John and Kathy Deisher

One Call, One Harvest, 50 Teams

life

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”.

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.

Living Gladly

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“The greatest honor we can give Almighty God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of his love.” 

— Julian of Norwich

I love mornings. There is a freshness, a newness about them. I watch the sun rise and am always filled with a sense of delight that no two are the same.

I don’t love problems. There is a staleness, a sameness about them. I watch problems come and am always filled with a sense of dread whether no two are the same or whether they all seem the same.

But everyday I am provided both—sunrises and problems.

So, I chose to “live gladly” for the opportunities both bring.

I know God loves me, and in facing my sunrises and problems I have the opportunity to experience that love. It is my choice in how I live.

So I will live gladly.

Sunrises or problems.

Gladly.

Resurrection Hope

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In his Commentary on Romans, Karl Barth quotes Friedrich Nietzsche:

“Only where graves are is there resurrection.”

There has to be a death before there is a resurrection. That may not be something we want to think about—letting something die. It could be our plan, our dream, our relationship. It’s not working but we want to keep it on life-support, avoiding the grief of its death. But, what if we embraced that grief and waited to see if God desires to resurrect the dead to a redeemed life.

Lamentations is about death and grief. It is the death of a nation and the grief of its people. But right in the middle of the laments, Jeremiah writes:

But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:21-24 ESV)

It is alright to grieve for a season. There is a need for lamenting. But in the middle of the grief, there is a morning coming where the ceaseless love of God is faithfully unfolded through his unending mercy.

So I can stand at the grave with resurrection hope.