I was hacked

It looks like I was hacked and you all were sent a bogus email from me with a bad link in it. I am very sorry. I have changed my password and I hope this stops it.

--Brandt Hoffman

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Unmet Expectations Yet Insightful Meditations

How often have you built something up in your mind to be something only to get there and realize it’s not what you thought at all? 

I recently had that experience with the Re:Create 2011 conference held on the Celebrity Century cruise ship. My wife, Cyndi, and I were able to attend, coupling it with a vacation and family wedding in Florida. I had never met any of the speakers, only followed them through Twitter. The conference was billed as The Creative Life, the creative at work, life, love and worship. In my mind, I had all of these expectations about what the speakers would share, especially after reading a lot of their blogs and books. Only one of the speakers, Michael Hyatt, talked about what I thought he would talk about. The other three speakers, Randy Elrod, Ken Davis and Pete Wilson,  talked about things that I had not expected.

Needless to say, my expectations were not met. I was in a way disappointed that I did not hear what I was hoping to hear.

BUT…

What I heard was incredible! I only wish I had had my ears open a bit more.

• Creativity takes discipline in order to be fully presented.
• Creativity will not always be received with fanfare and a parade.
• Creativity is often misunderstood both by the creator and the receiver.
• Live survived is not life lived. Living is more than surviving.
• The story is always important.
• The story behind the story is sometimes even more important.
• Not everything has to have deep, theological implications. Sometimes, it’s just fun.
• Anything worth doing is worth doing bad, once. Then, better the next time.
• What you do does not define who you are.
• Listen to love, not to “one-up”.
• Listen to the story, hear the person, share in the life lived.

SO…

My expectations of what the cruise would be were unmet. But the meditations that were shared were insightful and provocative.

How often have you built something up in your mind to be something only to get there and realize it’s not what you thought at all? Share your story.

The Savior of the World

John 3:17 Jesus said to Nicodemus, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

In the movie “The Matrix” the main character Neo is asked by another character, “So, you’re going to save the world?... What do you say to that?” There are a lot of movies, comic book heroes, etc… whose goal it is to save the world. Then there are a lot of movies, comic books, etc…where the world is being destroyed. Who is going to save the world this time? Tune in next week to find out…

Nicodemus is asking Jesus all kinds of questions and quite frankly, he’s confused about a lot of things. And Jesus isn’t cutting him any slack. Nicodemus is a Pharisee and he is supposed to know the law and the prophets and he, of all people, should recognize Jesus. Jesus goes through a bunch of things that Nicodemus ought to know and all Nicodemus can say is “I don’t get it.” Then Jesus finally gets to the ultimate point and purpose of his presence on earth. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” He came to save the world.

What do you say to that? Jesus didn’t come to destroy the world, but to save it. Jesus didn’t come to condemn you. He didn’t come so that he could point the finger at you and say that you’re no good. He came to say, “I forgive you. You are mine.” He didn’t come to wipe mankind off the face of the map. He came to be a living landmark. He came to be the way to follow. He came for you and for me, to seek us out and save each of us.

There is no other savior of the world, despite what movies, comics or stories will say. Jesus is the one, the only, the ultimate savior of the world. What do you say to that? Amen.

Gracious God, thank you for loving us enough to give Jesus to us. Amen.

Flowing Water

Zechariah 13:1 “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”

Can you wash your hands in stagnant pond water? Not particularly well, I think. Do you go to a puddle outside to rinse your laundry? Not a chance, you say. Would you kneel down and drink from the melted snow in the driveway? Only if you were a dog. The problem with these sources of water is that they are not flowing, moving, or being refreshed. They simply sit there and collect and then dry up.

In Genesis, chapter 7, we read of the great flood that God used to scour the earth. It wasn’t a gentle drizzle. In fact, it says that the fountains of the great deep burst forth and the windows of heaven were opened. To me, that says that a whole lot of flowing water poured out and shot up from the earth. It was a fountain, flowing water, for cleansing.

When we tell our kids to wash their hands, we expect them to use running water. You need the movement to sweep away the dirt. When we wash our clothes, the washing machine or the river if you live in underdeveloped areas moves the dirt away with flowing water. When we drink, the water is the freshest if it has recently been flowing, not just sitting out. To get things clean and refreshed, we need moving water.

Jesus said in John chapter 7, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Jesus is that fountain that Zechariah prophesied. He is the one, the fountain, the flowing water that cleanses from sin and uncleanness. It was water that flowed from his side as he hung on the cross. It was his blood that flowed to wash away our sin. Today, baptism is that fountain, the water that flows that washes us clean.

There’s a country song that asks about being washed in the blood or in the water. I told a friend it’s like the difference between being baptized and simply taking a shower. One gets you clean for the moment. In the other, Jesus makes you clean for eternity.

Heavenly Father, thanks for the flowing water, the fountain and source of all goodness, Jesus Christ, your Son. May your Holy Spirit remind me daily of the washing away of my sins. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Why?

Romans 9:18 Paul writes, “So then he [God] has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”

God is God. I am not. It don’t always seem right, but that’s the way it is. I’m paraphrasing one of my seminary professors. Rules are rules. They don’t always make sense and don’t always benefit everyone, but they are still the rules. Human beings are naturally inquisitive. Since the Garden of Eden, our curiosity has been our undoing. Of course the devil himself has a lot to do with encouraging our curiosity, but we do fine on our own, too. The biggest question: WHY?

If you have a two year old or been around one, you’ll remember that this word is often repeated for no apparent reason. Why? Why? Why are circles round? Why can’t the dog talk? Why can’t I go outside without my coat? Why do I have to eat my vegetables? Now, there are a lot of reasonable explanations for all of these, but to the two year old mind, reason doesn’t matter. As a parent, you can attempt to reason, to explain, to wax philosophic, to lay down the law or simply say, “Because I said so.”

Say what you will about parenting, but often that last answer is the only answer that will move life along. Nobody is really happy with that answer, but it puts things in perspective. The parent, hopefully, has the best interest of the child in mind and makes decisions that don’t make sense to the two year old. But it’s not the job of the parent to make everything make sense. It’s their job to love their child and help them to grow.

God often makes decisions that don’t make sense to our limited understanding and we constantly ask why. Why? Why this person and not that person? Why this disease and not that one? Why now and not later? The answer from Paul and earlier from the prophet Isaiah is unsatisfactory. Because, says God. Because I am God. You don’t understand and you may never understand. All you need to know is that I love you and that I forgive you and that I am with you. I created you because I love you. I forgave you because I love you. I am with you because I love you. Why? Because I am God.

God is God. I am not. It don’t always seem right, but that’s the way it is. I am grateful for that.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your love that goes beyond our understanding. Thank you for your patience and your presence. Thank you for your Son and your Spirit. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Stories to Share

Romans 1:11-12 Paul writes, “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you- that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”

We need each other. Plain and simple. I need you and you need me. Why? Because we’re co-dependent and can’t function unless someone needs us? No. We need each other because God is telling His story through us and if we only listen to our own story, we’re not getting the whole picture. God weaves His story through each and every one of us, but it’s not a monologue or a silent film. It’s a cavalcade of craziness and wonder. And if we don’t have each other, we shrivel.

God said in Genesis that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone, so He made Eve. Adam needed Eve. He needed her for companionship and encouragement and help. Moses wouldn’t go to Egypt on his own. He needed Aaron. David had Jonathan. “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him- a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:12. God has created us to be in communion with Him and one another and the Holy Spirit keeps us tied to one another.

It is a joy for me to share these devotions with you, to share my faith with you in writing. But I need to hear your stories as well. Tell them however you will, but we both gain strength in our faith from sharing our stories. Paul says we will be mutually encouraged. It’s not a one sided thing, the word flows back and forth. And the stories you share won’t just encourage me, they may encourage others who read them or hear them.

As Paul writes, may these devotions be a spiritual gift to you from me. Thank you for letting me share them with you.

Heavenly Father, thank you for telling your story through each of us. Help us to share your story with one another and those who need the encouragement. In Jesus’ name, amen.