Yesterday, I opened a link to an article written by Francis Chan. I will tell you even though it was hard to read, without feeling spiritually kicked, it really opened my eyes to things I have ignored in my life. I believe he is right on the money with his comments. I would try to paraphrase what he said but I would never be able to express it as he has. So, I will just give you a link and let you chew on it a while.
"The Supernatural Life by Francis Chan"
Powerful stuff, huh? I will be honest. I question myself all the time about why we as christians have so quickly abandoned praying for supernatural experiences. When it comes to salvations, sinfulness, struggles, physical healing, etc. We tend to use phrases like, "It might not be God's will to heal this person", or "Who am I to ask God for something so outrageous?" I am ashamed to say that in my own life it is more a sign of my lack of faith than whether or not God would act.
When it boils down to it, the bottom line is that we are more interested in our own lives and our own comforts than in our relationship with the Almighty God. I am not at all excluding myself. If anything, I am placing myself on the "Sinner's Top Ten" list (no that doesn't exsist). I have said many times that if I lived out my relationship with my wife the same way as my relationship with God, I would be divorced by the end of the month. I know that I can never be perfect but I CAN start living like I have a personal relationship with the most loving, most forgiving, most POWERFUL person who will ever exist. . . my Lord Jesus Christ, who was and is and is to come. I know He desires to use His creation (us) for revealing His glory in unexplainable ways. If you don't believe me, pick up a bible at your nearest bookstore, church, or hotel room and read it. It will reveal an unfathomable God desiring to have a love relationship with His creation and revealing His glory to a world who can't see past their own ambitions. He desires to accomplish that through ways that can not be explain in human terms.
I serve a magnificent God who can do all things Naturally and Supernaturally. Who do you serve? Won't you join me in prayer this week for God to begin using us in supernatural ways once again?
Want to know how awesome our Creator is? Want to know an amazing God that created all things known and unknown, yet wants a personal relationship with us? Watch this video "Stop and Think".
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Effective or Not? THAT is the Question
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by hiss own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith - goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perserverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2Peter 1:3-10
I don't know about you, but from time to time I begin to question the effectiveness of my faith in this cold dark world. A world that we have not just appeared in by "happenstance", but ever so carefully and strategically been placed where God can use us to the fullest capacity of His glory. Have you ever stopped long enough to think about that concept. God reveals to us that we are that important to Him and His purposes, but He also lets us know that nothing/no one, including us, will ever stand in the way of His masterful plan, which is His name being magnified among the nations. It is an amazing truth to meditate on . . . God has surgically implanted us into our life situations and environments to bring health and healing to a diseased world. The "Master Physician" chooses to use us in His plan of redemption and we don't always know to what extent He will use us. We may never know the people we have touched, by just merely living for Him in our everyday lives.
What is scary to me about this truth is: What if one of the lives I was intended to touch crossed my path when I was having a "weak moment"? What if they observed me when my life was not centered around Him? Then I become consumed with the thought of whether or not my faith is being effective to its maximum potential.
Peter is teaching believers here not to carry their doubts about themselves any longer. He is reminding us all that God does not "short change" anyone He calls "His own". He shows us that through our knowledge of Him, He has given us ALL that we need (2Peter 1:3). In verse 5, Peter goes on to say that we need to make an effort to increase our faith by practicing goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance; godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. You will notice that each of these leads to the next and in many ways the success of any of these depends on all the rest. For instance, try to justify how you would carry out some of these after omitting one from the list. How can you practice moral goodness without a knowledge of the commands of God? How can you persevere without praciticing self-control? How can you practice love to all mankind without possessing godliness in your life? You get the picture?
Peter goes on to say that if you possess these qualities and they are getting more and more abundant in your life (can't be a one time practice) that you will ALWAYS be effective in your faith. Wow. . . what a powerful statement. He also concludes by saying if we do these things, we will never fall. I don't know about you but that is a HUGE statement. That was not a "well maybe" or a "I think you might", that was a bold, confident statement. The more I meditate on this, I can always find a flaw in my life with one or more of these when I am feeling ineffective. I pray that I can commit to carrying these out in my life on a consistent basis and watch what God can do through a "sold out" life.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Loving God? Or Just His Things?
First of all I must appologize for my absence. I have, like all others, let life take control of my time and energy. There are no cute stories or whimsical anecdotes that I will share to make light of my lack of posting.
I have been reading the book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan and have been thoroughly kicked in the teeth by his bold biblical teaching. As Francis described what lukewarm living looks like in today's culture, I began to feel very uncomfortable. The reason was because there were a few of his descriptions that fit my lifestyle. Wow!!! Just when you think you've crested the mountaintop you find that your not even close.
What Francis quoted next though was a painful realization of where my priorities have been. In his book God Is the Gospel, John Piper essentially asks whether we are in love with God:
You know how it feels when you have been in a dark room for an extended amount of time and then suddenly the darkness is pierced when someone turns on the light? Painful, isn't it! So painful that your eyes slam shut involuntarily. It is just as painful when you think you are loving Christ with all your heart and then come to the understanding that really your love has been invested more in His promises rather than in the Person of Jesus Christ. Promises that one day all the mess of this life will pass and we will live in sinless peace. If we are not careful we will invest our love more in God's promises than in Him and His glory. When we find ourselves in this place and feel as though loving God is an obligation or duty instead of a romantic experience there is no wonder we don't see people standing in line, waiting on the church doors to be opened. Anxiously waiting to see the reason of why our lives are so different than anything they have ever seen. If we merely pretend to enjoy God or love Him. . . HE KNOWS! You can't fool Him; don't even try.
My life was created for His purposes and not my own, for His glory and praise and not my own personal fame. My prayer is that my life would be an outpouring of love to my Heavenly Father not because of what He has promised me but because of who He is and that He loved me first when I deserved death.
I will leave you with this amazing prayer that Francis wrote at the end of this life shaking thought:
I have been reading the book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan and have been thoroughly kicked in the teeth by his bold biblical teaching. As Francis described what lukewarm living looks like in today's culture, I began to feel very uncomfortable. The reason was because there were a few of his descriptions that fit my lifestyle. Wow!!! Just when you think you've crested the mountaintop you find that your not even close.
What Francis quoted next though was a painful realization of where my priorities have been. In his book God Is the Gospel, John Piper essentially asks whether we are in love with God:
The Critical question for our generation-and for every generation-is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?
You know how it feels when you have been in a dark room for an extended amount of time and then suddenly the darkness is pierced when someone turns on the light? Painful, isn't it! So painful that your eyes slam shut involuntarily. It is just as painful when you think you are loving Christ with all your heart and then come to the understanding that really your love has been invested more in His promises rather than in the Person of Jesus Christ. Promises that one day all the mess of this life will pass and we will live in sinless peace. If we are not careful we will invest our love more in God's promises than in Him and His glory. When we find ourselves in this place and feel as though loving God is an obligation or duty instead of a romantic experience there is no wonder we don't see people standing in line, waiting on the church doors to be opened. Anxiously waiting to see the reason of why our lives are so different than anything they have ever seen. If we merely pretend to enjoy God or love Him. . . HE KNOWS! You can't fool Him; don't even try.
My life was created for His purposes and not my own, for His glory and praise and not my own personal fame. My prayer is that my life would be an outpouring of love to my Heavenly Father not because of what He has promised me but because of who He is and that He loved me first when I deserved death.
I will leave you with this amazing prayer that Francis wrote at the end of this life shaking thought:
Jesus, I need to give myself up. I am not strong enough to love You and walk with You on my own. I can't do it, and I need You. I need You deeply and desperately. I believe You are worth it, that You are better than anything else I could have in this life or the next. I want You. And when I don't, I want to want You. Be all in me. Take all of me.
Have Your way with me.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wait. . . there's a pulse. . .
Hello again to any one that has not given up on seeing me post another blog entry. I know it's a long shot that in two years my four faithful followers have stuck with me, but here it goes anyway. I have thought of many ways to try and explain where I have been the last two years and here are my top five excuses:
1. Went skydiving and a straight wind of great magnitude carried me to
a deserted island where I lived until my wife recently ran out of
money and had to have the coast guard retrieve me (who am I kidding,
I have never had any money).
2. Was in a boating accident and have been in a coma (too many people have
used this one).
3. Journeyguy began to tell me a joke about two brothers named Pete and
Repeat and it took me until now to get it . . . he's such a jokester.
4. I went on a hunting trip to Morrow Bottoms and have been wandering
for the last two years.
5. Was in the bathroom taking a European Vacation ;-)
As you can see, I have nothing.
In all seriousness, the last two years have been a whirlwind for my family. God had put us in a collision course with His will and all we could do was hang on for the ride. As my world began to spin round and round into complete oblivion I threw my hands in the air. I could not have even begun to imagine what was in store for me and my family over the next two years. Here are the cliff notes:
* Said no to God when He gave me the opportunity to join His call on my life.
* My job began to become a merciless sinkhole and suck the life out of me.
* I began to despise what I once felt called to.
* Depression set in quickly and like a thief in the night it robbed me of
my God given joy.
* My wife told me she felt led to take in orphans (to add to our family
of three kids)
* Now depression had me by the throat and began to squeeze the life out of me.
* I shut down my wife's crazy talk with excuses of single income, not enough
space, I travel too much, can't manage what we have, etc.
* Wife begins to pray relentlessly.
* I still had not been sold on the orphan idea, but it didn't take God but a
a few weeks to stop me in my ignorance.
* He began to reveal His ways are not my ways and my weakness is no match for
His awesome power and provision.
* One night, about a month later I awoke in the middle of the night with
a scripture reference from Isaiah burning into my brain, so clear it
was as if it were written literally in the air.
It read, "I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest
corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen
you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and
help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
* At that moment I felt the depression lift and a renewed purpose in my life.
* Needless to say I surrendered to the calling of adoption (amazing God story
that will have to be told another time).
* Very quickly we went from a 5 member family to an 8 member family.
* I soon had to make a decision to either continue my exhausting career or
be more available at home.
* I had sinced God moving me toward ministry but unclear how. So I did what
any since able person would do. . . I quit my job.
* I thought that it would be a quick transition due to, "this is what God
wanted", but instead it was a long faith journey.
* I didn't have a job and then a few weeks later the economy bottomed out.
* It was hard to see then, but GOD REMAINED FAITHFUL.
* When we were down to nothing - GOD PROVIDED.
* When we had gone through our retirement - GOD REASSURED
* When we began to question if God was who we heard - GOD KEPT WORKING
* When the time was right-GOD UNLOADED HIS BLESSINGS
* All of the following happened within a few weeks:
* Immanuel Baptist Church called me as their Worship Pastor
* We sold our house in two weeks - in a terrible market, without
advertisement
* We found a house two blocks from church - it wasn't for sale
* Made an offer anyway - the owner accepted and we purchased it
Sometimes the path doesn't seem so clear. Most of the time it looks overgrown, untraveled, and definitely not safe. But God nudges and says, "I'm here". As you begin to slip in as delicately as you can, you soon realize you are being knocked down by branches, cut by thorns, burned by the blazing sun, and weighted down by all the mud that collects on your clothes and shoes. Every time you step your body says turn back but your heart says finish the race.
This time I finished the path ahead of me. I wish I could say I did it completely in faith and that I never wavered, but the fact that God slammed the door from where I came from and locked me out would probably be more accurate. I am thankful that He didn't allow me to retreat to what I had left, because I can say there is nothing like finding the destination God set before you. No matter how beaten up and scared I have become it all was nothing in comparison to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
1. Went skydiving and a straight wind of great magnitude carried me to
a deserted island where I lived until my wife recently ran out of
money and had to have the coast guard retrieve me (who am I kidding,
I have never had any money).
2. Was in a boating accident and have been in a coma (too many people have
used this one).
3. Journeyguy began to tell me a joke about two brothers named Pete and
Repeat and it took me until now to get it . . . he's such a jokester.
4. I went on a hunting trip to Morrow Bottoms and have been wandering
for the last two years.
5. Was in the bathroom taking a European Vacation ;-)
As you can see, I have nothing.
In all seriousness, the last two years have been a whirlwind for my family. God had put us in a collision course with His will and all we could do was hang on for the ride. As my world began to spin round and round into complete oblivion I threw my hands in the air. I could not have even begun to imagine what was in store for me and my family over the next two years. Here are the cliff notes:
* Said no to God when He gave me the opportunity to join His call on my life.
* My job began to become a merciless sinkhole and suck the life out of me.
* I began to despise what I once felt called to.
* Depression set in quickly and like a thief in the night it robbed me of
my God given joy.
* My wife told me she felt led to take in orphans (to add to our family
of three kids)
* Now depression had me by the throat and began to squeeze the life out of me.
* I shut down my wife's crazy talk with excuses of single income, not enough
space, I travel too much, can't manage what we have, etc.
* Wife begins to pray relentlessly.
* I still had not been sold on the orphan idea, but it didn't take God but a
a few weeks to stop me in my ignorance.
* He began to reveal His ways are not my ways and my weakness is no match for
His awesome power and provision.
* One night, about a month later I awoke in the middle of the night with
a scripture reference from Isaiah burning into my brain, so clear it
was as if it were written literally in the air.
It read, "I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest
corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen
you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and
help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
* At that moment I felt the depression lift and a renewed purpose in my life.
* Needless to say I surrendered to the calling of adoption (amazing God story
that will have to be told another time).
* Very quickly we went from a 5 member family to an 8 member family.
* I soon had to make a decision to either continue my exhausting career or
be more available at home.
* I had sinced God moving me toward ministry but unclear how. So I did what
any since able person would do. . . I quit my job.
* I thought that it would be a quick transition due to, "this is what God
wanted", but instead it was a long faith journey.
* I didn't have a job and then a few weeks later the economy bottomed out.
* It was hard to see then, but GOD REMAINED FAITHFUL.
* When we were down to nothing - GOD PROVIDED.
* When we had gone through our retirement - GOD REASSURED
* When we began to question if God was who we heard - GOD KEPT WORKING
* When the time was right-GOD UNLOADED HIS BLESSINGS
* All of the following happened within a few weeks:
* Immanuel Baptist Church called me as their Worship Pastor
* We sold our house in two weeks - in a terrible market, without
advertisement
* We found a house two blocks from church - it wasn't for sale
* Made an offer anyway - the owner accepted and we purchased it
Sometimes the path doesn't seem so clear. Most of the time it looks overgrown, untraveled, and definitely not safe. But God nudges and says, "I'm here". As you begin to slip in as delicately as you can, you soon realize you are being knocked down by branches, cut by thorns, burned by the blazing sun, and weighted down by all the mud that collects on your clothes and shoes. Every time you step your body says turn back but your heart says finish the race.
This time I finished the path ahead of me. I wish I could say I did it completely in faith and that I never wavered, but the fact that God slammed the door from where I came from and locked me out would probably be more accurate. I am thankful that He didn't allow me to retreat to what I had left, because I can say there is nothing like finding the destination God set before you. No matter how beaten up and scared I have become it all was nothing in comparison to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Pearls of wisdom from Branson
First I must apologize for just now updating my post but I have started summer band. I have been completely consumed about getting things in order for the beginning of school but here we go....
1. I learned simple math on this vacation...
Three families + one condo = a lot of chaos
2. If you want to get information out of one of your children, put them on a
roller coaster.
(side bar) Kamryn has been dying to ride a grownup roller coaster and finally
she had the chance. It left the platform launching us 60 mph in
2sec flat. Once she caught her breath she began screaming as we
dropped 100ft straight down. I thought these were screams of
enjoyment but as we plummeted 100ft the second time I realized they
were screams of desperation and sheer terror. She cried out to
anyone who would listen and pleaded they would stop immediately and
let her off. By the end I believe she had called out to God in
about seven different languages.
3. When going to a drive-thru safari having all doors open on a van with legs
hanging out isn't always the best idea. Seemed like fun in my mind though.
4. Brandy is scared to be face to face with an emu. They are pretty hideous (hey an
oxymoron).
5. Donkeys get very annoyed when you try to feed something besides them.
6. Buffalo might look ignorant but they can smell food from a quarter of a mile
away.
7. You CAN shut every door and roll up every window in a van in 2.6 seconds, it just
takes a little motivation. Say...a charging 1700 lb buffalo.
8. You CAN form a human dog pile in the back of a van if you gas it when everyone
are scrambling to shut the doors in the face of danger.
9. Karis thinks Buffalo look like big stuffed animals from a distance but by the
blood curdling screams she doesn't like them inside the van.
10. You can scare your children for a long time when you THINK their having fun.
To gain understanding you must ask Karis about "Fire In The Hole"
11. When the tram driver says watch your step when getting off, HEED THEIR WARNING!
12. When going to the biggest sporting good store in the country, go by yourself if
you intend on looking. The entire time the kids wanted to do nothing more than
riding elevators and escalators.
The best advice I can give you from this trip is this... (I mean this in all
seriousness and sincerity)
When attending the Dixie Stampede (a dinner show surrounding a horse arena) and the lights go down DON'T eat anything soft. You never know.
1. I learned simple math on this vacation...
Three families + one condo = a lot of chaos
2. If you want to get information out of one of your children, put them on a
roller coaster.
(side bar) Kamryn has been dying to ride a grownup roller coaster and finally
she had the chance. It left the platform launching us 60 mph in
2sec flat. Once she caught her breath she began screaming as we
dropped 100ft straight down. I thought these were screams of
enjoyment but as we plummeted 100ft the second time I realized they
were screams of desperation and sheer terror. She cried out to
anyone who would listen and pleaded they would stop immediately and
let her off. By the end I believe she had called out to God in
about seven different languages.
3. When going to a drive-thru safari having all doors open on a van with legs
hanging out isn't always the best idea. Seemed like fun in my mind though.
4. Brandy is scared to be face to face with an emu. They are pretty hideous (hey an
oxymoron).
5. Donkeys get very annoyed when you try to feed something besides them.
6. Buffalo might look ignorant but they can smell food from a quarter of a mile
away.
7. You CAN shut every door and roll up every window in a van in 2.6 seconds, it just
takes a little motivation. Say...a charging 1700 lb buffalo.
8. You CAN form a human dog pile in the back of a van if you gas it when everyone
are scrambling to shut the doors in the face of danger.
9. Karis thinks Buffalo look like big stuffed animals from a distance but by the
blood curdling screams she doesn't like them inside the van.
10. You can scare your children for a long time when you THINK their having fun.
To gain understanding you must ask Karis about "Fire In The Hole"
11. When the tram driver says watch your step when getting off, HEED THEIR WARNING!
12. When going to the biggest sporting good store in the country, go by yourself if
you intend on looking. The entire time the kids wanted to do nothing more than
riding elevators and escalators.
The best advice I can give you from this trip is this... (I mean this in all
seriousness and sincerity)
When attending the Dixie Stampede (a dinner show surrounding a horse arena) and the lights go down DON'T eat anything soft. You never know.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Truths I Learned at Heber Springs
Here are some truths I learned while we were camping:
1. Ryan is a pyromaniac. He likes to use an entire bottle of lighter fluid just to see the flash
2. Three family size tents will fit on a camping tent pad (for you inexperienced campers, it is only designed for two)
3. You can hear people snoring from neighboring tents. Sound travels long distances in the wild.
4. Kids will never stop eating as long as food is visible
5. Karis will pee in her panties but she refuses to pee in the lake (there's a thinker)
6. You CAN stand a party barge up on its nose (we not only stood it up but sunk the front by a couple of feet.
7. Jennifer moves extremely fast when a boat she is on begins to flip.
8. Scuba diving flippers don't float. Now the lake owns one of mine.
9. David can three flashlights in one night (that takes talent)
10. Your back can be twisted backwards into a pretzel shape with enough force. That force is achieved by swan diving off of a 30ft cliff.
11. David can shoot a 15ft tower of flame out of an ordinary fish cooker. (no exaggeration)
12. Ryan can achieve NFL type speed when standing by a fish cooker/flame thrower.
13. In reference to #1 I guess he is a pyro wanna be.
14. You can successfully suck motor oil out of a boat motor with a piece of PVC pipe.
15. A party barge can carry 7 people beyond its maximum capacity. Maybe the cause of #6.
16. Kids won't jump off of something 6ft off the ground but will flail themselves off of a 30ft cliff.
17. I guess that ends the debate of, "If all your friends jumped off of a cliff would you do it too?", the answer is YES.
18. A boat anchor does not always hold a boat in place.
19. A dive flag can disappear while you are 20ft under water.
20. Memories aren't made unless something goes wrong and you can't laugh as long about perfection.
To all of my camping friends, I had a blast and can't wait to do it again. There are some pictures on my wife's site. When my wife get's home I will try to upload my swan/prezel dive.
1. Ryan is a pyromaniac. He likes to use an entire bottle of lighter fluid just to see the flash
2. Three family size tents will fit on a camping tent pad (for you inexperienced campers, it is only designed for two)
3. You can hear people snoring from neighboring tents. Sound travels long distances in the wild.
4. Kids will never stop eating as long as food is visible
5. Karis will pee in her panties but she refuses to pee in the lake (there's a thinker)
6. You CAN stand a party barge up on its nose (we not only stood it up but sunk the front by a couple of feet.
7. Jennifer moves extremely fast when a boat she is on begins to flip.
8. Scuba diving flippers don't float. Now the lake owns one of mine.
9. David can three flashlights in one night (that takes talent)
10. Your back can be twisted backwards into a pretzel shape with enough force. That force is achieved by swan diving off of a 30ft cliff.
11. David can shoot a 15ft tower of flame out of an ordinary fish cooker. (no exaggeration)
12. Ryan can achieve NFL type speed when standing by a fish cooker/flame thrower.
13. In reference to #1 I guess he is a pyro wanna be.
14. You can successfully suck motor oil out of a boat motor with a piece of PVC pipe.
15. A party barge can carry 7 people beyond its maximum capacity. Maybe the cause of #6.
16. Kids won't jump off of something 6ft off the ground but will flail themselves off of a 30ft cliff.
17. I guess that ends the debate of, "If all your friends jumped off of a cliff would you do it too?", the answer is YES.
18. A boat anchor does not always hold a boat in place.
19. A dive flag can disappear while you are 20ft under water.
20. Memories aren't made unless something goes wrong and you can't laugh as long about perfection.
To all of my camping friends, I had a blast and can't wait to do it again. There are some pictures on my wife's site. When my wife get's home I will try to upload my swan/prezel dive.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Birds of a Feather
I was sitting on the porch swing the other day and was content watching the chimney sweeps that have nested under the eave of our carport. They have about 4 or 5 babies hidden in the nest. They lay motionless at all times until they hear the mother fly close and then they stretch out their little necks and try to devour whatever she gives. As soon as she is gone they hunker down and go dormant again.
I see myself as those little birds. I sit in my safe little nest as still and quiet as can be until I hear God say something or even sense his moving then I dart up and try to get all I can only to go dormant again as soon as the experience is over. I stay that way until God says enough is enough and pushes me from the nest and forces me to soar among the clouds where he designed me to be.
The only difference is that the birds will do what they were designed to do for the remainder of their life but I find myself back in the nest again and again.
God give me the boost.....
I see myself as those little birds. I sit in my safe little nest as still and quiet as can be until I hear God say something or even sense his moving then I dart up and try to get all I can only to go dormant again as soon as the experience is over. I stay that way until God says enough is enough and pushes me from the nest and forces me to soar among the clouds where he designed me to be.
The only difference is that the birds will do what they were designed to do for the remainder of their life but I find myself back in the nest again and again.
God give me the boost.....
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Yes or No, You be the judge.
I have been thinking about the many comments I have received about my kids and their behavior. I am very proud of my kids. They have grown into such loving, respectful, obedient, content young ladies. I have people ask me how they turned out like this. When I tell them that at least two of the three are very strong willed children they look at me like I am joking around. I tell you that two of my children that Dr. Dobson wrote about in his book the strongwilled child.
I don't pretend to have all the answers.....quite frankly I don't have any of the answers. I will speak to what I believe and you can take it or leave it. In Matthew 5:37 it says to let your yes be yes and your no be no. This talks of your character as a christian but I relate this back to the parent as well. My thoughts are as follows:
1. Try to say yes as much as possible. Trust me you will have plenty of opportunities to say no.
2. Try to stay away from vague answers just to pacify your child (I am bad at this one)
ex. Maybe
We'll see (my favorite)
let's just wait
ask your mother/father
I don't know
3. Don't say no just out of convenience. You need all the chances you can to enjoy time with you kids. Suck it up and say yes.
4. Can I say yes.... Does it create any permanent results? Does it tarnish yours or their witness? Does it go against scripture or God's own heart? If the answers are no then say yes....
5. When it is important enough to say no, then it is important enough to see it through. When you say no then you must come out on the winning end. If you give in ONCE after you say no then your child (no matter how young) will relate that to your no means nothing and they think if they go against you long enough that you will cave.
6. Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
Again I am not claiming to be a guru but I just speak what I TRY to do with my own kids. Some thoughts to think about anyway.
I don't pretend to have all the answers.....quite frankly I don't have any of the answers. I will speak to what I believe and you can take it or leave it. In Matthew 5:37 it says to let your yes be yes and your no be no. This talks of your character as a christian but I relate this back to the parent as well. My thoughts are as follows:
1. Try to say yes as much as possible. Trust me you will have plenty of opportunities to say no.
2. Try to stay away from vague answers just to pacify your child (I am bad at this one)
ex. Maybe
We'll see (my favorite)
let's just wait
ask your mother/father
I don't know
3. Don't say no just out of convenience. You need all the chances you can to enjoy time with you kids. Suck it up and say yes.
4. Can I say yes.... Does it create any permanent results? Does it tarnish yours or their witness? Does it go against scripture or God's own heart? If the answers are no then say yes....
5. When it is important enough to say no, then it is important enough to see it through. When you say no then you must come out on the winning end. If you give in ONCE after you say no then your child (no matter how young) will relate that to your no means nothing and they think if they go against you long enough that you will cave.
6. Consistency, Consistency, Consistency
Again I am not claiming to be a guru but I just speak what I TRY to do with my own kids. Some thoughts to think about anyway.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Shaken up
Hello everyone.... that is if anyone is still reading. I know it has been over a month but it has been one wild and crazy ride lately. I guess one might say that I have too many irons in the fire.
I have really been wanting to post but everytime I sit down to do it something tends to come up. That is what tends to happen with my alone time with God. However, God has been using so many other things to shake the ground under my feet. I have not been very consistent with scripture reading but it doesn't to stop God's lessons for me. He tells me like I tell my students... "you are going to get this one way or another and I don't care how long it takes..."
If you haven't read a good thought provoking, life changing book lately then you need to read Seizing Your Divine Moments by McManus. I will post in greater detail later.
May God bless each and every one of you.
I have really been wanting to post but everytime I sit down to do it something tends to come up. That is what tends to happen with my alone time with God. However, God has been using so many other things to shake the ground under my feet. I have not been very consistent with scripture reading but it doesn't to stop God's lessons for me. He tells me like I tell my students... "you are going to get this one way or another and I don't care how long it takes..."
If you haven't read a good thought provoking, life changing book lately then you need to read Seizing Your Divine Moments by McManus. I will post in greater detail later.
May God bless each and every one of you.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Spiritual Awakening
Man has this been a busy month. I have allowed myself to get too busy. I have neglected my prayer life, my quality time with my wife, my kids, and more importantly, God. I have watched my wife pursue her relationship with God with diligence this past week and makes me ache to get there myself.
We have been focusing on different aspects of our relationship with God and the past few were about Scripture study, Worship, and Prayer. I have seen that being a Godly man/family takes great determination that is why I have decided to take my wife away for the weekend. I know your thinking how does that get you closer to God? Well let me tell you.
My wife doesn't know where we are going yet so unless she reads this no one tell her. I have decided we need to spiritually recharge our lives and our family. We will spend two days in Petite Jean and we will be doing things like taking a nature/prayer walk with God where we will praise God with our prayers. We will read scripture together and pray together. We will spend time in meditation and practice listening to God. We are going to realign our lives with scripture and try to discuss a game plan on how to lead our family into a love relationship with God in every area of our lives.
Please say a quick prayer for us and for God to remove any barriers or distractions that could hinder us from renewing our spirits in Christ.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Fail-Safe Faith?
After reading my wife’s blog (entitled swinging) a couple of days ago I was thinking over the comments she made about failing in trying to open the maternity house. I picked up a book that I had been reading but had not had time lately and this was what I read:
We have been taught that whenever God is in something, there is no chance for failure. At the same time we are reassured that when God is with us, we are guaranteed safety. In the process we create the most ironic oxymoron – “safe faith”.
A fail-safe perspective blinds us to divine moments from several vantage points. We fail to see divine moments when all we see is danger and the risk of failure. We lose our confidence in the midst of divine moments when the journey becomes turbulent and God allows us to experience failure. And we are unable to celebrate divine moments, even after we’ve walked through them, if we look back and measure the success of the journey in human terms.
One of the advantages of the Bible is that it is predominantly a history book. We are able to look back and see what God has done. God’s history in the story of humanity gives us a foundation for our present and future faith. Yet it is also a disadvantage that the Bible is predominantly a history book. It’s like reading a book from the last chapter to the first. We know the ending of every story, even as we read the beginning. And beyond that we know the end of history, even as we live in the midst of it.
Whenever God is involved, the epilogue is not mysterious. God wins. Everyone on His side gets to share in that celebration. This is good news, but it can be terribly misleading. We think because the story concludes with a guaranteed victory, every chapter is lined with nothing but victories. We expect our journey to look like a trip on a rocket ship beginning from the launching pad and reaching to the highest heavens. In fact, it is better described as a roller-coaster ride with nauseating ups and downs. We do well to remember that even in battles that are counted as victories, the winning side has many soldiers who died in the engagement. And so while the nation has a story of conquest, victory, and freedom, the individual might have a substory of conflict, suffering, and defeat. It is only because his life is interconnected to the broader story that his death gains both meaning and victory.
~Seizing Your Divine Moments
~Erwin Raphael McManus
That pretty much says it all. There is a movie clip from We Were Soldiers that if you imagine that it is Christ talking to His troops (children of God) it says the exact same thing as the above. Check it out… www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechweweresoldiers7thcavalryaddress.html
We have been taught that whenever God is in something, there is no chance for failure. At the same time we are reassured that when God is with us, we are guaranteed safety. In the process we create the most ironic oxymoron – “safe faith”.
A fail-safe perspective blinds us to divine moments from several vantage points. We fail to see divine moments when all we see is danger and the risk of failure. We lose our confidence in the midst of divine moments when the journey becomes turbulent and God allows us to experience failure. And we are unable to celebrate divine moments, even after we’ve walked through them, if we look back and measure the success of the journey in human terms.
One of the advantages of the Bible is that it is predominantly a history book. We are able to look back and see what God has done. God’s history in the story of humanity gives us a foundation for our present and future faith. Yet it is also a disadvantage that the Bible is predominantly a history book. It’s like reading a book from the last chapter to the first. We know the ending of every story, even as we read the beginning. And beyond that we know the end of history, even as we live in the midst of it.
Whenever God is involved, the epilogue is not mysterious. God wins. Everyone on His side gets to share in that celebration. This is good news, but it can be terribly misleading. We think because the story concludes with a guaranteed victory, every chapter is lined with nothing but victories. We expect our journey to look like a trip on a rocket ship beginning from the launching pad and reaching to the highest heavens. In fact, it is better described as a roller-coaster ride with nauseating ups and downs. We do well to remember that even in battles that are counted as victories, the winning side has many soldiers who died in the engagement. And so while the nation has a story of conquest, victory, and freedom, the individual might have a substory of conflict, suffering, and defeat. It is only because his life is interconnected to the broader story that his death gains both meaning and victory.
~Seizing Your Divine Moments
~Erwin Raphael McManus
That pretty much says it all. There is a movie clip from We Were Soldiers that if you imagine that it is Christ talking to His troops (children of God) it says the exact same thing as the above. Check it out… www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechweweresoldiers7thcavalryaddress.html
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Waiting...
God is an awesome God isn't He.... He has never ceased to amaze me at the ways that He shows Himself to us. As some of you know, my wife and I had a vision of starting a maturnity home. It has turned into a rollercoaster ride. We have had our ups and our downs, occassionally been turned upside down, flipped around and with a whiplash halt. I have many times gotten frustrated at how hard this process is and that it will never get done.
However.....
I went to church and my pastor and best friend preached on the crucifixion and resurection. When he began speaking of Thomas and how he was a doubter and worrier, it immediately pricked my heart. I won't spend time explaining the whole story but what Jesus told him hit me right between the eyes....Do not disbelieve, but believe!
It was like Jesus was saying, "haven't I shown you who I am? Haven't I revealed the father to you on numerous occassions? Have I ever fallen through on a promise? Haven't you seen my father's miraculous abilities as creator of this world? Haven't I always taken care of you? Well....
You get the picture.
So then yesterday I was reading the book of Habakkuk (yes Habakkuk) and this verse stuck in my heart and gave me a refreshed look at our situation. Habakkuk 2:3 it said, "for still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end - it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
I know the meaning of this is not about a maturnity home but it was a voice of reason giving me hope in a time of frustration.
Please pray for this vision to become a reality.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Head Scratchers
Some things that have humored me about myself and family....
1. Our family is going somewhere in the van or lounging around the living room and a strange odor rears its ugly stinch and the whole family looks at me.......What's that all about?
2. You know how someone is deep in thought and out of the silence comes a statement like, "well what would you do?", and your thought is WHAT? (occurs a lot in our house)
3. I was driving down the road one day and I drifted about 2 inches toward the center line and I looked over and asked Brandy,"did I scare you or something", and she replied the courtesy answer of no. All the while she had her feet on the dash and her hands on the cieling bracing herself for her life.
4. A bug comes flying through the house and Kamryn in her panic voice yells, "DDDDAAAAAADDDDD", all I say is, "it won't sting you", and she turns from dainty to tom boy and starts bouncing off the walls to catch and torment it.
5. Kynlee has been doing fear factor type stuff at church like (my favorite) bobbing for baby routh bars in lemonade out of a toilet (a new one in case you paniced) but she freaks out if she has to touch something squishy
Friday, March 23, 2007
God is working
I have to first appologize for my delay. I have been very preoccupied lately. Jeff had all the elders of the church preach a day in March. Well last Sunday was my day. Needless to say I was a nervous wreck for the last two weeks.
I was reading in the book of Habakkuk a couple of days ago and something hit me right between the eyes. (first read Habakkuk 1:1-5) My wife just posted about perspective, well this has kind of put in place for me. Habakkuk began by complaining to God. Our big WWWWHHHHYYYY???? questions bouncing around the courts of heaven.
Then God said this, "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told."
We worry constantly about what do we do next. He basically answers us the very same way LOOK and BE AMAZED
I was reading in the book of Habakkuk a couple of days ago and something hit me right between the eyes. (first read Habakkuk 1:1-5) My wife just posted about perspective, well this has kind of put in place for me. Habakkuk began by complaining to God. Our big WWWWHHHHYYYY???? questions bouncing around the courts of heaven.
Then God said this, "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told."
We worry constantly about what do we do next. He basically answers us the very same way LOOK and BE AMAZED
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Thinking of You
I want to start by apologizing for my delay in posting. I have been pretty preoccupied lately. My mind and heart have been bound with the heaviest chains to the victims in Dumas and I can't seem to break them no matter how hard I try. There is so much that runs through my thoughts on a daily basis but I will keep it brief.
I have had the opportunity to go and help in this time of need several times. I went the day after the tornado struck and also this past weekend. It is dumbfounding to view first hand the devastation of these neighborhoods. It makes you think when you look at houses that are totally destroyed while the houses on either side of it were spared. We helped some people move the few appliances that were salvageable, all the while watching the next door neighbor kick around the rubble praying to find a single picture that survived the destruction.
We stood at the edge of a cotton field Saturday and looked at debris scattered as far as the eye could see. I began to walk out through this field and what I saw cut me deeper than anything else. I expected in my mind's eye to see pieces of tin, maybe some shingles and wood, but what I saw were peoples memories. I walked and with every step laid pictures, books, teddy bears, baseball cards, blankies, etc. This has stuck with me to realize the pain that these people must be feeling, not just in loosing a house but more importantly losing a home.
"A Home", that word has lost a lot of its meaning. We use it so loosely and don't really think of what loosing it really means until we see something like what I saw. There in their shallow graves of the cotton field lay all the memories, gifts of love and trinkets passed down from generations. These families will never be able to replace those things with all the money in the world. Many times we don't stop and think of that side of their loss. We tend to focus on the expensive things not the priceless.
While I was cleaning up debris, I was mulling over all that I had taken in that day and was very discouraged. I began to grab big chunks of brick and wood that was piled a couple of feet deep and in the midst of all the rock and ruble I uncovered a bible. I was very surprised that it was in one piece. There were a few pages that were dogeared but it was virtually undamaged while I had found hundreds of other books torn to pieces and soaking wet. It wasn't a few more minutes and I found a crystal heart tree ornament and it was unblemished. It totally blew my mind... to say the least.
The more I have meditated on this the more this thought comes to mind. In all the destruction and chaos we can still find God's truth and love. His pure and righteous heart still stands strong through all of this devastation and we have to choose to see it. I am not going to stand here and try to tell you that the bible I found was untouched because it was God's word. I am sure there were bibles shredded by that storm, but I do believe that was a message I needed at that moment. I had started wandering the big question....WHY?..... I don't know why but I do know that as long as God's people are willing to listen and act in love God will continue to use this disaster for His glory. Please remember all affected by this storm either directly or indirectly and find a way to help mend a broken heart.
I have had the opportunity to go and help in this time of need several times. I went the day after the tornado struck and also this past weekend. It is dumbfounding to view first hand the devastation of these neighborhoods. It makes you think when you look at houses that are totally destroyed while the houses on either side of it were spared. We helped some people move the few appliances that were salvageable, all the while watching the next door neighbor kick around the rubble praying to find a single picture that survived the destruction.
We stood at the edge of a cotton field Saturday and looked at debris scattered as far as the eye could see. I began to walk out through this field and what I saw cut me deeper than anything else. I expected in my mind's eye to see pieces of tin, maybe some shingles and wood, but what I saw were peoples memories. I walked and with every step laid pictures, books, teddy bears, baseball cards, blankies, etc. This has stuck with me to realize the pain that these people must be feeling, not just in loosing a house but more importantly losing a home.
"A Home", that word has lost a lot of its meaning. We use it so loosely and don't really think of what loosing it really means until we see something like what I saw. There in their shallow graves of the cotton field lay all the memories, gifts of love and trinkets passed down from generations. These families will never be able to replace those things with all the money in the world. Many times we don't stop and think of that side of their loss. We tend to focus on the expensive things not the priceless.
While I was cleaning up debris, I was mulling over all that I had taken in that day and was very discouraged. I began to grab big chunks of brick and wood that was piled a couple of feet deep and in the midst of all the rock and ruble I uncovered a bible. I was very surprised that it was in one piece. There were a few pages that were dogeared but it was virtually undamaged while I had found hundreds of other books torn to pieces and soaking wet. It wasn't a few more minutes and I found a crystal heart tree ornament and it was unblemished. It totally blew my mind... to say the least.
The more I have meditated on this the more this thought comes to mind. In all the destruction and chaos we can still find God's truth and love. His pure and righteous heart still stands strong through all of this devastation and we have to choose to see it. I am not going to stand here and try to tell you that the bible I found was untouched because it was God's word. I am sure there were bibles shredded by that storm, but I do believe that was a message I needed at that moment. I had started wandering the big question....WHY?..... I don't know why but I do know that as long as God's people are willing to listen and act in love God will continue to use this disaster for His glory. Please remember all affected by this storm either directly or indirectly and find a way to help mend a broken heart.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Passionate or Passiveness?
I just returned from my All State trip today. I couldn't post while I was gone because they wanted a fortune for internet service. Before I left I had to create an assignment for my class. I had an idea that involved the shooting at Columbine High School. The entire trip I couldn't get it out of my head. I began to think of the young girl that stood her ground and lost her life. This young lady awoke just like every other morning going through the mundane routines we all do to prepare for the day. As she went to school she went through the day studying and completing the assignments without a thought that soon her day would turn to tragedy. As the bell rang for lunch she approached the lunch room. I can picture her visiting with her friend's with such things as, "how did you do on the exam" or "what are you doing after school". As she sat there eating like any other normal day the unimaginable happened. A young man entered the lunchroom with a weapon and approached her. At this point I can only imagine the panic that struck through the room. I can tell you, when teenagers get startled there is no fight or flight, it is RRRRUUUUNNN!!!!!! I picture it as total chaos. Kids running every direction, hiding under tables and screaming at the top of their lungs. This young lady did not run or hide. She stood toe to toe and face to face with this dangerous young man. This young man, holding a gun, asked a very simple yet very challenging question, "are you a christian?" This one second in time probably went by as an eternity. I wander what went through her mind at that moment. Was it, "I could lie and maybe he won't hurt me" or maybe, "I could beg and plead for my life". No one knows what actually this courageous young lady thought. In the midst of utter chaos this young girl bathed in the blood of Christ Jesus our Lord said the most profound thing......"yes"....... That one word not only Glorified our Saviour, it sent a message to a lost world that rings in the ears of people everywhere.....
I have meditated on this all week and it has me puzzled. What words of wisdom was said to this girl somewhere in time that brought about this indisputable passion? Was it an act of kindness shown to her in a dark moment that had her faith in God burning white hot? Was it something instilled in her by her father's guidance? I want to know...... I want so much for myself to be this passionate about my Gracious God. More importantly I want my kids to be this rock solid in their faith. I pray that God could use me in a monumental way with engraving his love on their minds, hearts, and souls. I don't know what brought such boldness, confidence, and power to this little girl's faith other than divine intervention.
One thing is for sure though we will never know, this side of heaven, who or what touched this young lady's life preparing her for this moment. I know this girls life makes me appreciate the small things. It makes me wonder who's life I am touching when. The author Erwin Raphael McManus says it best in his book, Seizing Your Divine Moments, "Often divine moments look like inconveniences on the front end. It is virtually impossible to predict the range or depth of impact that can result in the lives of others when we seize these God-given opportunities. Our sphere of influence is no small part in this journey. We must never underestimate where influence can take us. One of the ways we miss divine moments is to treat what we consider nominal influence as irrelevant. We must never underestimate the importance of one moment, one word, one deed in the life of another human being."
I am by no means the perfect dad or husband and can not even be considered for the most dedicated christian man. I can only pray that God wants to still use a sinner such as I. I don't even know where to begin in telling you where one should begin to be an influence. My wife read somewhere that dads must hug their daughters eight times a day in order to fill their love tanks so they know they are loved. At this rate I calculate that I am about 16,425 hugs behind but I intend on beginning there by giving every last one of them. I want my girls to know that their dad loves them more than his own life and, in time, teach them that as much as their earthly daddy loves them God loves them even more.
I have meditated on this all week and it has me puzzled. What words of wisdom was said to this girl somewhere in time that brought about this indisputable passion? Was it an act of kindness shown to her in a dark moment that had her faith in God burning white hot? Was it something instilled in her by her father's guidance? I want to know...... I want so much for myself to be this passionate about my Gracious God. More importantly I want my kids to be this rock solid in their faith. I pray that God could use me in a monumental way with engraving his love on their minds, hearts, and souls. I don't know what brought such boldness, confidence, and power to this little girl's faith other than divine intervention.
One thing is for sure though we will never know, this side of heaven, who or what touched this young lady's life preparing her for this moment. I know this girls life makes me appreciate the small things. It makes me wonder who's life I am touching when. The author Erwin Raphael McManus says it best in his book, Seizing Your Divine Moments, "Often divine moments look like inconveniences on the front end. It is virtually impossible to predict the range or depth of impact that can result in the lives of others when we seize these God-given opportunities. Our sphere of influence is no small part in this journey. We must never underestimate where influence can take us. One of the ways we miss divine moments is to treat what we consider nominal influence as irrelevant. We must never underestimate the importance of one moment, one word, one deed in the life of another human being."
I am by no means the perfect dad or husband and can not even be considered for the most dedicated christian man. I can only pray that God wants to still use a sinner such as I. I don't even know where to begin in telling you where one should begin to be an influence. My wife read somewhere that dads must hug their daughters eight times a day in order to fill their love tanks so they know they are loved. At this rate I calculate that I am about 16,425 hugs behind but I intend on beginning there by giving every last one of them. I want my girls to know that their dad loves them more than his own life and, in time, teach them that as much as their earthly daddy loves them God loves them even more.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Eyes to the Soul
I have heard so many times people make reference to being able to see into our souls through a single look or action. Well today I was at Wal Mart (I know I live there too) and was talking to a friend in the area between the two automatic doors. One of the doors was opening vvvvvveeeerrrrryyyy ssssslllllooooowwwwwllllllyyyyy.... if it was opening at all. It was quite candid to watch as people approached the door. We are so used to doors opening almost as briskly as we walk but this one had a mind of its own. It would sometimes begin to open and then stop and sometimes it would decide to close before it fully opened. Some of the unexpected people thought it was humorous and took it in stride acting as if it was no big deal and even thought it was funny. Some reacted with a look of frustration but calmly pushed the door open and proceeded with an annoyed look. Others looked as if to say, "how dare you do this to me", and wanting to rip it off the hinges. Later I had this thought or maybe it was an enlightening moment from the Holy Spirit. Maybe we would be able to evaluate or see directly into the condition of ones soul by really paying attention to ones actions in the minor moments. Scarier than that, lost people can see directly into our hearts and read the condition of our hearts like a book. Maybe we are the reason why so many choose to leave the ranks of the righteous. I am not saying we have to be perfect, we can't, but maybe we should be trying a lot harder to keep our actions in check in the small things.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
My First Post!
My wife has really gotten into blogging and it has slowly enticed me into reading a lot of your blogs. I have been preparing my blog and have anticipated the day when I could create my first post. I have been awaiting this day like the Israelites awaited their entrance into the promised land... well probably not even close to the right comparison. Unlike their excitement of a land flowing with milk and honey, our house is flowing with Imodium and Phenergan, and while they could hear the sounds of rushing waters I am listening to the desperate cries to the mighty EARL while hugging his porcelain throne. I know your thinking that is gross, well I say it is a lot worse when you witness it.... As you already know we are preparing to make a move in a couple of days and we can't seem to beat the illnesses floating around. Needless to say this move will probably be the most memorable one yet. The other eight (yes I said eight) times will not even touch this one.
I will have to explain the choice of title the next time I post as right now I have to go and be the knight in shining armor to my damsels (wife and three daughters) in distress.
I will have to explain the choice of title the next time I post as right now I have to go and be the knight in shining armor to my damsels (wife and three daughters) in distress.
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