The Old Tree

Sing it with me…

Oh Christmas tree
Oh Christmas tree
How beautiful are your branches

Our poor tree needs therapy. We concede that it’s not the prettiest tree on the block (we’ll eventually decorate it), but it sure has a story to tell.

Nearly three years ago, Ashley and I set out for what was supposed to be a relaxing walk around our neighborhood. As we rounded the corner and headed for a nearby park, Ashley spotted something in the distance. I saw a smile flash across her face, and I quickly realized we were in for a detour. Dumped on the side of the road was quite possibly the ugliest Christmas tree I had ever seen. A crumpled sign was taped to it that read, “Please Take”.

As we got closer, I realized why nobody had taken the owners up on their free offer. This tree had serious issues. To say that it was mangled would be putting it nicely. I wanted to walk on by, but Ashley had different plans. You could see the wheels turning. She saw something that I didn’t see. In her mind she pictured the finished product, but I just saw a giant hassle.

A few minutes later I was pushing this big, ugly tree into the back of our explorer. It didn’t fit, so I tried convincing her that it wasn’t meant to be. She didn’t buy it. So, I got behind the tree, assumed a football stance, and rammed this poor tree into the back of our car. The door finally closed, and I let out a loud groan. Ashley laughed with excitement.

I don’t know what she did to that tree, but by the time the sun set it actually looked quite nice. I apologized for my lack of belief in her tree restoration skills and committed to being more open to her ideas in the future.

We made our annual trip to the basement today to fetch the once abandoned tree. It’s the same process every year. We pick up the tree and start up the stairs only to realize that it doesn’t fit. And each year you can hear me—face buried in pokey fake tree branches—belt out, “PUSH HARDER!” We force our way to the top of the stairs, and Ashley spends the next few hours fixing the damaged branches and crushed lights.

Why do we still have this old tree? Why don’t we go out and buy a prettier one? Surely it would be a good idea to buy a smaller tree, one that actually fits up the stairs. But, we can’t. We must not. Even with all its aesthetic flaws, it serves as a continual reminder of what Christmas is all about.

Christmas is a season to celebrate restoration. Our broken and mangled lives restored by the most unthinkable plan; our once severed relationship with the Almighty restored by the giving of a Son.

Is God really that good? Would he really do that? Does he really care that much? Indeed. He’s making all things new. He’s restoring today. He’s rebuilding lives. There’s nothing in your life that’s too dark or ugly for God’s redemptive hand to touch. There’s not a relationship that’s too cold for God to restore.

I’m filled with anticipation for this to be a special Christmas season. At the Jenkins house, we refuse to believe this is just another busy Holiday season that requires us to bust out the credit card and buy a bunch of presents. This is a season to slow down, reflect, and recapture a sense of awe towards God. That won’t come naturally; we’ll have to intentionally fight for it.

Why shouldn't we view Christmas from a different angle this year? Let's believe for great things. Let's expect restoration--restoration of hearts, relationships, and joy. Consider the response of the angel Gabriel as Mary questioned his virgin-birth announcement: “For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

Make it a special season.

Farmer God

I went back to Kansas this summer to help a family friend with wheat harvest. For a man who drives a four cylinder car, it was therapeutic to hear the engine roar of a sixteen cylinder tractor as I pressed down on the throttle. I still smile as I think about it. It was also a learning experience. I grew up in a farming community, but I didn't realize all of the work and detail that a successful wheat harvest requires.

I’ll admit that I came in late and participated in the best part of the entire process—harvesting the finished product. The real work started many months before with the preparation of the land and planting of the seed. Tilling the land is probably far less exciting than harvesting the wheat, but it’s a crucial part of the process. The soil must be prepared in the fall in order for there to be a great summer harvest.

It wasn’t simply a learning experience in regards to farming, but it was also a good opportunity for God to teach me about the importance of the condition of my heart. You don’t have to dig very deep in Scripture before you see a correlation between soil and the heart. Pause and read Matthew 13. God likes to use farmer language to teach about the heart.

“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:23

God is a good farmer. He is committed to preparing your heart for the great seed that he desires to plant. He wants to see a harvest appear in your life. He wants to see the desires of your heart come to pass. Do you believe me when I say that God wants to give you the desires of your heart more than you want them? Perhaps he’s waiting for you instead of you waiting for him. Maybe he’s already planted the seed but the current condition of your heart is not fostering growth.

Several months ago I was frustrated by God’s timing. I reminded him of his promises and questioned the slow pace that I felt like he was moving at. He responded by challenging and encouraging me with a concise statement, “Clear your heart. Clear your mind. What I am going to write on your heart will be so fresh that it can’t grow and develop in the current conditions.”

He had my attention. And, yet again, he was right. I was the one who was slowing down the process. The soil of my heart was not prepared for the very thing I was asking for. He was not about to pour new wine into old wineskins. I prayed the most dangerous but also the safest prayer one can pray: “God, prepare the soil of my heart.” It’s dangerous because he will rearrange some things we may cling tightly to. It’s safe because we’re probably headed down a dangerous path without his intervention.

As we are authentic with God about the condition of our heart, we take a giant leap forward in the process of seeing him do incredible things through us. In fact, we’ll see the truth of Ephesians 3:20 manifest before our very eyes, “God is able to do immeasurably more than all you can think of or imagine according to his power within you.” This is what God wants to demonstrate through you. He is searching for faithful hearts. He is searching for wineskins that can hold the overflow that is coming. He is good. He is deeply good. He is not holding out on me, and he’s certainly not holding out on you. Cooperate with him as he prepares you for the great things that are coming.

What a blessing she is...

The following two videos were taken while watching the Air Force/Army football game last weekend. They were taken within five minutes of each other.

A few minutes later...





I thought the weather in Colorado was the only thing that changed that fast...

Deep to Deep

God has gotten a bad rap. Many people believe that the only thing God is concerned with is their behavior. Subconsciously we think that God is millions of miles away holding a telescope in one hand and a paddle in the other just waiting to whack us when we mess up. You didn’t go to church today. Whack. You really looked at that again? Whack. You said what? Whack.

God does care about our actions, but I don’t believe that’s what he thinks about the most. I am convinced that what he really wants is for our hearts to be drawn to him. He wants intimacy. He wants our genuine love and affection. As this happens there is a noticeable shift in how we behave and how we treat people. Our hearts will grow cold if we simply focus on behavior modification.

I was reading the Psalms yesterday when something caught my eye. Actually, it was more like something within me was stirred.

”My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.” Psalm 42:6-7

Did you see it? It was the simple statement that, “Deep calls to deep”. It’s the invitation coming from the deep places in the heart of God to the deep places of your heart. It’s the invitation for you to know his heart and to live from the deeper places of yours. The Bible is not simply a book of rules that you are obligated to follow in order to feel good about yourself. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The Bible is an invitation into something extremely good—the heart of God.

Isaiah 55 captures the invitation beautifully.

“Come, all who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.” Isaiah 55:1-3

Those three verses are intriguing. Doesn’t something within you hunger for this? God is inviting us to experience true satisfaction. He’s encouraging us to drink from a different well. He’s calling us to explore and discover. As I sipped on coffee yesterday at a local coffee shop, the whisper of the Holy Spirit was clear, “Gabe, your deepest desire is my deepest desire.” God was stirring the waters of my heart and inviting me to explore what has been planted there. He's challenging me to trade my snorkel gear for scuba gear. I was reminded of one of my favorite verses in Scripture, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.” (Proverbs 20:5)

I sat back in my chair, smiled, and recited something I heard Ray Lewis exclaim on national television the night before, “God is amazing". I invite you to pray the simple prayer that I found myself praying moments later.

God, open my eyes to see the depth of your heart for me, and I ask you to stir the deeper waters of my heart.

Brace yourself.