I’ve said it before and will continue to say it with great conviction, reverence and astonishment: there is not one wasted word in the Bible.  Not one bit of filler.  Not one ounce devoid of depth and meaning.

The Bible is not a book to speed read through.  You have to slow down.  You have to prayerfully approach this precious tome for it is the very real, very true, very living and active word of God Himself.  This is no mere collection of ancient writings.  Make no mistake: men may have penned the words, but God is the Author.

And He is trying to tell us a lot.

About Himself.

About us.

About life.

About what’s important.

About perspective.

I have been prayerfully reading John 14 today.  And I caught myself reading way too fast.  For example, there is a great temptation to take John 14:27 and just run with it:

27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. – John 14:27 (ESV)

In and of itself, this verse brings us great comfort.  For me, it stands as a reminder that the Lord is always with me.  His peace is beyond circumstances.  Indeed, no earthly situation can truly remove the peace of Jesus from our hearts.  Problems may kick us and knock us around.  But as long as we remember and cling tight to the promises of God, His peace stands firm within us.

But if we merely stop at John 14:27, not looking at the context and the cross-references and considering the audience, etc., we do ourselves a great disservice.

We need to slow down and take time to let the Lord unfold His Word to us, revealing in our hearts what He has for us.  It can be a lot like drinking from a fire hydrant, but what a blessing it is to savor His Word.

So… I think I will be parked at John 14 for a bit.  Would you like to join me?  I’d love the company.

 

 

I am a Christian. I can state this because I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

I am a husband, dad, son, brother, nephew, uncle…  I can state this because I have a beautiful wife (25 years together and going strong!), a son, a brother, aunts and uncles, nephews and a niece…

I am a Hoosier.  I can state this because I am from Indiana.  (Go Colts!)

I am of English, Scottish, Irish, German, French, Spanish and Italian heritage.  I can state this because I have done genealogy research on my family tree and have found ancestors from these countries.

I am a writer.  I can state this because I write.  (I make no claims as to the quality of my writing, but…)

I am a mulberry bush.  I can state this because… well… um… ok, I can’t state this.

Not honestly.

Not with a straight face.

Why?

Because – obviously – I am not a plant of any kind.  I am a human.  I may claim to be a mulberry bush, but I cannot actually be and not be a mulberry bush at the same time.  I have flesh and blood.  I have a brain, heart, fingers and toes… I stand upright.  I do not have roots (literally, not metaphorically).  I do not sprout leaves.  I do not produces mulberries.

This illustrates the litmus test for defining truth: either it is what it is, or it isn’t.  No room for gray areas.  No use for obfuscation.  Even if I grabbed a bottle of glue and adhered branches, leaves and berries to my body, you would look at me and say – with great reliance in the knowledge you are speaking the truth, I might add – “This is not a mulberry bush.  This is a human – and a very silly one at that – trying to pass himself off as a mulberry bush.  That’s not sap on his branches.  It’s Super Glue.”

It can be tough to truly define who we are.  We look at our careers for our identities.  We look to our heritage, our families, our abilities, our successes, our failures… all in a vain attempt to discover who we really are.

You are a firefighter until the day you stop going to the station putting out fires and making rescues.

You are an artist until you let your self-doubt take over and you bury the talent your fear took from you.

You are a proud descendant of both William “Braveheart” Wallace and the di Medicis until you discover the genealogy info you found on the internet was more fiction than fact.  (It’s sobering to find out you’re not directly related the man who bankrolled Michelangelo and hung out with da Vinci.  Rather, descended from “Stinky” di Medici, assistant to the assistant night manager of the Exxon Mini-Mart outside of Palermo.)

If you want to discover who you really, truly are, don’t look inward.

Look upward.

You see, God is the author of absolute truth.  He is also the author of the Bible, Hs revelation to humanity of Who He is, and who we are.

And who are we?  We are His children:

But to all who did receive (Jesus), who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. – John 1:12-13 (ESV)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. – 1 John 3:1 (ESV)

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. – Ephesians 1:5-10 (ESV)

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. – Romans 8:14-17 (ESV)

Here is the God’s honest, absolute truth: who you are is not defined by what you do, or what you’ve done, or where your talents lie, or what successes or failures you have experienced.  You are not defined by what or who anybody else claims / blames you to be. You are God’s creation:

¹³ For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them. – Psalm 139:13-16 (ESV)

You are God’s child – an heir to His great and wondrous promises.

You are not defined by anything on this earth.  You are who God made you to be.  You belong to the Lord.  Your life is in His more than capable, loving, gracious hands.

You are God’s child.  And whose you are is far more important than who you – or anyone else – thinks you are.  In Christ we find our true identity.  Forgiven, blessed and loved.  Worthy and rich in the Lord’s promises.

Rest in that knowledge.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a mulberry bush to prune.

There are many times I find I am my own worst enemy.  I have a tendency to overthink everything: every problem, every plan, every idea, every moment… 

Let me use a simple food analogy.

My thoughts start out as an unbaked breadstick.

Simple.  Unadorned.  Doughy.

Then I begin thinking.  And mulling.  And rolling the thought over in my brain.

Soon I begin doubting.  I could never do his.  I can’t possibly write that.  There’s no sense in trying to do ___________ (fill in the blank).

My doubt and fear and anxiety begin twisting my breadstick thoughts around until I have a knotted up pretzel.

And I decide to give up on whatever grand idea I have.  After all, what if I fail?

But… just as I am ready to toss my half-baked thoughts in the trash (or, worse yet, let them sit and rot as the anxiety turns to worry, the doubt gives way to depression for yet another unrealized notion), I remember the legend behind the invention of the pretzel.

The story goes that, some 800-900 years ago, a monk wanted to reward local children for learning their prayers.  He came up with the simple idea of rolling dough into cylinders and twisting them into a shape resembling a child’s arms folded in prayer.  These pretzels were then given to the kids who could recite their Our Fathers and Hail Marys.

Thinking about it, we can make pretzels without tying ourselves up in knots of doubt and anxiety.  Indeed, pretzels can be a wonderful treat for any of us.  After all, the pretzel is far better than the breadstick.  It is more complex in form, flavor and texture.  And not nearly as bland.

The secret to the pretzel being a source of joy rather than the product of agony is found in its folded arms.  When we let doubt and fear creep in, we find our joy is stolen from us.  Which is not what the Lord intends for us.

Consider the disciples at the Last Supper.  Jesus was telling them what was about to happen.  

And His words didn’t line up with their preconceived notions.  

And, when Jesus was arrested and tried, at least zten of the twelve did the very human thing:  they reasoned out what they saw with their eyes.

And they ran for the hills.

Instead of taking Jesus at His Word – even though they had seen Him heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, feed 15,000+ people with one child’s lunch, walk on water, raise the dead – the disciples opted to go with their feelings.

And what they felt was fear.  Panic.  Anxiety.

Jesus knew all this would happen.  And He loved them anyway.  He even made sure they understood they were protected and firmly in the Lord’s grip:

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. – John 16:33 (ESV)

When we are thinking things through, we have no reason for doubt or fear.  Instead of mulling over problems or plans and twisting them ’round and ’round, we should instead consider the folded arms of the pretzel.  

Instead of worrying, pray.

Instead of drawing solely from our sorely limited bank of information, we hound seek first the Lord in prayer and His Word.

Instead of scratching our heads, we should drop to our knees.

Instead of leaning anxiously on our own understanding, we need to trust wholeheartedly in God.

Today, be bold.  Be fearless.  Do what you believe God has called you to do.  Go with God, without fear.  

Pray without ceasing.

Embrace God with your whole heart and mind.

Keep your joy.  Keep His peace.

And live the life you were created to live.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. – Matthew 10:29-31 (ESV)

“Historians will probably call our era ‘the age of anxiety'”, wrote the evangelist Billy Graham in 1965.  Indeed, the sixties gave the world plenty to be anxious about: the Cold War, civil rights violence, Vietnam, the space race, nuclear arms, Herman’s Hermits…

Sadly, the anxiety of the times didn’t fade away when the calendar rolled into 1970.

Or 1980.

Or the 21st century.

Indeed, today we still have plenty of opportunity for worry on the world stage: Isis, terrorism, Trump v. Clinton, the economy, North Korea, Herman’s Hermits…  Instead of rising above the anxiety of the times, I believe we have morphed into the age of anxiety fueled by narcissism.

We all have concerns.  Deeper than the fears of this world, many people feel lost, isolated, disconnected.  The internet is a wonderful tool.  But social media tends to reduce our human contact down to tiny, impersonal (or, at times, overly personal), bite-size ready-to-eat mini-messages, more concerned with letter count than content.

That’s all fine and well for mass communication.  But it’s no substitute for real, personal interaction.

When you add to the mix the busyness of our lives (kids in soccer and baseball and basketball and football and foosball and on and on and on…), there simply is not enough time for developing true relationships.

And many people feel a deep longing for relationship.  Not buddies.  Not just fellow soccer moms or co-workers.  I’m talking brothers and sisters.  People with whom we develop deep, abiding relationships.  Community.  Iron sharpening iron.

So we feel lost.  Empty.  And we look to fill this huge, gaping void.  We search for meaning, for a panacea to cover the pain of the empty pit in our souls.  Maybe a self-help guru, someone to move in and help us each develop into the best possible version of ourselves so we can be better and do even more and be more focused on self-improvement.

And the narcissism of our times rolls on.

Part of our problem is that, with everything going on – with our being lonely in a crowd, our lack of true communication and deep relationships and, worst of all, our lack of relationship and time with God – we lose our bearings.  We lose our sense of being.  We lose the importance of who we really are, who we are created to be.

And we turn ourselves inward to discover who we are, what we should do, who we should be.

And we get our heads stuck sideways in our own navels.

Do you want to understand your self worth?  Stop looking inward, and start looking upward.  Consider what Luke wrote:

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. – Luke 12:6-7 (ESV)

Yes, this is basically the same message as our key verse at the top of this post (Matthew 10:29).  But I prefer Luke’s rendering over Matthew’s.  Luke offers a better deal: five sparrows for two cents as opposed to two birds for a penny.  I like a good deal.  And, no matter what my wife may tell you, I’m not cheap.  Just frugal.

The message here is simple: a one cent bird, the only sacrificial offering many poor Jews of Jesus’ day could afford (lambs didn’t quite figure into the average budget).  Yet God keeps such a close eye on His creation that He knows – and cares for – even this most seemingly insignificant of beings.  He knows how many hairs you have on your head.  And, even if you are pulling out hair in anxiety or frustration or fear, the Lord is still keeping an accurate count.

So consider this: how much more valuable are you in God’s eyes?  Where is your self-worth?  If you want to discover who you are, don’t look inward.

Look upward.

Join a community of fellow believers and begin to serve.  Contribute.  Love others and help others.  Seek God first in all things.  And quit putting so much focus on busyness.  In doing so, in talking time to be with God and others and humbly listening, seeking, loving, contributing, giving, doing… here you will find who you really are, who God created you to be.

Focus on God.  Focus on love.  Don’t focus on troubles.

Seek God first.  Love one another.

_________

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For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:10 (ESV)

If I were to ask all of you if you’d like to be happy, how many would say “No”?  My guess is the vast majority of folks would say, “Absolutely!  Who doesn’t want to be happy?”

The idea of being “happy” rises some debate in certain Christian circles.  As if happiness runs counter to being a Christian.  As if there isn’t enough suffering in this world.

Yet, happiness is really just an emotion.  It has no real staying power.  It gives us a boost – often a much needed one at that!  When life is hard, nothing can break the tension like a good, hearty laugh.

But… should “happy” truly be our goal?  This is where the debate begins.  If, by “happy”, one means seeking to feel elated and self-absorbed in our own contentment, then the answer is “no”.  A life pursued only to make oneself happy is a life wasted.

If by happy one means joyous, at peace, fulfilled in Christ… then by all means, Yes!

We so often confuse joy and peace for happiness.  But really, they are distinctly different.

Joy exists in good times and bad, times of ease of seasons of struggle.  The same with peace.  This is because the source of our joy and peace, our strong inner contentment, lies in Jesus Christ.  Not in our circumstances.  Not in everything being perfect or going our way.  Happiness depends on such things.

James hit the nail on the head when he wrote:

² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. – James 1:2 (ESV)

You see, joy and peace have staying power.  We can rest in the Lord, keeping our joyful calm in the midst of any storm.  Life’s cares will rob us of happiness, because “happy” is a fleeting, conditional feeling.  Joy and peace are God-given fruit, deeply rooted and immovable in the life of those who put their whole trust in God.

The idea of a trouble-free life is very appealing.  But it is also unrealistic.  The least favorite promise that Jesus ever made was “in this world you will have trouble.”  Thankfully, He followed that with “Take heart!  I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  Jesus told us this to set our expectations right, that we have peace in Him, instead of spinning our wheels looking for constant pleasure.

It is in life’s troubles that we grow.  It is when things get tough that we can cry out to God for help with the full assurance that He hears us.  He’s always with us.  He loves us.  He has us in His grip.

And no amount of “happiness” can equal the joy and peace of knowing Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  So, today, whatever you are facing, whatever trials are pursuing you, whatever pain you’re dealing with, whatever has you anxious or worried or troubled… I want to challenge you to give up your troubles to God.  Go to Jesus.  Make the conscious decision to trust the Lord and take Him at His Word.

Accept that He loves you and you are His child.

Accept that your life is in His hands and He knows far better than you or anyone else what you truly need.

Seek God first.  Rest in His great strength and mercy and grace and love.  And in doing so, find what true, lasting “happiness” really looks like.

Know someone who needs a little encouragement?  Please feel free to share this article to anyone who you feel would be blessed by God’s comfort. 

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4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,    

and give thanks to his holy name.

5 For his anger is but for a moment,  and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. – Psalm 30:4-5 (ESV)

Nothing lasts forever.

In a zero degree freezer, raw steaks last about 6-12 months.  Bacon only one month.  (And, really, bacon deserves better than to be stuck in a chest freezer.)

Stoves should be good for 10-15 years.

Carbon-14 has a half life of 5730 years before it is no longer radioactive.

Senator Strom Thurmond’s 1957 filibuster on the floor of the U.S. Senate – the longest in history – lasted 24 hours and 18 minutes.

Iron Butterfly’s “In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida” lasts 17 minutes.

“Back to the Future” ran for about six months at the theatre I worked at during my first attempt at college.  We also showed “Out of Africa” which lasts 161 minutes.  

Without the intermission.

I could have sworn it was a lot longer.

Nothing lasts forever.  Except, of course, God and eternity.  But, on this earth, everything has a shelf life.

That includes the pain of our troubles. 

God is so good to His children.  He poured His unending love and grace upon us.  He gives us peace to face our problems.  He lifts us out, or guides us through, every storm.  Indeed, as Jesus showed us, He is master over life’s storms.  

Tonight, whatever you’re facing, don’t face your troubles alone.  Give them to the Lord.  Trust in His greatness and goodness.  Sleep well. Rest in Him.

And, no matter how things may appear, remember that God has a plan.  He is in control.  And everything is ok.

Nothing lasts forever.  Except the Lord and His goodness, love and mercy.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. – 1 John 4:18a (ESV)

God is love.

God is perfect.

God’s love is therefore perfect – complete, lacking nothing.  He treats we, His children, with amazing benevolence and deep affection.

What is there to possibly fear when the Lord is near?  And, trust me, He is always here.  With us.

With you. 

Ponder that.  Rest in Him.  Be joyful and strong in the Lord.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. – Isaiah 26:3-4 (ESV)

Ahhhh… the idea of having a heart at perfect peace.  Unruffled.  Unflappable.  Unmoved by the troubles of this world.  

Sounds nice, huh?

I wish I could say I never worry, never have anxious moments… But I do.  I’m human.

I’ve spent a lot of my life seeking peace until I finally got it through my thick, balding head that peace is neither a state of mind nor the absence of conflict in our lives.  When we seek to find peace through controlling our circumstances, we only end up with more inner turmoil and anxiety.

Notice what Isaiah tells us.  Peace comes when we put our focus on God.  Not ourselves.  Not our troubles or worries.  Just on Him.  Trusting Him fully no matter what.  Understanding that peace comes through trust in theLord, Who is infinitely greater than any giant we may face.

To the degree we stay focused on the Lord, putting our faith and hopes on Him alone, we will find perfect, full, complete peace.  Rest for our weary souls.  Refreshment for our tired spirits. Want more peace? Trust God more.  In fact, anxiety and worry are often pretty good barometers of our walk with God.

This week, if you find yourself struggling, worried, anxious… do this.  Give that worry to the Lord.  Pray.  Talk to Him.  No need for fancy words.  Just ask Him, “Father, help me!”  Pour out your heart.  Then wait on the Lord.

Put your hope in God.

Trust in Him.

Fearlessly. 

Stay focused on the Lord, through prayer and His Word.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication t with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, v which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV)

27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” – Luke 5:27-32 (ESV)

I have never been one to appreciate change merely for the sake of change.  When change is thrust upon me, I tend to bristle a bit.  

Maybe it’s the whole “old dog, new tricks” thing.  

Maybe I just get comfy in my rut.

Maybe it’s like the scene in the movie “The Shawshank Redemption”, where the old man is paroled after spending most of his lifeincarcerated.  He doesn’t want to leave.  Shawshank is his home, all he knows.  He’s comfortable in his prison. 

Comfortable in his prison.  Sounds strange, doesn’t it?  To think this sinful world has us so institutionalized that we don’t care to leave it’s cold embrace.

Yet, whenever we encounter Christ, this is exactly what He calls us to do.  He pulls us from our cell and radically changes us.  

Sometimes we recognize with gratitude what the Lord has done for us.  

Sometimes we go kicking and screaming, clinging desperately to the cell bars.

But, the good news is that the of the Lord, once recognized, is irresistible.  We begin to see that we cannot possibly go one mile, one minute, one motion, without the constant presence of the Lord.  

And, if we could, we wouldn’t want to.

Jesus offers us a beautiful change so radical that our very identity is altered. 

Simon the fisherman is now Peter the rock.

Saul the Pharisee Christian hunter is now Paul the apostle of Christ.

Levi, the scoundrel tax collector – a profession so lurid and low in Jesus’ day that it ranked near prostitution in the list of jobs that would make mom and dad proud – became the apostle Matthew.  Jesus transformed him from one who took advantage of the people to a gift for us all, used to our profit by God.

You see, that is how God works.  He woks through us, to the betterment of others and, in turn, ourselves.  He turns our shipwrecks into beautiful memorials.  He builds us to build others.  He changes all things to our good.  

But it isn’t really about us being good, is it?  If that we the case, the law would have been sufficient for our salvation.  One can be evil and appear good by simply connecting some of the dots of the law in public.  Likewise, no one has ever been so good that they kept perfectly every nuance of the law.  (Save Jesus, that is.  But Christ is a bit of a special case, don’t you think?)

We need change.  And we are incapable of producing that change ourselves.  We have to, in faith, let the Holy Spirit move in and take over.  We have to relinquish control of our lives to the Lord.
Even when the change hurts.

Even when His direction is illogical to us.

Even when we want what we should not partake of.

Even when we don’t understand.

When I was a kid, We used to sing a hymn in church about the wonder working power of the blood of the Lamb.  Back then it was a bong old hymn, sung loudly and out of tune by a small group of senior citizens in our tiny rural church.  It is only now, forty years after, that I am beginning to get some understanding of what that means.

Sometimes I’ve been blinded by the Pharisees who claimed I had no business hanging out with Jesus.

More often it is my own inner-Pharisee condemning me, reminding me of my sins and telling me I’m not worthy of Christ, of love, of any help or accomplishment.

Lies.  All lies.

But the lies persist as long as I resist the change by the power of Jesus.  

In Him, I am loved.

In Him, I am not weird.

In Hm, I am not a loser.

In Him, I am redeemed, a child of great worth.  Not because of who I am, but who He is within me.

In Him, very simply, I am.

And so are you.

The doors of your cell are wide open.  Walk out.  Go find your place at the Lord’s table and enjoy the feast.  Seek the Lord first.  Love.  Go. Do.

Believe.

Live in peace.

Rest in love.

Change.  

The McDonald’s Locomocoburger.  I gotta go to Tokyo and try one of these.

I hate to admit this.  I mean, I really hate to admit this.  I almost feel like a sinner in the confessional booth on this one.  But… it’s time to come clean.

Fess up.

Let the world know.

After all, in the words of fellow sinner Martin Luther, “Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.”

OK.  Here goes…

(Closes eyes and draws in deep breath.)

I like McDonald’s.

There.  I said it.  It’s out in the open.

It’s not that I grew up on their food.  I can only remember eating at a McDonald’s once as a small child.  And I didn’t like the finely chopped onions on my burger.

I was a Burger Chef kid.  In the small town I grew up in, the choices for fast food fare were few and far between.  KFC.  Long John Silver’s.  Burger Chef.

And Jeff, the big man’s sidekick.

Burger Chef had the Works Bar.  You ordered your burger and fixed it up however you liked.  I’d get a cheeseburger and put tartar sauce on it.  (Yes, this is the same kid who had an issue with the teensy-tiny onions on a McDonald’s burger.)

I was very sad to see Hardee’s eat up Burger Chef in the ’80s.  But that’s another story.

When we were in China, we ate at a McDonald’s.  Their menu isn’t quite the same as McDonald’s in the U.S.  There were plenty of exclusively Chinese McDonald’s items to be had.  However, my jones for some American food far outweighed my adventurous spirit at that point in our trip.

I ordered a Big Mac (without vegetables – no sense taking chances of getting sick on raw lettuce).  We ate a lot of “western” food while we were in China.  That Big Mac only thing I ate in China that tasted just like it tastes here at home.

I’ve been looking at some international McDonald’s websites.  First I pulled up McDonald’s India, which has a lot of creatively different options (which makes perfect sense when you’re a burger restaurant in a non-beef eating society).

Then I checked out McDonald’s Japan.  The website was in Japanese (of course), so I had to use Microsoft Translator to read it in English.  As I looked at their menu I saw the “Locomocoburger”.  It is described as:

たまごと2枚のビーフパティを粉チーズトッピングのバンズでサンド。

When I translated the page, it gave me this:

“Two beef patties with egg powder cheese topping buns at sandbox.”

This description is a bit off the mark.  I looked at a photo of the Locomocoburger and saw no traces of powder.  No sandbox.  It’s two hamburger patties, a slice of cheese, a McMuffin-style egg, lettuce and some Japanese sauce on a bun.

It actually looks quite good.  If I’m ever at a McDonald’s in Japan, I’ll give it a try.

McDonald’s is great at adapting itself to local cultures.  This started me thinking about how we approach Scripture, and just how amazing the Bible truly is.

Consider these facts:

1. The 66 books that make up the Protestant Bible were written by over 40 different people.
2. The people penned their books over the span of at least 1400 years (perhaps longer).
3. These men came from many, varied backgrounds: kings, prophets, wise men, wise men who lost it all, prisoners, a tax collector, a physician, fishermen, a former Pharisee…
4. These men came from different cultures, different historical epochs.
5. The books are written in several different styles (history, prophecy, poetry, letters, eyewitness accounts, collections of wise sayings).

All of these factors and still – astoundingly – the books of the Bible work as a whole, one cohesive narrative, sound and without error of message.

This is “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV).  “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV).

The Bible isn’t just a book.  It is God’s Word to His people.   It adapts to different cultures and stands up to multiple translations (over 500 languages thus far) and paraphrases.  While differences in interpretation abound, and theological approaches reveal different facets of the message, this doesn’t create a problem with the Bible itself.  Indeed, it is like viewing a precious stone and the different characteristics we see when we turn it.

The thing is, you have to take God at His Word, and take God’s Word for what it is.  Don’t just accept someone’s evaluation of what the Bible says as gospel.  Read it!  Eating a burger with powdered egg cheese (whatever that is) served in a sandbox doesn’t sound very appealing.  But, when we you realize the description is waaaay off and you see the real thing…

God meets each of us where we are.  We may be in captivity or wandering the desert.  We may be in battle or just traveling along the road.  We may be in the midst of dark times, on the mountaintop or deep in the valley of death.  Wherever we are, wherever we go, the Lord goes with us.  And His Word is just as relevant, no matter what, no matter where.

Be comforted by that today.  Be strengthened by knowing that the Bible is living, active, vital, relevant, true, God-breathed Word of our Lord.  Trust in the Lord.  Rest in His promises.  Know that what His Word says is true, and right, and applicable to you and your life and your situation.  And God will speak to you through His Word (or however He chooses) wherever you are.

Even at the sandbox.