The Tallest of Smalls is a children's book by Max Lucado about the lure of "cool," it's fickle nature and its ultimate meaninglessness.

Max Lucado's parables are some of my children's most treasured books: The Oak Inside the Acorn, You Are Special, Because I Love You, and Just the Way You Are. The beauty of the parable is that it allows children to discover God inside a story that's not explicitly about God. But Lucado brings Jesus literally into The Tallest of Smalls. Which sort of takes the discovery process out of it.

The story is told in verse, and some of the rhymes are so long and convoluted, I had to go back and figure out what they meant, even on the 2nd or 3rd reading. The book's illustrations, by Maria Monescillo, are delightful, and perhaps the saving grace of an otherwise uninspired book.

Maybe I would have thought differently of the book had it not been touted as a "parable." But it was. And The Tallest of Smalls simply lacks the depth and richness of a Lucado parable.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy of this book.

Kings are great men by the world's standards. Their power and riches seems something to strive for. But are thing as they seem?

I've read about lots of kings so far in the 61 Days. They've all been powerful, accomplished men. But all of them were ultimately failures. All of them ultimately turned away from God, worshiping and trusting in the power of other gods, other people, or themselves. Joash, Amaziah and Uzziah in today's reading are no exception.

From where most of us stand, God's kingdom seems upside down. In God's kingdom, the powerful, the rich, the privileged.....they are the losers. They settle for their own glory instead of the greater glory of God. They settle for their own power instead of the awesome power of God. They settle for grabbing all they can get and hoarding it rather than opening their hands and hearts and experiencing the true riches of the kingdom of God.

Yes, God's kingdom seems upside down. But upside down is a matter of perspective. And I'm pretty sure the way we try to make things work...striving for riches, fame, glory, power, and bragging rights....looks upside down from where God's standing.

This post is part of a series following a 61 day chronological Bible reading plan. Click here and scroll down to see previous 61 Days posts.

Don't mess with the holy man.

That's one of the big lessons I'm taking away from today's reading.

Elijah strikes down 50 men at a time with lightening -- twice (2 Kings 1).

Elisha curses a group of kids who are taunting him and 2 bears come out of nowhere and tear them all limb from limb (2 Kings 2: 23-24).

I'm troubled by the acts of violence wrought by these holy men. I'm particularly troubled by a holy man who sics a couple of bears on a pack of annoying kids. My study Bible explains it this way:

This legend was preserved not for its high ethical quality (there's a tongue in the cheek) but to show the power now vested in Elisha and to teach that one should have respect for prophets.

Like I said. Don't mess with the holy man.

Elijah and Elisha aren't the kinds of holy men familiar to people of my culture -- people like the Pope or Ghandi or the Dali Lama. And reading about Elijah and Elisha makes me wonder if we don't lose something as we tame our holy men, calling holy only that which is sweetness and light and gentleness and grace.

As I think about Jesus, I think modern western culture has stolen part of Jesus. We sentimentalize him as the gentle lover of children -- Santa Claus with a white robe and flowing, blonde hair. We avert our eyes from the Jesus who often spoke sharply to his disciples, the one who used a whip to drive the moneychangers out of the temple, overturning their tables and causing what must have been a generalized panic.

But they're the same Jesus. The real Jesus. And reading about Elijah and Elisha makes me want to reclaim the whole Jesus. He's a holy man after all.....and a holy God....but that's for another post.

Don't mess with the holy man.

This post is part of a series following a 61 day chronological Bible reading plan. Click here and scroll down to see previous 61 Days posts.

Day 22 is all about Elijah, one of God's greatest prophets. Here are some observations and questions. Your thoughts, questions, and comments always make it more interesting!

1 Kings 17

• Elijah's God may not be the widow's god. At least she's not claiming Him for her own. Is God using Elijah to save the widow in an even bigger way than he's using the widow to save Elijah? (v. 12)

• When I look at it logically, the widow has nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing as Elijah asks and making him a biscuit with the last of her flour and oil. Is it hope? Faith? Desperation? Or a cocktail of the three that drives her? What would drive you, in the middle of a long famine, to give the last of your food to a stranger on the promise of an endless supply? (vv. 10-16)

• It occurs to me that maybe the sickness and death of the widow's son wasn't any kind of divine retribution. No act of God. Just an unfortunate turn of events. But look how God responds when Elijah turns to him in faith, praying, pleading the woman's case, rubbing God's ears in the ways the widow has served Elijah and God (vv. 17-23). Is raising the dead son how far God had to go to win the widow's heart? It may seem that God no longer works among his people to inspire faith by raising people from the dead. Is that because he did it once and for all in Jesus?
  

I Kings 18

• Lots of obedience going on here. Elijah presents himself to a man who's been turning the countryside upside down to find him and kill him. Obadiah risks his own life, but ultimately puts his trust in Elijah and the God who sent him. Do I have that much trust? Do I have the capacity for that kind of obedience? (vv. 1-16)

• I love Elijah's taunts as the Baal priests try in vain to move Baal to action, his not-so-subtle comparisons between Baal and the One True God. (vv. 27-28)

• Look what Elijah does to put God's awesome power on display. (vv. 30-35) And how God brings on the rain afterward, making it undeniably clear that He is the Giver of Life.

I Kings 19

• The broom brush reminds me of Hagar lying Ishmael under the bush. And the 40 days in the desert is like Moses' 40 years.....and Jesus 40 days in the desert is like Elijah's. (vv. 3-9)
  

• It's surprising where God is, given his awesome power. And maybe in his world-weary, worn-out-for God state, it's only in the whisper that Elijah has the strength to experience God. (vv. 11-14)
  

• When Elijah calls him out, Elisha butchers his oxen, burns his plow and tackle to cook them and has a massive farewell feast with his family. (v. 21) He's leaving. Forever. To follow the call. What are our oxen, yours and mine? What are our plow and tackle? Will we be as decisive as Elisha when God makes a call on our lives?

This post is part of a series following a 61 day chronological Bible reading plan. Click here and scroll down to see previous 61 Days posts.

Got an empty shoebox? This week is Operation Christmas Child's national collection week. Operation Christmas Child collects shoeboxes filled with goodies and delivers them for Christmas to children overseas, along with a message about who Jesus is. Here's a great video about what the shoe boxes mean to the kids who receive them.



Arin and Peyton went shopping at Walmart last week, filling their boxes with fun stuff like yo-yo's and bandanas and necklaces and candy; with school supplies like pencils and colored pencils and sharpeners and calculators; and with the basics like a washcloth, soap, deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste. We're dropping the boxes off at the church we've been attending on Sunday.

Connor will be packing shoe boxes with the youth group at church tonight. He's taking 3 big shoe boxes (from snow boots we bought last weekend), Q-tips, shower puffs, and some candy and gum. It'll be fun to see how all the kids' contributions come together to make shoe boxes tonight!

If you've never heard of Operation Christmas Child, take a minute to learn about it on their website. It's a little thing that makes a big difference!

Wherever you live, there's probably a dropoff site for shoeboxes near you. Hurry! Collections are happening this week! And on the off chance that there isn't a collection site near you, OR if you can't get a box put together by the collection deadline in your area, you can always send your shoe box directly to Operation Christmas Child anytime of the year.

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. It's a book by Eugene Peterson, the author of The Message translation of the Bible. I haven't read it yet, but I want to. And the title has been rolling around in my mind for weeks now. It implies commitment, perseverance, and a sense of vision for the right way to go.

For me, the title turns to a question...WHO has lived a long obedience in the same direction? As I've traversed the 61 Days, I've read about Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Asa, and many others besides. Name anyone. All stepped off the path, some more, some less. But all took a detour now and then.

My own life doesn't look like "a long obedience in the same direction."

It looks more like "a series of stops and starts in the same general direction with significant moments of being totally lost along the way."

As far as I know, only one person in the Bible succeeded at a long obedience in the same direction -- Jesus. So I'm curious to see what Peterson has to say, to see if it can set me on a surer, steadier path. But I'm pretty sure the only way to stay on the path is to stay connected to the One who has already walked it.

Asa's not one of the big names in the Bible, but his story holds a key for living in relationship with God. Here's the story:

Asa was a worker. He began his rule as king this way:

He cleaned house: got rid of the pagan altars and shrines, smashed the sacred stone pillars, and chopped down the sex-and-religion groves. (2 Chron. 14)

While his country lived at peace, he fortified its cities and built armies. Early in his rule, the Ethiopians went to war against Asa. He didn't put his armies into action. He sought God, praying,

"O God, you aren't impressed by numbers or intimidated by a show of force once you decide to help: Help us, O God; we have come out to meet this huge army because we trust in you and who you are. Don't let mere mortals stand against you!" (2 Chron. 14)

And God soundly defeated the Ethiopians. Then God sent this prophecy to Asa:

God will stick with you as long as you stick with him. If you look for him he will let himself be found; but if you leave him he'll leave you. (2 Chron. 15)

Later in his reign, a foreign army threatened Asa's kingdom. But this time he did not seek God first. He enlisted the help of an ally, trusting his political connections and his military might before he trusted God. And a prophet came to Asa saying,

Didn't the Ethiopians and Libyans come against you with superior forces, completely outclassing you with their chariots and cavalry? But you asked God for help and he gave you the victory. God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to him. You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help. (2 Chron. 16).

The key to living in relationship with God is repeated in so many places, in so many ways. David held the key once. Asa held it and lost it. Again and again, people, even heroes of the faith, lose the key. It sounds like this:

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. (Proverbs 3: 5-7)

There's a promise in Asa's story I don't want let go of, "If you look for him, he will let himself be found."

The key is to remember to look and to trust. Today, I'll try to remember to look and to trust. And when I wake up again tomorrow, I will have to make myself remember it again. And again the next day. And again the next. And God help me on the days when I forget and can't find the key.

This post is part of a series following a 61 day chronological Bible reading plan. Click here and scroll down to see previous 61 Days posts.