tonef?

I posted a comment to a friend's blog today, and before the blog would submit my comment, I had to type in a random word to prove I'm not some kind of maliciously minded spam robot. The word I had to type was "t-o-n-e-f".

Now - life sometimes feels just like that - having to do something seemingly nonsensical when what we are wanting to do seems perfectly reasonable. Yet, life doesn't seem to make sense. Can you relate?

• work that doesn't make sense?

• relationships that don't make sense?

• health crises that don't make sense?

• financial conditions that don't make sense?

• behavior, woundedness, silence, and pain... ?

Our life makes sense to us only on our terms. God, of course calls us to live not by sight - by what makes sense from what WE see - but by faith. What do the nonsensical things of life look like when seen through Christ confidence?

• God working on us, when we are consumed with circumstance?

• His bringing revelation to how we try to meet our own needs instead of relying on Him as our Source?

• relationships in which He wants us to be His instrument instead of using someone else for our benefit?

• A Father's discipline of a child who knows much more about what we want than what we need (cake for breakfast!)?

Today, as God calls you to depend on Him - whether circumstances are desperate or not, whether you feel lacking or not, whether you have a plan or not - what would it look like to walk in faith? What would it be to move forward anticipating His grace for where He leads? How might you reorient your expectations from circumstance to Christ confidence?

...and then - through that wonderful act of worship known as submission - He can bring clarity to the nonsense and shed light amidst darkness. And in that growing radiance of revelation, in that place where we start to see His love and sufficiency more clearly by the light of His grace, we find ourselves.

So - to all the nonsensical moments of tomorrow, I place my trust in the otherworldly sovereignty of a loving Father, and yell...

" T O N E F ! ! ! ! "

Tasty?

I went to a meeting at Starbucks this morning and hadn't had breakfast. Trying to get back into a little bit of shape these days, so I stared warily but wantingly at the goodies in the case of baked goods as the barista pulled my drink. Then my eyes crossed the wraps and breakfast sandwiches. I selected a breakfast wrap that looked part healthy-ish (hey - it had egg whites AND spinach, so it can't be TOO bad, right?), and took my seat.

In a minute they handed me the wrap and my drink, and I read through email as I ate. The wrap was piping hot, so I stuck one end out of the sack, wrapped it in a napkin, and kicked back. Gotta say, wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible, either. Hot, high-protein, healthy stuff... Okay, I'll deal with it.

After a minute I looked over at what was left of my wrap and realized I'd eaten part of the sack! ...I even took a bite of the NAPKIN! Talk about getting your fiber!

I laughed and looked around a little embarrassed. Then it hit me - how BLAND does it have to be for a meal to be indistinguishable from a paper bag and a recycled-paper napkin!? Well, that pretty much ended breakfast :)

Let me ask you a question: when someone sees your life, is it distinguishable from the world enough to seem remotely desirable? Is the Christ Life represented as being no more appealing that a diet-version of the worldly life - tasteless but good for you?

The Bible says we are to taste and see that the Lord is good. We as believers should never be curmudgeons - living with a scowl - because even what is sour in this life is made sweet in light of the sovereignty and graciousness of God's goodness.

Scripture also says our conversation - how we taste to OTHERS - should be full of grace and seasoned with salt, so we know how to give an answer to everyone. I'm not a formula kinda guy, but that's an awesome prescription for how we are to respond to others: "Full of grace... Seasoned with salt". When others speak with us, they should taste the goodness of God, but also notice the difference - the contrast of preservation and seasoning that Christ provides.

So, life with Christ should taste GREAT to believers, distinguishable from the world, and interaction with Christians should make that contrast - goodness and uniqueness - obvious and appealing and challenging.

But there is another taste we need to be able to distinguish according to God's love letter to His kids. Jesus told the Church that if we are neither hot nor cold - we aren't on fire for Him or even struggling with our life with Him - but just neutral, luke-warm believers, He finds us pretty distasteful. In fact, the word in Scripture often translated as "spews us out" in this passage is more like "vomits with velocity". How's that for a word picture for tastelessness?

"Hey, JC - how does luke warm Christianity taste?"

"Y'know - it makes me wanna vomit with velocity, actually."

Can you think of a more distasteful phrase? I can't.

Does your life seem tasteless? Is your day-to-day experience distinguishable from others who do not have or know Christ as Life?

What would it look like for you to live a life full of grace and seasoned with salt?

When Jesus Christ is your Source, when you realize you already have everything you need for daily life and for spiritual triumph and your persistent experience (2 Peter 1:3) true freedom, radical availability, and unforeseen adventure and joy are the result.

Today, let's join in prayer that our Father's ridiculous grace will overwhelm our senses, that the sweet aroma of Christ and the incredible taste of the goodness of God will be the appeal and challenge of believers and unbelievers alike to experience a life much less ordinary, full of divine flavor, and erupting with something otherworldly for His renown.

...to the praise of His ridiculous grace!

You Can, So I Will...

Father God - I give myself completely. I will pray with fervency, seek you wholeheartedly, love with your love, have a broken heart for the hurting, rejoice in all that makes you smile, flee from all that entangles, and turn from all that distracts - EXCEPT....

I cannot raise my voice to You but by your grace. I haven't the will to pursue You nor the love to give others. I cannot notice the hurting but for Your revelation, or know Your joy but from Your direction. What entangles is my own desire to be good, and what distracts is my means to meet my needs and obligations. I cannot so much as climb the mountain to place my life on Your altar, much less make my life a worthy sacrifice for Your worship.

Holy Father, all I can do is receive from You. You have made me a vessel for You to fill with Yourself. Fill me to overflowing so I might know You, and share Your Life. Give me grace to pray and seek, to love and mourn, to celebrate authentically with You, and seek life only in You. Do all You call me to.

I am willing, but You alone are able. I cannot, but You can. So speak through me, love through me, help through me, rejoice through me, lead me from within and draw me into You who are within me...

...That You would bring glory to Your Name, that You would increase Your fame, that You would expand Your renown by Your ridiculous grace.