The Sunset and Storm - Looking Down

I was (an still am) awestruck by what I wrote about in The Sunset and Storm. In those minutes, I was inspired to look beyond what was happening in the sky and consider what it told me about God. I was me looking up at Him through those elements. But what would you see looking down from His perspective through the lens of the sunset and the storm?

There is the storm - a blend of moisture, warm and cold air, positive and negative charges, and decreasing pressure. The more of these elements that are mixed together, the more violent their collision becomes. Much like our lives, "minor" sins create minor rain showers. But those minor sins are the same elements found in major storms; add more of them and give them more time to develop and the collision becomes more violent when it all comes out.

Oh yes, my storm was the creation made from relatively minor things that were left alone to develop in my heart and soul. As I allowed those elements to mix and added to them, they grew stronger until even my pride and arrogance could no longer contain it. And what a storm it created. Strong enough to rip apart my life and leave me with almost nothing... but there was a glimpse of the Son in my storm.

Taking my eyes off of the storm and fixing them on the Son of God Himself left me with hope and the promise of peace. I look to the future at the sunset and see the way He is taking the darkness and using it to paint a picture that is so beautiful you don't want to take your eyes off of it for fear that you may miss out on even a moment. That sunset is not complete. He is still taking the elements of the storm and creating something that evolves as each minute passes. He has not yet revealed what that picture will look like at the height of His glory.

There are those that understand grace, and they delight in watching the Lord at work in someone's storm. There are those that don't understand grace, and they are scared by the storm. When we've brewed a massive storm, when it's out there for everyone to see, it changes a person - sometimes for the better, often for the worse. When we choose to allow Christ to take on our storm, He is faithful to not only rescue us from its danger, but to also create the sunset. Yet that sunset was not meant only for us to see, He created it so that the world might know of His grace and mercy.

Only Christ can take our storms and turn them into sunsets. The more elements we brew into our storms, the more elements He has to work with. The greater the storm, the more incredible the sunset.

So you have a choice. You can stare at my storm and see my sin. You can stare at my sunset and see the change. Or you can see both, and as your eyes slowly turn from my storm to my sunset with no clear line between them, be in awe of the way our Savior takes the darkest storms to create the most incredible sunset.

The Sunset and The Storm

As I sit on the wall of a church staring at the second crazy beautiful sunset I've experienced in a week, my mind begins to wander towards my Lord and Savior who created it all. My contemplation of the beauty of the sunset is interrupted behind me by the sound of thunder and I watch cloud to cloud lightning spider web across the darkening sky.

My mind is drawn towards the contrast. On one side, the beauty of God displayed in a fiery sunset. On the other, His power displayed in a storm. As I allow my eyes to flip back and forth between beauty and power, I begin to slow down and consider the barrier between the two. There is none. The power of the storm fades into the beauty of the sunset with no clear delineation between the end of one and the beginning of the other.

That's when I begin to realize that it takes the elements of the storm to create the beauty of the sunset. Without the storm, there is still a sunset. However, the clouds and moisture take what is normally a bright orange end to the day and tosses in reds, purples, blues, and hints of green in no way that an artist would consider on his own. An artist can't begin to recreate the dynamics of a scene like this and no camera can capture it in its entirety.

The colors aren't stable. They change as the sun continues to sink below the horizon until the sky itself appears to be on fire. There is still a sunset without the storm and there is still a storm without the sunset. It takes both to create the awe inspiring picture that makes me forget everything else and stare. There is the smell of rain and the sound of thunder. Look at the sunset and the occasional flash of lightning highlights the darker blues and purples. Look at the storm and the darkness is made brighter around the edges by the sunset.

There's more to it than just the realization of the blend of power and beauty. I begin to realize that the scene is really a picture of grace. You can stare at the beauty of a sunset and see that God is beautiful. You can be in awe of the power in a storm and know that God is strong. But when you see God's beauty with an understanding of His power, that's when you get the real beauty of grace. It's the blend of knowing how powerful He is and that you can't measure up to His standard that grace becomes beautiful to the point of awe struck silence.

It inspires the tear that is simultaneously born from the shame of guilt and joy of redemption. It's the way God overwhelms you with how awesome He truly is. That's when everything else begins to lose significance, gratitude begins to take over, and real change starts to happen in your heart. That's what grace that is greater than all my sin does when you finally see that is more than just words in a book. 

That Guy Who Sleeps in Church

There was a guy in the church that I grew up in that always fell asleep. I mean always, as in every Sunday without fail... as soon as the preacher started preaching. What made it worse was that he sat up front and everyone could see him. Oh yeah, and he would snore. For those of us good pharisees, we talked about it. And as all good pharisees do, it was behind his back. There was even a meeting among the church leaders to decide what should be done about it.

That experience was one of many in my upbringing as a pharisee. That would be my youth and young adult upbringing in the church, not what my parents taught me to be. I have no doubt that there have been good, God honoring, and honest people in every church that I have been a part of, but I learned from an early age how to judge people like the Sleeper.

Recently, I noticed a man sleeping in church again. It was tempting to fall into the same mindset, roll my eyes, and go back to taking sermon notes like a good Christian. Instead, I watched him from the corner of my eye for a while and witnessed something I never expected.

Psalm 7: 1 - 2 NIV "Lord my God, I take refuge in You; save and deliver me from all who pursue me, or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me."

What most people wouldn't know about this man is that he shows up much earlier than most everyone else, gets on his knees at the front of the church, and prays. As I watched him on this Sunday, I saw peace in his face as he slept. There is no telling what he faces day in and day out. One thing was obvious though - no matter what the troubles in his life are, he believes that God is physically present in that church.

Since he knows that God is there, he feels protected and is very literally taking refuge in His presence. It doesn't matter if he heard a word of the sermon. He is experiencing God's love and grace in that time that he finds tangible rest and peace in Him. That, my friends, is something that we could all take a lesson from.

That Sinking Feeling

In Matthew 14:22 - 33, we read the story of Jesus walking on the water and Peter going out to meet Him. If you're familiar with the story, then you know that Peter makes it out part way, loses focus, and starts to sink. Only by crying out for Jesus to save him does he come out of the story safely.

For a long time, this story had been, well, just a story to me. A cute reminder that we should always look to Jesus. After all, I'm not trying to walk on water, I'm just trying to navigate life. Like most things in the Bible that have become more and more real to me, it took experiencing the tangible reality of this historical event to really understand what we can learn from it. 

I've referenced the shame of what is in my past on several occasions. I hate the man that I allowed sin to turn me into. The more I've returned to "normal" life, the more distant I am from those events and more distinctly different I am to the point that it literally feels like that was a different person. Still, the realities that it was my life hit me hard from time to time. 

The times that I have shared my testimony and story with others, I have been confident in the work that Christ has done in my life and that the change was obvious to the person I was speaking to. This time though, the risk was different than what I had been placed in before. Instead of looking to Christ and being confident in the work He has done, I looked back at my past in fear of being defined by it. I was scared. I started sinking as the fear began to instill a sense of panic. 

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to be reassured by who I was with and to stop and pray for Jesus to save me from sinking again. Sure enough, my confidence began to return as I changed my gaze from looking back to looking forward. It's never easy to confront those things in our past that we're ashamed of. Sometimes we do lose sight of the cross and begin to sink. It's incredibly comforting to know that He will still save us when we call on His name, even when we think we're supposed to have it all figured out. 

Know When to Fight

Cyclists have a special relationship with hills. Mainly, we all hate them, but they are inevitable part of our sport. Some cyclists like to go fast on the flats and downhills, but then they don't have the energy for the climbs, so they put it in the lowest gear and just suffer through it. Others will try to maintain the same effort level all the time, so they slow down on the hills but still work just as hard.

The greats though, they're a different breed. They embrace the hills. They work on the downhills and flats, but at a level that they know can be maintained. Something special happens when they get to the hills - they fight to get over them. All the energy they've saved goes into attacking that hill and reaching the summit before they can relax coming back down the other side... and leaving their competitors way behind and out of breath.

Here's the thing though, attacking the hills makes them easier. Your muscles respond and grow to the training and the more you work hard on them, the easier they are to deal with.

James 1: 2 - 4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that it is the testing of your faith that produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Just like many cyclists, we tend to put a lot of energy into the good times. It's easy to put effort into the times that benefit us and we want to get there quickly. After all it's fun to go fast. Some people are able to maintain the effort level and balance it between the good and bad times. The greats though, they work during times that are easy and fun, but they fight when times get tough.

James reminds us that the trials are coming. He also reminds us that those trials produce the perseverance to continue. The greater our perseverance, the easier those trials are to fight through, even as they get tougher in nature. Don't put so much effort into all the fun stuff in life that you're too exhausted to do anything but struggle during the trials. Work at a level that you know you can maintain and when those trials come, fight to stay in the Word, fight to be faithful in prayer, fight to be faithful to your Savior. It's a guarantee that He is still fighting for you.

Imagine the response in your spouse, children, family, or friends when hard times come and they see you step up your effort and fight for them!

Living Proof

In Prince Caspian from the Chronicles of Narnia series, we find that the residents of Narnia no longer really believe in Aslan. They've heard the stories, they've seen the historical sites of the battles past down through the generations, but they just don't seem to believe anymore. They're a lot like us, actually. We've got the Bible that is full of evidence that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the stories of His life, and how the early church got started. We even have unfulfilled prophesy of what to look for as the end of times draws near. Like the Narnians though, we're very much a "What have you done for me lately?" Kind of people.

Enter Lucy. Lucy never loses faith in Aslan even though her own brothers and sister consider her quite naive. Some scoff at the idea of Aslan since it has been so long since he has been seen. Others have never heard of him. Peter, Susan, and Edmond, who were there to see him before, are increasingly skeptical that he is still with them. It's an excellent snapshot of our society. Those that have never heard the Truth, those that don't believe it because they haven't seen it themselves, and those that have forgotten the faithfulness of Christ that they had experienced previously.

Little Lucy though never stops believing in Aslan. She reminds herself of his goodness when others would have her doubt. She points others to what he has done along the journey. Even when things point to their imminent destruction, she holds fast to what she knows to be true. She is the constant whisper that keeps others from completely falling away from the belief in Aslan. In a strange twist, when everyone wants to believe that they are on their own, she creates the doubt in their minds that maybe he really is watching and waiting to intervene.

Matthew 5:14 - 16, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to you Father who is in Heaven."

Christian, this is our role in society. In a world that is trying everything it can to remove God from the equation, we are the ones that create doubt in their minds by making them wonder if He really is who He says He is. We point not only to the historical evidence, but also the evidence in our own lives. We tell people about the times when we can reach no other conclusion than that God was working and had His hand in the process. We tell them how He has protected us, guided us, and offered us His tangible grace and mercy. We are the living, breathing, evidence that He is who He says He is and that He is alive and well.

Our story does not end with our salvation, our role changes to become ambassadors for Christ, to point other towards Him. When others reach the end of themselves, we give them hope against hope that He is really who we claim He is. Surely then, it is critical that we conduct ourselves and speak in ways that create that hope instead of skepticism. Being the living proof of God's existence and love is no easy task, and we cannot possibly do it well on our own. We seek Him for and in everything in our lives... and we openly let others see us do it.

Hey Jealousy

Remember that song by the Gin Blossoms? Yeah, they might have found a way to turn jealousy into something beneficial for them by making money on it, but for those of us that have been around uncontrollably jealous people, it's not pleasant. I had the honor of having a conversation with the sister of a very special young lady in my life who suggested that I share the thoughts from it with you. I think it's a great idea, so here we go!

In the interest of keeping everyone happy, I took the names out.

One thing to note as you read is that in Galatians 5:16 - 26, Paul lists specific signs that we are living in the flesh and includes jealousy. Note the contrast to the fruits of the Spirit that he tells us about after that.



Your sister and I were talking through your questions about jealousy last night, and while I'm sure she has responded to you, I thought I would follow up as well.


For starters, being jealous can have several possible meanings in this scenario - 1) a suspicion of faithfulness in the relationship, 2) fiercely protecting an object (or in this case, person), or 3) the fear of losing the relationship (which really isn't jealousy, but we'll get there soon enough).


Obviously, the first thing to consider is what is at at the source of those feelings, but there are significant flaws no matter which form he is feeling right now. In the case of suspicion, he doesn't trust you, which is never a good foundation for a relationship. If he's looking at you as an object that he must protect, well, there is the issue that he sees you as an object and not an intelligent, rational individual who, oh by the way, happens to be a daughter of the One True God and is under His protection. If it's a fear of losing the relationship, his hope is misplaced and the relationship itself becomes his idol or god. It places you in an impossible situation where you are on such a high pedestal of expectations, that you will either crumble under the weight of them or he will be in a constant state of disappointment.


Okay, I feel like I'm doing a lot of guy bashing, and while we guys deserve it, there's always hope for redemption. In any of these situations, they come apart because of disappointment, and disappointment always comes from misplaced hope. Whether his hope is in the relationship, the way you make him feel, or in his ability to make it all work from sheer will power, it's not where it needs to be. From talking with your sister, I am certain you know this already, but his hope needs to be placed in Christ.


One thing that we talk about a lot is how difficult it is for people that have not been humbled to the point that they have no choice but to trust God for the next day, step, or even breath to know what it means to be at the end of yourself. That's where God does His best work because we have nothing left to fight against Him with. Then we realize that He'll catch us no matter what ridiculous decisions got us to that place. It's a challenge for folks that do get it, because it's impossible for us to articulate in words how that experience can make the change.


I would encourage you to remember that it's not your job to change him, it's God's. When a person changes to meet the expectations of the guy/gal they want to be with, it builds resentment, but when God changes a heart, if builds gratitude. I would also encourage you to pray specifically for him if you're not already (but I'd bet that you are). Be straight with God and don't worry about sounding eloquent. Some of the most beneficial time in prayer that I've spent are times that I've admitted to God that I don't like what He's doing, but that I still trust Him and will praise Him regardless of the circumstance.


One of the things that your sister and I have done pretty much since our first date is to start our day with prayer. I text her a short prayer for us before I even say good morning. It just gets us focused where we need to be for the day. We also pray when we're together, even if it's just a real short "Thank You for having a couple of hours to spend together." I know that it's not easy to set the expectation that prayer is just simply part of what your relationship is going to include, but I know that for both your sister and I, knowing that relationship is being intentionally focused on Christ calms a lot of fears for both of us.