Cash for Clunkers

There’s a new government program out right now to assist people in purchasing a new, more efficient car that gets better gas mileage. The plan is to stimulate the economy and remove the old gas-guzzlers once and for all from the highways. The program has become popularly known by it’s nickname—“cash for clunkers.”

The response has been so overwhelming, that the one billion dollar program, which was supposed to run for five months, ran out of money in the first five days. People are flocking to the dealerships, anxious to trade in the old for the new. They’re looking at their old cars and saying, “Yeah, wow, that car isn’t what it should be. It doesn’t get good gas mileage. I can do better.”

And it struck me that as a society we seem to be taking a much closer look at our cars and their faults and taking a lot more interest in financing deals than we do with our eternal souls. What’s that all about?

What if we looked inward and said, “Yeah, wow, I’m not what I should be. I’m not living the way God wants me to. I can do better.” What if we rushed to the foot of the cross half as quickly as we’re rushing to the car dealerships, wouldn’t that be a good thing?

God did His own program 2,000 years ago—and it’s still going on. It’s called “Salvation for Sinners.”

Human-run programs have specific qualifications that are meant limit eligibility. And there’s the issue of funding them. And there’s a very limited window of opportunity. And once the money runs out—oh, well. It’s over and if you didn’t get in on it, too bad.

But God’s program is offered to everyone, and funding isn’t an issue. Jesus already paid the price for it, for all of us, and it’s still being offered for those who haven’t yet taken advantage of it. And when you do, it lasts for all eternity.

You do have to have a trade-in—you have to confess and turn over your old “clunker” sins and admit that you can’t do it by yourself and ask Jesus into your heart. But you don’t have to run around to different places hoping to find the right deal. You don’t have to “settle” for something that’s not exactly perfect because all the “good ones” were already taken. Your salvation will come to you. God meets us where we are. All we have to do is confess, pray, and be willing to receive it. And it won’t be what’s left over—it will be fresh and new and best of all, it will be customized to be exactly what you need—it will be perfect.

So while some people are fussing and fuming because they missed out on the “cash for clunkers,” I invite you to take advantage of God’s program and make sure that you’ve claimed your salvation. Do it today. It’s here, waiting for you right now.

May I

“Life is about more than what we’ve been given; it’s about what we do with what we’ve been given.”


May my lips carry praise rather than complaint, may they speak kindness rather than cruelty, and truth rather than lies.

May my eyes look for and see God’s perfect creations rather than looking for imperfections to criticize.

May I focus on God’s glory instead of Satan’s hatred.

May my eyes be drawn to love’s success instead of fear’s failure.

May my ears hear God’s wisdom rather than the world’s foolishness.

May my voice lift up in songs of praise rather than shouts of anger and hatred.

May my hands reach out to offer peace rather than be raised to strike out in fury.

May my fingers be out-stretched to receive with thanksgiving rather than being pointed in accusation.

May I pray rather than judge, for judgment is not mine.

May I wait quietly rather than cause discontent with my own agitation.

May I be a faithful servant rather than a timid by-stander.

May I respond quickly to God’s call rather than enter into lengthy negotiations.

May I accept God’s challenges as gifts to be cherished rather than traps to fear.

May I listen and accept God’s direction rather than trying to give direction to God.

May I respond with patience rather than impatience, remembering that God has been infinitely patient with me.

And finally,

May I be what God has in mind, rather than waiting for God to be what I have in mind.

A Simple Act of Love

It was a simple act of love –
So outrageously simple it defies comprehension.
It was a simple act of grace –
So extravagant in its touch on my life.

So outrageously simple it defies comprehension –
I struggle to recognize the depth.
So extravagant in its touch on my life –
I wonder at the price.

I struggle to recognize the depth –
My mind veers away from the truth.
I wonder at the price –
I cannot imagine such pain.

My mind veers away from the truth –
It is simply too brutal to bear.
I cannot imagine such pain –
I cry out in agonized horror.

It is simply too brutal to bear –
I stagger under the burden of guilt.
I cry out in agonized horror –
I weep for my conspiracy.

I stagger under the burden of guilt –
The weight of my sin is a cross.
I weep for my conspiracy –
My guilt shames and condemns me.

The weight of my sin is a cross –
A heavy, ugly burden I must carry.
My guilt shames and condemns me –
Unbearable sorrow pierces my soul.

A heavy, ugly burden I must carry –
I cannot escape the judgment.
Unbearable sorrow pierces my soul –
My heart cries out, wailing in anguish.

I cannot escape the judgment –
I cower before the Lord, cringing in shame.
My heart cries out, wailing in anguish –
“Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned!”

I cower before the Lord, cringing in shame –
How dare I hope for mercy?
“Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned!” –
I cry out, begging for salvation.

And God sent His Son –
It was a simple act of grace.
Jesus died that I might live –
It was a simple act of love.

Mary, Did You Know?

Epiphany isn’t a word you hear used a lot, except maybe in church, and even then, usually only once a year. Epiphany is observed on January 6th, to commemorate the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles (who were represented by the Magi, the Wisemen who came to pay homage to the infant, Jesus).

But there’s another meaning to the word. We can say we had an epiphany when we suddenly realize something important. Used like this, it’s a sudden, intuitive perception of—or insight into—the reality or essential meaning of something. It’s usually initiated by some simple or commonplace occurrence or experience.

There’s a wonderful song—"Mary, Did You Know?"—that’s usually reserved for singing in the weeks leading up to Christmas, along with all the other traditional Christmas carols. But I personally think that it’s one of those songs that actually belongs to Epiphany, or maybe even later than that.

Now, obviously, Mary understood that this was a special baby—after all, Mary was a virgin and Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. So right away she had to know that things might be a little different with this child. And Mary rejoiced that she had been chosen to serve God, and she knew that this was an unbelievable honor. But did she really understand the full importance of what was happening? I don’t know—but I suspect not. How could she? This was unlike anything else that had ever happened to anyone. There was no precedent for this. When the God of the universe is the father of your child—it’s incomprehensible for a mere mortal. And Mary was mortal. She was a human being who was subjected to the frailty and failure we all share. But God chose her because she was the right one to do what He needed.

God chooses each of us. In our frailty and failure, God is able to work wonders through us. If we were perfect and had no need of redemption, what would be the point? God’s amazing power and grace is shown by the very fact that He makes us strong in our weakness. He gives us courage in our fear. He shows us mercy in our desperation. He gives us love even when we are unlovable.

And to do all that, He chose to come among us in a form that we could understand and accept. Jesus Christ was born specifically to bring salvation to a world that couldn’t get it right. He was born to become the one sacrifice that would save everyone who was willing to turn to God and put their faith in Him. He was born to die—once—for all people, for all time. He was born for me and he was born for you—for your salvation.

So there sat Mary, with this wonderful baby in her arms, no doubt convinced (as all mothers are) that he was the most beautiful child in the world. She knew that he was special. I wonder what she dreamed he would grow up to do? And when the Wisemen came to bring gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh, did she begin to get a small hint of the enormity of who this little child actually was and what he was to do? We’ll never know for sure.

But here’s the important thing about this particular story: this epiphany isn’t tied to a specific date on the calendar. It happens when you open your heart to Jesus and turn your life over to him. So I invite you to think about who Jesus is, to think about what he can do in your life if you only let him. If you’ve never invited him in—do it now. If you’ve done it before—invite him again.

Do this so that when someone turns to you and says, “Do you know?”—you can say, “yes” and rejoice in the understanding of the most essential truth of all time. Jesus is your Lord and Savior.

Redemption -- (Just Read the Directions)

I want to share an experience that I had this week. I purchased some ribbon bookmarks for my Bible—the kind that have multiple ribbons coming from a central starting point.

I opened the package and skipped the directions—I mean, who needs directions for a bookmark? Oh, please. I’d already taken way too much time in selecting just the right bookmarks that had the colors I wanted, and I was anxious to put them to work. The ribbons were plenty long, but on the end where they were attached, they disappeared into a flat piece of cardboard that was about half an inch wide and maybe two inches long. This wasn’t what I was looking for. I didn’t want a bookmark that had ribbons attached to the bottom of it, nor did I want something that was going to flap around from the top. It made absolutely no sense. I was so annoyed; I resigned myself to the fact that I’d probably have to just take them back the next day.

After some careful consideration, and a good night’s sleep, I came up with a really clever solution. I dug through a jar of buttons that I have, found one that had a shank on it and looked okay, and cut the cardboard off. I threaded the ribbons through the button, tied them off, and voilà, I had solved the problem.

Except...the button looked kind of dumb and the ends I’d tied were sticking up so that my Bible looked like it was having a bad hair day.

Totally frustrated and completely dissatisfied with my own solution and the results it produced, I decided to read the directions that I’d tossed aside so casually and, admittedly, with a certain amount of disdain. And there it was...the answer. The cardboard was meant to slip down between the spine and the cover of the book with the ribbons coming up and over so that they were anchored and ready to use. I wondered if I could pry the cardboard holder open and reattach them. I could, and I did. And then, when I was taping everything back together, I noticed what was printed on one side of the cardboard: “Redemption – Isaiah 1:18.”

“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’”

God’s promise to redeem us and clean up our mistakes. Now I will admit to you that I’d seen it earlier, but, quite frankly, I’d shrugged it off and chalked it up to another one of those “Christian branding things” where they print scripture on everything. (A sad reaction, but true.) I’d thought it was nice, but I didn’t see the point. And then it hit me. As I slipped the tag marked “Redemption” into the spine of the Bible, I began to wonder:

- How often have I skipped God’s directions?
- How often have I focused on appearance and completely missed the point?
- How often have I tried to do it myself, only to end up making a mess that doesn’t really work?
- How often have I been given the very words that I need from God and ignored them?

God, once again, demonstrated his patience—and his sense of humor—while teaching me a lesson.

We’re all like the label—we need to anchor ourselves in the Bible. We need to let it be our spine, the core of who and what we are. We need to read it and we need to use it—it’s our set of directions. And when we do, we’ll find that “Redemption” is there, inside, for each of us.