Day 41 / The New Normal

What an amazing Journey we are about to begin...

Wait...didn't we just finish a 40-Day Journey Toward a Life of Active Compassion? Okay...there is a sense in which our journey has always been and always will be. Part of what makes this experience such a God-Journey is that we cannot nail down a specific beginning, and we certainly do not know exactly where God will take us next.

But from now on, there are some differences in how this journey will proceed and continue. Our resolve and generosity will be tested. Our faith and perseverance will come under fire. But our opportunities to follow-up with people we’ve met and projects we’ve started will be very exciting! We will see a harvest of compassion as we build on the relationships we’ve started and strengthened so far. I am so thankful to be at this stage in our journey.

I would like to challenge us to think of this next phase of our life of active compassion as The New Normal. Today, and every day from here on is a "Day 41." This is a metaphor for the next day, and every day, after our 40-Day Journey Toward a Life of Active Compassion.

As I prepared for this day, I reflected on many scriptures, and I was impressed by an interesting parallel. Joseph struggled in an Egyptian prison for 13 years. He was living in faith that God would fulfill the promises Joseph received in his dreams as a young man. But 13 years is a long time...especially when falsely accused.

But then it finally happened. In God’s perfect timing, Joseph was brought before the Pharaoh of Egypt and given the opportunity to help him in a time of great distress. Like us, Joseph was passing on the gift God had given him, but he did it in such a way that the Pharaoh could see God in and through Joseph. This exchange confirmed to Pharaoh that Joseph could be trusted and he committed the future of the nation to his care!

The statement of this exchange is Genesis 41:41--

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt."

Genesis 41:41 reveals the New Normal for Joseph. This became his Day 41. From then on Joseph was no longer the dreamer...instead he was living the dream. He was no longer the prisoner longing for freedom...he was free. He was no longer the boy with potential...he was the man taking care of business. This is the essence of all the Day 41's in the history of God’s people"

- Noah’s Day 41 came on the heels of 40 days and nights of rain.

- The Ten Commandments and the Covenant of God became the Day 41 for Moses and the people of Israel after he had been on the mountain of God for 40 days.

- Life in the Promised Land was the Day 41 for the people of Israel after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

- David liberated the army of God when he defeated Goliath--after 40 days of Goliath’s intimidating rant against God and his people.

- The anointing of Elisha and the new Kings of Israel and Aram became the Day 41 for the ministry of Elijah after 40 Days in the wilderness.

- The people of Nineveh experienced the mercy of God on their Day 41 after 40 days of preaching by Jonah.

- Jesus started his ministry on Day 41 following 40 days of testing and temptation in the wilderness.

- And the amazing power of the resurrection was unleashed in the testimony of those who saw Jesus in the 40 days between his triumph over death and his return to heaven.

- There is a sense in which the entire world is living in Day 41, awaiting the final coming of Jesus, just as he promised.

Active compassion is our New Normal. This is our Day 41!

- Don McLaughlin

Day 40 / The Harvest

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together" (John 4:34-36).

I have been anticipating this weekend for months. As our leadership team planned for this 40-Day Journey, we imagined a celebration right from the beginning. God celebrates. He has led his people in mighty celebration throughout our history. He celebrates amazing accomplishments like the building of the temple in Jerusalem, and he celebrates the return of the one prodigal who was missing from home. Celebration is part of God’s nature.

But what are we celebrating, and how?

The passage I opened with (John 4:34-36) is in the midst of a paradigm shifting experience for the disciples of Jesus. He had led them into the "foreign and forbidden territory" of the despised Samaritans. It must have felt to them like they were doing something wrong. Historians record that the Jews traveling north and south (from Jerusalem to Galilee or vise versa) would travel several extra miles, even on foot, to avoid going through Samaria. Jesus led them right into Samaria, and more importantly, into a head-on collision with their own prejudices, fears, and misunderstandings of the God they served.

When they approached Sychar, a small town in the middle of Samaria, He sent them into town on their own to get groceries while he set up the discipleship moment. Jesus chose to reach out to the Samaritan woman because she was on God’s heart. The passage reveals that her view of God and the world was, like His disciples, full of misconceptions and misunderstandings. By the time the encounter with Jesus was over, she has been restored to God and her community. She has become an “unlikely evangelist” to her community and they actually come to faith. (Notice John 4:28-30 and 39-42).

But the disciples are also going to receive a powerful challenge. I have often wondered what the apostle John was feeling and thinking when he wrote his gospel many years later and reflected on what it was like to be there as an eye-witness to the events. He was there that day when they returned with the groceries and stumbled onto Jesus openly visiting with a Samaritan woman. Jesus was not scolding, scorning, or snubbing her. He was engaging her in a life-changing conversation that affirmed her value to God, himself, her community, and to herself. And, by way of association, Jesus was also clearly demonstrating that the disciples should also embrace her value. If she was precious to Jesus then she would be precious to his followers.

But they could not see that. Notice in that John reveals what was going on in their hearts,

Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her” (4:27).

There could only be one reason you would talk with a Samaritan woman: You want something. Maybe directions. Maybe the time of day. Maybe to ask her to leave. But you don’t talk with her to get to know her. You certainly do not talk with her as an equal.

She represents the invisible people in our world. They are almost like street signs, trash cans, elevator buttons, or any other function we look to in order to get on to where we are going. We do not see them as people. We see them as a function, and this keeps them invisible to us. The Samaritan woman was invisible to the disciples at the relationship level of life. They could see her with their eyes but not with their hearts.

That is why Jesus has to tell them, "Open your eyes!"

God saw among the Samaritans a great harvest of souls for eternal life. And the early preachers of the gospel found willing hearts and great joy among the Samaritans as they shared the gospel there. (Acts 8:1-7, 8:25)

This 40-Day Journey Toward a Life of Active Compassion is all about Jesus taking us on a similar, paradigm-shifting mission. Through the story of the Good Samaritan, he calls us to see invisible people through His eyes, feel them with His heart, and to reach out to them with His hands. The "invisible" Samaritan in the story becomes the example of how someone sees the "invisible" wounded man on the side of the road. Jesus uses that sacred irony to press us toward the shift he wants to see in us.

Let's open our eyes to His harvest! Throughout these 40 Days we’ve been moved into situations and conversations that opened up opportunities to serve others and to know them in a deeper way. This is a step into the harvest about which Jesus is talking in John 4:35. As we continue to grow into this life of active compassion, the desire of God’s heart to love the world sacrificially will become more and more a part of our daily experience. People will no longer just be functions in our path, but people, precious to us and to God.

I want to challenge you to take a moment and write a sentence to answer each of the following questions:

1. Who did you serve during the 40-Day Journey?

2. How do you know them better now than you did before?

3. How will you follow up with them, or others, as a result of this journey?

- Don McLaughlin

Day 40 / Epiphany

Wow! 40 days have already flown by. I have been so blessed by all of you and your fellowship. I have heard some amazing stories of how God has been at work during this journey toward a life of active compassion. I have seen God’s people here in this place rise up to meet a challenge and it has been life-changing.

The dictionary defines the word "epiphany" as a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.

That's not a bad description of what has happened over the last 40 days for many of us. We have prayed for open eyes, hearts, hands...and God has answered those prayers in a huge way.

Experts say that it takes 21 days to change a habit. For some, turning a blind eye to those in need has been a bad habit we’ve needed to change. Well, we’ve had 40 days to change that habit into a habit of trying to see how we can help...rather than just pass by. None of us wants to slip back into the habit of crossing to the other side of the road and passing by.

It is my prayer that we will continue this journey. I pray that God will bless you richly for your active compassion.

- Sheree Yasko Hill

Day 39 / Acquired Tastes

Can you remember the first time you ever drank coffee? (For those of you who are not coffee-drinkers, feel free to doze for a moment.) Did you like it? Did you "doctor it up" so that it was palatable? For most folks, coffee is an acquired taste. Most of us learned to drink it. Whatever our reason was--it was what was around all the time, everyone in our family drank it, it was free and Cokes were not--whatever the reason, we made a conscious decision to drink coffee.

I firmly believe that my dad decided to like black walnut ice cream because my brother and I didn't like it and wouldn’t eat it.

My grandparents grew up during the Great Depression. I've mentioned that my mom was one of twelve kids. My mom tells about how her mother would fry chicken for supper and everyone else would eat and the only thing left would be the neck, so she (my grandmother) always said that she preferred the neck. My grandmother decided in her heart that she would eat the chicken neck so that her family could eat the more premium pieces.

How many of us will just go ahead and eat the heel from a loaf of sandwich bread because we know that no one else will eat it? Parents decide in their hearts to go ahead and eat the heel on the loaf of bread so that their kids can have the more premium slices.

There's a whole lot involved when deciding something in your heart.

In the movie City Slickers, Curly (the cattleman) has this heart-to-heart talk with Mitch (the character played by Billy Crystal). Curly tells him what the secret of life is-–it’s "one thing." When Mitch asks him what the one thing is, Curly tells him that every person has to figure it out for themselves. The "one thing" for us is what we have decided in our heart.

Think about some of the things you have decided in your heart and then acted on.

In Acts 4, Barnabas sold a piece of land and gave the proceeds to the apostles in Jerusalem so that no Christian there would have to be in need. He decided in his heart to be actively compassionate and generous. I know that there are so many opportunities for me to be actively compassionate and generous that I blow past without even recognizing them. But I’m trying. I’m trying to do better. I’m trying to pay attention.

- Sheree Yasko Hill

Day 38 / Over-Tipping

Did you ever see the Steve Martin movie My Blue Heaven? It was never in danger of winning an Oscar, but I thought it was pretty funny. It's about a mob-guy-turned-informant who is placed in the Witness Relocation Program and moved from New York City out to the suburbs in California. Only he never fit in there. In the smaller town he was relocated to, his "big city" ways stood out like a sore thumb.

In several scenes in the movie, Martin’s character (Vinnie) keeps over-tipping the staff wherever he happens to go. When questioned about it more than once, he finally says, "It's not tipping I believe in. It's over-tipping." Then he talks about how people remember you, and whenever you go back to where you over-tipped, you receive better service.

Okay. In this very random and weird reference, there is a gem to be found--People remember generosity. It is out of the norm. Be generous. Be out of the norm.

- Sheree Yasko Hill

Day 37 / Tracking the Monster

There seems to be a Bigfoot sighting or scheme every now and then, just in time to breathe new life into the mysterious legend. Of course the latest scheme from Georgia was a national sham on the perpetrators and the media by the time it was exposed. But the legend of Bigfoot is of course named for oversized plaster-filled footprints, thus the name.

I saw a very cool set of sandals on a website. When the wearer walked along the sand on the beach, the right sandal left the imprint, "Jesus" and the left sandal left the imprint "loves you." So everywhere the person left tracks, the simple message of Jesus’ love was left for all who follow. Our actions and our deeds are like the sandals in the sand. We leave "tracks" for others to follow. And when they "track" us, they learn something about us and the God we serve.

Ownership. This is an area where our tracks can get pretty rigid. Ownership of land or any other item has been a powerful statement throughout generations. Ownership of land has divided people for centuries in nearly every culture and certainly on every continent. It has been used to determine who would have a vote or say in the affairs and policies of a community or nation. Ownership has been a source of pride and self-esteem. And if you really want to know how fiercely we cling to the idea of ownership, just let someone steal from us.

In our old neighborhood we were vandalized five times over the course of about three years. Each time it happened I felt violated. One time I even ran outside without my glasses and clothed only in my...well, let’s just say it wasn’t much! I chased down four thieves and eventually caught them. Later on I thought to myself, "What a stupid thing to do! What on earth possessed me to put myself in that kind of potential danger?" I know the answer: Ownership.

So what do we do with passages in the Bible that challenge that traditional world-view? What about Luke 6:27-36? What do we do with Acts 4:32-37, or 2 Corinthians 8:13-15. The list could continue on, but they all challenge us at the same level. How do we understand ownership in the kingdom of Jesus Christ? There is a phrase in Acts 4:32 that just blows me away: "No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own."

What strikes me from the extended context in Acts 4 is that not everyone sold their land or homes to give it to the needy. And not everyone kept their homes. But regardless of whether they sold them or kept them, no one claimed "ownership." They understood that everything we have belongs to God, and it is for his use, pleasure, mission and glory. We are stewards of everything and anything we have. Our influence, finances, time, and service encompass every resource we have. So what will we do with them? When I leverage my influence to help someone else, I am confessing that I do not "own" my influence. I do not have the final say over how I will use it. God is in control, and it is not just for my personal advancement.

In fact, we may actually give our influence, finances, time and service to others simply as a sacrifice for the kingdom of God. But look at how Jesus addresses this in Mark 10:28-30. His promise is that everyone who gives up "ownership" (or perhaps it is actually personal control) of these things will...

"...receive a hundred times as much in this present age, (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – and with them persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life."

The church has sung a powerful hymn for over a century entitled "This is My Father's World." The Psalmist confesses that the world is the Lord's and everything in it. The cattle on a thousand hills are his. Ultimately, everything belongs to the Lord and we give him but his own. But when we share with others, it is simply one child of God sharing with another child of God what their father has given them.

- Don McLaughlin

Day 37 / Potluck Generosity

Some of my favorite church memories revolve around potluck dinners. If you were able to be at North Atlanta’s last potluck in August, you know what I mean. You may have heard me talk about what fun and surprises were had at the karaoke area. There’s always someone who is willing to sing that just blows everybody’s socks off. Who knew, right?

And the food is awesome! Somehow, it always tastes better at a potluck than it does on my table. And there is always so much food! Some things you can count on being there--fried chicken, green bean casserole, sweet tea; some things are a pleasant surprise--watermelon slices, cobblers, banana puddings.

One of the very best things about a potluck is that you can keep going back as long as you’re hungry! There is plenty of food. Church folks are the best about bringing enough for them and for extra folks who might just be talked into coming along.

That’s what I think of whenever I read what Paul said to the Corinthians: "At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need."

I know that he was talking about more than potluck dinners...but if we can be good at potluck dinners, we can be good at active and generous compassion.

- Sheree Yasko Hill

Day 36 / Finishing What I've Started

I have this to-do list on my refrigerator door that tells what I still need to do in each room of my house...things like finish nailing in the quarter-round in a couple of bedrooms, finish painting the louvers on the closet door of the guest room, finish clearing out the other side of the garage, that kind of thing. I have another to-do list that details what I still need to do on the outside of my house..finish pressure-washing the front walkway, finish organizing the shed, that kind of thing. (It would seem that the evidence indicates that I am good at starting projects, but my finish rate is less than stellar.)

Urban Meyer, coach of the Florida Gators, talks about working hard and finishing plays on the football field. Regardless of how you feel about the Gators, Urban Meyer seems to teach a serious work ethic. There are other coaches with the same philosophy and practice. I have heard Mark Richt say in interviews after a loss that the Dawgs failed to finish enough plays. I have heard him attribute wins to finishing plays.

There is a football stat called Yards After Catch (YAC). Receivers who rack up the YAC yards in college play are among the highest sought-after by professional teams. They are desired for their ability to finish the work. Know who the team is with the highest number of YAC yards so far this season? You could probably guess.

Jimmie Johnson stands to win a fourth NASCAR title. He has more than three times as many top ten finishes as he does wins, but it's the finishes that continue to give him the edge over other drivers.

On today's workbook page, it says that Paul encourages the Corinthians to finish the work they had started. Let us take that encouragement to heart as we near the end of this 40-Day Journey.

- Sheree Yasko Hill

Day 36 / Reset

I was young in ministry, and many of my mentors were hardcore missionaries and evangelists. Some of them were also very rigid in their thinking. It was their way or no way, and they were almost militant in their passion to take the gospel to the world. Although it was an intense experience to even be around them, I was moved by their admirable passion.

We were living in a small town in Ohio, and the church was hungry to grow. We had many young leaders who were in training to take on more responsibility, and I met with about 12-15 of them every Wednesday night. I was passing on to them the intense training and calling I was receiving from my mentors.

Jeff was a shining star among these young leaders. He was a construction worker with rugged good looks and a heart that was tender toward the hurting and lost world. I used to call him the Marlboro Man for his resemblance of the famous cowboy on the Marlboro cigarette billboards. On this particular Wednesday night during our training session, I was pressing hard for these young leaders to step up and volunteer to become small group leaders for our evangelistic outreach. I really wanted Jeff to raise his hand and kind of lead they way for others. But he sat there on his hands and didn’t budge.

I kept trying subtle ways to get him to take a hint, but he wasn't moving. So I finally just laid it all on the line and called him out. I said, "Jeff, we need you to step up and take responsibility for leading one of these groups." He replied, "But I don't feel like I can take this on right now. I'm just not ready." I could tell I was up against a serious road block here, so I pressed harder. I said to him emphatically, "Jeff, you need to quit thinking about all the reasons you can't do this, and say 'yes.' I'm not asking you to do anything I am not already doing myself."

That last statement sounded so right. I have heard it said over and over by coaches and military leaders, especially in movies! Surely it was a perfectly sound statement. But Jeff ruined that hallowed motivational statement for me for the rest of my life when he simply replied, "What difference does that make Don? I’m not you."

Pow! Like a 2x4 to the face, his statement blasted me into a new reality. Instantly it made sense. HE made sense. Why would I ever say that statement under those circumstances? He wasn't me, and I wasn't him. I later thought that is would be about like Michael Jordan throwing me a basketball, yelling at me to dunk the ball, and then saying, "Come on, Don. I’m not asking you to do anything I am not already doing myself!"

Yep. I was looking for the "reset button." I immediately apologized to Jeff and the entire class. I realized how wrong-headed that statement can be. I was attempting to motivate him by based on my passion and plans instead of his own walk with Christ in the Spirit. He accepted my apology, and I made good on my commitment to not use that statement or approach any more.

Jeff ended up becoming an excellent small group leader, youth leader, worship leader, and they eventually hired him full-time as one of their ministers! But it was all in accordance with his own walk in Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life.

I am not suggesting that we cannot challenge, rebuke, encourage or inspire each other to live more fully in submission to the Lord. But as the apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 8:12 – our gift to the Lord is acceptable, "according to what we have, not according to what we do not have." This means that giving ourselves fully to the Lord is a personal experience we share first and foremost with HIM. God was not going to judge Jeff based on my life, nor would he judge me by comparing me with Jeff.

Your gift to the Lord is miraculously personal and intimate, even when you are serving in front of a class full of children or adults, giving privately or leading a mission, or any other setting of service. God knows exactly who we are and what we have, and he expects nothing more, but certainly nothing less, than our all.

- Don McLaughlin

Day 35 / The Giver

May 4, 1997 was the very first Sunday I actually preached at North Atlanta. We had been visiting since December 15 of the previous year, but during that time we were getting to know this amazing family and North Atlanta's leadership. But once we recognized the Lord’s calling and set our hearts on this work, the elders arranged for us to come for that special weekend in May.

But May 4, 1997 held a very special surprise. Ray and Gail Turner were members of North Atlanta at that time, when they still lived in our area. Ray had been struggling for years with issues related to his liver, and it became a life and death situation. He had to have a transplant or he would die. The day finally came when he received word that the life-saving organ donation was ready. Ray’s surgery was a great success.

But as is true with all organ donation of this sort, someone else had to die in order for Ray to live. Whenever we rejoice when someone finally gets the word that a transplant is available, we are also painfully aware that some other family is grieving deeply.

But on that Sunday morning in May of ’97, sitting with Ray and Gail Turner, was the family of the donor. Ray’s donor was a younger man, a father, husband and son. Ray now was alive because of the liver he received, and on that Sunday morning, this young man's son, wife, and parents were in our worship service. We recognized them and the church responded with the appropriate applause that signified our deepest gratitude and sympathy. They received it with grace, but there was not a dry eye in the place.

Throughout the service, and even later in the day and week, I kept thinking about the significance of that Sunday morning. There is a way in which Ray and that family will be inseparable throughout this life. A part of their loved one is a part of Ray, and in that sense, their tragedy gave someone life. And every day Ray gets up, he remembers with deep gratitude and humility the gift he has received.

As Sheree Hill shared in our 40-Day Journey Toward a Life of Active Compassion, "Barclay (commentator) writes, 'No gift can be in any real sense a gift unless the giver gives with it a bit of himself. That is why personal giving is always the highest kind of giving, and that is the kind of giving of which Jesus Christ is the supreme example.'"

As we actively show compassion to others, let’s extend ourselves in the exchange. It was King David who once remarked that he wouldn't give anything to the Lord that didn’t cost him something. Let's make all of our giving personal.

- Don McLaughlin

Day 35 / Extremes

So...are you still waiting for just the right person or moment or cause to use the gift you’ve been given to help someone else? Are you finding yourself just a little panicked...okay, maybe not panicked exactly, but a little pressured? You know, compassion isn't everyone's spiritual gift; neither is giving. But we are all accountable to God for how we help those in need.

I have a friend who agonizes over every single penny she spends. Seriously. No coke or coffee is purchased, no donation is made, no spur-of-the-minute eating out is even thought of without conscious and seemingly painstaking thought. I've teased her by comparing her to a wild animal caught in a trap--willing to chew off her own leg rather than spend money in a spur-of-the-moment manner. We have had a number of discussions concerning what seems like painful giving for her.

Do you know someone like that? Are you that person?

I want to point out that her...thriftiness...does not mean she is not willing to be generous or that she isn't sincere in her giving. In our reading for the day, Barclay is quoted: "No gift can be in any real sense a gift unless the giver gives with it a bit of himself." That is my friend--every time she gives help to someone, every time she discerns someone’s need--she gives a bit of herself. I admire that in her.

I have another friend who is the polar opposite of her. He is generous to a fault. In fact, he laments that he doesn't give more thought to his "generosity." He freely admits that his stewardship is lacking in purpose and that his generosity is really closer to impulse spending than active compassion.

Do you know someone like that? Are you that person?

I fall somewhere in between those two extremes. You probably do, too.

- Sheree Yasko Hill

Day 34 / The Difference Between Paint and Dye

"Paint is a covering that changes the appearance of something. Dye also changes the appearance, but from the inside out."

This little phrase has helped me focus my life in Christ. Jesus was never meant to be paint. His influence is like dye. He is changing how we speak and behave by transforming the way we think and feel about life.

The Grace of Jesus: Paint or Dye?
The grace of God demonstrated at the cross was not paint. As Jesus went to the cross, he was tested to his core. His sacrifice started at his core and emanated through every pore. He sweat and bled grace. It was in him and it poured through him. The cross was not theatrics. His grace in the face of brutal beatings and the cruel crucifixion was an external expression of his internal character. Jesus did not put on a show of grace to gain popularity or position for himself. In fact, it looked like a total personal loss on Golgotha that day. But Jesus was born to be the Savior, and he lived and died his identity.

Your Grace: Paint or Dye?
When I was a child, it was very common for nearly everyone to "say grace" before they ate a meal, even if they were not "regular church-going folks." Grace was a traditional way of showing humility and gratitude for everything, especially the consistent food we had to eat. But as I got older, it wasn't cool to bow and pray in public places, especially if I knew any of my friends were watching. For many, the whole thing of saying grace or not saying grace became about appearances. That is certainly painted-on grace. You can put it on and you can remove it.

When we first moved to Atlanta, it took quite a while to get a handle on how to drive in such intense traffic. I noticed pretty quickly that people had some complicated ways of determining when to show grace in traffic. Sometimes it had to do with what kind of car someone was driving, or if it was a woman or man, or any other host of external identifiers. In the end, for the most part, I gave, and received, painted-on grace. In fact, Susan nailed me to the wall one afternoon on Holcomb Bridge road. She was put out with me because I was upset at traffic, and she said, "It is a shame these people don't know how nice you can be." Wow! That really stung, but she was so right. I was simply being impatient and judgmental. And she called me out. I am so thankful that I am married to someone who helps me keep my core centered in the grace of Jesus Christ.

When grace is like dye, we still won’t dispense it perfectly. But we will have a reputation for being grace-filled people. We will also have the reputation among others that we are easy to approach and not easily angered. Grace is not short-tempered. Grace like dye is shown in consistent love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Grace that is like dye is felt across the traditional barriers of gender, race, color, age, economics, education, zip-code, politics, and religion. Grace like dye doesn’t peal or chip off when it is under pressure or when the heat is on.

Grace like dye is the kind of grace the Macedonian Christians demonstrated according to 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. Simple. Profound. Dependable.

- Don McLaughlin

Day 34 / A Gracious Person

Who is the most gracious person you know?

Need a little refresher for what gracious means? Someone who is gracious is someone who is marked by kindness and courtesy. So think about the folks you know...does someone stand out in your mind as kind and courteous? Who is it? How did you experience their graciousness?

One of the most gracious people I know is Betty Gage. She is the very picture of kindness and courtesy, in my opinion. If you call Betty, she is always happy to hear from you. If you visit her, you are always welcome. If you’re having a bad day, she is always kind and compassionate. If she is having a bad day, you'll never know it because she is always kind and compassionate. And it's a bonus that she has perfected southern gentility. And if you need something, no matter what, Betty will do her very best to meet your need. I want to be like her when I grow up.

One of the outward marks of gracious people is how they treat waiters at a restaurant. Regardless of the service, and their feelings about said service, gracious people are not unkind. I believe that when you are full of grace, marked by kindness and courtesy, unkindness is never a viable choice. (Note: Girls and guys, if the person you are dating is unkind to a server at a restaurant, think long and hard about going out with them again...)

Now think about some of the people who are in need that you may have come across during the last 34 days. Were you kind and gracious to them? Never mind about their response...just think about your own graciousness.

- Sheree Yasko Hill

Day 33 / Where Your Heart Is

I get a kick out of reading things like Murphy’s Law and its corollaries. One of my favorites, that I actually haven't seen written in awhile, is attributed to Mrs. Murphy. It says, "Before you do anything, you have to do something else first."

Simple. Beautifully frustrating. So true.

Think about it. Before you can go anywhere, you have to get ready first. Before you cook something, you have to go to the grocery store. Before you sit down and read, you most likely have to find your glasses. And so on and so on...you get the point. I’m convinced it is where the phrase "I’m fixing to..." came from.

I’ve been visiting my grandson, Cooper. I came to Michigan with the full realization that I would spend a lot of my time playing with trains. I have not been disappointed. But it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that I have given myself to doing what Cooper wants to do. So it doesn’t really matter whether or not it's something I would have chosen to do on my own. I have given myself first to Cooper. (If you’re a grandparent, you know exactly what I’m saying.)

In today’s reading in our workbook, there is a quote from an author saying that when our heart is free, there is no limit to how much we give--whether it’s our influence, finances, time, or service. Once we have given ourselves first to something, then we look for ways to stay engaged.

That is certainly true for me where Cooper is concerned. It was certainly true for the Macedonians in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. See if it’s true for you. Give yourself first to God; you’ll surprise yourself with your own generosity.

- Sheree Yasko Hill

Day 33 / Under Pressure...Not So Bad

In 1989 I decided to take some classes to deepen my education in pastoral counseling. The courses included a variety of subjects, including several on temperaments. During this study I discovered that some folks have a naturally demanding temperament while others may be more passive. My most surprising discovery was that most of my closest relationships all share a more demanding temperament. So I asked myself, "Why am I investing in friends and family relationships that put pressure on me?" My answer is simple, "They get more out of me than I would get out of myself."

It is not that I want it to be this way, but I have simply had to admit that others help me grow and improve in ways that I have not done on my own.

I have also heard people say that you cannot quit a bad habit for anyone else. You can only quit for you. I'm not sure it is that cut and dried. My dad started smoking when he was in his teens. By the time I was in late elementary school he was smoking three packs per day (60 cigarettes!). Often he would light the next one with the one he was just finishing. We tried so many things to motivate him to stop. He would try to stop occasionally, but he could never make it last.

Then one day in December of 1986, he came to visit us in Ohio. I still have the picture of him holding our two oldest sons on his lap that day. The boys were not even three and one years old yet, but he was so proud of them. That very day I asked him if he had given any more thought to ending his relationship with cigarettes. I was just so concerned for his long-term health. He told me he would give it some serious consideration, but he had tried to quit for 42 years and just couldn't seal the deal.

But quit he did. In February of 1987, just two months later, he quit for good. It's been over 22 years. When he had his double-bypass and two artificial heart valves installed in December of 1997, his doctor commented on how great his lungs looked, AND that it was a godsend that he had quit smoking a decade before!

A few years ago I asked my dad to reveal his secret to finally breaking that habit. His response was typically simple. "I didn’t want to be the person that taught my grandsons to smoke," he said.

I replied, "Wow. That’s it?"

He further clarified his answer. "Sometimes you can know what you ought to do, even if it would be the best thing for you, but for some reason or other you are not motivated to do it for yourself. But when you realize that someone else you love is being negatively affected by the way you live or the things you are doing, that love can get you to take the steps you know you needed to take."

That made sense to me. It is a case where the motivation to do something is actually a combination of internal and external factors. He was motivated by his love for his grandsons, and he was motivated by the desire that they would learn positive things from him and not negative.

I guess sometimes it takes others to get more out of us than we would get out of ourselves. This is something like "As iron sharpens iron, so let one man sharpen another" (Proverbs 27:17).

Although the apostle Paul assured the Corinthians that he did not want them to give out of compulsion because God loves a cheerful giver, he did not hesitate (2 Corinthians 8 and 9) to apply some spiritual persuasion on them. He does the same thing with Philemon and several others in his ministry that needed some spiritual prodding to give themselves fully to God. Jesus was inclined the same way when he knew his disciples needed to step up to their spiritual potential and calling.

This 40-Day Journey is certainly a challenge, and ultimately we will be better Christ-followers as a result. As is true with many things in this life, the right amount of pressure can actually be a very good thing.

- Don McLaughlin

Day 32 / Expectations

Have you ever heard the term "self-fulfilling prophecy?" There’s an old teacher story about a young teacher who went to work in an inner-city school (think Sidney Poitier in To Sir, With Love). Upon receiving the class list, the teacher noticed that there were numbers written out beside each of the students’ names. Not knowing what they signified, the teacher ignored the numbers and set about preparing a challenging and engaging curriculum for the students. The students responded beautifully to the curriculum. The teacher often talked to other teachers about this class and how great it was going.

About midway through the semester, the teacher was visited by an administrator who inquired as to how things were going that semester. The teacher raved about the class and went on and on about how bright and challenging the class was and how well the students were doing. Obviously surprised, the administrator asked to see the class list. The numbers beside the students’ names were pointed out. The administrator asked the teacher, "Didn’t you notice these numbers beside each student’s name? Their low IQ scores were listed so you would know what you were getting into. Surely these students are not capable of what you say they are." The teacher replied, "I thought they were their locker numbers."

This teacher had not treated these students any differently than any other students. The teacher’s expectations were that the students would achieve and learn if the teacher did his part--teach. And that’s what happened. The students responded to a higher level of expectation.

Goethe (German author) has said, "Treat a man as he is, he will remain so. Treat a man the way he can be and ought to be, and he will become as he can be and should be."

- Sheree Yasko Hill

Day 32 / Through Thick and Thin

Sayings, quotes, and proverbs have a way of distilling life for us and simplifying complexity. When I was younger, I would often overhear someone asking about another person, perhaps for a recommendation, or if they could be trusted in regard to a contract or deal they were considering. If the person had a reputation for being a trustworthy business associate, employee, or even a friend, a very common phrase was, "You can count on them through thick and thin." It makes sense in nearly any setting.

When the apostle Paul learned of a famine that was ravaging his home country, Israel, he was on a mission trip encompassing modern-day Turkey and Greece. He was particularly active in the region surrounding the Aegean Sea. This region produced the most pervasive culture of ancient history, the Greeks, who were led to their greatest expanse by the Macedonian conqueror, Alexander the Great.

The cities of northern Greece, from the Macedonian region, included Philippi and Thessalonica. In the central and southern regions you had Athens and Corinth. Churches had been planted in all these cities. Like today, the economy was not well balanced. The churches in the north (Macedonia) were struggling with extreme poverty (2 Corinthians 8:1-4). The cities and churches in the south (Corinth for example) were comfortable, even affluent.

When Paul first reached out to them to help the poor in Jerusalem and Israel, the Corinthian church was the first to join the effort and they made great promises toward the effort. When the churches in Macedonia heard of the Corinthian’s generosity, they were so moved that they begged Paul to let them join the effort. Bear in mind that these people were immersed in their own poverty when they joined the generosity movement.

Things moved much slower then, so the contribution for the poor, including announcing the need in various churches, moving on to other regions, coming back and collecting the money, and delivering it to the poor in Jerusalem could take more than a year!

So after Paul was completely blown away by the response of the poor in Macedonia, he returned to Corinth to get their previously promised big gift. But he found them waffling. Even though they had promised much, they became distracted by their own wants and needs. It had been a year since they made their commitment, and now they were apparently contemplating not following through. They were leaning toward the excuse, "Hey, things changed over the last year and we are not sure we can help like we said we would."

Carefully read 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 with this background in mind. Paul is gentle but very firm. He is quick to remind them that the Macedonian Christians don't even know how they are going to make it financially, but they have thrown themselves completely into the generosity movement. Then Paul reminds the Corinthians that it was actually them that inspired the Macedonians. He follows this with several examples of how we are to keep our commitment through thick and thin, and that God will abundantly provide all we will ever need AND give us enough to be generous toward others.

The real spiritual "punch-to-the-gut" is when Paul lets the Corinthians know (2 Corinthians 9:1-4) that he is actually bringing some of the Macedonian Christians with him when he returns to Corinth!! And the last thing they would want is to be making excuses about why they can't follow through on their promised generosity when it was them that spurred the poverty-stricken Macedonians to empty their pockets and purses to help the poor!

Wow. Talk about getting "called out." Paul pulls no punches. The People of God are People of Faith. We keep our word through thick and thin, and then trust God to get us through. I often reflect on four passages when I am struggling with faithfulness to God in my generosity:

1. Deuteronomy 8

2. Proverbs 30:7-9

3. Matthew 6:25-34

4. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 and 17-19

- Don McLaughlin

Day 31 / Strange Allies

Desmond Tutu once described the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa as a collection of "strange allies." He noted that when your very survival is at stake, and the security of your life and family is in jeopardy, whoever is not against you is for you. Of course, that last phrase is a quote straight from Jesus.

But Tutu's statement has also been demonstrated on every continent and throughout history. At times in recent history, the United States of America has been allied with the Soviet Union, communist China, Germany, Iran, Japan, England, France, Spain, Italy, and others. What do you also notice about that list? They have all been at war with us at some time or another! Very interesting.

Most of you reading this know that I am a huge Portland Trailblazers fan. My two favorite teams in the NBA are Portland, and anyone who beats the L.A. Lakers! That means that on any given night, I could be rooting for Portland to beat the team they are playing, and then the next night root for that exact same team to beat the Lakers! All you sports fans out there know what I’m talking about. When our teams are on the borderline of making the playoffs, we even say, "We need some help from _________________." That usually means that we need a team to lose and it may be one of our team's rivals that will beat them!

Have you ever had to accept help from someone that you did not want to receive help from? This can happen in so many ways. One of your children can go through school and have a very difficult relationship with a teacher. You may have silently vowed to never have anything to do with that teacher again! But then another child you love, perhaps your own, finds that same teacher to be the best they have ever had, and somehow they learn better from them than any other teacher. So now what do you do?

In the story of the Good Samaritan, this is undoubtedly Jesus' intent. He purposefully makes a hero of the one normally marked the villain! Jesus wants his audience to experience that help sometimes comes from surprising sources. This is not just for us, but we can be proof of this to others.

Many people believe that if they mistreat us, we will treat them badly. They think we will write them off and they may actually “get ready” for us to treat them poorly. (This is of course the story of Jesus.) But when we love them fully and keep serving them, it is so surprising. It can also help someone open up to you being able serve them. Maybe they have been burned before and they think people are only serving to manipulate or use others. But when we continue to love and serve others beyond their previous barriers, it can bless our relationship with them forever more. Help them anyway.

- Don McLaughlin

Day 30 / Helping People

My daughter-in-law, Kelly, is an ICU nurse. Most of the time she absolutely loves her job, her work, everything about it. However, every now and then, she tells stories that will either turn your stomach or pull at your heartstrings. And there have been a couple of times where she has come home exasperated with one of her patients.

One time, there was a guy in her charge who was extremely difficult as a patient. He kept pulling all of his tubes out...ALL of his tubes. No matter how many times they put them back in, he’d pull them out. Finally, he had to be restrained so he wouldn’t impede his recovery any more.

I asked Kelly to generalize about difficult patients and compliant patients.

First of all, if a patient is in ICU, they’re sick. They need help. Among those patients, middle-agers are the most difficult--generally speaking. They complain and whine and just don’t want to do what it will take to get better. In the Cardiac ICU, it’s very important for the patients to get up and walk. Middle-agers don’t want to do that--generally speaking--because it hurts them to walk. I asked her what the nurses do with someone like that. She said they will get three or more nurses to go in together and get the patient up and walking.

Younger patients don’t like the needle pokes: blood draws, shots, etc. By far the most compliant patients are the seniors--folks 70 and over. They do what they’re supposed to do, generally speaking, and willingly engage in order to recover as quickly as possible.

It will be fascinating to hear some of your stories about the people you have been able to help, and maybe those you haven’t been able to help.

- Sheree Yasko Hill

Day 30 / The Sting

While finishing college in Arkansas, Susan and I lived three miles off the blacktop on a gravel road surrounded by rice fields. It was cheap rent, and it was not far from the little church we served in Griffithville. Our closest neighbor was L.C. Cooper, a very active elderly widower who had lived his entire life on the farm down the road. L.C. was battling cancer, and his daughter asked if we could help him with some chores around his house. One afternoon I went down and climbed aboard his lawn tractor to mow his yard.

His front yard, about 3/4 of an acre of tall grass, was overgrown with bushes and trees with one huge pine in the middle. As I mowed in a close circle around that tree, all of a sudden I was stung in the side by at least eight amazingly upset yellow jackets. Apparently I'd brushed up against their nest tucked away in the thick branches of the pine tree. It felt like I had been punched in the side. I jumped off the tractor, tore off my shirt, and ran like crazy. I didn't get any more stings, but I started feeling a little dizzy, and I knew that I'd better get them treated.

I am certain I was never in any real danger. Although the stings hurt, they were quick to heal. However, after that event I have had a different kind of relationship with any kind of bee, or getting to close to thick pine trees, or...

It reminds me of a powerful statement by Maya Angelou about human relationships:

I've learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.

We want so badly for people to remember our words because they seem very important to us. But when we take responsibility only for content, and not for delivery, the outcome is often very disappointing. We find ourselves so frustrated because people judged us or remembered us for how we made them feel and not for the actual content of our words.

The same is true for our actions. If we want a meaningful outcome for our actions, we have to take responsibility both for what we do and how we do it. This still does not mean that the other person will receive us well, but it does mean that we can be at peace with our complete effort.

Jesus said, "For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it" (John 12:49).

Many people complain of having been "stung" by the church, religion, or Christians. They report experiences where those who wore the name of Jesus hurt them with their words and actions. Sometimes they felt snubbed, judged, criticized, or ignored. I know that these painful interactions were not all intentional, but I have been around enough to know that Christians, including me, do not always behave in a way that honors Jesus Christ!

During this 40-Day Journey Toward a Life of Active Compassion, we are being challenged to take the "sting" out of our actions and reactions. We want others to experience the love of God through us, no matter how they respond. We hope that when we approach them to help, they will feel the love of Jesus. And we also pray that no matter how they respond, or if they even remember our names, they will still feel the wonderful and majestic love of God our Father through us.

- Don McLaughlin