We Will Rise.

 Several years ago, I received a note from a good friend..." my dad's cancer is progressing. His time here is probably down to days..." When I read those words, I was transported back to the last time I was with his dad. I was saddened by this news, concerned for the grief this final act of life would introduce to my friend and his family...and not.

My friend's father did lose his life, but not once was he in danger of losing his hope: the certain promise that he, as a believer in Jesus Christ, would finally be transported into the presence of His Lord and Savior, there to enjoy life as HE designed it to be.

2020.

It's been the most difficult year I can recall in my time on the planet; torn by COVID, the contentious spirit of the age, mayhem in our cities, an economy ravaged by it all.  People paralyzed by fear, turning on each other in the ongoing pandemic debate, ruined by a microbe.

Life is hard, then we die.

Death is, of course, a very present reality for all of us--the daily COVID statistics trumpeted each evening through a thousand different news portals slaps us in the face with our inevitable end.  In 2020 COVID has made us all acutely aware of our mortality.  

Now what?

We will all lose our lives, but we need not lose our hope.

Praise God for the hope we have in Christ and the healing death brings for those who have embraced Christ through effective saving faith. 

For these, death need not be feared; it is a gracious provision that carries us back into a "face to face" real-time relationship with God. Without death, we would be eternal beings, like Lucifer and the legion of angels, which were cast out of heaven because of their rebellion...eternally separated from God, without hope of redemption.

Death became the modality that God uses to foil Satan's attempt to co-opt God's crowning creative act, humankind. So then, death is the definitive "check-mate" and demonstrates God's mastery; always steps ahead of evil and the chaos of sin. Genesis 3 describes the event that initiated Adam and Eve's rebellion to sin and its necessary result, death; it's also here that we learn that death is part of God's bigger plan for hope and the redemption of humankind.

The rest is history, 1 John 4.9,10...

"God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 

We know that love is a four-letter word, spelled H-O-P-E; more importantly, we know that death simply marks the first day of the rest of our lives, 2 Corinthians 4.16-18...

"Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen...."

Each Sunday, it's our privilege to gather with others in our community of faith and there, to go Vertical in our worship of God Almighty, the Creator, Sustainer of the universe; the Lover of humankind. 

His glory fills that place we gather in, and He inhabits the praise of His people. In those moments, I am frequently reminded of friends and family who have preceded me in death...and are in His literal presence even as we are gathered in that crowded room; no more heart-failure, COPD, cancer, diabetes, stroke, dementia, arthritis, infirmity, organ failure--no disease, no broken hearts, no flaw, no pain, no suffering, no regret...

Joy unspeakable.

Blessed h0pe.

We will rise, thanks be to God. Stand-firm; no plan, no purpose will be left undone.

It's a GRACE day.


Liveitwell!

What a difference a day makes.

1968: Hair!

"The years go by like stones under rushing water." 

Each year, I pause and reflect; it's easy to forget what life was like 52 years ago, what life could have been like, had God not intervened that evening in 1968. 

It was the last Saturday night of the year; I had a plan, and it certainly did not include an up-close conversation with God. 

He had a different plan and, as it turns out, it changed my life...forever.

But the path to that evening in 1968 started ten years before, when my Grandmother, who lived with us at the time, would gather me up and carry me off to Church and Sunday School, what amazing grace!  I still have my first Bible, the one mom gave me to take to church with Grandma. I didn't know, until I was a young adult, that my grandmother faithfully prayed for me each day--that "BJ would experience the power of Jesus in his life and embrace Him as his Lord and Savior." She eventually moved back to her roots in Fort Scott Kansas. But I continued to get myself to church until 8th grade.

I don't recall why I decided to "drop out" but I'm sure it just didn't feel very cool to attend church and Sunday School any longer--and since I went by myself, it was my decision to make. Fast forward to the fall of my Junior year in High School. One evening I landed at a Campus Life meeting (thank you Pauline Adams!) at the home of a classmate; it was the kickoff "Burger Bash" for the school year and as advertised it was all you could eat and attracted a huge crowd of students. 

I got more that evening than a big meal. The Campus Life leader, Mark Zier, gave a short talk to close the event and he asked the crowd..."If you died tonight, do you know where you're going?" I didn't. It bothered me for a few minutes, then I moved on.

On the evening of December 28, 1968 I was set to attend an "After Christmas" party with some buddies (Jerry McClain was driving). Our "wires got crossed" (coincidence?) and they never showed up; stuck, I recalled something was happening at the Rec-center with Campus Life that night--they called it a Campus Life Rally. There was a girl I had some interest in and I knew she would probably be there (I was right); I managed to catch Mark (Zier) before he'd left his house. He was delighted when I called, and he swung by and picked me up. An evening of activities, music and then a guy, Roger Cross, got up and challenged me again about my life and death. This time I was ready and wanted to get this question resolved; Mark talked with me and then invited me to pray a short, simple prayer to embrace Jesus as Messiah, and the rest...is history. 

Our 2nd date 1969

Three weeks later I went to the Ventura Campus Life Rally. Mark asked me to share about my recent conversion experience with that half of the county I grew up in. Mark mentioned a girl he thought I'd really like, a cute Sophomore at Buena High School named Laura, he wanted to introduce us. He was right. 

In that span of three weeks I'd had two introductions that literally changed the direction and the outcome of my life: I'd trusted Jesus Messiah and met my future wife--we married 3 years, 48 weeks, and 6 days later.

My home was a rather complicated place (aren't most?). Lot's of love, AND pain. I was carrying some emotional baggage by that time and was making some bad choices. Jesus changed all that in an instant. The baggage was there--in fact it didn't get fully "unpacked" for years. But His presence in my life set me in a "best direction" that just never wavered. Laura's family embraced me as a "son" as our relationship grew; they, especially her dad (my dad died suddenly in 1970, just months after my 17th birthday), filled a great need in my life.

In the '80s there was a popular gospel song written by Bill Gaither that describes my story, I get choked up every time I sing it; the chorus declares..."Something beautiful, something good; All my confusion He understood, all I had to offer him was brokenness and strife, but He made something, beautiful, out of my life."

December, 28, 1968. What a difference a day makes.  

Thanks be to God for our Blessed Hope!

Life is fast.

Liveitwell!

Trying Times

"These are the times that try men's souls," wrote Thomas Paine in his pamphlet "The American Crisis," published December 23, 1776.

The Colonies faced the almost certain prospect of defeat in their war for independence. Paine implored Americans "don't give up the fight."

As the curtain begins to drop on 2020, we are embroiled in an angry election for the 46 President between two flawed candidates. Our economy continues to recover from COVID. The world is a more dangerous place than ever as we struggle to gain the upper hand on the COVID pandemic, restore order in our towns and cities after months of protest, riots, and mayhem; the prospect of a nuclear Iran--still, China puffed up with hubris, two very divergent visions for the future of our Nation, and poor leadership on both sides of the aisle from those we've elected to make good decisions.  

Never-the-less the fact is that virtually every generation of Americans was forced to face down crisis...and they survived, thrived, and grew strong on the idea of the American Dream.

We must remember to "keep the main thing," the main thing. 

The "idea of America" has been the fuel driving our resolve to be "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," an idea those who traveled this way before us thought to be worth sacrificing, fighting, and dying for.  Indifference to this "big idea" is the real, the urgent threat to our liberty.

Resolve to do your part regardless of what happens in tomorrow's election; work hard, make informed decisions, contribute to making your community a better, more resilient place; be a person of strong character, celebrate interdependence, and respect people who disagree with you--but press them to think outside their "box" and you, think outside yours. Don't give in to tyranny, fear, or indifference--be strong and of good courage; trust God.

Let's leave a legacy that will inspire a new generation.

Liveitwell!

Life...is Hard.

Life is hard.  

Age diminishes us.  

Disease ravages us.  

Then, we die.  

Or...

Life is hard and softens our hearts.

Age diminishes us and equips us with wisdom. 

Disease ravages us and empowers us to embrace hope.  

Then we die and pass into eternity.

What happens to us, all of us, in the course of a lifetime is simply a variation on the same theme.  What sets apart those not beaten?  

It's what that "lifetime process" produces in us. 

Pandemic's serve to remind us, we are fragile and our bodies will eventually fail, some sooner than others, but for all of us life ends in one final breath.  

The ability to see our sojourn as a prelude to "something more" is the key to empowering us to embrace all we experience in "time" with wonder; while anticipating what we glimpse of eternity with hope.  

Yes, I'm talking about faith.  A specific "effective-faith" we are given instruction about in the Scriptures; the Second letter to the church in Corinth, written by the Apostle Paul (5.1-5):

"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.  2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.  4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.  5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit."

Be sure not to miss v.5...God prepares us for Next, gives us a holy desire to "level-up" and then seals the deal with His Holy Spirit--indwelling, empowering, informing us--all the while transforming us into the image of Jesus Messiah--in this life with godly character--in the next life with a heavenly body.  Yahoo!

Over the course of my adult life I've invested time and love in weary people...all filled with hope.  They are fragile over-comers.  Their lives are a tapestry illustrating God's grace, love, presence, power and certitude about Next.  Paul acknowleges this too (5.17-19, 21)...

"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18  And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them...21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

Trusting Jesus Messiah, through effective faith, is what makes the difference--"so that we could be made right with God through Christ."  No one makes it out alive.  It's what happens Next that matters for eternity.  It's a quality-of-ETERNAL-life issue.  The Apostle Paul spells out exactly what we must do in his letter to the church in Rome...

"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'”  Romans 10.9-13

Next looms close on the horizon for each of us--we know it's there, what will you do with Jesus?  

We don't get to be here long.

Liveitwell!

Father in heaven...

Politics has become a growth industry in America; this is a problem; too much ambition and too little service. It didn't start this way. The noble has become ignoble.

Regardless of party affiliation, the pursuit of power, wealth, celebrity, too, has become the focus of many elected to serve "the people" in Washington. Congress has been sullied by gridlock, the love of money, sexual scandal, graft, and abuse of privilege.

I pray You will raise up people from every segment of political vision, women, and men of integrity;  selfless leaders willing to make tough decisions that reflect justice, kindness, and humility, without regard for how those decisions poll: that will be patriotism.

...Deliver us from evil.

Liveitwell!

Paradise Found.

Laura, my beautiful soul-mate, loves and raises Roses. (One variety is named "the Paradise.") I marvel at her skill and tender care as she cultivates these beautiful and fragrant flowers. This was written several years ago as a tribute to my amazing wife. She has invested her gardening-gift with remarkable results. I'm reposting my tribute poem here--a reminder of what an extraordinary, lovely, gracious, woman she is; "thanks," to Laura for filling our lives with the grace and simplicity of beauty nurtured from the Earth.

Summer.
Deck brittle with age, surrounded by color, a wall.
Satin petals: Red, Pink, Ivory, Maize.
Thorns a reminder: look, don't touch.

Water droplets perfectly formed, wait to escape.
Bees busy, a harvest of nectar.
Woman sits, watches, filled with joy at the sight.

She labors with tender care.
Scarred by thorns, undaunted.
She plants, she feeds, she waters.

The full bloom of her effort,
a feast for the eyes,
Delicious to smell.

Autumn.
Sun's path plunges,
colors blaze then fade.
Not an end; pause, to rest.

Winter.
In time she plans for the deep white sleep of winter.
Well covered. Glory there still, but not.
They wait.

Spring.
She prepares the soil, a feast.
They awake from slumber, race to come out.
Canes the channel of life, carry lovely crowns through voyage to summer.

Summer.
In full bloom, they linger.
Paradise found.
Celebrated, loved; a reminder,
In the beginning, God.

We don't get to be here long...

Liveitwell!

Refuse the Sheep.

Lots of talk about the existential threat the Republic faces as we press into the final turn of 2020 and head toward the finish line in the race for POTUS 46. 

My neighbors, my friends, my community--our Nation feels profoundly divided; surly, rude, bombastic, mean-spirited because indeed, we are.  So much finger-pointing.

Here is the thing, we come by this naturally.  This isn't the first time we've had to face down our darker impulses.  THIS is the real existential threat.  We must commit ourselves to growth, personally.

Refuse the sheep.   

We grow by listening to people who don't see life through the same set of lenses we use to process the world around us--we need people who don't think like us, regardless of which direction we lean from the center; it's amazing how much common ground we can find when we listen.

Just imagine, people with whom we disagree strongly expanding our understanding, intellect, compassion, and yes perhaps most importantly, giving us the opportunity to exercise (and grow) the godly discipline of grace.  

America, a remarkable idea.

Liveitwell!

"I'm Leveling-UP."

 June has come and gone, again.  Fall is just weeks away.

Four years ago, June 28, we lost our beloved grandson to a dragon called cancer.  This coming Friday we will gather to remember Braden on what would have been his 19th birthday; he is a constant companion in my heart. He battled the disease and in the end, he lost his life, but he never lost his hope; the certain confidence that he, as a believer in Jesus Messiah, would finally be transported into the presence of His Lord and Savior, there to enjoy life as HE designed it to be. 

Life is hard, then we die. We will all lose our lives in one final breath, but we need not die without hope.

I am profoundly grateful for the hope, the certitude, we have in Jesus Messiah and the healing death brings for those who have embraced Him through effective, saving faith (Romans 10.8-11). For these, death is not something to be feared; it is a gracious provision that carries us back into a face-to-face real-time relationship with God. 

Without death, we become eternal beings, like Lucifer and the legion of angels which were cast out of heaven because of their rebellion, separated forever from God.  Without death we would be chained to a relationship of enmity with God; no reverse, no repair--no redemption.  NO hope.

So then, death became the modality that God uses to foil Satan's attempt to co-opt God's crowning creative act, humankind. It is the definitive check-mate, demonstrating God's mastery; always steps ahead of evil, and the chaos of sin. Genesis 3 describes the event that initiated the rebellion of Adam and Eve to sin and it's necessary consequence, physical death; it's also here that we learn that death is part of God's bigger plan for hope and the redemption of humankind.

The rest is history.  The Apostle pens this remarkable statement in 1 John 4.9,10...

"God showed how much he loved us

by sending his one and only Son 

into the world so that we might 

have eternal life through him. 

10 This is real love—not that we loved God, 

but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice 

to take away our sins."

Love is a four-letter word, spelled H-O-P-E; more importantly, death simply marks the first day of the rest of our lives, Paul reminds Christ-followers in 2 Corinthians 4.16-18...

"Therefore we do not lose heart. 

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet 

inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 

17 For our light and momentary 

troubles are achieving for us an eternal 

glory that far outweighs them all. 

18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, 

but on what is unseen, 

since what is seen is temporary, 

but what is unseen is eternal."

We will rise. 

I'll never forget Braden's exclamation to us as we gathered in his room at the hospital the afternoon before he died. We'd just been told by his Doctor, very tenderly, that Braden would soon leave his body behind.  Braden's father, Matthew, sat down on the bed, looked into Braden's eyes, and asked him how he was doing, to which Braden smiled and said "Is that the worst-case scenario?  I'm leveling UP.  I am going to be fine dad.  I'm ready."  

He was.  

Are you?  

We don't get to be here long. 

What will you do with Jesus? 

Life is fast.

Liveitwell!

Contact me at goodneighbaier@yahoo.com if you'd like to know more or simply need to chat about "hope."

Metrics Matter.

This from the closing "reveal" scene in The Delivery Man... 

"I'm a meat truck driver.  I'm an incompetent meat truck driver."  To which his father replies "You ARE an incompetent delivery man.  It takes you four times longer to deliver the meat than any other driver.  But, everywhere you go, they love you."

So, how do you measure success?

Metrics matter.

Liveitwell!

Note to my younger self.

Today, I write to my younger self, FOR my grands--Kellen, Gabriella, Grayson, and Gwendolyn.

I know you will all make choices about the way you live your lives, how you will invest your energy, and what kind of legacy you will eventually leave behind. I'm writing because I love you all and don't want to leave these words unsaid.

It's taken me a few years to figure this much out; were I able to send a note to my younger self, this is what I'd say... 

Know, Trust, and Serve God.
Follow Christ.
Be kind.

Act justly.

Be humble.

Lean into weakness, seek God's strength.
Think noble thoughts.
Read and reflect on history.
Be inclusive.
Love people.
Never mistake tolerance for love.
Be generous.

Invest your best in people.

Take care of your bodies.  Stay fit, alert, and cultivate mental acuity.
Teach yourself to say "I do not know."
Think God's thoughts after Him.
Be patient.
Stand up to be heard, sit down to be appreciated.
Cultivate quirky, life is more fun in the quirky lane.
Be a leader, willing to follow.
Invest in your family, you don't get do-overs.
Work hard to make other people successful.
Make mistakes. Learn from them, then celebrate them.
Wake up every day with a hunger to grow.
Be accountable.
Trust that loss isn't the end of life.
Believe that death isn't the end of eternity.  It's a portal, not a wall.
Be grateful.
Learn that God meets us in the stillness.
Embrace the things you fear. You may never master them, but then again, you might.

Finally, I pass on to you my life verse, Micah 6.8.  In it God provides us with an amazing guiding principle for your lives:  "With what shall I come to the Lord...He has told you, O man, what Is good; and what does the Lord require of you?  But to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God."   

Your choices will shape your character. 

Good character will empower you to be the kind of person God uses to make hard lives easier.

  

Making hard lives easier is a legacy that will transform your world, one needy--and often underserving, person at a time.  

This is the miraculous power of grace.

I love you all more than life, wish I could be there to see your lives play out to the "end of the race."  I'll be waiting for you at the finish line.

Do. Love. Walk...

Liveitwell!