Lord of the Dance

Life in ministry requires some late nights. I did not get home from our midweek activities until nearly ten. God still gets me up to feast on His word. He awoke me around 4:38 a.m. Later this morning I will be teaching a men’s study before daybreak. Sometimes the hours in ministry are long but the rewards are sweet. There is no better reward than to sit at the feet of the Lord with His word opened in my lap and reflecting on His truth.

God gives a supernatural strength when we are doing His work in His way. No matter how weary I am at night the Lord always gets me up early for Him. Today my meditations included thoughts on worship. Do we ever worship before the Lord? We at times may worship among the masses but how often do we really direct our worship toward an audience of one? That should be our goal and our aim. My worship should be expressed before the Lord.

To take the concept of worship one step further, do we ever worship before the Lord with all our might? This is what David did in [II Sam 6:12-23]. He danced before the Lord with all his might. The word might can also be translated “force and strength.” I interpret that to mean that David did not hold back in worship. He gave God all he had.

The word dance found in [II Sam 6:14] means to whirl. I am fascinated that David, this fierce warrior, this powerful and influential king could forget about his reputation and dignity and worship his God holding nothing back. Here we see a king dancing and worshipping THE KING! If David could worship without holding back I wonder why we can’t. David felt free to dance. Many of us are so bound by tradition and the opinions of men we are not even free to sing.

The truth is so many are conscious about what other people think. Our focus is too often on the horizontal when our gaze should be vertical in worship. It does not matter if we are worshipping in the privacy of our homes, automobiles, or some secluded spot, we ought to be able to let loose and give God all we have in worship. We ought to be able to sing at the top of our lungs unconcerned if we hit every note. We ought to be able to kneel, fall prostrate, stand with hands extended toward heaven, clap, shout, or even sit silently in pure acts of adoration. Many do not even feel the freedom to do that privately much less publicly.

I admire David who loved God more than he loved the opinions of people including his own wife, who despised him when she saw acting undignified. How I long to be free in my expression of love for the Lord. How I long to be free to worship without the distraction of what others think. I yearn to be drawn into deeper experiences with my King. I want to be free to dance in my heart before the Lord.

There will always be cynical people watching instead of worshipping. Regardless, I want to celebrate the Lord of the dance. I want to get lost in times of private worship where I lose track of time. I want to be totally unaware of my surroundings as I get caught up in fresh experiences with the Lord. I yearn to sing, lift my hands, clap, shout, and be unconcerned who is watching from behind. Maybe they will just see a man worshipping His King. I hope they see a sinner who rejoices in and before His God. I pray they see more than all of that the Lord of the dance. If they see the Lord of the dance they will be far too preoccupied with Him to be concerned about what you and I are doing.

Go ahead today. Step out of your comfort zone. Sing like nobody is listening. Dance like nobody is watching. Worship the Lord of the dance with all your might. To be perfectly honest, I really don’t care how you feel led to express worship. I just want us all to celebrate the Lord of the dance. I want us all to give people the freedom and permission to express worship to their King. He is a great Lord. He is a majestic King. For David and this morning for me is our Lord of the dance.

A Giant Leap of Faith

Over the course of my twenty-five years of following Christ I have taken many steps of faith. I have often preached or written about many of these. It is something I have resolved to do for the rest of my days.

Many years ago I sat in a youth camp worship service. The Lord stirred my heart as I reflected on the life and resolutions of Jonathan Edwards. I thought about a resolution I might make to the Lord. After a few moments I committed to the Lord, “I would run to the cutting edge of faith and leap over that edge every time He called me to for the rest of my life.” You have no idea how many times I have secretly wished I had never made that resolution.

Over and over again the Lord has held me to that resolution. At times it has meant giving away money or possessions. At other times the Lord mandated that I take major leadership risks such as leading FBC Paradise to relocate and build new buildings debt free. One morning the Lord called me to make a specific appeal for money to help another person, and to ask for a car to be given to a needy family. I have been prompted to witness to people and invite people to church.

On such occasions my heartbeat increases, I get nervous and I think about that resolution. Instead of falling back in unbelief I run toward the cutting edge of the safe and the secure and leap into the unknown trusting God to help. I have been privileged to witness the Lord do some extraordinary things in faith. That makes the leaping worth while.

When the Lord called me to hold a ten-day revival here in Seminole and then told me it would last for weeks, I hesitated. Once I knew the Lord really wanted to do it, I nervously stood before the congregation to jump out of the boat and to cast vision for the revival. There were skeptics but when the revival lasted a little over three weeks and numerous people were saved, I was glad I took the leap.

All of this to say I am no stranger to faith walking and preaching. Faith is one of my all time favorite subjects. I’ve had a multitude of experiences the past three days that called me to take another giant leap of faith. This is a leap I have hesitated to take for at least ten years. I have prayed. I have waited. In this one area, though, I did not take the leap.

Let me fill in the details. God called me to write since I was a little boy. Though not saved until I turned seventeen, I still felt a burning desire to write since I was twelve years old. I took this more seriously in my mid-twenties when the Lord resurfaced this dream in my heart to write for Him. The call on my life to preach and the call on my life to write were both from Him. I felt liberated when I knew God willed for me to do both.

During the next several years I wrote several books and self-published three. I wrote numerous others that were either filed away or lost in different from ministry assignment to the next. I sent one manuscript to Multnomah Publishers and got what authors refer to as a rejection slip. I tried one other mainline publisher whom I never heard back from. So I pursued publication through paying for it myself. This worked well in the beginning. Over the years my prayers began to change. I wanted to see my books impact people on a broader scale but the ability to distribute my books limited itself to the area I lived in.

The more I wrote the greater the dream in my heart grew to want to be published. Here is where I would hesitate for over a decade. I could not conceive of any publisher wanting to publish a book written by an unknown author like me. I waffled back and forth on this for over a decade. I never sent a book proposal or a manuscript to any agent or publisher. I kept answering my own prayer.

On Monday I received an email from a lady who read one of my books and the Lord touched her deeply. The email encouraged me to keep writing. Not long after that a lady came by my office to purchase some books. She has bought at least a dozen over the past month. We began talking about my writing ministry and she told me she thought people saw me as one who sat before the Lord and heard from Him and then through preaching and writing I communicate what the Lord revealed to me. Her comment finished with the truth that many people wait for each blog I write. Her comments left me musing that I have to work more diligently at a writing ministry. Believe it or not, I received another email from a lady who read one of my blogs and welcomed me back after a near two-month hiatus from writing. I became so burned out after the revival I had nothing to write about. God has restored inspiration to me in the past few weeks.

The Seminole Seekers Writer’s Group met on Tuesday. I have missed the last three meetings. For some reason, I felt compelled to attend. A lady who recently signed a contract to publish a series of children’s books spoke to us. The one thing she spoke about that gripped my heart focused on getting an agent. A literary agent markets your manuscripts for you to publishers for a commission of the sales.

I had not forgotten that this morning when I closed the door in the prayer room at church to seek the Lord. I prayed over many issues including getting an agent and getting my books published. I opened my Bible to where I left off reading last time, Exodus chapter three. This is the chapter where God calls Moses to go deliver Israel from Egypt. God spoke to me through that chapter. I am like Moses making excuses why He can’t use me and how unable I am for the task. God’s simple message today was, “Go now. I will be with you.”

I could not believe the timing of reading about Moses. God orchestrated the perfect reading for that moment in time. Earlier in the morning I had read Genesis 45-Exodus 2 around 4:00 a.m. I went back to bed for a bit before starting my day. It did not dawn on me at the time of that reading God had a divine appointment for me later in the day. I simply stopped reading.

After reading Exodus 3 in the prayer room, I wanted to sit still and listen to God. I bowed my head, cleared my thoughts and voiced this simple prayer. “Please show me what to do. I need to hear from you. I want to join you in what you are doing. Do you have anything to say to me?” The Lord had already spoken through Exodus 3 but I wanted clearer details. I know nothing about securing a literary agent. I did the same thing I have done time and time again when the Lord calls me to take a leap of faith. I sought Him for more clarity.

What happened next stunned me. I still cannot believe it even though it happened about nine hours ago. While sitting still before the Lord with no agenda other than to hear from Him, He began to speak. Here is what I sensed the Lord say to me. “I have an agent picked for you in Texas. Pursue finding this agent. It will be a woman and she works in Dallas.”

When I finished praying I returned to my office. I googled, “Christian Literary Agents.” I was directed to a site hosted by the president of Thomas-Nelson Publishers. He wrote about finding agents and listed contact information for what he considered to be the top forty. I scrolled down praying under my breath, “Lord, let there be a lady from Dallas on the list.” I saw people from Oregon, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and New York. Finally my eyes fell across the state of Texas for an agent. As I scanned to the left it turned out they were based in Amarillo. A few minutes later I got another false alarm from an agent stationed in San Antonio. As I neared the end of the list I began to doubt I had heard from God. I have gotten it wrong many times before. I nearly leapt from my seat when I saw the words Dallas, Texas after scrolling down further. It became even clearer when I looked at the name of the agent and found her name. Yes, a female agent who works in Dallas! I am not through. The company she owns works with some of the best selling authors alive today. Her company is a major force in the literary world.

I knew at this point I had to follow through in obedience. I found her website and located her submission guidelines. I typed two different letters about two different books I proposed for publication. I prayed over the letters and then sent them out in faith knowing I had heard from God and been obedient. Now it is time to watch God work.

That might not seem like a giant leap of faith to you but it is to me. I have battled this lack of confidence about I would ever getting published for over a decade. In fear I have shrunk back in lack of obedience and unbelief. Over and over again for years God has convicted me but I rationalized my way out of it every time until today. So here I am after having taken a huge leap of faith.

I believe God wills for me to be a published author. I believe He wills for my books to be distributed on a broader scale. Would you pray for a lady with the initials J.M. God knows who she is. Please pray for favor as she reads my book proposals and that she will feel God’s call to be my agent. I trust God to make this long awaited dream become a reality. Thank you for your prayers in my leap of faith. I will be glad to pray for you when you take that leap as well. [Luke 1:37]

Now it is time for you to leap. There is something God is calling you to do and you keep shrinking back in fear and unbelief. If I can leap then you can leap with me. Let us believe God to make the impossible possible for the glory of His name.

Prayers of Incense

Today we took a few of our senior adults on a trip to see a replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle. Before taking the self-guided tour with headphones to give vital information at each station, we read a pamphlet spelling out the history of the tabernacle.

During the first station we took a symbolic piece of white cloth representing the priestly garments worn by the Levites in entering the tabernacle signifying purity. The next area called for us offering a burnt sacrifice to the Lord. We threw small pieces of wood into the fire as our sacrificial sin offering to the Lord. Next, we washed our hands before actually entering the tabernacle.

Once inside we moved to lighted candles reminding me of Jesus being the Light of the World. We then moved to an area where we partook of the Lord’s Supper. Next, we stood before an area where fragrant incense wafted to the Lord. Before entering the holy of holies behind the veiled curtain, we took a rod of incense with us symbolic of our prayers and intercessions lifted to the Lord.

As we stood silently, reverently, and solemnly in the holy of holies before the Ark of the Covenant I worshipped. The thing that moved me most was watching the smoke rise from the rod in my hand and smelling the fragrant aroma thinking of the prayers of God’s people. I thought of my prayers offered day after day, some in worship and some in intercession. I thought of the private petitions ascending before the throne of God like the incense rising from my rod. I cannot tell you how deeply this experience moved me.

My prayer life is extremely important to me. Right now I am enjoying the presence of God privately but for some time I have not experienced it corporately. I am grateful for that beautiful picture as we stood in the holy of holies. That one experience with the Lord was worth the whole trip.

The incense of prayer should be my life’s work but how the enemy opposes this. Everywhere I look around me God is calling me to things bigger than me that require me to pray. I am reading a book on the life of Hudson Taylor. The secret to his great success in China was prayer. A small sculpture sits on my desk of a pastor kneeling over a chair with head buried in his folded arms praying. I have a whole shelf devoted to books on prayer. I have even written books on prayer myself. None of that necessarily translates into a great prayer life though. I how often I find in my own life the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

Prayer is work. It is labor to intercede for people and for communities. Prayer is costly. The thing that most moved me today is that prayer motivated by the will of God and empowered by faith, are a fragrant aroma to the Lord. When I am away from home on some ministry assignment, I love to hear the voices of Brenda and the boys. I love to hear them say they love me and miss me. How much more does God enjoy the praise and petitions of His people? How sweet are the aromas of prayer offered to the Lord like incense from all around the world.

My little corner of the world is Seminole, TX. It is here I am called to labor, serve, and minister. A huge part of that calling for me is prayer. First and foremost I am to seek the Lord in private worship so my heart will continually be aflame for Him and His work. Next, I must labor to offer the incense of intercession for my family, friends, and for this church and community. I know beyond any doubt so many of the blessings I have enjoyed in ministry all came from the intercessions of those who prayed for me. Many blessings came from those who prayed in places I have ministered and died before seeing the prayers answered. Though they died their prayers of incense have lingered in the nostrils of a mighty God who time and again flexes His Sovereign omnipotent muscles to move of mountains of every sort and size.

Today I yearn for the prayer closet. I yearn to be drawn into the presence of the Lord. I want to live my remaining days offering up the incense of prayer. I am thankful for a group of ladies in FBC Seminole who have been offering up incense of prayers since back during the revival. They have not stopped meeting. I am thankful for Joyce Dow and the ministry of love she has with Community Prayer Room. My schedule has interfered with my attendance for several weeks but I aim and long to take my rightful place there again this week. I know these intercessions are continually before the Lord and will one day break forth in a greater revival than we saw last time.

I must cut this short. I need to get to the prayer room. It is a burning necessity. Other things have to be moved to the back burner. I have some incense to burn before the Lord ahead of leaving the office and going home. God may your people continually offer the fragrant incense of prayer before you night and day.

Making the Devil Mad

Satan plunders, deceives, steals, kills, and destroys millions. He is a powerful adversary who has declared war on God and all that God stands for. His opposition to Christians is relentless and his schemes to bring about his wicked plans are ingenious.

I preached from [I Pet 5:8-9] yesterday on getting a war like mentality. The scripture is written, “ Be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

He is a hellish fiend. He tricks, blinds, deceives, tempts, accuses, condemns, and destroys the masses. I hate him and what he does. I have seen many fallen, some destroyed, and several in my family killed because he won the day. I did not simply preach a message. I preached a sounding alarm to wake up and to resist the evil one. That means to stand fast and not be movable. This is done primarily through prayer, the scriptures, and evangelism.

In college several of my friends and I used to call out across campus when we saw each other, “Are you making the devil mad?” The sad truth is many times I have done just the opposite. I have committed sin, rebelled against the Lord, or served God with half-hearted effort and affection. Yesterday God hit the devil right between the eyes. He used the worship, the baby dedications, the preaching, and drew two young girls to salvation who were sisters.

We held a baby dedication for four newborns. Later in the service two of the older sisters of one of those babies trusted Christ for salvation. What a glorious day to make the devil mad. I rejoiced to see the triumphant Christ deliver a knockout blow. Will you trust Christ to keep making the devil mad? When he is mad I rejoice. His days are numbered and his defeat is eminent.

Blessed

It was only five years ago Brenda and I were pretty much destitute. We served a small band of less than a dozen people as a church. No matter what we tried, prayed or preached the church would not grow. We had only one car between us. We survived on the provision of God’s people and outside preaching engagements. In many ways those were some of the toughest times of our lives. God remained faithful in the midst of it all.

The Lord led us from east Texas to Paradise, TX. We enjoyed four of the happiest years of ministry in that small but blessed little town. God took a church that had seen rough times and brought healing. The Lord set a massive vision before that church they still continue to believe God for today. God blessed the church with growth and many new families. Our family was blessed with rich and meaningful relationships. Even as I write this, a flood of memories comes passing through my mind. Those Paradise days were blessed days.

None of us thought they would come to an end. The call on our lives to come to Seminole came unexpectedly. We thought we would always serve in Paradise but God had other plans. Many tears were shed as we sought the will of God. In the end God made it abundantly clear that we had to leave our beloved flock and follow Him west. More tears were shed as we said our goodbyes.

I will not forget those Paradise people who accepted and loved us. We were blessed over and over again during those four years and leaving them for an uncertain future in Seminole was a step of faith indeed. Uprooting Brenda and the boys wrenched all of our hearts. I knew if I disobeyed God our family would no longer be blessed and the Paradise church would no longer be blessed either.

We have been in Seminole a year and nearly two months. In that time the church has grown dramatically. We have seen many saved and follow in baptism. God has blessed the finances of the church. And who will ever forget the Shake the City Revival that lasted for twenty-three days. God has blessed over and over again.

We were blessed to own our own house again. The boys have been blessed with new friendships and involvement with sports, choir, and the church. They love Jase and we are blessed with a great staff with the addition of Sean Decker. God has opened doors for missions work. I will be headed north to Canada again in a few weeks. FBC now has a pastor after five grueling years of praying. Our partnership in Washington State is just beginning and our work in Honduras continues.

Recently I made a trip back to my hometown of Lufkin, TX and got to visit with several people whom we love deeply. I was reminded of this trip while reading the scriptures this morning. Jacob had left his home because his brother Esau wanted to kill him. Jacob’s mother sent him away under the pretense of wanting him to go and find a wife from her home country. Jacob leaves with little but over the course of twenty years that he was gone God blessed him with a family and a large flock of sheep.

The word of the Lord came to Jacob that it was time to go back home. He starts the long journey home but gets word Esau is coming to meet him with four hundred men. Jacob divides his caravan into two companies and prayerfully prepares for what will happen next.

The part of this story that grabbed my attention this morning is found in [Gen 32:9-10] “Jacob said, ‘O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, “Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you.” I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.’”

That is how I feel. For twelve long tumultuous years Brenda and I struggled in life and ministry. There were good times but there were more hard times. Many stood with us in those days for which we will be eternally grateful. They know who they are. Many interceded for us and showered us with God’s provision when we did not know where our next tank of gas or trip to the grocery store would come from. When we drove out of east Texas with our belongings in a U-haul moving truck we had little going for us. Paradise took a big gamble on us. That is part of why I love those people so much. My track record did not boast of past successes. I had God and His promises accompanied with faith that better days were ahead. God ensured there were.

When I returned to my hometown a few weeks ago I felt like Jacob crossing the Jordan to go back home. He left with little but returned with much. Since I left Lufkin over five years ago, God has blessed our family and ministry. Taylor was going into fourth grade and now is a freshman and working hard as linebacker and right tackle. Tanner who was a second grader is now enjoying Junior High as a seventh grader and playing left guard for his football team. Tucker had not even started school back then but now is in fifth grade and the quarterback for his little football team. Turner was just two years old when we moved to Paradise and is already in second grade getting ready for his role as a coach in his school play. Jennifer has been married and now has her first child in little Owen.

God has blessed with two great churches over the course of the last five years. FBC Seminole has been a blessing. They have loved us and showered us with affection and blessings of all sorts. They pray for me and encourage me. They, like FBC Paradise, have been willing to follow God and take steps of faith in response to His leading. They have hungered for God’s Word and we have already completed studies on the lives of Noah, Abraham and Joseph. We have completed studies through the book of Philippians and I John.

I am a blessed man. Brenda, Jennifer, and the boys are God’s great blessing on my life. FBC Paradise was and still is a great blessing for us. FBC Seminole has become home and weekly blesses us with more love and more desire to follow God into a glorious future. God is just now beginning to make that future clearer.

Here is the morale of this story. You might be reading this and be like Jacob or the Edwards household crossing Jordan with nothing the first time. Do not underestimate the desire and power of God to bless His children who follow Him faithfully. Your whole life can change in the short span of five years like with us or longer with Jacob who was blessed over the course of twenty years. God turn your circumstances around in less time than that. When God gives you the chance to return home and you recall how God has blessed be sure to give Him both thanks and the glory for all of it.

Surprise Attack

I am ashamed to say it had been a long time but I finally pulled out the blue blazer for a spin around Seminole before Wednesday night church a few days ago. The weather proved perfect. Mild temperatures and no wind made for a beautiful day to ride the old bike and get the heart rate up.

I mounted the saddle and turned right out of my driveway spinning easy toward the stop sign. From there I turned left to pass through the residential area I live in where I could get out on the open road and open up.

When I turned right again where nothing lay before me but straight dark pavement as far as the eye could see I shifted gears and began picking up the pace. I found a comfortable cadence in pedaling and ducking my head getting down to business. The wind blowing against my cheeks felt good. Being out on the open road calmed my soul and cleared my mind.

After riding for about ten minutes, I began to commune with the Lord. I had just really tuned into Him when suddenly I found myself under attack. A vicious and angry dog had run up behind me and wanted a nice size chunk out of my ankles. I fought him off by shouting at him and slowing down scanning behind to see which direction he was coming from. Eventually he backed off and lost interest but not before nearly getting to bite me.

To say my heart rate jumped significantly in those moments would be an understatement. I continued my ride and eventually found peace again. In those moments I began reflecting on the dog’s attack. He caught me totally unprepared. I never saw or heard him coming until the very last minute and that proved nearly too late.

Satan comes like that as well. He is like a sniper with his demon hoards hiding prepared to ambush us when we are vulnerable. Like when we are exhausted. He also likes to come right after we have won significant spiritual victories. In those moments we take a sigh of relief and prepare to let our guard down. Those are the moments when he attacks.

After the Shake the City revival I experienced both. We won many victories and exhaustion overcame me physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Twenty-three straight days of preaching and battling in prayer took a toll on me. I became easy prey for the enemy for nearly two months. I felt lethargic. Devotions did not recharge me. I felt numb. Nothing moved me. I had no desire to think deep thoughts and absolutely no desire to write. This marks only the fourth time I have written a blog since the end of August. There have been no fresh thoughts, no books, and no ministry through writing. The truth is I had nothing left to give and nothing to say. The enemy’s attack on me went unnoticed for the longest time. Eventually the Lord showed me what had been going on. The journey back to health spiritually, physically, and emotionally did not happen overnight. As I write this I can say God is bringing me back. The enemy is exposed and I am much more prepared for the fight.

There is more to my riding story. After riding down to a dead end I turned to head back home. I knew I would have to pass the house where that dog lives. This time I had a plan. As I began approaching the house I built my speed while scanning the field around the house. It did not take long before I spotted him. He came running like someone had scalded him with hot grease and took aim straight for me. I pedaled faster and faster and he ran faster and faster with teeth showing. As he drew nearer I began to taunt him to try to catch me. He could not keep up with the blue blazer. We hit speeds close to thirty miles an hour. The dog stayed hot on my trail for a while before realizing he could not catch me. I cannot tell you the joy I experienced thinking of that dog having to turn around and trot the long way back home.

We must have a strategy to defeat the enemy. Paul’s strategy is found in [Eph 6:10-18]. Let me ask you a question. When you leave the house each morning do you leave prepared for battle or for a church picnic. Let me illustrate. If I leave my house heading for a church picnic I do so nonchalantly. I look forward to enjoying family and friends along with good food. If I open my door thinking snipers are hidden with one agenda and that is to take me out I walk out my door with a different mind set and geared for battle. I am more cautious, more alert, and more prepared for surprise attacks.

Like it or not we are in a spiritual battle. Our enemy loves to spring surprise attacks on us. He loves to marshal his forces against us when we least expect it or when we are most distracted with other concerns. We have to train ourselves to live with a war like mentality. We must live expecting that our enemy is going to attack and he will do it relentlessly. Therefore we must put on the armor, arm ourselves with God’s word and fight the good fight.

Everything changes in times of war. Our priorities change. Our mentality change. Our financial interests change. While our adversary has declared war and works day and night to oppose God and His children all over the world, the church has gone to sleep. We only have two weapons to fight. God’s word, which is the sword of the Spirit, and prayer. That’s it.

Does it surprise you that these are two of the weakest areas in many believer’s lives. It is like sending a soldier out to the front lines with no weapons. The solider becomes a sitting duck. Many Christians are sitting ducks and are defeated over and over again.

I am grateful to the Lord for my surprise attack and the reminder it brought to my mind. It is time to be on the alert. Why, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren in the world.” [I Pet 5:8-9] Paul gives similar advice in [Eph 6:10-11] “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” The devil will continue to attack but we can be ready and resist him firmly. “Resist the devil and he must flee.” [James 4:7b]

Church in the Park

Yesterday we enjoyed a victorious day in the Lord. We set a high attendance goal for Sunday School and reached out to our community. Our services were followed by an afternoon in the park and our evening worship service under a grove of trees under cloudless skies and with gentle breezes.

We did not reach our goal. We set the goal at 426 but had 410 in Sunday School. This is the most we have ever had since I have been here. I heard the story of one lady who texted her friends for seven straight days inviting them. Her friends responded. There were people present who had not been in this church for years. One man personally invited over twenty people. Another lady equaled this task. One gentleman personally invited over forty people to come for that special day. Watching the church respond to the challenge and work together blessed my heart.

Many people responded and God blessed us with a fantastic day. Our choir sang majestically. Our deacons and several men worked tirelessly to cook lunch for all of us. Several helped set up risers and sound for our choir to sing and afternoon service. One couple planned the games. Teachers loved on their students. New relationships and memories were formed. My heart was moved viewing all the different groups of people gathered under the shade of the trees from several generations eating, playing dominoes, visiting, and watching some good old games like sack races, three legged races, wheel barrow races, and the egg toss. I wiped out in the sack race taking dead last in my heap. Many found this comical except my pride. Turner and I lost the egg toss with him taking the brunt of egg splattering all over this shirt and jeans.

I am amazed at the power of God to work through this church. Two were baptized on Sunday. We officially started two Sunday morning worship services. 132 came to the first early service and we had 339 in the second service. People stepped up in the nursery and got up early to cook breakfast for their classes. The choir sang in both services as well as our instrumentalist played both morning services and one played out at the park. The choir sang out at the park as well for the third time that day. We had sound people working extra as well as our television crew. God truly moved these people to come together for the purpose of reaching out to our members who had fallen out of church as well as to those who never even attend church or those looking for a new church home.

I am humbled and blessed the Lord continues to use us. We have much work still to do but it sure was fun to have our second annual Church in the Park. We already have new ideas for next year. To all of you who reached out, loved, welcomed, and worked to help make Church in the Park a success, I want to say thank you. May God get all the glory.

Enjoying the Journey

After months of busy ministry and after the twenty-three day revival I finally packed my suitcase and satchels filled with book and headed east for a private retreat. I knew it would be a long drive but I also new my soul needed to be replenished. I was ministering on fumes and desperately needed to refuel.

It is interesting to see the changes in geography on that seven-hour drive. It of course started on the flat plains of West Texas. Not much to look at except to inspect the cotton crop getting ready to be harvested.

As I drove I-20 east I next noticed the windmills. They hardly turned at all. I do not recall much after that due to the fact I became engrossed listening to a sermon. I was snapped to attention by a truck next to me driving suspiciously. Next to me I looked up nearly three hours from home and saw a family from our church headed to a stock show. They soon left me in the dust.

I made a brief pit stop at Taco Casa in Abilene for lunch. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed my cheese topped chilada and my combination burrito with sour cream. I wolfed them down to get back on the road. I still had four hours of hard driving to go.

I next focused on the growth in Weatherford, TX. Brenda and I lived there right after we got married where I served the Spring Creek Baptist Church as youth minister. We both got an education in that town and in that church. We look back on those years as some of the fondest in our whole ministry.

I snaked my way through Fort Worth and recalled the drive I used to make from Weatherford to Seminary. Once I got through Fort Worth it was on to east Texas. Soon the trees became more prominent with Pine trees lining up along the road. When I began seeing the Pine trees I knew I was getting close to where I grew up.

The last hour drive down highway 287 from Corsicana to Palestine included scenes of cotton fields, lakes, and rolling forest hills. When I pulled onto the place I have affectionately named my “prayer cabin” I was on the back porch in prayer within five minutes. I enjoyed the gentle cool fall breeze while looking over the private lake.

There is a point to all of this. I enjoyed the journey. Many times when I am on a trip I have one thing in mind and that is my destination. I miss everything else because I am so focused on the end of the trip. For whatever reason I enjoyed the journey this time. I have enjoyed my days here. I have had no schedule to keep and no phone calls to attend to. I have been able to stay up late and get up when I wanted. I have used my time to exercise, pray, read, and finally today for the first time I took my computer out and I am writing.

I have enjoyed the trees more than at any other time in my forty-four years of living. I guess west Texas will do that to you. I have enjoyed lunches with my host and long time friend Jimmy. I even enjoyed driving down to Lufkin and seeing my boyhood home. I walked into my home church and enjoyed standing near the same spot I first entered that church just days after being saved. I spent precious time with my friend Jeff. Driving home late last night I noticed how the trees grew so tall they made a canopy over the country road I was driving to get back to the cabin.

All of this set me to thinking. How often do we get so busy on our jobs and keeping up with our lives that we forget to enjoy the journey. I am very goal oriented and driven. Sometimes I can put my nose to the grindstone and miss all the wonderful scenes, experiences, and people in life. I feel God has a call on my life to pastor, preach, and write. I have life goals and those goals are usually broken down into yearly goals. Do I really enjoy the process and the journey of attaining those goals.

Getting away on this retreat has reminded me to enjoy the journey. I will be headed home tomorrow but not before stopping in Fort Worth to eat lunch with some dear friends. This will cut into my time but will also be part of me learning to enjoy the journey. I gladly look forward to enjoying the journey back home. Who knows what I will experience on the way at home. One thing I plan on doing is taking more time out of life and driving to enjoy the journey.

Offering My Boys

While reading in the book of Genesis this morning I read chapter twenty-two where the Lord commands Abraham to sacrifice his long awaited and much beloved Isaac in a burnt sacrifice. Abraham did not hesitate to obey and eventually the Lord stayed in his hand before he plunged the knife into Isaac’s flesh. Does this mean Abraham did not love Isaac?

The truth is Abraham loved his son immensely. The greater truth is he loved and trusted God more. In fact, we get some insight into what Abraham was thinking as he bound his son, laid him on the wood, and gripped the knife to offer Isaac to God. We read in [Heb 11:17-19] “By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your descendants shall be called.’ He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead from which he also received him back as a type.”

This is beautiful picture of exactly what God did in offering His only begotten Son except he did not stay the executioner’s hands but allowed the nails to be driven in and watched as His beloved Son hung and die on the cross. Abraham believed God would keep His promise concerning Isaac by resurrecting him. God did resurrect His Son Jesus. Both know the sweet and bitter truth of offering your children for Gods’ purposes.

After I finished reading I began praying for each of my boys by name. I do not know what future God has for them. I do not know the plans and calls God will put on each of them. I do see certain areas they seem to be bent toward. I do see areas they are inclined toward. I want to encourage those areas. Three love sports. One loves music and sports. I do not know how the Lord will use them but, as I did on the day of their births, I laid those boys before the Lord and offered them to Him again this morning. I have given them back to God to use as He pleases. My role is to pray for them and steer them continually toward the Lord trusting He will make His will known to each of them.

He will direct them where to go to college, who to marry, what profession to pursue and where to live. My heart soared as I thought of each of my boys excelling in some profession. My heart also sorrowed as I also thought of each of my boys leaving home. As much as Brenda and I would love to have our kids live around us all of their lives we realize that is improbable. Not impossible but the odds are against us. That is part of offering the boys back to God.

What if God calls them to colleges far from Seminole or even out of state? What if God’s call on their lives leads them to some profession that calls them to move out of the country? The truth is I would hate that. I love those boys. Just yesterday Turner and I enjoyed eating lunch together. I dropped him off at school early but instead of rushing back to the office I parked outside the playground and waited for him to come outside to recess with his friends. He never knew I was there but I thanked God for that special little boy as I watched him.

Later in the day I picked up Tanner from football practice and he and I attended a choir concert later that night. I cherished those moments with him. Before I went to the concert I dropped Tanner off at the house and went to watch the remainder of Taylor’s football practice. I enjoyed the brief time we had together and getting to visit on the ride home. Tucker and I are already making plans to have lunch later on in the week. My life is devoted to serving God and loving my family. The boys are growing up way too fast. In my office I have a picture I love. I am on the floor in our living room back in East Texas. Taylor is lying next to me holding Tucker’s hand, who is on my back with his blanket and sucking his thumb. Tanner has his head nestled on top of my head with a big grin. Turner had not been born yet or he would have been there too.

From time to time I still get on the floor and it does not take long for Turner to make a beeline for my back. Tucker is usually in hot pursuit and Tanner often climbs down from the couch to cozy up next to me. From time to time even Taylor makes his way next to me. These are sweet memories. No father ever loved his boys more than me. Millions have loved their boys equal to me but not more.

Still when all is said and done I love God more than my boys. I joyfully and willfully offer them to Him. Many years ago I wrote a mission or vision statement for my boys. “My boys exist to glorify God by being warrior poets who give their lives to the king and for the kingdom.” So on this autumn West Texas morning I offered my boys to God. I release my grip on their lives and will spend my days encouraging them to listen to and to follow God no matter what. There are no conditions or strings attached. The Edwards boys belong to God.

Time will tell what He does with them. From time to time I may have to brush away a tear from eye as I watch them leave home to obey the Lord. I already get misty-eyed thinking about that day. At least for now God has allowed me to enjoy them. That is exactly what I hope to do. I want to enjoy them. I know there will be memories made once they grow up and start families of their own. It will never be the same again. I will never be able to crawl on the floor and they flock to me like they do now. They were God’s before they were mine and prayerfully I offer them back to Him.

Comforting the Grieving

While out of town at a meeting I talked with a precious friend of mine who is grieving the loss of an immediate family member. This happened several weeks ago but my friend cannot get over it. He has nightmares. He is depressed. He is haunted by fears. In fact, for the first time in fourteen years I witnessed my friend cry.

I mostly listened as he talked me through the labyrinth of emotions he is wrestling through. I could see the heaviness all over his countenance. He is normally a very positive and upbeat person. He seemed heavy and sad all through our meeting. He declined to eat lunch with us and I almost let him go.

I believe the Lord wanted me to talk to him. I followed him outside and our conversation followed. I cannot put into words how much this man means to me. We have walked many miles of rough roads in life together. He has always been one of those men I knew I could count on in every situation. Seeing him hurt makes me hurt.

I participated in that funeral a few weeks ago. The funerals come and go and those of us on the outside come and support our family and friends but our lives move on. Often for the grieving they remain stuck in the miry pit of sadness, remorse, guilt, and depression. I would not have known this if I had not paid close attention in that meeting. We have talked on the phone and things seemed to be normal. He covered up the dark truth inside.

As soon as we started the meeting I could tell something was different. In fact, I asked him about what bothered him during a break. He commented that since the death in his family member he had not been the same and cannot get over it. He has dealt with death before. He is a minister and is around death a great deal. He participated in his own father’s funeral. He is not scared of death itself. I think the process of death is what can be so unsettling.

Seeing my brother in such an emotionally fragile state breaks my heart. When he hurts I hurt. When he rejoices I rejoice. We are connected. Our souls are knit together. We may go weeks without talking but our love remains strong. We may only see each other a handful of times a year but we always pick up right where we left off. He is one of the original members of my inner circle of most trusted friends. This is not a wide circle.

In the end my talk did little to console him. I just did what someone advised me to do years ago when trying to comfort the grieving. Just be there. Be present and listen. Second, pray. Our time was cut short and I wished I had prayed with him on the spot but circumstances did not allow for that. I sent him a prayer in a text later in the day.

There are grieving people all around us. Some get through the grieving process easier than others. Some put the pieces back together and keep moving on. Others can get stuck in the mud and cannot seem to get out and move on. Regardless of where we find grieving people, let us stop and take time to comfort. That may not mean with fanciful words. I have learned over the years I do not have to give the answers. I have found offering love and support go a long way toward healing. Just being there and praying often means more and can do more than us quoting endless Bible passages.

I am no profound theologian. In the end all I an offer my friend is my love and my prayers. I pray those things might be a tool to help him get over the hump.