MCDONALD’S? NOT! Wendy’s, maybe. The middle of a five mile run? Nope. The completion of a five-mile run? Definitely. Escargot and caviar? Not hardly. Spaghetti and meatballs? You bet! Afternoon television talk shows? You’ve got to be kidding. Monday Night Football? Bring it on!
We all have our happy places, places from which we gain a certain amount of enjoyment. Each of our happy places are more often determined by our personality, upbringing, likes and dislikes. These places in many ways wholly situational. For example; if I arrive at Wendy’s only to find they are out of chili and ice tea, well then my happy place quickly becomes my sad place.
As situational as my happiness may be, I am comforted to know that my joy, a joy that comes from God Himself, is not based in my circumstances. The joy of the Lord, to which the Scriptures refers, is a joy that comes deep within. In reality, it emanates from the very presence of the Holy Spirit who resides in the life of each believer in Jesus. It is a joy that comes from God’s strength within us (Nehemiah 8:10). It is a joy that remains firm even as we battle trials (James 1:2). It is a joy which can remain secure even in the face of death (Hebrews 12:2).
This joy is not just some warm-fuzzy-feeling. It is not laughter in the face of pain. This joy is the deep abiding awareness that the Lord, the Creator, the Sovereign of Eternity, is our God and our friend, and has promised to never leave us, nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6). It is a joy that arises from the knowledge that even though we will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, even there He will be with us, to guide us, and to see us safely through to the other side.
So, then my friend, wherever your happy place may be, be sure that your joy comes from the Lord.

REUNIONS CAN BE TRYING EVENTS. They are often seen as events which mark the passage of time. A time to see the effects of time on those friends we once deemed ageless, much like ourselves. At reunions we face the frailty of our own lives. At reunions we weigh the success and failures of others. Whether we like it or not, reunions often become time of facing the judgment seat.
But it ought not to be that way.
This past weekend I have enjoyed many reunions. The reunion brought by Krista returning home from two and half years in Africa. Not a testing of age, or the judging of successes, just the sweetness of a family reunited. The reunion of friends from my youth, Don and Mark. No worries of the aging process, just fond, and often hilarious, memories of lives shared. The reunion of friends which was instituted by the retirement party of one of my key spiritual fathers, Ken Harrower. And of course, that reunion which takes place each week as the family of Felton Bible Church gathers to worship, pray, learn, laugh, and cry.
Yes, reunions can also be good things. They remind us of a greater reunion that will take place one day. A reunion of which the Apostle Paul writes, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
There is another reunion coming. Ageless. True. Without judgment. Do you have your invitation?

MY FIRST PORTION of memorized Scripture came at an age when I did not even realize that I was quoting the Bible. Sometimes I knelt at my bedside, sometimes I was laying under the covers, but all the time my mom was there, making sure I said it correctly and covered all the bases. Of course I learned it in the ancient language of King James Bible (circa 1611).

Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power
and the glory, forever. Amen.

I wasn’t too sure what “hallowed” meant, or who those people were that were trespassing on our property, but all that aside, it has been a prayer that has served me well.
It was not until years later that I saw this prayer within the context that Jesus taught it, and it was years after that I began to understand the deep implications of its words. Now, even today, I wrestle with this rather simple, unadulterated prayer which the Lord Jesus taught His followers. I struggle with the consequences of a Kingdom that comes and a will that is done. I am humbled by the amount of bread I have blessed to consume and the trespasses I have been forgiven. And I am challenged by the trespasses to forgive and the temptations to fight.
Yet, I am thankful for a Christ-given prayer that reminds me that I have a Father who hears. And so, whether on my knees, or wrapped in my covers, or strolling down a redwood shaded path, I still am given to pray, ”Our Father…”

BACK STORY, it is the part of the television coverage of the Olympics that grabs us maybe even than the spectacular finishes — those stories of Herculean effort that surround so many of the Olympic participants. The stories of troubled childhoods and tragic mishaps that give way to glorious over-comings which then produce the individuals we watch performing on our televisions. It’s not the event, but the journey, that makes the Olympic story so Olympic.
One of the signature events of the Olympics is the marathon and the ancient event which started it all was a battle caused journey. Phidippides, a member of the Greek army who were in battle against the Persians around 500 BC, was called upon to run to Athens (26 miles away) to carry the news of the victory over the Persians and the warning about the approaching Persian ships. And this 26 miles was preceded by his running between Athens and Sparta, about 280 miles round trip, just day before. Oh yes, the battle was fought on the plains of Marathon. See, the back story always adds to the event.
This year’s Olympics will no doubt be filled with many such stories. They will bring tears to our eyes, hope to our hearts, and most likely cheers to our lips. The story drives the event.
The Apostle Paul had an incredible “back story.” Of good training, schooling, prestige, but also of darkness, hatred, doubts. The Apostle used his story not as an excuse or hindrance, but as an opportunity to show forth God’s mercy and grace. Yet, Paul knew that his past was just that, his past. His eyes were always firmly set on the prize. As he wrote to the Philippians, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (3:13-14)
May our stories push us on. May we run to win.