2026 Opening Meditation

 

2026 did not start the typical way. Some of my family of five have been sick off and on during the holidays. Because my son was sick on New Years Eve, my wife stayed at my in-laws' house where we had been visiting while I took our girls to visit my side of the family. It was a good time, and it was especially fun to watch my girls enjoy time with their girl cousins from North Carolina. The games they come up with! How sweet those times are when all cares seem to truly be forgotten.

The adults struggle more to let those things go, including health issues, stress from closing on a house on New Years Eve, worries about work and school, recent deaths of a family member and a long-time family friend, and a plethora of other things under the surface.

The absence of my wife, the one I long to hold, spend the most time with, follow the Lord on our increasingly complex adventure, and dream with reminds me of one thing (even though she is only 8 minutes down the road): 

 We all lost a lot in 2025.

This time is a reminder for many of what they lack in life–relationships, health, finances, jobs, community or a sense of belonging, even basic needs. Perhaps that sounds pessimistic, but the reality is that each of our lives did change in 2025. All change requires loss.

In 2026, even more change is headed our way. How will we prepare and respond? I would posit that 2026 will be not only atypical but also extraordinary. My mom, after the stroke of midnight, asked each of us, “what is your vision for 2026?” My immediate response was to be what God wants me to be. To love, serve and be formed by Jesus.

One hour later, as I continue to ponder that question, the Lord is reminding me of 2 Corinthians 5, part of which is my message for the first Sunday of 2026. In short, my vision is this:

1. Live with a mind set on heaven, recognizing I am merely an ambassador on earth.

2. Walk by the power of the Holy Spirit, being compelled by the love of Christ 

3. Put less confidence in my natural–temporary–resources

4. Boldly witness the transforming power of Christ, a gift of his grace

5. Live thankfully that God no longer counts my sin–the old life–against me.

6. Look at others through that same lens of grace

In a statement: “To shepherd Jesus’ people through His word into renewed living for redemptive community toward a restored world”

At first, that sounds daunting, but “ all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18)

Are you reconciled to God? I beg you on His behalf do so! You will find true, lasting joy and peace.

A Hammering, a Trip to the ER, and a Smile to Prove It

The picture on the left is an anvil about to fall on a running man's head. The picture on the right is an anvil being used to hammer something out.

This man's day is not going to end well. His pursuit of whatever it is he is going after will definitely end. He is kind of like Wile E. Coyote in Looney Tunes, who would often chase the roadrunner before getting an anvil dropped on his head. The anvil could definitely inflict some serious damage in an effort to stop the pursuit.

But the anvil can be useful, too. Blacksmiths use anvils to hammer out steel tools, weapons, and armor--things of great use.

I would say these two pictures represent God's mercy and love.

Sometimes I pursue things that are not pleasing to Him and are detrimental to my well-being, if not fatal. Sometimes He will send something that will stop me in my tracks and give me a chance to turn and follow Him. Then the hammering happens. This is not a pleasant experience, but the end product is something useful, strong, and tested.

Often, the Lord allows trials which stop me from getting what I want and living life my own way. The very trial--like the anvil--He also uses to form me into a person who is useful for His kingdom, strong in His Spirit, and with a faith that is tested and proven. He desires me and other followers of Christ to live this new life, recognizing that the old life was cut off--like the anvil falling--at the cross.

This new life is one of learning discipline, and it can be hard. Just like the piece of metal has to be hammered, and bent, and fired, and hammered, and bent, and fired--you get the picture--so do we have to go through a shaping and strengthening process that we would become more like Christ and carry out the mission He has for us on earth.

James 1:12-18 says, "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures."

There is such a reward for those who endure hard things on earth--the "crown of life." This is one that is lasting, and not one made by me or any other person. If I simply love God, I will receive this lasting reward. In all of my trials, there are many temptations, but I have to realize that it is not God tempting, but He is giving me a chance to turn to Him and away from temptations.

Nor can we tempt Him. I realize looking back on my life that, if God could be tempted, He might have been tempted to let that anvil drop on me and knock me out for good. However, He does not do that because God is love. So those "anvils" falling from the sky are directly from God. Because He wants our faith to be tested and proven, so that we can become His children, He allows trials--which are actually "perfect gifts from above," so that we can experience the good things He has given us in His son Jesus Christ.

So what are "trials," and why should I welcome them?

These trials manifest as disappointments, failures to get my way, and often simply just unexpected occurances.

Yesterday my two-year-old got bitten by a beloved family dog. This was definitely an anvil falling on my head. How did I respond? Was it in a way pleasing to the Lord? I would say He helped me stay calm as a flood of thoughts and emotions went through my mind. These included anger towards the dog; frustration towards my parents-in-law for keeping the dog despite past wake-up-calls; guilt from not paying enough attention to assess a potentially dangerous situation; and panic from trying to get a bleeding, crying toddler quickly and safely to the ER while driving on wet roads during a bad storm.

I am thanking the Lord that it was not worse than it was, and that Sarah is doing fine now. This morning, she even calmly told me what happened, "Rowdy bite my arm yesterday," with a smile on her face.

The Lord is using that "anvil" experience to hammer me out. I am choosing to love and forgive instead of getting angry. This goes against my natural tendency, and it is hard. In the end, I can be thankful for the Lord's protection and the strength of a child. Soon enough, maybe I will be able to smile, too.

A Lesson from Music Theory for the Body of Christ

I am going to give a short music theory lesson:

The Chord on the left is a C-major chord. What that means is that the notes are built on the note “C” and the notes that are used produce a certain quality—which we call “major”—and this produces a pleasing sound.

The one on the right is a different type of chord. You can hear that this chord has a different quality—definitely not pleasing, right? The notes all clash. In music theory, we don’t actually call this a chord. Because of its un-harmonious, if not random, quality, we call it a tone cluster. Even though it is built on the note “C,” the same note as the C-major chord, it is not pleasing because of the notes which are built on top of it.

I would say the C-major chord represents the Christian who has received new life in Christ—built on the foundation of Christ—and is actively building on that life in accordance with God’s will. This is pleasing to God.

The tone cluster represents the Christian who has received new life in Christ—built on the same foundation of Christ—and are actively building their own life, not always considering God’s will. This is not pleasing to God.

Alternatively, try playing the C-major chord on an out-of-tune instrument. The sound produced is definitely not pleasing, either. I have my fingers in the same place as before, and in theory I am playing the same notes. However, it is out of tune, which creates a sound perhaps more unsettling than the in-tune tone cluster.

This represents a person who calls themselves a Christian, and seems to be doing all the right things, but their heart is not right with God—they have not actually received new life in Christ. You might say this is a Christian going through the motions—being religious without a revelation.

In order for my guitar to make a pleasing sound, the instrument has to both be tuned and to be played correctly. This can only be done by somebody who knows how to tune the instrument and also knows all the right notes.

In order for me to be pleasing to the Lord, I have to both accept new life in the Lord—allowing my heart to be “tuned”—and to actively participate in the Lord building my life, one “note” at a time.

What does it mean to be “tuned” by the Lord, and what are the “notes” which are built upon Christ?

Colossians 3:12-17. This is a description of harmonious living. We have been “chosen of God”—and therefore have chosen God—which means we are accepting having our lives put together by God in harmony with the character of Christ. (the note “C”)

* These describe the character of Christ: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, forgiving one another. Love is the perfect bond of unity, marked by the peace of God, thankfulness, richness in God’s word. This allows us to act accordingly: Teaching and admonishing one another with singing and spiritual songs. We cannot help but sing God’s praise—both literally and figuratively with our life—which shows others how we as a body should be living.


In order to be pleasing to the Lord as His body, we have to choose to live according to His character, and actively love one another.

So let’s break this down a little further…


Choosing to live according to Jesus’ character (“Put on a heart…”). I have to receive this new heart from the Lord—a tuned instrument—before I can truly love my brothers and sisters. Before us as a body can be fully pleasing to the Lord, we have to all love one another. This is the work of the Lord. How this new heart of love manifests:


--Compassion…Jesus is compassionate

--Kindness…Jesus is kind

--Humility…Jesus is humble

--Gentleness…Jesus is gentle

--Patience…Jesus is patient

--Forgiveness…Jesus is forgiving


One who has not received a new heart of love cannot do any of these things, even if it looks like they are doing religious acts which look good.


One who has received a new heart of love may sometimes do things contrary to love. We all mess up, but we should understand that this is not pleasing to the Lord. These things are like a tone cluster (Colossians 3:5-6, 8) and put us under God’s wrath:

--immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, greed

--anger

--wrath

--malice

--abusive speech


I would also say opposites of what are pleasing:


--Selfishness

--pride

--impatience

--unforgiveness


These are all character traits of one who is trying to build their own life—even a person who has accepted Christ—and the frustrations thereto. This is why Paul encourages the Christians at Colossae to “put them aside.” They are not pleasing to the Lord—just as displeasing as one who has not accepted Christ. They are not fitting for children of God.


Let us make it our aim to please our heavenly Father, just as Jesus did in all things. We each need to have a heart that is tuned to God’s life, and we all have to live a life accordingly.


If we do this we will be a beautiful, harmonious composition--written and performed by the Master Composer—pleasing to Him in all ways. Perhaps the song of our lives may even draw others into fellowship with us and with our Creator.

The Rainbow: A Gift, A Promise, A Life

Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court ruled that it is illegal for any state to deny a marriage license to homosexual couples. There were a lot of people elated with the ruling, waving rainbow flags, and many of my Facebook connections changed their own profile picture to a include a rainbow.

I do not really know how the rainbow came to be associated with the LGBTQ cause, but all of these current events have me thinking about the significance of the rainbow.

I initially thought of the story of Noah from the Bible in Genesis 9:9-17, where God puts the rainbow in the sky, after the flood subsides, as a sign (and a reminder to future generations who see it) of His covenant with humankind.

What exactly is this covenant? First, it may be helpful to understand what a covenant is. A covenant is an agreement between two or more parties, perhaps even a contract, in which each party offers something mutually beneficial.

So when God is making a covenant with Noah and his family, He was offering them something with the expectation that they would hold up their side of the contract by offering something to God.

God's offer: He will no destroy the earth again with water.

Noah's offer/God's request: (Genesis 4:6-7), "...in the image of God He made man. As for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it." Noah and his family were to be fruitful and multiply, and participate in being made into God's image. This is part of God's offer as well--making mankind into His image and likeness. God started over with Noah's family.

The covenant was the same in the beginning, "God said, 'let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female." (Genesis 1:26-27) God was making Himself a family, which reflects His very nature--Father, Son and Holy Spirit all one "family."

Adam and Eve and their offspring's side of the covenant was simple: "Be fruitful and multiply..." (Genesis 1:28) They were to have children ("multiply") and accept God's gift of being part of His family--to share in His life--the evidence of which is a "fruitfulness." (Fruit is evidence that an organism is living and healthy.)

However, we know the story. They thought they could have life apart from God. They chose to obey the snake rather than their Father, God, and they thereby chose to no longer be part of God's family. They cast aside His image, thinking they could be like God apart from Him.

The apostle, Paul, alludes to this same occurrence thousands of years late. Human nature had not changed one bit:

"For even though they knew God, they did not honor His as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures...they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator." (Romans 1:21-25)

Since Adam and Eve, people have always chosen to go their own way, follow human wisdom, and refuse God's offer of being part of His family--all "fruit" of living a futile life. God has offered all people true life, but they have established a life for themselves--"a lie," which looks like true life.

Instead of worshiping God, people have been worshiping themselves and obeying the snake--Satan--just as Adam and Eve.

Just as God started over with Noah, God is offering us all a second chance like he did for all people in the time of Noah (if you read up on Noah, you will find he was a "preacher of righteousness," and everybody in his time had a chance to get on that big boat.) He is giving us this second chance through His Son, Jesus. Jesus was and is the perfect image and likeness of God and He came as a man to show humankind how to live this perfect life. Our natural, rebellious life has to be cut off which is why Jesus had to endure crucifixion. He did it on behalf of us, giving us the power to set aside our natural life.

Humans only have so much time to fulfill their side of the covenant.

Eventually, God will fulfill His side of the covenant once for all.

Around Jesus' throne in heaven, there will be a rainbow,

"...a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne..." (Revelation 4:2-3)

There are also others around the throne on their own thrones. These are those who faithfully believed and followed the Lord, and it says they will cast down their own crowns and fall down and worship the Lord saying, "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things and because of Your will they existed, and were created." (Revelation 4:11)

So the rainbow is the glory of the Lord surrounding His throne, compelling even royalty to worship Him. The others' glory is nothing compared to His.

The rainbow is a reminder that we have a Creator God who loves us, will spare us despite our past rebellion, and will allow us to experience the incomprehensible joy and awesome power of His presence for eternity. All we have to do is simply turn from insisting our own way and whole-heartedly accept His offer of new--true--life.

Never was there a more extravagant gift.

Never was there a more sure promise.

Never was there a truer life.

Trusting the Lord in Uncertain Times

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a person who is usually not one to bring up faith or anything deep--especially with me. They started the conversation because they are concerned for me, my wife, our daughter, and the son we are expecting. They find it concerning that we are having a second child while I continue to work multiple part time jobs--with no certainty as of yet of full-time employment. While this person was obviously concerned for us, it seemed as if they were also perplexed at how we are living our life. Most people do recognize that I am working hard and also looking for full-time employment, but this person had a mind to lecture me on the importance of such, as if I do not know.

Instead of getting angry at the sudden urge to lecture me, I chose to just share calmly and lovingly how I and my family have never lacked anything we have needed. We are living proof that one can trust the Lord--our good shepherd--and never be in want of anything we need. We may not have everything we would like to have, but the last few years are proof that we can live without those things.

This morning, I was praying and the Lord brought to my mind Psalm 91:1, which says, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty."

There are two parts to that verse: 1. Dwelling in the shelter of the Most High, 2. Abiding in the shadow of the Almighty. And it says that the one who does the first will also do the second.

Dwelling in the shelter of the Most High is taking refuge in His provision, even in God Himself. I would say this is a person who is trusting the Lord.

Abiding in the shadow of the Almighty may be harder to understand, at least at face value, but this is how it spoke to me: being in someone's shadow...they are the one who gets the attention, praise, etc. because of how they excel at something--more than me in particular. God, the Creator of the Universe, excels more than me in everything. Therefore, I should be abiding in His goodness and letting Him be the one getting the attention, praise, and glory. I should not keep any of that for myself if I am truly trusting in Him.

People are going to be convicted of their lack of trust in God when they see me trusting Him and letting Him get all of the attention, glory, praise, and credit for all good things done in and through me. They may say, "well, your trust in God is just an excuse to do whatever you want and not take care of things."

I would reply that trusting God is quite the opposite. Trusting God does not mean I sit on my haunches all day, but that I am actively seeking God's will for my life and fervently acting upon His direction--with His guidance, with His provision, with His wisdom--by the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus means in Matthew 7 when He says to "Ask...seek...knock..."

So, trusting the Lord, at least according to Psalm 91:1, is twofold: 1) Actively receiving His provision while 2) giving Him the glory in everything He has done. And according to Jesus, those who trust will have in mind eternal things, as evidenced by what they ask God for and by what they actively go after in life.

I want to be one who is trusting the Lord in these ways. No matter what people may say to me, I want to live my life in such a way that when it is over, my Lord will say, "Well done." While jobs, money, and other stuff is temporary, His love is permanent. The Love of Christ is one thing on which we can place our full faith and certainty.

What I Learned in 2014

On Health…our bodies and minds are so fragile. No matter what I do,
 good health is not a guarantee. 
On Parenthood…I don’t have to make my children love and respect me. 
My job is to love them with all my heart and respect them enough to let 
them make their own choices—carefully guiding them in a way that is 
unobtrusive. 
On Marriage…Allison and I are a team. We have the burden and joy of
 communicating with one another and making every decision together. 
On Cars…they break. We have to fix them. It usually costs a lot of money.
On Money…It comes and it goes. When I have more, I am not happier; when I
 have less, I am not less happy. Although, I usually am more comfortable
 with more money. Therefore, comfort does not equal happiness. 
On Teaching…Whether it is teaching music at school or home, or helping
 people to walk closer with Christ, I can only effectively teach 
what I am experiencing firsthand. 
On Family…If ever they annoy or bother me, it is because I need an 
attitude change. The people closest to me are the most valuable treasure 
that I can have. 
On Love…Everything I have ever said or done has been motivated by one of
 two things: 1) Loving God, or 2) Loving myself—even loving other people. 
On God…He alone gives a peace that surpasses my understanding and my
 ability to gain/bring peace. 
On This World…It is a temporary dwelling place—like a tent—meant to get
 us to a permanent home. 
On Life…True life is a gift from God, and He is offering it to
 everybody. It is also something I have to choose to participate in every day. 
On Patience…Refrain from saying certain things, and people will 
think you are patient. Maybe the Lord is working on me, too… 
On Joy…The kind of happiness written about in “On Money…” 
is probably more like joy. I can experience the joy of the Lord even when
 everything I have is being taken away. Joy can’t be taken from me 
because the hope of being with the Lord is a sure thing. 
In short, I have learned that I need Christ 
more than I thought I ever did; how much He loves me; 
and that the hope of being with Him in His kingdom is a sure thing.

Need Comfort? Maybe an Attitude Change...

It's 1:01 AM, two days after Thanksgiving.  I am at my parents' house with my wife and 1 1/2 year-old daughter.  My two younger sisters and their significant others are also here.  Of all the 8 people, 4 dogs, and 2 cats, various rodents and ladybugs in the house, everybody is sleeping except for me.  "Why?" do you ask?  Given the limited number of rooms, my family has to sleep in one room together, which is great--don't get me wrong.  The only thing is, this particular night my beautiful little toddler was having trouble sleeping, so my lovely, caring wife thought we needed to bring our child into bed with us, so she could sleep soundly.  It worked great, but at the expense of my comfort (just you try to sleep with little feet kicking your back.)

Now I am downstairs, putting my thoughts down because I feel like there is something to be learned from my life circumstances right now.

Like sleeping on the edge of the bed, I have found myself to be uncomfortable in a lot of different situations recently.  Without going into specifics about the situations, I thought maybe it would be enlightening to examine common factors of these situations:

1) I am not in control.

I have a way that I want things to go--not just certain things, but everything!  Some things I give up more easily than others, but with other things the experience is less comfortable.

2) I am not the center of attention.

I don't feel like I am getting my due recognition or thanks for what I do and who I am.

3) I am the center of attention.

Or at least it seems like it.  Sometimes I don't like being the focus because it puts the pressure on to perform without mistakes.  It seems like my faults alone are being laid bare, which cannot be an accurate representation of me, can it?!

4) I am put in a situation without being properly prepared.

These are the ones that really stretch me.  I often find that I am indeed able to draw from past experience, but sometimes that is not enough.


So what to do about these situations?  I think it may not be a matter of changing my circumstances, but one of changing my attitude.  Am I ever going to find true comfort in this world.  I am reminded of what Jesus says, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart--I have overcome the world."  I thought I knew what this meant, but why do I still struggle with discomfort and discontent?

I have been thinking about a verse recently in Colossians in which Paul encourages the church to "let the word of Christ dwell richly among you."  I am realizing that it is not just knowing the Bible but a lifestyle of obeying the voice ("word") of the Lord.  God is calling me, and other believers, to be a different type of people.Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 

"…15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."   --Colossians:3

1) God is in control.  Understanding that more and more will give me peace

2) It is not about me.  I should be focusing on encouraging and building up others.

3) When there is something for me to say or do--to perform--it should be done in a way that brings glory to God's name.  If God is being praised and obeyed through my life, that is enough.  I shouldn't need any recognition because I have everything I need from my heavenly Father.

4) If I am in Christ, I am truly ready for anything--no less any work that God would have me do.

I should be thankful--even for my circumstances.

Earthly circumstances are temporary, but God's kingdom is eternal.  God is doing everything in my circumstances to get me ready for his kingdom.  So while I am here, I want to participate in Him perfecting me in His love.

I think I will go back upstairs to be with my family now.