I haven't really been a baseball fan since the late '90s. Back then the Cleveland Indians were one of the dominate teams in Major Legue Baseball. From 1995-1999 they had two World Series appearances, and were division champions every year. I'm not a fair-weather fan, the reason I stopped following them was because all the players began to be traded, or retire. It got to the point in the early 2000's that I didn't know who anyone was anymore, and lost interest.
I haven't watched much baseball in the last twelve years, but Sunday night I was flipping back and forth between Peyton Manning and the Broncos and game 4 of the World Series. After Peyton had secured the win with a 20 point lead and about a minute and a half left I switched and finished the world series.
The game was tied 3-3 and went into extra innings. The San Francisco Giants took a 4-3 lead in the top of the tenth inning, and as the Detroit Tigers stepped up to the plate trying desperately to stay alive something caught my eye. In the seats right behind home plate there was an individual with a bright green sign. In black letters it said, "John 3:16".
I didn't notice it until the final three batters stepped up to the plate. But as the series neared its conclusion the individual in the front row held the homemade sign high, and immediately a stadium worker went up to the person and had them lower the sign. I don't think it was because of the message, I think it was because it was blocking the view of the people behind him. But even in that you see the enemy trying to silence the message of the Gospel.
I don't know how many people are saved by signs like that, but my guess is that it isn't many. Part of me wonders why people try to evangelize with signs since there is no relationship with the people reading it. But regardless, the message is being put out there, and rather than giving the referance full of anger and condemnation, John 3.16 proclaims the love and salvation that God offers. And wherever the message is proclaimed, the enemy works to shut it down.
It might be someone telling an individual at a sporting event to lower a homemade sign. It could be filling a new believer with fear or doubt. It could be in hardening the heart of an individual over time so that when the message is presented to them they reject it out of bitterness. The message of the Gospel is the most crucial message that must be shared,
The words of the Gospel are the words of life, and the enemy doesn't want them to be shared. And he will do whatever it takes to try and stop it. The question is, will you persever and share them? Will you refused to be silenced and proclaim the essential message of truth?
It all begins with a relationship, and as we get to know people we have the chance to live the gospel out before them, sharing it with not only our words, but our actions as well.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Church, Meet God
In three months from right now I will be asleep in a hotel in Jerusalem after taking in the view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives, traveling the traditional Palm Sunday walk, sitting and reflecting in a corner of the Garden of Gethsemane, exploring an area of the city that contains the traditional upper room, and hopefully traveling to Bethlehem. I'm so excited. My wife and I are beginning to get everything ready for the trip.
Recently I've found myself with a lot of time on my hands, and I have been able to get a copy of the syllabus from my professor. I'm starting to get back into student mode. Right now I'm reading through the different Scripture passages for class as I wait for the final book to arrive. As I've been reading the text is hitting me in a new way. And I want to share a verse that I've been thinking about for the last few days.
Exodus 19.17, "And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain."
Moses brought the people out of the camp so that they could meet God. He lead them from the safety and shelter of their tents, to the foot of the mountain where they would come face to face with God. The people are on their way to the Promised Land. At this point they haven't been sentenced to forty years in the wilderness for disobedience and lack of trust.
Right now this is simply them coming face to face with the God who showed His power in Egypt, and lead them through the Red Sea to freedom. Right after this Moses will receive the Ten Commandments. The people will learn God's statutes so that they can live in the way that He requires. But before they can begin to live as God would have them live, they must first meet God. And so Moses, God's chosen leader, His messenger before the people, brings them to the mountain to introduce them to God.
This past Sunday my grandpa said something that I haven't stopped thinking about. "The Church spends too much time trying to do the work of God, and not enough time teaching about who God is." I think that's true for most churches in America. Many of them are declining in attendance, some don't have the funds to continue operating for much longer. Most of them are made up of people who have been there for the past fifty years, which isn't a bad thing, but because those are the only people there church is done like it's 1962.
The Church is trying to do the work of God, but based on the results that are being seen, I think it's safe to say that it isn't doing a very good job. And the reason the Church isn't doing a very good job at doing the work of God is because the Church really doesn't know who God is.
As leaders of the Church we need to bring people to the mountain, get them out of the camp, and bring them face to face with God. Instead of trying to do God's work, hoping we get it right, let's meet God and focus on knowing Him. When we know God, we are able to join His work. But if we don't know God, there is no way for us to know how to get involved with Him.
The Church needs to refocus. If we want to take part in the work of God, it begins with knowing God. To know God, we must first meet Him. And when we do it might be a terrifying experience. The Israelites didn't want to hear from God directly, but wanted Moses to intervene for them. Francis Chan, in his recent Basic, Fear God, talks about how the fear of God is genuine fear. It isn't simply awe and respect, but as we see in Scripture, people are terrified when they come in contact with God. But when we meet God we see that there is nothing else to fear, and we are able to fear not because we belong to God.
As God's people we can take part in the work He is doing, but we can only join Him if we know Him. Our primary focus must be on knowing God. The Church needs to teach who God is, and as people come to know God their lives we be transformed. As lives are transformed the work of God gets accomplished. It all begins with knowing God. So, Church, meet God.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Recently I've found myself with a lot of time on my hands, and I have been able to get a copy of the syllabus from my professor. I'm starting to get back into student mode. Right now I'm reading through the different Scripture passages for class as I wait for the final book to arrive. As I've been reading the text is hitting me in a new way. And I want to share a verse that I've been thinking about for the last few days.
Exodus 19.17, "And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain."
Moses brought the people out of the camp so that they could meet God. He lead them from the safety and shelter of their tents, to the foot of the mountain where they would come face to face with God. The people are on their way to the Promised Land. At this point they haven't been sentenced to forty years in the wilderness for disobedience and lack of trust.
Right now this is simply them coming face to face with the God who showed His power in Egypt, and lead them through the Red Sea to freedom. Right after this Moses will receive the Ten Commandments. The people will learn God's statutes so that they can live in the way that He requires. But before they can begin to live as God would have them live, they must first meet God. And so Moses, God's chosen leader, His messenger before the people, brings them to the mountain to introduce them to God.
This past Sunday my grandpa said something that I haven't stopped thinking about. "The Church spends too much time trying to do the work of God, and not enough time teaching about who God is." I think that's true for most churches in America. Many of them are declining in attendance, some don't have the funds to continue operating for much longer. Most of them are made up of people who have been there for the past fifty years, which isn't a bad thing, but because those are the only people there church is done like it's 1962.
The Church is trying to do the work of God, but based on the results that are being seen, I think it's safe to say that it isn't doing a very good job. And the reason the Church isn't doing a very good job at doing the work of God is because the Church really doesn't know who God is.
As leaders of the Church we need to bring people to the mountain, get them out of the camp, and bring them face to face with God. Instead of trying to do God's work, hoping we get it right, let's meet God and focus on knowing Him. When we know God, we are able to join His work. But if we don't know God, there is no way for us to know how to get involved with Him.
The Church needs to refocus. If we want to take part in the work of God, it begins with knowing God. To know God, we must first meet Him. And when we do it might be a terrifying experience. The Israelites didn't want to hear from God directly, but wanted Moses to intervene for them. Francis Chan, in his recent Basic, Fear God, talks about how the fear of God is genuine fear. It isn't simply awe and respect, but as we see in Scripture, people are terrified when they come in contact with God. But when we meet God we see that there is nothing else to fear, and we are able to fear not because we belong to God.
As God's people we can take part in the work He is doing, but we can only join Him if we know Him. Our primary focus must be on knowing God. The Church needs to teach who God is, and as people come to know God their lives we be transformed. As lives are transformed the work of God gets accomplished. It all begins with knowing God. So, Church, meet God.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Saturday, October 13, 2012
More Like Falling in Love
This morning I was driving, and heard a song I haven't listened to in a while. I may have written about it when I first started this blog, but I can't remember. It's a song by Jason Gray, one of Christian music's best kept secrets as I recently read. The song was the first one of his that I had heard, and it's called "More like falling in love".
Give me rules,I will break them
Show me lines,I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet, it's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love
Give me words, I'll misuse them
Obligations, I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free, it's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in
Love, love, love deeper and deeper,
It was love that made me a believer
In more than a name a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love
It's like I'm falling
I'm falling in love
It's like I'm falling
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHxpLvv2y8)
That's the beauty of Christianity. It isn't a set of rules to follow, or a list of facts to memorize, it's a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Religion simply makes us sinners that are helpless without grace. It doesn't set us free, but rather enslaves us to tradition and ritual. But a relationship with Jesus, brings grace, and with that grace comes freedom.
Christianity isn't something that can be figured out. No one ever would have thought this thing up. The idea of God becoming fully human, taking the punishment of humanity upon Himself, and then freely returning the reward of His suffering back to man is unique to Christianity.
But none of these comments will ever convince a skeptic. There is nothing I can say that will make anyone believe. There is no argument that I can make that will bring someone to conviction. The only way for a life to be transformed is through love. This thing called Christianity is not something to believe in to avoid hell, but it's falling in love and entering to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
This isn't about following the rules to avoid punishment. It isn't about seeing how close we can get to the line of sin without actually crossing it. This is about a relationship based on unconditional love. Love that has made the greatest sacrifice and would do it all over again if necessary. Love that transforms and redeems. This thing called Christianity is all about love, and therefore entering into it has to be more like falling in love than simply believing, more like losing your heart than pledging your allegiance.
I've pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands more times that I can count, but I've lost my heart to my wife. My loyalty goes to my wife before my country, and my loyalty to her is stronger than any I could ever have for a nation. That's because there is a commitment stronger than any words I could ever say for my wife. There is love welding us together.
Marriage is the closest model we have of the relationship that Jesus wants with us, His Church. In marriage we see two people willingly coming together, loving and respecting each other, prepared to do anything for the other person. It's because they are in love. Love is the foundation, and so it's got to be more like falling in love.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Give me rules,I will break them
Show me lines,I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet, it's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love
Give me words, I'll misuse them
Obligations, I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free, it's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in
Love, love, love deeper and deeper,
It was love that made me a believer
In more than a name a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling
It's gotta be
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love
It's like I'm falling
I'm falling in love
It's like I'm falling
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXHxpLvv2y8)
That's the beauty of Christianity. It isn't a set of rules to follow, or a list of facts to memorize, it's a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Religion simply makes us sinners that are helpless without grace. It doesn't set us free, but rather enslaves us to tradition and ritual. But a relationship with Jesus, brings grace, and with that grace comes freedom.
Christianity isn't something that can be figured out. No one ever would have thought this thing up. The idea of God becoming fully human, taking the punishment of humanity upon Himself, and then freely returning the reward of His suffering back to man is unique to Christianity.
But none of these comments will ever convince a skeptic. There is nothing I can say that will make anyone believe. There is no argument that I can make that will bring someone to conviction. The only way for a life to be transformed is through love. This thing called Christianity is not something to believe in to avoid hell, but it's falling in love and entering to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
This isn't about following the rules to avoid punishment. It isn't about seeing how close we can get to the line of sin without actually crossing it. This is about a relationship based on unconditional love. Love that has made the greatest sacrifice and would do it all over again if necessary. Love that transforms and redeems. This thing called Christianity is all about love, and therefore entering into it has to be more like falling in love than simply believing, more like losing your heart than pledging your allegiance.
I've pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands more times that I can count, but I've lost my heart to my wife. My loyalty goes to my wife before my country, and my loyalty to her is stronger than any I could ever have for a nation. That's because there is a commitment stronger than any words I could ever say for my wife. There is love welding us together.
Marriage is the closest model we have of the relationship that Jesus wants with us, His Church. In marriage we see two people willingly coming together, loving and respecting each other, prepared to do anything for the other person. It's because they are in love. Love is the foundation, and so it's got to be more like falling in love.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Failure
For some reason over the last few days I've had a commercial on my mind. Back during the summer between my junior and senior years of college I had the privilege of serving as a counselor at teen church camp. This was the second time I had been a counselor and so there was a base relationship with some of the guy campers. I remember during one of the evening services there was one guy who pulled me aside and asked if we could talk.
We went out and sat on a bench and I listened to him talk. His family was moving out of state right before his senior year of high school. This teen camp would be his last district church event before the move. He was having a rough time with it because this is where he had grown up. So many of his friends were through church and church events, and now he was moving.
I don't remember what I said to him, but that conversation was the start of a friendship. I've since lost touch with him, I can't even find him on facebook any more. But for the rest of that summer we'd message back and forth frequently. It's been several years since we've talked, but one day he shared something with me that I've never forgotten.
The commercial I mentioned earlier was made by Nike, and it features basketball legend Michael Jordan. You see him get out of a vehicle, people take pictures and high five him as he walks towards a set of doors. As he walks you hear his voice sharing different statistics from his career. "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45mMioJ5szc)
He doesn't talk about the games he's won, the more than 32,000 points he's scored, or any of the six championships he won. He doesn't talk about any of his MVP awards or All-star appearances. His two Olympic gold medals aren't talked about or any other records that he set. Instead you have one of the greatest basketball players to ever handle a ball talking about the many ways he's failed.
I read how after Jordan came back from his first basketball retirement the Chicago Bulls were struggling to make the playoffs. After he came back the team went 13-4 and made it to the semi-finals. The ended up losing in six games, but a big moment happened in game 1. Jordan was stripped of the ball from behind in what turned into the game-winning basket. The player who stripped the ball later said, "[He] didn't look like the old Michael Jordan."
He worked hard that off season, and the next year the Bulls went 72-10, the best record in NBA history. The reason Michael Jordan succeeds because of failure is that it drives him to improve. It is because Michael Jordan works harder because of failure that he is one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
How do you respond to failure? Does it serve as motivation to make you better, driving you to work harder? Or does it make you bitter and resentful? Do you turn failure into success, or stew in it, wasting the opportunity?
We are going to fail, but our failure is opportunity to improve. Failure shows us weakness, it shows us areas that need improvement. And because of failure we can become stronger and better. The Bible tells us that "God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8.28). All things, not just the good, but the hard, the times we fail, and the times we fall apart.
The purpose of God is for us to become like Christ (Romans 8.29). And Paul tells us in Philippians 1, that we will have struggles and face hardships for Christ's sake. But Paul declares in Philippians 3, that he will "Press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3.14).
Through the hard times, through the failure, we continue to press on towards Christlikeness. We take the failure we face, and allow it to mold us more into the likeness of Christ. We allow God to use our failures, and cause them to work together for good.
You will fail over and over and over again. Will you succeed because of it?
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
We went out and sat on a bench and I listened to him talk. His family was moving out of state right before his senior year of high school. This teen camp would be his last district church event before the move. He was having a rough time with it because this is where he had grown up. So many of his friends were through church and church events, and now he was moving.
I don't remember what I said to him, but that conversation was the start of a friendship. I've since lost touch with him, I can't even find him on facebook any more. But for the rest of that summer we'd message back and forth frequently. It's been several years since we've talked, but one day he shared something with me that I've never forgotten.
The commercial I mentioned earlier was made by Nike, and it features basketball legend Michael Jordan. You see him get out of a vehicle, people take pictures and high five him as he walks towards a set of doors. As he walks you hear his voice sharing different statistics from his career. "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed."
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45mMioJ5szc)
He doesn't talk about the games he's won, the more than 32,000 points he's scored, or any of the six championships he won. He doesn't talk about any of his MVP awards or All-star appearances. His two Olympic gold medals aren't talked about or any other records that he set. Instead you have one of the greatest basketball players to ever handle a ball talking about the many ways he's failed.
I read how after Jordan came back from his first basketball retirement the Chicago Bulls were struggling to make the playoffs. After he came back the team went 13-4 and made it to the semi-finals. The ended up losing in six games, but a big moment happened in game 1. Jordan was stripped of the ball from behind in what turned into the game-winning basket. The player who stripped the ball later said, "[He] didn't look like the old Michael Jordan."
He worked hard that off season, and the next year the Bulls went 72-10, the best record in NBA history. The reason Michael Jordan succeeds because of failure is that it drives him to improve. It is because Michael Jordan works harder because of failure that he is one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
How do you respond to failure? Does it serve as motivation to make you better, driving you to work harder? Or does it make you bitter and resentful? Do you turn failure into success, or stew in it, wasting the opportunity?
We are going to fail, but our failure is opportunity to improve. Failure shows us weakness, it shows us areas that need improvement. And because of failure we can become stronger and better. The Bible tells us that "God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8.28). All things, not just the good, but the hard, the times we fail, and the times we fall apart.
The purpose of God is for us to become like Christ (Romans 8.29). And Paul tells us in Philippians 1, that we will have struggles and face hardships for Christ's sake. But Paul declares in Philippians 3, that he will "Press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3.14).
Through the hard times, through the failure, we continue to press on towards Christlikeness. We take the failure we face, and allow it to mold us more into the likeness of Christ. We allow God to use our failures, and cause them to work together for good.
You will fail over and over and over again. Will you succeed because of it?
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
In His Plan
"I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed what God has planned. I only know at His right hand stands one who is my Savior." It was some time early in 2006 when I first heard those words from Aaron Shust's song "My Savior, My God".
Yesterday was a bit of a rough day for me. As I was writing the blog post on daily bread I got an email letting me know that I didn't get a job I had applied for. A job that on the surface looked like my dream job. That's pretty much how my day started, and so it wasn't the best start to the day.
I sat at the top of the steps, called my wife, told her, and shed a few tears of frustration and defeat. At that moment part of me really felt like just giving up. Doors keep closing, and the doors that are open aren't doors I'm being led to walk through. And I as I sat I cried out to God, wondering what I'm supposed to do, what He wants me to do.
Honestly, I was a little angry, and part of me really didn't want to talk to God at all. Part of me felt like He didn't want me to ever really be able to use my gifts. Part of me felt like He wanted me in situations where I would struggle and be miserable forever. And part of me wanted nothing to do with any of that.
It was a rough day. And last night as I was laying in bed those words came to my mind again. "I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed what God has planned." You see throughout the day God showed me that He cares, that He loves me, and that he will provide.
I had shared the situation my wife and I are in financially with two friends here in Canal Fulton, and I found out that they immediately went to work to help us. And God provided for them to be able to do above and beyond the need that we expressed.
Something else happened that I cannot talk about at the moment, but it gave me hope again. Hope in my calling, hope in the potential for a chance to use my gifts and be able to live out my calling.
I went to bed last night in a better mood than when I woke up. I went to bed with more hope than I've had in a while. And this morning I woke up humbled and needing to seek His forgiveness. I know that God cares. I know that He will provide. I know that He has a plan for my life and my wife's life that will make full use of our gifts, passions, and talents.
I wish I didn't get so discouraged. I wish I didn't get so depressed. I wish I was stronger and had greater faith. I wish I could just trust and believe. But maybe that's the point of this experience. I shared a few weeks ago that the wilderness is a place of remembering. Hardships are chances for us to see God come through. When we face things that only He can overcome we see His power in action, and come to deeper faith in Him because we've seen Him come through first hand.
I know that all of this is faith building and hope enforcing. God is reminding me over and over that He does care, and that He has something better in mind than I could ever imagine. He will never leave me or forsake me.
"I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed what God has planned. I only know at His right hand stands one who is my Savior." God has a plan for my life, and though I cannot understand it, there is a Savior at His side who reminds me that I have a place the plan. That Savior will never leave me. God will not abandon me or forsake me.
And the same is said for you. I know how hard it is at times, but I'm watching God come through. I'm seeing God give hope. God loves you, don't give up. His plan is so much bigger and better than anything you could ever imagine, and you have a place in it. He will not leave you for forsake you. Keep moving, keep trusting, and keep watching Him as He comes through.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Yesterday was a bit of a rough day for me. As I was writing the blog post on daily bread I got an email letting me know that I didn't get a job I had applied for. A job that on the surface looked like my dream job. That's pretty much how my day started, and so it wasn't the best start to the day.
I sat at the top of the steps, called my wife, told her, and shed a few tears of frustration and defeat. At that moment part of me really felt like just giving up. Doors keep closing, and the doors that are open aren't doors I'm being led to walk through. And I as I sat I cried out to God, wondering what I'm supposed to do, what He wants me to do.
Honestly, I was a little angry, and part of me really didn't want to talk to God at all. Part of me felt like He didn't want me to ever really be able to use my gifts. Part of me felt like He wanted me in situations where I would struggle and be miserable forever. And part of me wanted nothing to do with any of that.
It was a rough day. And last night as I was laying in bed those words came to my mind again. "I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed what God has planned." You see throughout the day God showed me that He cares, that He loves me, and that he will provide.
I had shared the situation my wife and I are in financially with two friends here in Canal Fulton, and I found out that they immediately went to work to help us. And God provided for them to be able to do above and beyond the need that we expressed.
Something else happened that I cannot talk about at the moment, but it gave me hope again. Hope in my calling, hope in the potential for a chance to use my gifts and be able to live out my calling.
I went to bed last night in a better mood than when I woke up. I went to bed with more hope than I've had in a while. And this morning I woke up humbled and needing to seek His forgiveness. I know that God cares. I know that He will provide. I know that He has a plan for my life and my wife's life that will make full use of our gifts, passions, and talents.
I wish I didn't get so discouraged. I wish I didn't get so depressed. I wish I was stronger and had greater faith. I wish I could just trust and believe. But maybe that's the point of this experience. I shared a few weeks ago that the wilderness is a place of remembering. Hardships are chances for us to see God come through. When we face things that only He can overcome we see His power in action, and come to deeper faith in Him because we've seen Him come through first hand.
I know that all of this is faith building and hope enforcing. God is reminding me over and over that He does care, and that He has something better in mind than I could ever imagine. He will never leave me or forsake me.
"I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed what God has planned. I only know at His right hand stands one who is my Savior." God has a plan for my life, and though I cannot understand it, there is a Savior at His side who reminds me that I have a place the plan. That Savior will never leave me. God will not abandon me or forsake me.
And the same is said for you. I know how hard it is at times, but I'm watching God come through. I'm seeing God give hope. God loves you, don't give up. His plan is so much bigger and better than anything you could ever imagine, and you have a place in it. He will not leave you for forsake you. Keep moving, keep trusting, and keep watching Him as He comes through.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Monday, October 8, 2012
Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread
Recently I watched a DVD curriculum series by Francis Chan called "Basic". It's a series of seven short films that focus on the basics of Church and the Christian life, according to what the Bible says. All of them are incredible and challenging. Each one spoke to me, and I'm looking forward to really diving into each one in the next few weeks and months.
Today I want to share one brief thought on the disc entitled, "Prayer", and share experience with it. Taking the Biblical model of the Lord's Prayer, Francis Chan goes phrase by phrase to help us see what we're really praying, what we're really asking God to do or what we're really committing to as we talk to God. Honestly, it's a bit frightening when you begin to understand what is contained in the words many of us learned as children and can quote without thinking twice.
Eventually I'll look at each phrase, but I'm starting to see at certain stages of life different things stand out to us. I've shared that over the past three years God has given me a word of the year that everything has revolved around. I've started to notice that at certain moments in life different phrases stand out to me that people say.
For example, when I was ordained this past summer the General Superintendent quotes part of 2 Timothy 4, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction... be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." The part that stood out to me, that I distinctly remember him saying, was, "endure affliction."
With what we were going through at the time, what was about to come, and most likely what is still waiting in the distance, that part is the only thing I clearly remember hearing that night.
And as I watched the Basic series I had a similar moment. All of it is incredible. All of it is thought provoking and challenging. But out of all of it the one thing that has really stood out to me most, the one thing that I haven't stopped thinking about is the statement made on the phrase, "Give us this day our daily bread."
I loaned my copy of the series to a pastor friend, and I can't find the full video online so you're going to get my best recollection of the quote. Basically Francis says, "If God really gave us our daily bread, I think most of us would be like, 'That's it?! That's all You're going to give me?!'"
Many, if not all, of us worry about the future. We wonder how we'll pay for things, when we'll be able to buy a house, how we'll afford college for the kids. We worry about tomorrow at the expense of today. We are told not to worry about tomorrow, not to worry about what we'll eat, drink, or wear, because God will take care of us. We are told simply to ask for our daily bread.
As my wife and I have been on this journey of one salary, not knowing how we're going to pay some bills, and in general just wondering where we're going to end up, I've been focusing a lot on that phrase, "Give us this day our daily bread." All I have is today, all that I have any right to ask God for is enough for today. And the thing of it is, God will provide that. Jesus told us to ask for it. God will provide what we need for each day. When He does we need to receive it with gratitude.
God will provide for our daily needs. Are we content to let Him do that?
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Today I want to share one brief thought on the disc entitled, "Prayer", and share experience with it. Taking the Biblical model of the Lord's Prayer, Francis Chan goes phrase by phrase to help us see what we're really praying, what we're really asking God to do or what we're really committing to as we talk to God. Honestly, it's a bit frightening when you begin to understand what is contained in the words many of us learned as children and can quote without thinking twice.
Eventually I'll look at each phrase, but I'm starting to see at certain stages of life different things stand out to us. I've shared that over the past three years God has given me a word of the year that everything has revolved around. I've started to notice that at certain moments in life different phrases stand out to me that people say.
For example, when I was ordained this past summer the General Superintendent quotes part of 2 Timothy 4, "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction... be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." The part that stood out to me, that I distinctly remember him saying, was, "endure affliction."
With what we were going through at the time, what was about to come, and most likely what is still waiting in the distance, that part is the only thing I clearly remember hearing that night.
And as I watched the Basic series I had a similar moment. All of it is incredible. All of it is thought provoking and challenging. But out of all of it the one thing that has really stood out to me most, the one thing that I haven't stopped thinking about is the statement made on the phrase, "Give us this day our daily bread."
I loaned my copy of the series to a pastor friend, and I can't find the full video online so you're going to get my best recollection of the quote. Basically Francis says, "If God really gave us our daily bread, I think most of us would be like, 'That's it?! That's all You're going to give me?!'"
Many, if not all, of us worry about the future. We wonder how we'll pay for things, when we'll be able to buy a house, how we'll afford college for the kids. We worry about tomorrow at the expense of today. We are told not to worry about tomorrow, not to worry about what we'll eat, drink, or wear, because God will take care of us. We are told simply to ask for our daily bread.
As my wife and I have been on this journey of one salary, not knowing how we're going to pay some bills, and in general just wondering where we're going to end up, I've been focusing a lot on that phrase, "Give us this day our daily bread." All I have is today, all that I have any right to ask God for is enough for today. And the thing of it is, God will provide that. Jesus told us to ask for it. God will provide what we need for each day. When He does we need to receive it with gratitude.
God will provide for our daily needs. Are we content to let Him do that?
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Dancing in the Minefields
Just under a week after we got engaged my wife, fiance at the time, turned twenty-five. That year I set a bar so high that I'll probably never be able to come close to it again. I gave her a wooden box she had picked out, sort of like a treasure chest, that had different things in it. Notes I had been writing her, and not giving her, since our first date that had been recording everything we had done, pictures we had taken together, a small heart shaped rock I had picked up on the day we first said "I love you", some other small things, and what I referred to as, "The Ultimate Gift."
I believe I've shared this story on here before, but I'll recap briefly. My wife's favorite flower is the Love and Peace Rose. She had seen it once at a rose garden but she told me that no one had ever given her it. My plan was to get her a bouquet of them, turns out they're hard to find. No florist carries them. And then as I thought about it, that's really a waste, so I one-uped it. I decided to get her an actual rose bush of them so she could enjoy them all the time.
Turns out finding the plant is nearly as impossible. I searched several local nurseries, and no one had it. My cousin, whose husband is a landscaper, joined the search looking at their suppliers, none of them carried it. Finally I found one at a place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was waiting as long as possible to order it because of the high shipping costs.
One day I was driving past a different nursery, and felt a God led need to stop in there. Long story short, they had one left. Got it took some pictures, and put them at the bottom of the box underneath everything else along with the tag that was on the plant.
It was a good day for her, and she was happy. The flowers have given rise to my new gardening hobby, and I wonder what in the world I'm going to do for each birthday for the rest of our lives.
There was one other thing that didn't make it into the box. Over the years we have both been impacted by different songs. Songs that have chronicled our story as we had searched for each other. I had compiled them onto a CD and had planned to give that to her as well, the reason I hadn't is because she ended up getting it early.
We had had a rough conversation one evening, and at the end I decided to give it to her just to reaffirm how much I loved her. I had written out why each song had been chosen, and I think she got that on her birthday, but that night we listened to the CD together.
We got engaged, began planning the wedding, met some resistance, and ended up finding one more song that got added to the CD. It's called, "Dancing in the Minefields" by Andrew Peterson. It's the song that played during the recessional of our wedding.
Last night we had a different night. We were laying on the couch watching "Jumanji", and I fell asleep, that wasn't the different part. I woke up enough to walk up the stairs, brush my teeth, and fall in bed around 10:45. And then the different happened. We were both wide awake and unable to fall asleep. We've never both been wide awake. She said it under her breath thinking I was out and then I responded, "Me too." We talked for a few minutes and then decided to get up and go play backgammon downstairs.
As she was setting up the board I thought of the CD and loaded it onto the laptop to listen to as we played. Song after song and then we came to "Dancing in the Minefields."
Well I was nineteen, you were twenty-one
The year we got engaged
And everyone said we were much too young
But we did it anyway
We got the rings for forty each
From a pawn shop down the road
We said our vows and took the leap
Now fifteen years ago
And we went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storms
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for
Well "I do" are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I've heard
Is a good place to begin
'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it's an easy price
For the life that we have found
And we're dancing in the minefields
We're sailing in the storms
And this is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for
That's what the promise is for
So when I lose my way, find me
And when I loose love's chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, 'til the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me
'Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there's nothing left to fear
So I'll walk with you in the shadowlands
'Til the shadows disappear
'Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you
So let's go dancing in the minefields
Let's go sailing in the storms
Oh, let's go dancing in the minefields
And kicking down the doors.
Oh,lets go dancing in the minefields
And sailing in the storms
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for
That's what the promise is for
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gs3fg_WsEg)
It was around 12:40 am when that song ended. I leaned over, kissed my wife, told her I loved her, and that I was glad we were together in this. This is so much harder than we ever dreamed it would be. But honestly I'm glad that I have her to dance in the minefields with.
As I shared earlier this week, the Bible says, "When he falls" not "If". We're going to go through the minefields, and some of them are going to go off, but we'll make it to the other side together because God is holding our hand and leading us through. And because of that, we'll dance.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
I believe I've shared this story on here before, but I'll recap briefly. My wife's favorite flower is the Love and Peace Rose. She had seen it once at a rose garden but she told me that no one had ever given her it. My plan was to get her a bouquet of them, turns out they're hard to find. No florist carries them. And then as I thought about it, that's really a waste, so I one-uped it. I decided to get her an actual rose bush of them so she could enjoy them all the time.
Turns out finding the plant is nearly as impossible. I searched several local nurseries, and no one had it. My cousin, whose husband is a landscaper, joined the search looking at their suppliers, none of them carried it. Finally I found one at a place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was waiting as long as possible to order it because of the high shipping costs.
One day I was driving past a different nursery, and felt a God led need to stop in there. Long story short, they had one left. Got it took some pictures, and put them at the bottom of the box underneath everything else along with the tag that was on the plant.
It was a good day for her, and she was happy. The flowers have given rise to my new gardening hobby, and I wonder what in the world I'm going to do for each birthday for the rest of our lives.
There was one other thing that didn't make it into the box. Over the years we have both been impacted by different songs. Songs that have chronicled our story as we had searched for each other. I had compiled them onto a CD and had planned to give that to her as well, the reason I hadn't is because she ended up getting it early.
We had had a rough conversation one evening, and at the end I decided to give it to her just to reaffirm how much I loved her. I had written out why each song had been chosen, and I think she got that on her birthday, but that night we listened to the CD together.
We got engaged, began planning the wedding, met some resistance, and ended up finding one more song that got added to the CD. It's called, "Dancing in the Minefields" by Andrew Peterson. It's the song that played during the recessional of our wedding.
Last night we had a different night. We were laying on the couch watching "Jumanji", and I fell asleep, that wasn't the different part. I woke up enough to walk up the stairs, brush my teeth, and fall in bed around 10:45. And then the different happened. We were both wide awake and unable to fall asleep. We've never both been wide awake. She said it under her breath thinking I was out and then I responded, "Me too." We talked for a few minutes and then decided to get up and go play backgammon downstairs.
As she was setting up the board I thought of the CD and loaded it onto the laptop to listen to as we played. Song after song and then we came to "Dancing in the Minefields."
Well I was nineteen, you were twenty-one
The year we got engaged
And everyone said we were much too young
But we did it anyway
We got the rings for forty each
From a pawn shop down the road
We said our vows and took the leap
Now fifteen years ago
And we went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storms
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for
Well "I do" are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I've heard
Is a good place to begin
'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it's an easy price
For the life that we have found
And we're dancing in the minefields
We're sailing in the storms
And this is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for
That's what the promise is for
So when I lose my way, find me
And when I loose love's chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, 'til the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me
'Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there's nothing left to fear
So I'll walk with you in the shadowlands
'Til the shadows disappear
'Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you
So let's go dancing in the minefields
Let's go sailing in the storms
Oh, let's go dancing in the minefields
And kicking down the doors.
Oh,lets go dancing in the minefields
And sailing in the storms
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for
That's what the promise is for
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gs3fg_WsEg)
It was around 12:40 am when that song ended. I leaned over, kissed my wife, told her I loved her, and that I was glad we were together in this. This is so much harder than we ever dreamed it would be. But honestly I'm glad that I have her to dance in the minefields with.
As I shared earlier this week, the Bible says, "When he falls" not "If". We're going to go through the minefields, and some of them are going to go off, but we'll make it to the other side together because God is holding our hand and leading us through. And because of that, we'll dance.
"I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
When Not If
Psalm 37.23-24, "The steps of a man are established by the Lord,and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand."
The Bible says that "When he falls", not "If", but "When". We're going to stumble, the wilderness is inevitable, hardships are part of being a follower of Christ. And for the past year I've been experiencing that first hand. I've shared some of the journey, and now I have to share part of where we are now.
A few weeks ago I was laying in bed, my back turned to my wife because I was fighting back tears. I had spent most of the day just feeling like God didn't care about me at all. Things just were piling up. People who I thought would be there for me weren't, and my wife and I just felt very alone.
Right now I don't know how we're going to make it. Things just keep hitting us from every direction. I don't know where we're going live in twelve days. We have bills that we don't know how we're going to pay. I'm wondering why God has given me a call that He isn't letting me do anything with. I feel like no is ever going to give me a shot, like no one is willing to take a chance on me.
Honestly, right now if God doesn't show up, we're not going to make it. If God doesn't open a door, I don't know what I'm going to do. But as I read the verse that says "When he falls," if have to focus on the rest, "he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand."
God is holding my hand. Even if I can't feel it, He is with me. He will come through, He always does. And as I type that I'm thinking, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." God will come through, because right after that, Psalm 37.25, declares this, "I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
I don't know what's going to happen. I know I have a wife who loves me and respects me. I know that the Bible says God loves me, that He will never leave me or forsake me, and that He holds my hand. God will come through for us. We will fall, but we will not stumble headlong because God has my hand. I will fall, but I won't land on my face in the dirt, because God has my hand.
I'm still working on believing that all the time. The reality is that there are still days when everything else builds up and it's hard to have hope. But over and over the Bible tells about how God came through for His people. The Bible is clear that we will face difficulties, but that God will lead us through all of it.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread." That will be my testimony.
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
The Bible says that "When he falls", not "If", but "When". We're going to stumble, the wilderness is inevitable, hardships are part of being a follower of Christ. And for the past year I've been experiencing that first hand. I've shared some of the journey, and now I have to share part of where we are now.
A few weeks ago I was laying in bed, my back turned to my wife because I was fighting back tears. I had spent most of the day just feeling like God didn't care about me at all. Things just were piling up. People who I thought would be there for me weren't, and my wife and I just felt very alone.
Right now I don't know how we're going to make it. Things just keep hitting us from every direction. I don't know where we're going live in twelve days. We have bills that we don't know how we're going to pay. I'm wondering why God has given me a call that He isn't letting me do anything with. I feel like no is ever going to give me a shot, like no one is willing to take a chance on me.
Honestly, right now if God doesn't show up, we're not going to make it. If God doesn't open a door, I don't know what I'm going to do. But as I read the verse that says "When he falls," if have to focus on the rest, "he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand."
God is holding my hand. Even if I can't feel it, He is with me. He will come through, He always does. And as I type that I'm thinking, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." God will come through, because right after that, Psalm 37.25, declares this, "I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
I don't know what's going to happen. I know I have a wife who loves me and respects me. I know that the Bible says God loves me, that He will never leave me or forsake me, and that He holds my hand. God will come through for us. We will fall, but we will not stumble headlong because God has my hand. I will fall, but I won't land on my face in the dirt, because God has my hand.
I'm still working on believing that all the time. The reality is that there are still days when everything else builds up and it's hard to have hope. But over and over the Bible tells about how God came through for His people. The Bible is clear that we will face difficulties, but that God will lead us through all of it.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread." That will be my testimony.
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
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