John and Kathy Deisher

One Call, One Harvest, 50 Teams

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No News is Not Good News

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The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.”

― Carl F. H. Henry

You have probably never heard of Private John J. Williams.

He is reported to have been the last soldier killed in the Civil War. He died at the Battle of Palmito Ranch, which occurred on May 12-13, 1865.

But, he didn’t have to die. We may never have heard of him because the battle never should have been fought. 

Any student of the Civil War knows that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. The Civil War was over, which was good news.

But for Private Williams, the good news did not get there in time, which was not good new.

See the point?

If we have good news that could save someone but we don’t deliver it, it is no longer good news to them.

We have Good News.

And someone is dying today.

Will it be Good News for them?

God’s “Best”

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“The secret to following God’s will, I discovered, usually is wrapped up in rejecting the good for God’s  best.” 

― K.P. Yohannan, “Revolution in World Missions”
“The secret to following God's will, I discovered, usually is wrapped up in rejecting the good for God's best.”

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

I have heard it said that “Good is the enemy of Best”. 

And I suppose that is true. 

There are times that “Good” is good enough. It gets the job done well enough to bring a sense of self-satisfaction. We can put that task behind us and move on.

But most times, “Good” doesn’t leave everyone else satisfied. There is a feeling that little effort was extended…that there was no thought for others.

And the question comes, “Is that your best?”.

Accepting “good enough” for a Christian means we feel satisfied with our lives. We have done the “Christian” thing and can now move on with what we want to do.

But it doesn’t leave God satisfied. Because he knows that there is a “best”.

When we follow him, he has a plan for us. And following that plan means that we make the hard choices to find his best so we can be our best.

“Good” is easy. “Good” is effortless. “Good” is convenient.

“Best” is hard. “Best” takes work. “Best” is inconvenient.

To find God’s best and follow him costs us everything.

But, it is the best.

What Do I See?

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“With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack?” 

― A.W. Tozer, “The Knowledge of the Holy”
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

I have the ability to sometimes see what I don’t see. What I don’t see are things that I feel I need.

I don’t live in a house. I live in an RV. But one of my favorite things is hospitality, and an RV is not a great place to host people. I need a house, but I am lacking one.

It is easy to see what I don’t have. It is harder to truly see what I do have. So, I change my perspective.

What do I have?

I have a God who is good and watches over me. He blesses me with family and friends who walk through life with me.

I have a God who has given me a purpose. He has placed in my heart eternal plans and placed people in my life to partner with me.

I have a God who has given me the ability to carry out his plans. He has given me gifts to help me in doing the work to which he has called me.

So what do I have?

Everything.

What do I lack?

Nothing.

It’s all about perspective.

Deeper Things

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“We should remember that God always meets us where we are and slowly moves us along into deeper things.”

— Richard Foster, “Celebration of Discipline”
Deeper Things
(Photo by Cristian Palmer on Unsplash)

Someone recently found an old picture of me from college in 1978. I was 5’11”, 145 pounds, and had a large, curly “afro” (as they were called). I looked like a giant q-tip.

I don’t look like that anymore.

In 1978, I thought I knew how God worked, what he wanted from me,  and how my life would work out. I thought I knew the “deeper things”.

I don’t think like that anymore.

God was real to me in 1978. But in the last 41 years, I have changed. I have had experiences I never could have dreamed about then.

I have had life experiences.

I have had God-experiences.

And I have come to realize that God is continually meeting with me in the present to draw me into his future.

That means more “deeper things”.

God loves me where I am right now. But, he is not content to let me stay here.

He has “deeper things”.

Interrupted by God

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We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

I have a morning routine. A lot of people do. It is said it prepares you for a successful day.

I read my devotional for the day and then the chapters for my Read-Thru-the-Bible plan. I read selected sources and post to social media. Then I pray for the day.

It takes 30 minutes.

Unless I am interrupted by God. It happens.

Sometimes I am prompted to pray for a need. At times I just listen. Then there are those times I am just to be still.

Interruptions can be viewed as annoying. It takes my carefully scripted 30 minutes and upends it. Even God-interruptions can be troublesome if I let them.

Or, I can be prepared to be interrupted by God. Then when it happens I am ready. I create space for those moments.

Create some space in your day to be interrupted by God.

Learn to Dance

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“Learn to dance, so when you get to heaven the angels know what to do with you.”

― St. Augustine
(Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash)

Kathy and I were going through a difficult time. It was one of those dark seasons of life you never want someone to experience.

One night, for whatever reason, we decided that enough was enough. We opened all the doors and windows and put on some up-tempo praise music.

Then, we started to dance.

And dance.

And dance.

We grabbed brooms and “swept out the devil”.

Our children came out of their rooms to watch us.

We laughed. A lot.

And we danced.

It was on that night that we came up with one of our life phrases: “Dance in the midst of your troubles. It confuses the devil.”

But not the angels. They know what to do with someone who dances with joy in the midst of their troubles as well as in those times of great celebration. The angels welcome dancers as those who have learned to find their joy in God.

So dance.

The Way of Discipleship

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“Discipleship is the process through which we strip away all that impedes the love and mercy and grace of Christ through us to the world.”

Leonard Sweet, “Viral: How Social Networking Is Poised to Ignite Revival”
Discipleship is done together.

Discipleship is not for the faint of heart. It requires us actively joining together with a small group of people and saying, “Hi, my name is John. I’m a sinner saved by grace, and I want that grace to flow through me to others. Help me.”

It is not about studying the Bible, though you do study the Bible.

It is not about times of fellowship, though you do have those times.

It is not about times of prayer, though you do pray.

Discipleship is about open, honest revelations of who we are. It is also about open, honest revelations of how people see us. It is not so that we lead a better, happier life. It is an intentional removing of everything that is not Christ.

Christ’s grace, mercy, and love can then flow through us to a world that is lost.

You can have a coffee club. You can have a prayer group. You can have a Bible study.

Or, you can have discipleship.

(Photo by Tobias Mrzyk on Unsplash)

Choosing Joy

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“God save us from gloomy saints!” 

― St. Theresa of Avila
No more gloomy saints.
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash)

Joy is one of the results of a life devoted to Christ. It is on the list that we call the “Fruit of the Spirit” because when we are in Christ, the fruit is what we produce.

Produce.

As in, work to make happen.

Because not every situation brings joy in itself. We often confuse joy and happiness. If something makes us feel good, if it makes us laugh, we feel we have joy.

But joy is the feeling we get when we realize the prospect of possessing what we desire—a relationship with God and sharing that relationship with others. That is why the Fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—is produced in us as we face life moment by moment. We see each event knowing we already possess our greatest desire. We know we are loved.

And who can be gloomy when they are in love?