Today, we celebrate the gift of Trust, another virtue exemplified in all that Jesus is and represents.  Trust is such a deep part of our faith and especially in our times of prayer and contemplation.  In a hurry up world, sometimes we just need to stop and be still for a moment.  That's where "One Minute Prayers" by Harvest House Publishers can be so helpful and inspiring.  I sometimes sense that in my own busy-ness, just learning to stop and reflect is a prayer in and of itself.  Little prayers like these can be so very helpful in focusing one's mind and heart in a conversational way.  One of my favorites is "I Trusted You Before I Knew You."  Trust is a little bit about taking the risk to be vulnerable and following that trust with discernible actions.  There is no greater space to be vulnerable in trust than with Jesus. Enjoy!

"From birth, I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb.  I will ever praise you." [Psalm 71:6]"

Lord, You were there when I was formed in my mother's womb.  You knew my heart, my character, my purpose as I was brought in to the world.  I was so defenseless then, so vulnerable.  I know Your hand was upon my life for every minute.  Even before I had a personal relationship with You, I relied on You completely.

Now I am so established in the world and can appear strong and in control.  But, I confess I am as vulnerable as the day I was born.  I praise You for the countless times You have protected me, saved me without my knowledge.  O Lord, Your loving hand was and will be with me every step of the way.  I am so glad to be Your child."

May the trust of an intimate relationship with Jesus fill your day today and always.

On this, the third day of Advent, we celebrate the virtue of Courage exemplified throughout the life of Jesus.  One of my favorite poems is The Race by Dee Groberg.  It reminds me of Jesus even though it is the story of a youngster involved in a race.  It reminds me of the courage of Jesus as he faced the crowd.  It reminds me because carrying a cross, he fell three times just like this child.  He, too, arose each time, driven by his faith in our Father and his love for humanity.  Courage is born of such love and we all need courage on our journeys.  We also all need to find the face of our Father in the dilemmas and crowds we face.  He's there.  Our Father is on our sideline cheering for every step we take.  Whether we are stumbling or running full stride, He is there caring intimately, supporting fully, and holding our hands and hearts.  Rendering courage with His presence, if we but listen, we can hear a gentle whisper, "come and walk [or run] with me." 

The Race

attributed to Dr. D.H. "Dee" Groberg

Whenever I start to hang my head in front of failure’s face,
    my downward fall is broken by the memory of a race.
A children’s race, young boys, young men; how I remember well,
    excitement sure, but also fear, it wasn’t hard to tell.
They all lined up so full of hope, each thought to win that race
    or tie for first, or if not that, at least take second place.
Their parents watched from off the side, each cheering for their son,
    and each boy hoped to show his folks that he would be the one.

The whistle blew and off they flew, like chariots of fire,
    to win, to be the hero there, was each young boy’s desire.
One boy in particular, whose dad was in the crowd,
    was running in the lead and thought “My dad will be so proud.”
But as he speeded down the field and crossed a shallow dip,
    the little boy who thought he’d win, lost his step and slipped.
Trying hard to catch himself, his arms flew everyplace,
    and midst the laughter of the crowd he fell flat upon his face.
As he fell, his hope fell too; he couldn’t win it now.
    Humiliated, he just wished to disappear somehow.

But as he fell his dad stood up and showed his anxious face,
    which to the boy so clearly said, “Get up and win that race!”
He quickly rose, no damage done, behind a bit that’s all,
    and ran with all his mind and might to make up for his fall.
So anxious to restore himself, to catch up and to win,
    his mind went faster than his legs. He slipped and fell again.
He wished that he had quit before with only one disgrace.
    “I’m hopeless as a runner now, I shouldn’t try to race.”

But through the laughing crowd he searched and found his father’s face
    with a steady look that said again, “Get up and win that race!”
So he jumped up to try again, ten yards behind the last.
    “If I’m to gain those yards,” he thought, “I’ve got to run real fast!”
Exceeding everything he had, he regained eight, then ten...
    but trying hard to catch the lead, he slipped and fell again.
Defeat! He lay there silently. A tear dropped from his eye.
    “There’s no sense running anymore! Three strikes I’m out! Why try?
I’ve lost, so what’s the use?” he thought. “I’ll live with my disgrace.”
    But then he thought about his dad, who soon he’d have to face.

“Get up,” an echo sounded low, “you haven’t lost at all,
    for all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
Get up!” the echo urged him on, “Get up and take your place!
    You were not meant for failure here! Get up and win that race!”
So, up he rose to run once more, refusing to forfeit,
    and he resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
    still he gave it all he had and ran like he could win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling, three times he rose again.
    Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.

They cheered another boy who crossed the line and won first place,
    head high and proud and happy -- no falling, no disgrace.
But, when the fallen youngster crossed the line, in last place,
    the crowd gave him a greater cheer for finishing the race.
And even though he came in last with head bowed low, unproud,
    you would have thought he’d won the race, to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
    “To me, you won,” his father said. “You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and bleak and difficult to face,
    the memory of that little boy helps me in my own race.
For all of life is like that race, with ups and downs and all.
    And all you have to do to win is rise each time you fall.
And when depression and despair shout loudly in my face,
    another voice within me says, “Get up and win that race!”

Teaching Your Team to Fish is another best seller by Laurie Beth Jones with her unique style of writing in approaching today's organizations with the wisdom and management principles of Jesus.  It's interesting to think about.  Have you ever wondered how Jesus "managed" to acquire disciplines with multi-faceted backgrounds to leave everything they knew and completely embrace the unknown?  How did he "manage" from afar?  What principles did he give us as guides to work with any time we are working in groups or teams, regardless of the organization type?  Try a few of these on for size.

• He Excited His Team
• He Taught Community
• He Elevated the Dialogue
• He Turned Criticism into Collaboration
• He Grounded Them
• He Taught Stewardship, Not Ownership
• He Valued Diversity
• He Prepared Them for Adversity
• He Taught "Thinking Outside of the Box"
• He Practiced Restraint
• He Trained at all Levels of the Organization
• He Transformed Them
• He Turned a Pyramid into a Circle
• He Went Deep in Order to Go Wide
• He Didn't Smash the Gnat and Lose the Camel
• He Turned Everyone into a Recruiter
• He Released Their Genius
• He Kept It Simple

Those are a few of my favorite chapters, which is practically the entire book, but I found two interrelated things quite thought provoking:  1) He Kept It Simple and 2) He Sent Them Out Unencumbered.  Think about that for a minute.  What might it mean to be sent out unencumbered?  It meant life was simple and totally predicated on trust.  "They" didn't have houses or keep up with the Jones next door.  They didn't have big car payments or tall requirements for school tuition.  He sent them out unencumbered.  Their focus could then be completely on those they served in the name of God and Jesus Christ.  Their focus was not on stress, anxiety driven multi-tasking or anything like we may have chosen for ourselves in today's fast-paced society.  Their focus was on finding spiritual contentment, sharing that contentment with others, and eliminating complexity so they could better serve.  I might do well to clear my own landscape, to simplify my life, reduce my stress, and focus my energies on the wonder of the relationship I have with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  If I seek more intimacy in my relationship with my Father, I must make more time in my day for just that purpose.  I must learn to sit still with God in my new free moments and not hop down the multi-tasking trail in the midst of trying to establish intimacy.  I must change the way I think and simplify that first.  If I am to be a better servant, I must first learn to sit still in the presence of my God and my Savior.  I must remember how to listen at a deeply spiritual level instead of racing through my prayerful thoughts as if they were some other task in my day.  They must become the highlight of my day.  Perhaps that is the starting point to being unencumbered before God.  What would being unencumbered mean for you?