First time visitors, click here for the About OtherSheep.net page.

New entries are posted about once a week.  Feel free to comment on any of them, or if you have a general comment, you can add it to this post.

And - if you know anyone who might like it here, spread the word.

Let’s suppose I leave my house to take a trip to the beach. Now there’s nothing wrong with going to the beach, but that doesn’t mean that it is or is not God’s will.

A few miles down the road I get a flat tire. No problem, these things happen. I change it and carry on. Shortly thereafter I get another flat tire. Somehow I have an additional spare so I make the repair again and get back on the road. My spiritual radar is on high alert now. Could this be more than coincidence?

Before long, flat tire number three. Either I drove through a bed of nails recently, or it’s very likely time to conclude that God has other plans for me than a day by the surf.

The third flat tire method of knowing God’s will has many applications outside of the circular rubber on the corners of my car. It involves discerning factors in the simple everyday situations of life. It’s asking, “Are these things happening as normal consequences of my actions, or is there something supernatural at work?”

“The Lord works in mysterious ways” somebody said. I think He works in some very ordinary ways as well.

There was a time when God said that the root of the Christian life is love.  “Love Me and love your neighbor as yourself”, He said.  Today a situation comes along and I seek God for guidance.  His answer?  “Love Me and love your neighbor as yourself.”

God once stated that we humans don’t need to be fearful and anxious.  Circumstances develop in life, and I worry.  “What should I do, God?” I cry.  His small voice speaks in my spirit, telling me that I don’t need to be fearful and anxious.

In these and many other cases, God has a lot to say, to be sure. But it’s not novel stuff.  It’s what He’s said all along.

Solomon, the wisest man in history, wrote “There’s nothing new under the sun.”  I’ve never quite figured that out, but I’m starting to think that even God relates.  What’s new?  Maybe nothing.  But there are a lot of classic oldies worth hearing again.

The spiritual life is full of surprises.  There’s the trial that comes out of nowhere, the blessing when you least expected it, the human betrayal (and sometimes seeming betrayals of the divine sort), unconditional love and friendship of others on the journey just when you need it, and a whole lot more.  Books and teachings promote simple formulas for all these things.  The truth that comes from God, however, says something quite different:  often, the twists and turns just can’t be figured out.

The best way to walk the path of faith is the route Mary took.  Observe.  Treasure.  And then quietly meditate.  In that process I often find something even better than an answer.  I discover that the savior of the world – and my situation – is right there with me all along.  And that’s something to ponder.

Merry Christmas.

So when the Bible account says that a certain group of these men were “afraid” as all of a sudden a bright light shone around them and they saw an angel of the Lord, it’s most likely an understatement.  What this angel told them was even more absurd.  The long awaited savior who would deliver their nation from Roman oppression had been born that night.  “And this will be a sign to you,” the angel said, “he’ll be in diapers and lying in a farm animal’s feed bin.”

The signs of God’s presence rarely come as I expect.  Rather than giving me the winning lottery numbers, He takes the form of a fellow human desperately in need of a cup of cold water or an encouraging word – and a friend who gives the same to me.  Instead of being impressed with my valiant efforts, He tells me to be still and know that He is God.  When I think that what I need is the leader of a powerful army, He shows up as a helpless newborn.

We read that the shepherds then saw a whole host of angels before making a bee line to the place where the child was.  No doubt their lives were never the same after that extraordinary night.  The savior in the barn has that effect on people.

Too often I have placed myself under undue pressure.  I’ve felt (and sometimes been told) that it was my duty to single-handedly provide solutions to matters that were way over my head.  And while I’d like to do just that, the truth is that my abilities and resources are limited. So I get to the end of my most valiant efforts, and if the issues are not fully resolved I feel guilty or like a failure.

There are cases where my best course of action is to introduce Jesus to the situation and vice versa.  I can talk to all parties, human and divine, wondering out loud what might happen when He eventually intervenes.  I can at least be a sounding board, especially when God does the unpredictable, as often occurs.

This doesn’t mean that I’ll shirk responsibility.  On the contrary, Jesus may indeed do certain things through me, as He resides in my spirit.  At other times He’ll use a corporate community of His followers, or manifest Himself in some other miraculous fashion.

Only the Son of God has the ultimate answers.  John knew this and did a good job of preparing the way.  There’s nothing more helpful.

We are each on a journey of faith. Where I am today, the view may be quite distinct from that of others at alternate places on the same road. Perhaps more important is the destination to which we’re headed.

Two thousand years ago, a group of people in a town called Corinth pondered similar matters.  The apostle Paul wrote them a letter in which he said “We all are reflecting the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” How encouraging to know that our lives reveal a measure of God’s character right now, even as we grow into greater and greater reflections of Himself on the way to a shared ultimate goal … His very image.

Some of my deepest experiences have been conversations – on cell phones or otherwise – as I and a few friends make our way along the road of spiritual life.  These very special brothers and sisters accept what I see out my window, as I in turn recognize things may look different where they are.  It’s just great to be along for the ride.

Matthew’s Gospel describes the death of Jesus Christ. Part of his account details this darkening of the land, which took place just before the Son of God shouted His last words and ceased to live in the physical realm.  Earth itself would miss this man, it appeared.

For awhile, it was truly a black Friday.  That’s always the case when God seems absent from the situation. I feel bleak. Confused. Depressed. There is nowhere to turn and there are no concrete answers. All the books and teachings come up short. These are the darkest times in life.

Fortunately, Jesus didn’t leave His creation alone.  He never does.  Instead, His Spirit came to reside in His followers, just as He had promised.  This is still the case today, as God Himself comes to me in the form of His people as often as through any other equally miraculous way.

The original black Friday was pretty devastating.  The story had a happy ending, though, which is a true cause for thanksgiving.

In the book of Psalms in the Bible, David says “On your behalf my heart says ‘Seek My face.’”  Could I be experiencing the same thing now and then?  Is that little voice in my heart actually communicating on behalf of God?

At times I’ve wronged a friend or co-worker.  A voice inside told me to apologize.  And these silent promptings cover all facets of life.  I’ve been noiselessly encouraged to make phone calls, mend relationships, or just take the dinner plates to the dishwasher.

David knew, and I’m learning, that God speaks quite perceptibly and personally much of the time.  Instead of straining my ears for what might be coming from “out there”, I’m going to change my focus to the voice “in here.”

I once thought this scripture meant that when somebody did something I considered a bit odd, it was my obligation to correct that person.  “I need to sharpen him, as iron sharpens iron”, I’d reason.

Now I realize that the purpose of other people’s behavior is to sharpen me.  The one in the group who is hard to love is there to teach me to better love.  The individual who requires patience while rambling on in conversation is in my life to help increase my patience.  Likewise, the friend who displays overwhelming grace is an example that challenges me to show more grace.  They all are instruments of God doing what they do, which sharpens me by extension.

This process requires no real effort on my part, other than to stay engaged with some humans – and the deeper the relationships can go, the better.  In the context of true community, people DO sharpen each other.  It’s not something for which we have to strive.  It simply happens, like the Bible said it would.

In a world where great value is placed on being cutting edge, the method for the spiritual life is simple.  Just show up.