Give Me Some Rain, Jesus!

“Give me some rain, Jesus!  I really need some rain!”  shouted my three year old son, Will, as he and mommy came back from feeding the hens tonight.  It wasn’t a shout, it was really him just using his natural unhindered talking voice: loud.  Maybe he was a little louder than usual because he needed to be… Jesus is pretty high up there ya know.

He knew that Jesus was listening.  The confidence in his voice was the same as when he very matter-of-factly “asks” me for a glass of milk.  Will knows I will get him a glass of milk… unless its his third glass of milk in five minutes right before dinner.

Where is that confidence when I talk to God?  Way too often I sound sheepish or petty or repetitive or boring or disinterested when I’m talking to God.  Maybe I try to sound like a mature Christian when I pray because for some reason I need to convince myself that I’m worthy of talking to God.

Pretty retarded, huh.

There are times to talk to God, our loving Daddy and times to humble ourselves before the all-powerful creator of everything… times to honestly (and sheepishly) ask for forgiveness and times to confidently ask for rain.

The next time you talk to Jesus, let the time be what it needs to be.  Don’t try to sound too churchy, or too casual… just be natural and let your conversation with God flow.  With a little practice, it becomes easier than you think. 

You may even find yourself praying with your loud outside voice once in a while.

Mighty Clouds

Its a good thing that God reminds us of stuff.  Not the little stuff, like where I misplaced my keys.  But the big stuff, like where the good stuff in life comes from.

I was on a walk with my dogs on the side of a nearby mesa.  I hadn’t taken the dogs on a long walk in way too long.  Oh, the dogs have been on long walks, but I’ve been driving the truck in front of them.  It was time for me to hoof-it with them.  The two days prior to this walk had been rainy summer days.  There were lots of clouds in the sky and lots of puddles on the ground, but there were also strikingly blue skies and only a few free afternoons left in an over-crowded summer.

The walk itself was good – nothing out of the ordinary.  What blew my mind were the clouds. They weren’t wispy, or even menacing.  They were mighty.  They could not be ignored.  They moved at a slow, determined, unstoppable pace.  Not only were they undeniable, but they carried the precious water that we so desperately need.  Nothing else could bring the rain like those big, mighty clouds.

God is big and mighty, and only he can bring us what we truly need. 

How often do those of us in “ministry” try to soften God?  How often do we paint God as our buddy and friend (he loves us, that’s for sure) but we fail to emphasize the reality that God is the most mighty, undeniable, powerful entity in the universe.

In addition to his power, he is the only one that can bring us what we truly need: peace, rest, purpose, his presence in our lives.  We strive after those things on our own, but we end up tired, spent, frustrated, and bitter.  Only mighty God can truly deliver.

Let’s not forget the one who is power and who truly delivers.

What Brad is Made For

It has been a while since my last post.  Call it a lack of motivation.  Call it being distracted by the tyranny of the urgent.  Call it whatever you want. 

The good part is that God has brought me back to the wonderful place of being centered on Him.  Not pleasing, or serving, or doing, or performing.  Just Him.  The lyrics of this song pretty much capture where I am right now.

So what brought about this re-centering?  Several things. 

• Special time in the mountains with Jodi and the boys.
• An evening here in Branson with folks gathered around a campfire.
• A great hike with my dogs under some incredible clouds.
• New faces in church today.
• Reminders from several places (yep, including the Bible) that God wants us to be still before him.

Yeah, there are still things to do, projects to finish, and people to serve.  But all of that fades in comparison to simply knowing, living in, and resting in Jesus.  That’s where our focus needs to be.

In that focused rest comes motivation.  In that focused knowing comes peace.  That’s real life.

That’s where I am today.  Whatever tomorrow brings, I know that I can face it as I rest in and move in Jesus. 

How ‘bout you?  Where has your focus been lately?  Have you been worn out, or do you feel rested? 

Called On Account Of Rain Just In Time

Have you ever needed a rainy day?

If you’re a rancher or a farmer, your answer is “yes, and we could use more of ’em.”  True, but that’s not the kind of need I’m talking about. I’m talking about needing to have your plans for the day postponed due to rain (or some other factor).

My plan for today entailed helping my family brand a few calves.  Branding days are fun, manly days that I genuinely enjoy.  Branding days test your strength, endurance, and your humor… and they always include an over-the-top home-cooked meal at lunch that leaves you way to bloated to do any real work in the afternoon.  Our family does four or five of these branding days at the end of every spring.  Today was a wet, drizzly day from start to finish.  Rain keeps the calves’ hair wet and the branding irons too cool to do their job, so I got the early morning phone call letting me know that branding had been postponed to later in the week.

As it turns out, my soul needed the rain delay today more than my machismo needed the branding day.  I’ve been running hard, trying to get things done.  None of the directions I’ve been running in have been bad directions at all, I just needed a breather… a day to catch up… a day to be.

Our lives happen so fast.  For those of us with kids, they grow up fast.  For those of us with jobs, things change fast and we have to keep up with those changes or else.  For those of us with male patter baldness, our hairlines recede fast.

Take a rain day to breathe.  Enjoy your kids just as they are today. Enjoy the hair that you have today.

Really, take a slow walk and see what God has created for you to appreciate and enjoy today. You’ll like what you find.

Navigating Storms with a Capital “S”

This has been a rainy week.

Literally. Grass is getting green. There are leaves budding on the trees. The iris plants in our back yard are blooming. It really is a beautiful time of year. What makes all of this beauty possible? Rain. What brings rain? Big dark scary clouds.

We all love rain. We pray for rain. Some cultures do rain dances. But truth be told, very people actually like to be out in the rain while its coming down. Rain is cold. It makes us shiver. Clouds are dark and looming. Clouds are gray – no one ever picks gray as their favorite color.

Joseph (the one that had the coat of many colors) faced a storm. A seven year famine was coming with the potential to kill thousands upon thousands of people. Pretty big storm.

He had a plan. He responded to what what happening – to what God had put into action. God allowed him to navigate the storm. That same God will help us navigate our storms.

I preached on this last week. Give it a listen if you have a few minutes. Here’s the link.

Rain makes beautiful things grow. Don’t forget that when your skies are gray.