A miracle is defined as something that happens defying the natural process of events by some outside force, usually God. This idea is easy to understand in big instances. A person is healed of a disease, a person regains health after all seemed lost or the Biblical stories of the dead rising.

Lately though I am coming to redefine my idea of miracles. I am no longer thinking of them just in grandiose ways, but even in small ways. There are times that God seems to break in and touch our world in small somewhat insignificant ways. This can happen in thousands of ways – A sermon is delivered about the exact topic you are struggling with, a person’s opens their heart to change after years of rejection or maybe friend does just the right thing to help you make it through another day.

What if miracles come in other ways? They might even come in smaller and smaller ways – a parking spot opens up when you are in a hurry, you unexpectedly find something that you really need on sale or kind word changes the direction of your day.

I once heard a preacher say that trying to see the hand of God in this world is like looking through stained glass. You can only see through it if you strain your eyes and look really, really close.

The hand of God may be all around us, all we have to do is look closely.

Several people believe their life is defined by their biggest failure. They believe they are labeled forever as “Adulterer” or “Criminal” or “Addict.” For them most days are filled with shame and guilt.

Other people believe their life is defined by the opportunities they missed. They believe they are labeled forever as “Failure” or “Outsider.” For them most days are filled with longing and regret.

One group of people believe their life is defined by the best moment. They believe they are “the Champion” or the “Hero.” For them most days are good and any hurt is hidden deep inside.

Another group believes their life is defined by what other people think of them. They might be the Hero to some and the Failure to others. For them some days are good and other days are bad. Life is an emotional roller coaster swayed by public opinion.

There is one more option. That is to be defined by what God says about us. There is good news for those of us who find ourselves in one of the categories above and are not happy about it. God can forgive us and make us his children. He labels us a “Loved” or as “His Children” or simply “Forgiven.”

How you feel about your life may depend on who or what you let define you. The difference is huge, but it is up to you.

Here in Adrian Missouri tomorrow is the last day of school. Very soon our nation will celebrate Memorial Day which often serves as the unofficial beginning of summer. From now until the start of school and the arrival of Labor Day Churches will experience a summer drop off in attendance. For the months of June, July and August Church attendance will drop drastically as people spend time at kids sporting events, on vacation, doing weekend recreation and just resting.

None of this is real news. Anyone who has spent more than a year in a Church has seen this phenomenon played out first hand. I would also say that I completely understand why it happens. I take my personal vacation in the summer. I enjoy the weather and time with my children without the grind of school.

My fear is that some of those people who start missing Church this Summer will slowly drift away from Church altogether. In my experience I have rarely had people quit Church in one big decision. Instead most of the time it is a slow fade. Missing one week leads to two weeks, leads to a month and soon six months are gone. Before you know it Christmas is here and the Church is no longer a part of my life.

So, please let me offer up a couple of suggestions to help you from slowing drifting away from the Church and possibly your faith this summer.

First – Attend Church somewhere every week. If you are out-of-town, that’s okay, I guarantee there are Churches near where you will be. This minimizes your gaps between worship and exposes you to all kinds of new faith experiences.

Second – Use Internet Services. If you can’t make it to a place of worship or you just want to sleep in as long as you can, that’s okay. Numerous Churches have services online on Sundays (and Saturdays). I have used the one at LifeChurch.tv on snow days in the past. You can sleep in, skip the shower and stay in your pajamas. I do not recommend these every week, but they are helpful in certain situations.

Third – Have a personal worship time. If your weekend is too busy for any kind of Church then take time to worship as a family on a weeknight. Read the Bible together. Listen to a sermon online. Listen to worship songs and possibly sing along. Write an offering check, put it in an envelope and get ready to send it off. You get the idea.

Finally – Stay personally connected to your Church. Invite people from the Church you attend over to your house. Have a cookout. Sit on the porch and drink a lemonade and talk. Sit together at a children’s sporting event. The more that Church people remain in your life, the harder it will be to walk away.

While we are headed into a difficult time in most Churches, it does not have to be a time in which faith gets lost. Doing a few simple things to keep your faith alive will help you to continue growing and avoid the slow fade.

Many years ago I was sitting with a group of preachers in a restaurant eating from a Chinese buffet. A man at a nearby table apparently had been listening in on our conversation. He walked over to our table and asked who we were. We told him that we were all preachers who had gathered to talk about new Church planting. He then raised his hands over us and said something that I had heard before but seemed to sound fresh. Right there in the restaurant he said a blessing over us.

Not immediately remembering the origin of his words I went home and searched the concordance on my computer. I quickly found his words in a book of the Bible that I was more accustomed to skipping over than reading. It was a quote from the book of Numbers.

Numbers 6:22-26 (NIV)
The Lord said to Moses, (23) “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

(24) “‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you;
(25) the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
(26) the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”‘

From that day forward I have tried to keep these words locked in my memory. Anytime I am unsure what to say to people I have this blessing hidden away. I have found it fits when praying for Christians, when speaking to a youth groups and even just in the quiet of my own mind. And today, my readers, I say this blessing over you.

Yesterday I was a part of a funeral here in Adrian. The program was slated to start off with a special service from the Masons to honor the deceased’s heritage. Evidently there was some miscommunication and instead of the 10-12 men who were expected to perform the ceremony only 3 showed up. Charles introduced himself and apologized for the lack of attendance and said the group would proceed as planned to “honor their brother.”

Charles had 5-6 typed pages of material to read and he meticulously read through every word. Things were going okay until he reached the part where there were symbols to be displayed and explained before placing them in the coffin. Because the rest of the group did not show up Charles was left empty-handed. He said, “Now here I should have ______.” The interesting part was that he proceeded as though nothing were missing. He mentioned the missing symbol and then went on to explain what should be happening.

At the end of their 15 minute ceremony Charles read the last word and finally dropped the papers he had been reading. He looked intently over to the family and said, “I did my best.”

The family smiled and he walked over to shake their hands. He told each one of his sorrow at their loss and his appreciation for the deceased. It was very clear that his intentions were good even though not everything had gone as planned.

I sat in my corner chair watching all of this unfold. I wanted to help the poor guy but I also felt he was honoring the family and the deceased simply by doing his best.

Most of the time in the Christian life the work we do does not need to be perfect, we just need to do our best. When we give our best effort, I believe our heart connects with God’s power and great things happen. Today I have recommitted to continually giving my best, no matter how difficult the situation seems.

Here are a few great articles that I have read on the web lately. They cover a variety of topics that are sure to encourage and challenge. Enjoy

How to Deal with Different Types of Difficult People

Forgiveness: It’s Not What You Think

A (Very) Short Prayer for My Dullest Days

Die Well

5 Things Parents Should Stop Doing

5 Steps To Avoid Technological Slavery

Why You Should Listen When Your Son Talks About Video Games

With this Sunday being Mother’s Day I thought I would share a couple of the valuable life lessons my mother taught me.

1. Humble Service – Mom has rarely been a formal leader. She spends most of her time quietly serving other people. She takes care of dad and her children. She helps out at Church (usually in the kitchen). Her life is marked by doing far more than public title or recognition.

2. Timing is Everything – She taught me to hold onto some information until the appropriate time. Things like, “We will tell dad that when he is in a good mood.”

3. Give Generously – My mother gives us produce, jelly and freshly made noodles. She has offered money to help all of her children. She gives generously to the Church. I can never recall a time I felt like she was stingy or unwilling to give.

4. Marriage Commitment – I know living with dad has not been easy (he is hard-headed like me), but they have remained together for 55 years. Through the years I have watched their marriage change with each new season as they have grown old together.

5. Aging Well – My mother has a gentle and caring spirit that just gets sweeter with time. She has not turned into a bitter old lady or a speechless mouse. Instead she has grown in kindness, love and grace.

These are obviously not all of the lessons that my mother taught me through the years. She has shown me that it is okay to taste a little of everything to make sure it is fit to eat. She has shown me that spilling food on your shirt is nothing to get excited about. She taught me that the French language has some colorful words and I should “pardon her French.”

Through the years she has made me smile and laugh all while keeping a good heart. I thank mom for the lessons she has taught me and the model she has been as a person.

I hope this weekend you will thank your mother for the life lessons she taught you.

A few years ago I sat down with an investment counselor who walked me through my options as I prepare for retirement. He stated that there are two ways to invest. One is short-term with low risk but minimal rewards. There is also high risk with the possibility of great returns, but there might be some big drops along the way. With me being a long way from retirement I chose to take the high risk, high return option. Through the years I have watched my portfolio grow and drop and grow and drop. Anytime I have talked to my investment counselor about the situation, he has reminded me to take “the long-term view.”

I have been thinking about these conversations as I process my investment in people. Do I invest myself in people for the short-term or the long-term? The short-term has some immediate gratification. You can see someone learn something new, maybe they can recite some facts and they might even make some changes. The long-term investment in people is hard. You see people grow and then stop. You see people learn something new and life changing and then they forget it. It is tough to watch people only make incremental growth year after year.

Here is the interesting part to me, I take the long-term approach naturally with my kids (or grand kids). I know I have 18 plus years to mold and shape their lives. Then I go to Church and I expect people to change immediately and become discouraged when it doesn’t seem to happen.

How would your life be different if you saw your investment in other people as a long-term investment in their lives? As my counselor said, “You need to take the long-term view.”

I recently read a blog post that has been stuck in my brain and will not let me go. I thought I would basically rewrite a shortened version for you today.

In the book of Daniel there is a story about Daniel and three of his friends named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. You may know the story of Daniel chapter three where they will not bow down to the image created by king Nebuchadnezzar. The result is that they are to be thrown into the fiery furnace. Within this story is a great line about the faith of these men.

Daniel 3:17-18 “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. (18) But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

The men firmly believe that God can save them from any situation, but their faith is truly seen when they declare, “Even if he does not.” Real faith is stepping out to follow God into any situation knowing that He might come through in a big way or He may not. A miracle may happen or it may not, but that does not mean that God does not care or is being mean. It simply means He has another plan.

True faith is trusting God even when we know that He may not show up the way we want Him to.

A hero is defined as someone who is admired for their brave deeds or noble qualities. We often think of heroes in terms of those who do an amazingly significant event. They pilot a plane full or people to safety or they fight a battle that saves hundreds of lives. But I am convinced that most heroes exhibit their noble qualities in much smaller ways. They make daily sacrifices for others while making brave decisions that can change people’s lives.

Why do I say all of this? Because I am celebrating the heroes of my life.

First – today is National Teacher Day. My life has been molded and shaped by teachers. I have encountered some great teachers in the public school and in the college I attended. They have molded not only my life, but also the lives of my children. I am thankful for the hours they put into their work and their willingness to share their lives. Many of them or my heroes.

Second – today is my Dad’s birthday. Freddie Lewis Harris was born on May 5, 1935. That makes him 80 years old today. One month ago I didn’t think we would see this day. He had a stroke and the initial report didn’t sound good. But now he is home and watching a movie, because he demanded no more doctors visits today. His life has been marked by sacrifice for his children, love of his wife and service at his Church. He is my hero.

All of us have heroes in our lives. Those people who give, love and sacrifice themselves for the good of others. Today I send up a prayer of thanksgiving for you. I hope that you would do the same for the heroes in your life.