about it we would appreciate your prayers and this song is a pretty good place to start!

grace and peace friends.

God's dirt

Genesis 2:7

...then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

The other night I was laying in bed fitfully trying to sleep when I had this daydream (night dream?)... which led to this poem:

We are God’s dirt.
though tough to say
and tougher still to make a way
for these clay hearts to hear this truth…
We are God’s dirt.

drawn from the ground to which we’ll go
with a Masters care but not much to show
We are God’s dirt.

but that’s not all there is to me
though oftentimes it’s hard to see
the touch of life,
a breath divine,
a hidden power,
a holy sign
of more…
than can be seen with eyes
not measured by might, nor power, nor size
the unexplainable Potters hand…
We are God’s dirt.

two ingredients no more different found
– one from the heavens the other the ground
one simply dust the other life
– together a vessel of hope and strife
yet He, as only He can do,
gathers the dust and shapes it true
and breaths His very life within…
We are God’s dirt.

so from this dirt Lord, I now pray
that You would breathe and make a way
for life to move beyond this shell
to rescue those from the brink of hell
to conquer sin and break down gates
to restore the life and lift the weights
to make a way with simple dirt
to heal this earth of all this hurt…
We are Your dirt.

so move this dust with the force of breath
that breaks the bonds of life and death
and changes all we see and know
as hope and love begin to grow
like flowers planted in faith for spring…
We are Your dirt.

Timothy Mark McDonald

Colossians 3... in REAL life?

Matthew 6:19-34

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

This is the power of fixing our eyes on Jesus... this is the power of the Christ focused life.

The fold in the middle of a book.

Colossians 3:1-4

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

As I have mentioned before, we have, as a community, been working through the book of Colossians slowly but surely over the past few months. It has been an incredible experience... it is an incredible book.

We have wrestled with what it looks like to, "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord"... and sat in awe as we gazed at the, "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." We have meditated on the ideas of faith and hope AND searched the depths of, "the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints." We have prayed for one another as each of us embrace the centrality of the cross and learn what it means to, "walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith..." and not, "captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world..." And of course we have begun to deepen our understanding of the tremendous theme of thanksgiving in Colossians by beginning the spiritual discipline of thankfulness.

And now we round a bit of a corner.

Like the fold in the middle of a book.

A focus point in an incredible work of art.

A lit candle in a darkened room.

Look HERE Paul says... So we don't forget the point... So we don't move to quickly ON... So we don't move to QUICKLY... So we don't MOVE... away from life.

The author of Hebrews says it this way, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." Paul knows we need this reminder. In the midst of busy schedules and busy lives how do we move forward with courage? Without the rules (or leashes) of religion how do we trust our steps... our "walk"? Paul tells us that if we are in Christ we do this by seeking (literally with all our hearts) the things above... setting our minds on those things... the things of Christ... the things of REAL life.

But what does this look like... in REAL life?

doing and thankfulness

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

This statement is amazing.

As a community we have been slowly making our way through the book of Colossians. This week we are entering into chapter 3... a very challenging and inspiring run of ideas that I am looking forward to talking about as a community. The climax of this run is this amazing statement.

Whatever you do...

• word (ALL that you say)
  
• deed (ALL that you do)
  

Do in the name of Jesus...

• giving thanks to God the Father (with a heart of thanksgiving to God)
  
• through him (through the person/power of Jesus)

Wow.

So what does a THANKFUL follower look like when he/she is DOING EVERYTHING in the NAME OF JESUS through the PERSON/POWER OF JESUS? And what about a community of those people?

not this time...

As many of you know, I was supposed to be in India right now with Jeff and Wade. I know right now that they are experiencing so many crazy sights and sounds... right now they are smelling smells that are as foreign to us westerners as the far side of the moon... tasting foods that are so unique and distinct you wonder if they are really supposed to be eaten. They are sleeping in beds that WILL probably bite them back later and traveling down roads that, far from being less traveled by, have seen more traffic in any given moment than many of ours will see in their lifetime. It truly is an incredible experience and I would encourage you to keep up with them here.

To say I will miss being on this trip is a tremendous understatement... but I will be praying for my brothers and for India - Thy Kingdom come Lord. Thy will be done in India as in heaven. Amen

And be thankful. (2)

Colossians 3:15b

And be thankful.

For the past couple of weeks I have been doing a bit of an experiment that I would like to invite you into. It is an experiment in thankfulness.

Now, having grown up in a home (and a culture) that valued manners I am... well... thankful that I have been given the gift of "P's & Q's". But, it has occurred to me as of late (perhaps the fruit of now being a parent?!) that there is a huge difference between good manners and thankfulness. As important that it is that we say "thank you" to those around us (and our Lord), one is an act of social conscious and the other is act of love. And, though both are valuable, I think we all know the difference when we see it AND I think our Father in heaven knows the difference as well.

A couple years back I was having a bouquet of flowers made up for my wife at the florist across the street from our Glasgow flat and I was struck with the level of care the woman behind the counter was taking. When she handed me the flowers I made a point of not only saying "thank you" but of also telling her that I noticed her hard work, I appreciated the care she took and that I knew my wife was going to love the arrangement. The woman was taken back (her eyes actually welled up) and she said, "thank you for noticing". Now I was taken back. Could my "thank you" have contained that much power... or maybe she just hadn't heard a real "thank you" for a long time.

Hence the experiment...

So the next time the barista hands you your grande half cafe with room OR your secretary brings the files you requested OR your child unexplainably says thank you when he or she hasn't been told... look them in the eye's and say "thank you very much... I noticed... you are very appreciated..." and see what they say.

BTW - As an aside, I just did the experiment in Starbucks (where I am typing this) and the barista gave me my grande drip for free... hmm.

And be thankful.

Colossians 3:15b

And be thankful.

Years ago I heard about an order that had practiced a spiritual discipline unlike any I'd ever heard of. It was called the discipline of thankfulness. Simply, they committed as a community to exercise Paul's call in Colossians to continual thankfulness in prayer through out the day... every day. Now, I often think of disciplines as exercises in restraint and perseverance BUT, in this case, it was a discipline that involved (what seemed like) a continual state of heart. I mean, anyone can say thank you for something (more on this tomorrow)... but to be really thankful means commanding the soul, the mind, the heart. This is not simply an exercise in saying a few words with the appropriate manners - no, this is an exercise in changing the outside SO THAT the inside will follow!

This past week we as a community have begun to practice the spiritual discipline of thankfulness to communicate to our GREAT God how awesome He really is. We are going to attempt to offer one prayer every day for the next month or so that starts with, "Lord thank you..." to see if as we exercise a discipline of prayer we might see a transformation of soul, mind and heart.

Thank you Lord for the gift of You. Amen.

prayer for this day

Colossians 4:2

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

I thank you Father for this day -
A day like many in every way.
And in every way You're seen today,
let these few words be the first I say,
"Thank You God... Thank You Lord."
So that with every fiber and every chord
I see this world, each breath and sight
With new resolve and new delight...
As the gift it really is from You
And the power of all that You can do!
So, I thank You Father for this day -
May it's gifts be seen in every way.


Timothy Mark McDonald

The "Hand of God"

1 Peter 5:5-7

...Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

It is amazing how often I find myself surprised by what God does.

I know, I know... it seems like a subtle (or not so subtle) form of arrogance but so often I think to myself, "huh, I didn't see that coming". Why it should surprise me that I don't understand the plan that God has OR why He chooses to do what He does is beyond me... obviously. Recently a friend of mine (thank you Sophia) shared a picture she had drawn about how God moves in her life. It was actually two pictures that communicate a very powerful idea about God.

The first picture showed her with a mighty hand behind her gentle nudging her forward as she lived her life. I imagine this hand as being half motivator and half comforter... like my hand on my daughters back as she was learning to ride her bike. Firm yet gentle. Guiding yet unleashing. You sense that at any moment it is OK for you to simple allow yourself to rest in it's guidance BUT it is equally OK to simply move forward passionately allowing each nudge to keep you focused.

The next picture is a little different.

In the next picture the mighty hand has a firm grasp on her and is moving as IT chooses. At first I imagine this hand as powerfully controlling my destiny and making me move towards things that I don't necessarily want... like when I make my son eat his broccoli. It feels powerful and, ironically, a bit removed from my reality. At times it might even feel unloving. But as I reflected on this picture further this week in light of current events in my life another picture began to unfold. Maybe this second picture is more like the time I saved my son off the bottom of the pool. My grasp was NOT gentle. My movements were NOT graceful. My response was forceful (almost uncaring)... and yet, in that moment, my heart could not have been filled with more love.

This week, due to circumstances that were WAY beyond my control, my trip to India was pulled out from under me. A trip I have been looking forward to for a year. As much as I want to blame governments, policies and even the enemy... I know the "Hand of God" is more powerful than all of them. I know the "Hand of God" moves as He (in goodness) wills. I know what His hand feels like on my back as He moves me forward and I know what it feels like to be rescued from circumstance or self. I guess the thing I don't understand is why I'm repeatedly surprised when it happens...

Lord, I surrender to Your hand. I surrender to Your plan. Lead as You will... and will as You lead. Our lives are Yours to do with as You will... any time, any place and at any cost. Amen.

hearing from God

Inside out

Colossians 2:6-8

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

I was sharing yesterdays story (on my blog) about Chase at our community time because it related to a passage that we are studying as we read through the book of Colossians together.

It is amazing how we look to, even rely upon, these external philosophies, traditions and principles to guide us as we live our lives. Like a crutch - or maybe a leash - to keep our hearts under control and give our lives direction. I suppose there are many reasons... a fear of sin, failure, success. But us humans migrate to them religiously, politically and socially all the time. It seems a lot like the difference between having a dog on a leash versus having a dog that is attentive to (even "in love with") it's owner... ready to move, ready to turn... looking for that change in stride or turn of head.

We can feel the battle that is taking place between walking with/in Christ and allowing ourselves to be controlled or guided by external devices but it can be tough to see the differences. In Colossians 2 we see some examples of what these two types of lives can look like:

External = philosophies/empty deceit, human tradition, elemental spirits/principles, false asceticism and worship, puffed up sensual mind/ideas, not holding fast to Christ, etc.

Internal = rooted and built up in Christ, established in faith, taught, thankful, being filled, changed/circumcised heart, made alive... and debt free, holding fast to the head which is Christ, etc.

At the heart of this passage is this simple, powerful truth:
Jesus is more interested in remaking us from the inside out than he is with us adhering to a list of rules.

He desires a heart that walks with Him.

We left our time together with two questions:
Where am I relying on a leash/rule to govern my soul instead of nurturing this profound relationship with Christ?
Where do I see a flicker of this walk inside my heart that needs to be fanned into a passionate flame?

my dog Chase

So, I recently realized that many of you who keep up with us through our blog haven't met the newest member of the McDonald clan. This is Chase, our ten month old chocolate lab - who's personality is a complete fit for our family! Chase is like most lab's his age; curious, destructive, fun, hyper, and LOVES affection. He has not only become our newest little trouble maker but also my running partner... which has been interesting.

I was sharing this with our community yesterday in the park as we gathered for a time of community worship. Specifically, several weeks ago I was running with Chase when he decided that he was REALLY interested in a smell on the other side of the sidewalk... right in front of me... right in front of Starbucks. Of course he failed to tell me or my legs of his plans and I did an almost complete flip over his leash... did I mention that I was in front of Startbucks? It was very entertaining for all the patrons...

Puppies are so cute...