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I like to use a part of the day on Sundays for meditation. Generally, my best opportunity for meditation is early Sunday morning. Something seems right about using the Lord’s Day to think more deeply about the things of God. Today I am thinking about excellence in the Christian life.
Christian excellence is not the product of sporadic efforts or intermittent brilliance.
Therefore, excellence cannot be scheduled to show up and be present only for the 8-5 portion of our life.
Excellence depends on the habits of our lives. What we are at any given moment is a function of what we are at every moment. The habits of our lives make us what we are down deep where no one else can see. Others who are able to watch us only temporarily (and thus superficially) may judge our efforts and our lives as excellent, but excellence in the Christian life comes from the commitments by which we lives our lives moment by moment. Excellence comes from wholehearted, 24/7 commitments to the priorities that God places before us.

This past week, I have returned to my “psalms project.” I am writing a devotional based on each of the 150 psalms. As a result, I have had the opportunity to read and reread Psalms 90-100.
Worship begins with a heart attuned to God. The Lord reigns—majestic, strong, eternal, transcendent, invincible, and holy. The Lord is upright and righteousness. On the foundation of who God is one declares God as Fortress and Rock. His creative majesty declares his nature–the world, God’s Word, God’s holiness are immovable.
I suspect that our struggles with worship are indications that we have not recognized God’s glory. It is not enough to recognize God’s existence. God desires to be worshiped for who he is. Therefore, God defines worship–by his nature and by his Word. Worship is a human endeavor but it is God-informed. God designed worship to touch the human spirit but worship is ultimately not about me but is about who God is.
He is worthy of praise!

Today I am at home. I will worship at Park Plaza. I anticipate sharing the unique and special fellowship that exists when one is at home.
So far this year, I worshiped on Sunday with 25 different congregations of God’s Family in eight countries. Six of the congregations were English-speaking, most of the time I have worshiped in Spanish.
This morning I am contemplating the marvelous work God is doing in this world among his people. In the last three months, I have spent time with members from dozens of congregations. Some are large, some are small. Some are tremendously evangelistic and growing spectacularly by God’s power; others are struggling to find God’s way in the midst of almost overwhelming challenges. Almost all have an intense love for and interest in missions. Some appear healthy but are really stagnant evangelistically; others face great problems but continue to share the word because that is who they are.
All have one thing in common–they request and covet prayers from their brothers and sisters. They send greetings and love and seek the support the great multitude of believers around the world. Today I am praying for God’s great spiritual family around the world, thinking of special people, places, and congregations. Will you join me?

Today I am back “home”–my first opportunity to assemble for worship with my Park Plaza spiritual family this month. (Good thing June has five Sundays!) Today the elders will pray for various mission efforts of the Park Plaza church, including my upcoming trip to Venezuela.

I am thinking this morning about how grateful I am for the way God has richly blessed my life.
I am thankful for the opportunity to worship in my mother tongue, although the words of many spiritual songs in Spanish are very meaningful and touch my heart.
I am thankful for the opportunity to listen and “soak up” the word rather than being the person responsible for sharing the word.
I am thankful to worship with my physical family–children and grandchildren.
I am thankful for the encouragement and support I receive from my spiritual family as I seek to advance kingdom things and strengthen churches across Latin America.
I am thankful for the opportunity to focus on how God works in my life and in this world.
I am thankful to God for his indescribable initiative of grace, extended to those least deserving.

Today I will worship with my extended spiritual family at the North Side church in Mena, Arkansas. This church has a special place in our hearts as we have shared the spiritual journey for over 40 years. We are colaborers together in various mission efforts around the world.
I will miss my family at home at Park Plaza. The Park Plaza church will pray for various mission efforts today, and they will pray for me in my absence. My mission schedule will take me away for almost all of the summer until school starts in August–the calendar shows at best the possibility of two Sundays at home at Park Plaza.

I am thinking today about the beauty and blessing of spending time with God’s family each week in worship and fellowship, even when I am away from my “home” family.

• In my family at home, regular time together allows us to build close relationships of love and support in Christ so that we see Christ’s love in our brothers and sisters.
  
• There is an emptiness when I am away, and I automatically think about my spiritual family.
  
• God’s family is global and wherever I go I have brothers and sisters in Christ who welcome me with open arms.
  
• My presence among my extended family is a source of encouragement to those I visit.
  
• God’s family knows no geographic, language, or ethnic boundaries.
  
• God’s family is not the same everywhere. There are differences in customs, traditions, worship styles, and other aspects of church, but we are still one body and one family.
  
• God is at work in his family and among his people.

Despite the fact that many calendars printed for use in the workplace now begin the week on Monday, and that in the minds of most people the weekend is Saturday and Sunday, Sunday is the beginning of a new week–the first day of the week, the Lord’s Day. The opportunity to worship God without fear of interruption is a blessing often overlooked.

Today I look upward to God, praising and adoring, remembering with gratitude what he has done for me.
Today I look back on a busy week and see God at work. It hard to believe that until early Tuesday morning I was in Peru. An overnight flight to the US, weather problems, and a circuitous flight path from Houston to Tulsa brought me home by early afternoon on Tuesday, in time to begin the process of catching up and preparing to teach my Wednesday night class at church. The last part of the week flew by–arranging future trips, working on writing projects, responding to ministry and mission opportunities, writing to and encouraging people around the world in their walk with the Lord.
Today I look forward to another full week. Memorial Day will provide a brief respite, but I am thankful that the week is already full of “God stuff” that the Lord graciously puts in my path.
Today I look around at the world in which God has placed me, and I am grateful that his grace empowers his people as they strive to live in his will, and to live out his will to his glory.

He was an excellent student. He had grown up in a Christian home. He wanted to become a preacher, but….he had doubts. “What if I can’t make it as a preacher?”

He sat in my office during the scheduled advisor-advisee conference. He shared some of his story. He had watched a parade of preachers who were devoured by church politics and unhealthy dynamics in his home congregation. He was having second thoughts about his decision to pursue a Bible and ministry degree. He thought it would limit his options. I tried to tell him that the undergraduate level was an excellent place to follow his heart, to explore other areas of interest by earning minors in those fields, and that he would be well-positioned for graduate studies in a number of areas.

He was immovable. He had decided to pursue a degree in another discipline and take a few Bible courses along the way. He still wanted to preach, but he wanted to have a fallback position. To my knowledge, he is not in ministry today.

I continued to be his advisor, helping him with course selection and a degree plan. He again sat in my office as I signed off on his final semester. My last conversation with him about his plans after graduation was brief. I asked him just one question, “Are you called to preach?” He wasn’t certain. I told him that unless he was aware of God’s calling to ministry in his life, I was pretty certain he wouldn’t last as a preacher, or that if he did last, he wouldn’t be a very effective servant.

There is not enough discussion today about calling. Every Christian is called by God (2 Pet. 1:1-12; 1 Cor. 1:1-3; Eph. 4:1-3). The KJV uses the word ordained in Acts 13:48 to communicate that God appoints believers to eternal life. But in my conversations with the student, I was asking about something more. I was asking about the process whereby God chooses and equips servants of various kinds (Eph. 4:11-13) to build up the body to maturity.

I have two suggestions. First, let’s be more diligent to make certain that those who serve in various capacities in the church are “called”. I vote for called ministers, called missionaries, called elders, called Bible School teachers…..I trust that you get the idea. Second, I suggest that a healthier, more biblical sense of calling would help us all persevere in difficult times–the knowledge that God has called us to Christianity, to preach, to pastor-shepherd, to serve. That knowledge can keep us going when the problems seem insurmountable and everything around us is saying “STOP!”

My 20th Mother’s Day since my mother’s death. Twenty years of gratitude and remembering. The sense of loss still exists–but it is less acute.
Now my wife Jan is the significant mother in my life. She is the mother of our three sons. She is Nana to our grandchilldren. I do not get to be with her today–we will talk by Skype and the video call will be almost as good as being there, but not really.
Today, another Sunday, the Lord’s Day, a day of worship. But it is also Mother’s Day. I am thankful for mothers. I am especially thankful for mothers (and grandmothers) who point children toward Jesus. There is no greater work on earth.