Don’t you love it when you read a passage of Scripture and something jumps out at you that you had not noticed before? Sometimes it may be the Holy Spirit giving you that insight or it might be simply your own mind discerning more of the richness of Scripture, but either way it is a treasured experience. This happened to me recently when reading the story of the Prodigal son in Luke 15.
In verse 20 when the son is coming home, it says, “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” That phrase “while he was still a long way off” struck me. The son was working his way back home – he was not there yet, but the father saw him and looked on him with compassion. The father ran to him, just as our Father runs to us, and is always pursuing us with his love. Even when it may seem we are “a long way off,” still he looks on with compassion, knowing we are headed toward him.
Maybe you know someone like that – I sure do. Maybe someone you love is making their way home but still a long way off, a long way from where they should be. Maybe you yourself are that someone.
Whatever the case may be, rest assured the Father loves you, and sees you, and comes running to meet you.
Deconstruction. What a sad word. It implies an undoing of something that is complete and whole. Deconstructing is far easier than constructing.
In my work as a pediatric occupational therapist, I often see children whom I call my “deconstructors.” They are not yet able to grasp the concept of a particular activity but will seek to “undo” whatever the activity is – knocking down blocks, or pulling apart Legos, or taking puzzle pieces out of a puzzle rather than completing it.
Think about a very tall building, which took years to construct. It can be brought down in a matter of seconds by any number of things. Tearing something down is easier than building with care and purpose.
Things in our own lives can be deconstructed too without much difficulty – things which take years to build – a marriage, a friendship, a reputation, a career, and even our faith. So, what do we need to do to keep ourselves from becoming our own worst enemies, from the possibility of deconstructing those things most valuable to us?
We start with a firm foundation, based on Truth. We must know what truth is and where we can find it. Jesus says that he IS the truth in John 14:6. Many people quote John 8:32, probably without even knowing it comes from the Bible – “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus said those words, but we must understand them in the context of verse 31, which is the first part of his statement, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” He is not just talking about knowing a set of facts, but about living in the very essence of truth found in him and his word. This is our foundation and the only thing worthy of building on.
“Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Reading his word and knowing it – abiding in it – is the only way to know the truth. Without it we can get sucked into the vortex of moral relativism. Truth is not found within ourselves or our own hearts, but in the God of Scripture. Truth is not synonymous with our feelings. Our feelings can change like shifting sands, but we can build on the firm foundation of his words and precepts. Titus 1:1 states that “knowledge of the truth accords with righteousness.” If we know it, we can more easily do the right thing when challenges come, and difficult decisions have to be made.
If we deconstruct anything, let it be our doubt, and let us cling to the truth like the life raft it is.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
What does it mean to be “in Christ?” That phrase (in Christ) is used around 180 times in the New Testament, depending on the translation you use. The dictionary definition of the word “in” is “…the situation of something that is enclosed or surrounded by something else.”
If we are in Christ, then, he is surrounding us – people should see Him before they even take notice of us. Jesus says of himself that he is meek and lowly of heart. Do our lives reflect that? Do we want people to see Him and his character first, or are we more concerned with people noticing our physical characteristics, or our position, or whatever it is we think gives us value and uniqueness?
If we are surrounded by, or enclosed in something, it also gives us protection. If we are in Christ, we are protected by Him. That doesn’t mean anything bad will never happen to us, but it means we have security, whatever may come in our lives. We can trust in his provision, his protection, and his working things together for our good (Romans 8:28), for the here and now, and ultimately for eternity.
If we are “in Christ,” we are allowing him and his character to overtake our own personal desires or ideas. He becomes more, we become less, but in becoming less, we paradoxically become more ourselves.
CS Lewis put it this way, “The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become – because He made us. He invented us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be…. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.”
Perhaps most importantly, if we are “in Christ,” when God looks at us, he doesn’t see us, but the righteousness of Christ. We don’t stand before him dressed in our own righteousness but clothed in His.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that “in him” we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Surround us Lord Jesus, we want to be found in you.
Fear. It can paralyze us or send us running for cover. It seems to be in our nature to look at our circumstances, and at times be held hostage to our feelings. Our moods sometimes rise and fall with our feelings, and we can easily be overcome with anxiety and fear when faced with trying times, or the unknown.
Even the disciples experienced fear, though Jesus was physically there with them. We wonder how they could be afraid of anything, when the Son of God was in their midst. But, we are reminded that they were human, and while we look at the scriptures as third person observers, they were living the things we now read about which seem clear to us. I think of the passage in Mark 4 where Jesus and the disciples were on a boat and a great storm came upon them. The Scripture says the waves were breaking into the boat, but Jesus was comfortably asleep on the stern. They woke him up in fear, and he did calm the storm, but then admonished them for their lack of faith. He spoke peace into the circumstances and then asked, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” We tend to forget quickly all the ways God has been with us in the past, to look at our situation rather than our Savior.
But sometimes fear is more subtle. It is often easier to keep the status quo than to venture out into the choppy waters where faith is required. I find it interesting the people who witnessed the miracle and the transformation of the demon possessed man in Mark 5 were afraid AFTER he had been delivered, and not before, even though he was described as “living among the tombs,” and that “no one could bind him anymore, even with a chain. For he had often been chained, hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” This is quite a scary picture, yet it was only after the demons were cast out, and they saw the man “clothed and in his right mind,” that the people were described as fearful. Perhaps they were afraid of the power to which the transformation bore witness.
Fear of change is often one of our greatest fears, particularly when the change is to take place within ourselves. Are we afraid of the transformation that is inevitable in a fully surrendered life? How often do we settle for living on the edge of the water, so to speak, instead of diving in where the water is deep, but where still deeper faith is required? You can only wade around in the shallows, you cannot swim.
Are we satisfied with where we are, or maybe where we have been for a long time? Or is there a desire to venture forward, into the unknown? Maybe God is calling you to give something in the way of material possessions, or to open your home to someone with a need, or to mentor someone.
Fear can stop us from fulfilling God’s purposes for our lives, from stepping out and stepping up. Dear One, listen to that “still, small voice” that may be nudging you, and move forward, knowing that faith is greater than your fear.
At our church, we love to sing a song called “The Reason.”
Some of the most poignant lines are these:
Everything that I have, all my worship I bring
You’re the reason I live
You’re the reason I sing
As we sang this song recently, I thought about those lyrics, and what they might mean to the ones singing them. I thought about the fact that worship is something we can all bring – we don’t all have the same gifts, skills, and resources, but we can all bring our worship to Him.
But what does it mean to “bring all our worship?” Jesus said, “…true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship him” (John 4:23).
Worship is a heart speaking its full surrender to the Father.
Worship means giving him our devotion, our very hearts.
Worship is the adoration of One greater than ourselves, and our submission to him.
So, worship is something we can all bring, but do we? Do we offer our hearts, our minds, our lives, in this way? Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through him then let us continually off up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”
“Praise” itself demands a sacrifice. True worship requires a laying down of our will to his, our pride to his glory, our dreams to his plans for us.
I hope we can say together, “All my worship I bring.”
“Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
This verse seems to be a good theme for the new year. I’ve been thinking about people in my life who have been steadfast, immovable, always dependable in their character and faithfulness. Sadly, there are some public figures who have fallen and disappointed the Body of Christ, but for every one of those, there are literally thousands out there who are diligent, faithful, walking in love as Christ commanded, fulfilling the great commandment and commission year after year. They are loving their families well, being faithful to their spouses, and serving the Body of Christ.
The Apostle Paul says to imitate him, as he imitates Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Can you say that about yourself- can people imitate you, as you imitate Christ? What would the world look like if people started to imitate YOU? It seems like there is a hesitancy for anyone to be bold enough to say, “imitate me.” But as followers of Christ, we are not just wandering around in the dark hoping to stumble on the truth – we have the answer to peace in this life and security in the next.
This time of year lends itself to “declutterring,” and getting rid of unwanted things. It’s a good time for us to examine our lives as well and get rid of anything that is a hindrance to our relationship with God or the people in our lives. But if you are walking with God, especially if you are a leader, or have been walking with Him a long time, don’t fall into the trap of giving the impression that we are all just muddling through this thing called life together, when, in fact, we have everything we need “for life and godliness” (1 Peter 1:3).
I want to learn from someone who does have more knowledge, more insight, more wisdom, more experience. Someone who has navigated the choppy waters of this life with its struggles and its pleasures and has safely reached the other shore. We all need mentors – those we can look up to, who are living out godly Christian lives, those who will give us counsel from Scripture, and from their own life experience based on foundational truths.
While ultimately, we follow Jesus, we need those steadfast men and women we can point to and say, “Yes, that’s who I want to be when I grow up!” May we be the ones in 2024!
“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
One thing that’s handy is these little battery powered votive tea lights. Have you used them? I have a variety of decorative candle holders around the house at Christmas, which require candles to be placed in them. These battery powered tea lights are safe and convenient and give the appearance of a flickering candle.
There are a couple of things about this artificial light, however, that are not like the real thing. For one thing, it’s not that bright, and for another, it doesn’t “dance” like a real flame does. Even though it gives the appearance of movement, it’s cycling through the same “flicker.” Real flames get bright for a bit and then wane and get bright again, but this imitation light is just that – a copy.
I started thinking about how counterfeit things are like that. They have an appearance of the real thing, but in essence are very different. The things the world has to offer are so often just that – counterfeit to the real peace and contentment we can have and know. Happiness is a counterfeit for joy, pleasure a counterfeit for peace. Activity can be a counterfeit for true purpose, and recreation a counterfeit for contentment.
Like the artificial light, these things are not wrong in themselves, but pale in comparison to the things of the Spirit, which bring true life and peace. The “real” light will illuminate our purpose and move our hearts toward Himself.
Romans 8:6 “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
Suffering. The older we get, the more we have known it in our own lives, or have seen others experience it. Lately I have noticed in Scripture that joy and suffering are often mentioned together. I began to ponder why. 1st Thessalonians, chapter 1 has a lot to say about this. The Bible tells us that the Thessalonians, patterning themselves after Paul and the Lord Jesus, received the Word with BOTH affliction AND the joy of the Holy Spirit.
Suffering is a part of the Christian life, indeed of every life. In fact, the Apostle Peter says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1st Peter 1:12-13).
In Romans 8:17 & 18, we are told we are “…heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
A common argument I often hear against the existence of God is the reality of suffering in the world – people can’t fathom that a loving God would allow people to experience pain.
However, two seemingly opposing things can be true at the same time. I believe we have to be comfortable with BOTH/AND:
God is good AND we suffer.
God is merciful AND we hurt.
God is faithful AND we have trouble in this life.
God is just AND we experience injustice.
Philippians 3:10 says, “I want to know Christ, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering.” To share in his power, we must also share in his suffering.
You take up your cross.
You lose your life to find it.
You die in order to live.
You patiently endure suffering, knowing that it does not compare with the glory to come.
Joy comes from the Holy Spirit, who works now in the lives of believers. A joy that cannot be quenched and is not dependent on circumstances. Part of the joy comes in knowing that He promises a new heaven and a new earth, where we will be in perfect communion with Him once more.
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:3-5).
There is almost no condition with the body that movement will not improve. We were made to move, and being immobile has negative effects of various kinds on the body. It seems now with most surgeries, the medical staff wants you up and moving as soon as possible. With the exception of keeping a bone immobilized so healing can take place, movement is the key to function. Range of motion is necessary, once the bone is healed, to enable the joint to move to its fullest capacity.
There have been studies done of young, healthy people where they performed some type of obstacle course and were timed. Then they were made to remain in bed for a week, getting up only to go to the bathroom. The obstacle course was repeated, and after only one week, the scores on the obstacle course times went down fairly significantly. In just one week, a decline had started.
In so many areas in life, movement forward is key. Taking that next right step, doing the next right thing, no matter how small, is movement in the right direction. In occupational therapy, we spend time on activity analysis and breaking down an activity into smaller, achievable steps. I remember having to, along with my team of fellow students, design and conduct a study as part of the requirements of my graduate degree. This seemed absolutely overwhelming at the outset, but the further we got into it, the more we could see it was possible. One of my professors said, “Remember, you eat an elephant one bite at a time!” That was the first time I had ever heard that phrase, but have used it often since!
One of the wisest voices I love to learn from is Elisabeth Elliot. For those unfamiliar with her, or the story, Elisabeth and her husband Jim, were missionaries to Ecuador in the 1950s, where they were involved in an effort to reach a violent tribe with the gospel. Jim, along with 4 other missionaries, was killed by those in the tribe. Unbelievably, Elisabeth remained in Ecuador, eventually working with the very people who had killed her husband. She often used the phrase, “Do the next thing.”
The following is from a transcript of a radio show with Elisabeth explaining where that phrase came from:
“When I went back to my jungle station after the death of my first husband, Jim Elliot, I was faced with many confusions and uncertainties. I had a good many new roles, besides that of being a single parent and a widow. I was alone on a jungle station that Jim and I had manned together. I had to learn to do all kinds of things, which I was not trained or prepared in any way to do. It was a great help to me simply to do the next thing.
Have you had the experience of feeling as if you’ve got far too many burdens to bear, far too many people to take care of, far too many things on your list to do? You just can’t possibly do it, and you get in a panic and you just want to sit down and collapse in a pile and feel sorry for yourself.
Well, I’ve felt that way a good many times in my life, and I go back over and over again to an old Saxon legend, which I’m told is carved in an old English parsonage somewhere by the sea. I don’t know where this is. But this is a poem which was written about that legend.
The legend is “Do the next thing.” And it’s spelled in what I suppose is Saxon spelling. “D-O-E” for “do,” “the,” and then next, “N-E-X-T.” “Thing”-“T-H-Y-N-G-E.”
The poem says, “Do it immediately, do it with prayer, do it reliantly, casting all care. Do it with reverence, tracing His hand who placed it before thee with earnest command. Stayed on omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing, leave all resultings, do the next thing.” That is a wonderfully saving truth. Just do the next thing.
So I went back to my station, took my ten-month-old baby, tried to take each duty quietly as the will of God for the moment.”
Maybe you find yourself in your own set of circumstances where doing nothing seems preferable to the challenge ahead of you. Perhaps you are mired in depression and find it hard to even do simple daily tasks. Pick one thing that you will accomplish – for example, unload the dishwasher, take a shower, wash one load of clothes. Take one step, even if it’s a small one. Maybe you want to change directions in your career. Take one step – explore other options, talk to some people who have followed a similar path, or look at furthering your education. Maybe you want to do more for others but don’t know where to start– do one kind thing for someone today, even something as simple as paying someone a sincere compliment. Maybe there is a dream in you yet unrealized. Take that first step toward making the dream a reality.
God wants us to move forward. He is a creator, who works in the lives of his created ones, and promises that He makes all things new. He gives beauty for ashes and trades a garment of praise for that heavy load you are carrying.
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:18-19
Move forward. Do the next thing. You’re headed in the right direction.
“Russell, you need to go to the box,” the teacher said to a six-year-old little boy with an undiagnosed learning disability. “The Box” was a large container a refrigerator had come in, complete with a door cut in it, and a desk, reserved for those who needed a “time out” for various reasons, those who were creating a distraction in the classroom. Russell was a regular occupant of “The Box,” already learning to use distraction and disruption to avoid the thing he knew he could not do – read. It first became clear that Russell Harbin was having difficulty after kindergarten, so in the first grade he was pulled out of the regular classroom for resource help, which turned out to be no help at all. Dyslexia kept the wonder of words from ever coming alive for Russell during those years.
He was promoted on through the primary grades and into middle school and high school, never being able to read, a fact he kept hidden from almost everyone through the same strategy of creating mayhem, and being “class clown,” but with an anger simmering underneath. This anger led to an offense that caused him to be expelled from school in the 9th grade, his 3rd year in the 9th grade. “You’re a hopeless case; you’ll never amount to anything,” were phrases Russell heard all too often through the years.
But around the same time as the expulsion, Russell had an encounter that would change the trajectory of his life forever. It was November 23, 1985, and a prominent pastor in the area, Dr. James Merritt, came and shared the truth of the gospel with a 16-year-old Russell, who knew he wanted what the pastor talked about. After experiencing the transformational power of Christ personally, Russell immediately began to share with friends what he had experienced. He went back and apologized to all the teachers and others he had offended over the years, sharing the new life he had in Christ.
When he was 17, Russell went to his first summer camp, where Rick Stanley, stepbrother of Elvis Presley and then evangelist, was one of the speakers. It was during this week that Russell felt a call on his life to preach the gospel that had radically transformed him and was soon asked to go on the road with Rick Stanley. It was Rick who would finally teach Russell to read, working with him one-on-one for hours, generously pouring into his young mentee. As they traveled over the years, the Holy Spirit became Russell’s teacher, and seeing lives changed through Rick’s messages only fanned the flame stirring in his heart.
Russell would soon cross paths with Starla Crosby, a beautiful young singer and pastor’s daughter, already traveling herself and making waves in the gospel music world. The two were drawn to each other and their mutual love for God, and married in 1993. They served for a time in the local church but felt a call to evangelism, which led to living life out of a suitcase, even after a child, Crosby, had made them a family of 3. Crosby was 4 years old when the family joined Russell’s parents at Panama City Beach, Florida, a family tradition for as long as Russell could remember. They were to be there for a few days before heading to Tifton, Georgia, where Russell and Starla were to lead in Revival services the following week. It was August 15, 1998, a beautiful, picturesque day which began like any other. Nothing about the calm, “blue-flag” day would indicate what was about to happen.
Russell admittedly was never a fan of the water, but at Starla’s insistence, came down to the beach that morning to play with Crosby. Starla was then pregnant with their second child, who they already knew was a girl. The plan was to enjoy the beach for a couple of hours, and then travel the two and a half hours to Tifton, Georgia. Crosby was happily playing in the sand and Russell and his father had gone about 25 yards from the shore, on a sand bank. Knowing they needed to get on the road, Russell told his dad it was time to go inside and get ready. Russell determined the quickest way to get to shore was to ride a wave in, rather than trudge through the water.
So, when the next big wave came up, he jumped on it. He does not remember the actual impact, but instead of carrying him toward the shore, the wave pounded him into the sand. In that moment, his first cervical vertebra was shattered, a break that is almost always fatal. But somehow, miraculously, Russell was not immediately paralyzed. The break did not transect his spinal cord, as typically happens with these types of injuries.
Russell remembers the intense searing pain, the worst pain he has ever felt. He immediately grabbed his head, because he had the sensation it was going to come off his body. He was able to walk to the shore, and then lie down, all the while stabilizing his head with his own hands. Russell had a background in training horses and was well acquainted with spinal cord injuries. He knew he had broken his neck and kept waiting for the sensation of losing feeling in his extremities. As he was lying there, the one thing Russell asked God for, was to be able to hold his baby girl, yet to be born. He did not know if they would have to lay her in his arms, or what it was going to look like, but that was his one prayer. A flurry of activity immediately ensued once the gravity of the situation became clear. On the beach, paramedics further stabilized Russell’s head with cervical blocks, and even duct taped his head to the stretcher, ever aware of the danger of moving his neck even a fraction of an inch. On the way to Gulf Coast Medical Center, one of the paramedics speculated that the injury was likely “just a sprain,” because normally they “pull people out of the water dead” with a break. He assured Russell he would be home by nightfall. At Gulf Coast Medical, it was determined that there was no technician to operate the MRI machine, so Russell had to be loaded back into an ambulance for transport to Bay Medical, again running the risk of a bump, a jar, or any movement that might change Russell’s life forever. When Russell was finally able to get imaging done, the doctor delivered the news: “Mr. Harbin, you have broken your neck in 5 places. You have shattered C1, and you will not be going anywhere.” Russell was immediately moved to ICU, doctors fearing that the swelling which was sure to come would necessitate him being intubated. There’s an old phrase, “C3, 4 and 5 keep the diaphragm alive.” Any injury above this point typically results in a person being on a ventilator for life, if they survive. Certainly C1, known as the Atlas, holds “the world” in place.
The doctor at Bay Medical knew immediately that this injury was beyond his level of expertise as a surgeon. Typically, doctors do not repair these injuries when someone is not already paralyzed, so it is a very small “club” with this type of experience. In fact, the doctor said he knew of 2 surgeons who could perform such a surgery with a good chance of success, one of them being Dr. Regis Haid, who just so happened to be at Emory Hospital, close to the Harbin’s home in Georgia. Once Russell was deemed stable enough to travel, plans were made to go to Emory. Amazingly, insurance would not cover a flight to get to Emory, so Russell, stabilized as well as he could be under the circumstances, was taken on a commercial flight, where he recalls people throwing suitcases overhead, and bumping into his seat. Again, the danger of the slightest movement, with the possibility of shifting bone, and transection of the spinal cord, was a constant worry. Once on the ground in Atlanta, a family member picked Russell and Starla up and took them to Emory, since insurance would not pay for an ambulance for transport.
Russell was met immediately at the door by a team of doctors who were ready to receive him. World renowned spine surgeon, Dr. Haid, greeted Russell with a question, “Mr. Harbin, I’ve seen the X-Rays; I’ve seen the MRI. How did you get out of the water?” “I walked out,” said Russell. Dr. Haid was in disbelief, apparently never having seen anything like this particular situation. After a successful operation to repair the crushed vertebra, he told Russell, “You are the first person I have operated on with an injury like this who was not paralyzed.” Later, in a television special an Atlanta station had done about Russell’s experience, Dr. Haid would marvel at the fact that in all the movement from the moment of impact to getting Russell to Emory, a shift had not occurred that would have led to a much different outcome. “There must have been a mighty force with him,” the doctor said.
The road to recovery was not easy, but each day, Russell made strides back toward “normal,” having never experienced the paralysis that seemed so inevitable. When the time came for Starla to deliver their daughter, Russell was there by her side. In the moment the Doctor was handing her to Starla, she said, “Hand her to him first,” sharing that moment that is usually reserved for mothers and their babies, as part of the answer to a prayer prayed on a beach months before. Russell describes holding her, not believing that it was true, that he was on his feet, and could feel the weight of her in his arms.
They named their daughter Karis, which in the Greek means grace, because grace is what they experienced in extra measure throughout the whole situation. God can use people mightily in wheelchairs and out of wheelchairs, but it is clear that he wanted to use Russell’s story as a part of a testimony of a life lived with “no plan B, no other option but to trust Him,” as Russell says. He says he has never “gotten over the feeling of gratefulness,” although he sometimes has survivors’ guilt when he sees others who have had similar injuries and are paralyzed.
Whenever he has a chance to share his story, Russell reminds audiences that, “God doesn’t need our hands or our feet – only our hearts.”
In 2019, Russ and Starla Harbin founded Northstar Family Church, located in Flowery Branch, GA.
Life By The Way 